FIRST SALVO
A Zootopia fan fiction by Dan

Rated M+

(c) Zootopia 2016 by Disney Animated Studios
(Artist ownership) Ayden Gull from BRO GULLS by Anti_Dev
(Artist ownership) “I Will survive” by William Borba 2017
(Artist ownership) Will and Alex Gray, Sheath and Knife by Harmarist
(Artist ownership) Anubis and the buried bone by Harmarist
(c) (Artist ownership) The K’zin by Lary Niven.
(Artist ownership) Don Carnage Disney’s TAIL SPIN
(Artist ownership) Ikkey the Fox Kit by Inkbunny’s Ikkey
(Artist Ownership) Master Guns Flash by Inkbunny’s Flash Timberwolf
(Artist Ownership) Chuck  Dawson (cat) From Omaha the Cat Dancer  Reed Waller 1994

Chapter 25
The Outbacks Part 5

Operation Paw N Paw Shield

19 September 2040
0001 hours
The Destroyer Growler

“My darling Will….I can’t be too specific right now but we will soon carry out our planned visit. What I can tell you is the reactions of some of the crew to the news of the protest back home.”

“You’re methods were brilliant Will! I heard very few complains against you, most were very positive for what you’re trying to do! I am so proud of you.”

“You have made me so proud that I fell in love with a wolf who is so smart, cleaver and caring. You’ve made a lot of friends from my ship and certainly many of the ships in the group are the same way. Though….I must be honest with you, I believe we’re doing the right thing by the “Outbacks”. They can’t defend themselves well enough should the Kzinti think of attacking them so we couldn’t just send one ship as a message. But I do think we’ve got more here than a number that’s sufficient to show our determination. This could spark a conflict and no one in the task force wants that to happen.”

“You are doing the right thing Will...it is a good thing that our whole society is talking with each other over such issues as this; that all our citizens will not allow us to trip and fumble our way into a war and we can talk about it without resorting to throwing stones or fisted paws at each other. That was the most amazing thing we got to see from the news coverage; you’ve really proven how wonderful you are to me.”

“I love you my darling. Please think of us all out here and wish for our safety so we can get home as soon as possible. With all my heart…..Gilly.”

    At 0001 hours, the task force reached the waters of the Outback Islands, sailing North West of the target Island Athahead. Athahead was a sand, rock and scrub Island the Outbackers used more often for running dune buggies and ATV’s over than anything else. For the visit by Zootopia...The Outbackers deemed Athahead a live fire zone. If the Zootopian Navy rendered the island completely flat? That would be a cost saving bonus. The Outbackers were happy for a little free explosive packed urban renewal.

     To the South of Athahead was Carbobridge Island which had been designated an “ordinance free zone” save a long strip of beach line where the Zootopian Marine Recon were going to stage a diversionary action to draw the Outbacker National Constabulary Guard there while the Zootopian Navy pounced on Athahead. Carbobridge had been “stocked” in the prep time before the arrival of the Zootopian fleet with police, actors and a few professional soldiers of the Outbackers Auxiliary Defense Force to give the Zootopian Fleet Marines “Testy” targets of opportunity. For their part, The citizens of the Outbacks showed an eagerness to learn from their Zootopian friends the best ways they could defend themselves. The Kzinti had the population frightened; especially the very small mammals like the Koala and the placid Wallaby. The Kangaroos however….were filled with determination, especially eager to learn paw to paw combat and how best to use their powerful clawed legs to overcome their not to powerful nor long arms against potential opponents.

      The Prime Minister or Governor of the Outbacks was a Koala named Osmenia (Oos-men-yah) and he had received the Zootopian ambassador the day before the fleets arrival not only to explain what the Naval maneuvers would entail and where they could go, but also explained in detail the expected behavior of the guests when it came time for the fleet to come into port. Stories of over indulging visiting mammal’s turning liberty ports into “Raucous Circuses” were inescapable and the Prime Minister made it clear that though Zootopia’s Sailors and Marines didn’t cause a whole lot of trouble during their port visits; it was just for protocol that the point be refreshed. Major incidents required Zootopia to turn over the miscreants for local prosecution...though you couldn’t consider the Outbacker version of “prisons” to be exactly that kind of prison. 

       One thing about the Outbacks….Though prostitution was in public illegal? Providing “The best relaxation and entertainment” to visiting tourists and the Zootopian Navy meant using euphemisms and cleaver words to say….”There are no prostitutes, we don’t employ prostitutes….however….if a horny female Kangaroo wanted to experiment with a Tiger in the privacy of a hotel room and get treated to “a nice pampering in the offing”...The officials were not going to exactly get involved. One thing was very sure, there was no way possible that the fleet was going to “drink the outbacks dry” or leave without ache and pain reminders of their having enjoyed the hospitality of the natives. 

      Two small cities on the main island of Elsbane were known for their “jubilant and exhorting” hospitality, Olopoe Bay in the north and Paddy Beach to the South where it was rumored aboard ships that a sailor could “double tie” themselves silly on less than five Zoo-bucks a night. Of course, both cities would be packed with police as shore patrol teams to make sure insanity didn’t break out.

     But before anyone could think of shore leave and enjoyment, the force demonstration had to be carried out. It began with the early morning launch of a squadron of Flying Fox UAV’s off the Sayoni. Eight fully armed drones which would form a sort of “trip wire wall” north of the task force as they circled high above the ocean at 30,000 feet. Armed with both GPS guided 500 pound JDAM bombs and Viper Mark I anti-tank missiles, the Foxes were there for the obvious reason should the Kzinti ships still sitting some 30 miles away to the North decided to “get their frog on.”

     Of course there was also the unknown quantity lurking under the sea. Who on any of the ships save those on the Command Ship Tun Tavern knew how many Trident USV attack subs could be lurking around with their torpedoes and missiles primed and awaiting a firing solution?

The Zootopian UAV Trident Submarine “Snow castle”
0037 hours 19 September 2040
Closing in on Carbobridge Island

      The sub’s sloping deck made it obvious that she was heading for “the roof” a few miles off the coast of Carbobridge as the passengers began to assemble their gear, check their weapons and talked to each other in groups over smart phones and tablets as they reviewed their plans in the glow of red combat lights…

      Corporal Hashino (Tanuki), Team Nine’s Sniper, was taking deep breaths and shaking the cobwebs from himself as Corporal Harper (Otter) came up and slapped him in shoulders…

     “Feeling better now?” Harper asked.

     Hashino nodded and threw paw thumbs up...”Glad we’re here now...I am so ready for this!”

      Harper rubbed Hashino’s head tuft...”Keep it frosty big boy. Save the excitement for later when we need that “Fifty Snipe” watching our backs.”

      Sargent Ushijima (Tanuki), the “NCO” lead of Team Nine came up with Lieutenant Salters (Tanuki). “Hashino? You know your place?” Ushijima asked.

     “Yes Sir.” Hashino replied confidently.

     Lieutenant Salters gestured to a gray and white fox...”Private First Class Kapes here will be your spotter.”

     “Charmed.” Kapes said with a paw wave.

      Lieutenant Salters waved his paw as he got onto an equipment box. “Team Nine on me and Sargent Ushijima right now!”

      The team besides Salters (Tanuki), Ushijima (Tanuki), Hashino (Tanuki), Harper (Otter) and Kapes (fox) included five more combat swimming otters and seven more Tanuki (Japanese Raccoon dogs). They and Team Seven were a “diversionary punch” to draw the Outback defense forces to look south while the main invasion was going to hammer Athahead Island to the North. Team Seven had the job of putting on a fantastic explosives display along the Western beach of Carbobridge, a convincing dazzle of pyrotechnics and small arms to make the  constables think an invasion was underway. While they and the small national auxillary force would respond to that? Team Nine was going to attack the island’s rail yard facility and blow up two key bridges (One road, one railroad). Of course they weren’t going to do any actual attack damage.

       The sub’s decking suddenly level’d off indicating that at least the upper work or “sail top” had broached the surface of the sea. An off and on again sounding horn gave notice that it was ok for the teams to climb the ladders leading from their cramped living and working quarters, break the seals on the hatches for the diver airlock compartments then climb further still to break the seals of the armored hatches which opened onto the back or spine of the cruising submarine.

Note: These Tridents follow the same design as those of the American navy which were converted from carrying large nuclear missiles to equipment storage tubes to support special operations from the sea. 

         One of team Seven’s Otters went from tube door to tube door on the sub’s spine, setting a large “T Key” into recessed holes in the deck and turning it to open the large circular armored doors that covered long vertical tubes which held both equipment and the explosives needed to set off the pyrotechnical diversion on the far off beach. As pack after pack and tube after tube of gear was pulled from the submarine’s storage tubes, elevator platforms at the base continued to bring all the required gear to the top where Otters snatched them and slid over the black smooth sides of the submarine into the water…

        Meanwhile….Team Nine was putting together four rubber fast boats with their silent outboard motors, Gun Lintels, light machine guns and grenade launchers and tying them to steel eye loops on the sub’s hull. It didn’t take long for Team Seven to get theirs up and running as soon a pair of “ribs” were speeding into the darkness manned by Tanuki standing at their gun stations. A whole lot of noise was about to kick the day’s “party” into high gear. 

The Zootopian Amphibious Command Ship Tun Taven
0100 hours 19 September 2040
Northwest of Athahead Island

     “Teams Seven and Nine are now moving towards their target points.” A female rabbit said from her console in the dim red lighting of the Operations monitoring center where General Bugs and his officers,  Admiral Arthur Ace and his staff officers and two visiting dignitaries from the Outback government stood watching the various mammals who sat at consoles or stood over the lighted map table or stood writing in reverse on the large plate glass illuminated boards continuous updates on various statuses, including the location, distance, speed and course of the three Kzinti warships being watched by the “Trip wire wall” of Tridents and Flying Foxes some thirty miles from the task force. 

       Government representative Blaimy (A Tasmanian Devil) Stood at one of the consoles paying close attention as the fox working the screen explained what was going on. What each Avatar or “counter” meant, where it was moving and what was likely taking place…

       “Hopefully we won’t make things to boring for your troops.” Blaimy said. “We might be a little “short” just to be descriptive? That doesn’t mean we won’t throw out a few surprises of our own.”

        The fox replied smiling. “That may be harder for you to achieve than you think Sir?” He turned his screen into a split view and showed Blaimy the green colored images being filmed by a high flying recon drone over Carbobridge. “So you use dune buggies and ATV’s for everything?”

      “No everything but they are the fastest way to get around the islands. And of course you can see some of them? But what you don’t see may end up biting your tail pretty hard. We do have the home team advantage here after all mate.”

      “Wasn’t saying you’d make our visit boring at all minister.” The fox replied with a nod.

       The other government official was a female Wallaby named Bethany who looked with wonder at all the gadgets. Not that the Outbackers hadn’t the same things as Zootopia enjoyed. Outbackers just didn’t bask themselves in a lot of “tech”. They were quiet and simple mammals who found their enjoyment off the environment around them and felt no real need for too many modern trappings. But they well knew that ease of life came with a double edged sword. There wasn’t too much in the Islands that could be considered of worthy value, save some precious minerals and the lands themselves. The Outbacks if they were taken by a brute force could be turned into quite a nasty redoubt base of operations, hence the worry of the Government in asking Zootopia to send their fleet as a little “Moment of pause” when the Kzinti started their “teasing” around.

       General Bugs leaned over Bethany...”Any questions? Is there anything you’d like to have Miss? Water? Greens?”

        “I’m fine thank you General.” Bethany returned with a smile. “I’m just a little absorbed by all this.”

        “Yeah….” Bugs replied. “I get boggled by it too….trust me. When I was a boot Lieutenant Twenty Five years ago we didn’t have all this stuff. Try digging borough tunnels without GPS today. I was lucky not to wind up in Kookamunga by that Albuquerque Right turn when I was running from my Daddy’s switch.”

        Bethany pointed to one of the large screens. “So those counters with the smiley faces are the special teams?”

       Bugs frowned...”Alright? Who’s the wise guy in here that’s messing with the big boards? We’re supposed to be serious and professional in this room, put the proper pips on the big boards!”

       Some one changed the Smiley faces to avatars of Bugs’ head chomping a cigar. “Ok….you’re really testing my patience now...I don’t smoke cigars. What do I have in my mouth right now? A carrot stick. Carrot stick see?”

       Bethany chuckled. “Can’t be serious all the time General. I see they’re getting close.”

      “By now….team Seven should be starting to set up their little fireworks display off Marpie Point Beach. That will take them about twenty minutes to do but they won’t start the craziness until Team Nine gives the signal.” Bugs replied. I’m beginning to thing they’re throwing an unauthorized ice cream social out there.”

0130 hours 19 September 2040
Marpie Point, Carbobridge Island
Team Seven

      Corporal Justin (Otter) affixed a “daisy chain” detonator to two wire leads between a pair of cannon charges his partner Sargent Drewberry stabbed into the sand from one of the Ponkis tubes the pair of otters had pulled with them from the submarine…

       “Three, four set.” Justin said with a waving paw as he swam to the next set of leads where he did the same action as before then popped up to the surface to look at the shore line with a pair of night vision binoculars. “No movement Sarge. Beach is clean so far.”

        Drewberry popped up next to Justin. “Don’t “stargaze” too long. We have…. About fifteen minutes or so before we’re supposed to hear from Team Nine.”

        Justin quickly dropped back down to the sandy bottom and worked two more connections to complete the daisy chain of charges...fifteen massive blasters packed with 500 pounds of TNT designed to make as big a noise as possible to make the locals piss themselves silly. Just by chance as he finished up, a sweet pump salmon swam slowly by and not one to pass up an offering...Justin jumped upon it and sat happily eating it until Drewberry showed up…

      “Oh that’s kind of you.” The Otter Sargent snorted. “Fluck your superior and horde it for yourself huh?”

      “Never pass up a free snack you know.” Justin giggled back as he licked his paw fingers...”This place is food rich!”

       Drewberry smacked Justin off the head. “You’ll be food poor if you let your mind wander like that in the middle of a mission. Get a move on. Did you finish the chain?”

       “Yeah! All set up.” Justin replied as he swam to a tethered “Ponk”, broke open the sealed doors and passed the Sargent a Mini-M-14 while Justin grabbed a 203 Grenade launcher and two Javelin anti-tank rockets...only these Javelin’s were fire work shooting simulator rounds not the real “bunker buster” missiles.

        Drewberry texted on his smart phone….”We are all set. Come and get us now.” To the rib boats cruising two miles out in the sea beyond the surf. The otters of Team Seven planted a total of 30 cannon rounds all along the beach line. This was going to be a great show.

0130 hours 19 September 2040
Sharp Line point, Carbobridge Island
Team Nine

PFC Kates (Fox) stopped in his four legged climb to sniff the air and once he felt comfortable