TFA1 3.18 - The Last Meeting
Modest Apartment in the downtown of Rio Gallegos, Argentina.
10:00, 26 April 2024
Most people would not have thought that one of the richest women on earth was staying in a cheap apartment in the southern tip of Argentina. As usual, Claire wore a casual outfit consisting of basketball shoes, jeans, a t-shirt, and a light jacket. Leisurely, she sat cross-legged on the sofa, enjoyed a jumbo-sized waffle while studying TF Amethyst's shopping list.
Overall TF Amethyst purchased 34 million tons of weapons, equipment, spare parts, and ammunition, and the delivery was divided into 9 months, or about 12% of the total quota each month.
To avoid the unwanted attention, the delivery would also be made from dozens of different places using different routes. Fortunately, US Military had bases and weapon depots all over the world. So only a few sensitive systems and technologies were taken directly from America. Even so, planning the purchase and delivery routes for all these quotas within three months was not trivial. Considering that transactions and the delivery were carried out in silence.
However, Vex could execute this complex and large operation perfectly. He started work in mid-December 2023, and last month the first shipment of TF Amethyst assets had arrived safely at Harley Quinn, along with shipment of food, construction material, and fuel with the total amount up to three times from the main package.
In addition, Vex also managed to get real clients from countries in Africa for Amethyst Security Group. Therefore, the lobbies he did to find out the latest developments in military industry would seem like lobbies for these clients.
And this month, Vex would supervise the second shipment. If this delivery was successful, then for the next shipment, Vex would not need to return to Earth until Nouel was ready to be marketed to America. Meaning, this was the last time Claire could see Vex before the total cut-off for around two years. The cut-off of communications was necessary, as after she hired Vex, the wiretapping attempt on her had increased six folds.
'From the beginning, I should have recruited Vex as Uncle O'Neil suggested,' Claire muttered as she reached for the second waffle.
Then, Bob suddenly walked in and rushed over to her. "Miss, Mr. Vex just landed. But he left the escort team and now we don't know where he is."
Claire gave a small nod before casually saying, "Then we'll wait here."
"Understood."
After a small bow Bob then immediately left the room.
---
Cheap bar on the outskirts of Rio Gallegos, Argentina.
A white man of medium stature and modest clothing, sat in one corner of the bar accompanied by a local newspaper and a bottle of beer. Even though he was 56 years old, at first glance the man still looked like he was in his early 40s.
The man in the corner of the bar was Major General Randy Westwood. He was former Commanding Officer of 1st Infantry Division who later made a career at Pentagon.
At first, many people thought the tough-minded general would fail at Pentagon, which was known as a political battleground for top US military officials. However, it seemed Major General Randy had hidden talent as a politician. He later became Pentagon's golden boy and thrived as Vice Chief of Staff of The Army. It had even been confirmed that next year he would be promoted to Chief of Staff of The Army.
As soon as Vex passed the bar entrance, several men with Mk.18 immediately searched him thoroughly before allowing him to approach Major General Randy's desk.
Major General Randy then put down the newspaper in his hand before turning his gaze to Vex. "You didn't bring your bodyguard?"
As he sat in front of Major General Randy, Vex answered, "They stand by across the street, and will fire a Javelin if I don't come out in five minutes."
"Nice jokes." Major General Randy downed a mouthful of his beer before continuing, "So, why do you suddenly want to meet with me?"
"Regarding my order, can you speed up the procurement?"
"Nope," Major General Randy replied flatly. He then took a deep breath before continuing, “Your order this time is ten times larger and more complex than the order for Central Africa Federation, and I have worked so damn hard to shorten the procurement time by three times.
So it's impossible to shorten it anymore. Unless, you want to actively involve other big players."
Vex instantly shook his head. "Can't involve them, but I can add some purchase funds."
"Vex, I'm sure you know this is not about money." Major General Randy was silent for a moment before continuing, "Previously, I helped you supply the Central Africa Federation because you promised me their natural resources would only go into US of A.
For this order, I am once again willing to help you because you put forward the same conditions. Although this time you didn't tell me which country you supplied."
Vex gave a small nod before saying, "I know you've worked hard. But I'm really in a desperate situation. At least include the spare Howitzer barrel, 155 mm shell, Mk.84 along with Paveway II and JDAM kit in this shipment."
Major General Randy took a deep look at Vex before saying, "Vex, the shipment was arranged in a specific way so that no one would sniff it. Therefore, one small change could bust this operation open.
As in the previous shipment, you forced six Advanced Super Hornets with tactical nuclear capability to be included, and CIA sniffed it out. If I hadn't risked my career, some of your cargo ships would have been sunk by Devgru in the middle of nowhere."
"Sorry about that, but I need to get the Super Hornet's operational data in the Area of Operation as soon as possible."
"Well, in the end everything went well. So it's okay. But now, we can only follow our schedule and maintain a low profile attitude."
"Yeah."
After gulping down his beer, Major General Randy then stood up and walked towards the exit.
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Modest Apartment in the downtown of Rio Gallegos, Argentina.
12:30, 26 April 2024
As soon as Vex sat down next to her, the first thing Claire asked was, "Vex, who did you just meet?"
"It would be much better if you didn't know."
"Vex, I'm your Boss. Answer my question!"
"My Boss is General O'Neil."
"Vex, The Boss of your Boss is your Boss."
Vex smiled before casually saying, "Boss of my Boss, as far as I remembered, you promised me to close your eyes, ears, and nose to my activities as a means for operational security."
Claire instantly pursed her lips, but she didn't push Vex any further. Then, while thrusting the laptop on her lap to Vex, she said, "Fine, let's hear your report."
"First, this is a report from Mr. Slane." Vex handed Claire a USB before turning on Claire's laptop and plugging an SD card into one of the slots.
"In general, all TF Amethyst assets are working well on Amstell Continent. LAV Shorad has done a jump test. The Super Hornet has dogfighting with Black Eagle dozens of times, although dogfights with Rider-controlled Cloud Hawk have yet to be carried out. We will also keep Abrams and all assets that were already sent before you recruited me."
Vex then showed Terry Hill as seen from above before continuing, "The problem is, it turns out there's a giant gold mine in Harley Quinn's side yard."
Claire frowned before asking, "Does any Region know about it?"
"We've confirmed that the two nearby Regions don't know about it. The gold mine is managed by a foreign party from outside Amstell Continent, and because of a spontaneous incident we were forced to seize it."
After changing the display on the laptop to a giant encampment on the east coast of Amstell Continent, Vex added, "On the first day they managed to land 60 thousand combatants. The last day before I left, the number was 300 thousand combatants and 100 thousand construction workers."
Claire surveyed the various constructions in the display before asking, "What are they building?"
Vex calmly replied, "A fortress city. It was concluded that their initial goal was an invasion of Amstell Continent. Then their scout elements somehow found a gold mine and decided to exploit it. IDG also estimated that they had a large number of spies planted into the two nearby Regions."
"What is our response?"
"IDG wants to launch an operation to exert influence in the two closest Regions. But Old Man O'Neil and I refused. We agreed not to open diplomacy or reveal Harley Quinn's existence until we have a minimum essential force, or it would be ideal if we wait until TF Amethyst is in full combat-ready."
After pondering for a moment, Claire asked again, "Why don't we launch an airstrike against this visitor?"
Vex took a deep breath before saying, "Super Hornet's combat radius for air interdiction is only 721 km, while the distance to the east coast is 1800 km. We also haven't mapped Amstell Continent as the base for the Inertial Navigation System. And so, long-range smart ammunition can't be used yet."
"So, what can we do?"
"We can create artificial rain to turn some of the grasslands along the invasion route into a swamp. In the invasion route, there are also vast mountain ranges. So we can fake landslides when they pass."
"Can we speed up the delivery of TF Amethyst assets?"
"Nope and money can't resolve it. I've tried offering it to our broker."
Claire thought for a while before saying, "What if I reveal my status as a 40% holder of US of A economy, and then publicly support the acquisition of TF Amethyst assets?"
Vex firmly replied, "Absolutely not, you are our ultimate card and must be saved until the last second. Remember, when Nouel enters US of A, our strongest enemy will appear and you have to make sure TF Amethyst is not being swallowed alive."
Claire pursed her lips before saying, "No sweats, in two years I will control 80% of US of A economy."
After a deep sigh, Vex then said, "Well, it's not easy, but right now we can only wait patiently, and try not to commit any reckless actions either on earth or on Amstell Continent."
Claire nodded firmly before saying, "Understood."
"Well, I have to see the delivery team and make sure everything is going well, so see you until the next meeting."
"Okay."
Wasting no time, Vex then got up and walked towards the exit. At the same time, Claire was also preparing to return to San Francisco.
---
Cabin of a Gulfstream G650, airspace in the northern tip of Argentina.
15:20, 26 April 2024
While supporting her chin using the back of her left palm, Claire looked at the cloud out of the window. Bob, who was sitting in front of her, was curious as to why she had been pensive since the plane took off. So he tries to find out the reason.
"Miss, are you thinking about Terry Hill?"
"Yeah." Claire took a deep breath before continuing, "The gold deposit in Terry Hill would be enough to build a second Federal Reserve, but as you know we can't bring the gold here."
Bob nodded slightly. More or less he knew why large amounts of gold could not be brought to earth.
The US of A used gold as insurance if the US of D and the US of A’s economy crash. Given the amount of gold on earth would remain as it was, its value would stable when economic growth was good, and would skyrocket if the economy collapses. Therefore, if suddenly the amount of gold increased dramatically, the price of gold would fall and this was tantamount to cutting the value of economic insurance owned by US of A.
With a tone full of regret, Bob then said, "If the mine is a nickel, cobalt, or copper deposit, then one of TF Amethyst's main goals to support future energy needs in US of A will be fulfilled."
"Yup" Claire sighed before asking, "Regarding Vex's purchases and deliveries, did you hear anything?"
"Yesterday my colleagues at CIA told me some things that might have a thing or two connected with TF Amethyst."
Curiosity immediately flashed in Claire's gaze, "Tell me!"
After clearing his throat, Bob then began to explain. In early February, six Super Hornets at MacDill Naval Station were declared as total loss due to cracks in their airframes. But the six Super Hornets never arrived at the junkyard like official documents.
In the same week, CIA discovered that six packages of Advanced Super Hornet upgrades with tactical nuclear capability had been sent to the Middle East. The operation to intercept this shipment was about to launch, when suddenly Pentagon decided to cancel it.
Bob showed the report he was reading before continuing, "Surprisingly, the report from Mr. Vex this time stated that TF Amethyst already has six operational Super Hornets. While all Super Hornets that TF Amethyst bought have not yet been delivered and are still in our warehouse."
Claire nodded slightly before asking, "What about the tactical nuke weapon system?"
With a serious expression Bob replied, "There are rumors that Israel is testing a tactical nuclear with the code name Gundam Zero in the middle of some desert. The weapon system has a range of 2,000 km when released from an altitude of 30,000 feet by a fighter. It has the capability of stealth flying, counter-jamming, and guided by artificial intelligence.
The weapon system is designed to detonate at an altitude of 1000 feet, and then generate a hot cloud that will turn the target below into ash up to a radius of 80 km, and be uninhabitable for 5-8 years."
Claire nodded slightly before saying, "A weapon to wipe out a city or kill a titan monster like King Ghidorah."
Bob nodded and said in a serious tone, "Miss, it's not too late to call Mr. Vex and ask him why he developed weapons of mass destruction."
"Don't worry about it. We won't use it against fellow humans," Claire replied calmly before leaned her head and closing her eyes.
A question mark immediately gripped Bob's heart, but he didn't ask further and let Claire got some rest.
*****