January 14th, 2021, 15:00, National Emergency Center cabinet meeting, Blue House, Jongro-ku, Seoul

  “Vice-Minister Nam Won-il, I am not suggesting that war is impossible. However, the war against China resulted in 4,852 casualties and 10,000 injured men. Must we throw our young men into the typhoon of war again?”


  “It is a soldier’s duty to fight for the nation. And dying in the field is an unavoidable part of a war that is also an honor. Is it not?”


  “Vice-Minister Nam Won-il, you should stop speaking as if you’re still a part of North Korea’s Communist Party. This is the Federal Republic of Corea, a nation of democracy.”


  “Minister Lim Tae-yeon! What did you just say to me?”


  “Vice-Minister Nam! Enough! That is no way to speak to the minister.”


  Vice President Kim Yeo-jeong had to step in to control the situation. The heated argument between Vice-Minister Nam Won-il and Minister Lim Tae-yeon turned the atmosphere in the room negative.

  “I apologize, comrade Vice President. I was too emotional for a moment. Minister Lim Tae-yeon, I am sorry.”


  “No. I spoke out of turn and said something that I shouldn’t have. I was thoughtless. I am sorry as well, Vice-Minister.”


  The ministers of every department have been working under President Suh Hyun-woo ever since he took office. All except for Minister Go Ji-seon. As such, these ministers worked faithfully under the President’s trust and were given the freedom to express their opinions during cabinet meetings. However, what Minister Lim Tae-yeon said was out of line and proved to be a grave mistake.

  “Minister Lim, never make such statements again.”


  Prime Minister Lee Young-ho sternly warned the minister.

  “Yes, I was thoughtless. I am sorry, Mr. President, Madam Vice President!”


  “Now, let us continue with the meeting.”


  President Suh Hyun-woo replied with a smile and called for the meeting to continue.

  “Minister Kang, can we intercept all of Russia’s ballistic missile forces with our own military’s power? I am asking out of curiosity.”


  Minister of Justice Lee Jae-soo asked a practical question.

  “It will depend on how many missiles Russia sends our way, but based on the Chinese ballistic missile attacks we intercepted, the CAMD (Corea Air and Missile Defense) system is capable of intercepting 250 missiles set at a 100%.”


  “So if there are more than 250 rounds of missiles heading towards our nation, then there is a possibility that a nuclear missile would fall in our territory?”


  “Well, based on the stats, yes.”


  “A moment ago, Minister Lim said that Russia is capable of operating 12,000 rockets, and it currently holds 4,650 nuclear warheads. Based on that information, they’re able to make 18 successive nuclear missile attacks. That’s beyond our interception capabilities then.”


  Taking the numbers into account, this was not something that should be scoffed at. Russia would be able to carry out nuclear strikes that would wipe Corea off the map, 18 times.

  “Each ballistic missile has a different range, so the number of strikes may be different. And based on our analysis from the Ministry of National Defense, there would be eight waves of attacks that our technology would not be able to intercept.

  Minister Kang Hyun-soo laid out the facts.

  “Despite all of the numbers, must we even continue the war against Russia? Our people are finally at a point where they can live their lives again. Must we ruin things for them now? The Ministry of National Defense must surely have another solution, no?”


  Minister Lee Jae-soo’s question took Minister Kang Hyun-soo by surprise. It made him answer with a look of bewilderment on his face.

  “As a solution, we are preparing to deploy satellites Zeus 2 and 3 on the field. They have been equipped with new technology. At the same time, if we can deploy the CFS/A-31SP Three-Toed Crow space fighter jets, then intercepting the ballistic missiles, and the cost of time and money to resupply Zinog missiles to the Zeus satellites can be drastically reduced. In short, the jets can be considered as flying Zeus satellites. If the two newly developed Zeus satellites and the space fighter jets can be developed and deployed on time, then our interception capabilities can be increased to up to 900 rounds of missiles. I am handing out the documents related to the project. These are all S-ranked top-secret documents, so they will be collected after the meeting is over.”


  The Minister of National Defense, Kang Hyun-soo, gave the signal and some of the secretaries standing by at the corner of the meeting room started handing out documents.

  “I believe that this will be more than enough to intercept the ballistic missile strikes. It may not be an active response, but using the X-1 plasma cluster bombs as a retaliation will dampen any additional nuclear strikes plans. The X-1 bomb is equal to a 1Mt class nuclear bomb in terms of power, and that is 50 times more powerful than the bomb that fell on Hiroshima.”


  *The standard C-PAB plasma cluster guided missiles used by the Phoenix fighter jets and black Phoenix bombers were up to par with the 5Kt nuclear bombs. The C-SH Zinog missiles used by the Zeus 1 tactical strike satellite was up to par with the 20Kt nuclear bombs. The new X-1 missiles have the same power as the 1Mt nuclear bombs and can be operated and launched by the military’s ballistic missile forces. The KB-30P Blue Dragon bombers or the CFS/A-31P Three-toed Crow space fighter jet that is scheduled to be deployed in mid-2021 were most likely to be equipped with the X-1 missile as well.

  “So it’s a super-nuclear bomb that has zero radiation fallout?”


  Minister Lee Jae-soo asked with a look of disbelief.

  “Yes, you could look at it that way.”


  “When will the new Zeus satellites and the Three-toed Crow fighter jets be deployed on the field?”


  Minister Nam Tae-yeon asked.

  “The Zeus satellites were scheduled to be deployed in May this year, but the Corean-Chinese war affected the timeline. We pushed the schedule forward and now they are in the final stages of assembly. At the earliest, we think the satellites should be able to be deployed next month. We are also testing the completely assembled prototype of the space fighter jet.”


  “If that is the case, then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will do all it can to deter a full-on war against Russia until the Zeus satellites and Three-toed Crow space fighter jets are ready to be deployed on the field. How about that?”


  Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Jae-hak spoke in a determined tone.

  “That’s an excellent solution. If we can fend off Russia’s nuclear weapons, wouldn’t it mean that we are more than capable of defending against their ground forces?”


  Hearing Minister Nam Tae-hyun, who was initially against the idea of war, speaking in such an agreeable manner, the other ministers in the room nodded in agreement as well.

  “Very well. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will handle Russia for now. But what should we do about Japan?”


  Prime Minister Lee Young-ho, the moderator of this meeting, concluded the discussion about Russia and moved on to the topic of Japan.

  “Given the opportunity, I would like to give Japan a taste of its own medicine.”


  Although he was quiet throughout the discussion on Russia, Minister Oh Seung-tae from the Ministry of Unification Policy was determined to speak up when the topic of Japan came up.

  “I agree with Minister Oh as well.”


  “I agree as well.”


  “So do I.”


  Many of the ministers showed their support. President Suh Hyun-woo began to speak.

  “The words I am about to say are top-secret. So please keep confidentiality in mind as you listen.”


  The high ranking government officials in attendance all tensed up when they heard the words “top-secret” come out of the President’s mouth.

  “I am sure you are all aware of the fact that Japan was behind the Sarin gas attacks at Ji-Ling province. Well, we have confirmation that Japan attempted yet another strike against us. They attempted to assassinate Vice-President Kim Yeo-jeong during our reunification ceremony.”


  The minsters and vice-ministers, excluding the few that already knew, were shocked into silence. Vice-President Kim Yeo-jeong was surprised as well. She remembered that there was a small commotion when she stepped up on stage to make her address, but she did not realize that it was an assassination attempt. The Vice-President, as well as the meeting’s attendees, were all in considerable shock, and no one dared to speak. That was when Vice-Minister Nam Won-il stood up and asked loudly.

  “Is this true?”


  The President gestured for the crowd to settle down before he answered.

  “I will explain everything later. So please, Vice-Minister Nam, sit down.”


  “Ah! I apologize. Mr. President.”


  “Japan’s Prime Minister Abe unofficially visited America four days ago. The meeting was a bid to strengthen the military treaty between the two nations. We also found out that Japan is making attempts to purchase different types of weapons from America; weapons that the U.S Congress has explicitly banned. Can I assume all of you are able to deduce what this means?”


  The Minister of Education was the one who answered the President’s question:

  “They are preparing for a war against our nation, are they not, Sir?”


  “Yes, exactly. Japan, with the backing of the United States, is preparing to go to war with us.”


  “But Mr. President, Japan doesn’t have any military force that is capable of landing within Corea. And we’ve already defeated their naval forces…… twice! Their navy is supposed to be superior to ours, and yet they still lost. However, I am concerned about what America is doing behind the scenes.”


  Minister of Justice Lee Jae-soo, who held a practical viewpoint, spoke up.

  “Yes, you have assessed things correctly. America’s involvement is what is important here. This is why I kept hidden the fact that Japan carried out Sarin gas attacks at Ji-Ling province, and that they attempted to assassinate a key figure in our nation. If these acts were to be revealed to the world, America would have to face some severe repercussions if they continue to support Japan blindly.

  The President’s voice became stronger as he continued speaking.

  “Based on the actions taken against our nation, Corea has every right to retaliate and launch an attack against Japan. This is why I would prefer to put a quick end to Japan, even if we’re not sure about Russia just yet.”


  The President’s speech showed his resolve and determination. When he finished speaking, Vice President Kim Yeo-jeong spoke.

  “I am also in agreement with the President. Japan is not only denying its historical wrongdoings but also victimizing themselves from the nuclear attacks to elicit pity. I think we should take this opportunity to give them the just punishment they deserve.”


  “If anyone has any doubt or a different opinion from the President, please speak out now.”


  To conclude the meeting regarding Japan, Prime Minister Lee Young-ho opened the floor up to discussion. Everyone in the room, however, held the same opinion as the President, and so, it was concluded that the nation would engage in a full-on war with Japan. An official document of approval would be sent to the senate to conclude the matter.

  The cabinet meeting ended at 7pm, after several discussions on the projects that were started after the reunification.

  * * *

  January 15th, 2021, 10:00, the 17th Fighter Wing airforce base, Choongbook Cheongju-si

  A large cargo truck drove up to the runway of the 17th Fighter Wing base, carrying something that was covered in a black tarp. Based on the cargo’s size, it seemed to be 1.5 times larger than the CF/A-25PN Black Phoenix fighter jet.

  The mysterious cargo was carefully lowered by a crane installed on the back of the truck while being under the military police surveillance. When the black tarp was taken off, a never-before-seen jet was revealed. At first look, the jet appeared to deviate from the standard design of a fighter jet. Unlike the Phoenix jets and Black Phoenix bombers’ sleek and high-tech appearance, this new jet looked alien.

  This was the CFS/A-31SP Three-toed Crow space fighter jet, and it was designed with variable wings. Its construction was the result of a three-year project that involved a hundred researchers and technicians working at the Olympus base. It was the only jet that was capable of flying both at atmosphere levels and in space. In theory, it could reach the moon in nine hours and would take 18 hours to return to earth. It was the world’s first human-crewed spacecraft.

  The CFS/A-31SP Three-toed Crow’s first pilots were Lt.Colonel Lee Doo-ho, and his cohorts, the instructors from the 99th Flight Training Wing. Lt.Colonel Lee Doo-ho was the instructor for Choi Young-ho and Jeon Chang-bin and now, he held the honor of being the first pilot to fly the space fighter jet.

  A moment later, the three pilots, including Lt.Colonel Lee Doo-ho, walked out from a building. Unlike the typical pilot’s suit, the three men wore sleek-looking outfits that looked like they belonged in a science fiction movie.

  Crew: 3 men

  Length: 30.3m x 25.5m(13.5m) x 5.1m

  Base weight: 4t

  Maximum take-off weight: 300t

  Maximum altitude: None

  Radar: C-HOKULLA 03 MCS

  Engine: C-PTZ-2000 x 2

  Sub-engines: C-PTZ-1000 x 2

  Engine output: 300,000 x 2 / 12,000 x 2

  Maximum distance: Limitless

  Action radius: 500,000km

  Maximum speed (Space/Atmosphere): Mach 38 / Mach 18

  Supercruise: Mach 30

  Stealth capabilities: 100%

  Arms:

  Interception laser cannon: 50mm high-powered laser beam.

  4 Space-to-surface Zinog missiles.

  6 Space-to-surface Epirus missiles

  2 X-1 (Plasma cluster bomb) missiles.