The Last Crusade (21 page)

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Above the Caliphate’s border, fighters from both sides duel for control of the air. Missiles track across the sky. The RF spectrum is blocked due to both sides using jammers to hinder communications and missile guidance systems. The EMP bursts damaged many of the ground-based tracking stations. The Caliphate learned too late that the EMP warheads were stronger than expected, they damaged many of the Caliphate’s own ground-based radar and tracking systems which weren’t as well shielded as the Crusader’s systems.

While the air battle rages over the border, twenty F22 (Raptor) stealth fighters fly across the border only one hundred feet above the ground, they planned their border crossing over unoccupied locations. Their targets are the Caliphate’s AWACS planes which are flying at 35,000 feet fifty miles behind the border. The Raptors are flying so low, combined with their stealth technology, they hope the Caliphate’s radar planes won’t spot them. When the Raptors are within fifty miles of the AWACS they launch AIM 120D advanced medium range air to air missiles which quickly lock onto their targets, the missiles fly at Mach 3 quickly overtaking the Caliphate AWACS planes. Their crews get a warning of the missiles, but can’t respond quickly enough to save them. Each AWACS has four missiles targeted on them. Within one minute, the Caliphate loses twenty of their twenty-five flyable AWACS planes, giving the Army of God’s Warriors the advantage.

As soon as the AWACS are down, three hundred Crusader fighters and bombers cross the border. The fighters fire long and short range air-to-air missiles engaging other fighters leaving the bombers safe to complete the destruction of the Caliphates air defense network and airports which survived the initial attacks or were repaired from the attacks. Four hundred Caliphate fighters are destroyed, either shot down or blown up at their bases, Runways and control towers are destroyed. Ten airports have their runways spared, the reason is quickly evident when one hundred-fifty C17s follow the bombers loaded with Special Forces paratroopers whose task is to take control of the ten Caliphate military airports. Once over the burning airports, the paratroopers float down to take control of the airports. They find little resistance, when they have control of the airport, additional cargo planes begin landing, unloading troops, tanks, armored personnel carriers, and air defense missiles. Within four hours, the Crusaders ‘own’ the ten targeted airports. Fighters begin landing at the airports to provide local air control.

The Caliphate attempts three counter-attacks to regain control over the airports; anti-air missiles and fighters flying CAP knock the Caliphate’s fighters out of the sky. The Caliphate finds itself in a position of thousands of tanks crossing her border and ten of her military airports twenty-five miles behind the front lines in Crusader's hands providing them with bases for fighters, extending their control of the air deep into Caliphate territory.

A furious Mahdi is storming around the conference room,

“Can’t anyone follow their instructions? What’s so hard to understand that no Crusader boot was supposed to advance more than a kilometer on holy ground? What part of Allah’s instructions don’t you understand? They were only supposed to cross the border before we killed them, Allah wants them stopped!”

“Your Holiness their numbers surprised us. In the Golan Heights, they crossed with over one thousand tanks and five thousand missiles. The Russians crossed the border with waves of their new main battle tank, the T-14 ARMATA, we’ve never seen it in action before. Our best anti-tank missiles can’t penetrate their armor. We can’t stop the Jew’s tanks either. They are using some sort of new anti-tank missile system.”

“Why not? You have hundreds of thousands of anti-tank weapons. You have more than enough to kill every tank ten times over.”

“Your Holiness, the Jews’ tanks have a new anti-missile system, they see our missiles coming towards their tanks, their tanks fire something which brings down our missiles before they reach the body of their tanks. It’s like they have a science fiction shield.”

“Science fiction? You're telling me their God is more powerful than Allah? Get out! You don’t deserve the honor of defending Allah’s holy land.” He’s dragged outside and shot in the back of the head.

“Allah can defeat any system; his wrath can breach any armor designed by an infidel. Allah is the most powerful. Why aren’t you using his strength? Why aren’t you using the tools he gave us?”

The meeting is interrupted by a messenger informing them the Crusaders have taken control of ten of their military airports.

The Caliphate Air Force commander shakes his head,

“What kind of demons are these Crusaders? Truly Satan is leading them.”

The Mahdi pauses, as he shakes his head, a cruel smile forms on his face, he looks up at the ceiling of the conference room. Holding his hands up to silence everyone,

“None of you understand Allah’s new plan. He’s luring the Crusaders deeper into his lands so he can more easily destroy them. You see their quick victories and worry, I see Allah’s master plan and smile. Allah has spoken to me, he told me we need an overall commander who will manage the entire military operation. He’s whispered a name to me. He told me he wants his commander renamed, as he changed me, he will change his new Commander. Field Marshal, step forward and kneel, rise now as Saladin the Second. Allah wants you to have overall command of our forces defending Allah and defeating the last Crusaders.”    

Saladin rises facing Mahdi,

“I pledge my life to Allah and to defend Allah’s land.”

Before Mahdi can respond, the monitor behind them comes alive with images from their drones showing the waves of Crusader tanks crossing the border between Russia and Iran, the Caliphate commanders sit staring at the vehicle leading the rows of tanks. A twenty-foot-tall Russian Orthodox blood red cross has been mounted on a truck which crosses the border. They stare at the video showing the leading platoons wearing metal armor, long, broad swords are hanging from their waist while they hold their assault rifles at the ready.

The Mahdi shakes his head,

“Where in heavens name did they find those suits of armor and swords?”

“Your Holiness, they look new, I believe they must have recently made them.”

“They really believe they are reliving the Crusades. We need to crush them before this spreads. We need to increase the pressure on them in their homes. The more terror we can generate in their population the more of their troops they’ll be forced to send home to protect their people.”

The Naval commander shakes his head,

“Why doesn’t Allah strike this demonic infidel display down? Why does he allow it to touch his holy ground?”

Saladin looks at the Naval commander,

“He doesn’t destroy the infidel because we haven’t earned his help. We haven’t succeeded in completing the tasks he gave us. We, not Allah are to blame. Each kilometer the Crusader advances into Allah’s land is a sin we have to bear. We’ll have to answer to Allah in the afterlife for failing him. We may be blocked from entering paradise for failing him.”

Saladin’s comments are met by silence and guilt from the assembled commanders. He looks at each of his friends,

“Go and fulfill your assigned tasks, no excuses are accepted. If you fail, don’t return, Allah doesn’t accept failure. If you fail, take your own life, because it’s not worth anything to Allah. He might show you mercy when you show him you recognize your failings. He might show you Paradise, he might throw your worthless self into the lake of fire for only a century or two. Go and don’t fail Allah, he is watching you.”

The commanders quietly leave the conference room; many know their lives will end with a bullet to the back of their heads. They’ve seen the Crusader’s overwhelming numbers flooding the Caliphate, they pray Allah provides them with assistance to stop the infidels.

Saladin whispers to Mahdi,

“Your Holiness, the Jews are going to crash through the forces we have arranged in front of them. Their tanks outnumber ours. They currently control the air over the border; they are using their air power to their advantage. Whenever one of our platoons moves to engage the Jews, their air power kills our people before they’re able to get more than one or two rounds off. I don’t see us stopping them. Damascus was destroyed by their nuclear attack, the roads are filled with thousands of refugees, they are bound to locate this bunker. I suggest we quietly move our headquarters to the deserts of Saudi Arabia. We control the Ex-Saudi royal bunker, it is very well built and defended. I suggest we move there before the Jews get close enough to see us.”

“Allah will protect us from the filthy Jews. He won’t allow us to fall into their hands.”

“Your Holiness, why risk anything? We can be packed and gone within an hour. With luck, we’ll be able to fly close to the desert where their radar won’t locate us.”

“You really believe we need to move?”

“Yes. Look at the map, the Jews will blast their way through the Golan Heights within a day, maybe two. Once they’re through the Heights, there’s nothing between the Heights and us.”

“What about the bunker. There’s no way we can pack everything in an hour.”

“I plan to set the interior of the bunker on fire, destroying all of our records. They’ll only find ashes.”

“I’ll pack. I assume we’re not going to inform the other commanders?”

“They belong in the field with their troops, not sitting safe underground. Allah will save them if their faith is strong enough, if not, it’s in Allah’s hands,”

“I agree. I’ll meet you here in thirty minutes.”

“I’ll have a helicopter waiting.”

“My son, a helicopter? Won’t they shoot it out of the sky?”

“Not one painted with a red cross for their medical people.”

“Allah has chosen well. I believe the time has come to release our secret weapon, one that won’t be easy to overcome.”

“I’ll issue the orders.”

Chapter 9

The Golan Heights looks like a scene from hell. Flames and smoke from burning fuel and debris cover the sky. Turrets, blown off tanks are lying haphazardly all over the Heights. Crusader tanks are dodging the debris trying to advance into Syria. The Israeli Merkava Mark IV tanks follow the American M1A2 Abrams tanks through the Heights. The Americans rely on their composite armor to defeat Caliphate anti-tank rockets and sabot tank rounds. The Israelis rely on their armor and their Trophy anti-tank missiles. Both tanks are armed with stabilized 120mm main cannons allowing them to fire while on the move.

The Caliphate started with 2,000 Russian T72 tanks, armed with a 125mm smoothbore main gun arranged in defensive positions trying to block the Crusaders from crossing into Syria. The T72 tanks are supported with three thousand troops fielding RPGs, most of which aren’t able to penetrate the Crusader’s new armor. The American and Israeli tanks main gun outranges the T72s, both sides fire sabot (French for shoe) rounds which don’t have a warhead. The shells are depleted uranium which sits in a shoe, after the shell leaves the barrel, the shoe falls away leaving the dart of heavy metal to fly to its target. The dart cuts through the tank’s armor, usually blowing the turret off the body of the struck tank. When the darts strike the T72s, the ready rounds stored in the tank explode, flames shoot up from the tank body. The Crusaders are firing smoke rounds hoping the Caliphate tanks can’t see through it as they advance. Overhead, American A10 tank busting close air support fighters fly low, firing their milk bottle sized 30mm anti-tank rounds which shred the Caliphate armor.

The Crusader tanks are equipped with targeting systems which inform each tank in the regiment which tank’s been targeted so it’s not attacked by other tanks, enabling them to quickly destroy the defenders. After clearing the Heights, which is only 12km wide, the American and Israeli armor, followed by hundreds of APCs accelerates to 40mph racing towards where the Mossad says the Caliphate command bunker is located. Twenty km from the bunker, surface to surface missiles begin landing among the Crusaders. The explosions rock and shake the tanks which accelerate and spread out trying to get out from under the barrage.  

American radar systems track the missiles backward, once their launch location is calculated MLRS missiles are ripple launched against the launch sites. The tankers see the gray smoke trails cover the sky followed by eighteen A10 attack planes. Caliphate Mig 29 and 35 rises to attack the A10s, they are surprised by American and Israeli F15s which had been flying as low to the ground as possible, as soon as the Caliphate fighters appear, the F15s launch air-to-air missiles and rise to fight the Migs. The sky is quickly filled with Caliphate pilots parachuting from burning fighters.