Chapter 4: Briefings and departure.
Nerima, Japan:
For the past few weeks, the commanders of the international force had been busy drawing up plans for the operation and it had not been easy due to many reasons: the political sensibilities involved the nature of the landscape, and most importantly, the nature of the threat. Time and time again, the arguments had devolved into verbal slugging matches. Finally however, the commanders managed to draw up a workable plan. Now it was time to convince the politicians and that would prove to be just as harsh as the arguments they all endured in the past few days.
Kitagawa took a huge gulp of his drink as he waited in his quarters for the inevitable news that guests would arrive and the meeting could begin. He had dealt with these types of meetings before and knew what to expect. What he did not expect though was the Emperor of Japan himself would attend the meeting. That sent shivers down his spine for he remembered the few times that he met the Emperor face to face and every time he did, he wished that he would be allowed to go back to the battlefield for he would rather deal with death on the outside than dishonor in front of the eyes of the emperor.
The opening of the door interrupted when Reynolds entered the room with a straight face, "General, the delegates have arrived and are waiting for us". Kitagawa nodded and asked his American colleague, "Reynolds-san have you ever had a chance to meet your commander in chief face to face"?
Reynolds paused for a moment before recollecting "I've met a few face to face but none after Roosevelt really impressed me with the exception of Dwight D. Eisenhower". He paused before continuing, "I remember when I once gave a briefing for him and his cabinet and even though he was open with me, I felt like I've been sent to the hounds", "Still though to meet a true hero of the war face to face was gratifying for me".
The room turned suddenly silent the American's statements and both realized what he meant. For although officially, the Emperor was mostly blameless for the war, many felt that due to his status and his education in naval affairs, the Emperor should have realized what was about to happen and therefore bore a sense of at least a moral responsibility since the former Imperial forces of Japan operated in the name of the Emperor.
Putting those thoughts aside, the two generals headed out to the conference hall where their colleagues and the delegates awaited them. The tension was already thick with the Japanese standing in one corner with the Americans, Western Europeans, and Russian and Chinese delegates in line at the front. Each held conversation with the other in carefully measured tones that betrayed the suspicion and mistrust each held for each other, despite the different levels of it.
Taking a deep breath, Kitagawa walked over to where the emperor was talking with Prime Minister Otaki, his cabinet, and a group of American politicians and generals. He was about to pause when the Emperor turned around and replied in formal Japanese, "Good morning General Kitagawa, it is truly a pleasure to be here to watch the briefing today". Kitagawa nodded in quick assurance and replied, "Thank you your majesty, my colleagues and I hope that once you and the Prime Minister will be satisfied with what we've put together". That was partially a lie since Otaki and the chiefs of staff had sat in on some of the meetings and therefore had some idea of the plan presented today.
After a few more minutes of small talk, the conference got underway. The delegates and other guests of honor took their seats while the commanders directly involved in the operation took their seats on the stage with the man in charge, General Kitagawa taking the podium and speaking first.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, I'm General Kitagawa, commander of the UN expeditionary force to eliminate Godzilla". He paused before continuing on, "Today my colleagues and I will brief you on the plan for Operation: Final Strike". His face turned somber before continuing, "Many of us here had fought against each other during the war and we still suffer the scars of it every day". He paused before stating, "Perhaps by working together to deal with this threat, we can hopefully begin to heal those scars and truly leave a legacy that generators later will be proud of".
The general then turned aside and used a pointer to mark the areas of Antarctica used for the attack, "As you know, after Godzilla's most recent attack on Tokyo, we spotted him landing Antarctica", "Already we have ships screening the seas around the ocean to keep him pinned in while we prepare to attack him". Kitagawa paused before continuing, "Once the main forces arrived, the naval units will be strengthened to cover the landing areas and prevent Godzilla from escaping". He then paused before continuing with the speech, "Now I'll turn over the briefing to my trusted and gifted subordinates, many who have proven themselves during the war and in recent conflicts to date starting with the American general present here today".
Reynolds winced but took it good naturedly by moving up to the podium, "Central to the plan would be to surround the continent and cover our landing troops as they swarm ashore", "As for the air units, we'll have them based on the southern end of Australia, South Africa, the Falklands and other areas close to Antarctica where they can cover us as we hunt for Godzilla". Reynolds finished by stating, "They'll be armed with experimental weapons designed to penetrate the monster's thick hide before exploding, hopefully inflicting enough damage to slow him down". He then ended his meeting with a bow and took his seat while Russian General Brezarin.
The Russian general paused before beginning with his section of the briefing, "As my esteemed colleagues have point out to us, the battle will most likely occur over continent", "Already, special reconnaissance troops have landed on the continent and in addition to keeping track of Godzilla's movements, they've also established temporary beachheads on ground suitable for heavy vehicles". Brezarin finished by stating, "Once all our troops are ashore, we will hunt the monster down and hopefully inflict a grievous defeat on him".
He then sat down as Takeshi Nakano, commander of the aerial battleship squadron as well as that of the Gotengo, took to the stage and began his speech, "A key element of the plan are our aerial warships and the firepower they contain", "They'll hover over the monster while providing continuous support of our ground forces". He paused before continuing, "They will be used by crews that have been specially trained to fly these craft as well as launch aircraft from their decks while the ships are airborne, therefore providing continuous air cover over the continent". He then added, "For protection against Godzilla's ray, we have coated the hull of the ships with the same materials used against the ray of the Mysterians".
He ended his speech with a bow and headed back down to his seat while Kitagawa took the podium, "Now that you've been briefed on our plans, we would like to hear your thoughts about the plan". As he looked over at the audience, the general expected some long arguments and the first blow came from the American ambassador Mark Cranson. The American ambassador stood up and spoke to the Japanese general, "As you know, right now the United States is engaged in combat action in Vietnam and right now we can't afford numerous casualties from this particular operation", "Can you be sure that everything has been done to keep the chances of fatalities to a minimum".
Kitagawa replied, "We tried to consider every possibility so rest assured that we kept that in mind"? The next person to speak was the ambassador of the USSR, "Instead of wasting men and material in useless frontal assaults, can't we find a way to use nuclear weapons".
Despite the attractiveness of the idea to some in the room, Prime Minister Otaki spoke for all of the Japanese when he replied instinctively and angrily, "Under no circumstances will we use nuclear weapons". Kitagawa replied, "Also the damage on the environment in the area would be disastrous", "More importantly if the nuclear weapons fail to destroy Godzilla they could make him stronger since he feeds on nuclear energy".
The next question came from none other of the Emperor, "I'm impressed with all aspects of the operation you've anticipated, especially with that of the fleet, but can we really afford to sacrifice more men in such numbers only twenty years after the end of the war"?
Kitagawa took a deep breath before stating, "I understand your feelings your majesty but the monster will not remain in Antarctica for long and we would not want another Tokyo". He paused before continuing on, "It would be better to engage the monster in an isolated area instead here in Japan or anywhere else". He then paused before speaking again in a clear assured tone, "If we have to lose anyone then at least we will die in the service of all humanity".
The Emperor of Japan seemed to consider the general's words for a moment before he asked again, "When can you be ready to attack?" Kitagawa smiled and replied confidently, "We can depart for Antarctica within two days". That answer satisfied the Emperor and he brooded for a few moments before rising up from his seat and clapping his hands together with the rest of the audience and those on the stage following soon thereafter.
As the congratulations continued on, Reynolds replied to the Japanese general, "It seemed to go well". Kitagawa replied, "Didn't you feel scared, I felt dead frightened at the sight of it all". Reynolds then paused before continuing, "It could have been a lot worse, it could have been dictators that we gave the meeting to". They both saw Brezarin grit his teeth in reply at that statement.
Tuskaba, Japan:
Despite the success of the meeting, Nakano took a deep breath as the motorcade drove him back to Tsukaba. Even though the meeting and the demonstration went well, he still struggled with numerous problems, especially with dealing with the many nationalities. Already fist fights had occurred and some of the crews had to spend time in the brig. One of the most famous was a US weapons officer by the name of Douglas Gordon. The American had a bad tempter and fists to match it and it had landed several others in the hospital.
He soon arrived at Gordon's cell where he lied down on the bed with an unreadable face on his features. The room became quiet for a moment before Nakano asked Gordon, "You do know why you're here don't you"? The American just grunted which seem to irritate Nakano more, "You were busy having drinks at one of the local bars when a group of Russians and Chinese came in and when they started talking negative things about your country, you decided to get into a fist fight". He paused before continuing, "Acts like what you do jeopardize my job".
The American grunted again before continuing, "I'm just here since it would help me avoid Vietnam and Europe so I really have no problems". He paused again, "Besides, this is really your fight and you're using us as cannon fodder".
Nakano gritted his teeth even more at the American's impudence and he replied back, "It is only the fact that your file displays the fact that you're a skilled weapons marksman that is preventing you from being sent home". Gordon grunted in reply before Nakano said, "You're spending your time here in the brig until we launch this mission, which fortunately for you won't be for a long time".
Gordon just replied, "Oh goody, some more action". With that Nakano stormed out of the cell, itching to take his anger out of anyone or anything. Soon, he managed to calm himself down enough to turn to Udea, who had just arrived, and order, "Signal all crews to report to the briefing room".
Soon, the entire briefing room filled with anxious soldiers when Nakano arrived. Upon looking at his grim face, everyone realized what that meant, "Gentlemen, we've just received our orders". He paused before continuing, "In two days from now, we will journey to Antarctica and participate in the operation to defeat Godzilla once and for all".
Udea then took over, "On our end, we will be providing continuous aerial cover while our ground forces assault the monster", "The ships will fly at the level of Godzilla's head and continuously fire at his head to prevent him from using his atomic ray". That stunned the crews since no one wanted to be in Godzilla's direct line of fire and no one really could really predict just how resistant the armor would be to Godzilla's main weapon.
Seeing this, Nakano interjected, "We've taken every available precaution in order to protect you all when we engage the monster". He then paused before continuing, "If any of you need to take care of any personal items then go right ahead but other than that, in two days, we will depart for Antarctica". The captain then left the room, followed by his XO while the rest of the crew in the room started to wonder about their own fates.
Nerima Japan, Several days later:
Although everything had been going according to plan, there were elements that were out of the control of the generals and weather was the key element. The international strike force needed good weather by the time they arrived in Antarctica so they could attack immediately after landing their troops. Also important was the fact that somewhat good weather in the area meant that the troops on the ground could rely on essential aerial support. Therefore, the generals had driven the weather experts to the point of exhaustion in trying to figure the best guest for what the weather would be while trying vainly to catch some form of rest.
Kitagawa, Reynolds, and their colleagues at around a large rectangular oak table with drinks and food scattered around the table. Some read books while others took sips of their drinks as the clock ticked away in the eerie silence. In fact, several started to show the strain by tapping their fingers on the table.
The waiting mercifully ended when the weather officials arrived in the room. Opening papers and laying them out in front of Kitagawa, the lead official took a deep breath before stating, "As you can see, we've spotted developing weather patterns in Southern Pacific and as you can see, they've started to develop in a menacing way". He paused before saying, "I know that you plan to sail all the way to Antarctica but I would advise that you first say down to Australia and wait while the weather situation clears up".
Kitagawa nodded but stated, "I wish I could really listen to your advice but our target won't coroporate with our estimates here so we can't really follow your advice". The other generals nodded for what was on their minds was the fear that Godzilla would break out into the oceans of the world.
The lead weather official nodded in understanding but stated, "I can't really promise that the weather will be within nominal parameters when you arrive if you plan to sail all the way from Japan".
Reynolds immediately jumped in by stating, "If we have to delay any longer, I don't want to imagine the morale of the troops after another delay".
Kitagawa nodded before walking out to the windows to watch the night sky and some almost imagined that he could see the ruins of Tokyo when attempting to make a decision.
After another eerie silent moment, he turned around to face his commanders, his face set in a grim determined tone, "Issue the movement orders, we're going".
Brezarin slammed both his fists down on the table in support and said, "Well done Comrade-General, we'll make sure to stick it to the monster".
Kitagawa laughed and said, "Thank Kami for you voicing confidence". He then turned to the other commanders before stating to them all with confidence, "Good luck and good hunting".
With that, the commanders started filing out of the room in single file while conversing amongst themselves with a more confident tone than they had not many hours ago. They left Kitagawa brooding in thought for a few moments before departing the room himself.
Two days later in Yokosuka, Japan:
From as far as Sakai could see, lay warships of all types from all over the world. Squadrons of cruisers, destroyers, and frigates circled around the carriers and numerous transports holding the ground units embarked for the operation. Though it wasn't the Imperial Japanese Navy in any sense, it was a grand sight to see and Sakai felt very much at home here again. He often wondered what the great Admiral Isorouku Yamamoto would make of such an endeavor.
The Amatsukaze was the last ship moored at the docks of Yokosuka while it awaited its special guest, the commander in chief of the operation. Though Sakai was a patient man, he wanted to get out there now. The gods of war soon fulfilled that wish when Arigama and his staff arrived onboard his ship. The other commanders had already gotten onto their ships already so the staff with Kitagawa was mainly Japanese. After they exchanged greetings, Kitagawa replied, "I imagine you want to get going on this mission". Sakai nodded and turned to his captain, "Move away from the dock and join up with the fleet". The captain hurried to fulfill the command while Sakai turned to the general, "Perhaps you want to freshen up for a bit since it will be a long journey". Kitagawa nodded and he and his staff departed the bridge as the guided missile destroyer glided out to sea to join its brethren. Once in position, the Amatsukaze signaled the fleet, "Begin the advance". As one, the entire fleet started its journey southward with the warships in the front and the carriers and transports in the rear.
Overhead, in a loud roar and to the surprise and admiration of the fleet, flew the three flying Gotengo class warships as well as scores of fighters. The huge ships flew almost perfectly over the fleet while the fighters patrolled the outer edges and conducted drills. As the crews watched the ocean beneath them, the Americans and Europeans remarked that although it was on a smaller scale, this entire operation felt like D-Day all over again. The Japanese veterans meanwhile, looked on with wistfulness since this would undoubtedly be the last time a huge military force sailed under a Japanese command.
Antarctica:
For the troops already on the icy continent, it was a lonely nerve wracking business tracking Godzilla's movement through out the frigid day. Sometimes, the monster would slip into the mists and it would take several days to find him all over again. Also on other occasions, it seemed the monster had changed course and decided to hunt them now when it actually seemed that Godzilla was marching around the island in s stroll. Even though they managed to evade detection and combat by the monster, the troops on the island knew that the main forces better launch the attack soon since if Godzilla decided to attack him, they could only hold him for a few minutes at an astronomical cost in lives.
The monster continued its stroll around the frigid landscape with his feet creating huge footprints in the ground. The monster roared again in challenge against an unseen opponent and paused to look again through the harsh snow. After a few moments, Godzilla resumed his walk throughout the continent.
Next chapter: The fleet has a long journey ahead before it hits the icy shores before arriving at the continent and to a sudden pitched battle with the king of the monsters.
PS: I'm sorry if this didn't turn out well. Oh and how well did I portray Don Fyre's character just now?