As the battle shifted direction with the arrival of aircraft from the Lafevre family and the fleets of the Mexican navy along with those of the United States.
In the command center in Washington, D. C., in the operations room, an emergency meeting was taking place. The screens displayed the leaders of Mexico:
President of Mexico: Adrián Ledesma.
Secretary of National Defense: Gen. Raúl Zúñiga.
National Security Advisor: Marisol Cárdenas.
Strategic Intelligence Advisor: Lucía Montalvo.
The leaders of Canada:
Prime Minister: Élodie Tremblay.
Minister of National Defense: Sarah McAllister.
Chief of the Defense Staff: Robert Sinclair.
National Security and Intelligence Advisor: Nadia Kapoor.
connected from their respective command centers.
And for the United States:
President: Jonathan Pierce.
Secretary of Defense: William Hargrove.
National Security Advisor (NSA): Karen Mitchell.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: David Collins.
Everyone could observe the live images from the coast of Chiapas displayed on the screens. No one watching could believe what those images showed. Vessels that looked like something out of a movie, weapons they never thought could exist.
"Are those aircraft really from your government?" asked the U.S. Secretary of Defense.
"No," replied the Secretary of National Defense. "Until today I had no idea there was a base of that magnitude in Chiapas, much less that they had those aircraft. Our troops are not in combat; their role is to maintain the evacuation of civilians from the coastal areas toward the interior of the country."
The Prime Minister of Canada interrupted.
"We are deviating from the main objective. We must decide whether to use nuclear missiles on the Mexican coast."
"Absolutely not. I will not allow nuclear weapons to be used on Mexican territory until our civilians have been evacuated. At this moment, our troops are coordinating evacuations in more than forty cities. We will not sacrifice them."
And while they debated whether to launch nuclear projectiles, the screens showed military convoys. Helicopters were transporting civilians from hospitals. Ground units were organizing defensive positions as cover in case of an inevitable retreat.
"They are not managing to contain them," said the North American Secretary of Defense.
"The situation has exceeded containment capacity. The only viable military option is a nuclear strike against that fleet."
The Canadian Prime Minister responded firmly.
"That would destroy our own forces deployed along the coast."
Collateral losses are inevitable. If the advance cannot be stopped and those vessels reach land, it is unnecessary to say what will happen.
Silence followed immediately.
"If the fleet reaches the mainland, all of that becomes irrelevant," the Secretary replied. "It is a survival calculation."
The Mexican President shook his head again.
"We are not talking about military assets. There are civilians."
Tension escalated until a signal suddenly activated.
Ciara ÓBroin and Étienne Orleans appeared on the screens.
"Sorry for the interruption without permission," said the Mexican President. "Ms. Ciara, how were you able to access this meeting?"
"I apologize. Our intelligence and logistics unit is far superior to any other. But that is not important right now," Ciara replied.
"You are considering a nuclear strike," Ciara said bluntly.
The Secretary of Defense held his gaze.
"We are considering the only option that can stop the advance."
"I need you to understand that it will not work. I am aware that nuclear weapons could stop them, but it would also affect our own allies. You must understand the real cost," she continued. "A strike of that scale would not only eliminate the Kartnod fleet in the area, but also your own deployed forces: the Aguilar family units, the Lefevre forces, and a large portion of your naval support fleet. And there are hundreds of thousands of civilians currently being evacuated."
The Canadian Prime Minister asked:
"So a nuclear strike does not guarantee the end of the threat."
"It guarantees immediate mass destruction," Ciara replied. "With irreversible collateral effects on your own forces."
The Secretary of Defense maintained his position.
"But it reduces their operational capability in this sector."
"In this sector," Ciara repeated. "Not across their entire structure."
Silence returned to the room.
The Mexican President looked at the evacuation routes displayed on the screens.
"We continue with full evacuation."
The Canadian Prime Minister nodded.
"Canada maintains operational support."
The Secretary of Defense did not respond. Finally, he spoke.
"The United States keeps the nuclear option on the table. But this situation cannot continue indefinitely."
Ciara responded with cold calm.
"You already know that. And still, you must understand one more thing."
"What?" asked the Mexican President.
"That even if you use that option, you will not be facing the full Kartnod force. So I repeat: reconsider that option."
The connection was closed.
Meanwhile, in Tapachula de Córdova y Ordóñez.
The evacuation operation continued without pause.
Sergeant Teresa Peralta, together with First Lieutenant Adrián García, coordinated the constant departure of civilian convoys from evacuation points.
"Next group moving," she ordered. "Do not stop."
The highways were saturated but organized into military evacuation corridors. The Mexican army protected civilian movements while preventing chaos.
Helicopters evacuated hospital patients. Medical units were positioned at specific locations along the roads under constant monitoring.
The remaining defensive positions served only as temporary cover.
And along the coast, the Águilas Plateadas maintained an intense battle.
Thanks to the arrival of reinforcements, the advance was halted.
Among the Mexican naval forces were:
ARM Reformador: commanded by Vice Admiral Víctor Salgado.
ARM Protector: commanded by Rear Admiral Iván González.
And ARM Libertad: commanded by Rear Admiral Karla Montiel.
"Sir, we have direct firing solution," said the gunnery chief. "All ships open fire, and then a team will be assigned to rescue survivors."
The twenty-six ships fired all their weapons in three consecutive salvos, while fast rescue boats were deployed from the sides.
A young sailor named Ignacio saw something floating among the debris.
"Sir, something is moving," he said.
They immediately steered the boat toward it.
"Quick, bring her aboard!"
It was a young girl with blond hair and blue eyes. She was still breathing, but something was embedded in her abdomen. She needed immediate medical attention.
Ignacio could not stop looking at her. She was practically a child, and all indications were that she had been one of those who piloted those vessels that looked like they came out of a video game.
While the ships continued searching for survivors, on land, the high command decided they would wait one more hour. If the course of the battle did not change, they would launch a nuclear missile strike.