by Bob Blanton
◆ ◆ ◆
“Congratulations, Madam President,” Marc said as he was presented to President Novak.
“Thank you, Your Excellency,” President Novak replied. “Do you have a few moments?”
“Of course.”
The president led Marc to one of the corners where the Secret Service had created a small, private space.
“I wanted to follow up on our discussion about the Russian interference,” the president said.
“Was there interference?” Marc asked.
“The FBI is investigating several incidents; the evidence points that way.”
“I guess we shouldn’t be surprised,” Marc said. “What are you planning to do about it?”
“We have to wait until the investigation is complete, but I’d like to do more than pile on sanctions.”
“As I said, we can help with that,” Marc said.
“What exactly would you be able to do?”
“We have traced all their hacking attempts against Delphi City’s networks, so we now have a way back into their systems. We can release a virus that will destroy the computers used in the hacking attempts. We can probably impact a large percentage of the government computers as well since they apparently are on the same network.”
“And if we find the evidence we’re looking for?”
“Just give me a call.”
“Thank you,” the president said. “Now, I’ll let you get back to your lovely date.”
Chapter 28
Target Ukraine
January 22nd
“Russia has lodged another protest with the U.N. about prisoners in Ukraine,” Samantha said as she walked into Marc’s office.
“I thought Ukraine released all their prisoners,” Marc said.
“They did. The Russians are claiming that they held some back because they had tortured them.”
“Admiral Michaels, Blake, my office, please.”
The four gathered around the small table in the corner of the office. “Admiral, what is your assessment?” Marc asked.
“As I said before, they want to annex all of Ukraine or turn it into a vassal state,” the admiral said. “Their pulling this stunt two days after the inauguration just reinforces my belief.”
“Do you have any contacts within the new American administration?” Samantha asked.
“A few,” the admiral said. “They think the same as I do.”
“Do the Americans have a plan?” Samantha asked. “We haven’t been able to get anything out of their U.N. ambassador.”
“Isn’t he still the same idiot as before?” Blake asked.
“Yes, unfortunately, President Novak hasn’t had time to get her new ambassador through the Senate,” Samantha said. She turned back to Admiral Michaels, waiting on an answer.
“The previous administration kicked the can down the road. Some of my contacts believe it was on purpose. The president wanted to put President Novak in a tough situation.”
“What are the Ukrainians asking for?”
“More weapons, especially tanks,” Admiral Michaels said. “They say they have intelligence that indicates that the Russians are planning to cross the border, using the problem with the prisoners as an excuse.”
“That seems likely,” Marc said.
“I think we should pull our clinic out,” Samantha said.
“No, I want the leverage their presence provides. But we’ll have Kal put them on alert for evacuation,” Marc said. “Does he have someone he can put on the ground to gather intel?”
“That Russian mercenary, Marta something. She was part of the Russian advance team. She decided to stay in Delphi City and join Kal’s team,” Blake said. “She speaks Russian and Ukrainian.”
“Okay, we should call him back from Guatemala,” Marc said. “I’d like his assessment on the situation.”
“I’ll let him know,” Blake said. “Until the Russians actually make a move, we’re all guessing.”
“I think they’re making their move,” Admiral Michaels said.
January 26th
“Kal, what’s the assessment?” Marc asked.
“Marta says the Russians are going to invade,” Kal said.
“How can she know that?” Blake asked. “She’s only been on the ground there for three days.”
“Apparently they aren’t trying to hide it. The soldiers are all bragging about how they’ll be in Kyiv two days after they cross the border,” Kal explained. “You can see the tank battalions they’re amassing on the border.”
“Samantha, what is the U.S. response?” Marc asked.
“President Novak is talking about sanctions,” Samantha said.
“Sanctions, like that worked so well when they annexed Crimea!” Blake squawked.
“She steadfastly refuses to have U.S. forces engage,” Samantha said.
“What about aid?”
“At this point, Russia will blockade Ukraine’s ports; heavy stuff like tanks won’t be getting to them,” Admiral Michaels said.
“And our friend, the ex-president, delayed the delivery of tanks last year. Now it’s too late,” Samantha said. “The Ukrainian Ambassador has asked us for help.”
“What can we do?” Kal asked. “This isn’t another Guatemala.”
“No, it’s not. But this is exactly what we must stop if this planet is ever going to stand a chance to present a united front to the other planets,” Marc said.
“So, sell them a squadron of Foxes,” Blake said.
“What good will that do, they won’t know how to fly them,” Kal said.
“Then we’d better send some pilots as well,” Marc said. “Blake, can we get enough volunteers?”
“Oh yeah, we’ll have to stop them from fighting each other,” Blake said. “They’re committed to our mission, and this is right up their alley.”
“You cannot win a ground war with fighters,” Admiral Michaels said.
“That was before we had Foxes,” Blake said.
“My position still stands,” the admiral said. “With the Russian superiority in tanks, I don’t think Ukraine stands a chance.”
“We need to figure out how to change that,” Marc said.
“I have an acquaintance from the Pentagon who might be able to help,” Admiral Michaels said.
“Who?” Samantha asked.
“General McFarland; he commanded a tank battalion during Desert Storm. Really knows his stuff,” the admiral said.
“Will he join us?” Marc asked.
“I believe so. He a big proponent of the carry a big stick style of diplomacy; he’s not too happy with the current administration’s position on not projecting U.S. force abroad.”
“Ask him; do what it takes.”
January 28th
“Why is Delphi Nation selling your advanced fighters to Ukraine?” the reporter asked Samantha.
“Because we believe in the rule of law. We cannot stand idly by while Russia threatens to invade her neighbor,” Samantha said.
“What good will a squadron of fighters do?” another reporter asked.
“Remember, we are just selling the fighters to augment the existing armed forces in Ukraine. It is the Ukrainian military that will stop the invasion,” Samantha said. “We hope our support sends a signal to Russia that the world will not stand idly by while she invades a neighbor.”
“Will you send active forces to aid Ukraine?”
“We do not have enough active forces to impact their situation,” Samantha said. “We will continue to provide financial aid, advisors, and armaments where we can.”
January 30th
“General, this is our president, Marc McCormack,” Admiral Michaels said, introducing the general to Marc’s security council. “Marc, this is General Douglas McFarland.”
Marc shook hands with the general then nodded to a seat, indicating he should be seated. “This is Samantha Newman, our Minister of State; my brother, Admiral Blake McCormack, the head of our Naval forces; Gene
ral Kal Kealoha, the head of our ground forces; Captain Elizabeth Farmer, one of our top wing commanders; and on the video conference, my daughter, Captain Catherine McCormack, she is our expert on our air and space fleet as well as an excellent strategist.”
The general glanced at Catie’s image, then quickly looked back, giving her a little more scrutiny. It was obvious to everyone that he was trying to guess her age.
“Kal, why don’t you brief the general on what we know,” Marc said.
Kal shook his head to clear it. He was still reeling from apparently just being promoted to general. “Ahem,” he cleared his throat. “The Russians have amassed twelve tank battalions along the Ukrainian border. Most of them are concentrated up here by Bryansk, where they’re closest to Kyiv. The Ukrainians have matched them with their own tank battalions.”
“But most of their tanks are the old T-64s,” General McFarland said.
“Correct.”
“That puts the Ukrainians at a significant disadvantage.”
“Yes, however, as you undoubtedly have heard, we’re sending a squadron of Foxes to Ukraine,” Kal said.
“How are a few jets going to change things?”
“They carry railguns,” Kal said. “The guns shoot a twenty-five-millimeter iron slug at five kilometers per second. At that speed, they impact with the energy of two-hundred-fifty kilos of TNT.”
“That should take out one of those T-90 tanks, even with their reactive armor,” the general said with a grimace as he imagined what would happen to a tank hit by one of those slugs.
“I thought they launched the slug faster than that,” Liz said.
“We scaled them back to make them fit the armor vehicles; the rails aren’t as long and the capacitors aren’t as big,” Kal said.
“Oh.”
“What are you going to do to protect those jets?” the general asked.
“The Foxes carry lasers that can take out a missile fired at them as well as a plasma cannon that can vaporize one of those tanks in thirty seconds,” Kal said.
“And when the Russians throw one hundred fighters at your squadron as well as all of their anti-aircraft artillery?”
“The Foxes can do Mach six and still do evasive maneuvers.”
“But then they’re not shooting at tanks,” the general countered.
“You should mount more lasers on a Hover Oryx and have it control the airspace,” Catie said.
“Young lady, we are having an important discussion here,” the general barked.
“Oh, I feel sorry for you, General,” Samantha whispered.
“She’s right,” Blake said. “If we put an Oryx at twenty thousand feet, it can cover over thirty-five thousand feet in any direction.”
“That’s over ten kilometers,” Catie said in a snippy tone.
“Thank you, Catie,” Samantha said, her tone telling Catie to cool it; she could get even with the general later.
“Will the lasers be effective at that range?” Liz asked.
“Partially, but I’d suggest using a narrow beam and aiming for the missiles they’re carrying.”
“Won’t that Oryx thing be a sitting duck?” the general asked.
“No!” Catie said. “We can shield it, so it’s almost invisible to radar. We should put a second Oryx at sixty-thousand feet to provide radar coverage for the area. It can use a needle signal to feed the data to the first Oryx so that it will have a full view of the area without giving off a radar signature.”
“That’s even better,” Blake said. “We’re going to need more of them.”
“We’re sending you a load of material tomorrow,” Catie said. “It should be enough to take care of this and still give you a reserve so you can start production back up.”
“That’s early,” Liz said.
“Jimmy suggested we send the miners ahead so they could get started. It bought us four days,” Catie explained. “And this asteroid is really rich.”
“Good,” Blake said. “I’ll have Fred convert eight Oryxes; we’ll salvage the material from the extra probes we have and replace them when your shipment arrives. Liz, I want you to take the four Hover Oryxes we have and start an overflight of the Ukrainian border. We’ve already positioned a satellite over it, but the Oryxes will give us better imagery.”
“Yes, sir,” Liz said.
“Pull whomever you want for crew,” Blake said.
“If you four will spend some time mapping out strategies, Sam can get you in touch with the Ukrainian commander?” Marc said. “We have to be ready to respond as soon as the Russians cross the border.”
Chapter 29
Cabinet Meeting – Feb 1st
“Let’s review the situation,” Marc said after he opened the meeting. “Catie, what’s the status of the material we need?”
“It’s on its way. The Oryx crew agreed to do two-Gs, so it’ll be there in eight days.”
“Their sacrifice is much appreciated,” Marc said. “Kal, what is your current assessment?”
“Everything points to the Russians making a big push this week,” Kal said. “They seem to be laughing off our efforts to aid the Ukrainians.”
“Hopefully, that works to our favor,” Marc said. “How are our new Oryxes coming along?”
“We’d already set up a small assembly line based on the earlier request for four more,” Fred said. “Two should be ready to send out tomorrow, then two each day after that.”
“While you’re up, how’s the jetliner coming?” Marc asked.
“It just finished the first run in the wind tunnel,” Fred said. “Friedman wants to make a few more changes and retest. He swears he’ll be able to certify it by the end of the month.”
“Cool,” Catie said a bit wistfully. Based on that schedule, she wouldn’t be there to make the first test flight.
“Liz, how are things out there?” Marc asked.
“We’re keeping two Oryxes in the air at all times,” Liz said. “Each one covers a section of the border with Russia. We have the Foxes on standby with pilots in the ready room, prepared for when the Russians make their move.”
“Good, good. Now, I’d like to announce that Sam and I have selected our new CFO, Jonas Pfeifer. He’s an acquaintance of Herr Hausmann and was the CFO of an international consortium up until last year. He’ll be joining us in May,” Marc said.
“He’s a good man,” Herr Hausmann said.
Chapter 30
Target Ukraine Again
February 3rd – 0400 EET
“I have Russian fighters inbound!” Lieutenant Sealy radioed.
“Time to range?” Liz asked as she raced toward the ready room. They were stationed at an airbase outside of Kyiv.
“Two minutes. There are two fighters,” Lieutenant Sealy announced.
“I’ve got them covered,” Lieutenant Bunch said.
“Expect them to launch missiles,” Liz said.
“Copy that.” . . . “Missiles launched!” . . . “Missiles destroyed.”
“Okay, boys and girls, get to your jets,” Liz ordered as she reached the ready room. Everyone was already moving toward the door when she entered.
“Second salvo launched!” . . . “Got ‘em!”
“They’re turning back,” Lieutenant Bunch announced. “We have a squadron of bombers coming. They must have just taken off.”
“That’s correct, Captain Farmer,” ADI said. “Our satellite shows them taking off one minute ago just after the fighters were first spotted.”
“Thank you, ADI,” Liz said as she started to taxi her Fox for takeoff. “Kal, are you hearing this? I assume ground forces are gearing up to cross the border.”
“We’ve informed the Ukrainians,” Kal said. “They’re expecting you to take position.”
“We’re launching three more Oryxes as we speak,” Liz said. “They’ll take up position with the overwatch and protect the airspace. I’m taking five Foxes with me to deal with the bombers, and sending six to each of the likely incursio
n zones.”
“They have six fighters providing cover,” Lieutenant Bunch said.
“One for each of us,” Liz said. “Alpha team, I’m assigning you your targets now. Once you take out your fighter, go for the bombers. Aim for the center, we want to vaporize that section of the bomber, so we minimize the number of bombs that can hit the ground.”
“Wilco!” each of Alpha team echoed.
“They’re carrying R-60 supersonic air-to-air missiles,” Kasper yelled. “That means six each.”
“Now you tell me! I’ve got three of those missiles on my tail,” Lieutenant Jacobs yelled.
“Jacobs, I’ll take care of your target, just worry about those missiles,” Kasper said.
Jacobs, banked his Fox hard to the right, trying to give the laser a better angle on the approaching missiles. The sound of exploding warheads could be heard on everyone’s Comm. “Nailed them!”
“How’s your Fox?” Liz asked.
“I took some damage to the rear stabilizer,” Jacobs said. “But she’ll still fly.”
“Return to base,” Liz ordered.
“I said I can still fly!”
“Follow your orders!” Liz commanded.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Got him!” Kasper yelled. “That takes care of the last fighter.”
Without a fighter cover, the bombers were sitting ducks. In just ten minutes, Alpha team destroyed all twenty-four bombers, using their plasma cannons to vaporize most of each bomber and its payloads.
◆ ◆ ◆
In a display of arrogance and ineptitude, the Russian ground commander still attacked even after their bombers were destroyed before they could soften up the Ukrainian positions.
They crossed the Ukrainian border just south of the Snov river, where they had been encamped while awaiting the invasion. Eight Russian tank battalions sped toward Kyiv, followed by the infantry and support troops. The charge was reminiscent of the German Blitzkrieg attacks of WWII. The move was audacious, bold, and better than anything the Delphinean Fox squadron could have hoped for. The tanks were sitting ducks as the Foxes dive-bombed across the enemy formation. Each Fox was getting in four or five railgun strikes per pass, each strike totally obliterating one T-80 tank. By the end of the day, they had destroyed three-hundred-twenty-Russian tanks, one-hundred-thirty-Russian armored vehicles, and an uncountable number of small Russian military vehicles. The Russian charge died before it even reached the Ukrainians’ first line of defense.