"Is all right with the world?" CINCNORAD asked as usual before he left.
"Nothing's right with the world!" the ops crew responded as they had done every day.
"Carry on!" CINCNORAD walked out. He looked over his schedule on his phone and noted that they would conduct an ICBM launch drill tomorrow, something that would loosen up the schedule a little. It gave his men and women something to do besides monitor satellites and listen in on Russian or European radio chatter from across the globe. It would give him something to do as well, since he would be overseeing the drill. He powered on his laptop to go over the drill in detail; ah it wouldn't merely be a simulation tomorrow, they would conduct alignment redirection and actual firing drills of the "Rods from God".
Everything except for the actual firing would be real he noted. The orbital platforms would be conducting real evasive and maneuvering burns, would really lock onto things that weren't there, and then –they wouldn't fire. They'd just pretend to fire and they'd pretend to hit and the war would imaginarily be won. CINCNORAD sipped his morning coffee and read over the drill in detail again.
Things were heating up in the Pacific and the Atlantic, but the purpose of the kinetic weapons platforms, destroying 3 stage ICBMs in midflight wasn't really called for anymore. Every nation noting that the shield had gone up disarmed or completely abandoned 3 stage nuclear missiles. CINCNORADs main job of protecting the United States of America from ICBM attack had been completed almost twenty years ago.
It was a race against time now. CINCSPACE/CYBER had his men on site now and they were beginning their viral uploads. He snatched up the Email quickly and scanned it; it would take twelve hours for a complete virus upload, and then it would take a simple codeword to shut down all the satellites in the area. A second more alarming email arrived almost immediately from the On site commander. It was rather terse.
INFILTRATOR DETECTED
CINCSPACE/CYBER thought that the commander was merely noting that they had detected the European viruses but then remembered that the type of message to convey it would be codeworded "Worm". The commander deliberately noted that they were "infiltrators" meaning enemy. So the Russians wanted these satellites that desperately and saw an opening for them to exploit.
CINCSPACE/CYBER shot off a quick reply to the commander to get his people out of there, then sent one to General Bankole about the situation. He was in Normandy at the moment surveying the invasion force that was arming to invade Britain. They had joined the war on the side of the Americans and were aiding them in their invasion of Iceland. Britain was the newest threat and Bankole thought they should be destroyed swiftly.
It would be on his authority then. He called the Rammstein Uplink base who controlled the number 18 orbital laser platform and ordered it to begin an overwatch burn to Hanburg. CINC EAST had been right, they could not risk a loss in this town, and if the Europeans couldn't win, the Russians couldn't either. It would be the same with the Americans. CINCSPACE/CYBER had his own plan in motion to deal with them.
"why have you not given me my goddamn breakthrough?" Russian Commander In Chief West roared over the conference chat. Andreyev remained stone faced.
"You must understand sir, the Europeans hold very well against our troops. Their tactics have adjusted since the first day of the war."
"Excuses are for the weak." General Isotov, War minister of Russia noted coldly.
"They are." Andreyev conceded, feeling the air conditioning of the King Spider command vehicle wash over his face like snow spray. "I make none beyond those I have made since the opening of this campaign. Where is the air support I need? Where are the reinforcements? How is it that so few of my supplies reach my men? I do not say I cannot bring victory sirs, but I do say that without these resources victory will be much harder to obtain and much farther away."
"Our air superiority at night is almost totally surrendered." The General of frontline counter air said sheepishly. "European fighter planes are able to engage our planes almost eighty miles away, and there is no countermeasure for that beyond evasive maneuvering. If we cannot find a countermeasure for that weapon, I'm afraid that our night flying will be completely lost. This advantage is obviously being exploited, night raids have increased drastically and convoys moving at night are being hit constantly, and almost two hundred kilometers behind the front."
"We will need a tighter air defense." General Isotov noted.
"I am working on that." General Counter Air said. "If you can get me more SAM units, I can deploy them in much wider areas and cut off strike lanes that European fighters typically take. It'll at least burn up their fuel and increase transit time, and maybe allow a few more supply convoys to slip through."
"And if I can get those supplies, my men need ammunition fuel and weapons, I can give you your damn breakthrough." Andreyev said and snapped his fingers to sell the point to his superior.
"Agreed." Izotov said. "you will have your counter air resources general. Colonel, you will give me my breakthrough, our brothers in the East will have to deal with a few shortages of supplies, but the war goes well there as well."
"Sir." The other generals exited the conference, Andreyev flipped the switch to disconnect on his but found that he did not disconnect.
"A moment Andreyev," Izotov said. Andreyev sat a little straighter in his seat. "our STAR systems have noted an orbital laser platform moving into position over your battle site." Andreyev stiffened, if the Europeans were willing to employ that weapon, all of his gains would be lost in the blink of an eye. Izotov chuckled at the sudden change in Andreyev's disposition.
"you understand the precariousness of your position then." Izotov said. Andreyev nodded.
"Do we have ASAT weapons in position to destroy it?"
"two, certainly not enough to destroy such a weapon." Izotov shook his head. "Those were moving to destroy their communications and GPS sats around the area. We were able to overwhelm their eastern orbital lasers with targets, but we do not have the missiles to waste in this theater at the moment, almost all of them are either North, aiding our naval forces or West dealing with the Americans."
Izotov paused and took a breath. "We are releasing a hydrogen two stage FAE missile to your discretion." Andreyev nodded. The FAE was fired off of a portable launcher and had the explosive power of a tactical nuclear weapon, without the radiation to appease the environmentalists. It was a last resort weapon.
"Let us be clear Colonel," Izotov leaned forward and his voice became much darker. "You are to only use this if you feel victory cannot be guaranteed to you. You are not to use it, unless the Europeans fire their Laser first, is that understood?"
"Perhaps if I were able to shoot first, sir, I could save my me-"
"Is that understood colonel?" the War minister repeated.
"yes sir."
INC Hamas was redlining its diesel reactors, GENINF had sent flash messages to all of its units at sea and ordered them to withdraw and defend the shoreline. Gregorich, spent the six hour long trip back, sleeping. He was tired, his crew was tired, and his engineers had astoundingly managed to keep a hundred and ten percent power output from the engines, and the secondary teams were busy refitting their weapons and making minute adjustments.
"Captain to the bridge, Captain to the bridge." Blared over the intercom, waking Gregorich from his sleep. He checked the time, 1340, and jogged up the stairwell to the bridge and ordered a report.
"We cut the reactors and idled at thirty percent capacity to keep them from redlining." The Officer of the watch reported. "We were able to keep a base speed of fifteen knots and we're entering the designated combat site now."
"Weapons systems?" the Executive officer arrived just behind Gregorich and was busy straightening his uniform.
"We're a little low on countermeasures and missiles," PWO reported after a short conversation with his team, "there's a mechanical problem with the port three inch gun, its having problems traversing but still operational."
"Electronics are fully functional." EWO reported.
"Sonar is vertical." The ASWO nodded.
"Radar contact!" the radar techie shouted. "Incoming bogeys, designating raid one! Looks like two helicopter type craft at one eight zero!"
"Condition alpha." Gregorich nodded to his XO.
"General quarters, all hands to action stations, set condition alpha throughout the ship, repeat set condition alpha throughout the ship." The bell rang sending his men racing to action stations once again.
"All decks report ready." The XO said after a moments consultation.
"All ahead two thirds, make your heading one five zero-"
"Vampire vampire! Vampires tracking one eight zero four incoming missiles-
"all ahead flank, orient to directed threat weapons free." Gregorich snapped his fingers at the weapons team without breaking his eyes off of the fore viewports. The starboard three inch cannon began burping its first rounds out, the bridge shook with each shot fired. The XO shouted something and a countermeasure canister was fired upward. Gregorich could see puffs of smoke explode in the distance, then two bright flashes as the first pair of missiles were destroyed.
"Two down, but the other two are coming in fast!" the PWO shouted. "looks like its going to be close!"
"Brace brace brace!" the XO shouted into the intercom and Gregorich instinctively braced himself against one of the computer consoles. The roar of a pair of missiles was followed by a splash and a massive shriek and tearing of metal. INC Hamas shook and Gregorich was thrown from his position and banged his head hard against one of the bridge crew.
Gregorich stumbled up dazed shaking his head. The XO was already on top of things and talking in very loud yet inaudible tones with one of the engineer chiefs on the intercom. Gregorich took the time to discover his head hurt a lot, and when he wiped his sleeve on it, he found there was blood. The XO hung the intercom phone up.
"Aft took a hit from a dud missile." The XO said loudly. "just skimmed the deck and took the portside anchor with it. One man injured, badly."
"Thank God." Gregorich managed. The Egyptian navy was supposed to use the Exocet Antiship missile, and a hit to the aft by a live one would have been more than enough to blow the little Israeli corvette out of the water.
"Bogeys are running!" the radar officer shouted as he got back into his seat,
"Sir! Flash message from HQ!" the EWO tore the strip of paper off of the hotprinter and handed it to the captain. Gregorich wiped more blood on his sleeve and scanned the terse order.
SEARCH AND DESTROY ALL FOREIGN SURFACE VESSELS IN ISRAELI WATERS X THIS IS TO BE UNDERSTOOD AS A GENERAL WEAPONS FREE X
"Friendly air overhead sir." The radar man reported from his station.
"Sir, I've got an authority message from INF ACTUAL." The radioman pressed his headphones closer to make sure he got the message. "Strike coordinates for the enemy carrier are at—" he rattled off the long coordinate string.
Gregorich shook his head. This was happening almost too fast for him to handle. Orders however, were orders.
"Flank speed to the designated coordinates." Gregorich managed. "My intention…is to engage the enemy first with Ship to ship missiles, then torpedoes. Take the conn XO."
"Aye sir!" the XO responded. Gregorich rubbed his temples. This war was something else, something he had never imagined. He understood that it was ferocious, like all war was, but he had never expected it to be so furious as to be physically draining. He wasn't thinking quickly, even after a long rest.
Gregorich hoped he would be sharp enough to take on a heavily defended carrier when the time came.