Chimera

So Fernandez watched in frustration as his men struggled with the half sunk truck and managed to bring it out from under the muck with superhuman feats of strength. As his men cheered at the momentary victory, he felt this small problem would become a big one in the days to come…

“There he is. Let’s move, people!”

He turned to see three jeeps with heavily armed paratroopers jumping off, grabbing their backpacks and slinging it around their neck. Their CO, a Major, walked up to Fernandez and saluted.

“Who the hell are you?” Fernandez barked as he returned the salute.

“Major Sultania, 12TH Para-SF reporting as ordered, sir!” Sultania said.

“Reporting to me?”

“Yes sir!” Sultania said and then continued: “Warlord-central has directed 12TH Para to provide security for Paru including your battery and the airport. Friendly aerial drones have detected vague thermals north of here which they figure are PLA spec-ops teams attempting to locate this battery and terminate your command!”

Fernandez looked over the Major and moved his cigar butt into the other corner of his mouth.

“Like hell! The commies couldn’t terminate snow in summer!”

Then he sighed and looked north and saw some of his own troops holding rifles and patrolling the trees before turning back to the Major:

“But your men are greatly valued, Major. My boys have been providing our own security ever since we got here. Just not enough forces under General Potgam to give us security detachments back then. Looks like that is changing for the better. My men are artillery specialists, Major. Not infantry boots. I want you and your teams to reinforce these ridgelines,” he pointed with an extended arm to cover a northern arc around his battery, “and relieve my men for the job they were trained for. You understand?”

“Yes sir. Consider it done,” Sultania said and then waved at his men who began moving out to the north to scour the terrain before army trucks brought in his main force of Paras. Fernandez grabbed the Major by the arm just as the man was about to walk away:

“Just one other thing,” Fernandez said.

“Sir?”

“In case you do find one or more of those enemy spec-ops teams in the bushes out there, don’t mess around. Just waste them! Understand?”

“Yes sir!” Major Sultania smiled and ran off towards his men.

CHINESE STRATEGIC AIR CENTRE

KASHGAR

CHINA

DAY 7 + 2330 HRS

“These losses are unacceptable, Feng!” Chen slammed his fists on the table.

Feng was not moved by this show of anger. He had bigger worries than an irate commanding officer. He stared at the digital map overlay on the wall showing current locations of enemy airborne radars and possible fighter detachments.

The Indian airbase at Thoise had been destroyed. Satellite imagery that lay on the table in between the two men confirmed it. The black and white infrared images showed the pillars of smoke rising from the craters on the runway there.

In exchange, the PLAAF had sacrificed a dozen of their J-8IIs and a few J-11s, two of which had run out of fuel before reaching their tankers over northern Tibet. It had been a costly exchange by all standards. And for Chen, the trade in lives for targets destroyed had not been acceptable. Feng on the other hand had no qualms on that issue.

Not after so many days into this war…

“General, you asked me to find a way to break through the Indian aerial defenses and destroy key airbases south of the battle lines. I did exactly that. I am as grieved as you are on the loss of our pilots and airframes during these attacks. But I have no other options. If we don’t prevent the Indians from pouncing on our missiles as they cross southern Tibet, they will never get through. I had no choice! We should simply be glad that it was the older J-8s that got mauled and not the more effective J-11s.”

Chen sighed and leaned back in his chair:

“It is a painful strategy, Feng. And you know it!”

“But it works!” Chen exclaimed. “That alone is all that should matter to us at this point! It worked when I applied it for the operations under Zhigao against the Indian airbase at Leh at the start of the war. It worked again in Bhutan against the airport at Paru. And now it has worked again against Thoise! In all cases we traded for this success with the lives of our pilots. But nothing else works and we are out of time!”

Chen pushed back his chair and got up, picking up the satellite imagery from the table. He glanced at them again before facing Feng:

“So what’s the analysis on this airbase we managed to hit?”

Feng smiled.

“Destroyed! For all practical purposes. Analysis suggests destruction of base facilities and the runway. They may be able to operate a few helicopters from now on, but by the time they get the airbase functional again to operate transport aircraft, this war would be over!”

One way or another… Feng didn’t add.

Now was not the time for doubt, but Chen was no fool.