by Parker James
“This is President Andrews of the United States of America addressing all nations of the world. We do not need to tell you of the absolute devastation that has been wrought upon this planet. Over six and a half billion people have been obliterated and our world is hanging by a thread. As the war progressed, the United States remained in a defensive posture and withheld offensive actions. I would tell you now that although the majority of our population was decimated, we currently retain 70% of our nuclear offensive capabilities in addition to defensive measures. Despite that fact we still stand down and have no intention of retaliatory strikes. Currently we have full satellite capabilities, and therefore communications while we are currently temporarily jamming your own. We ask that all nations of the world have your forces collectively stand down. Within twenty-four hours upon completion of this transmission we shall discontinue jamming your satellites, and if you realign them in groups of three you will again have sufficient capabilities to communicate within your own nations as well as others. We ask all nations to contemplate carefully the next course of action that you decide upon, and we offer you two options”
“Contained within this transmission is our environmental analysis of the damage sustained worldwide and all nuclear detonations occurring globally as the war took place. Our environmental analysis teams have determined that should any more nuclear weapons be deployed, it may very well tip this planet beyond redemption and truly become an extinction level event. The United States will do everything within its ability to prevent this from occurring. Please do not mistake this message for weakness. This war must end immediately, but should the United States again be further attacked and this truly be the end, we shall not hesitate to first attempt to prevent this from occurring, but should we be unable to do so the United States will perish as we have always lived – choosing to fight those who choose to fight us. Please do not consider this a threat; consider this a promise.”
“That is our first promise, and the United States is not arrogant enough to believe that we did not play a role in the catastrophe that has been wrought. All of us – All of us - are equally to blame. Yet if we work together, quite possibly we may just have one more chance to make things right; to survive in whatever form that may be.”
“Here is our second promise. Within 24 hours we shall release your satellites, allowing you sufficient time to confirm the environmental damage that has occurred through your own satellite imagery and the inevitable result should any more nuclear weapons be detonated upon this planet. Within 72 hours we ask that you have all forces stand down and we shall do the same, asking you to contact us directly. We shall also allow you access to our own mobile sonar buoys so that you may communicate with your Naval Fleets unimpeded, should you choose to do so though encoded messages or not. We pray you come to the same conclusions that we have and also choose life. No nation can turn back the clock; what’s done is done. With complete conviction to our first promise, the United States second promise if offered within even greater conviction. Should you choose to join us we shall do everything within our ability not only to ensure our own survival, but yours as well. We offer every bit of technology that we possess to see that comes to pass, and that is simply our collective survival as a species. Our abilities are significant. Three food convoys remain intact, and for those in dire immediate need we shall redirect them to your location as necessary. We shall assist you in any way possible. This has no longer become a world of nations; this has become a fight for our mutual survival as a species. We mourn for the loss of our citizens, yet we also mourn for the loss of your own. We ask you to come to the same realization that this madness must end, and do so quickly. We pray you also choose life, have your forces stand down, and join us in this one last chance we have been given.”
“We eagerly await your response. End transmission.”
President Andrews turned to Professor Enghult and General McCreary.
“Gentlemen. Please have the appropriate messages loaded to both drones; that being sent to NORAD and the second containing the worldwide address and accompanying data to the drone being sent to the offsite transmission location. I don’t want any mix-ups. Professor Enghult is to oversee the upload of both messages ensuring data integrity on a duplicate basis, and upon confirmation have them sent on their way. General McCreary, direct Colonel Hastings to have cots brought down to the Control Room. The Joint Chiefs are relieved for the next six hours, and once we reassemble for the next seventy-two hours the Control Room will become our new home. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Joint Chiefs, you are dismissed.”
As the Joint Chiefs filed out McCreary held back.
“Do you think they’ll go for it, Mr. President?”
“I hope so, Phil. Got a coin? Seventy-two hours and change before we know whether or not we live or die.”
McCreary looked down and nodded in agreement, knowing that they’d done all that they possibly could. Now to convince the other nations of the futility of continuing the war
“Seventy-two hours and change, Mr. President,” McCreary said as he headed to the communications console with Professor Enghult.
Episode 24: “Ceasefire”
* * *
2400 hours and the President, Joint Chiefs, Enghult, and all assigned military personnel were assembled in the Control Room. The group conference with the Bunker Site Commanders had already taken place, and despite its brevity all Commanders had been advised of the steps undertaken by the President and Joint Chiefs to end the war and that within hours a worldwide address would be transmitted to all nations; allies and adversaries alike. They were further advised with minimal details that additional defensive measures had been put into place in order to protect the United States and its allies should they again be attacked following the address, and satellite jamming would be discontinued within 24 hours allowing all nations to confirm the data that the United States was already privileged to and disseminated in the address. All nations would be able to confirm the damage that the war had wrought upon the planet firsthand through their own resources. It was a gamble with potentially severe repercussions, and seventy-two hours would decide everything; continuation of the war or global recognition that it had to end for the sake of all.
The Control Room was fully manned with technical personnel stationed at each and every console; communications; offensive and defensive operations; computerized threat analysis; bunker-to-bunker site communications and a multitude of others. The Joint Chiefs split their duties amongst the various stations, overseeing operations as they bided their time awaiting the President’s address which was quickly approaching. It arrived in short order as all were mesmerized when it appeared upon the screen, a bit fuzzy but relatively clear. Each bunker site in the United States and allied nations had a remote communications array directly wired through underground cables approximately twenty-five miles from their respective bunker sites. Earlier Andrews had instructed the Corporal at the main communications console to raise the array and contact NORAD directly. After several minutes Meehan’s face appeared; everyone in the room relieved at the restoration of communications knowing that their options were now greatly enhanced. Although it had been expected, nonetheless it was a significant step forward.
“Mr. President, so good to see you,” Meehan said.
“And you, General Meehan. While we’re still jamming all other satellites, I would like you to do the following from your site. Contact all bunkers within the United States and allied nations directly and submit the reports regarding modifications to the drone fleet required to withstand the radiation on the surface. Have them begin repairs to their reserve fleets immediately with as many personnel as possible and posture themselves for defensive actions should any of us again be attacked. I’d also like you to send all additional reports outlining the modifications undertaken in the primary bunker site regarding stasis operations, hydroponics, and interconnectivity so that should we in the primary bunker site not survive yet the planet able to wi
thstand additional nuclear detonations, at least they’ll have a chance. I’d also like you to transmit instructions and have each and every bunker advise NORAD of their current situation and have all data received collated by the main computer at NORAD and immediately forwarded to Bunker Site 1.”
“As you wish, Mr. President,” Meehan replied as the President couldn’t help but notice the screens behind the General in the Command Center were as active as those in the Control Room; the satellites of the U.S. now fully up and running.
“General Meehan, have our submarines been dispersed on the coasts as ordered and the remainder of the fleet dispatched to the three remaining food convoys?”
“The orders have been sent out through our sonar buoys with instructions for all submarines designated to surface with their communications array confirming their revised orders while we continue to jam all other satellites. Once those orders are confirmed they are to immediately submerge and return to stealth mode, yet have also been instructed that they are not to transmit any information other than confirmation of their revised orders unless absolutely necessary. Frankly, Mr. President, with the drones overflying our coasts armed with low-yield tactical nukes combined with our subs on our shorelines, should we have any more coastal launches directed at us, those subs that choose to launch will be triangulated from above and below. We couldn’t use nukes on our own coasts prior to this point, but we can prevent launches against the interior of our country and hopefully catch any and all missiles before they have a chance to detonate. We pray your words are heeded by other nations of the world.”
“Do our scientific teams at NORAD feel that we should lower any of our other satellites that have been removed to higher orbit?”
“Unnecessary at this time, Mr. President. We currently have global coverage as we speak. I’ll have our teams transmit the data to the allied bunkers and Naval Fleet immediately. Sir, our threat analysis teams have continued to look at all remaining threats. These include not only the submarine fleets of Russia and China, but any remaining land-based missiles including those in India, Pakistan, and several Eastern European Nations. With our updated real-time satellite imagery, we’ve determined that they may in fact have no land based ICBM’s left at all. It’s the submarines, Sir. That’s our main threat.”
“Do you think the Russians will launch?”
“Doubtful, Mr. President. We also think that the Chinese have depleted more than 50% of their submarine based capabilities when they duked it out with India, Pakistan, and Russia. If they were in fact the ones who attacked us, God knows why, their stockpile was depleted even further. The countries in the Middle East are no longer a threat; they literally wiped themselves out.”
“I’d like to say that’s good news, but I can’t. It bodes well for our own future survival, but hundreds of millions of innocent lives were lost, and for that I’m truly sorry.”
“As am I, Mr. President.”
“Ok, General Meehan. Start contacting the other bunkers and allied nations as instructed. From this point forward we’ll be in constant communication and have all data transmitted to both the primary bunker site and Area 51 as it comes in. I’d also like to see what Area 51 has come up with as far as rescue efforts for the bunker site in West Virginia and any others that may have sustained damage. I anticipate that our allies will be contacting us shortly through our own satellite systems as they re-align their own.”
“I would say that’s a fair assumption, Mr. President.”
“Very well, General. That’s what I’d like you to do from your end at NORAD. I assume the Joint Chiefs and I will be immersed in discussion with our allies that survived. Record all satellite transmissions from Bunker Site 1 that occur just in case we’re taken out by another attack. Suggest to our allies in the strongest terms possible that they get their drone fleets modified as soon as humanly possible.”
“Understood, Mr. President. Are there any other orders?”
“Yes, General, there are. Contact every naval vessel in our surface fleet and have them apprise us of their current situation and specific location. With what I’ve just heard I don’t think any nation is going to waste one of their few remaining nukes on any one single vessel or the three remaining food convoys. I think they’d attempt to capture those food convoys before destroying them. They also know we can end it right now if we so desire with the significant number of weapons we have left in our nuclear arsenal. That’s one hell of a consideration on their part.”
Within an hour data started streaming in from all corners of the globe, followed by direct contact with the leaders of the allied nations who survived in their own primary bunkers. The President spoke directly with them while Meehan and the other Joint Chiefs were included in the multiple video conferences; one after another after another. General McCreary and the Vice Chairman broke off when needed to speak with other leaders when contacted simultaneously, yet only when the President was consumed in other discussions with world leaders. They were fully apprised of the situation and would be contacted directly by President Andrews’ at the earliest possible opportunity. Collectively they were preparing a mutual defense; preparing for the worst with what assets remained. Despite satellite jamming all messages remained encrypted.
The United States was only able to make contact with a little more than half of their bunker complexes. That didn’t necessarily mean that those bunkers didn’t survive, with any luck it was only damage to their communications array. The bunkers in Australia had fared well as did those in South America. The Japanese were hit hard as was the United Kingdom, their survival rates similar to that of the U.S. In those first twenty-four hours no one left the Control Room, the sheer amount of data coming in was astronomical. Meals were brought down from the Commissary and the cots well-worn. Once the allotted time passed, the United States and President Andrews true to his words discontinued jamming all satellites accomplished by NORAD and also permitted access to the sonar buoys now fully dispersed throughout the oceans of the world, allowing possible adversaries to communicate amongst themselves as well as their Naval Fleets confirming firsthand through realignment of their own satellites what the President had told them was in fact true.
As the hours passed, India, Pakistan, China, and Russia were the only four nations yet to be heard from as once again the world held its breath, the allied nations now having perhaps 1200 drones prepared for defensive operations as well any anti-ballistic missiles still operational in the United States. Both leaders of India and Pakistan, having pooled their resources retreated to the same bunker site and contacted the United States within twelve hours after discontinuation of jamming. The meeting was conducted with both leaders, President Andrews, McCreary, and Meehan while the other Joint Chiefs observed. Minister Rhanawat of India took the lead in the discussion with the President; both nations having been decimated through nuclear carpet bombing that took place on the part of the Chinese, perhaps 30 million of their citizens surviving at best. They were hit the hardest of all. Their nuclear arsenals were completely depleted and their Naval Fleets, limited to begin with non-existent. Once China deployed their nuclear weapons their submarine fleets went to work on their surface vessels with great effect. What few satellites they did have remaining were non-functional and they were unable to re-align them, completely dependent on those of the United States through direct contact with their few functional communication arrays. Minister Rhanawat began the conversation, the sadness and regret in his voice unmistakable to the point that he almost appeared to be barely holding himself together. He was completely honest in his discussion; apparent to all listening. Minister Neherat of Pakistan was similarly disturbed and deferred to Rhanwat as he spoke in a brief and concise manner.
“President Andrews, we have received your transmission and taken heed, fully agreeing that this war must end. Our population in both India and Pakistan has been completely decimated, and what few bunkers we’ve been able to contact have been severely damaged but at the mo
ment remain sound. A number of our other bunkers we have as of yet been unable to contact. Our armed forces and offensive capabilities as well as our defensive options no longer exist. Our drone fleet is non-existent as well. Neither India nor Pakistan wish to continue with this war and are completely at the mercy of other nations.”
Andrews was heartbroken over Rhanawat’s words, billions more lives and souls lost and he was determined to do everything possible to assist in their continued survival, suddenly realizing that both countries had received the worst of it on every level imaginable. He also resolved to be as honest with the Minister as he had been with him.
“Ministers,” Andrews began, “None of us are blameless in the horrific war that has occurred. On behalf of the United States and myself personally, I wish to extend to you our deepest sympathies on the loss that you have suffered, as have all nations of the world. We thank you for responding to our transmission and wish to express with the greatest of conviction that we pray this war ends immediately, and we have no intention of continuing this war in other than a defensive capacity. Contained within our transmission was a second promise with our absolute conviction to assist all nations of the world who choose to join us in what now has become a fight for our mutual survival as a species. We are determined for all of our sakes in this endeavor. I would further advise you that we have heard from all allied nations of the world who are also in agreement but have yet to hear a response from either the Chinese or Russian governments. For this reason and this reason alone we remain in a defensive posture, but I assure you we have no intention whatsoever of undertaking offensive actions unless so required.”