WesWorld

Shh. It'll be fun!

Well, I mean, the Mexican Armed Forces have done stupider things *cough cough San Jacinto cough cough*

The question is, who in the war zone will attack these vessels ?? Chosen ??? I don't think .... China ??? Surely not !!! And the other "neutral" nations ??? I don't believe .... by the way ... maybe the Mexicans get accompaniment in the middle of the Pacific

Quoted

Originally posted by parador
The question is, who in the war zone will attack these vessels ?? Chosen ??? I don't think .... China ??? Surely not !!! And the other "neutral" nations ??? I don't believe .... by the way ... maybe the Mexicans get accompaniment in the middle of the Pacific

Well, one potential problem that comes to mind is Japan.

I mean, they are Chosen's ally within SATSUMA. Oh, wait, China is also Japan's ally. That seems sort of a sticky wicket for the Shogun.

Yeah when is Japan going to say something? Being shacked up with two allies like those Japan needs no enemies!

Don't you see that Japan is waiting until both sides have decimated each other before moving in and taking over the entire...

... Whoops! Me and my big mouth. Just ignore those words.

Hah perhaps it wasn't the Chinese that Korea's Glorious Leader should have been worried about it was Japan all along!

Somewhere in the Pacific, CVL Cinco De Mayo

Capitan Salazar was not a happy man. Not only had he been assigned to a glorified scout platform instead of one of the Hermosillos, but even now, several days out of port, he was being kept in the dark about their mission. Of course the Admiral would pick the Villa over his ship and maintain radio silence.

Of course war had broken out in Asia, and Mexico was friendly with China, but if China was their destination why where they dragging along a friggin seaplane tender, the ex-Chinese Yingkou, probably didn't even have enough fuel to get halfway across. The two slow Obregon class gunboats didn't make sense either. To make matters worse, half of his torpedo bombers had been replaced with 3 Toucans. Half of his very limited firepower replaced with a glorified touring plane.

The flash of signal lights from the Villa ahead broke the Captain out of his thoughts. Soon after the Chihuahua and Durango split of from the formation to port and starboard respectively. the next signal was directed to the Cinco de Mayo...


Toucans aboard the Cinco de Mayo

Somewhere in the Pacific, 1st Cruiser Squadron

CA Villa

Admiral Mendoza scanned the skies with concern. The Do-24 squadron was an hour overdue, and they had mentioned slight headwinds. The planes would be running low on fuel and he didn't have enough assets to mount a full scale search in an emergency.

"Admiral! Red flares aft starboard!"

The lookout's cry was a relief quickly followed by the crackling of the radio.

"Welcome White Flight, this is Toucan One, proceed on course two-seven-zero, you are 50 klicks out."

The admiral looked outside as two Wildcats roared overhead on their way to escort the incoming flyingboats.

***

CVL Cinco de Mayo

Capitan Salazar watched as one by one the five Do-24 flyingboats came into landing on the fortunately calm waters. They had brought an entire cruiser squadron to babysit a bunch of flyingboats? No surprise attack on the Chosen fleet, no practice mission for a potential attack on the Panama Canal, no, just a mobile gas station for humanitarian planes... Well Mexico was buying more Olympias from the US, maybe he could finally transfer out of this bloody flattop.

If the Mexicans want Olympia's we'll build some....for a fee but the cruisers the Mexicans get are Columbia's

Lol, yeah I meant Columbias, for some reason I keep trying to call them and the Omahas, Olympias.

Estacion Policia Federal Acapulco

The man standing in the police station was no normal police man. The suit and the glaring look told everyone that he meant business.

"Sir, are you sure these men are spies?"

"No doubt, we have kept a close eye on them."

"Do you want us to arrest them and bring them in?"

"No, I have something more interesting in mind...

This man, Jose Edid grandfather was of German decent, was seen snooping around and talking to his German handlers around the time that sensitive material was being shipped from the port. Terminate him with extreme prejudice, deliver the head to the German embassy.

This man, Cesar Sala, we will be a little more lenient with him, he can prove useful later on, have the Judiciales pay him a visit, but no visible damage, is that clear?"

"Yes sir, and the rest on the list?"

"Leave them for now, word will spread, lets see if they get the message."

"Sir, we have been ordered to provide security for the next shipment, should we increase the security detail?"

"No, let these foreign spies see, let them see and let them tremble."

As the man walk out of the office a feeling of dread feel over the building, someone higher up was playing hardball.


***


"Do you think it is wise not to increase security? Proyecto Salamandra has been top secret for a while now, could it be too early?"

"No, they will know sooner or later, now is the time."


***

Later that week, midnight, Port of Acapulco

A stream of trucks arrived to the two waiting transports. The long foreboding shapes of 15 tanks could be seen among them. Unlike before these tanks where being kept closely wrapped, their identity concealed, however a careless worker had left a knot undone. One of the canvas covers dropped revealing the menacing turret of a AT-40 MkIII tank.

Close behind them came another group of trucks, these carrying the sleek shapes of Aguila fighters, but in between them was a different aircraft, again kept under cover. About the same size as the Aguila, the new plane was drastically different in shape. No propeller could be seen, instead a long barrel shaped object stretching from the forward mounted cockpit to the tail, gave the plane a hunchback look.

Workers began swarming over the trucks, everything had to be loaded before sunrise...

Streets of Acapulco

A sense of foreboding filled Cesar, something was not right, the screeching of tires behind him cause him to turn, then a sharp pain in the head and the world went black...

... a pounding headache and cobwebs in the eyes greeted him as he came too in a deserted warehouse. Fear suddenly filled him as he saw the dreaded Judiciales.

"You know who we are?"

"Si senor." He meekly answered.

"You know why you are here?"

A nod was all he could muster in response.

"Then you must know that spying for a foreign nation is treason and punishable by death?"

Another nod.

"But just so you know that we like to be lenient we will allow you to live, and your family too."

Shock and dread registered on the man's face.

"Not my family..."

"Not to worry, they wont be harmed, IF you cooperate... will you?"

"Si senor, whatever you say, please forgive me."

"Very well, first not a word to your foreign employer, you squeak even a little, and your family dies. Secondly, continue as before, don't give any suspicions, you can continue to spy for him, but... we will be keeping an eye on you, and there will come a time when we might require you to modify your report to him or send an extra message, don't disappoint us... Of course you can't leave unpunished. Manuel, rough him up, but remember no marks, the kidney area should work fine."

Airfield in China, approximately a month later

"Capitan, these are very impressive, pity we can't use them."

"That is most unfortunate General, unfortunately we just don't have the technology. Although the quality of work is so good, I think if we found them some engines they could really fly."

"What did happen to the pulsejet program?"

"It was technological dead end General, they work, but every single test flight ended in a crash. There was simply no way to make a manned fighter with them, vibrations alone would severely disrupt the pilot's command. And we don't have enough money to pursue proper jet engines. So money was diverted towards other projects, maybe in a couple years we can buy some jets, Ive heard the South Africans are willing to sell just about anything to anyone."

"Hehe, you have heard about the rumored shipments to Chosen? So why the subterfuge, why the wooden mockups?"

"Others are watching General, let them chase red herrings. News of your new jet planes will travel, they will be useful to identify spies in our midst, and to divert attention. While the enemy chases after fake planes, we can ship in Aguilas and Mapaches unnoticed. Soon the Mexican Volunteer Group will be ready for action, and that should be keep under wraps, so the enemy has no idea what hits them."

"A good idea. The AT-40 looks like a nice tank, it is better armed than our own LT-15s. Why send them? Didn't you just start production of them?"

"We have, but what better testing ground than an actual war? Best to work out the kinks now, while there is still time to fix them."

the two officers continued walking and discussing logistics and shipping plans, behind them ten fighters that would never fly, menacing shark mouths on every one of them...


***


Mexico, Intelligence Division Offices

"Sir, its been a while now, we haven't gone after any of the other spies, and we haven't even used the one we turned. What are we doing?"

"Oh nothing, the damage has been done, we just continue keeping tabs on them. Its quite simple really, we have created doubt in the mind of our opponents. Every piece of information they collect will have to be double and triple checked, they wont know if its true or if we are feeding them false information. All we have to do is toss them a trick or two every once in a while."

<Tips hat>

Well played; well played indeed.

Second. All the independent news pieces now make a plot like it had always been intended like that... Like it. :o)