Escort Carrier UNS Everest
Somewhere in the Atlantic . . .
A lone Sukhoi jet slowly rose off into the sky on the vessel's launch ramp as dawn broke; it's blue wings still in contrast with the orange field of its patrol. This was the first of many such routines today, though nothing out of the ordinary as the ship made full use of its complement every hour. Last night's jets would be gently and vertically landing on the small carrier's surface in any moment. Nearly a hundred and fifty years after the Battle of Midway and the principles and superiority of a boat decked with airplanes remained a constant.
The captain pondered how envious the Americans would be then of his beautiful Su-50 strike craft and their legendary endurance. Quite unlike the nearly sleek fighters, however, captain Udo Topp was actually a bit heavyset and looking everyone his years a dedicated captain. Veteran to decades of service for several ships, his command over the Everest and her modest escorts would soon close. The sunrise he saw might very well be the last in the nearly serene lifetime the Everest had inhereted since its meritious performance in Sierra Leone so many years ago.
Yet, as a captain, Udo always had that little wince of respect for the unexpected. So as it had been before, so the wireless message came before that sunrise and the printed orders were there for his seasoned purple eyes to read in the salty air.
UNITED NATIONS NAVY COMMAND
CLASSIFIED 2002-4859 DOCUMENT
24 NOVEMBER 2073 ADMIRAL OTTO KRETSCHMER
THE UNS EVEREST IS TO MOVE INTO GRID 27R IN ATLANTIC TO PROVIDE CLOSE AIR SUPPORT FOR PRIORITY STRIKES AGAINST HIGH VALUE TARGETS IN MAINE TO ELIMINATE ACTIVE TERRORIST CELLS IN TANDEM WITH INTERNAL POLICE FORCES. THIS ORDER IS EFFECTIVE FOR TASK FORCE EVEREST IMMEDIATELY.
Udo nearly smiled at the chance for one final mission with his men as he reached underneath his coat, lit a match and let the orders burn as was standard practice. His men would have little problem with a few recon sorties and airstrikes demanded by the commandos on the ground, and Udo had more than a few bones to pick with the troublesome successionists that had been plaguing the northern United States since 2012. As a wry grin marked his face, he remembered the particular loadout for the Su-50 already en route to Maine.
What Udo did not know was that Lieutenant Watanabe was about to get shot down by a very lucky SAM . . .