No Mercy (Blood War Book 4) Page 15

  “That’s Central Park.”

  “Okay, we will establish a matrix of strongpoints starting there and going south to the tip of the island where the secretary general’s building is. These will be platoon-sized strongpoints with interlocking fields of fire and established routes for quick retreat. We’ll also throw in some randomly chosen buildings to fight hard for, even though they are nonstrategic to the plan, and bleed them, then retreat to the next strongpoint. Keep them from guessing where the next strongpoint will be. Now if I were this guy, I would want to get at the secretary general as soon as possible. So I’m going to assume that he is going to focus on the southern part of the island, from Long Island across the East River here.”

  Sand pointed to two airports on the western end of Long Island. “I’m going to put the Raiders on these airports. I think the Xotoli will use them as landing zones as they did on Rift. I’ll use the conscripts in fixed strongpoints on Manhattan.”

  “That's a narrow area for the Raiders to fight in. There's no room for maneuver,” Admiral Raurk said.

  “You’re right, but the Xotoli like to get in close and slug it out. This time we know they’re coming and what their objective is. The Raiders are the toughest and most battle hardened troops we have. They won’t be making any last stand. Their job is to make the Xotoli pay dearly before they reach Manhattan. So they will use the same strongpoint-matrix tactics and fight a slow retreat to our most hardened positions around the secretary general’s building. In addition, they are used to working with the Mike boats, so they will have close air support. Finally, we’re going to have heavier weapons in support. We make them pay a high price to get over the East River. Then the Raiders will fall back and join the conscripts. We fight them toe-to-toe until we find this Askars guy. By the way, how are we going to find him?”

  “Lieutenant Netis will be here in the CIC. We’ve written software that will scan the video feeds from the troops, looking for facial or Xotoli-command-armor recognition.”

  “I can’t tell them apart, Netis. Can you?” Sand said.

  “Of course. I grew up in his household. To me they are as different looking as any group of humans.”

  Sand shrugged. “I hope you can, because unless we can find this guy, this could be one long war. Will he have a command group that we can identify?”

  “Yes, sir. But because of his importance it will be well disguised.”

  Sand exchanged a glance with Admiral Raurk. “Ma’am, that is about it. If I get too detailed it could take the rest of the day.”

  Raurk looked at him and smiled one of her rare smiles. “A very good brief, with just enough granularity so even a navy admiral like me could understand the ground tactics, General.”

  Sand smiled and said, “Thank you, Admiral. Now all I have to do is make it work.”

  “Let me know how that works out, will you, General?”

  The group laughed together. The admiral was trying to release a little of the tension in the room. Sand appreciated it. His head had started pounding as soon as they had entered the CIC. He was going to have to slip out and put a plug in before he could no longer hide the pain.

  “Admiral Grogen, will you brief me in a language I am used to now?”

  “I’ll try, ma’am. At this point my priority is to provide protection for my LSDs until they have unloaded all of the Raiders and their combat loads. We have to get that done as soon as possible. After that, we can begin to patrol the system. We can’t let them get their troops on the ground without General Sand having the time to establish his defense.

  “They found out the hard way that the asteroid belt is well defended. They won’t attempt that again. Once the Raiders have landed and their equipment is on the ground, I propose to begin patrolling in battle groups. Each will be comprised of at least one battleship, two cruisers, and a destroyer screen. The main battle group will be centered on the Phoenix, as she is our only carrier. I want to keep her somewhere between the Moon and Earth so she can launch in protected space. With their ability to create wormholes at will, they could pop up anywhere in the system. Although if I was the Xotoli admiral I would probably choose the space between the Moon and Mars—close enough to move to Earth fast and yet far enough out to let them organize their task force.”

  Grogen changed the scale of the 3-D display back to the system-wide view.

  “So my thought is the battle groups will find and engage the Xotoli, and the main battle group—we’ll call it Battle Group Phoenix—will respond. I’m going to keep moving the chess pieces around so I can react to any moves by the Xotoli with enough force to keep them at bay.”

  “You both have avoided the elephant in the room. I’ve heard nothing about using our Von Fleet assets,” Admiral Raurk said.

  Both Grogen and Sand looked at one another. They’d had long discussions about what to do with them, but had realized that until they had talked directly to Admiral Raurk, who knew the secretary general’s opinion, they couldn’t make any plans.

  “I speak for both of us. We didn’t include them in our plans because we didn’t know what their status was with the Confederation,” Grogen said.

  Admiral Raurk folded her arms across her chest and stared ahead. “That is the real question. We still don’t have a way to test their crews for hybrids. So we’re stuck.”

  “Can we afford not to use them? I need those ground troops,” Sand said.

  “Good question, General. A very good question. Something the secretary general and I have been chewing on for some time now. Are they still outside the asteroid belt?”

  “Yes, ma’am. As per your instructions all Von Fleet ships stopped at the asteroid belt, and they know if they make any sort of movement that the Asteroid Fortifications Command has orders to fire on them.”

  Raurk knew how badly they needed those ships and troops, but Dasan also knew what kind of political pressure was on her and on the secretary general after the revelations of Von Fleet cooperating with the Xotoli. He had no idea how to make this decision. Sand was glad it was in her lap and not his.

  Raurk turned to Istas and said, “Didn’t Senator Carroll tell us that most of the crew on the ship that took him off Rift were hybrids?”

  “Yes, he did.”

  Then she looked at Netis and said, “Is it normal for the Xotoli to use that many hybrids on a ship or an operation?”

  “Admiral, I don’t think so. I was always part of a two-person team. No more. I never heard of larger teams.”

  “Istas, did Carroll know what happened to those hybrids once they reached Earth?”

  “No, but he did say something that I do remember. He thought that they were used to develop the first large network on Earth, because he had to create profiles for all of them in the Von Fleet files. He thought they became the basis for the network here.”

  “Netis, as I remember your debrief, you came through with just one other person. Isn’t that correct?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Back then they had no direct way to get us through to the Sol system, and we were smuggled in by thieves who thought we were just Autonomous Zone types who wanted to get to Earth.”

  “So in all probability, if there are hybrids on those ships, there are at worst small teams of one or two.”

  “That would be my guess.”

  “Without a full crew, you’re not going to be able to take over a ship.”

  Raurk seemed to be saying her thoughts out loud as she worked the problem. She was quiet for a moment, then said, “Okay, this is what I’m going to recommend to the secretary general, and I think he will go along. We let them through the asteroid belt. The private military ships will be organized into Von Fleet-only task forces. They will not be mixed with Confederation ships under any circumstances. They will patrol and fight on their own. In all probability there are a lot of good humans on those ships, and we are not going to throw them to the Xotoli. We’ll give them a chance to prove themselves. Can you live with that, Admiral?”

 
“Yes, ma’am. That is one damn fine solution.”

  “General Sand, I’m going to use the Von Fleet infantry from Chika to garrison Mars. I don’t have any other troops for that job. We have a couple of Von Fleet battalions here on Earth that have been disarmed and detained. They are largely ceremonial, so they don’t have the combat experience of those from Chika. You will use them as you see fit. Can you do that?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Okay, you two. I just put my ass on the line and got you more forces. Now go out there and win this fucking battle.”

  “Ma’am.”

  Sand and Netis turned and left the CIC. By the time Sand got to the corridor he could hardly see straight, the pain was so bad.

  “Ririsa, if you’ll excuse me, I need to use the head.”

  Sand slipped into the bathroom and found an empty stall. He sat on the toilet, reached into the pocket of his uniform, and pulled out one of the plugs Zhao was giving him. Zhao knew he couldn’t keep sending Borges to administer them, so he was giving him a short supply to keep track of how much he was using. Dasan slipped in a new plug and it was immediately activated. He closed his eyes as the nanos did their magic. He was using them daily now, and it was before the battle had even begun.

  Chapter 25

  Sol System

  Earth

  CVN Phoenix

  Combat Information Center

  Ririsa Grogen stood with her battleship task force commander, Zula Temesgen. Before them was a 3-D holo of the solar system from Mars to Earth. It showed the current position of all the Confederation and Von Fleet ships. The distance between Mars and the Moon showed five separate patrols crisscrossing the void. Both Von Fleet and Confederation patrols were included. Between the Moon and Earth, the space was packed with all manner of civilian and military vessels, all on separate missions and trips.

  “Filter out all civilian traffic,” Ririsa said.

  When the civilian traffic was taken out, the 3-D holo was a much cleaner representation of the ships under her command. She had asked Temesgen to meet her in the CIC to brainstorm the naval strategy of the defense of Earth.

  “Okay, let’s start with what we do know. They attacked the asteroid belt first. Intel shows it was to test our defenses in the asteroid belt and to map the system for determining the placement of their wormholes.”

  Ririsa zoomed in on the Moon and Earth, leaving the space between Mars and the Moon out.

  “I think this is our battle space—from the Moon to as far away as Venus. What is the solar-weather outlook for this next week?”

  Temesgen pulled it up and studied it before saying, “X-rays in normal limits and expected to stay that way. Protons are elevated at P5 but again within normal limits. The significant change is that there is a fifty-percent chance of a coronal mass ejection. Not toward Earth itself, but close enough to disturb operations in and around Venus.”

  “Okay. We don’t know much about the science of wormhole construction, but it would seem to me that a mass ejection would affect it, so we can take out this quadrant, I think.”

  Ririsa snapped off a section of the holo so that the only area left showed Earth, the Moon, and the space around them.

  “Can they open a wormhole with that much accuracy? That is some pretty crowded space with not much margin for error.”

  “They did at Rift,” Temesgen said.

  The Xotoli had opened a wormhole in what amounted to a high orbit around Rift to escape before the bulk of the Confederation forces could attack them.

  “Yeah, so how do we protect this space? Those kind of ranges that don’t allow for maneuvers or long-range weapons. It will be a slugfest, like the the asteroid belt.”

  “That's what I think. It's going to be up close and personal, just like that.”

  “But this time they'll be choosing the space. That seems almost too limiting. Why wouldn’t they open one between Mars and the Moon?”

  Ririsa thought for a minute. “It's just too much trouble when you can open a door and start fighting. Like urban warfare for the ground troops—get in and among the defenders and you don’t give them a chance to maneuver.”

  “Okay, but that still leaves us this huge sphere to protect.”

  “Right. I’ve been thinking about what I would do. If they open a wormhole with the Moon defenses on one side and the Earth defenses on the other, plus the naval patrols in between, they’d be walking into a buzz saw. No, I think they open the invasion wormhole when the Moon is on the other side of the planet.”

  “So we stay over New York.”

  “I think we set up a ball of thwine set of stations and picket ships orbits around earth. Destroyers as pickets, cruisers in racetracks, and battleships around the Phoenix.”

  “What about the Phoenix, Admiral?”

  “I’m keeping her near the Moon. It won’t take long for the fighters to get to the battle no matter where it starts, but I think a mirror orbit with the Moon will be the safest for the carrier.”

  Temesgen was quiet for a moment before he said with a smile, “That is one hell of a lot of guessing about their intentions and capabilities, Admiral.”

  Ririsa looked at him and gave one of her rare smiles. “Ain’t it, though. There have been a lot of admirals who have had less intel. We need what you need in all battles—luck and good ships with good crews. We’ll take it from there.”

  Chapter 26

  Low Earth Orbit

  Mike Boat 2525

  “This is Mike Boat 2525, requesting final approach to New York,” Senior Chief Petty Officer Odaka Lee said.

  “Mike Boat 2525, welcome. Your flight path has been sent to your ship. Safe landings.”

  “Roger. It’s nice to be here.”

  Lee looked over at his copilot Gita Toland. She nodded that she had received the flight path and had punched it into the computer. She pushed the pilot-assist-program button. Lee glanced at his windshield display and saw a string of green rectangles that was their flight path through the crowded space of Earth.

  “New York, we are in the green box and inbound.”

  “Roger, 2525.”

  Lee nudged the nose of the ship closer to the exact center of the rectangle, adjusted their speed, and eased 2525 onto the optimum path into New York.

  “Are you seeing this, Lee?” asked Toland. “This is Earth! This is where it all started. I’ve only seen it in videos. This is amazing.”

  Lee had to agree. It was an incredible sight. They were coming in on the nightside of Earth. The coasts of the continents were outlined in gold and white lights against the jet-black oceans. On the horizon the curve of Earth was visible. The topmost portion of the atmosphere had a light-green color to it, and to the left of their flight path, there was a neon-blue arch just above Earth. That had to be Sol seen through the atmosphere. The lights covered the continents from coast to coast with no dark patches. Every single square inch of the planet was covered with a huge urban sprawl. Civilian spacecraft filled the sky as they followed their approach flight path. Yachts, tankers, and cargo ships were all in orbit over the planet.

  It was hard to believe that this was a planet that was about to be attacked by aliens. It all seemed normal. The only thing not normal was their Mike boat. A ship meant for battle, and not being mixed in with civilian traffic.

  “Let’s let the Marines see this,” Lee said.

  “Check,” Toland said.

  Lee changed his comm to the Marine frequency.

  “Hey, LT, you guys turn on your heads-up to ship’s comm and get a look at this. I’ve piped our display into your armor system. It’s Earth. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been here before. Kinda neat to see it.”

  “Thanks, Lee, will do.”

  Lieutenant Mala Nani glanced at her heads-up as the colorful image of Earth filled it. Lee was right. It was amazing. She stared at the cradle of all the human breeds with mixed emotions. She would never be allowed to visit Earth under any other circumstances, sinc
e she was a convicted felon, and now they were asking her to risk her life to save the very planet that didn’t want her.

  Even this high up, she could see the lights of the Moscow space elevator that reached up from the surface to low Earth orbit. At the top was a huge structure that appeared to have both civilian and military uses. On top appeared to be some sort of clear observation deck. As they passed by, she could actually see people sitting in what had to be a restaurant eating dinner. Several pointed at the Mike boat as it passed, as if they had never seen one before.

  “Nani, are you seeing this?” Hu said.

  “Oh, yeah, quite a show.”

  “A fucking restaurant in space. Amazing.”

  But Mala couldn’t concentrate on the beauty of the Earth. Instead it represented all the bad things that had set her life off in a direction a thirteen-year-old girl could never have imagined. Being sold into a brothel at that age was a nightmare. She’d survived those years on her wits and a toughness she’d never known she had. It was Sol after Sol who had traveled from Earth to experience the forbidden acts that were legal in the Autonomous Zone. Most were Von Fleet executives. They were the only ones with enough money to afford the trip. But they had come for years, until she was too old and they had turned to other young girls.

  Now she was looking down on the place where they had been born. No matter how beautiful it was or how amazing the technology, she could think of it as nothing but the source of so much pain in her life. And now she was supposed to defend it with her life.

  “Nani, are you seeing all of the ships out there? There has to be thirty civilian and military vessels just in the New York Harbor,” Hu said.

  Mala glanced up at the display as the Mike boat approached the harbor. Hu was right. The harbor was filled with vessels from all over the Confederation. They were busy unloading material for transshipment to the surface. Small tugs and one-man movers were everywhere as they worked among the much larger vessels. She saw at least three destroyers in the harbor in slips taking on supplies, and New York was only one of the dozen different harbors around the Earth. There was London, Tokyo, Beijing, Moscow, and Berlin just to mention a few. Any other planet might have one or two ports, but Earth needed that many to survive. She saw several vessels with the Von Fleet logo docked in the port as they passed. Seeing the logo made her stomach tighten with a very old fear. It must be because they were around Earth. She had dealt with Von Fleet types for years now without having this reaction.