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“This war was thrust upon us — started as a surprise attack by the Russian Federation on US and NATO Forces in Europe. They came at us like thieves in the night and attacked us without a declaration of war. Within months of the war in Europe starting, the People’s Republic of China encouraged the North Korean regime to attack South Korea and US forces. When we found out about the timeline for the war, we were left with no options other than to launch a preemptive attack in hopes that we could destroy the Lee regime’s nuclear weapons before they could be used. While our gallant forces were successful in destroying a vast quantity of the regime’s nuclear weapons, Lee Pak was still able to launch a series of ICBMs at our country, ultimately leading to the destruction of Oakland and most of the San Francisco Bay Area.”

Gates paused and looked down as he mentioned California. It tore at him that he wasn’t able to do more to protect the country from such a devastating weapon. He often wondered if ordering the preemptive attack had ultimately led to the city’s destruction.

“With the resumption of the Second Korean War, the Chinese launched a brutal surprise attack on our naval and ground forces in Asia. They then went on to invade the Island of Taiwan and the Philippines. Even now, they threaten our other allies, Australia and New Zealand. The Russians and the Chinese have openly stated that they won’t end this war until America and the West have either surrendered or are defeated. They’ve gone so far as to create the Eastern Alliance and convinced the nations of India, Iran and many others to join them in their global conquest for world domination.”

Anger burned in his eyes. “I, like many of you, wish it hadn’t come to this. I long for peace with our enemies, but I won’t accept defeat and the subjugation of the American people at the hands of the Eastern Alliance. Our nation has suffered, and we’ve sacrificed too much to give up now. I ask that you continue to unite together. We cannot give up. We must not give into their demands, and we must continue to fight on until victory has been achieved.”

He took a deep breath. “With that, I will take some of your questions,” he concluded.

“Mr. President! How many service members died yesterday in the naval battle? When will the official numbers be released, along with a more detailed description of the battle?” shouted a reporter from one of the major networks.

“I won’t give out the exact number yet as many of the loved ones are still being notified as we speak. What I can say is that more than thirteen thousand sailors were killed in action, and close to fourteen thousand more were wounded during the battle,” the President answered. Many in the room gasped or looked bewildered by the numbers of those lost. “The details of the battle will be released by the Pentagon, but suffice it to say, it lasted for more than twelve hours and involved over a thousand warships and aircraft on both sides. Next question.”

“Has the Chinese fleet been officially defeated? Do they still have a fleet that can pose a threat to our forces in the Pacific?” asked another journalist from the Washington Post.

“The Navy successfully sank all three Chinese aircraft carriers and their supporting ships. We also sank an additional eight Chinese submarines. More specifics can be obtained from the Pentagon, but yes, we’ve officially destroyed the Chinese Navy as a fighting force, and they’re no longer able to project naval power beyond their shore,” Gates responded.

“Mr. President, do you feel at all responsible for the North Korean regime launching nuclear weapons at American cities in retaliation for you ordering a preemptive attack on their country? Don’t you feel that if you hadn’t done that, that the people of Oakland and the Bay Area would probably still be alive? Don’t you think you should be held accountable for that action?”

Gates tried very hard to control the innate reaction to roll his eyes whenever that particular reporter started speaking — he was the prima donna of the press room and was always trying to bait the President with incendiary questions. Anger billowed up inside Gates, and he had to take a deep breath and calm himself before he said something he and his staff would regret.

“Jim, our preemptive attack saved the city of Seoul and millions of other people in South Korea and Japan. The only ones responsible for the destruction in Northern California are the Chinese government, who provided the Lee regime with the missiles capable of hitting our cities, and the Lee regime, who launched them. Next question,” the President said, trying to move past the bloviating idiot who often seemed to be advocating for the enemy above the interests of his own nation.

“Mr. President, more than one hundred thousand military members have died in this war in less than one year. More than a million civilians have died since the start of this war. How much longer will this war last, and how many more people will have to die?” asked another reporter from one of the more progressive news outlets.

Gates retorted, “Are you asking when will America surrender?”

“That’s not what I said. Our readers want to know how many more people need to die before this war ends,” she replied.

“I suppose it could all end tomorrow, if America were willing to surrender and submit to being ruled by the Eastern Alliance, and while I’m sure many of your readers would welcome that, the rest of the country wants to remain an independent nation. This war is about the survival of our nation. We need to keep that in mind and realize that if we don’t fight for our country now, we may not have a country to fight for later. With that, I’ll turn the remainder of the questions back over to Linda,” the President replied. He turned and left the podium.

Filipino Madness

Philippines
Laur, Luzon Island

The humid heat was starting to become oppressive as sweat ran down Captain Ma Qiliang’s back, soaking his shirt. Standing up straight to stretch his back, he let out a slow groan as he twisted from side to side to loosen things up. Looking to his left, he saw his men had made good progress on camouflaging their positions.

I hope the Americans don’t land near us. We’re not nearly ready enough to fight them yet,” he reflected.

Fang, a fellow captain, walked up to Ma, interrupting his thoughts. “You know, you could round up some people from the city nearby and have them dig these positions for you and your men,” he said. He made a sour face at how sweaty Ma had gotten while digging the foxhole he was standing in. Extending his hand, his friend offered to help pull him out.

“I suppose you’re right, but I’d prefer the locals not know the exact location where my men are dug in — less chance of them telling the Americans and us becoming target practice for their artillery,” he replied.

The snarky grin was wiped off of Fang’s face. “Do you think the Americans will land near us or further south?” he asked. It was all anyone had talked about since word had spread of the defeat of their fleet.

Ma rubbed his back briefly and then took a couple of long gulps of water from his canteen before he responded, “My spine is killing me.” He pulled himself out of the hole and lowered his voice. “Come over here, Fang. Let’s talk a little further away from the prying ears of my men.”

He and his childhood friend walked to a pile of sandbags and took a seat. Ma took another swig from his canteen. His face was frighteningly serious.

“Fang, we’ve known each other since we were little kids, so I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t believe any of us are going to make it out of this alive. The best we can do right now is try to take as many Americans with us as we can,” Ma said.