A few words from the author: Thanks for reading. Reviews are appreciated (seriously).
Notes on the text: much of this is made up (specifically the parts about the Reagan) and should not be treated as fact.
"English"
"Japanese or Chinese depending on context"
Enjoy
February 10, 2010; 2005 local time; Undisclosed locations in Eastern China
The time was now, after months of preparation. Operation: Black Lotus was launched.
Airbases all over Eastern China prepared for Phase 1.
The pilots climbed into the cockpits of their aircraft and put on their helmets. They pressed a few buttons and their instrument panels lit up. The pilots prepared for takeoff. The jets warmed up and taxi'd towards the runway. Men with lightsticks guided the first planes to launch. They knew their target. . .
The USS Ronald Reagan. . .
February 10, 2010; 2305 local time; USS Ronald Reagan, Sea of Japan
The USS Ronald Reagan was floating just outside Japanese waters with her battlegroup, the seas were calm and the stars were out.
The Carrier's bridge was almost desterted, most of the crew was sleeping. The instrument panels shone like the night sky of some distant world, occasionally making beeping sounds. A young ensign yawned as he looked at his radar screen. He didn't understand why he was even there, nothing was ever out in the middle of the night.
Ping
A plane appeared on the radar, the ensign recovered from the shock, he looked at the radar again.
Ping
Another plane appeared on the radar. The ensign was about to see if the radar needed to be recalibrated when his eardrums were assaulted by hundreds of "pings". The screen showed a huge mass of planes getting bigger by the second. The ensign picked up a phone and called the captain.
"Sir, we have a big problem." He said.
The captain came and saw the screen.
"Oh. . . my. . . god." He said as he saw the ever growing mass of planes.
He looked out one of the windows and saw what could only be described as an airborne armada. One of the planes launched a large missle at the USS McCampbell. The missle flew about six feet above the water and hit the destroyer, making a huge fireball. More missles followed, hitting the ship and sending more fireballs into the air.
"Scramble the fighers! I want every plane off this boat!"
The crewmembers were roused from their beds by a loud siren.
"BATTLE STATIONS! BATTLE STATIONS! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!"
Sailors, pilots and other personel were rushing this way and that down the crowded corridors of the Carrier.
Within minutes the first F-18 Hornets were airborne.
The radios were alive with communications chatter.
"We have at least two-hundred bandits (1)."
"Fist squadron, form up on me."
"Engage!"
"Fist three, Fox two (2)"
An F-18 fired a missle at one of the many planes, hitting with grim accuracy sending it flaming down to the sea.
"Fist squadron is airborne, captain"
"Eagle squadron, form up, follow my lead!"
"Eagle three, Bandits on your six"
"I can't shake him."
"There's too many of them."
"Bandits at three o'clock"
"AAAAAUUUGGGHHH!"
"Eagle squadron is in the air, sir."
"My wingman is down, did anyone see a chute?"
"Stinger two, Fox three (3)"
"Eagle squadron, concentrate your fire on the Flounders"
"They're everywhere!"
"Stinger four, bandits on your tail."
"Stinger squadron is airborne."
"I'm hit! Stinger four down and out!"
"Bandits at twelve o'clock"
"They're too close for missles, switching to guns."
"Sir, we've lost most of Fist squadron."
Three JH-7 fighter/bombers (also known as "Flounders") flew in towards the carrier, one wing abreast. They released six missles.
"Sir we have incoming!"
"Activate Phalanx (4)"
Gatling cannons with white domes on top of them started spewing hot tungsten and depleted uranium at the incoming missles, destroying one. . .
two. . .
three. . .
four. . .
five. . .
The sixth missle hit the control tower of the carrier sending flames through the bridge.
"MY EYES AAAAAHH!"
"IT BURNS! IT BURNS!"
"MEDIC!"
"GET IT OFF MEEEE!"
"Flounders coming in for another pass!"
"Eagle two, Fox three"
"Stinger six, bandits approaching at four o'clock"
"I'm hit, I'm hit!"
Firemen on the deck rushed to the tower and tried to combat the blaze, one man whose clothes were on fire accidentally ran overboard.
"Reagan has been hit! I repeat Reagan has been hit! If anyone is out there, please respond!"
Three more "Flounders" made a pass at the carrier launching six more missles. The remaining Phalanx units only managed to destroy two before the missles impacted the control tower.
"The control tower has been disabled!"
"Bandits on my tail! Somebody get em off me!"
Six "Flounders" flew over the deck of the carrier and dropped bombs on the deck, piercing the airstrip, detonating on the floor below and blowing massive holes in the flightdeck.
"Flight deck is OOC (5), I repeat OOC!"
"Eagle ten, going down!"
"Red Cock squadron (6) is grounded!"
Twelve more "Flounders" flew in launching more missles at the carrier, this time hitting below the flight deck. The missles penetrated the hull and reached the nuclear reactor control room, killing those inside.
"We're lost the control room, the reactor is in danger of becoming unstable!"
"Drop all control rods."
Two sailors ran through the flames toward the insturment panel. One of them tried lowering the control rods from the instrument panel, but to no avail.
"The controls are not responding"
"Activate SCRAM (7) system"
"It's not working!"
"The reactor is becoming unstable! We could have a meltdown if we dont do something!" The other sailor said.
"Activate safety protocol Beta"
"But then we won't be able to move."
"Activate safety protocol Beta. That's an order, sailor!"
The sailors looked around for the key to activate the protocol, they found it around the neck of another dead sailor. One of them inserted the key into the hole and turned it while the other punched a numerical code into the keypad. A machine severed the cords holding the carrier's control rods in place, dropping them into the reactor. The reactor cooled down to almost nothing within an hour, leaving the ship stranded in the water.
The enemy fighters had accomplished their objectives and turned around, leaving only twelve Hornets, a wrecked destroyer and a stranded carrier behind.
February 10, 2010; 2356 local time; JSDF Early Warning Center
"Regan has been hit! I repeat Reagan has been hit! If anyone is out there, please respond!" The radio crackled before going dead.
The two com-officers looked at each other with horror, they had been monitoring the communications from the Americans since they arrived.
"Call the Prime Minister." One said as the other picked up the phone and dialed.
February 11, 2010; 0025 local time; Hinata Inn
There was a knock at the door, Keitaro heard it from his room. He fumbled around for his glasses and put them on. Yawning, he stumbled down the stairs and towards the door.
"Hello?" Keitaro said as he rubbed his eye.
"Sir, I'm from the JSDF. You've been activated, you are to report to your post at Kyoto immidiately." The man at the door said.
"Wait, I still have two weeks leave!" Keitaro said.
"Not anymore." The man said. "The USS Ronald Reagan has been attacked by an unknown force. We're on high alert. Now come with me."
"Can't this wait until morning?"
"No, now come with me."
"Can I at least get my uniform."
"Yes, but don't take too long."
Keitaro went up to his room, took out a pen and paper from his desk and wrote a few goodbye notes.
He put on his uniform and took a small picture of him and Naru when they went to Kyoto. He placed the picture in his pocket and went down the stairs again. Keitaro put the notes on the doors of some of the girl's rooms before leaving with the man.
In a dark corner of the livingroom a pair of small beady black eyes watched him leave.
February 11, 2010; 0830 local time; Hinata Inn
Naru yawned and stretched before getting dressed. As she put her panties on she looked over to the hole in the floor expecting Keitaro's head to pop out any second. She finished dressing herself and went downstairs. She stopped on the second floor and peered into Keitaro's room. Keitaro's bed was still out and there was a pair of pants and shirt on the bed. She was about to go downstairs when she felt a small weight on her head, she looked up and saw the small yellow face of Tama-chan.
"Hey there girl, have you seen Keitaro?" Naru asked
The turtle nodded. "Myu"
"Where?"
"Myu Myuuuuu"
Tama-chan started flying upstairs with Naru following close behind. The pacific hotsprings turtle flew over to the door of Naru's room and pointed at a piece of paper with a yellow flipper.
"Hmmm, What's this?" Naru said as she picked up the paper.
Dear Naru,
By the time you read this, I will be in Kyoto. I have been called to emergency duty due to a heightened state of affairs.
I have gotten Haruka to cover again as manager. If all goes well, I should be back again by the end of next month.
All my love,
-Keitaro
P.S. Please make sure Su dosen't blow up the Inn while I'm gone.
"He's gone." She said, her eyes watered slightly.
Motoko heard Naru saying this and came out to investigate. She found a note on her door as well.
Dear Motoko,
By the time you read this, I will be in Kyoto. A recent event has caused me to be activated.
Haruka will be covering as manager again. If everything works out, I should be back by the end of next month.
Sincerely,
-Keitaro
P.S. If the worst should happen, I am counting on you to keep everyone safe.
"Urashima is gone." she said to nobody in particular. She then heard the sad wails of Shinobu, she ran down to see what was going on and found Shinobu crying and holding her note.
"Sempai (sniff) left, he didn't (sniff) say goodbye." Shinobu said.
"It is alright, Urashima will be back soon; and besides, do you think that he would want you to cry while he is away?" The swordswoman said, "I have to go train now, and you should go and make breakfast."
Shinobu wiped some tears off her face and walked to the kitchen.
February 11, 2010; 1905 local time; Shenyang, China
General Qing looked at the strategy table, the airstrike on the Reagan was a complete success. Intelligence reports indicated that her reactor was offline, She couldn't launch planes or send transmissions and her escorts were either sunk or unable to function. There was now a clear path
He turned to his subordinates, "Initiate Phase 2." He said.
One man got on the telephone and dialed the number for the airbase command in Northeast China, a second man called a Naval base Liaoning, another man called Bejing to inform the Chairman, a fourth man called Shanghai, and another man got onto his computer and started typing.
"I'm through the firewalls, security programs are disabled." The man at the computer said.
"Upload the virus." The general ordered.
"Virus upload commencing." The man at the computer said as a bar appeared on the computer screen.
"Good" said the general.
"The transport planes will be ready to deploy in two hours, the strike fighters are already airborne." The first man said.
"Upload thrity three percent complete."
"The Bai Duan will be seaworthy in one half-hour." the second man said.
"Upload fifty six percent complete."
"The Chairman has been informed, he will make his statement one hour after the virus has been uploaded." the third man said.
"Upload eighty five percent complete."
"The transport ships will be ready for deployment in one hour." the fourth man said.
The virus has been uploaded, general. . .
And with those words, the greatest struggle Japan would ever face began. . .
(1) Bandit: Hostile plane
(2) Fox two: code name for Sidewinder missle
(3) Fox three: code name for ARAAM missle
(4) Phalanx: a close in defence system, it consists of a gatling gun that can shoot down incoming missles.
(5) OOC: Out Of Commission
(6) Fist, Eagle, Stinger, and Red Cock (not that kind of cock, you pervert) are the radio call names for the strike groups onboard the USS Reagan
(7) SCRAM: Safety Control Rod Axe Man, a system that drops all the control rods into the reactor, which cools it down dramatically.