Summoning America

Chapter 16: Operation Awe

July 30, 1639

Washington D.C.

President Lee sipped his coffee as he walked through the halls of the White House. He nodded at a few passing workers, too tired to return their greetings. As he walked toward the Oval Office, he noticed a tall, gray haired man leaning against the wall. He was tapping on a tablet, eyes seemingly glued to it, yet noticed President Lee's arrival. "Morning, Mister President."

"Director Klein," Lee yawned. "What brings you here?" He asked as he opened the door to his office, gesturing for Klein to come in.

"Well sir, I've got good news and bad news."

President Lee sat on a couch. "So that's how it is, huh? It can't just be 'good news'?"

"At least it ain't just bad news, sir," Klein chuckled.

Lee sighed. "Guess you've got a point there. Let's go with... good news."

"We've got a good idea of the sentiment among the Lourian elite, excluding the king. A lot of the nobles are now wary of us, especially after seeing the fleet pass through their coastlines unchallenged."

"Unchallenged? What, don't tell me they put all their ships into that one fleet?" Lee smiled in disbelief.

"Actually..."

"Haha, no way."

"Yeah. Over 90% of their ships were in that one fleet. The rest stayed behind for anti-piracy and whatnot. A few tried to intercept the fleet right by one of their port cities. According to my agents, that sealed the deal for most of the Lourian upper class. Most of their armies are being recalled to their lords' hometowns. With the threat of a naval invasion, Jin Hark can't afford to send out its troops to restore order among the lords and nobles."

"Incredible. Things are going rather well, eh? What's the bad news?"

"Well, we tried to get the Lourian leaders to come to their senses. We managed to get their top generals and advisors scared, but the king is a bit... stubborn. My assets have also identified several targets of interest: people who we should take down during, or hell, even before we storm the castle."

"I see. Local counter-espionage?"

Klein shrugged. "If they can even be called that," he said with a laugh. "Still, there's no telling if they've got enchanted armor, invisibility cloaks, or pocket spells ready to go. It seems so far that they've gotta recite some long chants, but hey, you never know."

"Yeah, yeah. That's true. Oh, you read the memo from a couple days ago, right?"

Klein nodded. "My assets are ready when you are. Sir, if we're gonna be doing this more often, we're gonna need more gas masks. And preferably ones that aren't as bulky."

"Yeah, already working on that."

"Sir, no nerve agents, right?"

In a meeting with the military chiefs several days prior, he lifted bans imposed by the Geneva Convention, authorizing the usage of any stockpiled weapons, but only if deemed absolutely necessary. Research into non-lethal chemical agents was expanded, while destruction of old stockpiles of the deadlier toxins and chemicals was halted. Tear gas was scheduled to be mass-produced due to its comparatively minor effects. President Lee thought back to the orders he gave to DEVGRU. "Right. Don't want to show too many cards just yet."

——

U.S. Navy Seventh Fleet

USS Gerald R. Ford

The newest supercarrier in the United States Navy cut through the tides like a behemoth as it sailed alongside the USS Ronald Reagan. Boasting the latest generation of hardware and software, the vessel represented a mighty addition to the Seventh Fleet. Surrounded by dozens of cruisers and destroyers, the two supercarriers reigned like a king and queen, marching toward victory. Aircraft launched from both carriers; they neared the shores of Jin-Hark and were ready to strike the foolish king and shatter his dreams of conquest and extermination.