George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 33

< 32 >

“I am relieving you of your duty to escort Air Force One as of this moment.”

“Relief acknowledged.”

The fighter jets launched from the carrier strike group were taking turns escorting Air Force One.

Air Force One is basically the name given to any aircraft carrying the President. So, if the President is on board, even if it’s a biplane from World War I, it’s Air Force One. Therefore, even that F-18 Super Hornet was Air Force One as long as the President was on it.

“It’s a good thing that Air Force One is a two-seater.”

“If it weren’t a two-seater, he wouldn’t have boarded it in the first place. Anyway, an F-18 as Air Force One… A fighter jet becoming Air Force One has never happened before and probably never will again.”

“Well, I’ll be.”

A regular passenger plane takes 17 hours to fly from the U.S. mainland to the Korean Peninsula. In short, it’s a long flight, and it’s obvious that a two-seater is more advantageous than a single-seater for such a long flight. Moreover, it’s only natural that someone more experienced should handle aerial refueling rather than Bush, who isn’t as familiar with it, to avoid accidents.

Even with a regular car, your head starts to droop after just an hour behind the wheel, so what would it be like in a fighter jet? Although it varies from fighter to fighter, at least in the case of the F-18 Super Hornet, the rear seat can also control the aircraft. Frankly, if George Bush wanted to, he could take his hands off the controls and leisurely enjoy the sky.

Aircraft carriers basically lack self-defense capabilities, so they move together with a carrier strike group that can supplement and protect their firepower. The problem is that this slows down the speed of movement. But the United States solved this with the power of money.

They had the innovative idea that ‘if the problem is that the carrier strike group is slow, why not have a carrier strike group anywhere in the world?’ and they actually did it. This was a thought that only the United States, with its enormous defense budget, could have, and it was something only the United States could do.

The only person who can move this carrier strike group at will is the Commander-in-Chief, the President. And what is that President doing?

“Wow! It’s like a war is going on!”

He was diligently piloting the fighter jet. The escort aircraft were lined up around the most interesting Air Force One, boasting twice the number of escort aircraft attached to the conventional presidential aircraft, SAM 27000.

He had thought about ‘making a presidential fighter jet,’ but it was just a playful thought. He’d rather replace the existing presidential aircraft than make a fighter jet, which would really just be for show. If he pushed it, he could create the world’s first presidential fighter jet with all sorts of bizarre technologies applied, but he might get criticized by his own supporters, who would say, ‘Ah, this is a bit much.’

Separately from that, he wanted to develop the F-35, but there were still plenty of unfinished projects, and with the F-22 not yet deployed, what F-35 was he talking about?

‘It’s a shame. This is exactly my style.’

The existing SAM 27000 and 28000 were comfortable, but too boring. Speaking of which, the SAM 27000 was actually following at a higher altitude. You never know what might happen, and more importantly, the bodyguards and staff had to come along, right? Besides, he had promised to ride the existing presidential plane back.

‘Anyway, this is getting boring too.’

With escort planes stuck all over, he couldn’t step on it as he pleased. Well, it would be stranger if he could step on a fighter jet as he pleased. Thanks to that, all that was left was to look at the clouds and the dark blue sky.

‘Hmm. Dark blue sky, huh?’

Why does the color of the sky turn dark blue as the altitude increases? It’s because space is getting closer.

‘Space. Space, huh!’

Now that it’s come to this, should I expand the game and push NASA and the later-to-be-established SpaceX to develop space? By the end of my term, wouldn’t there be a lunar base? George Bush briefly imagined an elegant vacation spent at a lunar base.

“Huh, that’s not going to happen.”

“Sir?”

“It’s nothing.”

Well, it seems like it will be built before I die. I can just pay to visit it then. Bush was a millionaire and oil tycoon before he was the President of the United States.

‘Hmm, but I can still push it.’

NASA was already leading the X-series, which is the field of aviation research. NASA, which was a budget-eating monster during the Cold War, had already sold off a significant number of research facilities to the private sector due to continuous budget cuts, and it was hard to find the glory of those days. So, just defending NASA’s budget from cuts would be a great help to NASA itself.

‘This will be a problem for later.’

To be exact, the problem was Bush’s next successor. The person who would have to deal with the things Bush had started as he pleased was, after all, the next president.

‘I like to start things. Cleaning up is not in my nature.’

The people who liked hegemony were the people, but to the aides, he was a very vicious bastard. He only started things himself and passed on all the detailed work. The way work was done was all the same, but Bush was severe.

‘Who cares.’

Nodding his stiffening head a few times, he once again stared at the dark blue sky.

‘Space, huh.’

It was still a very distant story.

* * *

“He’s crazy. He’s crazy.”

Jiang Zemin was on the verge of going insane. He has to do it moderately. What on earth is going on?!

He could understand the U.S. President’s visit to South Korea. No, in the first place, it would be stranger if there were no visit, given that the U.S.’s East Asia security strategy lies in the trilateral alliance between the U.S., South Korea, and Japan.

But what head of state in the world visits another country in a fighter jet? Let’s say we can accept this. Three of those hideous carrier strike groups were entering East Asia. Three! Okay, let’s just say we can accept this too! No, what are we accepting? What is this ridiculous situation?! Jiang Zemin’s head was sinking like a sinking ship, and eventually, it slammed into his desk in his office with a loud noise.

“Did you see this crazy bastard!”

This was a firm projection of power towards East Asia and a warning to China. Of course, George Bush just wanted to ride a fighter jet, but from China’s point of view, it was just close to wreaking havoc in East Asia. Now that things have come to this, China had to issue a statement, whether it liked it or not.

‘Okay, a carrier!’

They had to build a carrier strike group. The Admiral Kuznetsov-class heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser, which they had bought from Russia at a bargain price, was stuck because of Turkey. That precious research asset and naval power, which should be being chewed, torn, tasted, and enjoyed by now, was stuck in front of those damn kebab bastards’ sea!

“Wait, why are they doing this?”

He was so excited by the outrageous behavior that he almost missed it, but the most important thing was the reason for doing this. The problem was that he didn’t know the reason at all.

That’s right. Currently, the United States has no reason to do this! They would rather pay attention to the Middle East, so why are they suddenly paying attention to East Asia? So, they are paying attention, but the extent is so excessive that it’s breaking the meter and advancing rapidly!

He had to find the meaning hidden in this dizzying behavior that he couldn’t even guess. Originally, there were political experts who moved in this field, but even they were embarrassed, so analyzing it was nonsense. No one was even able to deduce the truth, let alone infer it.

However, some cautiously predicted that the U.S. President really had a fit of madness due to the stress he received during 9/11, and Jiang Zemin also gently raised his hand to this hypothesis because the news he had been receiving lately was so absurd that the hypothesis was very attractive.

“Are those Russian bastards doing something?”

The U.S.-South Korea-Japan alliance was checking not only China but also Russia. However, Russia was currently focused on the Middle East and had difficulty giving a hint to the Far East. As a simple example, the troops that used to hang around the border were hardly seen, and even the bombers that occasionally took a walk around Japan had disappeared, so they were hardly exerting any power.

‘Then what is it really?’

Maybe India? No, India still had endless possibilities, but it hadn’t grown that much yet. Then is it Indonesia? That makes a little sense. There are quite a few Muslims there, so it’s right if it means to take good care of the terrorist crackdown on their own. In fact, according to intelligence, there were rumors that underground organizations were secretly moving.

‘But that doesn’t explain it!’

If that were the case, they would have gone to Indonesia, so why are they going to Korea? Then are they going to completely destroy China this time? Are they trying to trample on it firmly before it spreads its wings as a superpower?

If so, it’s too lenient a measure. They would have put pressure on trade first. Then, if they slowly tightened it diplomatically, China would have to embark on the path of 韜光養晦 [tāo guāng yǎng huì – a Chinese idiom meaning to hide one’s capabilities and bide one’s time] again for the time being. Chinese dream? The Chinese dream is freezing to death. The country would have been overturned if that had happened.

So, the conclusion is.

“I don’t know.”

At this point, he was so frustrated that he was about to reach enlightenment. If Jiang Zemin were a typical party member, he wouldn’t have needed to test the limits of his brain so much because of this. The problem was that Jiang Zemin was the person who led the party and moved China.

So, once again, Jiang Zemin returned to square one.

“Why?”

Of course, to say it again, George Bush just wanted to ride a fighter jet.

* * *

“What did you just say? Say it again.”

“The news is that the old, crazy American is coming to South Korea in a fighter jet.”

The old, crazy man meant the U.S. President, and the fact that it was called news rather than intelligence meant that it was a publicly circulating news in the international community.

“Are you sitting in that seat to spout such nonsense?”

Kim Jong-il sighed deeply. It was obvious. No, who wouldn’t think it was nonsense? What madman in the world comes to another country in a fighter jet?

“Comrade General! It’s true!”

“There’s nothing more to hear! What are you all doing? Execute him immediately!”

He cried out to be believed until he was dragged out, but Kim Jong-il didn’t even listen. Even if North Korea is small, are there so few talented people in the eight provinces of Korea? It was truly lamentable.

Of course, the Chollima [mythical winged horse, symbolizing rapid progress] talents who would create miracles through innovation and increased production had long been ground down by the militant attitude and the spirit of gunpowder that Kim Jong-il always emphasized.

‘If that’s true, then that Bush bastard is really an old, crazy man, isn’t he?’