Thank you everyone has submitted so far! There's still time, so if you want to submit a Ranger or another character, make sure you check the notes at the bottom of this chapter!
Once More Unto the Breach
January 5, 2036
Bern, Switzerland
"Nuclear warheads struck the Kaiju at six last night–"
"Estimated twenty-two thousand deaths with tens of thousands still missing–"
"Seattle Metropolitan area devastated by newly named Kaiju; Carnifex–"
"Fallout expected to continue into the next few–"
"Permanent evacuation area around Seattle exclusion zone includes the following counties–"
"Kaiju Blue seeping into groundwater; residents advised to–"
"–ral Douglas Fletcher, elected as the head of the reformed Pan Pacific Defense Corps, is expected to speak with the United Nations shortly here in Bern."
Douglas Fletcher waved his hand at his attendant, who nodded, switched off the large projector, and silenced the bevy of newscasts playing in the cavernous meeting room. As an admiral in the United States Navy, he was no stranger to dealing with politicians and bureaucrats, nor was he afraid of men with more ego than brains – of which there were many amongst the gathered diplomats. He'd begun his presentation with a mashup of newscasts to remind them what this meeting (and, by extension, the reason for the PPDC even existing) really was. Sweeping his gaze across the assembly, he cleared his throat and said, "Mutually Assured Destruction, or M.A.D. A military doctrine born during one of the most influential times in our history and the one we were forced to adopt when the Kaiju first invaded our world in 2013. That is until the Jaeger Program was launched. Instead of tossing the world's nuclear stockpile down their gullets and slowly irradiating our coastlines, we created our own monsters to fight back."
As Douglas paused for breath, someone in the assembly cleared their throat. His eyes instantly narrowed on the ambassador from the United States, who spoke loudly into his microphone. "Admiral Fletcher, we did not come here for a history lesson today. We came to discuss your proposal."
"Representative Sanderson," Fletcher responded, his voice filled with thinly veiled loathing. Liam Sanderson had always been a thorn in his side, even before he'd been promoted to the PPDC during his Navy days. "I'm sure you've heard the old saying about those ignoring history being doomed to repeat it. That is what I'm here to prevent today. Make no mistake, while the larger world may have forgotten the UN's greed in shutting down the Jaeger program, I have not. Even before the fall of Gipsy Danger in 2020, funding for Mark V Jaegers had been halted, and the Marshals of our Shatterdomes were often forced to go through less than legal means to acquire the materials to keep those Jaegers they did have running as long as possible. In most cases, leading to degradation and lowering of peak efficiency. My point is quite clear. The Kaiju did not kill Jaegers… you did."
"Mr. Fletcher, we are also not here to argue about past mistakes. You've been called today because, quite frankly, your submitted proposal borders on insanity," Edward Stockton, the UK's diplomat, cut in. Fletcher allowed himself to grin as the man held up a thick packet of paper. "The United Kingdom has already promised the use of our privately funded Mark VI Jaeger, but here in your proposal, you've commissioned nine more? Such an endeavor is beyond our work crews to get done in three months. Even the most rudimentary Mark I took upwards of two years to produce."
"If you've read my proposal, you'd have noticed an entire section detailing the construction process." Stockton winced and flipped to a different section of the packet.
"In which you detail a rotating workforce working in horrid conditions and with hazardous materials. Do you have any idea how many labor laws you'd be breaking? Not to mention the lawsuits that would surely follow when employees are hurt or replaced. If this were 1920s New York City, they would call your plan too barbaric."
"Need I remind you how many people died building the Pacific Wall?" Fletcher sneered as several members of the meeting shifted uncomfortably in their seats. In the front row, a ratty-looking man leaned over to his translator and began whispering. After a moment, the interpreter stood and addressed Fletcher.
"Mr. Fedotov would like to voice his support for Admiral Fletcher's proposal. Vladivostok once held the greatest of the Mark I Jaegers, but even that wasn't enough to protect her from ruin. How can we expect a single Jaeger to protect the entire Pacific Ocean?" Fletcher had to resist the urge to gag as he accepted a yellow-toothed smile from Yury Fedotov.
The old Russian was a crafty bureaucrat. As soon as he'd sensed the tides turning toward war, he had convinced the Russian President to send as much funding as they dared to both the PPDC and the labor camps they'd already set up to build their own Jaeger. Judging by the blueprints Fletcher had looked over, the mech was going to live up to their historical battle doctrine at the very least.
Though the American diplomat looked as if he were about to speak, a stern look from Fletcher froze him in his seat. Swallowing his pride, Fletcher put on his best 'mournful' face and said, "Frankly speaking, we were exceptionally lucky in Seattle. Had the US Air Force and Navy not lured the Kaiju into Elliott Bay, the nuclear holocaust on the city of Seattle would have been far worse than any we have seen. We cannot allow a similar event to happen again."
"None of us want that, Mr. Fletcher. We just want to make sure that our lives and the lives of our citizens are in good hands," Frank Horace, the Canadian diplomat, said. He shared a look with Fedotov and slid a different, thinner packet forward, flipping open to what Fletcher knew was his personnel list. "We also have some concerns with the people you're working with. You've appointed General Nicholas Ross as the Marshal of the Los Angeles Shatterdome and Shi Tabei as the Marshal of the Hong Kong Shatterdome. I know several members of this council have voiced concerns about these appointments."
"Tabei Shi has no business being in charge of any Jaegers!" Fletcher held back his annoyance at the outburst as the Chinese diplomat stood, his face red with outrage. "She does not have military experience, nor does she have the endorsement of our president. The fact that you have blatantly ignored our list of proposed Marshals shows an offensive disregard for the Chinese people!"
"Representative Dian, please show a little more decorum," Horace interrupted, which caused the pudgy, bald man to whirl around and open his mouth to release his ire on his fellow diplomat. Before Dian Mao could, however, he was cut off by Fletcher.
"I chose Marshal Tabei because while the rest of the world has done little in the realm of Neural Bridge research since the dissolution of the PPDC, she and her team have been bringing science to new heights. I believe she is the best possible person to have in charge of this assignment," he said. Most of the diplomats, with the exceptions of a still furious Dian Mao and a skeptical Liam Sanderson, appeared to take his endorsement of Shi well enough. He'd spoken the truth after all; Shi Tabei (as she preferred to be called, rather than adhering to her heritage) was a brilliant scientist and a good person in general. She could be the metaphorical "good cop" to General Ross' more hard-headed demeanor.
…And if she just so happened not to be in the palm of the PRC's leadership, then even more reason for the appointment. If his machinations were to come to fruition, Fletcher couldn't allow corruption or personal agendas to stand in the way of stopping the Kaiju.
After a few tense moments where the assembly shared whispers and meaningful looks, Sanderson cleared his throat again and said, "Now, regarding your recruitment list. You've called for ten Jaegers, yet here you have listed over three hundred potential pilot pairs."
"If you'll allow me a quick history lesson, Representative Sanderson," Fletcher snarked. "In the past, the washout rate for Ranger hopefuls was a staggering eighty-five percent. Thanks to Shi Tabei's work, we have been able to locate potentially Drift Compatible pairs from the brain scans each country has performed on its military personnel. However, it still isn't a perfect science. The scans show that they are compatible to Drift with their assigned partner, but whether they can handle the stress of sharing their mind with another or the physical toll piloting a Jaeger will take is another question entirely."
"And tell me why this is entirely necessary when we have two teams of ready, combat-proven Rangers waiting in the wings already?" Sanderson shot back irritably. Fletcher had been expecting this but still couldn't help his sneer at his fellow American.
"What do you mean ready? Hercules Hansen lost his son, and if you're suggesting he Drift with his brother again, I will remind you that not only was Scott Hansen dismissed from the Jaeger program for misconduct, but that the Australian government covered up the true nature of his crimes to save face." There was a squawk of protest from Penelope Weiss, the Australian diplomat, but Fletcher continued on without acknowledging her. "As for Raleigh Becket and Mako Mori, it would be suicide for them to get back in a Jaeger so soon after Mr. Becket went into remission. So to answer your question simply, we do not have any proven Rangers in reserve."
Sanderson looked slightly deflated at this yet still leaned forward in his chair and frowned down at Fletcher. "What if none of them are able to handle it? What then? We just allow our would-be protectors to retire and let mankind be trampled?"
"Do you truly have such little faith in your own people, Liam? A large proportion of the list is made up of American servicemen. Many of which have plenty of combat experience. I can assure you that every man and woman on that list is more than qualified to become a Ranger."
"I never said they weren't," Sanderson replied hotly. "We are all trying to achieve the same thing here, Mr. Fletcher, so why don't you stop with the accusatory language? All this assembly is trying to do is iron out your plan and make sure that it's the right one for the people of this world."
"I'm all too happy to comply, Representative Sanderson. However, we don't have time to go over semantics. There is no telling when another Kaiju will slip through the Breach, and we must be completely prepared for when it does." The room was silent, Fletcher and Sanderson glaring at one another until a rather meek Feodor Gorgov – the Ukrainian diplomat – held up his hand and began to speak.
"Speaking of the Breach… how go the efforts to find it? Last I had heard, it had moved from the Marianas Trench."
"As far as our experts have been able to deduce, it never was in the Marianas Trench," Fletcher said ominously. "Seismic data indicated that Carnifex emerged just north of the Hawaiian islands before making a beeline for Seattle. It went unnoticed due to the recent eruption of Kilauea. Unfortunately, we've been unable to locate this new Breach."
"How in the world aren't you able to locate it? The last Breach was nearly a thousand meters across!" Sanderson exclaimed. Fletcher found himself on the same page with his opponent for the first time that day. There was no reason this new Breach hadn't been found.
"As of now, we have no idea what caused this new Breach to open, nor why we have been unable to locate it. The running theory is that the Breach itself has closed after Carnifex emerged."
"Wouldn't that be a good thing? If the Breach is closed, then no other Kaiju can get through. Maybe Carnifex was an outlier or a one-off," Penelope Weiss added, her tone hopeful though slightly hysteric.
"Are we really willing to risk that? My teams are working diligently to locate and hypothesize ways to destroy the Breach for good. Until then, we must defend ourselves." It was astonishing, really, how quickly the proceedings got truly underway after that news. His appeals to sympathy, his sarcastic defiance, and even his boot-licking hadn't gotten nearly as much of a reaction from the UN Assembly as their own fear did.
The proceedings continued much smoother after that. There were several points in his original proposal that Fletcher had planted specifically to draw the attention away from other, more important, ones and be removed, while the majority of his work stayed intact. There were also quite a few additions to the overall proposal – most of which he'd planned for from the start and had contingencies already in place.
A part of him already felt bad for whatever poor Rangers were chosen for the media tour following their training. He'd managed to secure the British's Mark VI for the top-performing recruits and funding for all nine additional Jaegers he'd asked for. To his honest surprise, he even managed to convince the Chinese diplomat to allow them to hold their twelve-week training program in the Hong Kong Shatterdome (the only fully functioning Shatterdome remaining). In the end, the biggest challenge to come was the recruits themselves.
"Excuse me, Admiral, there seems to be an error on one of your recruitment documents," Gorgov said, cutting through the din of the room. Fletcher, while still facing away from the assembly, allowed himself a smile. 'Can't say I didn't see this coming. It's a good thing we got everything important out of the way already,' he thought. He knew precisely which file the soft-spoken Ukrainian was talking about and had been hoping it would go unnoticed for as long as possible. As he turned, he shared a look with the Mexican diplomat. "It seems like it only has a name and a place of service?"
Predictably, Sanderson leaned over his table to grab the file from Gorgov, and once he began reading through it, his eyes narrowed, and his face scrunched up in bemusement. "Almoloya de Juárez? I didn't know Mexico had a military base there."
"They don't," Fletcher said simply. "They have a prison."
Once More Unto the Breach
In the end, the Bern Conference – as the media had taken to calling it – had taken almost twelve full hours to reach a final verdict. The PPDC and the Jaeger program were revived with the necessary funding for a first wave of nine new Jaegers – many using parts scavenged from Oblivion Bay and their fallen brethren in museums around the world – with an option of more if they prove able to defend humanity from the Kaiju. While it mattered little to Fletcher himself, a lengthy part of the final discussion had been based on how the new Jaegers would be categorized, during which it was decided the nine would join Striker Eureka as Mark Vs, while the already built Delta Avarice would stay the sole Mark VI.
As soon as the meeting finally adjourned, Fletcher fled the room into the spacious hallways of the convention hall and found the nearest unlocked office to catch his breath in. 'Always hated politicians. Why the hell did I accept this promotion?' he asked himself. Not that he'd realistically had much choice. Usually, when the President of the United States says, "You're the best man for the job," it's difficult to refuse said job – even more so when that same president was an old West Point classmate.
Fletcher was no stranger to pressure; he'd worked his way up to a Four-Star Admiral in the Navy, after all. However, there was a great bit more pressure in defending a few thousands of lives aboard various vessels and a few billions populating the Pacific coastlines and islands. Neither job was something he could allow himself to fail, so if it took stepping out of his comfort zone to ensure the safety of humanity, he would gladly do it.
He had just let down his guard and relaxed when the door creaked open. It took every bit of his self-control for Fletcher not to jump out of his skin, then even more not to scowl as Yury Fedotov stepped into the dimly lit office. "Quite the meeting, wouldn't you say?"
"Fedotov. Thank you again for your endorsement." The old Russian guffawed as he shut the door behind him.
"But of course. Considering how closely we'll work these next few years, it would not be wise for us to go against one another. Of course, Mr. Chau says the product is moving quickly. Ten years is a long time to stretch out stock, and while scarcity is a boon, our reserves are not infinite. Carnifex isn't in peak condition, but it is good enough. You'll have your cut by the end of next week at the latest," Fedotov said as he pulled out a packet of cigarettes, offering one to Fletcher, who refused. "I must say… we are all a bit surprised at you, Admiral."
Fletcher caught the venomous inflection on his last word and grinned. "It's always good to have a backup plan."
"Ah, but that's not it at all. You're clever, I could tell you had the assembly wrapped around your finger even when they were opposing you. You knew you'd get the funding from the very start. No, we are surprised by how quickly you contacted us. Barely sworn into your new office and already breaking two dozen international laws. A lot quicker and more receptive than Pentecost, that's certain."
"You say I'm clever, eh Yury?" Fletcher shot back, his tone lighthearted, but his shoulders tensed in anticipation. 'Apparently, I haven't been as shrewd as I used to be.' However, that wasn't too much of a surprise. Contacting Hannibal Chau less than a day after being appointed 'Director' hadn't exactly been subtle. "What can I say? I hope for an early retirement once we've closed the Breach."
"I hope it's not too soon. One or two Kaiju won't last us quite as long." Fletcher bit his tongue to avoid remarking on that. People like Fedotov and Chau turned his stomach, their blatant disregard for human life was sickening, and it killed him to have sold his soul to them. Fedotov was silent for a moment as he finished his cigarette, then tossed the butt into a plastic potted plant. "Well… whatever it is that you're planning, as long as we get the Kaiju carcasses, I could care less. Oh, and try to keep from cutting them up too badly. Not good for business, selling damaged products, bah!"
With that, the old Russian left the room, leaving Fletcher to stew in his thoughts. 'One day, they'll get what's coming to them… but I still need them for now. I can stomach their insidiousness for the greater good.'
Once More Unto the Breach
January 10, 2036
Hong Kong, China
Opening Day
Tendo Choi had experienced quite a few jarringly surreal moments in his life. Stepping foot back into the Hong Kong Shatterdome's LOCCENT Mission Control after ten years had to be close to the top of the list. Its only contemporaries being the first time he saw a Jaeger fighting a Kaiju – an image straight out of a mecha anime – and the moment years later after the Breach was closed when the celebration had died down and he realized it was over. Of course, he would have never returned to the Shatterdome if it was truly over.
Despite being the last bastion of the Jaeger program, unlike many of its peers, the massive complex had never taken direct damage from any Kaiju attack. Therefore, the building was in an almost pristine state. A time capsule of the months following their victory when the PPDC had been dissolved, and the base had been evacuated of all valuable technology by the Hong Kong officials.
Once he reached his old station, he ran his hand along the dust-covered desk and frowned. While one of those surreal moments had happened right in this spot, it was also this spot where he'd watched helplessly as the crews of Crimson Typhoon and Cherno Alpha were killed. A voice behind him startled him so badly that he spun and slammed his side into the edge of the desk.
"Helluva feeling, ain't it?" Hercules Hansen offered an apologetic look before he strolled into the room and began looking around. Tendo couldn't help but notice how his eyes lingered on the same console he stood by. The very same console he'd last heard his son's voice from – just before Striker Eureka had sacrificed itself to ensure Gipsy Danger made it to the Breach.
"Feels like it was just yesterday," he murmured, mostly to himself though Herc hummed sadly in agreement. The overhead lights switched on at that moment as workers began filing in, no doubt to get the place back in working order. In the momentary chaos, Tendo studied Hercules. The lines on his face were more pronounced, and he had a slight slump to his once broad shoulders. It was as if the past ten years had aged him twenty. "Raleigh and Mako here yet?"
"Nah, their flight got delayed a bit due to the weather. Winter's brutal up there." Tendo nodded, and the two lapsed into silence as they observed the J-Techs working. In an effort to raise the mood, Tendo chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Those two… think there's anything going on there? Raleigh always blows me off when I ask." This managed to draw a smile out of the older Ranger, so Tendo continued. "I mean, it's obvious they're more than friends. I just don't know whether or not they're official, and it's killing me!"
"They've been inside each other's heads, mate. That'd make anyone close. 'Course, Rangers did seem to get hitched quite a bit back in the day, so who knows." Tendo hummed thoughtfully, reaching one hand up to stroke his chin.
"They live together, though! Yet I've never got so much as a Christmas card with them in matching sweaters," he said ruefully. Herc, still a small smile on his withered face, shook his head fondly. However, before either could speak again, new figures walked into the room, which made both of them stand up a bit straighter.
Marshal Shi Tabei was a short but imposing woman. Her short black hair was kept in a tight bun, and her dark eyes scanned the room with clear intelligence. She eyed the room critically and spoke in hushed Mandarin at a passing J-Tech.
The man at her side was her near polar opposite. Marshal Nicolas Ross was a mountain of a man with short-cropped gray hair and a well-kept goatee. His eyes landed on the two of them almost immediately, and he motioned to Tabei with his chin. "That's our cue," Herc said softly. Tendo was slightly apprehensive as he approached them, though a kind smile from Tabei set him slightly at ease. On the other hand, Ross nearly crushed his hand in their handshake.
"Gentlemen. It's a pleasure," Tabei said lightly, shaking his hand much softer and shooting him a playful wink as she turned back to observe Herc and Ross greeting one another. "I apologize for taking your job, Marshal Hansen. The brass thought it best to have our recruits trained by actual Rangers."
"No apologies needed. I wouldn't have accepted the bloody position if they paid me," Herc said good-naturedly.
"I heard Becket and Mori were delayed. Unfortunately, that will hamper their time to settle in. We don't have too much time and can't waste a single day training the new recruits," Ross said gruffly. Tabei nodded in agreement, though she looked a little off-put by his tone. Herc frowned.
"When are the recruits getting here?"
"They'll start trickling in over the next day or so. I know the North Americans are all showing up on the same flight, but those from the rest of the world are arriving mostly separately," Tabei replied, glancing down at her tablet. "We have your accommodations all set up for you. Mr. Choi, you shall be in the same room as before. We've kept the open bunkspace for any potential J-Tech Chief that Director Fletcher decides to promote to the American Shatterdome so you can help train them."
"And if he doesn't find another?" Tendo asked though he thought he already knew the answer. It was no secret amongst the PPDC veterans (those few who had come back and certainly had the experience) that J-Tech Chief was not as glamorous a role as one would assume. The Chief had to coordinate not only the Shatterdome J-Tech personnel but also keep track of the Kaijus, relay directions to the Rangers, and make sure the J-Hawks got out of the line of fire. The stress had nearly killed Tendo in the months following Gipsy Danger's fall in 2020.
"Then you will be coordinating both Shatterdomes. However, I will not let that happen. Such a job cannot be entrusted to just one man, no matter how experienced," Tabei said. Tendo let out a sigh of relief at that. While he really loved his work, he couldn't imagine trying to keep two Shatterdomes on opposite sides of the ocean working perfectly in tandem. Tabei smiled, then turned to Herc. "Mr. Hansen, we have you set up in the West Wing. Room 12A."
"Right," Herc replied, hefting the bag on his shoulder slightly higher. 'Can't exactly throw him back in the same room as they did with me. He's probably already seeing too much of Chuck in this place as is.' Tendo nodded and turned back to the room at large.
"Last time, there were six months between the first two Kaiju. Near the end, they were coming every few weeks. What do we do if they come before the twelve weeks are over, and we have no Rangers?" Herc looked slightly sick at the thought, while Tabei didn't bother to hide her discomfort with the topic. It was clear that the thought had passed everyone's minds, and not a single scenario Tendo could think up was any better than those deployed in Seattle. If the Kaiju came before they were ready… there would surely be more broken cities all along the Pacific Rim and countless lives lost.
After a beat of silence, it was Ross who spoke up, "Simple, Mr. Choi. We hold the line… by any means necessary."
Once More Unto the Breach
The World is chaos… Buixy is updating (somewhat) on time. Spooky stuff.
So this chapter would have been up yesterday and on time, but I ran over a tire and fucked my car up so I was busy with that.
Anyway, submissions have been trickling in, and we're pleasantly surprised by how enthusiastic people seem to be. To be frank, I was nervous we'd get maybe only one or two, judging by the seemingly dead state of the FFN scene, but that is apparently not the case!
I just have something to ask anyone who is just finding the story now or hasn't submitted their character. In the interest of character diversity and not having all our submissions being from the same two countries, Asian countries (as well as non-North American countries) are a bit of a priority right now. We've already got quite a few NA characters, three EU characters, and a Japanese character, and seeing as the PPDC is a semi-worldwide organization in our story (in canon, it was only 21 countries) we can't just have the entire cast be Americans and Canadians.
I'm not saying you can't submit one of these, but at least consider branching out.
Okay, that is the end of my spiel. Now let's talk about the story itself!
Y'all didn't really think we weren't going to have Hannibal Chau in this, did you? A standout character from the movie and a war profiteer, he was always a part of our plans. Tendo and Herc are also returning (and yes, our submissions are also open to more than just Rangers. Hell if you've submitted a Ranger and want to submit a J-Tech or K-Scientist, be my guest) as well as three of our new big players.
Just for clarification, if you need it, Admiral (now Director) Douglas Fletcher is the overall man in charge of the PPDC. Shi Tabei is the Marshal in charge of the Hong Kong Shatterdome, while General Nicholas Ross is in charge of the Los Angeles Shatterdome. This early on in the war, there are only two functional Shatterdomes ready to house Jaegers, which means they have to cover the entirety of their side of the Pacific… we'll see how well that works out for them.
Keep those submissions rolling in; the deadline is JULY 26TH!