Nuptse
05-09-2004, 05:30
Pascagoula Naval Yard, Nuptse
A runner darted through the long narrow halls of the building, pushing aside many Marines wandering around aimlessly. He dodged into a relatively large room where there were several officers standing around, with a few more sitting in rolling chairs, typing away on computers. On one wall was a large panel, on it a map of the world, with small icons identifying every single Nuptse ship scattered around it.
The runner grabbed one of the officers, a Lieutenant Colonel, and pulled him outside. He handed him a manilla folder and stood. The Colonel took the folder and looked inside, saying not a word. His eyes widened as he read through the singe sheet of paper inside. He handed the folder back, whispered something to the runner, and went back into the room. The runner took off down the halls again, this time in the opposite direction.
The Lieutenant Colonel walked into the room. He was Lieutenant Colonel James Robinson, one of the most notable figures in the Nuptse Naval Forces. He signalled for a few of the lower ranking officers to leave the room, leaving only four select others in the room. One young Captain sat in a chair, and began typing on a computer. There was hardly a word spoken. The panel screen and the lights behind it changed, as did the icons. The room was already dark, but now it seemed especially so. Only a few random icons appeared now, in a red color instead of blue. Colonel Robinson spoke up.
"Gentlemen, we have a Kittyhawk Class Aircraft Carrier, designated SFOP-4, that has disappeared." At the designation, every man in the room looked up with a glare.
SFOP ships were not regular ships. SFOP (Special Forces Operations Platform) ships were anything but normal. Stripped of most regular equipment upon assertainment of the ship, they were given to the sole purpose of Special Forces Operations around the world. SFOP-4 was a Kittyhawk Class Aircraft Carrier, although it didn't serve that much of a purpose. Sure, it had a few F-14D SuperTomcats and EA-6B Prowlers on hand, but also a large contingent of UH-1 Hueys and a few CH-46 Sea Knights. Several, probably in the hundreds, of Zodiac craft were stored away in the ship. And instead of the normal contingent of Marines aboard the carrier, there was a large force of Nuptse Special Forces units onboard. SFOP-4 carried the largest force of the three carriers in the whole of the SFOP force. Some five hundred twelve Kappa Sigma (KS) Special Forces troops were stationed on the ship, along with some twenty eight Omicron Delta (OD) Special Forces troops.
"How'd that happen?!" one of the officers asked.
"We have no idea. A partial distress signal was given some seven minutes ago, but the full signal was never released. After that, some two minutes after the signal was sent, we lost all contact with the ship. Just after we lost contact, we lost the ship on radar. It's been designated DITW, Dead In The Water."
"Where is it?"
"In the middle of the Indian Ocean. I figure the fastest we can get any real contingent together will be at least a day, probably two. We're sending an EC-130 to keep try and locate it and keep watch."
"How does a ship that big just disappear?!"
"We have no idea."
"Any chance it's an equipment failure?"
"It's possible, but the chances are probably one in a million. These ships are loaded out with some of the most sophisticated equipment in the world. And we know nothing's messed on our end. Something's gone wrong."
"Attack?"
"Possibly. Stealth ship under cover of darkness, it could happen. But who would want to attack us?"
"We've remained neutral on everything since our founding. That ship was in international waters, with no provocation. It is, for the most part, unmarked. How would any attackers have known it was our ship?"
"It would have had to have been a very swift attack, with absolutely no time to react."
"There's always another possibility, although it's hardly likely. An infantry assault on the ship by helicopters. It would be swift, stop any aircraft from taking off, make it pretty easy to take out the communications, and catch most of the contingent on the ship offguard."
The men in the room stopped their debating.
A runner darted through the long narrow halls of the building, pushing aside many Marines wandering around aimlessly. He dodged into a relatively large room where there were several officers standing around, with a few more sitting in rolling chairs, typing away on computers. On one wall was a large panel, on it a map of the world, with small icons identifying every single Nuptse ship scattered around it.
The runner grabbed one of the officers, a Lieutenant Colonel, and pulled him outside. He handed him a manilla folder and stood. The Colonel took the folder and looked inside, saying not a word. His eyes widened as he read through the singe sheet of paper inside. He handed the folder back, whispered something to the runner, and went back into the room. The runner took off down the halls again, this time in the opposite direction.
The Lieutenant Colonel walked into the room. He was Lieutenant Colonel James Robinson, one of the most notable figures in the Nuptse Naval Forces. He signalled for a few of the lower ranking officers to leave the room, leaving only four select others in the room. One young Captain sat in a chair, and began typing on a computer. There was hardly a word spoken. The panel screen and the lights behind it changed, as did the icons. The room was already dark, but now it seemed especially so. Only a few random icons appeared now, in a red color instead of blue. Colonel Robinson spoke up.
"Gentlemen, we have a Kittyhawk Class Aircraft Carrier, designated SFOP-4, that has disappeared." At the designation, every man in the room looked up with a glare.
SFOP ships were not regular ships. SFOP (Special Forces Operations Platform) ships were anything but normal. Stripped of most regular equipment upon assertainment of the ship, they were given to the sole purpose of Special Forces Operations around the world. SFOP-4 was a Kittyhawk Class Aircraft Carrier, although it didn't serve that much of a purpose. Sure, it had a few F-14D SuperTomcats and EA-6B Prowlers on hand, but also a large contingent of UH-1 Hueys and a few CH-46 Sea Knights. Several, probably in the hundreds, of Zodiac craft were stored away in the ship. And instead of the normal contingent of Marines aboard the carrier, there was a large force of Nuptse Special Forces units onboard. SFOP-4 carried the largest force of the three carriers in the whole of the SFOP force. Some five hundred twelve Kappa Sigma (KS) Special Forces troops were stationed on the ship, along with some twenty eight Omicron Delta (OD) Special Forces troops.
"How'd that happen?!" one of the officers asked.
"We have no idea. A partial distress signal was given some seven minutes ago, but the full signal was never released. After that, some two minutes after the signal was sent, we lost all contact with the ship. Just after we lost contact, we lost the ship on radar. It's been designated DITW, Dead In The Water."
"Where is it?"
"In the middle of the Indian Ocean. I figure the fastest we can get any real contingent together will be at least a day, probably two. We're sending an EC-130 to keep try and locate it and keep watch."
"How does a ship that big just disappear?!"
"We have no idea."
"Any chance it's an equipment failure?"
"It's possible, but the chances are probably one in a million. These ships are loaded out with some of the most sophisticated equipment in the world. And we know nothing's messed on our end. Something's gone wrong."
"Attack?"
"Possibly. Stealth ship under cover of darkness, it could happen. But who would want to attack us?"
"We've remained neutral on everything since our founding. That ship was in international waters, with no provocation. It is, for the most part, unmarked. How would any attackers have known it was our ship?"
"It would have had to have been a very swift attack, with absolutely no time to react."
"There's always another possibility, although it's hardly likely. An infantry assault on the ship by helicopters. It would be swift, stop any aircraft from taking off, make it pretty easy to take out the communications, and catch most of the contingent on the ship offguard."
The men in the room stopped their debating.