Chapter 7

We got back to the area that housed the girls offices. They were all about the same size, none had windows but it looked like some effort had been made to incorporate false light boxes to simulate sun and light. There was a buzz from the girls. They liked what they had seen and were keen about the decorating allowance.

This little get together ended up in two parts. The first included all of us, the second, after everyone else went back to the offices left Marcel and I alone.

Marcel handed Giselle, Michelle and Kimber a rather official looking document. It contained not only a full description of their duties, a memorandum of understanding indicating the goals and milestones to be met and gave a general timeline for them to be accomplished. Included was an agreement or personal services contract allowing various background checks, security policy and stating a code of conduct. I guess part of this was important for Kimber to understand. In all they now each had their marching orders. As usual the detail of how to attain all this was left up to them to figure out. You had to love Marcel’s delegation ability.

In summary, Marcel said: “Giselle will be responsible for housing the people we need, Michelle, long-term care and rehab to get them back in shape and Kimber medical after care including prosthetics. Understand we are just dealing with a subset of the FFL and troops we incorporate into our organization/organisation. This will include some areas outside France. The effort will be 7 to 10 years long for which duration you are expected to remain, all of you. After then, you can enjoy yourselves a little more.”

Looking back to where we all were a little more than 1 year ago, one could not doubt Marcel would make certain we were well cared for also.

We each got hugs and kisses from the girls as they returned to their new offices to review the information Marcel had given them. He said he was taking us to dinner and we would return late that night to the Chateau. We waited until they left then Marcel hit a button on some device like a remote and the door locked.

“Now a bit of what is in store for you!”

‘Why did this sound ominous?’ I wondered.

“We are at war! I do not mean the various battles and skirmishes scattered around the world going on. I am referring to the very differences from Western mentality to that of those who would return the world to barbaric times. Everything we hold dear is diametrically opposed to what they believe in. Who, what, when and why are questions there a few if any good answers for. We, my group, envision a time in the future that thing will reach the global conflict stage. It will be too late then to find a solution, so we are starting now knowing we may make mistakes along the way.

There is no roadmap just a direction. You Mon Ami, have one task in all this. Determine and prepare an incursion force in areas that today are not able to allow passage to conventional ships and forces. What do I mean? We must assume no Saudi bases, deep water ports, provisioning sources or air resupply is to be forthcoming. Immediate response is imperative and we cannot wait days or weeks for any ‘official’ agreements for support.

As you have seen, money is no object. A group of us, 40 or so, each have a portion of a master plan. You have only one part of mine. Your girls will need to carry on without your constant support or direction. You have 7-10 years to design, develop and build our water based incursion response. Other are preparing the ground, air and even space portions. See, I have given you a simple project, No?”

“Marcel, only you would consider a puzzle of a million pieces as simple. I’m not certain where to even begin?”

“That is easy. Begin at the start then proceed step by step. Blend certainty with hope, stir it up and try, try again until it comes out as a solution. Once a year we shall all review what we know and where each part is going. For purpose of this effort we must assume the Middle East and Yemen, the Suez Canal and the Straits of Hormuz will be the focal points.

We, our group, have to assume the naval support will use troops from Britain, France and the United Stated. Air Support will come from Germany. You have a clock starting to count down. You will tell me what you need that you cannot obtain and I shall get it for you or we change something or someone. Too much is at stake to play politics. Brigade General Christophe de Saint Chamas (Head of the FFL) supports this and the FFL will be at the forefront. The rest of the French Army and government, not so much, so we keep a little secret.

We have some assistance for you, from the US, a serving Marine familiar with current and underway assault carriers, Jim Lafferty, a Brit in the Royal Marines who knows their Harrier needs, Ian Johansson and from Germany, Inga Swenson who is from Sweden and co-coordinated the various weapons systems in use and planned in the French/German Assault Helicopter development (The Euro Tiger Project). They will have offices in this building and will provide you whatever you need. There is some missing representatives in this and hopefully we will soon remedy that.”

All I could do was take a deep breath. I already knew how Marcel worked. The carrot and the stick.

True to his word, as usual, we all were taken to dinner. I was still not used to the time they ate in Paris. We went to 15 Avenue Montaigne; the Maison Blanche Restaurant. It was not a five star but the restaurant was overlooking Paris from the top of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. It served contemporary cuisine Mediterranean foods and the view there was to die for. Sea Bass, Rack of Lamb Provencal, a Greek Rice, leek soup, tossed greens and white wines seemed good choices.

We ate inside, Marcel said outside was an option but it was getting cool.

“I toast you. Welcome to Paris, your new home. If you have any complaints, it is not my fault, ‘I was only following my orders, Mais Oui?’ Remember those words you all may need to use them at times. Jean Paul especially.

Our surprise did not end. Please do not get used to this; it all comes out of my budget. But tonight, the car will not come, you will fly home. Once again I have been truly blessed by your beauty ladies.”

For a ‘pretend’ Frenchman, he seemed to be doing pretty good. When he kissed their hands and we went to go aboard our ride, the girls were still holding their hands out looking at them.

Twelve and a half minutes, at 300 plus miles per hour and we exited the ship, home sweet home. The FFL was using helicopters now but mainly for anti-armour.

It must have been a good day. When I got to bed, I had three, almost nude bodies waiting for me. The pat in the middle part from one of them, it was too dark to see well, made up my mind for us. Us, me and the little guy between my legs. It was the first time all of them were with me.

Something was mumbled but I did not understand it. I’ll assume it was my wife getting amorous. Hell, I learned long ago, ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ and this situation might well apply to that precept.

The next morning, Marie came in, just waltzed in, and said the driver will be here at 9:30 not 8:00 am. She must have seen the four lumps yet nothing was said. I had the feeling that if those could speak the stories they might tell. Even the breakfast buffet was more simple. Coffee, an assortment of rolls, hard boiled eggs, cheeses and slices of ham.

At the office, yes my pc and desk was in that ‘war room’, I found out my ‘staff’ did not need to be there to fill my mind with tons of details. That was what e-mail, obviously, was for. The same routine lasted for about a month before I asked to review my ‘stake in the ground’.

I’m not certain how anyone else would have done it but I compiled the following observation.

They included:

An assault troop carrier has no armament. It is part of a ‘task force’ used to protect it.

They are slow and require a huge amount of support ships. Fuel, medical, logistics, navigation, protection and reconnaissance are done by other ships and subs. AWACS, drones, satellite images and forward observers are necessary during combat and any group control.

They are vulnerable under the water and once low in the water, the submerged wells limit their movement or ability to avoid an attack.

Trying to land fixed wing and rotary wing on the same deck creates problems.

Even if they land, unless there is a jump ramp, the STOL craft like a Harrier cannot take off.

VTOL can, like the OSPREY, but at a heavy fuel cost.

Speaking of fuel, the mix of AV Gas, Petrol, Diesel and the like make the support ships high value targets. Ammunition and troop ships share the same fate.

The needed ‘task force’ is not capable to follow into water these new ships are to be designed to go, ergo, they will be ‘dead in the water’ in a matter of hours when fighting and unloading them takes a long time.

Re-supply, repair, and access to spare parts, storage of damaged vehicles and craft make retrieval difficult if not impossible during combat.

Currently if any serious attack is made on a lone carrier, we would be down to only the .50 cal machine guns and helos placed in the air for defense/defence.

Finally the deploy methods used today are sea or air based, it is only when many ships carry different loads that a joint land, sea air attack can be launched.