OOC: This is the first part of a larger series of threads known as the The Filipino-Columbian War, a 21st century conflict between the Empire of Columbia and the Socialist Republic of the Philippines. For more information, please see the OOC Thread. To participate in this thread you must be a member of Earth II. All active, Earth II participants, please speak to me over Discord or through telegram concerning your role in the thread - if you would like one.
Marshal Alfonso Flores didn't bother to turn on the light on his bedside table when the phone on that very same nightstand buzzed. His wife, asleep on the other side of the bed, stirred ever so slightly but she slept like a log and so the general knew his conversation would not awake her. Still, the marshal wasn't a thoughtless man, especially not after thirty-seven years of marriage. When he answered the phone, he did so in a hushed whisper, "Yes?"
"Marshal sir," came the voice of Lieutenant General Qiang Chuang, the Minister of State Security, "there's been an incident. We're assembling in the War Room in ten minutes."
"I'm on my way," the marshal said as he put down the phone and swung his feet out of bed. He was used to these late-night wakeups, especially as tensions with the Empire of Columbia had grown increasingly more hostile. However, he had no inkling of just what he was in store for when he answered that phone. Without needing to turn on the lights, he made his way to the bureau where he kept his clothes, opening the appropriate drawers to retrieve an outfit that consisting of pants and a button-down shirt. He returned to his bedside for his glasses and once out of the bedroom, slipped into his shoes. He looked every bit his age of sixty, right down to the liver spots that decorated his bald head.
In a country where the average height was only five-foot-five, Flores stood high above many of his countrymen at a height of five-foot-ten. Slender, with the build of a military man, he had a quiet step as he moved across the carpeted corridors of the Malacañan Palace. At this late hour, the staff was at a minimum and even the security personnel were few and far between, at least indoors. The official residence of the Filipino leader, Malacañan Palace had been built in 1750, long before the arrival of the Yue refugees and long before the Philippines was a unified, coherent nation. Back then, it was merely a series of kingdoms and sultanates, over two dozen in all. To the Yue, the political situation was one "for the taking" and over time, kingdom after kingdom, sultanate after sultanate, principality after principality fell until the nation became one. The Yue weren't the only ones involved in this for the Columbians had a long and muddy history.
Those decades and centuries of meddlesome, Columbian politics created the situation that stood today, which was why "incident" certainly meant the Empire was involved in some way, shape, or form. Being the lateness of the hour, Flores expected to hear that a Columbian commando team had been captured or had committed some act of sabotage in his nation. He wondered if a patrol boat had come under fire from one of the destroyers moving through the South China Sea or, if more dully, a reconnaissance plane had overflown something the Filipinos thought they'd kept secret.
Resolving not to come to any conclusions, he entered the War Room to see a flurry of activity, unusual for the lateness of the hour and not a good sign. Present in the room was a partial gathering of the country's Central Committee, the stratocratic government that consisted of five executives and seventeen ministers, all of whom held a military rank and decades of military service. There was the Prime Minister, General Arvin Salas, a pair of colonels from the State Security Agency, Chuang, Lieutenant General Hu Pai of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of Information, Lieutenant General Joem Garcia. Armed guards of the Presidential Security Group stood outside the door, pistols at their hips in perfectly pressed uniforms, as was required. "Marshal, we're just about to begin. We have the remaining members on the secure line and we have several military officials as well. If everyone could please sound off, we'll begin," Chuang said, directing the affairs. One-by-one, two dozen people said their names in rapid succession.
"All right so what is this about," Flores said only after letting everyone speak.
Colonel Yuan Estrada - one of the two colonels - stood and cleared his throat. He was the chief of the State Security Agency's 7th Directorate, which was tasked with the military home defense of the Philippine archipelago. "Sir, approximately forty-five minutes ago, a surface-to-air unit based at Basa Air Base engaged and shot down an aircraft that had just flown through the prohibited air zone. Based on intelligence we received from agents in Honolulu, we believe the aircraft to be a Columbian reconnaissance aircraft of the RC-46 variety." Flores' heart began to pump faster. This would certainly do little to ease the tensions, especially in the wake of the Fijian Crisis.
"Okay back up to the beginning and give me the full rundown," Flores asked as he picked up a pen and seized a pad nearby to take notes and jot down any questions he might want to ask as was his usual style.
"Approximately fifteen hours ago, agents observing Pearl Harbor Air Force Base in Honolulu noticed preflight activity on an RC-46 reconnaissance plane. Based on the tail code we received, we know this aircraft to be an RC-46B aircraft, codenamed 'COBRA FLOOD.' The purpose of this aircraft is intelligence gathering, primarily of imagery. The Columbians have four RC-46s based in Honolulu right now and these are the aircraft we have tracked, in the past, flying near to and through our airspace."
"Through our airspace? Yes, I remember now. They've been using civilian corridors and transponder codes correct?"
"Yes they have, which is why we have not engaged them in the past, despite the clear violations of our airspace and international conventions governing civilian use of airspace. Based on the intelligence received, we activated additional agents operating in the Honolulu area and learned that the Columbians were due to fly a reconnaissance flight over our nation but we were unsure where. The aircraft was observed to takeoff using the callsign we were given and which we've heard used before, 'Thunder 2-1.' From there, we used our data sources to observe the aircraft's takeoff and climb out from Honolulu. During this time, we noticed that the aircraft's transponder was switched off from military squawk identifications to civilian. However, we continued to follow the radio communications and matched with certainty the information." Estrada took a momentary break while Flores jotted down some notes quickly.
"So from there where did it go?"
"Across the Pacific. We followed it through air traffic control through the handoffs from one FIR to another. It entered the Manila FIR around two hours ago, still squawking a civilian code. The pilots communicated to the Manila FIR to alter its course to the north, citing turbulence. Manila ACC granted the request. The flight path ultimately flew just north of Basa Air Base, at an ideal range and angle for imagery analysis. As you are aware sir, imagery is best captured from the side versus directly overhead as this shows 3-dimensional proportions.
"The aircraft entered prohibited airspace around Basa Air Base, at which point it was contacted by the air base's ATC. Calls went unanswered and the aircraft continued its overflight through the prohibited zone."
"So why now? Why was a missile fired now? What's changed?" Flores interrupted.
"Sir, in the past we've not had the level of confidence in target tracks as we did with this aircraft. We tracked it across the Pacific and through prohibited airspace. Basa has long been an item of interest to the Columbians because of what we've got stored there. We also believe they're curious about the movements of our ZuB-12 interceptors, which can oppose virtually any aircraft the Columbians have, even their SR-71s, which despite their age remain formidable foes. This is why we've deployed one of our S-300PMU-2 batteries to Basa. The better radar of the system allowed us to positively identify the hostile aircraft with better clarity than previous systems defending Basa, which includes their stealth aircraft.
"That clarity gave us the confidence to engage. The RC-46 was flying solo, squawking a civilian code and not hiding behind the cover of a jetliner. It is a bold move but one which we've proudly countered," said Estrada, pride beaming within him.
"Very good, what happened next?" Flores was very eager to hear the rest of this. This would be a major coup for the Philippines against Columbian aggression, something that they could parade on television in an effort to embarrass the Columbians.
"After calls to alter course went unanswered sir," Estrada continued, "the surface-to-air battery locked onto the aircraft and launched one missile, a 9M96E1, which is a shorter-range missile that the S-300 battery carries. It has a range of approximately forty kilometers versus the larger 9M96E2, which has three times the range. The aircraft attempted to conduct an evasive maneuver by entering into a descent but we're talking a 767-based reconnaissance aircraft sir and there was no chance it could evade the missiles.
"The aircraft was struck at 03:05 this morning, a little more than forty-five minutes ago. The aircraft was hit at an altitude of 10,400 meters and the hit was decisive. The aircraft broke up and crashed approximately twelve kilometers away in the Cabusilan Mountain Range. We have flown helicopter reconnaissance over the area and they confirmed wreckage and fires. We'll need to wait until light however to get men into the area to comb through the wreckage for the kind of intelligence we need. We have an opportunity to learn Columbian codes, encryption, and reconnaissance capabilities. This information will not only serve us well but also serve the Empire's enemies well."
Flores straightened his glasses as he looked up from his pad. "Okay good work indeed. I'll want to know more once we can get to the crash site. For now, we need to go through the political ramifications. How are we going to portray this and how are we going to strike back at the Empire? They'll certainly already have a statement prepared. The Columbians are crafty in this regard and we must beat them to it. Do we issue a statement now? Do we wait for them to issue one? Then do we show the evidence? Let's go through the options. It's late - or early - however you want to look at it but we must beat them to this and we must think through what they are going to say so that we can counter it accordingly." Total agreement existed in the War Room and on the conference line. This would be a monumental political and a propaganda victory for the Filipino government.
Jimmy Delgado was one day past twenty-nine and two weeks into his marriage, working what amounted to the graveyard shift in the Manila Air Traffic Control Center. Manila ACC was responsible for the entire Manila Flight Information Region, known by RPHI on the ICAO maps. The FIR covered all of the Philippines and the surrounding waters all the way up to the island of Formosa and west into the South China Sea at least halfway between the Philippines and Vietnam. It was a busy FIR too with all of the flights to and from Southeast Asia crisscrossing through the skies overhead.
Just five minutes ago, he'd given direction to Air Columbia Flight 604, a Boeing 767-200ER out of Honolulu on its way to Kuala Lumpur to divert a few degrees to the north. He hadn't realized - initially at least - that he'd put the aircraft on a flight path through prohibited air space because he was focused on avoiding a mid-air collision between Flight 604 and a Boeing 787 flying out of Singapore to San Francisco. He'd also directed the Air Columbia flight to descend from FL380 to FL340 to provide the necessary separation between it and the Boeing 787. Of course, the pilots complied. Jimmy watched his scope and it was at 03:02 that he realized he'd put the aircraft through prohibited airspace, which is where it currently was. It took him another two minutes, roughly, to search for a clear pathway for the Boeing 767 and he pushed the transmit button on his microphone at exactly 03:05.
The missile was already on its way and before he could get the first word out, Flight 604 disappeared from his scope. The Philippines' air traffic control system, which capable, sometimes suffered issues like this, where flights would disappear and then reappear within thirty seconds. He was used to seeing this and so he waited, coming off the transmit button. Still, something was vexing Jimmy and he felt nervous about this. It was common but something still worried him.
It was made all the more problematic when the very same Boeing 787 that had been on a collision course with Flight 604 contacted him. "Manila ACC, this is SQ921, we've got a fireball in the sky, a big explosion, directly ahead, approximately fifty kilometers away."
Jimmy froze, it was 03:06. Everyone on the ACC room immediately looked at their scopes and screens. Everyone looked suddenly worried and Jimmy called out over the frequency, "AL604, Manila ACC, report," there was no answer and it was 03:07. "AL604, Manila ATC, acknowledge," no answer again. "SQ921, Manila ACC, can you reach out to AL604 and relay?"
"Roger Manila ACC, we'll try," there was a brief pause, "AL604, SQ921 for Manila ACC, acknowledge relay." There was silence. SQ921's pilot tried again and again. "Manila ACC, nothing."
"SQ921, Manila ACC, maintain course, altitude, and speed," Jimmy responded. He turned around and looked at the supervisor. He'd only been on the job nine weeks and though he'd gone through the training regimen - and done well - he wasn't prepared for such an event so soon. "Now what?"
"Is there any ACARS data?"
"Nothing, it went dead four minutes ago at 03:05. SQ921 reported a fireball."
"I heard, contact ARCC and give them last known position and heading, we could have a downed aircraft. I'll start protocols," his supervisor said before bellowing to the entire floor, "listen up! Everyone stay at your panels and continue to direct air traffic. Alejandro, you're taking Jimmy's data, I need to preserve what he has here."
"You got it boss," Alejandro said. The air traffic controllers would continue to direct traffic while protocols were initiated for a possible downed aircraft. Very rapidly, the Manila Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Center or ARCC would spring into action and take over from here. All the ACC had to do was record the data and preserve all of the evidence. If it turned out to be a glitch, they would simply file a report and move on but if it wasn't then the Philippines had a mess on their hands. Marshal Flores and the rest of the Central Committee had yet to be informed of the loss of Flight 604 because it had yet to be confirmed and because this was still in the hands of the civilian agencies.
As the ARCC spun up, a message also went out to Air Columbia Headquarters, specifically their emergency operations division alerting them to the possibility of a lost jet over Luzon. In the next twenty-five minutes, ARCC would kick the news up to Lieutenant General Gio Padilla, the Minister of Transportation, who would advise them that the crash was not a civilian airliner but rather a military jet and that search and rescue was being coordinated by the military. They'd be ordered to stand down. Still, for the ARCC and ACC, that didn't make sense since they knew what they'd seen, that Flight 604 was civilian. Trouble was certainly brewing but of course, by then, it was past 04:00 in the morning.
OOC: As per this post, the above post was amended and reposted as per the edit timestamp below. Please review information for your own posts.
The Filipino-Columbian War: Falling Skies
• • • † • • •
Monday, September 23rd, 2019 | 03:35 hrs [UTC+8]
Manila, Philippines | Malacañan Palace
14° 35' 38" N, 120° 59' 39" E
Marshal Alfonso Flores didn't bother to turn on the light on his bedside table when the phone on that very same nightstand buzzed. His wife, asleep on the other side of the bed, stirred ever so slightly but she slept like a log and so the general knew his conversation would not awake her. Still, the marshal wasn't a thoughtless man, especially not after thirty-seven years of marriage. When he answered the phone, he did so in a hushed whisper, "Yes?"
"Marshal sir," came the voice of Lieutenant General Qiang Chuang, the Minister of State Security, "there's been an incident. We're assembling in the War Room in ten minutes."
"I'm on my way," the marshal said as he put down the phone and swung his feet out of bed. He was used to these late-night wakeups, especially as tensions with the Empire of Columbia had grown increasingly more hostile. However, he had no inkling of just what he was in store for when he answered that phone. Without needing to turn on the lights, he made his way to the bureau where he kept his clothes, opening the appropriate drawers to retrieve an outfit that consisting of pants and a button-down shirt. He returned to his bedside for his glasses and once out of the bedroom, slipped into his shoes. He looked every bit his age of sixty, right down to the liver spots that decorated his bald head.
In a country where the average height was only five-foot-five, Flores stood high above many of his countrymen at a height of five-foot-ten. Slender, with the build of a military man, he had a quiet step as he moved across the carpeted corridors of the Malacañan Palace. At this late hour, the staff was at a minimum and even the security personnel were few and far between, at least indoors. The official residence of the Filipino leader, Malacañan Palace had been built in 1750, long before the arrival of the Yue refugees and long before the Philippines was a unified, coherent nation. Back then, it was merely a series of kingdoms and sultanates, over two dozen in all. To the Yue, the political situation was one "for the taking" and over time, kingdom after kingdom, sultanate after sultanate, principality after principality fell until the nation became one. The Yue weren't the only ones involved in this for the Columbians had a long and muddy history.
Those decades and centuries of meddlesome, Columbian politics created the situation that stood today, which was why "incident" certainly meant the Empire was involved in some way, shape, or form. Being the lateness of the hour, Flores expected to hear that a Columbian commando team had been captured or had committed some act of sabotage in his nation. He wondered if a patrol boat had come under fire from one of the destroyers moving through the South China Sea or, if more dully, a reconnaissance plane had overflown something the Filipinos thought they'd kept secret.
Resolving not to come to any conclusions, he entered the War Room to see a flurry of activity, unusual for the lateness of the hour and not a good sign. Present in the room was a partial gathering of the country's Central Committee, the stratocratic government that consisted of five executives and seventeen ministers, all of whom held a military rank and decades of military service. There was the Prime Minister, General Arvin Salas, a pair of colonels from the State Security Agency, Chuang, Lieutenant General Hu Pai of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of Information, Lieutenant General Joem Garcia. Armed guards of the Presidential Security Group stood outside the door, pistols at their hips in perfectly pressed uniforms, as was required. "Marshal, we're just about to begin. We have the remaining members on the secure line and we have several military officials as well. If everyone could please sound off, we'll begin," Chuang said, directing the affairs. One-by-one, two dozen people said their names in rapid succession.
"All right so what is this about," Flores said only after letting everyone speak.
Colonel Yuan Estrada - one of the two colonels - stood and cleared his throat. He was the chief of the State Security Agency's 7th Directorate, which was tasked with the military home defense of the Philippine archipelago. "Sir, approximately forty-five minutes ago, a surface-to-air unit based at Basa Air Base engaged and shot down an aircraft that had just flown through the prohibited air zone. Based on intelligence we received from agents in Honolulu, we believe the aircraft to be a Columbian reconnaissance aircraft of the RC-46 variety." Flores' heart began to pump faster. This would certainly do little to ease the tensions, especially in the wake of the Fijian Crisis.
"Okay back up to the beginning and give me the full rundown," Flores asked as he picked up a pen and seized a pad nearby to take notes and jot down any questions he might want to ask as was his usual style.
"Approximately fifteen hours ago, agents observing Pearl Harbor Air Force Base in Honolulu noticed preflight activity on an RC-46 reconnaissance plane. Based on the tail code we received, we know this aircraft to be an RC-46B aircraft, codenamed 'COBRA FLOOD.' The purpose of this aircraft is intelligence gathering, primarily of imagery. The Columbians have four RC-46s based in Honolulu right now and these are the aircraft we have tracked, in the past, flying near to and through our airspace."
"Through our airspace? Yes, I remember now. They've been using civilian corridors and transponder codes correct?"
"Yes they have, which is why we have not engaged them in the past, despite the clear violations of our airspace and international conventions governing civilian use of airspace. Based on the intelligence received, we activated additional agents operating in the Honolulu area and learned that the Columbians were due to fly a reconnaissance flight over our nation but we were unsure where. The aircraft was observed to takeoff using the callsign we were given and which we've heard used before, 'Thunder 2-1.' From there, we used our data sources to observe the aircraft's takeoff and climb out from Honolulu. During this time, we noticed that the aircraft's transponder was switched off from military squawk identifications to civilian. However, we continued to follow the radio communications and matched with certainty the information." Estrada took a momentary break while Flores jotted down some notes quickly.
"So from there where did it go?"
"Across the Pacific. We followed it through air traffic control through the handoffs from one FIR to another. It entered the Manila FIR around two hours ago, still squawking a civilian code. The pilots communicated to the Manila FIR to alter its course to the north, citing turbulence. Manila ACC granted the request. The flight path ultimately flew just north of Basa Air Base, at an ideal range and angle for imagery analysis. As you are aware sir, imagery is best captured from the side versus directly overhead as this shows 3-dimensional proportions.
"The aircraft entered prohibited airspace around Basa Air Base, at which point it was contacted by the air base's ATC. Calls went unanswered and the aircraft continued its overflight through the prohibited zone."
"So why now? Why was a missile fired now? What's changed?" Flores interrupted.
"Sir, in the past we've not had the level of confidence in target tracks as we did with this aircraft. We tracked it across the Pacific and through prohibited airspace. Basa has long been an item of interest to the Columbians because of what we've got stored there. We also believe they're curious about the movements of our ZuB-12 interceptors, which can oppose virtually any aircraft the Columbians have, even their SR-71s, which despite their age remain formidable foes. This is why we've deployed one of our S-300PMU-2 batteries to Basa. The better radar of the system allowed us to positively identify the hostile aircraft with better clarity than previous systems defending Basa, which includes their stealth aircraft.
"That clarity gave us the confidence to engage. The RC-46 was flying solo, squawking a civilian code and not hiding behind the cover of a jetliner. It is a bold move but one which we've proudly countered," said Estrada, pride beaming within him.
"Very good, what happened next?" Flores was very eager to hear the rest of this. This would be a major coup for the Philippines against Columbian aggression, something that they could parade on television in an effort to embarrass the Columbians.
"After calls to alter course went unanswered sir," Estrada continued, "the surface-to-air battery locked onto the aircraft and launched one missile, a 9M96E1, which is a shorter-range missile that the S-300 battery carries. It has a range of approximately forty kilometers versus the larger 9M96E2, which has three times the range. The aircraft attempted to conduct an evasive maneuver by entering into a descent but we're talking a 767-based reconnaissance aircraft sir and there was no chance it could evade the missiles.
"The aircraft was struck at 03:05 this morning, a little more than forty-five minutes ago. The aircraft was hit at an altitude of 10,400 meters and the hit was decisive. The aircraft broke up and crashed approximately twelve kilometers away in the Cabusilan Mountain Range. We have flown helicopter reconnaissance over the area and they confirmed wreckage and fires. We'll need to wait until light however to get men into the area to comb through the wreckage for the kind of intelligence we need. We have an opportunity to learn Columbian codes, encryption, and reconnaissance capabilities. This information will not only serve us well but also serve the Empire's enemies well."
Flores straightened his glasses as he looked up from his pad. "Okay good work indeed. I'll want to know more once we can get to the crash site. For now, we need to go through the political ramifications. How are we going to portray this and how are we going to strike back at the Empire? They'll certainly already have a statement prepared. The Columbians are crafty in this regard and we must beat them to it. Do we issue a statement now? Do we wait for them to issue one? Then do we show the evidence? Let's go through the options. It's late - or early - however you want to look at it but we must beat them to this and we must think through what they are going to say so that we can counter it accordingly." Total agreement existed in the War Room and on the conference line. This would be a monumental political and a propaganda victory for the Filipino government.
• • • • ‡ • • • •
Monday, September 23rd, 2019 | 03:05 hrs [UTC+8]
Manila, Philippines | Manila Air Traffic Control Center
14° 30' 47" N, 121° 0' 23" E
Jimmy Delgado was one day past twenty-nine and two weeks into his marriage, working what amounted to the graveyard shift in the Manila Air Traffic Control Center. Manila ACC was responsible for the entire Manila Flight Information Region, known by RPHI on the ICAO maps. The FIR covered all of the Philippines and the surrounding waters all the way up to the island of Formosa and west into the South China Sea at least halfway between the Philippines and Vietnam. It was a busy FIR too with all of the flights to and from Southeast Asia crisscrossing through the skies overhead.
Just five minutes ago, he'd given direction to Air Columbia Flight 604, a Boeing 767-200ER out of Honolulu on its way to Kuala Lumpur to divert a few degrees to the north. He hadn't realized - initially at least - that he'd put the aircraft on a flight path through prohibited air space because he was focused on avoiding a mid-air collision between Flight 604 and a Boeing 787 flying out of Singapore to San Francisco. He'd also directed the Air Columbia flight to descend from FL380 to FL340 to provide the necessary separation between it and the Boeing 787. Of course, the pilots complied. Jimmy watched his scope and it was at 03:02 that he realized he'd put the aircraft through prohibited airspace, which is where it currently was. It took him another two minutes, roughly, to search for a clear pathway for the Boeing 767 and he pushed the transmit button on his microphone at exactly 03:05.
The missile was already on its way and before he could get the first word out, Flight 604 disappeared from his scope. The Philippines' air traffic control system, which capable, sometimes suffered issues like this, where flights would disappear and then reappear within thirty seconds. He was used to seeing this and so he waited, coming off the transmit button. Still, something was vexing Jimmy and he felt nervous about this. It was common but something still worried him.
It was made all the more problematic when the very same Boeing 787 that had been on a collision course with Flight 604 contacted him. "Manila ACC, this is SQ921, we've got a fireball in the sky, a big explosion, directly ahead, approximately fifty kilometers away."
Jimmy froze, it was 03:06. Everyone on the ACC room immediately looked at their scopes and screens. Everyone looked suddenly worried and Jimmy called out over the frequency, "AL604, Manila ACC, report," there was no answer and it was 03:07. "AL604, Manila ATC, acknowledge," no answer again. "SQ921, Manila ACC, can you reach out to AL604 and relay?"
"Roger Manila ACC, we'll try," there was a brief pause, "AL604, SQ921 for Manila ACC, acknowledge relay." There was silence. SQ921's pilot tried again and again. "Manila ACC, nothing."
"SQ921, Manila ACC, maintain course, altitude, and speed," Jimmy responded. He turned around and looked at the supervisor. He'd only been on the job nine weeks and though he'd gone through the training regimen - and done well - he wasn't prepared for such an event so soon. "Now what?"
"Is there any ACARS data?"
"Nothing, it went dead four minutes ago at 03:05. SQ921 reported a fireball."
"I heard, contact ARCC and give them last known position and heading, we could have a downed aircraft. I'll start protocols," his supervisor said before bellowing to the entire floor, "listen up! Everyone stay at your panels and continue to direct air traffic. Alejandro, you're taking Jimmy's data, I need to preserve what he has here."
"You got it boss," Alejandro said. The air traffic controllers would continue to direct traffic while protocols were initiated for a possible downed aircraft. Very rapidly, the Manila Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Center or ARCC would spring into action and take over from here. All the ACC had to do was record the data and preserve all of the evidence. If it turned out to be a glitch, they would simply file a report and move on but if it wasn't then the Philippines had a mess on their hands. Marshal Flores and the rest of the Central Committee had yet to be informed of the loss of Flight 604 because it had yet to be confirmed and because this was still in the hands of the civilian agencies.
As the ARCC spun up, a message also went out to Air Columbia Headquarters, specifically their emergency operations division alerting them to the possibility of a lost jet over Luzon. In the next twenty-five minutes, ARCC would kick the news up to Lieutenant General Gio Padilla, the Minister of Transportation, who would advise them that the crash was not a civilian airliner but rather a military jet and that search and rescue was being coordinated by the military. They'd be ordered to stand down. Still, for the ARCC and ACC, that didn't make sense since they knew what they'd seen, that Flight 604 was civilian. Trouble was certainly brewing but of course, by then, it was past 04:00 in the morning.
OOC: As per this post, the above post was amended and reposted as per the edit timestamp below. Please review information for your own posts.
• • • † • • •
