Operation Red Dragon and the Unthinkable

The Lion Licks His Wounds

The Islamic Republic had been hit hard by the American nuclear response. The damage was still being assessed and communications across the Republic were sporadic at best. They had communications with their army in Amman, but little else was functioning.

“What is the status of our military? Do we still have a combat effective force?” asked Caliph Mohammed.

Zaheer Akhatar, the Caliph’s personal advisor laid out the news. “Our forces in Amman were unscathed by the American attack. We still have nearly three million regular and civilian militia forces ready for combat, though we lack the supplies for a long campaign. The rest of the Republic is in tatters. Our scientists, along with those from Russia and China, determined that the Americans used some sort of new bomb called a neutron bomb. When it detonates, it causes very little in the way of damage to the target, rather it emits a lethal dose of radiation to everyone within a 30-mile radius, and of course, emits a massive EMP. Near as we can tell, the Republic was hit with five of these devices. They hit Istanbul, Cairo, Riyadh, Baghdad and Tehran. These attacks were quickly followed up with 143 nuclear strikes, hitting every power plant, dam, hydroelectric dam, major seaport and logistical node in the entire Republic. The one exception was the province of Kuwait; the Chinese and Russian warships destroyed the American MIRVs targeting that area. The Americans also destroyed our largest 100 cities.”

“On a good note, the Chinese and Russian Navy was able to destroy forty-two nuclear missiles before they hit their targets. They are also connecting slave cables from their ships to our electrical grid to start providing localized power in parts of Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Oman.”

Caliph Mohammed sat in his chair for a minute, trying to digest what he had just been told. He stood up, motioning for everyone else to stay seated while he began to pace back and forth for a couple of minutes to try and decide what to do next. As he returned to his chair, he turned to his advisors and asked, “What options do we have left? Is the war still winnable?”

General Rafik Hamza, the overall commander of the IR military, knew the only option left was surrender, but he dared not suggest it. They had taken a calculated risk that the Americans would back down in light of the destruction of two of their cities. The introduction of a neutron bomb to the equation changed things immensely. Also, these missiles that the Americans used appeared to be the same as the ones that hit them at the outset of the war; their spies had told them that those were experimental missiles and that the U.S. did not have any more… they could not have been more wrong. If they were now mass producing these missiles, then the Republic did not have much time left to either win the war or surrender. They had also not taken into consideration the potential loss of their top 100 cities and their entire infrastructure.

The room was silent for a few awkward moments. Knowing someone had to deliver the bad news, General Hamza began, “Caliph Mohammed, we can continue to attack the American and Israeli forces through Jordan with our remaining forces and the supplies that we have left. When the Chinese and Russian forces move into position, we can begin a second offensive with them.”

“I gather from the tone of your voice that this is not how you would like to proceed?” asked the Caliph.

All eyes turned towards General Hamza to see what he would say next.

Rubbing his temples briefly, he said, “Caliph, we made a calculated risk that we could survive a nuclear strike by the Americans. We were wrong. We did not anticipate the use of a neutron bomb or the destruction of our top 100 cities. Our entire infrastructure — dams, power plants, bridges and roads — are being systematically destroyed by American drones now that our laser defense system is offline. We have no power practically anywhere in the Republic. Worse still, in many places, we have no water.”

He took a deep breath, knowing that he was about to risk his life with his next statement. “Caliph, I recommend that we pursue a ceasefire — not a peace agreement — a ceasefire. We can continue the war in a few months once the Russians attack the Americans and the Chinese continue their expansion. This will buy us time to pick up the pieces of the Republic and retain control of the country we have fought so hard to create.”

The Caliph sat back in his chair for a moment before responding. “Thank you for your direct and clear recommendation. We did make a calculation, and we were wrong. I happen to agree with you. I believe we should pursue a ceasefire. However, what do we do with China and Russia? The Chinese already have an Army group moving towards Amman, and Russia will have the 2^nd Shock Army move down through Syria. What should we tell them?” asked the Caliph with a bit of uncertainty.

“This is an interesting question. I am not sure how they will respond. The Chinese will demand that we continue the war; the Russians will as well,” General Rafik acknowledged.

“There is an alternative. We can continue the war, and go along with them but just not commit our forces as aggressively as we have. Rather than continue to attack with our full force, we use the minimal amount of forces possible while we focus on trying to hold onto the land we have. We are still allowing the Chinese and Russians to use our land as a launch point, and we will be supporting them, but our focus will be on rebuilding our infrastructure and country,” said Talal bin Abdulaziz. He was hoping everyone else understood his point.

Muhammad bin Aziz, the Minister of Industry, interjected, “Caliph, the Chinese have several ships in port right now in Kuwait. The Americans have not attacked them, and the ship Captains have agreed to provide us with short-term power. We still have a laser defense battery operational there, and I would like to get it back online and then get the power plant nearby repaired. Once it’s repaired, we can have our additive manufacturing plants (the 3D printing plants) operational. They can start producing the parts we need to get our power grid back online and get our laser defense systems running. The Russians are also sending dozens of their advanced S500 SAM systems. They are going to start establishing them throughout the country to try and help us get the American drones and fighters off our backs. Then we can prepare the area for their forces as they move into our lands.”

The Caliph got up and began to pace once again while he thought about what his advisors had suggested. If they did not restore power to the country and reestablish order, the entire Republic could spiral out of control and they could lose the country. “Talal and General Rafik, please get in contact with the Americans and see if we can get a 96-hour ceasefire while we work out the details of a truce. I also want you to get in touch with the Chinese and Russians; let them know that we are going to sue for a ceasefire (not a peace agreement, but a ceasefire) to buy ourselves some time. They are welcome to continue to use our facilities and access our territory. Any assistance they can provide to us would be greatly appreciated.”

Following the meeting, the Islamic Republic asked the Israelis and Americans for a four-day ceasefire while they worked out the details of a longer-term truce. The IR used this time to get several of their laser defense and SAM systems back online and secure a small bubble so that their manufacturing could start to replace destroyed power and transmission equipment. It was going to be critical to reestablish their power grid and restore order within the country. The Russians also began to provide the IR with several dozen mobile laser defense systems, reducing the effectiveness of Allied cruise missile and air attacks against the remaining IR infrastructure.

The Chinese 1^st EF and the Russian 2^nd Shock Army began to move towards Israel and the Allied Forces setting up the second battle for Israel.