FullMetal*Panic!

Tuatha de Danaan
off the Coast of Colombia

Tessa woke up in her bed, stretching and yawning the tiredness out of her body. She scanned her room and tried to figure out how she got there. Her memory was of crying in Melissa'a arms. She figured that she fell asleep and Melissa put in her bed. She checked her watch and it said 12 o' clock. Since her watch was to Greenwich mean time, it was 7 here. She went over to her personal desk and logged on. She saw that her inbox had some mail but decided not to check it immediately. She checked the news and found a reference to the action in the Andes. The headline stated "FARC dealt deadly blow" in the Bogota Times, while the Washington Post stated that evidence was mounting about more US 'advisors' in Colombia then allowd by law. She sometimes wondered about her home. 'Why can't those politicians see past there own noses?' she thought. Shaking her head, she scanned the in box. Most of the mail was about 'enhancing the sexual experience of women', but one came from her brother. It was the basic hello and how you doing one that recieved from him. Since she accepted the offer from Mithral, she grew apart from her brother. Especially since it was found out that Guaron had some ties to her brother. She tried to confront her brother, but was stymied by projects and other miscellanous reasons. It almost seemed that he didn't want to see her. That brought her thoughts to Souske. Just as she was fighting with feelings she heard the PA system come on.

*Alarm* "General Quarters! General Quarters! All hands to your battlestations. General Quarters! General Quarters! All hands to your battlestations! This not a drill!"

Tessa was running though the hallways to the bridge. She didn't care that she was wearing the same uniform from yesterday or that she slept in it. She entered the bridge and was greeted by the customnary 'Captain on bridge.' She saw all the bridge crew all ready do thier thing. Mardukas was standing in front of the command chair overseeing but not interfering the crew's operation.
"Mardukas, report." ordered Tessa as she came beside the XO (excutive officer).
"We have 24 missiles heading for the coast of Colombia from bearing 170. We have no clue where it came from or thier targets, captian." said the XO.

" Thier altiude right now is 100 meters above the surface of the sea, speed is 400 knots. Heading is from 40 to 60 degrees. If they continue thier current course, they'll hit Bogata, Medillin, and Cartegena in about 90 minutes." said radar station.

" When will they be at thier closest to us?" asked Tessa as Kalinin enetered the bridge.

"5 minutes, sir."

" I still have nothing on the sonar in that area, sir. I have all the know contacts on the board and nothing is in that area for two days. Not even a fishing trawler." came sonar.

"Fire Control, Get the Harpoons up and ready and configure then to intercept those missiles." said Tessa.

"Aye, Aye. Captain" as the Fire control was plotting the intercepts.

"Four minutes."

"Captain, the Harpoons are not suited for this work." said Mardukas.

"I know that but we don't have much choice. The Tomahawks don't have the target software the Harpoons do not the manuverability. For the Standards to be used we have to surface, and have a bad feeling that whoever launched those missiles is waiting for somebody to stop them, and pouncing." said Tessa.

"Three minutes."

" Harpoons ready, Captain. All tubes flodded."

"Sonar, I want you to watch for any response. Fire Control, Launch." ordered Tessa.

" Tubes 1, 2, 3 , 4, 5 , 6 launched. Reloading same tubes now. First flight of Harpoons have reached the surface. Getting feed from Harpoons, puting it up now." as six popups apperared on the tactical map. " Tubes Loaded. Tubes 1,2, 3,4,5,6 Launched. Tubes being reloaded." said the fire control officer.

Tessa and the rest of the bridge was tense as the squence of firing the missiles continued. She knew the probabilites of intercept was low, but she knew that a Sub was out there and it was waiting to pounce.

Just as the first flight of Harpoons was to engage, sonar squaked.

"I have multible missile launch, bearing 176. "

"I have four missiles inbound. 225 klicks and closing." said radar.

"First flight has secussfully engaged all six missiles. Second flight about to engage." said Fire Control.

"Those are Kitchen sub-launched criuse missiles, Captain. They're Russian make." said Mardukas as the last picture of one of the Harpoon intercepts.

"All 48 Harpoons have been launched, Captain." said Fire control.

'Unless we surface, we can't intercept any more. If I do, that submarine we can't find will launch.' thought Tessa.

" Second flight only hit 2 out of 6. The Kitchens are at thier closest approach."

"Con, dive plane 5 degrees. drop below the thermocline at 1,000." ordered Tessa.

The con repeated the order as he pushed the de Danaan down.

"None of the third flight intercepted thier targets. Forth flight engaging in 30 seconds."

" 250, and decending."

" Fouth flight hit 3 out of six. fifth flight engaging. Eighth flight having a hard time aquiring targets." said fire control.

"500, and decending." said con.

" I have a possible on the locations of the missile strikes, Captain." said another of the bridge bunnies.

" Go ahead" as she turned to see the guy.

"They're targeting any big radar installations in Colombia."

" I've got missile launch from the mainland, Captain." said radar.

"What?" said Tessa.

"Multiple missile launch from the Andes region of Colombia. Thasy are ballistic in trajectory. Com........."

"Emergency surface. Fire control track those Ballistic missisles and get the KKV( Kenetic Kill Vehicles) Standards ready for launch when we hit the surface." ordered Tessa as the de Danaan lifted to get as quickly to the surface.

She already knew what was going to be said next.

" Those ballistics are targeting North America, specifically the East Coast north of Hatteras." said radar.

"Oh, no" cried Tessa.







I'm sorry but I'm tired so later.

I think you're doing a very good job of writing Tessa as the sympathetic character, and I think that you've got a good grasp of the personalities involved. YOu also seem to enjoy building up suspense

I think I would recommend that you change your posting format- when you have more to add to a chapter, just edit the first post and add, instead of sticking it later in the thread. A brief change of text color, or a line of stars does a good job of breaking up the old from the new.
(And then put a new post at the bottom of the thread, so readers know more has been added)

@Jae

You mean we're supposed to be considerate?

Nobody ever told me that....

dd wrote:You mean we're supposed to be considerate?

Nobody ever told me that....

Been telling you that all along dd, you just haven't bothered to listen to it

@Belisarius
Loved it as usual... and Jae's right, Tessa comes off as a pretty
empathetic char in a very hot seat at times...

GunBunny notes: can't see using Harpoons against sea-skimmers,
that's just me. Kitchen ASM (NATO AS-4) are air-launched rather than
sub-lauched.

You REALLY got the suspense ratched quite high now that TDD has to
deal with ballistic missiles... I guess we get to see a vaunted 'missile
shield' in action, huh?

Till next time!





Regards

Thank for all the support guys. I posted some other fics on other boards and gots no feedback either way. That got irating ( I know I spelt that wrong) and don't go to that forum anymore.

Notes:
There is a story that goes around the USN of a sub-launched Harpoons of taking care of helicopters in the first Persian Gulf war. I don't if its true or just one of those 'urban legends'.

As for the cruise missile, its the only one I know by name but there is a version that is sub-launched.

The KKV Standard was in testing back in 1994 as part of the TBMD (Theater Ballistics Missile Defense System) program. I should know as my ship was the test platform for it back then.

Question: I know that this my story, but this is nagging me. Does the Soviet Union really exist in FMP! or is it a paper tiger?

And thank you for all your kind words and criticsms, again.


PS We never did hit the warhead during testing and we shot 5 of the damn things. We just missed every time.

@Belisarius

The AS-4 (kh-22 Burya) was an old missile, designed for high-alitude launch, air to ground. It was fairly sizeable compared to today's weapons. It was carried by a bunch of different Tu's (eg. Tu-95/142, 22, 26, etc.)

I don't ever remember seeing any reference to a sea-launched version.

Keep up the good work.

Always glad to support a fellow fic writer, Belisarius. Don't we
all know the feeling of no comments on stuff you put so much
effort into

Belisarius wrote:There is a story that goes around the USN of a sub-launched Harpoons of taking care of helicopters in the first Persian Gulf war. I don't if its true or just one of those 'urban legends'.

'less the chopper pilot was stupid enough to NOT notice the missile
or get his altitude up in time, sounds like an urban myth to me...
You ever handle Harpoons in your time in the USN, Belisarius?

Belisarius wrote:As for the cruise missile, its the only one I know by name but there is a version that is sub-launched.

AS-4 is strictly air-lauched as far as I know... unless they've done
some further development work on it. Some of the newest Russian
missiles, such as the Alfa (SS-N-19 mod) and Yakhont are designed
for multiple launcher (air, sea and ground) use.

FYI, I recommend www.fas.org as a pretty good open-source place to
look up weapons info and specs. The only thing is it doesn't seem to
be regularly updated

Belisarius wrote:Question: I know that this my story, but this is nagging me. Does the Soviet Union really exist in FMP! or is it a paper tiger?

If you check Jae's main site, she answers this in the FAQ.

FMP! takes place in an 'alternate universe' where the SU didn't
collapse in the 1980s, and the Cold War, along with numerous terrorist
groups, continues to be fought in 2001.

Belisarius wrote:PS We never did hit the warhead during testing and we shot 5 of the damn things. We just missed every time.

...and Bush is basing his North American missile shield on THIS?!?!






Regards

Yeah, like HF pointed to, the USSR does still exist. However what's unknown (to me) is how strong they are, or how much of it is an illusion or mistaken belief on the part of the allies. I'm not sure if they're supposed to be the world's #1 threat still, but they do seem to be presented that way early on, before the focus shifts so much to G.

Just in the series you can see that they're the bad guys, that they have mutiple layers of activities- some of which might not be fully known about up top, and that up top wants to keep some sort of diplomatic standing in the world but is still hostile. (mostly ref the eps the TTD bombs the research facility)

Consider that changes in how military tech developed (ie, armslaves) might have changed the outcome of that conflict....

Re crits: I think most people are afraid to give crit, even when others ask for it. We're having the same problem in the artist's private group. Maybe a good way to get crit is to give some, I dunno *shrug*

(BTW, HF, I'm not sure the tech they're using for the missile shield, but just basic newtonian physics says it's a very serious challenge to hit something very small at very high speeds in a very small timeframe on a very massive playing field. Scientific American did quite a knock-down job on this a while ago, but now this is OT )

Jae wrote:Re crits: I think most people are afraid to give crit, even when others ask for it. We're having the same problem in the artist's private group. Maybe a good way to get crit is to give some, I dunno *shrug*

...that or very few ppl frequent those particular sections of the board.
I haven't been in Taskforce for awhile now Oooops!

Jae wrote:(BTW, HF, I'm not sure the tech they're using for the missile shield, but just basic newtonian physics says it's a very serious challenge ...

The US Army had this problem with the Patriots v. Scuds back in Desert
Storm I... basically the system was good enough to calcuate
where the Scud SHOULD be at a given time, but 1) quality control
during Scud manufacture often had Scuds breaking up before impact,
and therefore confused the software, and 2) time lag between where the
missile THINKS it has to intercept vs. where it is at a given moment...

...I won't get into applying Brownian Motion to a macroscopic system --
ie. can't know both velocity and position at the same time


Back to topic... looking forward to your next chap, Belisarius!





Regards

On with the show


*GROAN* as the de Danaan voiced her displeasur at the treatment given to her by her captain she was raising to meet the air.

'Fly, Baby, Fly. Fly like you have always wanted to' Tessa thought as her ship continued to protest the stain of the emergerncy blow.

"I repeat 6 ballitic missile have been launched, Uh make that five miisle targeting the East Coast of North America. " said the radar officer.

"15 seconds till we hit the surface." said the con in a monotont voice as he thought 'Just hold together for 2 more minutes, girl.'

" NORAD has just upgraded to DEFCON 2. Getting plot from NORAD now." said the Communication's officer as the NORAD plot was brought up on main screen.


Outside, it was a clear mostly sunny day in that region of the Pacific, Then the de Danaan rose like a gargutuan whale trying to fly out of the water. Most of her hull escaped the clutches of the sea, however she just couldn't do it. and crashed back into the water.

"Get those VLS doors open, now. Fire Control, I want an intercept as soon as the first miisile is clear of the door." Tessa ordered as she hopped the KKV Standard was up to the task.

"Captain, The five miisiles have reached 15 miles alitude and still climbing. NORAD plot shows Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston as possible targets."

Mardukas just stood there. Not because he was paralyzed by fear, but because Tessa was doing a great job under the strain. At times, he wondered why Tessa was selected as Captain of the de Danaan, but now he was certain that it was ther right choice. He wondered if Adm. Nelson could be so calm if he was in the samw situation. He wondered if Nelson would approve of this young woman as Captain. Now he knew that he would go to hell with if she only asked. And so would Nelson.

"I have a go for launch on Kilo 1 thru 7. Launching now. " as the seven swooshes were heard throught the hull.

"I want those missiles that are heading our way shot down, too" ordered Tessa. 'I should have been on the surface to face that submarine. Then I would have a better chance of catching those Ballistic missiles'. was her thoughts.

Kalinin looked at the young Captain and hoped that she was not blaming herself for her actions. He knew that she prided herself on making the right decision, but also knew that she doubted herself when it came to making snap decisions. He looked at he NORAD plot and realized that no matter the outcome of the FARC missile attacks, that there was going to be a whole new world. He just hope that the men holding the triggers would be sensible. He silently prayed for help from God that the trugger men would stay ther hand.

' I just shot my wad.' At any other time Tessa would be appalled about her course language she just used. She would scold herself for using the same colorful metaphors thar Melissa used on a regular basis. However, her subconcoius let it slip by for now. It about sumed up the situation perfectly. 'Only 24 KKV Standards were produced in this batch. We got 8 and US Navy got 16. Only four other ships could launch this missile because of her size. One's with the Truman, going across the Pacific for there Forward deployment. One's with the America in the South China Sea. The Belknap is in the Med. So that leaves..' as she looked at the NORAD plot. She spotted the blip she was looking for.
' The [/i]Turner is in Charleston harbor, arriving home from their forward deployment. I hope that they are ready because..' as the voice of the FC officer broke her thoughts.

" Intercept with the missiles in 30 seconds."

"Do we know if they have MIRV capablity or not?" asked Kalinin.

"We don't know." answered the FC.

'Not the answered I wanted. If they do have MIRVs on board, any we miss will discharge thier loads. Then those poor boys on the Turner will have an even harder time with them. Please God, let them be intercepted. I beg you, please.' as she looked at the plot up on the main board.

" They got lock................" then all seven intercepts and four of the ballistic disappeared from the screen. However,one missile did survive.
"We got four of the missiles. One is still on course."

"What its destination?" asked Tessa but she already knew the answer.

"New York Metropolitan Area, Captain."

Then the track was lost and four new tracks were brought up. 'NOOOOOOOOOO!' screamed her mind.

"We've got confirmation, the warhead has spilt into four different targets. Now staring to reenter the atmosphere." said FC.

"Looks like our prayers were answered, but with a resounding no!" offered Kalinin.

'Time to shine Turner. Shows those bastards that newer doesn't alway mean better. Hit'em all.' as Tessa grabbed her braid and started to gnaw on it.

" I've got 1, 2, 3, make that four tracks from South Carolina. Trying to intercept the incoming MIRVs. " as hope again rushed thruogh the bridge.

'All four launched. Please, oh please, let them be intercepted.' Tessa was crying in her mind as she continued to gnaw on her braid.

"Intercept is in 30 seconds."

Mardukas looked at Tessa and saw her cross herself and clasp her hands together. While not a very religoius man, he thought that this was the only constructive thing that could be done.

Then the plot changed as three of the tracks disappeared.

"Where is that last warhead heading?" asked Kalinin as Tessa was nearly shaking from the stress on the action.

"Not New York, sir. Plot has it hitting near the Vermont, New York border, near Albany. Impact in three minutes."

Now silence was in command of the bridge as they waitd fro the inevitable.

Comms brought up a video feed from a TV station in Albany. The closest city to the impact site. The feed on the bottom said, "Ballistic misile impact in two minutes." Everbody on the bridge was riveted to the feed.

"The ER standards have splashed the missiles tageting us. We still tracking those cruise missiles inbound on Columbia, just crossing over coast now." said the FC officer.

'Please let that warhead be a dud. Oh Please god, let it be so.' prayed Tessa silently.

Kalinin said something in Russian, while the Fire Control office brought his prayer to voice as he recited The Lord's Prayer as time wound down.

Tessa looked up at the NORAD plot and found that the impact would be 35 miles Northeast of Albany. The starndard Russian MIRV warhead was between 3-5 kilotons. Not a citybuster, but that was little consulation to her as the time hit 10 seconds.

9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 and nothing.

She was holding her breathe as she realized that the warhead did not go off. She looked at the plot and the the video feed. She started to breathe as the crew started to yell. Then ther was commotion and pandemonium as the realization soaked in that the warhead was a dud. The birdge crew satrted to congraulate each other on the job they did when Kalinin came over to her vision.

"Congraluation, madam Captain. You've just did what nobody else in the world thought couldn't be done. Stop a nuclear attack." as Kalinin was smiling broadly.

Tessa was about to say something when she saw the video feed from Albany flash white. She then couldn't believe it.

The Tall black mushroom cloud was forming on the screen.

The bridge fell silent as everbody realized how wrong they were.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" as Tessa fell into her command chair and started to weep.

'I 've failed again, and now people have died because of it. Innocent Lives are now on my hands' as Tessa started to cru uncontrollably.

Mardukas looked at his captain as she did this. A Tear did come down his face as this was just one more burden that she would shoulder alone. One that she had no reason to bear. He hoped that she would remember her action today later that she did all that was humanly possible. That all anyone has ever asked.

Errr.. is this supposed to be the next chap, Belisarius? Want me to
split it into its own topic?







Regards

"Edit current post, you idiot. Not add another post."

*takes my head to nearest Watertight door and bangs it repeatedly*
in case you dont know, those doors are about 1/4 to 1/2 thick steel, so it hurts.

@Hellfire.
I was an electricain in USN, so the answer is no and yes. They always need electricty to launch, so yes I fired them, but indirectly.

@Jae & HELLFIRE
I hope the dialogue section was better then the other posts I've done

Another piont about the TBMD standard was that it was a three stage missile, so it was about 1 1/2 the size of the Standard ERs. The VLS on the US ships couldn't accomadate that large of a missile, so it was Tested on a Belknap class Guided Missile cruiser, the Richmond K. Turner.
As for the AEGIS system versus the 48E/55B system used on the older ships, the software upgrade made them almost equal in capablities. It wasjust the AEGIS had less moving parts and was smaller. AEGIS has a problem with mountain ranges right next to it. (Adratic Sea during the Bosnian Civil war)

Belisarius wrote:AEGIS has a problem with mountain ranges right next to it. (Adratic Sea during the Bosnian Civil war)

Other than that, I hear it's one of the best missile / radar combinations
fielded by the US. Supopsedly'll REALLY good meat grill if ya crank it to max
power






Regards