Chapter 101

For Nathanial Hawk, a week was no longer sufficient for what he needed to do. He had been granted a week to plan out possibly one of the most daring and crazy operations of his entire life. For all intents and purposes, he was given free rein to see if an invasion of France was viable.

Of course, as soon as they heard what was being planned, the spin doctors and other political advisers immediately rebranded it. They were now calling it a “humanitarian intervention” launched by the British military. But anyone who knew the facts could see there was nothing short of Britain going in and taking over what was left of northern France in terms of military and civilian infrastructure.

The last week had passed in a blur of 18-hour days, with countless Intel and logistic reports. They covered everything from what the British military had to what they suspected was left in northern France. These reports can hide the fact that no matter how positive the spin of the unfolding disaster is, not just in Europe but for the whole world. Britain was one of the few nations holding on, but they were doing it by their fingernails.

He had not told anyone but had a secret idea in his mind for some time. It had only been feasible now with the new breached sealing devices. The data from tests they implemented on the mainland UK was clear. It was further backed up by tests conducted across several other Allied nations. These devices will be used to seal breaches located in the larger zones. This knowledge alone gave him something that he had found waning over the last few years- hope.

“Are you ready, Colonel?” Hawk turned to the government flunky who had asked the question.

“Yes. You can tell them that I’m ready.” The man nods and disappears at the door. Hawk looks around the room that he is far too familiar with. They were once more in the underground command bunker. This room was sealed against all known forms of electronic surveillance. Digital files could be shared between devices in the room, but nothing be transmitted in or out when the room was fully sealed.

Hawk had spent the last twenty minutes preparing the room for this presentation. He knew that this would be the most important of his life.

The door opened and people began moving in. The group is a bit of military and civilian. His commanding officer General Holsan was present with Mr Hamilton. He recognised several civilians as high-level civil servants and a few cabinet members. The military side was easier for him as it included almost the entire general staff. But everyone got situated and the room sealed, he began.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. As you all know, this is a top-secret code word-locked briefing.” The others in the room did not acknowledge this first part or simply nodded in understanding.

“This presentation will cover the basic outline of the proposed operation codenamed “Argonaut”.” With this, he pressed a button on the controller in his hand, which changed the monitor behind him from blank to a map of northern France. Highlighted on the map were all the locations of known zones, along with all known military and civilian assets. The area between the Belgian border to the Cherbourg peninsula was displayed.

“With deploying the new zone sealing technology here and with some of our allies, we have seen a massive improvement in local zone containment. At the moment, we have managed to achieve for the first time a situation where we are reclaiming areas from zones faster than new ones appearing.” This opening statement centre murmur through the room. It was a sense of optimism for the first time in God knows how long.

“However, this technology has come too late for many nations worldwide. Continental Europe is one example. Currently, zones are aggressively expanding across the continent and all effective civilian government infrastructure has collapsed. The Euro Corps is the last part of the European Union still functioning on any level. What is left of national governments is now devolved into pockets across the rapidly dwindling gaps between the zones.”

He paused for a moment to let that information sink in. They all knew this, but he needed to reinforce the dire situation that Europe was in.

“Because of this, we have seen a massive increase in refugees trying to flee to the United Kingdom and Ireland. Both countries have been forced to lockdown the sea and air routes. At the moment, we estimate that there are 20 million refugees on top of the normal population of this area of France trying to get to the United Kingdom.”

Again, murmurs flooded through the room. The situation here was degrading faster than any of them had feared. The numbers along the higher-than-expected and the humanitarian disaster wasn’t just a real possibility. It was happening right now.

“The goals of the operation Argonaut are four in number. First is that the United Kingdom’s civilian and military apparatus take control of this part of northern France. The reason for this is to use the existing military and civilian infrastructure in the area to help alleviate or prevent the humanitarian disaster from taking place. First, this will be done by stopping refugees, trying to cross the channel and supplying relief and security to the communities and camps.”

It was clear from the monitor what was planned when he pressed the button and changed the image to the second that showed the breakdown of where the military assets would be deployed. Calling it a humanitarian intervention was one thing. Still, it was clear to all the military personnel and quite a few of the civilians that it was a full-blown occupation.

“The second part of the operation would be the deployment of three teams of zone operatives to eliminate the zones which are aggressively expanding in the area.” Again, he manipulated the controller and changed the image highlighting three zones that were expanding and threatening the area.

“As you can see, we are concerned about three outside Dunkirk. This zone has almost overrun Lille and the one centred at Amiens.” He turned and pointed out the three zones even though they were highlighted. “These three, if left to expand at their current rate, will drive the civilian population into the channel. Every analyst spoken to has agreed that they need to be dealt with if we are to secure the area.”

He pauses again, allowing the information to be assimilated by the group.

“The mission’s third part is eliminating all the remaining smaller zones within the designated area. This will be done for two reasons, first of all, the safety and security of the area. Secondly, the farmland can be brought back into full usage, help supply the refugee population with food.”

Many were nodding as he broke down this part of the operation as food supplies were becoming critical worldwide. Any way of increasing food production was being investigated aggressively by every nation.

“The fourth and final part of Operation Argonaut is to expand the control area along the northern French coast to the Brest zone. Once there, we will attempt to retake the city.”

The murmurs were more surprised and shocked as this was not part of the expected plan. Many were scoffing at the scale of what he was proposing.

“Are there any questions?” Hawk asked the room.

“Yes, I have one.” Came from one of the cabinet undersecretaries. “The first three parts of the operation, I understand why the fourth? Why go for Brest?”

“Brest was chosen for two reasons. First, its reclaiming as a major seaport would greatly benefit the area and second, it is the largest zone in northern France outside of Paris.” The Paris zone at the moment had subsumed 80% of the city but, thankfully, was not expanding at the moment.

“I can understand why you would want to launch operation Argonaut. But is there another reason Colonel Hawk?” This came from Hamilton. Hawk was not surprised at the shrewd old man had seen that he had been planning something else.

“Yes, Sir. Operation Argonaut, first of all, is a humanitarian mission. However, it is also field testing, a concept we have been developing on a much larger scale for the last few weeks. If successful, we hope it will be the basis for a concentrated attempt to retake continental Europe from the zones.”

There were no murmurs this time as the room broke into genuine arguments and conversations between various people. The scale of his proposal was daunting; many believed it was impossible. Colonel Hawk was a man who loved history. He loved reading about it and the biographies of the men and women who fashioned the times they lived in. Looking around the room, he knew that they were in such a time and at a critical moment. The problem was the current generation; to be honest, most politicians from after the Second World War had lost the ability to think and act boldly. This only got worse as time went on as the “professional” politician came to run most nations.

He was sworn to serve his nation, his king and the government that represented them, always believing in that oath. Since the appearance of the zones, he had become increasingly frustrated at the sheer incompetence and arrogance of many within the political system and civil service. These men and women had left university and gone straight into politics or the civil service. Nearly all were from middle-class or higher social levels. In their lives, they had enjoyed all the luxuries and benefits that society had never seen hardship or real suffering, unlike the bulk of the population. Hawk was from a working-class family and had struggled to get the grades to get into Sandhurst as an officer.

There were still competent people in the government and civil service, but they were far outnumbered now by the “professional” types who only cared for their advancement or re-election. There were days he just wanted to scream at them that they were servants of the people, not the other way around. But as an officer in his Majesty’s Armed Forces, he had remained silent.

Watching the occupants of the room, he could see the clear divide. The military was quietly discussing their options with a few civilians. The other civilians, all of them politicians and a few civil servants, were loudly arguing.

In his eyes, the argument was ludicrously focused on Britain's right to take over France. It still shocks him in some ways that these politicians could not understand or grasp the simple truth. To all intents and purposes, the nation-state of France did not exist anymore. But still, they cling to the past and what they knew, thinking that the old order was still in effect. Some even voiced concerns about how such actions would affect their voters and re-election chances. That almost made him laugh out loud as several have attempted to do away with the election process entirely and become dictators in all but name, citing the current emergency with the zones as the need. His Majesty and the military had quietly informed them that that was not happening, so the issue was dropped.

There was one source of optimism in the room for the Hawk. That was Mr Hamilton. He was one of the most senior civil servants in the government and many members of the Cabinet would not dare cross him. He was the one who had kept the nation and government running during the crisis forcing through the changes that needed to be done. He remained quiet throughout the whole presentation. He was looking hard at the map of northern France.

To his right, General Holsan was talking to several other high-ranking officers and they were all nodding in agreement to whatever he was saying. Colonel Hawk was waiting, knowing these two would ultimately make or break his proposal. The Cabinet might block it, but if these two men back him, he had a far better chance of getting it implemented.

“Quite!” Hamilton spoke loudly. This brought the room quickly to order and silence. He focused on Hawk.

“Okay, Colonel Hawk. Let’s get into the details.”

Hawk let out a breath he was holding and nodded to the man.