Richard J. Ronayne

Novella

Phenix Publishing Ltd

Nation-X Project

Dozens of my stories are currently being illustrated for release by Phenix Publishing Ltd for their Nation-X project, a multi-year project for 4-8000 word educational novellas.

This series was designed for young adults and high schoolers across Chinese and American schools, harnessing anthropomorphism to help digest mature, dark or joyful topics, whilst reflecting life, and exploring real social issues in an exciting and educational way.

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USNS White Whale
By Richard Joseph Ronayne

CHAPTER 1: Falling Short
“Happy Army Day!” President Emerson White celebrated, starting his Army Day speech to the nation. “Our armed forces work tirelessly to continue the global peace that we, as a united nation, have come to know as normal. This golden age of peace did not come freely, as many laid down their lives to concrete a safer future for us all. In acknowledgment of their ultimate sacrifice, it is time that we all acknowledge that we are now living in a different age to what we knew one hundred years ago when nuclear war was an ever-present threat. I am happy to announce that Nation-X will be reducing its nuclear arsenal by ninety percent as our armed forces tirelessly work to prove such archaic and destructive weapons no longer hold the same strategic value. Today, on this Army Day, we take one great stride toward ensuring continued peace for generations to come!”
The announcement made front-page headlines all over Nation-X. In Midland, the papers celebrated the peaceful step forward; in Southland, they questioned why only ninety percent were being disarmed, and Northeastland took a negative angle, accusing the President of weakening Nation-X and making it vulnerable to terrorists.
Samuel Lloyd scoffed loudly as he read the headlines aloud to a busy tavern of Skull Island’s free peoples, as they preferred to be called, instead of pirates. 
“Mister President goes on to say that Nation-X must keep a small number of nuclear missiles as a deterrent to safeguard against currently unforeseeable future crises, but the need for an arsenal for the archaic strategic purpose of mutually assured destruction is no longer of value to a united world.” Samuel spat at the false ideals. “Well, I don’t know about you lads and lassies, but I’d say they know full well that it only takes a handful of these missiles to assure the destruction of the stain on their ‘united world’ that Skull Island is! That’s why they won’t give them up so easy! To make sure we free folk behave ourselves!”
The rowdy rabble all jeered in agreement, angry at the continued threat that a nuclear-armed Nation-X represented to their hard-fought freedom from the mainland and its constricting government.
“But don’t ye worry boys and girls, Cap’n Lloyd has a plan to even the odds,” he announced loudly to a roar of cheers, taking a great big swig of his tankard.
Later that night, Captain Lloyd had set sail with his crew on his most dastardly mission yet, this time though, there was a strong sense of righteousness to what they were about to do. They all felt they had to act to protect Skull Island, their home, from the ever-felt knowledge that the mainland had nuclear missiles pointed at them at all times.
They sailed across the darkened ocean until they finally neared their destination. 
“All right everyone, shut y’er traps. We’re going dark,” the captain ordered as they turned all the ship’s devices off, except for the sonar.
The calmly still ocean was perfect for the operation, as they all listened out carefully for their mark. The boat cruised ahead on momentum, slowly and silently, but for the slow beeping of the sonar. 
Beep! Beep! The tension of the crew was palpable as everyone readied themselves for what came next.
Beep, beep! Beep, beep! Finally, the change of pace to the sonar’s song indicated their quarry was right where their informant said it would be. They continued waiting for it to get closer.
Beep, beep, beep! Beep, beep, beep! It was almost under them now. The captain nodded to his first mate and his diving team; they jumped overboard in their scuba diving gear, explosives in hand.
Several minutes passed before a large shadow could be seen rising from the depths below. The crew readied their weapons as a huge point of the ocean began to bubble violently until the beast itself breached the surface. The USNS White Whale, the mainland’s sole nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, took a breath of air, atop which were Captain Lloyd’s diving crew, waving back in celebration of their catch of the day. 

CHAPTER 2: How Do You Like It?
There was panic across Nation-X’s mainland as the news was reported that the USNS White Whale had been captured by pirates. President White sat down in the crisis room with his top generals as they watched the video demands that the pirates had sent the media.
“This is Captain Samuel Lloyd speaking. The free folks of Skull Island are tired of living under the existential threat of nuclear destruction at the hands of Nation-X’s mainland. In response to the government’s recent refusal to completely disarm their nuclear missile stockpile, Skull Island, without nuclear weapons, has decided to give you a taste of your own medicine. We have sixteen nuclear missiles now under our command, and we are most certainly threatening you with them. Disarm your entire nuclear arsenal within the next month, or we will fire upon you for the sake of our complete freedom.”
The video ended as the President turned to his advisors and sighed heavily. “Warm our nuclear missiles. We have to respond with force for now. Skull Island needs to know that we still have more than enough missiles to wipe them from the Planet-X. They may be a part of this country, but they certainly aren’t a necessity in its functioning.”
Mark, Bill, Amy, Tim, Ben, Sam, Max, and Monica celebrated the Army Day weekend on a small white sand island Peter had found in the Sunset Channel with his new deep-sea cruiser. The group of friends was blissfully unaware of the world events that had occurred until a large shadow appeared in the waters just off the island, and a large submarine surfaced only a short distance from Peter’s boat.
“Check to see if they’ve responded yet?” Captain Lloyd ordered as he climbed atop of his new but very cramped vessel. He stretched his flippers under the warm sun before seeing the group on the beach. The crew continued talking to him for two full minutes before realizing what had caught his attention. “Bring them aboard,” Captain Lloyd ordered reluctantly.
Peter’s group was delivered to Captain Lloyd’s quarters at gunpoint and bound. 
“I must apologize for the inconvenience to you,” Captain Lloyd stated after explaining the current events. “But I cannot afford to let you go freely after witnessing our location. I can promise that you will be quite safe as long as you don’t misbehave. I will release all of you when it’s all over.”
None of the group was able to respond due to their mouths being taped over, but Monica did her best to give them all reassuring looks before the captain was made aware by a member of the crew that a response from Nation-X’s mainland was being televised.
Captain Lloyd sat at his desk to watch it on a laptop as President White began talking. 
“Nation-X mainland will not give in to the demands of terrorists! We have the defensive capabilities to shoot down incoming missiles, while Skull Island does not. We also know exactly where you are; you cannot hide. Therefore we demand that you, Samuel Lloyd, and your crew, lay down your arms and surrender before the end of the day, or our powerful navy will sink you to a watery grave at the bottom of the ocean. Then we will take a harsher stand on the illegal activities of Skull Island and its warmongering denizens.”
The speech ended, and Captain Lloyd was furious. 
“Cap’n,” his first mate said. “We’ve detected a surveillance plane o’erhead, an’ a fleet o’ warships headin’ straight fo’ us.”
Captain Lloyd’s fist came smashing down on the table. “Well then, if it’s a fight they want, we best be giving ‘em one. Prepare a missile for launch!”
Captain Lloyd ignored the group as they tried to sound their muffled frustrations, but Monica tripped him as he passed before the crew quickly turned their weapons on her. 
“Ah! This one has spirit, good! Bring her with us,” he commanded, laughing.
Monica was hoisted up and walked out of the room as the group of friends were powerless to intervene. She was walked through a long corridor to the command bridge, where she saw a large radar and sonar showing numerous blips closing in from a distance.
Samuel input the coordinates carefully and hovered his hand over the launch button. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead before he looked Monica in the eyes, revealing a moment of indecision before he quickly snapped out of it and changed the coordinates. 
“This should be enough to get them back on track with our demands,” he said before pressing the launch button.
President White watched from his war room as a camera feed on the flagship carrier USNS Paws for Applause showed a missile launch out of the ocean before coming back down between the launch position and the fleet. The feed struggled as everything went white before dimming to reveal a huge mushroom cloud on the ocean’s surface.
“Is the fleet in danger? Are there any casualties?” he asked General Tim Moore fearfully. 
“Thankfully, no,” replied General Moore. “It was clearly a warning shot meant to force the fleet to turn away or travel through the radioactive area.” 
Lives over everything, thought President White. “Pull the fleet back to a safe distance; we seem to be at a stalemate.”
Back on the pirate ship, Monica was contemplating her next move.
“You couldn’t do it, could you?” she said. She had loosened the tape over her mouth while nobody was watching. The crewman guarding her went to put it back on but was stopped by the captain.
“She’s right. I couldn’t do it. We all know full well that if we fire on mainland, then Skull Island as we know it is doomed. We just wanted ‘em to know what it feels like to know that somebody else has the power to destroy everything that ya love and hold dear, to live under a constant existential threat of doom. I thought this would be enough to make you mainlanders listen, leopard.” Captain Lloyd sighed and then bravely said, “Now, I do not see a way out of the situation.”


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