[ WP ] A large U.S Military base in Saudi Arabia near Mecca disappears , reappears in 630 during the Conquest of Mecca .

# # # # # # [ ] ( # dropcap ) 
 
 M [ ajor Rebecca Hammond grimaced. ] ( # sc ) 
 
 She'd only been the MEU^ [ 1 ] S-6^ [ 2 ] for a week, since Major Simms had been selected for Lt Colonel and received orders to school. *Now this... * 
 
 General Hess, stood over his desk looking more than perturbed. Next to him the XO^ [ 3 ], Colonel Revel looked just as annoyed. *God, nothing changes. It's like being a Lieutenant all over again. * 
 
 `` Cut to the chase, Major. Why are we dark?'' 
 
 `` It's unprecedented, sir. The Iridiums, the SatCom, VHF, HF^ [ 4 ] are all down. Well, not completely down, sir. I've been working with the other *local* units, even 15th MEU agreed to unpack their gear and do some tests. We can communicate locally, but everything external to the base is dead. Commercial, military; it does n't matter. We ca n't even reach back to the LHD^ [ 5 ], sir. There's no sign of it.'' 
 
 General Hess nodded, `` Fair enough. Take a seat. Everyone, here's the problem and it does n't leave this tent. It's beyond TS^ [ 6 ]. Major Hernandez?'' 
 
 The bald, olive-skinned Marine stepped forward, he was the MEU Intelligence Officer - the S-2. `` Yes, sir.'' 
 
 It was then that Rebecca noticed that General Schafer, the 15th MEU Commander, and Colonel Black, the Camp Commandant were both sitting in the back of the room. *Ok, this is worse than a comm blackout. * In fact a number of people, not from her unit were scattered around the room. She'd been too focused on her report to do a full inventory when she had first entered the command building. 
 
 Major Jose Hernandez continued, `` Both 15th and ourselves launched whatever Ravens and ScanEagles^ [ 7 ] we had functional at 0630.'' A number of stills and video feeds were projected against the wall. `` The aircraft all returned some rather confusing imagery. Terrain, topography... nothing matches what should be the local area. The water there,'' he pointed up to a feed. `` Does n't match the Gulf. Closest my guys can analyze, is it resembles the Red Sea.'' 
 
 Colonel Chase, the Operations Officer, cut in, `` Something feels off, Jose. Those boats... there all reeds and twine. Hell, I have n't seen anything more advanced than a camel. Even the poorest rags have trucks all over the place.'' 
 
 `` Yes, sir. We noticed as well. Our GPS are down. No connection to the satellites. That was our first qualm. Then all comms are down. Our power hardline is cut. All we have are the generators. Corporal Bien, a budding astronomer was doing some stargazing this morning before dawn. She noticed a shift in the constellations before we were cut off. In her words,'the stars are all wrong, sir.''' 
 
 He continued his presentation, cycling through a number of stills until he came to a sprawling, ancient city in its prime. `` Gents and ladies, this is n't from a history book. This is a shot from two hours ago, biggest bastion of civilization we could find. And this,'' he advanced to another still of a large army, mounted on horse and foot. `` Looks like an advancing army.'' 
 
 `` Christ,'' It was General Schafer. `` If this ai n't a bad dream and my history lessons are n't as fuzzy as I think... no, it ca n't be.'' 
 
 General Hess turned to his peer, `` What is it, Tom?'' 
 
 `` Ca n't be a hundred percent, Dave. But, judging by the armor and the strength... coupled with the'city'. I'll put even money that, that is Mecca and may very well be Muhammad and his troops out there.'' 
 
 The whole room fell silent as the digested the impossibility. 
 
 -- -- -- 
 
 1. Marine Expeditionary Unit 
 2. S-6. Communications Officer 
 3. Executive Officer, the Commanding Officer's assistant. 
 4. A host of communications options, including Very High Frequency and High Frequency. 
 5. Landing Helicopter Dock, the `` Big Decks'' aka small aircraft carriers that can launch Harriers, CH53s, Ospreys and other short takeoff craft. 
 6. Top Secret 
 7. Smallish drones in use at the MEU level. 

