The Last War? : Chapter 383

[Bernard Woolley]

D+31

*

1745 hours GMT, Near NAS Barbers Point, O’ahu.
“Are you worried about that MD500 that’s tracking us?” Commander McGarrett asked. “It’s flying overwatch; couple of friends of Magnum. I felt that their bird would be more discrete than an HPD, or military chopper.”

Both Chase and Purdey had indeed seen the brightly coloured helicopter. While they both wondered how it could possibly be ‘discrete’, it was not the MD500 that was bothering them. It was like an itch that they could not scratch, and it was still there.

“No, it’s something else.” Chase said. “It’s like that feeling you get right before you go into action.”

McGarrett began to feel it too.

“Keep your eyes on a swivel, Danny.”
“Got it.”
“All units from Alpha One, be extra alert. There’s a threat out there.” McGarrett radioed to the convoy.
“This is Hopper One. You’re being bird-dogged by two SUVs behind the convoy and…standby. There’s a semi pulled over on Roosevelt, just by the intersection with Boxer. Looks like a couple of SUVs stopped behind it….It’s on the move.”
“It’s too late to take an alternate route.” McGarrett commented. “We’ll have to fight our way through.”

Williams cocked a Colt Model 933 he was carrying across his lap. He glanced back to passengers.

“If you haven’t got them on already, there’s three sets of body armour back there.”
“Don’t worry, Detective.” Purdey replied. “First thing I put on.” She turned to the Defector. “Keep your head down and we’ll keep you alive.”

The semi pulled across the intersection ahead of the three SUVs, blocking the road. There was no way past now. The leading vehicle halted, officers from HPD bailing out to provide cover, while the other two vehicles retreated. Heavy gunfire soon pinned the SWAT officers in place, riddling their vehicle with bullet holes. The two following hostile vehicles had blocked the road behind the convoy, disgorging heavily armed masked men who opened fire on the rear vehicle of the convoy.

“Hopper One, Alpha One, can you put down on the waste ground to our left? We can provide cover, over.”
“That’s a roger.”


McGarrett spun the wheel and pushed the gas pedal to the floor. The SUV bumped over the median and the kerb at the edge of the opposite carriageway. The MD500 was already descending.

With McGarrett and Williams providing covering fire, Purdey and Chase dragged the Defector out of the rear seat and dragged him towards the helicopter. One of the two men from the helicopter, armed with an SR-25, disembarked and took up position to cover the aircraft.

“Where’s Thomas?” The pilot asked as Chase, Purdey and the Defector boarded.
“He’s coming, T.C.” McGarrett told him.
“Well, he better be quick!” The pilot replied. “Come on, Rick, we gotta go!” He yelled to the other man.

The MD500 was about to lift off when Magnum appeared and jumped into the rear cabin.

“We’ll get them to safety and come back, Steve!” He said.
“Just get them to safety, Magnum! We have backup on the way.”

*

“Where to, Thomas?” The pilot asked once they were safely airborne.
“The safehouse is probably blown, T.C, so take them to Robin’s Nest. Can you patch me onto the Task Force radio frequency? I need to warn the team at the safehouse.”
“Sure.”
“Jules is going to be thrilled with you bringing uninvited guests.” The other man in the cockpit commented.
“She’ll be fine, Rick.” Magnum replied. “I’m sure she’ll be happy to meet some colleagues from her old job.”
“Who’s Jules?” Chase asked.
“Juliet Higgins; she’s the majordomo at the Robin’s Nest estate.” Magnum replied. “Think she used to work for you guys.”

There was silence from those in the rear cabin for a moment.

“JULIET HIGGINS!” Chase and Purdey said in unison.
“I trained her at the Fort.” Purdey commented.
“You trained her?” Chase said with a chuckle. “I was within seconds of shooting her when I got a recall order!”
“WHAT!” Magnum, T.C, and Rick exploded at once.
“One of my jobs is to deal with officers who go rogue, and Juliet had gone rogue in a big way.” Chase replied calmly, as if she was talking about posting a letter. “Pity really, as we were friends before she left the service. I was glad in the end. Putting a bullet into a friend is not something I like to do.”
“Does Higgy know you were going to kill her?” Magnum asked.

Chase chuckled again.

“Course she does. She worked it out when we ran into each other back in London. She has no hard feelings. It’s the business we’re in, Commander.”
“Shooting friends is not a business I want to be in. Period.” Magnum replied, his disapproval clear in his voice.

1831 hours GMT. Edirne, Eastern Thrace, Turkey.
‘KABOOM!’
‘KABOOM!’

The improvised bunker that housed the Headquarters of the city’s garrison shook as Bulgarian shells exploded nearby. Albay Baris Aksoy, the garrison commander, grunted in irritation and wiped dust off the map he had been studying.

*

With the Warsaw Pact advance having bypassed Edirne, the commander of the Southwestern TVD had handed over responsibility for the siege to the Bulgarians. The Bulgarian High Command had assigned the 4th Motor Rifle Division (a mobilisation division) the task, relieving the 7th Motor Rifle Division for more important tasks to the south. Adding additional heavy artillery and two Assault Artillery Battalions equipped with ancient SU-100s. There was no especial rush to storm the city; the Bulgarians were more than happy to let the garrison wither on the vine. Edirne would fall into their lap in good time.

*

Aksoy could not help but recall that the last time Edirne had been besieged, it had also been by Bulgarians. [1] Back then the Edirne Fortified Area had been defended by three divisions and heavy artillery, much of it in forts. Today the city was primarily defended by troops drawn from 21st Fortress Brigade and local reservists, who filled out peacetime cadre units. When the mixed bag of survivors who had pulled back from the border defences, and the armoured battle group from 11th Infantry Brigade (Mechanised) and various ‘odds and sods’ were added, Albay Aksoy had something like a reinforced brigade to defend the city. The old defensive forts were not operational, having become museums, or were abandoned, none of them being of use in modern war. The modern fortifications were more modest in size, but none the less effective. Unlike their 19th Century predecessors, they made use of steel-reinforced concrete and armoured steel. Engineers, reinforced by other military personnel and conscripted civilians, had also constructed numerous field fortifications, such as trench lines to link strong points, and had laid mines and barbed wire. [2]

In terms of artillery, Edirne had a mixed bag. The backbone of the artillery park was ageing M101A1 105mm howitzers. However, the garrison gunners also had M114 155mm howitzers and even a few M115 8inch howitzers and T-107 12-tube, 107mm rocket launchers. There was also a smattering of old guns taken from storage during mobilisation and installed in previously unoccupied positions, or recently constructed ones. These were generally Skoda and Krupp 105mm guns. The Bulgarians, on the other hand, had more and larger calibre artillery pieces available. They also had good air support.

At least there had been time to evacuate the old, young and sick. Anyone left was now at the beck and call of the garrison. The siege was also not total – Turkish Air Force and USAF C-130s had recently managed to drop supplies into the city, but Aksoy knew that he could not depend on regular resupply runs.

So far, Bulgarian efforts to penetrate the outer defences of the city had largely been unsuccessful. Burned out vehicles and dead bodies marking their attempts. However, what did concern Aksoy at the moment was the portion of the garrison that held the pocket of Turkish territory on the western bank of the Maritsa River. When the Soviets had penetrated the Greek border defences in the region and had pushed past Kastanies, the outer line of defences had been outflanked, forcing a retreat into Karaağaç. He cursed the fact that generations of distrust with the Greeks had meant that the majority of the defences on that side of the river faced Greece, rather than any threat from Bulgaria. Ironically, many of the Greek defenders of Kastanies were now manning positions on the western bank. Aksoy was confident that the remaining defences would hold any further attacks, but he was worried about the survival of the bridges over the Maritsa. There were four bridges over the river within the perimeter, and it was only sheer luck that they were still intact. Once they were gone, they would be gone, as he did not have any bridging equipment.

Another deep rumble caused the bunker to vibrate. The Bulgarians were taking their time, their artillery firing steadily, rather than bombarding Edirne constantly. Another officer took his place at Aksoy’s shoulder.

“How goes it, Sir?” He asked in English.
“Well, we aren’t going anywhere, Stavros.” Akoy replied in the same language.

Tagmatarchis Angelos of the Hellenic Army smiled slightly.

“I shall cancel my holiday in Crete, then.” The Greek officer said. “Are the Bulgarians still going for the bridges?”

Aksoy nodded.

“Yes, and if I withdraw our troops from the western bank the Bulgarians will be able to bring artillery closer to the city. In fact, they’ll be able to fire directly into the rear of some of our defences.”
“You’re going to take the risk and keep troops on the western side?” Angelos asked.

Aksoy nodded again.

“I have to.” He said. “I hope it’s not a problem that something like half of your men are on that side.”

Angelos shrugged.

“It is what it is, Sir. It’s not the first time we Greeks have fought a last stand. If we have to, we’ll do it again.”

Aksoy smiled, reached out and clapped Angelos on the shoulder.

“Glad I can depend on you. If we get out of this alive and don’t have to surrender, I promise I’ll personally help your men liberate their homes. Least I can do when you are helping to defend ours.”

1903 hours GMT. Over Finnish Lapland.
The two Jaguar GR.3A of No. 614 (County of Glamorgan) Squadron skimmed low over the trees that covered much of this past of northern Finland. With the front stabilised in northern Norway, more NATO aircraft were now available to support operations in Finland. For example, 614 Squadron had forward deployed some of its aircraft to Kittilä Airport.

The arrival of NATO aircraft had come as something of a relief to the Ilmavoimat Lapland Command. After all, Fighter Squadron 11, had been reduced to a handful of Hawk Mk.51. Its few surviving Viggens had been diverted to join Fighter Squadron 31 in defending southeast Finland. Now, NATO fast jets had tipped the balance against the Soviets.

*

Squadron Leader Bowman put his Jaguar into a gentle left-hand turn as he changed course. His wingman, Flight Lieutenant Haig following loosely around a nautical mile to his left. Both aircraft were equipped for reconnaissance, carrying a Digital Joint Reconnaissance Pod under their bellies. Both pilots were also keeping a close eye open for any targets that they would give a visual report via the Jaguar’s HF radio.

“Delta One Three Zulu to Kilo One; have spotted armoured column, estimated at battalion strength, moving north along E75 highway, approximately six kilometres south of Sodankylä. Over.”

Bowman was not expecting a reply, so was slightly surprised when a message came back from Kittilä Airport.

“Roger that, Delta One Three Zulu. Please recover to site Alpha One and not Kilo One, over.”
“Standby.”

Bowman quickly checked his pilot’s notes. Alpha One was a highway strip that was alongside Vuotso Airport. The airport itself was a gravel strip only 600 meters long, which made it unsuitable for modern fast jets, even those like the Jaguar which could operate from short fields. However, the airport; a rather grand name for what was an airstrip; was being used to service aircraft that used the nearby highway. The road was narrow, but straight enough. [3]

“Not exactly the M55.” Bowman muttered. “Kilo One from Delta One Three Zulu, will recover to Alpha One, over.”

*

Landing on the E75 had gone smoothly, although it was a little alarming to descend so close to trees on both sides. A Finnish Air Force Land Rover had appeared from out of the trees and led both Jaguars to hides concealed in the trees. After shutting his aircraft down, Bowman clambered down from the cockpit. His priority was to find somewhere to answer a call of nature. On his journey he spotted a couple of Hawk Mk.51 also concealed under the trees. He was impressed at how well the Finns had hidden that the airstrip was in use. On his return he was surprised to be greeted by the squadron’s Ground Liaison Officer, Captain Mark ‘Neil’ Kinnock, on detached service from 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Wales.

“Hello, boyo.” Kinnock said brightly. “Welcome to the ar*e end of nowhere!”
“Hi, Neil.” Bowman replied. “Last thing I expected was to meet you in the middle of nowhere!”
“Kittilä got hit shortly after you headed off on your sortie. No casualties amongst our lot, but the Finns needs to clear up some unexploded stuff before they can reopen the airfield.”
“Got it.” Bowman said. “What’s next for me and Matt? Another recce sortie?”
“We’ll get your Jags refuelled and download your pics. Think command wants that armoured column you spotted hit, but as far as I know, the Swedes will handle that.”

The two men turned as they spotted an Ilmavoimat officer running towards them.

“Alarm! Take cover!”
“Follow me.” Kinnock told Bowman.

The army officer led the pilot to some nearby slit trenches nearby. Both looked up as they heard the sound of approaching jet engines. They caught sight of a pair of grey aircraft pass overhead. The pair of jets circled around and passed overhead a second time.

“That’s torn it.” Kinnock observed.
“Fencers by the look of them.” Bowman replied. “Since they didn’t attack, I’d guess that they were Fencer-E recce aircraft.”
“British pilots! We need you to take off immediately!” The same Ilmavoimat officer yelled. “We are evacuating this site!”
“Where do you want us to go?” Bowman asked.
“Site Bravo. It is on your maps. Now hurry!”

As Bowman went through an abbreviated series of pre-flight checks, he spotted the two Finnish Hawks taxying towards the road. By the time he had started his Jaguar’s engines, both aircraft were airborne. He and Haig taxied to the road and got airborne. Once airborne and safely clear of the FOL, Bowman checked his map. Site Bravo appeared to be yet another highway air strip. As both Jaguars turned to make their way there, Bowman hoped that Kinnock and the other ground staff had gotten clear of Site Alpa, as a Soviet attack was inevitably on its way.

1926 hours GMT. Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Bern.
The Soviet Ambassador to Switzerland had been waiting to see the Head of the Department of Foreign Affairs for nearly two hours. The summons to the Federal Palace had been urgent, yet once he had arrived, the ambassador had been told that the Head of the department was unavailable but would arrive soon. The Ambassador was getting irritated and waved away yet another offer of coffee.

*

While the Ambassador got more and more annoyed, in Zurich an anonymous man in a well-tailored suit entered one of the city’s private banks. He entered his numbered account, followed by a pin code into a keypad beside the reception desk. To his surprise he was denied access. He entered it twice more; on the third try he was locked out of the system. Until this moment the receptionist had been studiously pretending to ignore the man, as most customers preferred to be left alone.

“Can I be of assistance, Mein Herr?” She asked.
“My account number and pin do not appear to be working.”
“Let me check. Please enter your number on this terminal.” The receptionist replied, pointing to a second keypad on her desk.

The receptionist tapped a few keys on her computer keyboard. Her brow furrowing.

“I am sorry, Mein Herr, access to this account has been suspended. The assets in it have been frozen.”
“What?” The man exclaimed, shocked. “That cannot be!”
“I am sorry, Mein Herr, but that is the case. I have checked twice. Sorry, but you will need to leave. If you wish I can take some contact details…”
“I wish to see the manager…NOW!”

The receptionist glanced to a pair of security guards, who were as well dressed as the customer.

“I am sorry, Mein Herr. He is not available. You will need to leave.” She said calmly.

The customer studied the security guards for a moment. He had no doubt that they were more than capable of removing him by force and there was no point in causing a scene, which might end up in the police being called.

“Very well.” He said, before turning on his heels and leaving the bank.

*

“The Head of the Department of Foreign Affairs will see you now, Mr Ambassador.” An official said.
“At last.” The Ambassador muttered. “Thank you.” He said, following the official.

The Head of the Department of Foreign Affairs was reading a document when the Ambassador was shown in. She continued to read it for a moment after he sat down.

“Mr Ambassador, I am sorry to have kept you waiting for so long. An urgent meeting of the Federal Council was called shortly after I asked you to come.”
“It is quite all right, Madame Head.” The Ambassador lied. “How may the Soviet Union be of assistance today?”
“I have two issues to bring up with you today.” She replied.

The Head reached into a drawer of her desk and removed a sealed clear plastic bag. Inside the bag, inside their own smaller plastic bags, were four Soviet diplomatic passports.

“We thought that you might like these back.” She said, laying them on the desk. The Ambassador looked the package but made no attempt to take it. “They have been forensically examined, and we believe them to be genuine.”
“May I ask where you obtained these…uh…documents?”
“They came from four individuals who attempted to hijack a Swiss International Air Lines flight from New Delhi to Geneva. Thankfully the flight happened to have two Air Marshals from our Bundesamt für Polizei aboard. What really puzzles us is how four men with genuine Soviet diplomatic passports were able to board the aircraft and then attempt to hijack it. We have contacted the Indian authorities, and they advised us that the four men in question had entered their country on the same passports some time ago. Perhaps you can explain this mystery?”

The Ambassador cleared his throat.

“My government has, uh, authorised me to confirm that four Soviet diplomats from our embassy New Delhi boarded that aircraft. A Soviet citizen who was wanted for murder and child abuse was spotted at the airport and these individuals were authorised to follow this individual. Their instructions were to identify him to the authorities in Geneva and ask that he be detained. They evidently exceeded their orders. The Soviet Government officially apologises to the people of the Swiss Confederation. We also request that you return the four individuals to us, so that they may be suitably punished.”

The Head of the Department of Foreign Affairs department made much of playing with an ornamental letter opener on her desk before replying.

“I am sorry to report, Mr Ambassador that two of the individuals are dead. Our Air Marshals were forced to use lethal force. I am informed that one other was injured and is undergoing treatment. They are not currently in Swiss custody. The airliner landed in British territory and the surviving hijackers were arrested by their police. We are currently in discussions with the British and Indian governments regarding where they should be put on trial. You see, they broke several Indian laws regarding taking weapons onto a plane. They then tried to hijack a Swiss registered aircraft in international airspace. When the plane landed, it was in British territory. Our lawyers have advised that all three countries have equally good claims and, since the British currently have custody of them, I would suggest it will be them who places them on trial. Of course, we would be more than happy to serve as intermediaries between you and Her Majesty’s Government. No doubt a swap of some kind could be arranged.”

The Ambassador nodded.

“That would be much appreciated, Madame Head.”
“Good, good. We will contact the British shortly.
“The other matter is equally serious. As you know, we agreed to support UN efforts to deliver humanitarian supplies to Vienna. However, other than the two flights delivering personnel supporting the UN Department of Safety and Security, we have found that our aircraft have been harassed by Soviet fighters. On top of that, the truck convoys we were assured would receive safe passage have been repeatedly delayed. They have taken days to reach Vienna, having been stopped multiple times. We would like an explanation, Mr Ambassador.”
“Madame Head, we must make sure the aid flights are not actually NATO bombers. So, close inspection is necessary. However, I will pass on your comments to my government. Moreover, we must inspect the truck convoys to make sure that no contraband has been included. There are anti-Soviet elements in Vienna who would love to get their hands on materials to attack our peacekeeping forces.”

The Head snorted in derision, losing her temper for the first time.

“By ‘anti-Soviet elements’, you presumably mean Austrian citizens who do not appreciate their neutral nation being invaded and occupied.” She said pointedly, her voice cold. “So-called ‘contraband’ has been removed from each of our convoys; I would call it stealing, or looting, what would you call it, Mr Ambassador?”

The Ambassador was not used to the Swiss getting angry. They were usually scrupulously polite.

“Ah, any items removed from the convoys would be contraband, as agreed by…”
“Medicine, food, water? They are contraband that poses a threat to your troops?” The Head interrupted.
“Absolutely not!” The Ambassador protested. “That would indeed be theft. Our Commandant Services personnel, our military police are on hand to stop such…”

The Head of the Department of Foreign Affairs picked up the document she had been reading and threw it across the desk at the Ambassador.

“Read that if you like, Mr Ambassador. It is a report from the Swiss Red Cross; there is also a report from our Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport. They both detail that Soviet personnel, including from the Commandant Services, have stolen valuable items from our aid convoys. Swiss Army personnel were threatened when they attempted to intervene. A Swiss officer was badly beaten by group of soldiers in the uniform of Commandant Services. You need to restrain your armed forces, Mr Ambassador before there is an incident that results in a fatality. If you are trying to provoke Switzerland into belligerency, you are going about it in the right fashion. We have not fought in a war for almost two centuries, but we are a very efficient nation and learn quickly.” The Head paused for a moment. “It may interest you, Mr Ambassador, that we have identified several accounts in our banks used by your intelligence services. We have ordered that those accounts be frozen. They will remain so until all interference with the aid convoys and flights to Vienna cease. We also require an official apology to our country and compensation to be paid to the injured army officer.”

The Ambassador went white. Being threatened with war by the Swiss government was quite the experience. Moreover, the bank accounts were used by the KGB and GRU to fund operations across Western Europe. Without access to them, those operations would potentially be crippled. The two organs of state were likely to be seriously displeased with him if he did not resolve this situation.

“I…I…uh…Madame Head, I will pass your messages on to my government as a priority. I…I urge you and your government to exercise restraint. The people of the Soviet Union have no quarrel with the peace-loving people of the Swiss Confederation. Any confrontation between us would be, tragic…catastrophic!”
“Our people may be peace-living, Mr Ambassador, but do not mistake our political neutrality for moral neutrality. I think our meetings is over. You may take the passports and those two reports if you wish. Please let my department know when you have received a response to our requirements.”

The same official who had shown the Ambassador in ushered a rather shocked diplomat out again. On the drive back to the Soviet Embassy he was deep in thought, trying to think of a way of passing on the Swiss demands to Moscow in a way that would not see him recalled and posted to somewhere unpleasant, or worse, sent to count trees in Siberia.

***

[1] The besiegers would later also include divisions from the Serbian Army, who brought proper siege artillery with them.

[2] Getting information on the late 19th Century/early 20th Century defences of Edirne is not easy. There is some information on them here. The modern defences would occupy some of the same sites or be close to their predecessors.

[3] Some information on the history of the airport can be found here.

[Bernard Woolley]

Accompanying Pictures

[jemhouston]

While I did not watch either reboot regularly, Higgins struck me as the most capable and having the smallest ego on both shows.


Are the Soviets trying to see if they can get everyone mad that them simultaneously?

[Johnnie Lyle]

While I did not watch either reboot regularly, Higgins struck me as the most capable and having the smallest ego on both shows.


Are the Soviets trying to see if they can get everyone mad that them simultaneously?

Honor graduates of the Kaiser Wilhelm School of Making Friends and Influencing People.

Seriously, though, I doubt it’s intentional. Rather, it’s lies, indiscipline and brutality all up and down the line, and they’re at the find out stage as the consequences of how their political and social systems run play out.

[Lordroel]

Great update as always.

[James1978]

Good chapter!

1745 hours GMT, Near NAS Barbers Point, O’ahu.
“Are you worried about that MD500 that’s tracking us?” Commander McGarrett asked. “It’s flying overwatch; couple of friends of Magnum. I felt that their bird would be more discrete than an HPD, or military chopper.”

Both Chase and Purdey had indeed seen the brightly coloured helicopter. While they both wondered how it could possibly be ‘discrete’, it was not the MD500 that was bothering them. It was like an itch that they could not scratch, and it was still there.

I've sort of operated under the assumption that other than news helicopters, medical evacuation and offshore oil rig support, general/private aviation has been largely shut down in the US. In that light, any helicopter, especially an MD500, not clearly identifiable as police/military or TV news sort of screams OGA.

Question - why not just keep the defector at NAS Barbers Point until they can put him on a CIA or DOJ jet onward to CONUS?

Keep up the good work!

[Eaglenine2]

So why isn't the defector staying at the NAS Barbers Point?

[Johnnie Lyle]

Good chapter!

1745 hours GMT, Near NAS Barbers Point, O’ahu.
“Are you worried about that MD500 that’s tracking us?” Commander McGarrett asked. “It’s flying overwatch; couple of friends of Magnum. I felt that their bird would be more discrete than an HPD, or military chopper.”

Both Chase and Purdey had indeed seen the brightly coloured helicopter. While they both wondered how it could possibly be ‘discrete’, it was not the MD500 that was bothering them. It was like an itch that they could not scratch, and it was still there.

I've sort of operated under the assumption that other than news helicopters, medical evacuation and offshore oil rig support, general/private aviation has been largely shut down in the US. In that light, any helicopter, especially an MD500, not clearly identifiable as police/military or TV news sort of screams OGA.

Question - why not just keep the defector at NAS Barbers Point until they can put him on a CIA or DOJ jet onward to CONUS?

Keep up the good work!

Cropdusters are another area where shutting them down is going to have serious consequences in a long-war scenario. We’re still at the tail end of the planting season, and so demand for cropdusters is pretty high. Yeah, they’re the kind of highly skilled aviators that you want in military service (seriously, cropdusters around here do some seriously crazy acrobatics to drop their loads), but that has to be weighed against the reduction in crop yields if you don’t fertilize/pestisize.

A lot of the airmail business may also need to remain in service. While TLW 2005 is a lot less dependent on JIT to keep industry running, there’s still time critical stuff that has to move to keep industry going.

Aerial firefighting is another “general” aviation area that has to be preserved, especially given the large swaths of the West where fires are inevitable and dangerous. Especially if the Soviets get the dumb idea to try starting some.

Those are just three areas I can think of where civilian aviation is needed for the war effort.

So a near-total shutdown may be walked back as Washington transitions from short to long war mentality, and dusts off their WWI and WWII experience - especially with a population that is more diverse and a lot less accustomed to hardship.

[Matt Wiser]

Whoo-hoo! Glad to see a new chapter. BZ as usual, my friend, and so to business:

Magnum and T.C. have...connections to get the fuel for that chopper. That's my take on it. And how long until they find out who's behind the attack, anyway?

Greeks and Turks with a common enemy.

Haven't seen much from the Northern Theater recently. Not quite a sideshow, but...

Soviets trying to dance with the Swiss-and someone found out his account has been frozen... Don't forget Lichtenstein, Tangier, Hong Kong/Macao, and the Caymans.. The KGB, GRU, and the Party have money stashed all over.

Nice work again, and get with 384!

[Belushi TD]

Something to keep in mind...

McGarrett spun the wheel and pushed the gas pedal to the floor. The SUV bumped over the median and the kerb at the edge of the opposite carriageway.

In the US no one calls it a "carriageway" unless they are a highway engineer and referring to plans with other highway engineers. While it is the technically correct term, everyone says "highway" and uses the terms "northbound" or "eastbound" or whatever to say which side of the highway they're on. Using carriageway is very jarring and pulled me out of the scene.

I'd rephrase it "The SUV bumped over the median and the curb at the edge of the eastbound lanes."

However, you're the author, and if you want to keep the UK/European term for it, its your call.

Otherwise, particularly enjoyable chapter. I really enjoyed the soviet getting kicked out of the bank. It really set the table for the ambassador getting the boot from the ministers office!

Belushi TD

[Bernard Woolley]

While I did not watch either reboot regularly, Higgins struck me as the most capable and having the smallest ego on both shows.

Looking back, I think that Higgins 1.0 and 2.0 were probably the best characters in both iterations of the show.

Are the Soviets trying to see if they can get everyone mad that them simultaneously?

Seriously, though, I doubt it’s intentional. Rather, it’s lies, indiscipline and brutality all up and down the line, and they’re at the find out stage as the consequences of how their political and social systems run play out.

It's not deliberate! However, the Soviet Army has a bit of a reputation (recently re-confirmed by its sucessor, the Russian Army) of nicking anything that isn't nailed down and ripping it out if it is. The Imperial Russian Army/Red Army/Soviet Army/Russian Army have also historically displayed a propensity for brutality.

Good chapter!

Thank you!

<Snip> In that light, any helicopter, especially an MD500, not clearly identifiable as police/military or TV news sort of screams OGA.

Arguably that is very true. OTOH, Hawai'i is probably one of the states, along with Alaska, where general aviation has not been fully shut down. Island Hoppers has also probably picked up some military contracts to move personnel between islands, as well as supporting the STF. People are probably quite used to seeing its MD500 flying around.

Question - why not just keep the defector at NAS Barbers Point until they can put him on a CIA or DOJ jet onward to CONUS?

So why isn't the defector staying at the NAS Barbers Point?

SIS have been trying to move the defector off grid with as small a footprint as possible. Having him stay at NAS Barbers Point might well involve telling people they would rather not. Of course, who says that the decsion was a good one?

Greeks and Turks with a common enemy.

Interestingly, post-First World War there was a period where they were officially allies. So, there is a precedent, even outside common NATO membership.

Haven't seen much from the Northern Theater recently. Not quite a sideshow, but...

It is a very important theatre, IMVHO. A lot of it is right on the border of the USSR itself, for example.

Soviets trying to dance with the Swiss-and someone found out his account has been frozen... Don't forget Lichtenstein, Tangier, Hong Kong/Macao, and the Caymans.. The KGB, GRU, and the Party have money stashed all over.

I'm pretty sure that the Swiss Federal Government knows more about who has what in numbered accounts than is commonly believed. Lichtenstein would probably follow Switzerland's lead. The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory, so any KGB, or GRU money that was stashed there is now being used to fund the UK's war effort. Btw, in @ 2003 it was revealed that SIS had moles planted throughout the Cayman Islands' banking industry. That will not have come out in TLW and the moles will still be there.

Nice work again, and get with 384!

Thanks again, and have made a start!

Something to keep in mind...

<snip>

When I narrate, I tend to do it in British English. I generally only use other variants of English when I write character speach.

I really enjoyed the soviet getting kicked out of the bank. It really set the table for the ambassador getting the boot from the ministers office!

I drew some inspiration for the bank scene from the scene in The Bourne Identity when he (rather more sucessfully) enters the bank in Bern.

[jemhouston]

Bernard if everyone and their brother doesn't have moles inside Swiss banking the rest of the money havens I would be surprised. The only reason not to would be the NSA types have the full access to the computer systems.

[Bernard Woolley]

I'm sure that the NSA and GCHQ have them divvied up between them.