Chapter 8: Persuasion
July 5, UC 0087. 1400 hours Zulu. Manila, Capital City of the Philippine Islands. "John, are you sure this is necessary?" Cynthia
asked as she finished packing her bags, "I thought they said it was just
an ordinary Feddie sub..." "That's just the damn cover story..." John replied
worriedly as he finished packing the bags for his boys as well, "Jean
still won't admit it to me, but seeing a Zeek Captain onboard and knowing he's
been MIA for quite a while like so many of our old friends means something is
very wrong around here..." "In other words, AEUG," Cynthia replied, albeit
more hushed and muted, "But why should we be getting out of here? I mean,
even if the Titans come..." "They'll probably torch the whole city to the
ground," John replied grimly, "Heck, I'm not even sure if those guys
on the sub won't torch the city to the ground if something happens. In either
case, I'm not taking any chances. I'm letting only volunteers who are willing
to risk their lives to work on the sub for now..." "Christ John... they couldn't be that crazy..."
Cynthia replied, "Even those bigwigs at Dakar have to notice something
happening right here on Earth..." "Tell that to the citizens of Hong Kong," John
replied, "I hear some civilians nearly got killed for having links with
AEUG, and I'm not taking the same risk here. I've already posted an evacuation
notice to everybody living near the dock area to give those *******s no reason
to attack civilians in the city..." "What about you?" Cynthia asked worriedly,
"Aren't you coming with us?" "No, not yet," John replied, "The repairs are
almost done and I've gotta make sure they get the hell the hell out of my
harbor and leaving as few signs as possible on their arrival. I shouldn't take
long..." "John... what if..." Cynthia started, but John
already knew what she was going to ask. "If I have to go through hell again to get back to you,
I will," John replied as he gave her a quick kiss, "And I won't die.
I know you'll kill me if I die and you didn't get a daughter..." "But please be careful," Cynthia replied as she
put her hand on his cheek, "Come back soon, and remember that no matter
what, I love you..." "I love you too Cynthia..." John replied as he
took her hand, "And I promise, I won't keep you waiting for long..." --------------- "He'll make the perfect sub skipper, and I don't care
if we have to drag him with us kicking and screaming," Yoko concluded
coldly as her debate with Jean reached its peak, "And if he has any
problems with our authority, I'll just have to use some... persuasion
techniques to convince him." "Yoko, he's a married man with two kids, and what
you're asking him to put all of that in danger, it won't work..." Jean
replied tiredly as he realized that Yoko had probably not even listened to a
single word he had said about AEUG regulations, "And I don't think any of
your persuasion techniques could convince him..." "Maybe I should test them out on you first before you
make your judgment," Yoko replied acidly. "Why do I get the feeling that's not going to be
pleasant..." O'Connor added tiredly. "Watch your tongue LIEUTENANT," Yoko replied
testily, "Or I might practice some of the really unpleasant ones on you to
instill some discipline into your spine." "And maybe we should throw you in the brig to instill
some discipline in yours," Jean replied dryly, "Why don't you
concentrate on the repairs instead and get us out of here?" "Three more hours," Yoko promised, "Scott and
the crew will still have to fix some stuff on the way to New Guinea, but we've
got at least three weeks before we do anything big. More than enough
time." --------------- "Oh boy..." Liv said to herself as she took a look
at her JCB Kai's radar screen. This was bad. In fact, this was very, VERY bad.
The Titans had just stopped sending smaller patrols and had opted to send one
massive air group in the air all at once. Hunting Dish AWAC craft had been
dangerous enough when they were alone, but now that four or more Dish were now
working together, with significant fighter support, it was going to be
suicidal. No matter how stealthy her JCB was, with enough radar reflecting off
the fuselage... "This is Blinder 01, Corregidor station please
respond," Liv called over the radio to the air station they had set up on
the historic island in the middle of Manila Bay, "We've got a big problem.
Multiple Dish aircraft in the air all at once, with fighter support at four
squadrons or more. Enemy force clearly superior to our current air assets.
Advise immediate evacuation of Manila." "We can't do that yet Liv," the ground controller
responded worriedly, "We need another two to three hours minimum before we
can leave. I'm sending Blinder 02 up to help now, but until then you'll have to
hold them." "Then don't expect either of us to come back," Liv
replied testily as she noticed that some of the fighters in the formation begin
to break off and head towards her, "Because I think I've just been
found..." --------------- "Found that stealth fighter at last..." Hawkins
reported with a grin as he looked at the radar screen. Getting all their
aircraft up all at the same time had caused them to use up much of their
remaining fuel reserves, as well as limiting future air searches, but now their
hitherto invisible enemy had lost its most potent weapon, and now it was time
for retribution... "So putting all those Dish up at the same time and
linking their radars together did work after all..." Natalie observed as
she took a look at the still fuzzy clearly identifiable blip that denoted the
new AEUG aircraft, "Anything else?" "Unfortunately, not yet," Hawkins replied,
"We're sending two squadrons to deal with the enemy fighter now, but our
scans of the coast have not revealed anything unusual... as of yet..." "You still think the sub is still out there
Hawkins?" Natalie asked. "I do," Hawkins responded, "And finding our
stealthy friend has convinced me even more. I doubt they would let such an
advanced unit loiter around and harass obsolete Federal air power for no
reason, unless of course..." "They're protecting something..." Natalie finished
for Hawkins, "Well... maybe we are going to keep our heads after
all..." --------------- Something was DEFINITELY wrong now... John noticed as he saw
the U-606's crewmen move in a more apprehensive pace as usual. And if something
was wrong while this bucket of bolts was still here... "Ahh... John Recto, it's good that you're here," a
cold and annoyingly familiar voice told him from behind. It belonged to what
had been his constant antagonistic nemesis for the past several days: Captain
Yoko Nagato. "It would be better if you'd just tell Jean to come
clean with why you're really here," John replied in an annoyed tone as he
turned around to meet her face to face, "And what do you want with me
anyway?" "I never really had any illusions that you'd actually
fall for any of our deceptions, Mr. Recto," Yoko replied, "That's why
I think you'd make a fine addition to our little crusade, don't you
think?" "The answer is no Yoko," John replied dryly,
"I've fought enough in the last war, and have no desire to emulate some
people who refuse to believe it has already ended." "Well then if that's going to be your attitude then
you'd better help in the repairs of this submarine," Yoko replied coldly,
"Because I think you already know something bad is coming, don't
you?" "How soon?" John replied as he started heading
towards the sub's engine room. "Less than an hour. Unless you can pull some magic
tricks up your sleeve," Yoko replied with a smug grin. "One hour?!" John replied as he stopped in his
tracks and faced Yoko once again, "There's no way we can fix this sub in
an hour! I thought you said you could keep those Titans out of here until at
least until the end of the day?!" "Things have changed, so you'd better talk to
Jean," Yoko replied as she grinned savagely, knowing that part of her
little plan had fallen into place, "Because if you can't fix the sub, then
your magic tricks are all we have left now..." --------------- The U-632, Somewhere in the South China Sea. "Is the radio finally working?" Major Naguchi
asked his lead radio officer. His radio personnel had found some questionable
components in the UHF radio set when they ran a comprehensive diagnostic test
earlier, and had finally managed to replace them with working spare parts.
Mostly working anyway... "No sir, we're getting something now, but the signal is
far too weak," the radio officer responded, "But I am picking up
something strange though... It seems as if there's a very large air group in
the air right now, estimate six squadrons strong with at least four Dish craft
in attendance, currently working down Luzon's west coast..." "Are you sure they are Federation planes?" Naguchi
inquired. "Yes sir. There's too many planes in that formation for
it to be AEUG or Kalaba. It's got to be ours," the radio officer replied,
"But sir, if they're searching Luzon's coast..." "Reverse course and head back to Manila Bay
immediately!" Naguchi ordered before the radioman could finish, "And
go to red alert and prepare to go in as close to the bay as is prudent. I have
a feeling that we may be facing our elusive enemy soon..." --------------- Hold on Liv... we'll think of something... Jean thought to
himself as he stared worriedly at the radar screen. But at twenty-four to two
odds... "What's the situation?" a new, unfamiliar voice
declared as his loud footsteps entered the control room, "And Jean, I've
had enough with the charade, so let me in here." "Look, sir, this is a restricted area and..."
O'Connor started as he tried to push the man out of the room, but Jean quickly
raised his hand and ordered him to stop. "You have any ideas, John?" Jean asked worriedly
as he eyed the legendary old sonar man now standing right in front off him,
"That is, if you're willing to..." "All hell is coming, and there's scarcely anything we
could do to stop it from arriving and turning this city into a
battlefield," John replied quickly, "Brief me of the situation and
maybe we could buy you guys some time to get out of here and for the city to be
evacuated. The mayor has already helped arrange the latter for me." "Thanks John..." Jean replied as he breathe out a
sigh of relief. Maybe Liv wouldn't die after all... "We've got four Dish
and a ****load of fighters coming in and they'll be able to detect us in
forty-five minutes. We have two stealth fighters up in the air right now trying
to stop them..." "Wait a second... Stealth fighter?" John asked,
"I thought they stopped developing stealths since the 20th Century...
well, except maybe for that radar reduction tech we used on the Skate based off
some old Royal Navy Type 23s..." "Long story, but let's just say we took a lot of the
old radar avoidance techniques and improved them some," Jean explained,
"But right now..." "Those four Dish have enough radar capability to detect
your fighters, don't they?" John concluded. "I'm afraid so John, and if I... I mean we can't find a
way to even the odds again..." Jean started. "What exactly is this sub's reactor?" John asked
quickly, "Pre-minovsky 79' model fission or a post 83' issue Minovsky
fusion?" "It's a brand new 85' model Minovsky fusion
reactor," O'Connor answered for his superior, "Maximum
output..." "So it means it has some Minovsky particle spreading
capabilities, doesn't it?" John concluded before O'Connor could blurt out
any more stats he didn't need, "Start spreading them now." "But John, if we do that..." Jean started. "They'll KNOW that we're here, but they won't know
where we are _exactly_, and scattering those particles gives you some extra
time to escape as they try to pin point our location using only visual
detection," John explained, "It's better than having them know
exactly where we are in forty minutes with that radar of theirs and having both
of your fighter pilots dead." "Sir?" O'Connor started. "Do it," Jean ordered, "And John, I hope you
still know how to pull that rabbit out of your hat..." --------------- "****! We're getting Minovsky interference! We're
losing contact!" a Dish operator shouted over the radio to Natalie's
waiting command Midea. Natalie and Hawkins quickly shared a look. "They're still here, and they're desperate,"
Natalie was quick to conclude, "They wouldn't be crazy enough to spread
Minovsky particles unless..." "The sub is probably still on the surface making port
somewhere," Hawkins finished for her, "I'm contacting Romanov and
Hasegawa's platoons now, with any luck their Quells and the beam rifles we got
for them would be enough to stop them from escaping our grasp once more as soon
as we pinpoint the location of that submarine..." "Agreed XO," Natalie replied as she took a look at
the now blanking radar screen, "Until then, we'll switch to a visual
search of the whole coastline. Recall those fighters we sent against those
stealths immediately and have them escort our air reconnaissance assets. We'll
deal with them when the time comes..." --------------- Thank God it worked... Liv thought to herself as she saw
four of the still far-off but rapidly approaching Sabrefish turn around and
return to their giant formation. She had thought it was insane that they would
start scattering Minovsky particles as one of the locals had suggested, but she
wasn't complaining now. And in fact, now that they've turned their backs on
me... "Gordon, how about we get some of those Sabrefish
before they get back to formation and rough them up some?" Liv suggested
over the radio. "Thinking of the same thing mam," her wingman
approved enthusiastically, "Let's go get'm!" Liv nodded as she signaled her wingman for the attack plan.
She would take the two on the right, while he would take the two on the left.
Gordon quickly acknowledged and both planes began to increase speed, their four
victim having no clue as to their eventual fate... --------------- "Send this..." Yoko ordered as she handed the
U-606's radio operator a coded message, "Now." "But... What the? Mam, I can't just send this without
the Captain's..." the radioman started. "Look, I'll explain later, but if you want to live,
you'll do as I say," Yoko replied threateningly, "NOW." --------------- "How's the evacuation going?" Fernendez asked as
one of his aides appeared, his face now covered with sweat after running a long
distance. "Almost done," the aide reported, "But sir,
about those old wrecks you told us to start tuning up, you're not thinking
of..." "Don't worry about it anymore," the mayor replied,
"Just get out of here now and make sure those civilians aren't hurt. I'll
stay with the city up to the last..." "But..." "No more buts," Fernendez replied firmly,
"Go." --------------- AEUG Cruiser Achilles, somewhere in Earth Orbit. "How's the mapping operation going?" Major Helen
Ardulace, commanding officer of the cruiser Achilles, asked as she stared
worriedly at the radar screens. Once a rarity in the Federal Forces, having
been one of the few high ranking female officers in what was still a
male-dominated military, she was now lending her ship, crew and services for
what she felt to be a worthy cause. Unfortunately however, she didn't think
that she was being well employed at all... Her cruiser had been posted here for about three days now
for photoreconnaissance duties on several key bases on Earth, but considering
how thinly spread their forces were in Side 1, she felt that she was being
wrongly employed. She'd known how desperate and risky war could get during her
time commanding the Ulm* for the 17th Fleet during the One Year War, and knew
that even just one ship, or even just one pilot, could sometimes make all the
difference in a battle, and staying here and taking some photos... "Mam, we're just recovering the last of our recon
satellites," the chief electronic warfare officer reported, "But...
excuse me... we seem to be receiving an incoming transmission..." "Who is it from?" Helen demanded worriedly, hoping
that it was not another Titans cruiser on patrol... "Source unknown, however, it's an AEUG transmission,
ultra high priority," the techie reported, "It says... wha? The
chicken has crossed the road?" "Is that it?" Helen replied as she quickly tried
to remember the list of code phrases she had been supplied with in her orders
"just in case" she was needed for additional duties. Duties that
supported operations that were clandestine in nature, "No set of numbers
afterwards?" "I... I'm getting it now..." the techie reported,
"It's 10098. That's it mam." Great... Helen thought to herself. Now she was going to be
used as an errand girl for those AEUG forces still on Earth, an unfortunate
by-product of that disastrous drop operation on Jaburo that she had vehemently
opposed but had been ignored. But orders were orders... "Alright, begin
setting up our Ultra High Frequency transmitter, it seems we may be using it
after all..." --------------- "Four of our fighters have failed to return, but there
are no more reports of any other units engaged in aerial combat," Hawkins
reported as the air formation moved together and formed what was called in
aviation terms as a Luftberry. A purely defensive air formation, similar to how
wagons were circled in old American Westerns, it was proving successful in
preventing the stealth fighter from engaging their Dish and Flatmouse, and
their air group was now making steady progress in scanning the Philippine coastline. "We're getting close to Manila Bay and there's still no
sign of that sub," Natalie observed, "Hawkins, are you sure that
those reports you got from Manila were accurate?" "I got them from the mayor himself mam," Hawkins
explained, "And as far as we know he has an excellent standing at Dakar.
You don't think..." "Thirty more minutes Hawkins..." Natalie replied,
"We'll know in thirty more minutes..." --------------- * The Ulm is part of the 17th Fleet, which appears in The
Forgotten Fleet. Her skipper really should feel lucky BTW, as the Ulm is about
the only cruiser with the exception of the Johnston to survive the entire
operation in Side 2 up to the end of the fic without having its bridge blasted
to smithereens ^_^. --------------- Notice: This fic and all its contents are copyrighted by Thomas E. "Zinegata" Ting. No part of this work may be taken by any other person without permission from the author. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by Bandai and their respective companies. |
