[b]Beijing[/b]

An air of tensity loomed in the room. Like the metaphorical and cliched elephant in the room. Even the buzz of the lighting seemed to compliment the expectant worry as it droned overhead. The commanders had assembled, taking their seats at the long table in the middle of the room. There were no windows, the only light from sunken lighting in the ceiling. On the desk a darkened projector sat facing a blank screen.

Sitting at their seats they sat, tapping their fingers on the wooden table as they waited. Their caps pulled over their heads. The medals and symbols of their rank glistened in the yellow-gold lighting. This wasn't just waiting for them. This was meditation. Something was happening, and to be called by the Chairman. Only Lou Shai Dek seemed to be in any sort of peace, his old wrinkled fingers gently stroking along the grains of the wooden table as he leaned back on his seat, scowling emptily at the blank projector screen.

With a groan the briefing room's entrance opened. No one needed to turn to see who it was as they heard the familiar tap of a wooden cane on the laminate floors. With a sudden screech of chairs against the cold-pressed, shining linoleum they stood at attention, turning only out of respect as in followed Hou Sai Tang.

In previous days, he would have come in with upright confidence. His back straight as a razor's edge. But since the stroke, and now he announced retirement he was slower. Almost less confidence. And his expression had grown darker. His sharp dagger beard had grown longer and whiter in the past few months. He was aging, and aging fast.

“Comrades.” he said softly, walking to the table. He picked up his back with what strength he had as he hovered around the edge.

“Comrade Hou.” the commanders bowed, greeting the chairman with polite political smiles. Almost like vipers, the chairman thought.

With a soft shuffle they pulled their chairs back to the table, sitting back down as Hou ambled to the head of the table. “Do we know why we're here?” the chairman asked, his voice gravely.

“It's been all over the NPN even, I don't think anyone here isn't aware.” Han Shen said. He was a man of short stature, but a wide build; even for a Chinese man. It was not to say he was fat. Where his face was pinched in, his brow was not. And his shoulders were large and long. The blue coat of his rank hid most of his features, and the naval decorations only helped to distract it. As well as the honorary medals he wore for her service, and the liberation of Dalian. “The Spanish Invasion of Ethiopia, or supposed.”

“It's been made official out of Spain, comrade.” a tired deeply broken voice said. Almost like wind passing through a pipe of broken glass. Yan Sing. The pale ghost of a man leaned over the table draped in black. His hair was thin and silvery. His eyes were narrow and sharp. He frowned as he spoke, “Sotelo made a public appearance the other day effectively declaring war on Ethiopia, and indirectly us. We've known for a long time he wants to purge Communism from the world, I think we all know that really. But the important thing is that he believes he had acquired the strength to act.

“The exchange in the Red Sea wasn't just a minor skirmish, brothers. It's the first stage to a full armed conflict at this point.”

“You can be so sure?” Shen said, shocked.

“Satellite interception of the broadcasts and work directly from Ethiopia can not lie. They are at war.”

“Oh, I misunderstood the situation then.” Shen apologized.

“There's no excuse for prolonged fishing ventures.” Sing smiled wryly, reaching into his black overcoat and pulling out a bland red and white pack of cigarettes, “We all should no better.”

“Well I hope you caught some big fish, admiral.” Shai Dek brooded.

“Fishing is besides the point.” Hou said angrily, his voice risen to the precipice of a shout. “So what are we going to do about this?”

“Unfortunately apart from doing little, we could simply wait.” Shai Dek said, “We all know wars with Spain have been short. As was the affair in Finland. They'll get tangled up in the Congo or get sand in their shoes getting across the Sahara and won't make this an extended campaign. They'll seek an exit strategy before they risk loosing more men to Malaria than to bullets.

“Think about it as a grander campaign in Vietnam. Had the French actually cared, how many would be butchered by the elements alone? It's no doubt what they saw. And probably a factor in them simply giving up. But I can't speak for France.”

“None of us may.” laughed another officer, in a gray coat. Han Jang. Tall and statue like. His daze was distant, and some would say ever upwards. He had facilitated the rise of a space program, for however slow it was. But it was his and he had all right to be proud in part.

He leaned back, brushing his fingers through his short salt and pepper hair. “But I do agree it may be too earlier to partake in this campaign. If we're going to extend Chinese defensive interests beyond the Free Asia protocol it should be if we know the situation is dire. We don't even know if Spain will intend to mobilize their VX stockpiles on Ethiopia.”

“If they do it'll be a disaster.” Sing added with a biting tongue. There was no mercy on his voice. It was grim and precise.

“I agree.” Jang nodded, “At this point we could at the least act as a measure to observe and seek out their stockpiles. Our High Altitude Wing hasn't been tested in a full war-time scenario. We had successful flights over Russia on air recon of the countryside during the peace interlude. But we haven't flown any over Spanish territory. We could use this as a chance to gauge our aircraft's capabilities in interceptor avoidance, if not being blind to radar as a whole for flying too high to be distinguishable by noise. We may also gauge Spanish radar if they can spot it and attempt to intervene on our pilots.”

“Wouldn't that be risky though?” Hou asked with much sprinkled caution.

“All war comes with risk.” Shai Dek said, “We all here understand that. We've paid out our share in risk across Asia. We may have planned well enough to alleviate significant loss.”

“I understand...” said Hou.

“So we fly over Spain. What are we looking for?” the commander of national security asked. Handoi Hu. A large man. More akin to a cow than a commander. And a balding one at that.

“I'd hope to find perhaps mass mobilization over the desert.” chimed Jang, “Anything. Motorized convos heading to Ethiopia, suspicious air traffic. Somewhere they have to have a stockpile of chemical weapons and if there's intention to use them then it had to be somewhere. Depending on success, I'd suggest we run an unrestrained number of sweeps over Spain from the Pyrenees to the Ivory Coast.”

“That close, we're better off bombing the bastards!” Hu laughed, his large ballooning chin shaking like jello.

“We may have the capabilities given the design of the High Altitude Wing but we don't want to play that card too early.” Sing countered, “As tempting as it would be to set Madrid aflame while Sotelo takes a shit we may not do much harm in the long run. We may just end up scaring the Spanish people more into demanding more aggressive action.

“No, if we do have to bomb that home we'll do it en'masse if this turns into a prolonged war for once. Right now we'll spur the people to demand more aggressive movements and before we know it we're meeting the Spanish on the Indonesian Islands just to cut them off from China, or they're on Taiwan. If we do it late enough, grind them to bits in Africa and then bomb them: we frighten the Spanish people to submit. We make them think we don't have the capability. And when we can hit home, they demand they surrender or they die.

“Turn Spain black.”

“If we do that we're liable to repair.” Hu said, shocked, “That's scary expensive. More than the war.”

“Not unless we willingly ignore that part of our military law.”

“Agreed.” Shai Dek nodded.

“That'll be up to my predecessor.” Hou cut in, “I don't want to be involved in this order or the bastardization of the work I wrote. If we're going to win, I do want us to do so better than our enemy. This is why we exist.”

Sing grumbled under his breath. Thinking about Russia. But in the end the Chairman was right, acting on that initiative that had given them Asia was up to who takes over next. So long as he wasn't a disastrous person, storming into danger.

“What else can we commit at this time?” Hou groaned, “Surely more than photographs.”

“We have the small training contingent on Pemba.” Lou Shai Dek said, “If need be we can get them to reposition to Addis and help them to dig in, or whatever defensible position the Ethiopians need Cao at. That much I can promise immediately.

“But with us in Russia it'll be trickier to allocate more foot soldiers. We can meet with the Turkistanians to make a due date for withdraw from Turkistan with the collapse of the Ottomans no longer facilitating their need. But that will open a front for unchecked Russian movement in the north. So we'll need to get Turkistan formally involved in some way or set a goal to move out when our men control Russia up to their western edge. We could then deploy or redeploy fifty-thousand or more then to Africa.”

“I could have the navy ready to move to transport these relief units.” Jang said with a tired voice, “Do we have a commander for this endeavor?”

“No, but I'll look for a candidate.”

“Excellent.” the admiral said, “I doubt we can move an actual battle group to Africa to relieve the situation in the Red Sea. By the time we arrive I no doubt the Spanish will have total control of the region. If we do dispatch ships it'll be to supplement the Ethiopians elsewhere on their Eastern Coast.

“I'd recommend waiting for a later time to deploy a larger fleet to break any possible Spanish control of the coast later. That way we move not only boats but equipment as well to insure a stronger hold on a liberated coast. And by the time we arrive then we can estimate the Spanish may be thinned out to control the coast. We can piece the Spanish navy apart off the African coast in the way and break the war effort.”

“What about the White Sea?” asked Hou.

“I suppose we could give Shao Shen new orders.” Jang shrugged, “What will help?”

“To break the European economy.” Shai Dek said with no remorse, “Disturb the shipping lanes, especially Spanish flagged ships.”

“Well, I do supposed the United Kingdom can't get involved, not after what they've been through.” Jang shrugged, “And Germany is the only other submarine power we're aware of. France has never been a naval power and we can count the Dutch and Belgians out as being a able threat. Not for the Bohai.

“But we're going to need to organize to refuel them that far out for such a mission. Before I can give the order, if we're going to do it, I need to know the logistical support for this. A submarine isn't a sail ship, it doesn't have have indefinite fuel. And it can't resupply itself alone on raiding – if that's what you're proposing comrade Shai Dek.”

“It is.” the commander nodded.

“Well... I see...” Jang said, chewing his cheek. His face grew pale.

“It sounds like we'll need to study this proposal some more.” Hou nodded, “We'll need to reconvene then?”

“Indeed.” the commanders nodded.

“If we're going to be involved with any greater depth we're going to need to convene Congress.” Hou said, “So we're going to need a greater war plan to present to committee. Something to pass down through succession and accommodates for Russia.”

“Understood, comrade.” Lou Shai Dek nodded.

“I'll have my men draw up a full brief on the resources and time needed.” Jang mumbled, “Suggest authorized piracy or raiding of targeted ships. Measure the... legality I guess and how to cover for that.”

“I'll commit resources from my department.” Sing said, waving a lit cigarette.

“Excellent, thank you.” Jang bowed.

“If it will help, I'll issue immediate orders to the Deep Gobi facility. Redeploy the High Altitude Wing to Tibet. When we do we launch?”

“I want to get in touch with the Ethiopian ambassador first thing, as soon as possible.” Hou said, “Either before I leave Beijing or tomorrow. They deserve to know a few things.

“I'll tell them we'll commit intelligence on Spanish ability, and some military aid given Pemba. But the rest is to be decided.”

“Anything more and we'll need Congressional approval.” smirked Sing, “I agree to this. It's best to not leave this waiting. We move now.”