Peacekeepers

by James Rosone

  “Copy that,” came the quick reply.

  Then the Black Knights began their attack run, swooping down from their higher-altitude perch. They lined up on the Chinese warships that were still in the Haro Straits, then each fired off two Harpoons. Harper watched as twelve new missile tracks appeared in front of the Hornets as they now broke away to head back to base.

  While those missiles raced to the target, Harper observed that two of the F-35s had now crossed deep into Canadian airspace. They were headed towards the Canadian F/A-18s that had lifted off from CFB Comox, and they were probably no more than eighty miles from the Hornets. Just then, she spotted four new J-11s taking off from Comox.

  “Commander Grady, I just detected four new Chinese aircraft taking off from Comox. They’ll be over the battlespace in about fifteen minutes unless they light up their afterburners,” she said over the crew net.

  They had four F-35s on station. Two were loitering over the Nimitz and the Marine assault force, and two others had moved to intercept the Canadian aircraft.

  Seeing that Harper had her hands full, Grady turned to the other officer in the back of the aircraft with him and asked, “What’s the ordnance loadout of those F-35s?”

  “Um, let me check,” the young man replied as he looked for the ordnance manifest. After finding it, he replied, “They’re only equipped for air-to-air. They each fired off one missile at the J-11s, so they have five missiles left each.”

  “OK. Let’s hope the higher-ups are able to get the Canadians and the Chinese to back down,” Grady said as they continued to monitor the situation.

  Returning their attention to their radar screens, they saw the twelve missiles close in on the two Chinese ships. Some of them were taken out by the enemy’s close-in point defense systems, but many more hammered the enemy ships. Chances were, they wouldn’t stay afloat much longer.

  The next couple of hours were tense as the situation escalated. However, whoever was working the diplomatic channels must have finally gotten through to someone in charge, because the fighters finally moved on.

  *******

  USS Nimitz

  Captain Terry Pearl was asleep in his quarters when he was violently woken up by a series of thunderous explosions that rocked the ship. He’d only gone to sleep about thirty minutes ago, after partaking in a wonderful New Year’s Eve celebration at the Canadian naval base with a number of Canadian, French, German, and Chinese naval officers that were part of the UN maritime force. It had been a chance to unwind and celebrate a global holiday with fellow naval officers he normally never would have met—but now he was regretting what a great time he’d had.

  Practically falling out of his bed when the general quarters Klaxon blared, he grabbed for his pants just as the phone in his room began to ring. He yanked the phone from its handle. “What the hell just hit us?” he barked into the receiver.

  “Someone just blew up our air defense weapons,” yelled the lieutenant on the other end in a strained voice. “It looks like we have intruders already on board, and now we’re hearing a swarm of helicopters!” Alarm bells and other noises were going off in the background, adding to the chaos being played out over the phone.

  “What? How did our self-defense weapons go offline?” Captain Pearl yelled. He took a deep breath and let it out in a huff, trying to force his mind to think more clearly. “Never mind,” he said. “Get the flight deck lit up and tell security we’re about to be boarded, Lieutenant. I’m on my way to the CIC. I want whatever defensive systems we have left up and running when I get there.” He shouted into the receiver to be heard over the noise on the other end. As soon as he hung up the phone, he rushed to finish putting his shirt on and slide his feet into his shoes.

  Just before he headed out of his cabin, he grabbed his flak vest and put it on, along with his helmet. He had no idea if this was the opening volley of an attack or what was going on just yet.

  As Captain Pearl quickly marched down the hallways of the ship, he saw sailors running to their different battle stations throughout the ship. When he was halfway to the CIC, he heard a couple of smaller explosions and then the unmistakable sound of helicopter blades.

  They’re trying to recapture the ship, he realized. He picked up his pace to get to the CIC. They had to get those defensive weapon systems back online or they were going to be boarded.

  Just as he reached the CIC, he heard a lot of gunfire and machine guns shooting at something above them.

  Crap, we’re too late. They’re here.

  As he entered the CIC, Captain Pearl saw two sailors trying to put something back together behind one of the computer terminals. The lieutenant JG who was the duty officer was on the phone with someone, panic and fear written on his face.

  Pearl walked up to him and took the phone. “This is the captain. Who is this and what the hell is going on?” he demanded.

  “Captain, this is OS2 Elias. We’re under attack. Three Super Stallions just landed on the deck. What do you want us to do?” shouted the nervous operations specialist. Pearl could hear the roar of gunfire and angry voices in the background.

  “Are those French marines engaging them yet?” demanded the captain.

  More gunfire, now intermixed with the sounds of several light machine guns, rattled through the hand receiver. “Yes. They’re trying to shoot at the helicopters. Oh, crap!”

  That was the last thing he heard from the young sailor before they all heard the ripping sound of a high-powered cannon, the same sound Pearl would associate with the infamous A-10 Warthog’s 30mm chain gun.

  Turning to the lieutenant, who looked white as a ghost, the captain barked, “Sound General Quarters! All hands man your battle stations. Set condition Zebra and patch me through to the 1MC.”

  A second later, the warnings were being echoed throughout the ship for the crew to respond to the attack taking place. Then the lieutenant handed Pearl the internal ship intercom system’s microphone. “This is the captain speaking. We’re being boarded by US Marines. Prepare to repel the boarders. Seal and lock all bulkheads and recapture the flight deck.”

  A German Kapitänleutnant from the Bordeinsatzkompanie, the commander of the German marine contingent that was providing security for the ship along with a French contingent, burst into the room along with six other Marines from his group, fully loaded down with their weapons and body armor.

  “Captain, the attackers have secured the flight deck and are, as we speak, attempting to secure the tower,” the German commander said in a thick accent. “Several of the French marines who were providing security from the control tower have been killed, along with many other people. I recommend you move your command post to a more secured position in the ship. The enemy will most likely move to capture this position first.”

  Nodding, Captain Pearl agreed. He knew the Marines would hastily attempt to secure this room and the bridge in an effort to take control of the ship and its functions. Two of the German marines moved to the outer room that led to the CIC from the direction of where the breach was happening, and the other German marines prepared to defend the CIC.

  The rest of the American sailors in the room made their way with Captain Pearl, several levels inside the ship. As they advanced further into the ship, they saw a few French marines booby-trapping some of the bulkheads and doors with hand grenades while they readied some other corridors for a much larger fight. Everyone’s ultimate goal now was to hold out long enough for additional help from the nearby naval base to come and relieve them.

  *******

  Sergeant Strawman’s squad had just reached the corridor that led to the CIC when a string of bullets hit the bulkhead door just as they tried to open it.

  “They’ve got it barricaded pretty good. What do you want us to do, Sergeant?” asked one of the lance corporals, sweat dripping from his face.

  Looking behind them, he saw another squad of Marines begin to file into the room.

  “How many grenades do you have?” he asked
everyone.

  Most of them had at least two or three. They had all started the mission with four riot grenades and six flashbangs.

  “OK, here’s what we’re going to do. Whiley here is going to pull the door open. You’re going to toss in one of your flashbangs and then Whiley’s going to close the door. Once it goes off, he’ll pull the door open again and this time I want you guys to toss a couple of riot grenades in there. Try to get them as close to the end of the corridor as you can before Whiley closes the door. Once they go off, we’re going to bum rush their position and hopefully overwhelm them.”

  The Marines nodded, liking the plan. They all got their flashbangs and riot grenades ready for what was going to be a chaotic close-quarter fight.

  *******

  Colonel Rob Coates stood next to the control tower on the flight deck of the carrier, yelling into the radio back to his command post. “Tell those helicopter pilots to turn back around and bring the rest of my Marines back. We need those reinforcements, and I have wounded that need to be evacuated!”

  “Until the Chinese destroyers are dealt with, the helicopters can’t risk flying back—not after the gunships were destroyed, sir,” said the major on the other end.

  Looking off in the direction of the two Chinese destroyers, Colonel Coates witnessed multiple small blasts in the air. This was quickly followed by several massive explosions, which he assumed must have come from the anti-ship missiles scoring some hits.

  “Major, I just saw those two destroyers get nailed by our Harpoons. Find out if they’re disabled, and if they are, get my reinforcements back over here!” Coates shouted. Then he handed the receiver back to his radio operator.

  Turning to find one of his captains, Coates saw the outer door to the control tower open. Several Marines carried a couple of their wounded brothers out to the flight line. Navy corpsmen were rushing to their aid as they were laid down next to at least two dozen other Marines who’d been wounded. Lying next to them were also some of the wounded renegade sailors who had stolen the ship. A handful of wounded French and German marines were being treated as well.

  When Colonel Coates heard Captain Pearl announce over the ship’s PA system that they were being boarded and to prepare to repel the attack, his heart sank. He had hoped the captain would have seen reason and just given up. Forcing him and his Marines to have to clear the ship deck by deck, room by room was going to be costly in terms of lives and time.

  We need to get into the ship’s PA system and try to convince them to surrender, he thought.

  Coates walked into the control tower and made his way up to the admiral’s bridge. Of course, the traitor wasn’t on the ship. When he walked into the room, he spotted one of his staff sergeants and a lieutenant fiddling with some of the electronics for the ship’s communication systems.

  “Is it up and running yet?” Coates asked impatiently.

  “Almost, sir,” replied the staff sergeant. “They initially locked us out from the CIC room, but I think we’ve found a workaround that will allow us to bypass what they did so we can use the ship’s 1MC system.” He spliced a few wires and then retied them together with a different set of wires.

  The lieutenant grabbed the handset. “Dial tone. It’s working,” he said with a smile on his face.

  Walking up to the lieutenant, Colonel Coates took the receiver. Then he paused for a second as he formulated in his mind what he wanted to say.

  Depressing the talk button, he shouted, “Attention!” Despite the booming of his voice over the PA system, it was barely loud enough to be heard over the sporadic fighting taking place across the ship.

  “Attention!” This time he practically screamed into the mic, which echoed his roar across the ship.

  “This is Colonel Rob Coates, the commander of the United States Marine Corps Marine Raider Regiment. We have landed a substantial force on the Nimitz and are, even now, securing the ship along with a team of US Navy SEALs. I want to address Captain Pearl and the men and women who have rebelled against the US. I am ordering you to stop fighting. You are surrounded.

  “We now have control of the bridge and the CIC, and soon we’ll have control of the engine room. Even now, several tugs are preparing to tow the Nimitz back to US waters. This fight is over. Continuing to resist is only going to result in further loss of life with nothing to be gained.

  “To the French and German marines, I ask that you stop fighting and surrender. There is no help coming from the mainland. US air and naval forces have secured the surrounding waters as we move the ship back to US waters. Continuing to fight will only result in the loss of your men and you will gain nothing. It’s time to stop and save the rest of your men’s lives.

  “All US Marines—stand down for the next five minutes while we let the defenders think this over. If the defenders have not surrendered in that time, your orders are to kill everyone. No prisoners are to be taken; no quarter is to be given. Colonel Coates out!”

  Several of the Marines around him nodded in approval, though they all clearly hoped the defenders would heed his words and surrender.

  Over the next few minutes, several groups of German and French marines began to lay down their weapons and surrender. By the time the five minutes was up, calls throughout the ship were heard from American, French, and German defenders, letting the Marines know they were surrendering. The prisoners were rapidly disarmed and led to the top deck of the ship, where they were ordered to sit down at the end of the flight line while they waited for their helicopters to return.

  Looking out the flying bridge, Colonel Coates saw several large fires burning off in the distance, just out of their line of sight. He suspected it was the Chinese destroyers that had fired on them. As he continued to survey the waters in the darkness, Coates saw a number of life rafts with their flashing strobe lights on to alert rescuers to their location; he realized that the two Canadian patrol boats the Cobras had attacked had finally gone under.

  Somewhere in the distance, he could still hear some sonic booms from time to time as an aerial dance continued high above them. Slowly, then more steadily, they heard the rhythmic thumping sounds of helicopter blades. Knowing their rides were coming, Colonel Coates ordered the lights on the flight deck turned on now that the defenders had mostly surrendered. However, he still had small teams of Marines moving through the ship as they continued to clear each deck, room by room, to make sure they had all the defenders in custody and had fully secured the ship.

  Colonel Coates had sent a message letting Whidbey field know the defenders had finally surrendered so they could also begin to ferry over some of the original crew that had been placed on shore leave. He needed sailors to get the ship underway and ready. While they did have a couple of tugs on their way, they weren’t here yet, and Coates wanted to get the ship back to American waters as soon as possible. Their little raid was sure to kick up one hell of a hornet’s nest, and he wanted to put as much distance as possible between him and the coming firestorm.

  “Excuse me, sir,” said one of the Marine captains as he entered the flying bridge. He had a young female sailor with him.

  “What is it, Captain?” Coates asked, rather gruffly. He had returned his gaze to the prisoners being filed out of the control tower below and lined up on the back of the deck, and he was a bit overwhelmed at how many defenders they’d captured. There must’ve been two-hundred-plus French and German marines on board.

  “Colonel, this is Electronics Technician First Class Tiffany Aikman,” the captain announced. “She says she was the one who disabled the ship’s defensive systems in the CIC.”

  Colonel Coates lifted an eyebrow as he turned to size her up. She wasn’t a very imposing person, standing at maybe five foot four and a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet. “So, you’re the one naval intelligence was referring to when they said they had an inside person,” he remarked.

  Lifting her chin up in pride, she replied, “I am. Those traitors betrayed our oath to the President and
the Constitution, so I felt it my duty to try and stop them.”

  A wide smile spread across Coates’s face when he heard the fight in her voice. Walking up to her, he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Aikman, you just saved the lives of hundreds of Marines and you helped recover an eight-billion-dollar supercarrier. I’m going to personally recommend you for the Navy Cross for your actions.”

  Tiffany seemed overcome by the gesture. “I was just doing my job, sir. I’m glad I was in a position to be able to make a difference.”

  Colonel Coates smiled and nodded. “Good job, Sailor. Good job.”

  *******

  Washington, D.C.

  White House, Situation Room

  “Is that it? We have the ship back under our control?” asked the President. He looked at his senior military advisor with a sense of apprehension.

  Pulling the hand receiver down to his shoulder, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Peterson, nodded. “We just got confirmation. The Marines recaptured the ship. Most of the defenders surrendered.”

  Several people in the room spontaneously cheered, whistling and shouting as they celebrated the recovery of the Nimitz.

  Smiling for the first time in hours, the President let out a deep sigh of relief. He was starting to think he was going to have a heart attack due to the amount of stress and worry he had been experiencing these past few hours.

  Turning to his Secretary of State, Haley Kagel, Sachs asked, “Have you been able to get in touch with Secretary-General Behr or Prime Minister Martin yet?”

  Secretary Kagel had been trying to reach both men since just before the raid had started. Her goal was to make sure they knew what was happening and convince them that this was a localized situation—America was not invading or attacking the UN or Canadian forces. The US was simply retrieving its ship, but it would defend itself if attacked.

  Turning to look at the President, she lowered one phone. “I did get through to PM Martin and told him what we were doing. He told me he’d ordered his aircraft to stay clear of the area, but he couldn’t guarantee that the other UN forces wouldn’t intervene. He asked me to request that you please show restraint and not retaliate against his military facilities. He’s trying to defuse the situation with General McKenzie and Secretary-General Behr.”