Life as a New Hire Ch. 37

It didn't take a military, or economic genius to realize the North Korean's chronically 'near death' economy was stampeding off a cliff. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was in the middle of an oil crisis and Kim was increasing their fuel consumption by 400% while decreasing his workforce by 10%. To put it in perspective, the US unemployment was around 6%. Now imagine that in one week's time it would become 26%. One week - no severance packages. Would the population become unsettled?

But wait, it gets better. The Secret War was colliding with the Real World in more places than Manchuria. Setting aside the assassination attempt (Grrr) of Hana Sulkanen, my fiancée, six Nipponese elders (two women and four men) appeared in the personal quarters of the Japanese Prime Minister on the first full night of 'Funhouse' and relayed their urgent requests.

Those six were the Head of the Six (formerly Seven) Ninja Families and they were there at...my urging. Cause I'm an idiot and requiring the deaths of Romanians in my personal crusade obviously wasn't enough. Now I was asking the Japanese Defense Forces (JDF) to pony up as well. So take a deep breath and put on the hip-waders.

You might be wondering why I would want the JDF...see, there was part of Operation: Funhouse that was hitting a predictable snag...namely the Korea People's Navy Force (KPNF) and the uncertain determination of the PLAN:

The KPNF's vessels were rather old, small and crappy. They also had a love affair with anything that could launch a torpedo and they listed over 700 of these floating deathtraps (only 13 of which could be classified as surface warships) and the fanatical crews to take them into battle.

The PLAN's numbers were far more realistic and the fleet generally more modern. Only their North (18 surface warships) and East Fleets (22 plus 5 'elsewhere') could play any role in an upcoming FUBAR, and both fleets were heading out to sea, mainly to avoid the sporadic, but increasingly effective Khanate air strikes.

The FU to be BAR'ed was the Russian Far East Fleet (RFEF) (6 warships strong...) that had seized on this crazy idea (per my suggestion) to sail south, around the Korean peninsula so they could land elements of the 55th Guards Red Banner Marine Brigade (the 165th Marine Regiment and the 180th Marine Tank Battalion).

Theoretically they were going to be the 'Southern Shielding Force' that would interpose itself between the Khanate and Beijing. It should surprise no one that the RFEF's flotilla was unequal to the task of taking their destination, the port of Qinhuangdao, by amphibious assault. Fortunately for the Gods of War (which did not include me), there were five other navies involved.

Meanwhile, South Korea was having kittens because their always crazy northern kin were slathering on the insanity. (In how many Buddhist countries do people flock to the temples and pray that their neighbor attacks someone, anyone else, but them? That wasn't a religious conundrum I wanted to deal with.) N.Korea mobilizing meant S.Korea had to mobilize ... which sucked down on their GNP as well.

Besides, N.Korean dams and coal-powered plants kept the lights on in Seoul. Erring on the side of caution, the S. Korea (aka Republic of Korea - ROK) Army suggested calling up only one million of their three million person reserve force in order to assure Cousin Kim that this was a purely defensive gesture. It didn't work. Kim Jong-un castigated the ROK for antagonizing him, despite his declaration that he 'might' feel like invading the South in the immediate future.

Into the emerging crisis, the ROK Navy could sortie nineteen small surface ships. Japan's Navy wasn't up to its old imperial standards, but could still deploy 45 surface warships. The 800 lb. gorilla in the room was the core of the 7th Fleet stationed at Yokosuka, Japan - the USS carrier George Washington and her 14 escort vessels.

If the George Washington was the gorilla, RIMPAC 2014 was King Kong. 22 nations - 50 ships - including the USS carrier Ronald Reagan were engaged in war games in the Central Pacific. With them were 5 vessels of the PLAN...had Kim Jong-un just kept his mouth shut, this wouldn't have been an issue. Hell, if the Khanate had not come into existence and launched its Unification War...but he had and they did...

To show the US was taking this escalation seriously (without tipping their hand that they knew about Funhouse, Carrier Strike Group One (CSG 1) (the Carl Vinson +10) was rushing across the Pacific from San Diego. CSG 3 (the John C. Stennis +2) was being assembled hastily so that they could rendezvous with CSG 1 ASAP. So many brave souls running toward the danger...sometimes I hate myself.

So now does it make sense that I found myself in a room with a US Senator tasked with riding herd on me?

Anyway, there were the other three navies still unaccounted for - Taiwan / the Republic of China (ROC) (22 surface ships), Vietnam (7) and the Philippines (3). Taiwanese involvement was easy to explain - the PRC refused to acknowledge them as an independent country and probably never would.

The Vietnam People's Navy was tiny in both numbers and tonnage. Five of the vessels were 1960's Soviet frigates. What Vietnam did have was a huge grudge against the PRC. The PLA invaded Vietnam in 1979 and devastated the northernmost provinces, killing as many as 100,000 civilians.

The PLAN had walloped the VPN in 1974 (technically South Vietnam) and again in 1988. Out in the South China Sea were two island archipelagos; the Paracel (occupied by a small PLA garrison and claimed by the PRC, Vietnam and the ROC) and Spratlys Islands (disputed by Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, the PRC, the ROC, and Vietnam).

The Philippines had a grand total of three frigates (all between 50 and 70 years old). 99% of the time, they faced a hopeless struggle enforcing Philippines' South China Sea claims...except they were now experiencing that 1% where the PRC found itself in a life and death struggle. Even then, the PLAN's South Sea Fleet was hands-down the biggest player with 26 surface warships centered on the Carrier Liaoning.

Except (and there always seems to be an 'except') virtually all the PLAN's naval aviation had gone off to fight the Khanate and it wasn't coming back - ever. In the air, the Philippines was next to useless. What did they have of offer in the struggle for the South China Sea? Bases. The ROC and Vietnam had much more to bring to the table.

The Vietnamese People's Liberation Air Force (VPLAR) had about 50 front-line aircraft and 175 nearly obsolete models ~ the same models the PLAAF was now piloting. The ROC Air Force could put up 325 almost-new fighters that were now superior to their opponents on the mainland. Why would I give a shit?

Things cascade. The Khanate Air Force took a two-day long deep breath as Putin's 'Policeman that only looks like an invading army' started their intervention. Forty-eight hours later, the Khanate started the fourth stage (the first lunge, defeat the PLA's counter-attack then the second lunge) of the campaign.

Their initial air power was still skating on thin ice where maintenance was concerned. They need more time to thoroughly rest their pilots and bring all their top-flight equipment to 100% working condition. Against them, in two days the PLAAF's assets increased by over 250 fighters.

In turn, the Khanate had added their constituent state air forces plus nearly 80 new cutting edge air planes and 25 drones. Phase Four saw rolling airstrikes all along the forces massing in front of the northern and central Tumens. For a few hours, the PLA thought they knew what was going on.

They were wrong and this was where my meeting with OT came in. Jab with the right, cut them down with the left. The left in my case was Tibet. Yeah, Tibet. Economic value = not nearly enough. From the very start of the war, a small number of seemingly inconsequential air strikes had seriously eroded the PLA and PLAAFs combat power in the Tibetan Plateau while leaving the roads, bridges and towns intact.

Common military logic dictated that the Khanate had to punch their way further east into Qinghai (to the south) and Gansu (to the north) provinces. That was where the population and industry where. Farther east were even greater numbers of people and factories and the Khanate forces in the North hadn't been strong enough to threaten to cut off the Qinghai-Gansu front. Then the Russians showed up and the Khanate forces threatening that flank doubled overnight.

The PLA hastily reinforced their northern flank, using troops from their strategic reserves. The move resulted in incredible attrition by airpower to the freshly equipped formations. The PLA was about to get flanked, but not from the north. Southwest of Qinghai was Tibet. A third of the Khanate's mobile forces now swept around in a huge left haymaker to the south.

My job? I needed the 'Free Tibet' forces in the US and UK to provide public and moral support to the Khanate move. As Khanate Special Forces seized crucial bottlenecks in Tibet, they needed the locals to keep their 'liberators' informed of PLA presences and undermine any attempt to create a guerilla movement.

The five Tumens dedicated to being the Schwerpunkt (point of maximum effort) of this flanking maneuver were going to be on a tight timetable if they were going to surround the PLA forces in Central China.

My plan was to convince the Tibetans that the PRC's 55 years of occupation was coming to an end and the Great Khan wanted to sign a 'Treaty of Mutual Respect' (my invention). This would require both the Khanate and Tibet to recognize each other's right to exist the moment a cease-fire was reached. That was it. No 'armed presence', or 'mutual defense' agreements.

The treaty would be formally signed in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, when the city was safe ~ as determined by the Central Tibetan Administration (the Tibetan Government in Exile - CTA). Riki came up with an additional sweetener and proved she was quickly adjusting to our group's extra-governmental capabilities.

She wanted the Black Lotus to locate and rescue Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama. Riki tried to explain the politics to me until my eyes glazed over, I curled into a fetal ball and I started sucking my thumb. This guy was important to the Tibetans and she wanted to know if the Black Lotus, or Earth & Sky could deliver him into Free Tibet hands.

George Cresky, our CIA guy, was gone - replaced by (deep breath) CIA/National Clandestine Service (NCS) Specialized Skills Officer - Targeting (SSO-T) Addison P. Stuart. SSO-T's were the CIA's 'Oh Shit' operatives. They didn't spy, steal, or assassinate. They crafted such missions based on what the government needed done, no questions asked.

She knew Riki (vaguely) and Lady Fathom Worthington-Burke (by reputation, though she'd yet to arrive), so when two new opportunities opened up - ramrodding the international group trying to figure out what I'd done wrong in Central Europe, or tackling the mayhem head on, she chose to join the JIKIT. She was curious about my 'hire/fire' ability, so that's where she started her interview with me.

"Do intelligent, powerful, independent women intimidate you, Mr. Nyilas?" were the first words out of her mouth. I had everyone on the team except the Senator (who came down on the weeknights when Congress was in session) and my SD Amazons (Rachel, Tiger Lily and Mona who were recruiting a new 'fourth' member of my bodyguard team.)

A smile began to form on my lips...then the laughter began. I didn't laugh at her. Everyone else did, even Chaz. She didn't know what to make of that.

"Ms. Stuart," I snickered. "Addison - we go on a first name basis in Javiera's taskforce, you are barking up the wrong tree. I'm a sexaholic. Every woman I meet is a challenge to me, an opportunity to learn and become a better man."

"Javiera's taskforce? I was led to believe..." she narrowed her eyes in a very carnivorous female fashion.

"I am in charge," Javiera grinned. "Cáel has the authority to deem which people are inappropriate for this team, but he only gained that power because Katrina Love, his superior at Havenstone, and I approved of it."

"His power is real enough," Pamela added. "He's earned it by listening to the people who have a clearer idea about what's going on and then deciding when he needs to ignore that advice to get things done. If he goes in a contrary direction, it is because he has access to information he cannot share. He holds three..."

"Patents of Nobility that are all clear signs of nepotism and inbreeding..." I wove my words into hers.

"Yet none the less have become critical positions," Pamela put a hand on my shoulder and radiated her pride in me, "with two extra-territorial entities and the rogue state now and forever to be referred to as the Khanate."

"Conceded," Addison nodded. "I want to know how comfortable everyone is with single-source information. Mr... Cáel has not been forthcoming with his intelligence assets and the rapid flow of events puts US interests at risk. I am not happy with that."

"Addison, given time Cáel may - MAY - introduce you to some of his contact people," Javiera answered. "To date, I've met five and am in regular contact with two of them," she explained. "He operates like that, and I let him operate like that, because of the extreme paranoid lethality of the people in question. I am not talking about cartels, terrorists and raving psychopaths. Instead, combine monastic assassins, Skull & Bones with the Swiss Guard at their beck and call, and Sengoku Period in Japan.

"That's the Reader's Digest version of what we are dealing with. The reality is much worse. The youngest sect you will be dealing with dates back to the 14th century AD (she meant the Condos) and the oldest is rumored to date back to 2600 BC (the Egyptian Rite) and I have reason to believe that's true," Javiera began reading Addison in. "Our closest ally are Amazons who date their history to 12th century BC," ... she let that information percolate.

"What kinds of numbers are we looking at? Reach? Resources?" Addison jumped in.

"My group numbers around 40,000 women...and two men, kinda-sorta," I was liking Addison already. "Resources...global territorial holdings, a highly trained, well-equipped fanatical fighting force with the financial resources of a diversified, multi-national corporation.

"The primary associated groups on 'our side' are personnel intensive, operate in separate semi-independent bureaus with varying levels of resources. Their prime financial base comes from contract murder," I studied her reaction. "Then there is the Khanate."

"And these are the good guys?" Addison faux-joked. I didn't think the morality bothered her. What bothered Addison was the blow-back that could result from dealing with such people.

"The best of the bunch is neutral," I confessed. "They are a 'wait and see' organization, who work through a series of secret and semi-secret societies to accomplish social engineering." (The Egyptian Rite).

"The second 'other' group are a criminal financial hydra of people who could come crawling out of any sewer or sit in the seat of any Minister of State in any country." (The Illuminati) "The third group is behind the PRC's multi-pronged advancement across the world stage. From what little I know, it is hard to differentiate between the PRC's security apparatus and this group.

"The fourth group out there are killers of every stripe. The more cold-blooded and ruthless you are, the more likely you are to be invited to join and the higher you will advance. They will find funding for an insurgency and train the insurgents. Then they will offer their services to the establishment as private contractors.

Human Rights Commissions are something they joke about. "Worst of it all, I'm pretty sure they've worked with virtually every intelligence agency, corporate or state sponsored, that engages in covert activities. They know who to talk to if they want information, or access," I said. "That's why foreign intelligence types make me wary."

"Your father's murder," Addison brought up.

"Did you ever figure out how they ended up heavily armed inside the US?" I inquired.

"Tunisian passports into Canada then a chartered boat to Chicago," Addison stated. "Their jet went to St. John's Newfoundland and disappeared after that. It is going to take a while to sort out, working with Tunisia's National Police, considering their run up to national elections in late October."

CIA George probably knew all that too, yet he would have made me pay for that bit of enlightenment, the dick-cheese. That wasn't why he was gone. He was gone because he expected me to help him nail Riki...without me accepting his wing-man status - uncool. I definitely believed I had traded up.

"Thank you," I stepped forward and shook hands. She gave me a sharp shake.

"You are abnormal," she smiled. "That means I don't know what to make of you."

"Oh, thank Dot you didn't call me 'nice', or 'interesting," I rolled my eyes. That was my introduction to the second member of my (governmental) policy triumvirate (Addison, Riki and Lady Fathom {coming soon}).

The Triumvirate had to convince the global community that the Great Khan was going to liberate the Tibetan people once the offensive got underway. The Khanate's aim was to restore the Dali Lama...and then leave them to their independence.

Why was Temujin being so beneficent? How many nations supported the Khanate's land grab in China? None publically. How many nations claimed to have some support for an Independent Tibet? A fuck-load more than none, that was for sure. What was really going on? Answer this: how do you sugar-coat a biological first strike that resulted in the genocide of millions of Chinese civilians as well as its police, paramilitary and military forces?

Answer: you 'free' 2.9 million Tibetans, that's how. To make the liberation of Tibet possible, you needed more than a military conquest. You needed global economic, social and military support...that's where Pakistan and India came on. Oh yeah, and Nepal and Bhutan if you wanted to get picky.

If you recall, the Unification War started in the middle of nowhere, Aksai Chin. It was of no use to the Khanate, but it was of point of nationalistic pride to Pakistan and India. The Khan was giving those barren salt flats to Pakistan, their co-religionist on the other side of the Himalayas - free of charge. That would not make India happy. What would make India happy was giving them back the Chinese-controlled, disputed territory of Arunachal Pradesh.

Aksai Chin was part of the Khanate-controlled Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It was the Great Khan's to give away. Arunachal Pradesh was part of Chinese-controlled Tibet, so he technically needed Tibetan acquiescence to guarantee the land transfer to India once some sort of peace was established.

{Back to me for a moment}

Our new HQ was splendid. Jurisdictional and security issues made finding a place where all parties could feel equally as comfortable was solved by Hana. She took out a long term rental agreement for the 59th and 60th floors of the One MiMa1Tower ~ that had to be setting her back over $100,000 a month.

The Department of Homeland Security arranged for members of the taskforce to pack as much non-artillery/high explosives weapons as we wanted. This not only mollified the Amazons, it allowed me to extend the same courtesy to visiting members of the other secret societies. Javiera convinced the Senator and the Senator convinced Homeland Security with a grand total of three phone calls.