Shane Freak
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Chapter 383: The Fractured Alliance (Part 2)
🕑 Added 2023-07-29 15:34:58 +0000 UTCTransformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List
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On the island of Diego Garcia, Optimus Prime began to reflect on the correctness of his alliance with the United States. At the same time, thousands of miles away in Washington, United States, a sense of unease and anger was brewing.
In recent years, with the recovery of the Russian economy and President Vladimir's increasingly aggressive foreign policy, the United States, which was already on high alert against Russia, naturally focused more than half of its satellite surveillance and monitoring on Russia.
North Dovinsk, one of Russia's most important naval bases and a crucial submarine manufacturing base during the Soviet era, had always been a primary target for surveillance by American spy satellites and high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft.
Therefore, when the suspected alien invasion erupted in North Dovinsk more than twenty days ago, the United States was almost the first to take notice.
In the following days, they deployed a large number of spy satellites and even dispatched several state-of-the-art Blackbird reconnaissance planes, which were officially announced to have been retired but were actually still in service in the Air Force.
As more and more spy images and pictures of North Dovinsk were captured by the American side, a terrible thought emerged.
"It seems that the Russians have also made contact with those extraterrestrial beings!"
In the United States, the existence of Sector Seven and the presence of extraterrestrial beings had been completely declassified following a battle that took place in Las Vegas, the city of gambling. This information was now known to senior politicians, corporations, and the military in the United States.
Therefore, the people of the United States were more aware than anyone else that the reason the United States had been at the forefront of technological advancements in the world after World War II was entirely due to the relentless research on Megatron's mechanical body conducted by Sector Seven.
As a result, they were even more worried that if their old adversary, Russia, also obtained black technology from Cybertron, a new Cold War would be imminent.
Unfortunately, the "Murphy's Law" once again stubbornly presented itself, proving that although the likelihood of the United States' greatest concerns coming true was very small, the outcome still happened.
North Dovinsk, which had been under continuous surveillance by the U.S. military, suddenly disappeared from the map!
Yes, a few days after they monitored the suspected extraterrestrial invasion of North Dovinsk.
...
Although it was already dinnertime, as the latest encrypted intelligence came from the Sound Nest base on Diego Garcia Island, both the White House and the Pentagon immediately became chaotic.
Some were collecting intelligence, some were assessing the situation, and others were making phone calls. Countless American minds were constantly speculating in panic about the authenticity of the information they received and the variables that Russia's acquisition of extraterrestrial intelligent life support would bring to the United States, its allies, and even the whole world.
In the Oval Office, President Cheney, who was about to step down, his Secretary of Defense, cabinet members, as well as several advisers and strategists, were urgently summoned here. They didn't even have time to have dinner; the entire office was now filled with gloom, with almost everyone wearing a frowning face, pondering with closed eyes, or quietly discussing their thoughts with two or three people nearby.
After reporting to President Cheney, Secretary of Defense Voight cleared his throat while holding a report in his hand and sitting at his position. When he saw that everyone's gaze was focused on him, he began to speak.
"... The Sound Nest has sent the operational report, Mr. President and gentlemen. As everyone already knows, Operation Dawn has failed!"
Operation Dawn was a plan for the Autobots to dispatch an elite team to unexpectedly enter Russian territory and investigate the current situation of North Dovinsk, which had completely disappeared from the U.S. military's surveillance system under the shroud of fog.
Out of fear for this opponent, who possessed a massive nuclear arsenal that was second to none, the United States government rejected the military's proposal to use the newly developed and still in the final testing phase "High Hypersonic Strategic Reconnaissance Aircraft" - Aurora, to intrude into Russian airspace for close-range reconnaissance. They also halted the CIA's proposal to activate a high-level spy who had been undercover in the Moscow government for years.
In the end, they reached an agreement with Optimus Prime, and Operation Dawn would be undertaken by the Autobots. Optimus Prime would dispatch the most elite team to enter Russia and investigate North Dovinsk, which had vanished from the map.
Then, the mission failed!
Unexpectedly, although the office was filled with high-ranking officials from the military and intelligence agencies, it was Secretary of State Gabriel who spoke first.
"... How the hell did those robots mess it up? Why did Operation Dawn fail?"
Gabriel, with a somewhat indignant tone, was the third and final Secretary of State appointed during Cheney's tenure. His two predecessors had either stepped down due to anti-war sentiments or had different positions from Cheney. The main reason Gabriel was able to hold the position of Secretary of State for several years was because he was a spokesperson for the American Labor Union.
"The Autobots believe that they were possibly detected as soon as they entered Russian territory, which led to their encirclement by the Russian Army... William Major mentioned in the report that the Autobots strictly adhered to the agreement between us, so they had some concerns about getting into a conflict with the Russians. As a result, they suffered some losses during the battle..."
Voight explained.
"... Operation Dawn cannot be considered a complete failure. The Autobots have determined that there are indeed Decepticons present in North Dovinsk or within Russian territory... They have confirmed that a powerful electromagnetic interference device has been deployed in North Dovinsk, and the Autobots suspect that it may come from the Decepticons... We are not entirely clear on how that electromagnetic interference device works, but the Autobots told us that it is what made North Dovinsk disappear from our surveillance!"
Knowing why North Dovinsk disappeared from the U.S. military's surveillance was undoubtedly good news, but it was also bad news!
Because all the signs now indicated that the United States' worst fear had come true. Their old adversary, Russia, might have made contact with the Decepticons and even obtained weapons and technology from Cybertron.
The office immediately filled with a cacophony of voices, while President Cheney sat calmly on the side, remaining silent.
Like his predecessors, Cheney had less than ten months left in his term.
During his tenure, he had launched a counterterrorism war that had dragged the United States government into a quagmire. Last year, several domestic disturbances, the explosion at the Tucson Air Force Base, the destruction of half of the Las Vegas city area, and the thousands of casualties among U.S. troops in Savage County would undoubtedly become the black history of his tenure.
Therefore, he undoubtedly hoped to smoothly navigate through the final months of his term.
Cheney was no longer willing to create any more messes that would make him a candidate for "the most incompetent President of the United States" in the future.
So, at this critical moment, he wouldn't speak easily and allow the United States to edge towards war with the Polar Bear.
However, Cheney's silence did not mean that others would have such reservations.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pace, finally finished reading the documents in his hand and looked up with some astonishment. "... Has the operational report sent by Sound Nest been confirmed as genuine?"
It was not surprising that he was so surprised. The four Autobots had only recently entered Russian territory, and they hadn't even reached their destination before being discovered by the Russian Army and heavily attacked.
It should be noted that since the establishment of Sound Nest, the U.S. military had conducted multiple simulated conflict battles with the Autobots, sending elite army and air force units under the guise of joint exercises. However, their achievements in these battles were very limited, to the extent that the military, the government's staff, and think tanks even believed that, apart from nuclear weapons, it was difficult for the current equipment of the U.S. military to inflict serious damage on these extraterrestrial beings with their mighty mechanical bodies.
Secretary of Defense Voight nodded and looked at Pace as he replied, "Along with the report, they also sent the combat footage replicated by Autobot Ironhide! Based on our past understanding of the Autobots, they should not lie about such matters. It can be considered as confirmed!"
As soon as these words were spoken, an uncontrollable smile of excitement appeared on Gabriel's face.
His fingers rudely tapped heavily on the desk in front of him several times, and his voice was filled with excitement. "... This is really good news!"
There were no fools in the office, and several middle-aged men in military uniforms who shared Gabriel's stance nodded with smiles upon hearing his words.
Indeed, there were many among the top ranks of the United States who harbored extreme hostility and mistrust towards the Autobots, these extraterrestrial beings.
Previously, due to a conflict in Las Vegas, the United States government and military had developed a severe fear, which led to their cooperation with Sound Nest.
However, having held Earth's hegemony for several decades, they were accustomed to being the ones standing atop and exerting dominance over other countries. How could they accept having another "father" added to their ranks?
So, as long as there was even the slightest opportunity to defeat or eliminate the Autobots or any extraterrestrial beings, they would inevitably take action.
The current Chief of Staff of the Air Force was a staunch United States supremacist. Almost as soon as Gabriel finished speaking, he couldn't help but wave the operational report in his hand and loudly declare, "Gentlemen, this operation is indeed valuable. Our 'allies' don't seem as fearless as they had previously shown. Of course, I also believe that previous exercises didn't prove anything. Many of our weapons were unable to be used due to their excessive power, which couldn't be showcased in the exercises!"
He swung the operational report vigorously, but it made less noise than his voice.
"... The Russian fighter jets are not as capable as ours, and we can offer better alternatives for missiles... Even in long-range weaponry, every soldier in the United States has confidence that our equipment is the best... So, whatever they can do, we can do even better!"
Voight raised his hand to interrupt him, nodding slightly in acknowledgment. "General, I'm also very certain of this."
However, he furrowed his brows again, picked up the operational report, and raised it, his expression serious.
"But... Sound Nest needs to continue, and our alliance with the Autobots cannot have any mission issues, at least not in the short term... because of Russia!"
Russia!
This territory spanning the Eurasian continent, bordering the United States, had thousands of intercontinental missiles armed with nuclear warheads aimed at the United States every moment.
If such an opponent were to join forces with the Decepticons, who were even more dangerous than the Autobots...
Just the thought of it made many in the office feel as if a bucket of ice-cold water mixed with ice cubes was poured over their heads.
In an instant, these politicians and generals, representing the highest intelligence of America, reached a consensus.
The alliance with the Autobots must continue, at least until the threat posed by Russia and the Decepticons is resolved. They needed the Autobots.
However...
In the hearts of many, individual thoughts began to emerge. Perhaps this could be an opportunity to demand more advanced technology and even extraterrestrial weapons from the Autobots.
Cracks began to form in their minds, unseen to the naked eye, and they were rapidly growing.
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Next Chapter >>Chapter 384: Expansion (Part 1)
