Chapter 10: Fighting for every inch of ice.
Off the shore of Antarctica:
To the crews of the warships in the area, the mission of blockading Antarctica started to bore them due to the inactivity. Being constantly at general quarters started to wear the crews out as they watched the mists of the icy continent, trying to spot any traces of the battle or that of Godzilla. In theory, if Godzilla had penetrated towards the coast, the fleet was to engage him with heavy gunfire support. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how one looked at it, that particular situation never came up thus far to the relief of the captains and admirals. Still they continued to run drills in case if Godzilla did truly break through and head towards the sea.
Only the carriers in the task force were continually in action during the whole operation. Operating in very deadly freezing weather, the flight deck crews of the huge warships struggled to keep their planes in operation despite the strain they were under. Meanwhile, the waiting pilots resorted to eating hot meals, drinking lots of healthy fluids and checking into the infirmaries to ensure their collective health as they rested in their quarters after flying another air support mission in the frigid cold.
Admiral Sakai observed all of this from his flagship despite the frigid weather fogging up his windows. Whistling in respect at the speed at which the carriers operated, Sakai turned to his subordinates and asked, "Any word from the ground forces"?
One of the officers replied, "From what we could gather, the military forces have started to engage Godzilla and right now they are receiving heavy casualties". The officer then apologized by stating, "I'm sorry sir but that is all we can gather at the moment".
Sakai nodded in understanding at their statement for he knew full well that once battle commenced, it turned into a harsh confusing mess for all sides. Still though, everyone watched the misty gray skies in front of them as they lit up with a mix of blue and orange with worry in their hearts and desperate to contribute to the battle now developing inland out of the range of their guns.
Gotengo:
The huge aerial warship shook due to the combined turbulence and the recoil of her guns as she and her sister airship continued to engage the monster. Missiles leapt from their tubes on a course to the monster, impacting on his skin with savage force. Fighters swarmed all around the huge behemoths despite the risks of friendly fire with some landing to refuel and rearm while many others using the two huge warships for cover while they launched their own attacks.
Unfortunately, that made them the prime focus of Godzilla as he switched focus from the ground into the air. He continuously fired random shots of his atomic breath at the air fleet while using his arms and legs to smash his way through any tanks and other military vehicles that drove too close to his enormous form.
Nakano and Ueda hung onto the rails as the huge ship maneuvered through the crowded sky. As he managed to regain his footing, Ueda yelled out, "Order gunners to focus on specific points and order all cameras to focus on Godzilla's body". The ship shook again as more explosions stung her hull with shrapnel and remains of aircraft caught in Godzilla's line of fire. The XO swore and replied, "Get us some distance from the others". The Gotengo's engines roared as she backed away from the monster's huge form.
Nakano swore as he observed Godzilla fighting back with savage fury. The monster's blood red eyes glowed angrily as he continued to fire blast after blast of his atomic ray while he swung his tail and stomped his feet on the ice in a crazed manner. His ship shook and sparks started to shower the bridge, forcing Nakano to say to his XO, "We have to even up the odds somehow, otherwise we'll eventually lose". He immediately turned to his weapon officials and asked hopefully, "Any success in finding a weak point"?
The lead weapons officer replied grimly, "No luck sir, our cameras can't focus enough to get a good look at Godzilla's skin and by the time our guns lock on, the wounds instantly heal". The voice of some of the other officers, especially that of Douglas Gordon signified the other officer's statement and when he turned around to see Godzilla nearly right on top of another group of armored vehicles, he yelled out, "Launch missiles". The bridge shook as they saw the missiles slam right on Godzilla's head. Unfortunately, the thick skin and G-cells withstood the barrage and although momentarily stunned, the monster roared and instantly fired back at his assailant. The Gotengo barley avoided the strike before retaliating with another barrage from her main weapons. As Nakano observed the results, his mind repeated what he said to his XO earlier, "We have to gain control of this battle soon or else we'll eventually lose".
Antarctica:
All of the troops on the ground shared this sentiment as they struggled to survive this icy bedlam that now surrounded them. Guns cracked, rockets launchers roared, and energy dishes sizzled endlessly as the international forces battled a creature imbued with the power of a god. The effects of battle threw up enormous amount of icy dust that made maneuverability virtually impossible.
Godzilla roared angrily at the resistance that continued to blast away at him despite the destruction he caused in return. He left a long trail of wreckage around him as he defended himself from his assailants and the devastation did not require the use of his atomic breath. The kaiju used that particular weapon against the aircraft attacking him from all sides and the two huge rocket-shaped ships circling him while their weapons blazed away.
In the M113 APC, Kitagawa and Reynolds held on as their vehicle struggled to traverse the landscape while they coordinated the battle with the other generals in their own command vehicles. Already, the casualties of the battle thus far had stunned then and the butcher's bill continued to rise steadily. They had to partially cover their ears to block out the sound while speaking over the command net.
As Kitagawa looked back at the map, he swore at their losses and replied back, "No matter what we do to give as much protection to our men, every time we engage the monster, we suffer heavy casualties". He paused before stating, "Already the forward units are almost out of ammunition and a few have almost been wiped out". He then turned to ask, "Where are we now".
Reynolds, who was also making marks on the map with another pencil replied, "We're steadily pushing him back further into the continent and towards a clearer area". He paused before stating again, "There are also several large ridges filled with glaciers within the area". The American paused for a moment hoping that his Japanese counterpart could see the advantage there.
Kitagawa immediately looked over the map and winced for although it was a good spot, if the battle deteriorated, they would barely have any room to maneuver. He turned back to observe the battle for a moment before realizing that they really had no choice for even with the staggering amount of firepower they had on hand, they barely made a dent thus far and at horrendous loss of life. Realizing that they could not actually destroy the monster, Kitagawa nodded in agreement with Reynolds's suggestion before getting back on the command net and began voicing out his new orders.
In the air, scores of aircraft from different nations continued to hammer away at the beast in support of the tanks and other armored vehicles. It proved exceedingly risky, especially for the mono-planes since they flew at low level while engaging Godzilla, exposing themselves to friendly fire from the ground units. Due to the sky being crowded with scores of aircraft of all types, command and control was difficult due to the many different tactics and languages of the nations involved. Surprisingly though, American, British, and Soviet aircraft somehow managed to operate together during the fighting, organizing themselves up into coherent strike groups before diving down on the monster with guns blazing. In return, Godzilla continued to blast away with the atomic ray, sometimes firing it while swinging his body around in a 360 degree motion.
In the rear, the maser tanks and artillery guns continued to provide steady support with the guns zeroed in on fixed areas around the monster while the maser tanks continued to fire long streams of blue energy right at Godzilla himself. When Godzilla started to change position, the gunners immediately transferred to new positions right behind the tanks before resuming fire.
Out front, the tanks and other AFVs continued to engage the monster at point-blank range despite the fear of the monster's towering form. Mixed battle groups covered each other as they extricated exposed units from the monster's destructive path but some weren't as fortunate as the kaiju's huge feet crushed them flat or smashed them aside with some pushed high into the air before landing in the midst of their comrades. All through the fight, many of the crews looked up at the sky to observe numerous explosions as Godzilla's main weapon continued to kill more and more of their own air support.
To the tank commanders in the front, the sight of their men dying right before their eyes proved to be so intolerable to the point that some of their commanders screamed panicky over the command net to fall back. Although desperate to agree, the commanders realized that if they were to fall back now, they would leave an open hole for the monster to smash through.
Kitagawa waited anxiously as the orders filtered down to the lower levels before they sent back their replies, which relieved everyone riding in the particular M113. He turned to Reynolds who immediately nodded in agreement before radioing back with some hope now, "Commence luring operations". After saying those words, both commanders turned back to observe the unfolding new operation they both hastily drew up.
The large ground force fighting in front of Godzilla began to split up with the left and right flanks trying to get around and attack from the rear while the forces in the center tried to hold Godzilla in place. Due to the intensity of the battle, the attempt to pull off the maneuver proved very tricky as the tank groups roared around and through the kaiju at full throttle and Godzilla wiped out several of them by stomping on them or sweeping them aside with his tail. Fortunately, enough got through without attracting the monster's attention and they immediately resumed fire to cover the transfer of the maser tanks. Along with the combined support of the two remaining Gotengo class battleships, the monster started to change direction and headed back into the interior as he marched after his assailants. The forces formerly located in the front now attempted to keep Godzilla's back in their sights while the forces now in front of Godzilla started to fall back in stages while keeping their target focused on them.
For the next few hours the forces of the human race played a deadly game of chess with their enormous opponent. Tanks and other AFVs closed in to batter at Godzilla while the maser tanks and artillery struggled their way into new positions over the wreckage and devastation of the previous few hours.
Despite the relentless bombing from the sky, Godzilla switched his attention back towards the ground and he brought in his most feared weapon down on the grounds troops, finally raining blue death on the key element of the whole battle. Scores of tanks melted into molten radioactive puddles while the beam incinerated men caught in the open and the landscape suffered heavy damage from the horrendous heat.
The commanders saw this suddenly unfolding horror and Brezarin, in his own command vehicle, instinctively yelled out, "Bring our guns right on top of the bastard now". He ducked his head down as the artillery rained down more death around Godzilla with some shells landing uncomfortably close to their own forces engaging the monster.
Godzilla's red eyes "glowed" with anger as he observed the continuing resistance they threw up against him. He roared viciously before returning to his rampage, smashing away at the ring of steel surrounding him. Despite the constant explosions around his head, Godzilla alternated his fire between the ground and the air, cutting down their ranks in large numbers. His eyes widened as his eyes observed the seemingly endless supply of men and machines moving to in to take the place of the destroyed units.
From their respective command vehicles, the generals observed the horror and many winced at the suddenly slow pace of the area designated by the Japanese supreme commander. The European commanders were especially horrified at the casualties their smaller forces suffered at the hands of their opponent. Although the Americans, Russians, and especially the Japanese armies suffered more total deaths, they could afford it while at the rate Godzilla destroyed their forces; the battle was stretching the European contingent to the breaking point.
Fortunately though, the rear elements spotted the trap which they had been busy luring Godzilla towards for the past few hours. Kitagawa himself took a deep breath in relief at the sight and he immediately got on the radio to issue the others, "Back the target up towards the wall then get clear", "All forces in the front are to press their assaults".
Despite hating the fact that now they would have to make another pass, the rear units were the first to sneak past the monster's gaze. In spite of the continuing slaughter, with several of the vehicles destroyed by their colleagues landing straight on top of them when Godzilla knocked them aside, many artillery units made it out and they soon returned to fighting Godzilla. The APCs and other soft-skinned vehicles followed next with their drivers stepping on the gas as they maneuvered around the rampaging monster. Last to follow were the tanks, their drivers gunning their engines to full power while the gunners trained their guns on the kaiju.
Godzilla snarled as he spotted the tanks passing underneath him and his back charged up before turning and letting loose atomic death on the suddenly surprised forward units. The resulting blast nearly wiped out all of the forward units, the blast incinerating the vehicles where they stood and creating huge plumes of smoke. It also stunned the forces behind the first wave and as they observed the horror, many started to panic for they now rightly feared that Godzilla was unstoppable.
Seeing Godzilla nearly annihilate the first line of defense, Reynolds turned to Kitagawa whose mouth had equally dropped open in sight at the horror. They along with their colleagues tried everything they had learned at the academies, on the battlefields against each other and in the case of the Japanese, battling against Godzilla as well as several other monsters.
Knowing full well that they needed time to reform and press the attack, all commanders started to transmit over the command net, "Send us more air support now". After that, they concentrated on trying to stay alive as Godzilla emerged out of the smoke and flaming ruins, his blood-red eyes burning with fury, and his mouth curled up in what looked like a feral grin with sharp white teeth and fangs clearly seen as he advanced on them.
When Kitagawa personally relayed the demands of the forward units back to the rear, the air commanders reacted with surprise and shock at the order. They did not need to walk far to see the long rows of survivors slumped in their various chairs in the ready rooms. Clearly the air fleets had pushed themselves to the limit of their endurance ever since the start of the operation and to fly back in again was insane for they were also running low on fuel and especially ammunition. After a few minutes of deliberations they sent back the message, "Repeat, unable to comply with our orders, many pilots exhausted and supply situation questionable".
The moment that Kitagawa read the reply, he gritted his teeth in fury and almost squeezed the report in his hand but Reynolds managed to grab the paper from the angry Japanese general's hands. He immediately read it and then turned to Kitagawa immediately before saying, "Let me take care of this". The Japanese general turned to his American counterpart in surprise before realizing what he was offering. He moved out of the way and before returning back to directing the battle, grabbed hold of Reynolds shoulder and looked at him for a moment, his eyes saying the question in his mind". Reynolds nodded immediately at his unspoken request and then prepared the message while the battle continued all around them.
Despite the constricted area of the present battlefield, Godzilla kept up the pressure on his opponents with ruthless efficiency. The small decrease in the aerial resistance allowed Godzilla to bring his main weapon to bear and soon blue death rained down from his mouth in increasing repetition. Furthermore, the combination of the atomic ray, his large feet and the constant use of his tail, Godzilla forced his foes to fall back to gain maneuvering room.
The only support the forward units could actually rely on was the artillery hanging right behind them. Guns and rocket launchers rained their deadly loads into the area around Godzilla while masers raked the monster's skin with continuous energy fire.
In the main command vehicle, Reynolds covered his ears while continuing the headed conversation with the aerial commanders. So far he had made little headway due to the understandable obstinate nature of the air commanders. In return, when they transmitted the fact that they had lost much, Reynolds transmitted back in an angry manner worthy of a Japanese samurai warlord, "If you have read the reports transmitted from the battle zone, you'll also realized that our losses have also been high as well". The American paused for a moment, "If we don't defeat him here and now, the whole world will be open to the monster's wrath". He then added, "Would you want to have the same horror visited upon Tokyo seen in your own capitals".
That turned the trick for many of them for during the time back at port, they all visited the devastated capital city and the sight brought back harsh memories of past history and each individually swore that they would not let it happen to their own homes . Within minutes, they acquiesced to the desires of the ground forces and soon nearly every airfield within range of the battle zone was virtually empty as the air squadrons, armed to the teeth, flew back into the icy hell.
Under the sudden welcoming staggering weight of explosions and metal, the tanks started to reform back up although some formations were mere skeletons and needed to withdraw. Unfortunately, the rule of combat against such a creature was to bring in as much firepower as possible and it applied here as the higher ups demanded that the forward units, no matter how badly damaged, to stand and fight.
Godzilla's eyes winced in anger at the continuous explosions all over his body, which served to only anger him even more and he started to retaliate in a very crazed, wild manner. The combined destruction wrought by both combatants devastated the landscape, caused small avalanches weakened the ice in many places and several of the heavier vehicles drove into unexpected ditches and the crews abandoned them.
When he spotted the air fleet heading to engage him again, Godzilla immediately charged his dorsal fins and it seemed he was about to fire another blast but then observers spotted his mouth still closed and wondered what the monster was doing. They had their answer several minutes later when a ball of blue surge of energy emerged from the monster's form. The blast blinded Godzilla's opponents around him for a moment and he fired another long blast of his atomic blast, twisting his head up and down and moving his body around in a 360 arc.
It took a moment for the troops to regain their senses and when they did, they had a front row seat to the results of the kaiju's sudden action. Scores of aircraft and ground vehicles littered the landscape around the monster with some still burning due to the unexpended fuel and ammunition. In the center, Godzilla roared in satisfaction before scanning the sky for more prey. Seeing his enemies attempting to regroup on the ground, the king of the monsters focused his attention on the sky, especially the two huge rocket-shaped warships while aircraft continued to swarm around him.
Gotengo:
Although the air fleet continued to blast away at Godzilla, the losses the kaiju inflicted on them via indiscriminate use of his atomic breath gradually sapped their strength and their effectiveness. Eventually, the sky started to clear up as the air fleet headed back to refuel and rearm and the monster turned to focus on the two huge warships circling around his head. Without hesitating, the monster unleashed wave after wave of fire on the two warships, forcing them into evasive maneuvers and throwing off the aim of their weapons.
On the Gotengo's bridge, the crew held on as the ship suddenly and constantly dodged the monster's atomic breath. Her sister ship fared little better for as the two ships dodged the continuous attacks, they could barely bring their own weapons in to support the assault. As Nakano grabbed on the rails of his chair, he turned to his XO and asked, "Can you get the status of the air units"?
Ueda replied back while observing the screens, "The air units have suffered heavily and some are incapable of performing their air support missions". He paused before stating out loud, "They're literally committing kamikaze attacks now due to the state they're in".
Both men and those on the ground who observed the air action knew what the situation report meant and Nakano immediately contacted the other ship and replied, "Close in on the monster and attack him at point blank range". Many of the crewmembers turned to him in shock for such a maneuver had already cost one Gotengo and severely damaged the two others. Yet they obeyed the order after observing the battle for a few more minutes with many praying for a quick death as they readied themselves. The captain paused for a moment before giving out the order, "Bring us around so that our bows are pointing at Godzilla.
The forward drill and the engines of the two Gotengo class warships immediately came to life and they commenced hard turns before flying straight towards the kaiju, forward weapons blazing. Seeing his opening, Godzilla immediately turned around and fired on the Gotengo, the blue energy beam slamming into the starboard side, destroying the hanger and knocking out the starboard engines.
The whole crew shook in their seats as they first felt the impact of the blast and then the huge warship loosing altitude. Ueda immediately yelled out, "Check all compartments for damage". He then immediately got on the line to the engine room and yelled out, "All damage control teams to engine sections now".
Throughout the ship, the crew donned firefighting equipment and headed towards the damaged areas, some of which were partially radioactive. They tried to get to the damaged areas to rescue their trapped comrades but for some it was impossible for the hallways suffered tremendous damage, cutting off their escape route. It proved disastrous for those trapped in the hanger areas for they had to suffer the bitter cold winds when Godzilla's atomic ray tore through the hull. Some managed to find spots to rest while many others fell to their deaths.
The XO listened to the reports of the engineers for a few minutes before turning to the captain and said, "Sir, the starboard engines are knocked out, the starboard hanger is unusable and the repair crews need time to fix them".
Nakano grimly winced at the report as explosions continued to shower the bridge in sparks and shake the ship. Realizing the extent of the damage, he cursed at the unfortunate turn of events before reluctantly yelling out the order "Retreat from the battle zone", "Concentrate on getting those engines online as soon as possible, patch up the holes and then check for signs of hull damage". The captain of the Gotengo then turned to look at back at the fight he was departing from and a feeling of fear emerged in his spine for he thought that he would see them all alive for the last time.
Godzilla roared in triumph as he spotted one of the rocket ships fleeing the battlefield. He immediately twisted his head around and started firing his atomic breath again at the other ship in rapid succession. The remaining Gotengo class ship continued to dodge but Godzilla proved much faster in responding and leaving the airship little room to maneuver.
Seeing this, the forces on the ground immediately switched their guns to aim for Godzilla's head. Within a few seconds, guns, rockets, and energy fire exploded all around the kaiju's feline head, forcing him to cease fire and turning his attention back to the ground. He roared before turning back to continue his advance but this time, the fire thrown up by the ground forces literally forced him back for the artillery fired in a carpet style format in which the tanks and APCs advanced from behind as they forced Godzilla back to the ridgelines.
In their M113 APC, Reynolds and Kitagawa looked at the situation map for a few moments before realizing that their preemptory actions had just condemned their air units to a death sentence. Realizing the need to finish him off quickly, Kitagawa popped up through the hatch a few seconds to scan the horizon, especially the ridgelines and glaciers. He then returned back into the hatch and spoke on the command net, "All forces are to commence luring Godzilla as close as they can to the ridgelines", "After getting him into position, clear out of the way while the artillery starts bombarding the ridges to create an avalanche and bury him alive". The Supreme Commander of Operation Final Strike paused before stating silently, "I hope to see you all after we conclude this fight". Switching off the radio, Kitagawa turned to receive an approving nod from the American general before turning back to view what would hopefully be Final Strike's final act.
Next chapter: Sheer carnage (having enough of the resistance, Godzilla goes berserk and starts wiping out the international military force before he heads back to the beaches and nearly reaches it before the combined forces push him back although at horrendous cost. Seeing that there is no other choice, the Gotengo prepares to take off for a rendezvous with destiny (aka the first few minutes of the 28th Godzilla movie "Godzilla: Final Wars").
No author's note this time.
As for the questions, how well did I begin to prepare the lead-up into the first few minutes of Godzilla: Final Wars? And as always, how well did I structure the battles and what musical scores from the Godzilla series would you use here.
As always: please read and review.