gate: thus the United States Fought there!

Chapter Seven: Future Preparations

LOCATION: Washington D.C.
POV - Dale Douglass (POTUS)

My hands softly brush against the paper which sits on my desk, moving it aside and replacing the now empty space with my hands which are now intertwined. "So Mr. Tiankai" I mutter, looking him in the eyes with a look of earnestness. "Mind telling me why your AirForce shot down an American hornet in the South China Sea?" The ambassador sighs, taking a seat on one of the couches placed in the middle of the Oval Office. "Mr. president it is important to understand, that your fighters breached Chinese airspace." I immediately let out a sigh due to his remarks "Mr. Tiankai, your government would know better then anyone that the United States would never directly order F/A-18's to breach Chinese airspace, Thats a risk no one at the pentagon nor anyone here in D.C. wants to take." Mr. Tiankai would as well sigh at the presidents words, getting up from the couch which he just sat on with his arrival. "With all due respect Mr. president i find that hard to believe, your navy has been showing off an incredibly dangerous posture close to Chinese waters as of recent. For all we know you simply wanted to test our limits, and our limits have been tested Mr. president." An expression of disbelief grows on my face, now replacing the previous look of earnestness which was plastered over my face. "Sir, don't tell me your government is taking this as an act of aggression. Are they?" The Chinese ambassador would look down on the president, with a now emotionless face being presented. "You will have word from Beijing when our stance on the incident is finalized, good day Mr. president." My eyes lock onto his figure, as he leaves the room quickly. "What the hell just happened.."

TIME SKIP: 25 MINUTES
POV - NO ONE

With the presidents 'productive' meeting with the Chinese ambassador to the United States over with, the president receives word that he's needed in the situation room once more. He lets out a small groan once he heard those words, knowing full well what will introduce him once he walks into that room. But besides his internal thoughts, his legs pick up the pace and he begins making his way to the situation room, with his secret service detail besides him as always. Skipping the rather uneventful trip to the depths of the White House, as the President walks into the situation room he is met with the same greetings he's grown accustomed to over these past few years. He wastes no time and sits in the chair he's sat in to many times to remember fully. "Well gentleman, based off of the meeting I've just had with the Chinese ambassador, I assume the reason I was called here is due to the CCP?" The Secretary of Defense lets out a sigh, nodding his head no to the question asked by the president. "Actually Sir. It's something non-related." The president would raise his eyebrows in confusion. "Oh? Then what's going on?" The Secretary of Defense would point to the screen on the wall which changes to a map of Alnus hill, showing American positions on the hill. "Shortly after the arrival of the joint-offensive force into the gate an enemy force was spotted assembling north of the F.O.B. With numbers in the hundreds of thousands, our troops waited for the advancing enemy forces to get in an exact position then opened fire with their assigned M2 Bradley's, M224 Mortars, JLTV's, you get the idea." The Secretary of Defense pauses for a brief moment, as the screen switches to the estimated casualties inflicted by the United States. "There were only a handful of survivors, we know that at least 50,000 died." The presidents eyes widen hearing the death tally, his eyes being glued to the screen not knowing what to say. "No Americans were injured or killed, although we did gain some information from the attempted taking of the hill." Once more the screen changes to a low quality yet still visible image of what looks like to be a dragon from ancient myth lore. Once the president looks at the image on the screen, he looks towards the Secretary of Defense. "These were the same air units that we saw in New York, correct?" The Secretary nods at the question.

"Yes Sir. They're called Wyverns, we assume the Empire uses them as a form of air force or air cavalry." The screen changes to a different photo showcasing a fleet of Wyverns. "With the experiences we've had with the Wyverns, we know that each dragon normally has a single soldier mounted on their back on a saddle, much like a calvary rider. The main purpose of these units are to attack enemy ground forces, conduct surveillance, reconnaissance, patrol, bombing, and support of friendly ground troops." After the simplified explanation the screen once more changes, yet this time to a video which was taken by a camera on a single AN/TWQ-1 Avenger. In the video the same fleet of Wyverns from the previous photo were shown swiftly approaching the postion of the entrenched Avenger, yet before they could get any closer; eight FIM-92 Stinger missiles were launched from the vehicle as they impact the fleet of Wyverns only mere seconds later turning them into little pieces, lighting up the sky for only a few seconds before the horizon once more faded back into dark, only being lightened up by the occasional impact of Mortar fire and tracer rounds. But then the video stops. The silence in the room once more being filled by the Secretary. "Now, I never said they were ever a worthy opponent to American armor. The only real threat they pose is to lone American infantry traveling without any vehicles with them. Which will never be allowed on the other side of the gate." The screen once more changes to a photo of Alnus hill yet with CGI structures placed onto the hill, which the president assumes is the render of what the base will look like once finished. "Is this what the base will look like once construction is fully finished?" A representative from Korte Company stands up from his seat, nodding slightly. "Yes Sir Mr. President, our workers are out there 24/7 building the best base you can have on a foreign world; of course with the help from the United States Army Corps of Engineers." The president smiles, being extremely delighted by the news.