Texas Crow, 2020

China has established a very friendly relationship with many Caribbean nations, and has poured billions of dollars of aid into their economies. One recipient of this aid has been Trinidad and Tobago. This scenario assumes that Trinidad and Tobago has failed to use the money in a positive manner, although it has used some of the money to purchase older aircraft and patrol boats from China. Not only is its government corrupt and inefficient, but it is widely believed to be supporting drug cartels and using their gunmen to commit assassinations in other countries in the Caribbean and Central America. China has dismissed these charges and suggests that America simply wants an excuse to interfere with one of its allies. The issue reached a crisis point when Trinidad and Tobago refused to turn over indicted drug lord Fernando Gullavier to the United States for trial. Gullavier is blamed for the murders of several American citizens, including the recent assassinations of two DEA agents. The United States has dispatched a Surface Action Group (SAG) to the waters near Trinidad. The question now being asked is whether the United States simply plans to keep a close watch on Trinidad or if it is planning some kind of military action. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's Notes The Block II LCS is a speculative modification of the Littoral Combat Ship. Assuming that the United States Navy would have had several years to observe and test the first eight or ten Littoral Combat Ships, it is not unreasonable to assume that some enhancements would be made to newer ships in the two classes. An obvious option is to put four-cell short VLS systems (each of them capable of carrying 16 quad-packed ESSMs) in the two modular weapon stations. Fernando Gullavier is a fictional individual. Any resemblance to any persons living or dead (or in any other state of existence) is purely accidental. The lack of Tomahawk missiles on the Mason is meant to