Wanda

by carl smothers

  “As you wish,” Olmid said. “My only regret is it was not me that ended this slug’s life. Allah be praised, I enjoyed watching you kill the slime bag.”

  “I enjoyed doing it. Now, I have to go to my office and call the sheik. He will be delighted to know that we killed all of the Egyptian pigs.”

  He laughed all the way to his office. After his call, he poured himself a cup of tea and sat to savor the moment. He had finally revenged his family’s murder. Smug and filled with a sense of power, Sone ran his hand over the handle of his sword and admired the pretty flowers on his teacup.

  I will soon be one of the most powerful men in the world. The end is coming for many of our enemies. This is a happy occasion. I killed the swine that butchered my family, and destroyed his beloved Cairo. I wonder when the sheik will issue the next attack order, and who is next. I can’t wait. I swear I love the killing more than eating.

  Chapter 66

  MOA HQ

  Anwar, Pakistan

  “Yasaid, it’s time for us to punish and subordinate the infidel dogs,” the sheik ordered. “I’m going to issue an ultimatum to the United Nations. Unconditional surrender or else face the horrible consequences of their mistake. To emphasize the point, we will attack our next target.”

  Yasaid rubbed his face to ease his tension. “Who’s next, Your Highness?”

  “China and, in particular, Beijing, if the UN does not meet our demands.”

  “Attacking small countries, even Egypt, is one thing,” Your Highness. “However, a super power with strong militaries and nuclear, photon and antimatter delivery capabilities is quite another. Your Highness, the Chinese have strategic weapons and will not hesitate to use them in retaliation if attacked.”

  Realizing he had to calm the jittery nerves of his lieutenant, the sheik smiled. “Relax. I have everything under control. First, we will strike their satellite command and control, missile silos, and primary air and army bases. Then, after we have crippled their nuclear, photon and antimatter capabilities, we will destroy Beijing. This strike will kill most of their senior political figures and policy makers. The survivors will be paralyzed and unable to make decisions. They will be terrified and crumble.”

  “I understand, but what about the Russians and Americans?”

  “There is no defense against our weapon. If we use it properly, even the most powerful nations can’t respond effectively. When we strike, we must be quick, precise and without hesitation. Once the western powers see the devastation, they will have no recourse, but to lay down their weapons and surrender. I think the majority of the world powers will be quite hesitant to launch a strategic strike against Pakistan, or invade them, for that matter. Pakistan is either an ally or supplies critical resources to most major countries.”

  “Very well, Your Highness. What do you want me to do next?”

  “Tell General Sone he must be ready when we issue the strike order. I want no delays or excuses. Order our Intel agencies in China to provide us with the information we need to strike the Chinese facilities I’ve listed on this attack order. I want exact coordinates. Also, make sure the top political figures will be in Beijing when we strike. I do not want any of their senior leaders to escape, as they did in Egypt. Someday I’ll attack Egypt again and kill Hussein. I still have a score to settle with him.”

  “Let me know when you’re ready to send the message to the UN.”

  “I’ll draft the message today. Our destiny waits impatiently. It will be very satisfying to receive the sword of the American and Russian Presidents. If they do not cooperate properly, I will use their own swords to remove their putrid heads, and put them on poles at both sides of my throne as a reminder to anyone who might defy me.”

  “Where do you intend to establish your headquarters, Your Highness? In Pakistan?” Yasaid asked.

  “No. In the General Assembly building of the United Nations, in Brussels,” the sheik replied. “That will be our world headquarters. I plan to become the permanent General Secretary.”

  United Nations

  General Secretaries Office

  Brussels, Belgium

  The ultimatum arrived on the desk of UN General Secretary Moon’s desk the next day. Initially, he scoffed at the absurd memorandum. As he reflected, it sobered him. The man who signed it was very dangerous.

  The Secretary knew Oganda had moles in just about every country in the world, and his Intel agency was second to none. This man was highly intelligent, and one of the best strategic thinkers in the world. That, compounded with his insatiable desire for power, made him extremely dangerous. An egomaniac with weapons of mass destruction that will not hesitant to use them is a danger to the whole world, he thought. No, this is not a joke.

  The message was simple:

  ‘All nations must lay down their arms, defuse all nuclear, photonic and antimatter weapons, and de-arm all military atmospheric strike fighters (ASFs). Dock all ships and submarines at the nearest port, and remove all weapons. Shut down all weapons satellites and forward the activation codes to the MOA.

  We demand a reply in three days, or many nations will be punished for their lack of cooperation and submission. You will recall our attack on Egypt. That was just a mild precursor to the devastation that will follow if you do not comply.

  His Royal Highness, Sheik Oganda.’

  Moon called his aide. “Mister Young, please send this message out to all members of the UN and then call an emergency meeting for tomorrow afternoon. State this is not a joke. They must take this seriously.”

  “I’ll take care of it right now.”

  As soon as the aide left, the secretary called the UN Security Council members to inform them and discuss options. It took him but a brief moment to convince them of the seriousness of the threat.

  The next day, the meeting at the UN was fraught with anger and disbelief. The final resolution was, as the Secretary anticipated, a unanimous NO!

  MOA HQ

  Anwar, Pakistan

  Infuriated when he read the UN message, Oganda could feel the blood pounding in his head, his face red with anger. His nostrils flared when he breathed.

  He curled his hands into fists and he beat his desk while screaming. “Yasaid, make ready to attack China! Do we have the coordinates I ordered?”

  “The information came in this morning. But, why China first, Your Highness?”

  “Beijing is the center of a major world power, and China is one of the greatest international trading countries. Destroying their military and center of power will cripple their political and economic structure, and that will have a major impact on the global economy. It is also a safer first attack than going after the Americans. The Western powers will not strike back as quickly as they might if we hit London, Paris or Washington. Also, if their major trading nations see the crippling effect this attack has on the global economy, the members of the UN may decide to surrender, rather than fight and face the same destruction.”

  “I will tell General Sone to attack tomorrow afternoon at 5 p.m. Friday will be a good day for it.”

  “Good. Now, do not bother me until dinnertime. I have much to plan and think about.”

  Anger clouded the sheik’s mind, and this was not the time for cool, calculated thinking or decision-making. He got up and went to his quarters to meditate and enjoy one of his women. He needed to release some of his built up tension. The attack on China would be his first real power move to consolidate his empire. Two women would be even better, he thought.

  Chapter 67

  White House

  Washington, D.C.

  President Grant’s staff briefed him on the Waziristan Valley Egyptian Special Ops massacre. They thought the attacks were a regional matter. In his gut, he knew they would strike America.

  Grant was a distinguished looking black man who had been a four star Army general and understood military tactics and strategy very well.

  He considered first strike options. Starship offensive weapons w
ere not designed, nor effective, for ground attacks. A nuclear, photon or antimatter bomb attack was out of the question. The fall out and devastation would be too great. The Pakistani president would never agree. Dr. Stevenson’s group, at STL, was developing the counter weapon technology, but it would not be ready for at least two weeks. His fastest option was to launch a space-based Rod from God (RFG) attack. Would the President of Pakistan agree? If not, even that was out of the question, but as a last resort, he might do it anyway and worry about the political repercussions later.

  The military Chief of Staff, General Holmes, had told him two kinetic energy weapons should be sufficient provided they hit close. There would be no radioactive fallout, and the kinetic energy would dissipate before it left the Waziristan Valley.

  Grant called the Pakistani president and discussed the option with him.

  “I know about the threat, Ulysses, but I’m reticent to agree. I need to talk to my chief of Staff. I’ll get back to you.”

  Even the Pakistani Intelligence Service did not know the exact location of the facility. Finally, after meeting with his military advisors, Mousaref called Grant and agreed to the launch of two rods.

  Pentagon,

  Command and Control Center

  Washington, D.C.

  After conferring with his national security team, Grant called Holmes. “General, launch your attack.”

  “Yes, Mr. President. I’ll do it immediately.”

  Colonel Williams, the weapons officer at the Pentagon’s satellite weapons control center, was just finishing his system checks when General Holmes and his staff walked into the control center.

  “Colonel, the President has ordered us to launch two RFGs to these coordinates. I want to launch at 3 p.m. Can you be ready?”

  “Yes, sir,” the colonel replied. “I’ll start the launch sequence right now. It shouldn’t take more than thirty minutes to wake the satellite up and get it in position to launch.”

  “Very well, make it happen.”

  “Yes, sir.” The colonel immediately commanded the systems control computer. “Computer, give me the map for Pakistan.”

  The computer displayed the map of Pakistan on the main display screen at the front of the facility and put a holographic targeting map above his control console. “Computer expand targeting map. Initiate launch sequence Alpha to the following coordinates.”

  He pointed at a position on the holographic map projected over the console and the computer replied,

  “Working. Waziristan valley coordinates targeted.”

  Within a few minutes, the computer acquired sync with the global navigation system, WNS, and displayed the targeting and satellite geometry on the big screen.

  “The satellite is on-line, fully operational and ready on your command to start the launch sequence. Please enter the authorization codes.”

  Williams and Holmes each entered authorization codes, and the computer responded,

  “Codes validated. Launch sequence is now starting.”

  The general rubbed the searing pain in his left arm. I wish I had more up-to-date information about Stevenson’s efforts. “Bring up Recon satellite 321B. I want to image the valley and see what the damage assessment looks like.” I hope my heart holds up. It would be a disaster if I had another heart attack now.

  “Yes, sir. Recon Satellite 321B is displayed on screen two.”

  The general and his staff watched intently as the computer uplinked the launch commands to the satellite. After several handshakes and coordination messages, the satellite fired its tri axial thrusters to obtain the correct orientation, and then blew the canards from two RFGs. It then extended the missiles and rotated them into firing position.

  The satellite re-synced with the worldwide navigation system, ran final system checks and then relayed its status to the command and control center at the Pentagon. The fire control computer updated the displays and status information, and then simply noted:

  “Targeting solution acquired. Awaiting launch command.”

  Williams looked at Holmes who nodded approval. “Computer, fire missiles one and two with a five second launch interval.”

  “Launch command given.”

  The fire control computer uplinked the command. The weapons control computer on the satellite blew the pyrotechnic bolts then activated the first RFGs rocket engine. The missile leaped from its captive position and eagerly initiated its descent to target. Five seconds later, the second missile was unleashed, and the weapon sprinted from its launch platform with a burst of energy. Both RFGs down linked positional information and system status to the command and control center at the Pentagon as they descended. The main display board was updating real-time with status information, and displayed the track of both missiles as they made their way towards the designated target.

  General Holmes wished the Intel from the CIA had been more precise. He hoped they would be close enough to take out the facility. He knew if they failed, the MOA could strike back hard and the attacks would be devastating.

  “Missiles have acquired target. Five seconds to impact.”

  The RFGs hit the target five hundred meters apart. The central impact zone exploded in a burst of energy rising five hundred feet in the air and filling the sky with dirt and rock. The kinetic energy from the primary impact sent out multiple enormous shock waves, plowing up the Earth and destroying everything in its path. It blew the tops of small hills off, and caused extensive rockslides. The attack left a deep crater and bare Earth for a radius of five miles around the central strike area.

  I hope we got those bastards. That was like a small asteroid impact or a nuclear bomb detonation. Very interesting to watch it firsthand, Holmes thought.

  The computer announced:

  “Target destroyed.”

  “What’s your next order, sir?”

  “Stand by for now, Colonel. I’ll call the President and inform him. All we can do is wait and see.” If we didn’t take ‘em out, we are going to be in for one nasty counterattack.

  Chapter 68

  Weapon Facility

  Waziristan Valley

  Pakistan

  General Sone was drinking a cup of tea when the two RFGs struck. The force of the kinetic energy knocked him from his chair and broke his favorite teacup.

  What the hell is going on? He thought. “Someone will pay for this!” he yelled. “Damn ... I hurt my shoulder.”

  He got up, wincing, holding his arm to minimize the pain to his shoulder, and hurried to the control room. Lieu had just risen to his feet. Papers and cups littered the floor. Technicians groaned as they lay on the floor in shock.

  “Lieu, what happened? Is the system all right?”

  “We’ve been attacked. I suspect someone fired an RFG at us. Thankfully, it wasn’t close enough, or we would all be dead.”

  “How do you know it was an RFG? What about the system?” the general demanded.

  Lieu looked up at the status boards. “There doesn’t seem to be much damage. Computer, run full system diagnostics and report status.”

  “Working.”

  “I don’t think we suffered any damage. Our system is located two hundred feet below the surface,” Lieu said. “There are special layers of mineral deposits that attenuate shock waves. All of our systems and the room itself are shock mounted with the latest state-of-the-art shock attenuation systems. The computer should finish its diagnostics shortly. To answer your other question, I think it was an RFG because the sensors show no signs of nuclear particles, antimatter residue or fallout. This was a kinetic energy weapon, no doubt about it.”

  The general sighed in relief. He would have hated to suffer from radiation sickness. Worse yet, he did not want to tell the sheik they would have to delay the attacks, and face a possible beheading.

  “Inform me as soon as the results are finalized. I’ll be in my office. I hope this will not delay our attack on Beijing this afternoon.”

  Lieu straightened his glasses before sp
eaking. “We should be able to strike at five as planned. I’ll start preparations shortly.”

  “Excellent.”

  As Sone walked back to his office, he considered who might be behind the attack. The only countries capable of such weaponry are the major powers of the west, Russia or China. Egypt has close ties with China, so maybe they reciprocated as part of the mutual defense agreements between the two countries. One thing’s certain; whoever it was didn’t know the exact location of the facility. That was a comforting thought.

  If it was China, they will soon cease to be a player. When he arrived at his office, he picked up the pieces of his cup and dropped them in the trashcan. “Oh, shit. That really pisses me off. My favorite teacup. Damn it to hell! I loved the pretty little flower design.”

  Sone was impatient for Lieu to finish his work. Just as his frustration peaked, Lieu’s message appeared on his Qtab.

  ‘The system checks are complete. Attack preparation has commenced for the fifteen military targets ending with Beijing. I will initiate the first attack at 5 p.m. as ordered.’