November 4th, 2075
Free Terran Shipping Vessel Argosy (SV-19463), Between the Islands of Basilian and Jolo, Philippine Sea
Free Terran Shipping Vessel Argosy (SV-19463), Between the Islands of Basilian and Jolo, Philippine Sea
It was a dim 4 AM local time when helmsman Lawrence Grozny was navigating these southeast Asian islands. Something he has been doing for 19 years almost to the month. Sure, this particular strait was one he hadn’t been through since before the GFRFT has been involved in local military disputes, but those were over and done. All he had to worry about was the trade union dispute that changed their course from the Malaccas to Formosa. Their product, in this case being copper wiring, could be adequately distributed abroad from there without worrying about the dockworker disputes in Indochina. Just another thing that this whole socialist regime pretended to care about, wasn’t his business that the local tariff rate went up for Free Terran goods recently, or that those strikes and union activities coincided with the local authority’s election cycle. Either way, he was distracted from this internal political debate when the ship’s onboard radio crackled to life.
“Larry, are we off the transit course?” The second mate, some greenhorn who’s name Larry forgot two days ago, asked aloud. “No, Sir. GPS and weather buoys are telling me we’re on course just fine, what’s going on?” The panic in the second mate’s voice was real as he could faintly hear a chirping siren. That siren became louder once the second mate’s voice came through, it sounded like he was next to a fire truck. “Wake the Captain up, there’s an old yacht with guns on it! They’re just off the port side stern! Oh god they’re-!” The gunfire followed by a dim sound like firecrackers from behind the bridge sent Larry into a panic. He immediately flipped the panic switches on and started the emergency siren. “All hands to emergency positions! All hands to emergency positions! We have boarders! We have boarders!”
At 9 AM Local Time, a video was sent to the Free Terran International Shipping Agency.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT AS FOLLOWS
The camera cold-opens to several bound and gagged civilian sailors, several with visible bruises.
"We, the Free People under the Reborn and Righteous Abu Sayyaf, have captured your imperialist godless crew."
A small cheer is heard from behind the camera, and several masked fighters are revealed behind the sailors.
"We demand a ransom of one hundred and fifty million credits to be paid in cryptocurrencies. We have a wallet attached to this video."
The bottom left corner of the video had a trio of 16-digit wallet codes for three different cryptocurrencies.
"We have already killed three of them. We will kill another every week that you ignore us. The cargo has been seized and their ship will serve to further our affairs.
We demand recognition of our sovereign Islamic Republic. Your ships travelling here will pay the ceremonial Jizya.
If you do not pay the ransom within the month we start the killing. These apostates cannot be allowed on holy ground, and your vile godless empire cannot be allowed in our waters."
"There is one God, and Muhammad is his prophet."
Public support, needless to say, was not difficult to acquire for the oncoming intervention. An emergency hearing was called of the senate and congress. A short majority only attained due to the expansion of the Isposito Conflict guaranteed mobilization. The 9th Fleet would depart from Guam within the week. The actual Navy would need to handle this, as this was technically an international deployment. The Coast Guard was unable to interfere.
November 29th, 2075
FTN Eureka (FTN NCGR-78), Expeditionary Flotilla of the Free Terran 9th Fleet, Transit Course Through Mindanao EEZ
FTN Eureka (FTN NCGR-78), Expeditionary Flotilla of the Free Terran 9th Fleet, Transit Course Through Mindanao EEZ
The FTN Eureka, a state-of-the-art Cruiser fitted with a nuclear reactor, hypersonic missiles, VLS cruise missiles and a railgun, was very likely overkill. So were the three conventionally-powered destroyer escorts with similar capability, the five frigate pickets capable of drone launches and anti-submarine warfare, and the tanker for the conventionally fueled escort fleet. Considering the S.O.S.T.E.D. team in the VTOL craft were the actual payload, sent to go save the hostages, and that the Eureka's escorts would simply be monitoring civilian ships in the area of operations, Commodore Alfred Maxwell was bored. The Admiral of the 9th Fleet had sent his Flotilla to gauge the international reaction to Free Terran military hardware in the Philippines without putting carriers, nuclear submarines and railgun battleships in another country's territorial waters.
The VTOL Gunships all launched from the backs of the Eureka and her escort destroyers at once, flying directly to the Island of Jolo, and activating ECM pods to disrupt any primitive RADAR systems. The side doors all opened in unison over the hostiles to allow the power-armored troops to rappel down into the compound. The squads were quick and efficient, using their advanced optics equipment to find and neutralize hostiles as they swept through. Their presence was known very soon into their raid, and all haste was made to approach the warehouse the hostages were considered most likely to be house on satellite imagery. The S.O.S.T.E.D. strike team charged through the sheet metal siding of the warehouse with their tough power-armor causing a panic among the insurgents. Gunfire echoed loudly in the dark as the insurgents were felled one by one. The hostiles had done their dark work days before, if the color of the corpses was anything to go by.
Command was correct in their assumption about the capabilities of this militia, but the hostages were long dead before they had arrived. The warehouse itself was a mass grave. "Tactical, mission failed, OPFOR slew the civvies before we even arrived." The squad's joint terminal attack controller reported back to the Commodore. "Well that complicates things. Take as much photo and video evidence as possible while you boys are ahead of schedule. Wrap up there and then exfiltrate at the original rendezvous point, neutralize anyone in the way at your own discretion. Once you're out we'll level the compound and the gunships will perform hunter/killer missions around the island. Any ships or structures around Jolo that you boys designate for our drones will be dispatched with railgun fire."