Navy Whore Ch. 06

Thanks, Tigerssman for helping me with this story.

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The war was now entering its eighth year since I have last seen you. Everyone except CPO Hope had put their twenty years in. Fleet admiral Lee was now stateside, having just one goal left she needed to do before she left the Navy, to give Cadet Hope, Maria's daughter, her commission. Doc, CPO Hope, Admirals Kathy, now a one-star Admiral, and Lesly, a two-star Admiral, had all talked to Fleet Admiral Lee. All would retire on the same date and would build some liberty up to use at the end of their tour. The date, three days after the first anniversary of Cadet Hope getting her commission; CPO Hope would have her twenty years in by then.

Cadet Hope was finishing her sophomore year and had already been put on the fast track to become an officer. She had already proven herself worthy, top of her class, working on next-generation warfare and guidance systems for a new class of fighter jet.

Her security clearance had already been raised to not only work on the highly secretive systems, but she thought outside the box, spotting several catastrophic flaws in the design phase that no one else saw. She received commendations for those. They would translate into a higher rating as soon as she graduated. Cadet Hope had asked Lee for a commission to a carrier, just like her dad had.

Maria could not be prouder of her daughter, even though the e-mail she got was highly generic, due to redacted material. Maria installed a porch swing and an additional flag holder to put on the inside of the porch so she could fly Lyle's flag, the one CPO Hope bought after Lyle's funeral, in inclement weather. She could often be found rocking on her swing watching the flag; it calmed her. Lyle's actual flag now flew as the base's main flag. It was a wonderful idea, to still give honor to all those families who lost a loved one in the service of their country. Over time, other widow's flags would replace it.

On the chessboard, the white pieces were on the attack, the black pawns, and rooks were falling with regularity. Many spots have been cleared of the black pieces. Unfortunately, the powerful black King and Queen remained on the board.

New plans were being made to press the offensive on multiple fronts. Lee was less involved now with the planning, but she still had overall command. Cadet Hope would be on one of the new carriers, the Comet or the Starfire. They most likely would sail together. They would be the gold standard amongst carriers. Sailing together would shift the balance of power in the war, as the defenders would have to reallocate shrinking assets to defend against the two ships. The Allies would then have assets freed. The top-secret new fighters were just one of the advancements the Allies were making in the art of warfare.

The day Hope got her commission was a joyous day for everyone but Maria. It meant that her daughter would be going off to war just like Lyle had. Hope hugged her mother and said, "Mom, I will do him proud. I will help end this stupid war once and for all." Hope was assigned to the Starfire, her best friend, Claire, the Comet.[NOTE: What rank is Claire? The reason I ask is later on page 3 paragraph starting "I knew her Dad." Last sentence You say Claire might not have to salute Hope anymore. Was Claire still a cadet? What rank was Hope promoted to?]

At the briefing, her captain made a short comment, "I will make this brief because our orders are brief, simply to push back the coastline twenty miles, then reassess."

Hope smiled, she knew those planes inside and out. The first surprise would be on their side, as the enemy could not detect the fighters or Claire's bombers for that matter. After the first wave, it would be a mad scramble to get into the air. At midnight the assault would begin; at 06:00 the bombers would take off, at 07:00 the fighters would deploy. The crews were the elite at rearming the planes. The bombardment would last twelve hours. The night sky became day, the black plumes of smoke littered the coastline.

Because the coastline was in such a state of flux, the bombers went behind the lines to target all fuel and ammo dumps, as well as any sitting targets. An hour later the fighters came from the opposite direction. The enemy had to look out the window to see what was happening, radar was useless. Command and Control were severed. Not a single plane was lost, the enemy was in retreat. Hope looked over a beautiful sunset, the routine will last another seven days. Claire walked over to the bomb store and wrote on one of the bombs, this one is for Hope and her Dad; you sons of bitches. Claire took a picture of it and sent it to Hope. The wing commander said, "This bomb will be the first to drop."

The Enemy didn't understand why the Allies were not pursuing their retreat. The Allies were making a statement; "There will be no land for you to retake." It was now a constant retreat, making a stand would be an exercise in futility. Each day the coastline was being remade. With no fighting, the assaults were lasting longer. The Marines moved in only to see utter devastation in their path. Very few of the dead were not torn apart by the fighting. The Marines moved fast, mopping up any remaining pockets of resistance with ease. They wheeled to the North, crossing the southern border, while the Allies held the Northern border. The East was the only escape as the sea was to the west where only death or imprisonment awaited them. As reinforcements and supply chains refilled, the process of taking land continued. Some said, "It is like herding cattle into the chute."

When the captain heard this he took umbrage to it, "Seaman, people have died, and will continue to die to keep our freedom secure. Referring to them as cattle is an insult. Consider yourself on report."

The bombs were not dropping properly from Claire's bombers. Claire asked, "Can I ask for Hope to help me solve this problem? She didn't earn those ribbons for no reason." While Hope was not familiar with bombers, Claire got her up to speed quickly; they made a great team. They took one of the bombers that was having problems off-line for inspection. The Captain issued Claire and Hope walkie-talkies; even he didn't have the clearance Claire and Hope had. Captaining a ship was one thing, needing to know about top-secret weapons systems is quite another. You had to go through three checkpoints to even get close to the area.

It took three days to find the problem. Some of the instruments were not getting proper current, while the bombers still worked, they were inefficient. It would be a nightmare to fix in dry dock let alone an open water combat zone. Claire told her Captain, "I would have never found the problem without Hope's help." Both got a ribbon that boosted their G rating, meaning more money in their pocket.

However, because Hope already had ribbons, the Navy first promoted her and then added to the promotion the ribbon which was now a higher-class ribbon, befitting her rank. The awards ceremony took place on The Comet, as that is where the events unfolded. The Starfire maneuvered herself as close as she dared. It was odd for Claire to salute her best friend. She would get her due, in time. Claire gave all flight crews standing orders to report any problems with the aircraft to her. The captain took note of the added responsibility that Claire gave herself. He would keep an eye on her.

The bombers were working perfectly; the hit rate percentage went dramatically up now that the bombs were released on time. Claire was finding newfound admiration from her crewmates now. She was called to the radio room. As she entered the room, she immediately saluted the screen. It was Lee on the other end of the call. "I wish to commend you myself for the job you have done with your bombers, additional checks are now underway stateside. I understand Hope helped you out.

"Yes Ma'am, I would have never found it without her. She works on the fighters, and I work on the bombers. The fighting is at a lull so I asked for her help."

"I knew her Dad. He perished on the Phoenix while I was on the Firebrand; he saved over twenty souls that day. It would have been much worse if he did not finish his repairs. It was only Divine Intervention that we didn't sink. You have saved souls by reducing collateral damage. The Navy thanks you, Claire. Keep up the good work and you may not have to salute Hope anymore."

That call made Claire's day; you don't get a call from a Fleet Admiral every day, and Lee was an inspiration to her, especially with how Lee was involved with Hope's family. It was the simple small gestures of kindness that made Lee rise above the rest. She made it personal. The call was more important to Claire than a call from the President would have been that was why Lee called her.

You can't win a war only by sea or air, you need to have boots on the ground to keep and advance your gains. Their forces were disorganized, but they were still a force to be reckoned with. The wheels ground slowly; the Allies had great success in some areas; huge missteps in others. Occasionally, the enemy would break through and gain a large swath of land. For being a Fleet Admiral, and her keen eye for intelligence Lee could view the invasion plans.

She called for the invasion plans for the last six months. She quickly saw the Generals of the Army were too arrogant. Lee had no qualms about rocking the boat. Over the last six months, the enemy has broken through here, here, here, and here as she changed maps. Their forces were too lightly armed, and their were too few fighters. Yet, theyk continue with the same game plan. Why not attack fewer fronts, but with overwhelming firepower, and an overwhelming force, and force the enemy off the field?

"That is the way he has always done it," ruffled a General

"As I have just shown you, you are losing battles globally; each time they breakthrough it is precious land, and lives that are lost. Do you need aid from the Marines and Air force to bolster your troops?"

"How dare you mentioned them," the General went ballistic. His weaknesses had been shown. Any plans he put forward henceforth, would have extra scrutiny. It involved many countries, every arm of the military, and multiple operations had to be completed before "Operation Overkill" was ready. It took nine months to plan. A three-front, triangle attack with four countries on each side, as they moved closer together, some would halt to avoid friendly fire. The problem with this kind of attack is being hit from behind, therefore, one large country on each side served as a safety net.

The enemy had no idea exactly how surrounded they were. The Allies were coming out of the woodwork. Planes blackened the sky, bombers would target the large targets, while the fighters strafed any sitting ducks on the ground. Air superiority was second to none. The big guns started to hammer away at the ground troops, liquefying the ground beneath their feet. The corners of the triangle formation were ordered to hold for two days, then widen their line to form a straight line, and then advance. This not only avoided cross-fire but gave the main forces a set of reserves.

The battle was horrific, hills were taken and then taken back. The sounds and the stench of death permeated the entire battlefield. Even the pilots and another military, not on the front line, were not immune to its effect. Gone was any pretense this would be an easy war; Australia was a prime example, Kathy's missteps almost made for a devastating loss, her redemption made a win, but hardly a resounding one. Both the Phoenix and the Firebrand lost thousands of men and were barely able to float.

While Hope was watching the sunset she unbuttoned her breast pocket and withdrew an old pink coin purse. As she looked at the picture she said, "Dad, I am an officer in the Navy now, can you believe that? I am here to make you and Mom proud, and to end this shitty war that has killed too many loved ones on both sides. I promise you I will not retire before this war ends." With that, she kissed his picture, and carefully replaced the coin purse in her pocket. Not even Claire knew about her coin purse; it was special, it was personal, and it was private.

The war was going nowhere, one crackpot dictator followed the one before him. Their goal it seemed was to reduce the global population as best they could. The Allied leaders were in a quandary; if you put too few troops out you get rolled over and lose ground. If you load up on troops, the big guns get bogged down. Lee was called in for a consult.

"You got to be fucking kidding me, you called me in here to tell you the obvious? You want the guns there, but you don't want them to hit. You know the adage, 'The best way to avoid a blow is to not be there when it is thrown.' Either don't be there at all or build a crapload of airstrips to babysit them until they get moving, don't even let an enemy plane take off. Let them know, all planes and troops will be wiped out before they reach their targets, this will also trigger an additional retribution attack for all such actions." Lee was getting fucking tired of inept leadership. This war should have been over years ago, hell, it should have never started. "Let them test us. I will send the Comet and Starfire strike forces to one of their strongholds and blow the crap out of it for two weeks. I am sure Claire would love to test out her new bunker buster bombs on live targets."

As expected, they did attack again; there was to be retribution. Lee was smart enough to realize that the retribution attack was not going to happen where the violation happened. India was getting hammered. Lee called the President of India and explained to him, "Mr. President, this is a war. We will notify your people to flee and to rebuild, but this has to happen." The President of India agreed with Lee; he cried like a baby for an hour after he hung up the phone.

Lee was going to make a statement that violations like the one that just happened would have unexpected consequences. It was no secret as to where the attack would happen. There were a three-day leaflet drop and notifications on the radio. The Indian troops retreated to the north; the enemy followed them outrunning their supply lines.

When Lee gave the order; Norma Rae relayed the message and sat quietly, as did the entire room who heard the order. Lee still remembered Australia, she remembered Lyle. The Starfire and Comet had orders to sail to India. They lay there for over a week in total radio silence; they sat there out of range by a few miles. The leaflets and radio all told everyone to flee their homes. Enemy officers up and down the chain yelling how this could happen? How was this even possible? Norma Rae knocked on Lee's door. "Excuse me Admiral, there has been a lot of radio traffic. I believe that they have figured out you put the band back together, and all their men went north. I also want to inform you that for the past seventy-two hours there has been a constant stream of reinforcement paratroopers, and supplies being poured into the rendezvous city in northern India. Now a trusted advisor, as well as he communications skills.

"Good, Norma Rae, even the old ships have to have their screws turned once in a while. Many a seaman was confused by their orders; they had no idea where to report to. Hope received a temporary transfer to another ship. She didn't even look to which ship she was to be transferred to. She didn't like delegating her authority down command. As always, Lee knew what the hell she was doing. As the sun rose, identification was made on the Allied assets. There were the glistening bright hulls of the Comet and Starfire strike forces.

There appeared on the horizon, old, rusted, decayed, and lethal hulls of The Guardian, The Champion, The Firebrand and finally The Phoenix. Hope had no problem identifying her. Hope got on a chopper and was escorted to the Phoenix. When Hope landed, she took out her picture and held it up to the conning tower, "THIS IS FOR YOU DAD!" The captain smiled and saluted Lyle. Hope went to the XO to enquire exactly what she would be doing while on the Phoenix, after all, she was an expert on the new weapons systems. Hope's eye for detail, and a knack for problem-solving, made Hope an invaluable resource. If the captain went down, she had the security clearance to handle information flow, as the XO handled logistics.

At exactly midnight, south Australia time, the bombardment started. The timing was not lost on the crew. It was devastating; the night became day and when the sun rose it revealed the battered landscape. The bombardment lasted until 15:00; approximately, when Lyle gave the "Ultimate Sacrifice". By now, Hope was giving tips and tricks to improve the fighter's performance. Many on the team were apprehensive about the changes until the first flighter landed with better results than ever before.

The enemy was getting desperate; they had to do something; two squadrons of torpedo bombers were sent up to hit the flank. Having no wish to go up against the state-of-the-art carriers, the other flank was to be hit. The target was the Phoenix. Everyone was tired from the days' long campaign, they were resting or sleeping. This was a "Drop and Dash" mission, drop your fish and peel out before you got hit. Three fish were hot; two hit the Phoenix, one only missed by inches.

Claire was horrified, she ran to her Captain who was about to call a strike in; this was far more important for Claire to do. She called Hope's deputy. "Hope is on that fucking ship! You get those fighters in the air, and you make sure none of them sees the light of day, ever again." Claire had called in a strike. Claire gave the bombers a fighter escort. The response was not proportionate. It was like spears versus nuclear bombs; the technology was so far advanced. Hope's deputy did send out her fighters on a kill on sight mission. They never saw the light of day again.

On the Phoenix they were scrambling. The refit after the Australian campaign added an extra hull that was not penetrated, but still, major damage occurred. Flames were everywhere. Lyle's Phoenix would have sunk. Hope happened to know the XO was in the galley at the time of the attack; there was a wall of fire between that and the conning tower. Hope was on the conning tower side of the flames; she ran up to the tower with a sense of new purpose. There was no time to explain, Hope spewed out orders rapidly. The seamen confused looked to their Captain. "What the hell are you looking at me for, DO IT. Until the XO reports for duty Hope is acting XO." The fireman finally got the upper hand on the fires; the crewmen freed, although many were badly burned and would need skin grafts.

When the XO made it back to the tower, he saw Hope giving orders; the crew could barely keep up with her. It was as if she had a checklist in her brain. As he thought about each order she gave, he thought he would do the same, but not nearly as fast. The XO exclaimed; shocking Hope, "Captain, how did the Fleet Admiral know we were going to need Hope? I could have burned in that fire, many did."

"Son, I gave up thinking about her capabilities years ago. She is the smartest person I will have ever meet. She was on the Firebrand and sent in a rescue mission for some islanders after a natural disaster. Among them was Hope's Mom, Dad, who gave his life for our country on this very ship, and the doctor delivered a baby, named Hope Emanuel. She is all grown up now."

Claire and Hope's deputy's boarded choppers to head to the Phoenix. The trio was getting battlefield promotions for their meritorious actions, also, many purple hearts were awarded. The chemistry between Claire and Hope was strong; they made a good team. As they sailed together, they would be in the same conflicts together. Both would be promoted together, although some awards may be different as they had different jobs.