fanfic_name = Shooting Stars

chapter = Chapter II

author = Cicero_Phelps and Knights Templar

Rating = AP15

Type = Humor

fanfic = Chapter II

Rick sat in the student lounge with his best friends, Max, Ben, Alan, and Rodney, as they all watched the latest world news updates.

“Think the Russians can hold out this time,” Max asked, rhetorically, as the news told of the encirclement of the 2nd Russian Army Group and the siege of St. Petersburg by Scandinavian and Central European troops.

“Even money, I think,” Rodney replied. “General Winter traditionally helps the Russians, but this time, they’re facing troops who know how to fight in the cold, in the Scandinavian ranks. The Central European forces, however, may crack and run in the poor weather.”

“Like Hitler’s forces in 1943/44,” Max muttered thoughtfully.

“Exactly,” Alan chimed in.

“How odd it is that, so often, the course of history is decided with a few bullets,” Rick muttered, idly, as he thought over the strange circumstances that had led to this global nightmare.

“What do you mean,” Ben asked him.

“Well, ever since Russia, or, more appropriately, the former Soviet Union, bankrupted itself in ’81 when they poured a lot of their funds into the Afghan invasion, where they got whupped, they had to divert a large portion of their forces from Eastern Europe to Central Asia for the war effort, which gave the Eastern Europeans a chance to revolt and take control of their own governments,” Rick said, reciting his most recent essay for political science class. “With the breakup of the Warsaw Pact, and their former satellites, now staunch economic allies of the Western and Central European governments, their president, Raskolnikov, found his country economically isolated and impoverished, so he decided to make an economic truce with the West and send diplomats to Berlin, which was the center of the newly-formed European Economic Council, to determine the terms.”

“What happened next, then,” Ben asked; he had no interest in politics, just had a pure love of flying and causing damage when told to do so.

“No one is exactly sure,” Alan said. “When the Russian Ambassador, Tolstoy, arrived in Berlin, he was greeted at the tarmac by his security detail and escorted to the hotel where the conference was meeting. The meeting started at 1900, after their dinner. Unfortunately, right when the first German speaker rose to greet the audience and delegates, an anarchist rose from the crowd, pulled out an Uzi, and mowed down the delegates at the head table. When he finished, he detonated a suicide bomber belt, taking out the room.

“Understandably, the Russians were furious over the loss of their Ambassador, and the apparent lack of security provided by the Germans. They demanded that the perpetrators be handed over to their justice department for trial and punishment. The German government refused, saying it was a violation of their national sovereignty. The Russian ambassador to the UN, Dimitrovich, made accusations in the General Assembly, but nothing was done to satisfy them; the UN ruled that Germany had the right to investigate the assassination thoroughly before giving the information over to Russian authorities. In retaliation, someone in Moscow murdered a German diplomatic attaché, no claims of responsibility. Chancellor Harmon of Germany yelled back, protesting the murder, but Russian authorities claimed they had no knowledge of anything involving the murder.”

“Then, if I remember correctly,” Max said, “The countries that formerly made up the Warsaw Pact banded together again, fearful of Russian invasion and domination. This time, they allied with Germany, Austria, Italy and France, the major economic powers of Europe. Russia threatened the Baltic states to stay neutral, but they bolted to side with Poland, and, thus, the rest of Continental Europe. Russia mobilized its western border, and tried to forge an alliance with Finland to ensure its ports and waterways would be secured. Finland flatly refused, and, on October 13th, 1989, Friday the Thirteenth, as it were, the Russian 3rd armor and infantry divisions launched an invasion of Finland, to subdue resistance and capture a few ports.

“Unaccustomed to being violated, and with the Russians halfway across the northern and southern ends of her border, the president of Finland called to its neighbors, Norway and Sweden, for help. They formed a mutual defense pact, Sweden abandoning its 167-year-old policy of neutrality to do so. The Scandinavian forces hammered back at the Russian forces, invading deep into Soviet territory up to Murmansk and Arkangel, both Russian seaports on the Arctic Ocean. The defenders steadied their defense lines and counterattacked, after two months of heavy fighting, and sent the Scandinavians scurrying back to their fleet in the Baltic.”

“I remember that, now,” Rodney said. “I was in fourth grade the day that happened; we all watched the news as it happened to witness history in the making.”

“So, what were the other countries doing,” Ben asked, now engrossed in the tale.

“The Central European Empire forces watched the back-and-forth fighting with amused contempt, waiting for the best opportunity to land a blow against Russia,” Rodney answered. “Moscow, in the meantime, realized that the situation was escalating, and withdrew several divisions from the Eastern provinces to defend the Western provinces.

“Six months into the war, when the powdered wigs in London realized what was happening on the Continent, and it was apparent that the fighting was larger than they had anticipated, the Labor Party, under Douglas Crittendon, resolved to stand firm in support (with money and materiel) with Moscow, starting with a couple billion pounds sterling to keep the ruble afloat. Shortly thereafter, a British diplomat in Austria opened his diplomatic bag one morning and realized someone gave him a present. They had switched his packet for one from the Imperial High Command, containing the C&C (command and control) documents for the Russian sector, as well as planned offensives in the coming year.”

“Ah, yes, I seem to remember something about Austria arresting a British intelligence operative a few years back…was that what he was arrested for,” Alan asked.

“According to Doc Roman, yes,” Rick said. “That’s why France and Germany led the bombing campaign over London late in 1989.”

“I always wondered what had inspired that brilliant move,” Alan said sarcastically. “Considering how much of the attacking air fleet was annihilated, I’m surprised someone volunteered the plan to begin with.”

Rick added, as an afterthought, “And I also hear rumors that the Chinese had some involvement with the assassination in Berlin, way back when.”

“You can’t be serious,” Max said, his jaw dropping.

“Yeah, Doc Roman still has connections with his friends still in the intelligence bureaus, and they say that the Chinese slipped an agitator into one of the anarchist groups in Berlin and let him stir up the pot, so to speak.”

“But what would that have gained them,” Rodney asked, clearly confused.

“Any number of things, actually,” Alan replied, his tactical and strategic talents coming to the fore. “The purists among the hardliners in Beijing probably feel that the Russians have abandoned the ‘true faith’ of Marxism, and need to be rescued from themselves, the ethnic supremacists will want to show the true strength of China’s might, which has been exploited by many European powers for centuries, and it’ll give a purpose to the newborn males who have no brides back home to marry.”

They were discussing the reasons because three years into the war, the Chinese had launched a massive offensive against Russia, cutting off and isolating Kamchatka and most of Siberia. It was only a British/Indian counterattack against the Chinese rear flank at Khandahar that prevented Moscow from surrendering in November of 1992.

Rick remembered the day that the US was drawn into the war; he was just 16 when his “Big Brother,” Roy Fokker, went off to fly for the United States. China had just agreed to a military alliance with North Korea, and, less than 24 hours later, the Korean War was back on again, with the 15th Chinese Army and the whole of the North Korean Army headed across the 38th parallel. The 60,000 men of the combined US/South Korean defense force were simply overwhelmed by the superior numbers of the invaders, which numbered over 250,000 troops and vehicles, and quickly retreated back across the sea to Japan. The bases at Okinawa and Clark Field in the Philippines were overrun with refugees, and the fighter groups they possessed were sent north to stem the tide of the invasion.

Roy had seen the news that day and told Pop Hunter that he was going to go serve in the Air Force. “Are you crazy, Roy,” Pop had said. “This isn’t some air show where you fly through harmless fireworks. You will shoot, and you will kill, and you will probably die. All for what?”

“To defend my country, Pop,” Roy had replied. “I know it isn’t a game, but if I don’t do this, and other pilots like me, then there won’t be anymore flying for fun.”

“Roy, don’t do this,” Pop had said. “I flew over Hanoi with guys like you, and I loved them dearly, as I love you and Rick, both; I just don’t want to lose you like I lost them. So much potential, so much loss of innocence.”

“Pop, I understand why you don’t want me doing this, but I have to follow the calling of my heart,” Roy said, as gently as he could, and saluted him, then spun about and walked out the door.

Rick admired his big brother; Roy was compassionate, but had a hardheaded approach to his core beliefs; he believed that you never start a fight, but always finish it. After Roy left to follow his heart, Pop Hunter devoted his time to teaching Rick how to be dutiful without needing to fight; how to honor himself and everyone around him. Rick learned how to fight and win, or fight and lose, with honor, with dignity, and how to hold on while the rest of the world was trying to kick him loose. And every day, in every way, Rick tried his hardest to be as good as, if not better than, his old man. Then came the day Rick told his father that he was going to go to ROTC during college…

State = Continuará/To Be Continue

feedback = Sí/Yes

email = Lightsaber01ATHotmail.com