by Chris Harris
Cal called him back. “Er, Gordon… ambassador?”
“Yes, my dear chap. Made it up myself.” He then whispered theatrically, “The Yanks seem to expect an English gentleman with a posh accent to have some sort of title. Ambassador suits me, I think. If I say it often enough it may stick.”
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
The English Channel
The Royal Navy deployed every vessel it had available to patrol the coastal waters around mainland Britain. The situation in mainland Europe was deteriorating by the day: food supplies ran out, and oil and gas shortages paralyzed the infrastructure that relied upon millions of gallons and cubic meters of oil and gas being imported daily.
Vast areas began experiencing blackouts which grew longer each day as power grids were stretched to their limit. Nuclear, coal, and alternative energy producers such as wind, tidal, and solar could not meet the demand gap as traditional power stations stopped generating when fuel supplies ran out. Some countries which had invested more heavily in alternative energy sources fared better, but still demand outstripped the available supply and Europe slowly went dark.
All other European countries had been unable to stop the riots and general disorder that overwhelmed the police and other emergency services. One by one they fell to chaos and anarchy, their governments powerless to stop it. Millions of people began to migrate either to escape the violence or search for rapidly dwindling food supplies.
Armed forces had been mobilized, but no government had the will to use them against their own citizens. Borders were also too long and wide open to stop the floods of refugees, who if stopped and turned back just tried again at another location. Emergency summits were held between all nations, but not one had the solution to the problems they were facing.
Curfews were announced but ignored, or became impossible to reinforce, as police officers stopped reporting for duty and mass desertions occurred across all areas of the military. The general feeling in most countries was the government was proving incapable of doing anything to help, so it was up to you to look after yourself and your family.
No one headed east toward Russia. They too had locked their border down hard, not in fear of refugees, but as part of the war footing the entire country had been put under. Their border guards, not shackled by any humanitarian designs, ensured no one entered their country. They had simple and clear instructions. One warning shout followed by one warning shot, then if their orders were not followed, they were authorized to use, without any further validation, deadly force.
The United Kingdom had chosen to play the field carefully; their own domestic situation had resolved itself dramatically after appeals from the leaders of all government parties had worked. The Russian oil and gas tankers arrive just in time to ensure a continuing supply, and the ships bearing foodstuffs unloading at ports around the country were complementing the policy changes introduced under emergency legislation to keep the shelves in the shops and supermarkets stocked with food.
The population had accepted that it was not the government’s fault and as one supported and complied with the new laws and regulations.
Experts mused why. The biggest factor was that food, albeit sometimes different to what they were used to, was still reaching the shelves. Some said it was deeply ingrained into the British psyche, that as an island nation they were more independently minded and willing to accept change and adapt to different circumstances. It may have not been the most accurate analogy, but it was referred to as the ‘Dunkirk Spirit,’ where the United Kingdom had singularly faced the Third Reich as it had swept through Europe, leaving them the lone opposition to tyranny and oppression. The media played a large part in fueling national pride. After initially broadcasting and printing sensationalist stories about starvation and public unrest they had eventually grasped the concept, following some very angry and curt communications from the government, that they could play a role in helping the country instead of gleefully reporting on its demise.
All outlets then tried to outdo each other on who was the most patriotic. Though much had changed as a country since those dark days, the stubbornness and backbone of the nation was still there. The population was in it together and they would work collectively to get through the crisis that had so nearly consumed them.
The problem was news still travelled across borders. Appeals for help from all European countries had been politely but firmly refused. They barely had enough supplies for their own needs and could ill afford to offer any to others, no matter how desperate their needs were.
Ordinary citizens of Europe soon learned that the UK was still receiving food. The first act the UK had done was to close its borders. Only authorized flights were allowed to land, and the Royal Air Force patrolled the skies, attempting to turn back the rising volume of private aircraft, as those in Europe lucky enough or wealthy enough either flew their own or hired aircraft and tried to break through the cordon.
The Channel Tunnel was closed to all trains and guarded by a garrison of soldiers behind huge lumps of steel-reinforced concrete to bar the way; cross-Channel ferries that transported the bulk of the people and goods were impounded.
The most difficult task was to patrol the seas. Thousands of boats, both pleasure and commercial, left from hundreds of European ports filled with desperate refugees. When the Royal Navy attempted to stop these boats entering UK waters the situation became critical. Firing across the bows of most was enough to persuade them to give up and turn around. Some though persevered. Despite orders for no vessel to be allowed to pass, it proved impossible for captains and commanders to order their crews to fire upon boats containing women and children.
If possible, they were shepherded to a port where the passengers were detained, their boats confiscated, and they were flown back to Europe on military transport planes. Many, though, did get through and the coastline became littered with boats, beached or wallowing in the shallows as they were abandoned, their passengers fleeing inland.
It was hard for these people to hide for long if they had nowhere to go. A phoneline set up was continually inundated with calls from people reporting illegal refugees. Many enterprising coastal communities saw an immediate benefit in all these abandoned craft and hundreds were claimed under salvage law. Estuaries and harbors filled as locals filed their claims, patiently waiting for the global crisis to end and the award courts to reconvene for them to realize the unexpected windfall they hoped would be coming their way.
European navies wanting to protect their own citizens did try to escort some of the boats. Here the rules changed. The Royal Navy may allow a private craft filled with women and children to get through, but there was no way they were going to allow a foreign naval vessel to enter their territorial waters in breach of the clear warning they had issued to all nations.
Warships postured against each other across narrow gaps of sea. Insults were exchanged, but conflict was mainly avoided as restraint was shown by both sides. The European naval commanders were unwilling to test the resolve of the British who, they had been briefed, had orders to open fire if necessary.
In a few cases, fire was exchanged, as frustration got the better of a few hotheads. Ships were damaged, and a few sailors were killed or injured, but all-out battle was avoided for the time being. The main battle ground so far was the furious diplomatic exchanges, as protests were lodged about British actions. The British Ambassadors and diplomats, for once, had a clear non-negotiable position to stand by. Most were actually enjoying the unusual experience of avoiding the niceties and formalities of diplomatic conversations.
The message they reinforced, was clear: “Our Borders are closed. Naval vessels that enter our territorial waters may be fired upon. All European citizens who enter British territory will be turned away. If any land on our soil they will be immediately returned without process or appeal.”
Downing Street
Adriene sat in her private office with the heads of all three armed
forces sitting across the antique table from her. They listened as she finished her seventh call of the day from a European leader beseeching her to help them.
“I am sorry, Mister President, I don’t know how many other ways I can tell you, and yet you still do not seem to understand: we, as a nation, are unable to offer you any assistance. My ministers have repeatedly responded to similar requests from yours with the same result. A personal phone call will unfortunately not change our stance.”
She pulled the phone away from her ear, the shouts of the person on the other end of the line clear for the room to hear. She waited for him to finish ranting before responding.
Her voice full of steel, she spoke slowly and clearly. “I’m sorry you feel that way. Maybe if you had not kowtowed to the Chinese in the first place and put your own greed above everything, then you wouldn’t be in this situation. Now I must go, we have a war to fight.”
She slammed the receiver down and looked at the men sitting in front of her. “Sorry about that, gentlemen,” she said formally, in contrast to her angry outburst. “The one thing that irks me is that is the umpteenth call I have had today demanding, not asking, for help. But not one of them has said ‘we’ or ‘us’ as in Europe as a whole. It has all been about them and their country. Which I obviously know is their main concern, but I get the feeling if any help was offered, they would rather it be kept quiet and not broadcast widely to save them having to share it with their European cousins. Now Admiral, Air Chief Marshall and last but by no means least General, let us discuss the way forward. Can we cover the domestic situation first please?”
The admiral, who was head of the Royal Navy, spoke first. “We are stretched, but we are dissuading most from entering our waters, ma’am. Some craft are unavoidably getting through, but the numbers are acceptable and as we know, most who land are being detained and returned.
“I have been in constant contact with my European equivalents and hopefully the few skirmishes we have had will not reoccur. They are under incredible pressure from their political leaders. They are facing mass desertions and one confided in me about the worry of a coup as their domestic situation is unravelling fast and elements within the military are getting frustrated about governmental incompetence. All in all, we are currently coping. As people get more desperate, though, the situation could change fast.”
“Thank you, Admiral. Air Chief Marshall?”
“Similar report, ma’am. We are turning most away, and I believe those that get through are detained and returned. Our repatriation flights to Germany are being harassed by the Luftwaffe, but as they contain civilians, they are nothing more than an annoyance at the current time. No foreign air forces have tried to enter our airspace yet. We will remain on full alert with our airborne and ground monitoring stations operating a combat level of operation until ordered otherwise.”
“Thank you, Air Chief Marshall. General?”
“All Army Reserve Soldiers and Regular Reservists have been called for duty. We are using them as our main coastal patrol force, deploying them mainly across the south and east coast to assist local law enforcement in their duties.
“All regular forces are on full alert and are ready to be deployed wherever needed. This level of activation is unprecedented though, ma’am, and logistics are proving to be problematic, but we are working hard to solve the issues. I am confident that soon we will have what we need, where we need, when we need it.”
“Thank you, gentlemen. Can we look further afield now? General, can you convey my thanks to all in the SAS for their key part in the mission to rescue the scientists. I believe a major has been put forward for both a Victoria Cross by his commanding officer and a Medal of Honor by the Americans. I have read the after-action report and frankly I can see why. I know it is insignificant to what is going on, but I do hope the hierarchy does not see fit to delay or quash it.”
She looked at the general pointedly. He nodded in reply. He would ensure the award process would not get bogged down before it reached the Secretary of Defense’s desk for it to be then laid before the Monarch for approval.
“Please tell me how the American plans are progressing.”
“Ma’am, thank you, I will pass the message. The SAS are back in Gander after their mission. The scientists have been transferred to facilities inside Canada where they are continuing their work. Apparently, President Madeline Tanner is still very much involved with the resistance in Texas. Plans are being made to evac her to somewhere safer, but she is insisting she will not leave American soil. For security reasons they are being tight-lipped about where they plan to locate her. The two guard regiments are beginning to deploy, initially to Gander and then to wherever is required. Two regiments are only a small fraction of what will be required to mount a serious and sustained attack on the Chinese. The Americans do understand that with our potential domestic situation it is all we dare send and are grateful nonetheless.” The general paused again, clearing his throat to give him time to phrase his next words.
“Currently, they are having communication issues due to some new anti-radio missile the Chinese have deployed. It is slowing the organization process down somewhat. The last I heard they are trying to organize the militias still active around the country to get them to band together and neutralize this threat under some kind of centralized command structure. I will update you when I know more on that. The US, Russian, Canadian, and UK coalitions’ command structure has been agreed and is being set up. The scale of the mission is, as you well know, of monumental proportions. The Chinese have, through some masterstroke of planning and organization, got troops in strength in all states. More are still arriving by sea and air although I believe that door will be closed soon—”
Adriene interrupted him, picking up some papers from her desk. “Yes, I have just received an intelligence update from General Welch. The naval action in the Pacific has pushed the Chinese fleet back toward the coast. Most of their submarines have been sunk and many ships damaged. They are out of the fight for now. The coalition navies are continuing a harassing action to keep them contained whilst they move the bulk of their forces into position. The third fleet leaving Chinese and Korean ports is being allowed to steam out of range of aircover where it will meet the blocking force of submarines somewhere in the mid Pacific.”
She looked at the paper in her hand.
“General Welch seems to be enjoying the lack of formality he is now using to expedite communications. I will read verbatim this section, as I suspect it might amuse you. ‘Once the bastards cross the dateline, the Communist cocksuckers will be blown straight back to Uncle Mao.’”
She waited for the chuckling to stop.
“The report goes on to say they are beginning to target the passenger planes ferrying soldiers. A general aviation warning is being broadcast warning that any aircraft originating from either China or North Korea and tracked heading east will be targeted without contact or notice. So yes, I believe that door is being closed. Admiral, is our aircraft carrier in position?”
“Yes, ma’am. The Queen Elizabeth and its accompanying ships are coordinating with elements of the Russian Black Sea fleet and the US carrier fleet from the Persian Gulf. The east coast of the US is now closed to all shipping and aircraft. Very little activity is being reported and they are positioning themselves for when the plans for the next stage have been finalized.”
She looked at the head of the Royal Air Force. “How is the repositioning of our aircraft progressing?”
“Ma’am, the Tornado squadrons have arrived in Canada and we are setting up the logistics to support them for extended operations. Initially they will support the Canadians and Russians in the anti-air operation and then will change to a ground combat role. The one positive note is it seems the Chinese have not committed any of their own fighter planes. It would seem they were relying on their bombing campaign followed up by their ground forces to gain control of all US air bases and assets. This they have achieved, but
it does leave them potentially vulnerable to air attack. The issue we have is the task is large and the combined number of aircraft is relatively small. The logistics guys think there are not enough missiles stored to complete the job. Resources will have to be husbanded carefully to ensure we complete the task before the cupboard runs bare.”
The telephone rang on the desk. She glanced at it in annoyance before picking up the receiver, speaking briefly before disconnecting the call.
“Gentlemen, could you hold on please I have the Secretary of Defense coming in with an urgent communique. He is asking if you could all remain too.”
An aide was just refilling their cups of tea as the Secretary of Defense burst into the room. Everyone present could immediately tell he was not the bearer of good news.
Adriene looked at the expression on his face and said, “Please, Mister Secretary, tell us what is so urgent.”
“The Israelis have been in touch and I have had it confirmed by the Saudis. Tehran has gone on the offensive.”
The prime minister leaned back in her chair and covered her face with her hands. She stayed immobile for a few seconds as she processed the news. Uncovering her face, she leaned forward, fists clenched and placed them on the desk, asking the question she knew the answer to. “Which direction?”
“Columns of tanks have entered Iraq in force. They are heading towards the major cities. Now the coalition forces have departed there is nothing to stop them. Iraqi regular forces are in full retreat. It’s a complete rout.”
“How far do you think they will go?”
“Ma’am,” he said with an exasperated look on his face, “it’s the Iranians. They won’t stop until they have the whole Middle East under their control. The Saudis may be able to stop them, they were already mobilizing and are surging forward to protect their borders, but they will not be able to stop them in Iraq. The only other credible force in the region is the Israelis, but again they won’t be able to stop them.”