First Strike

by Richard Turner

Sheridan and Cole sat in the hallway of an underground complex waiting to see Major-General Gruber, Commanding General of the forces on Derra-5. After suddenly appearing inside the besieged city with two prisoners in hand, Sheridan’s party had been detained by the military police before being passed off to the intelligence staff. As soon as Sheridan started to recount their tale of survival outside of the capital, his entire party was quarantined until they could be properly debriefed.

  Sheridan was surprised to learn that instead of a single regiment, the bulk of a Marine Division was dug in facing the Kurgan invasion force. Even with three infantry regiments, an artillery regiment, and other support arms like air-defense, military police, and logistical units, he guessed that they were still outnumbered at least five to one by their adversary. With all of their electronics jammed, the defenders were helpless to stop the swarms of drones that flew with impunity over their positions. Sheridan had spoken with a member of the operational planning staff and had learned that the Kurgan drones were now targeting all of the command and control systems spread throughout the city. That was why they had gone underground. A full-scale attack on the capital was only hours away.

  They had eaten a hot meal, washed and shaved before being called down to speak with the general. With new uniforms on, both men felt as if the experience of the past two weeks had been some sort of horribly long dream that was now behind them.

  The door to the briefing room opened, and a captain poked her head out of the door, “Come in, gentlemen.”

  They walked in, came smartly to attention and saluted General Gruber, who was sitting at the head of a long wooden table. All down the sides of the table were the various members of the general’s staff.

  The division’s sergeant major, a grizzled-looking Asian-American soldier, waved for Cole to sit beside him.

  “Please take a seat, Mister Sheridan,” said Gruber, a white-haired man with a gruff visage. “My staff and I have read your report and you are to be commended for making it through enemy lines. I was more than a little perturbed to learn that not all of the tunnels under the capital had been sealed properly. That problem, I am happy to say, has been rectified. What disturbs me the most are some of the findings and conclusions that you included in your summation.”

  “Sir, if I was unclear, I apologize,” replied Sheridan.

  “There’s no need to apologize, son. Your report is well written and succinct. Although we have yet to see a single Kurgan, the fact that they are using human auxiliaries is repulsive, but not unexpected. I was briefed before the war began that rumors of human colonies abandoned on the Kurgan side of the Disputed Zone after the last war had started to draw the attention of the staff at Fleet Headquarters. There are two things that have me worried. First off is the fact that there could be Kurgan spies and saboteurs here among us.”

  Gruber paused and took a sip of water. He continued. “Secondly, and most alarming, is the conclusion you drew from the Kurgan kidnapping of teenage children. In your report, you said that you believe that this is an indication that the Kurgans are in this for the long haul. You don’t think that this war, like the one before it, will only last one or two years at most.”

  “No, sir, I do not,” responded Sheridan firmly.

  A bespectacled lieutenant colonel wearing intelligence insignia on his collar leaned forward and looked down the table at Sheridan. “With all due respect, Mister Sheridan, you’re only a second lieutenant with no real experience. How can you draw such a conclusion based on a discussion you had with some refugees?”

  Sheridan sat up straight in his chair and looked the officer in the eye. “Sir, there is no other logical conclusion that can be drawn from the facts. These youths will be indoctrinated into the Kurgan religion and culture and will return in a couple of years to fight us as replacements for the losses they expect to take in this war.”

  “Bloody hell, using our own people against us, it’s abominable,” said another colonel.

  The intelligence colonel persisted. “Second Lieutenant, did you see any real Kurgan warriors outside of the city?”

  Sheridan shook his head. “No, sir, we did not. As stated in my report, I was told that the Kurgans are here as officers only. The force facing the capital is almost entirely comprised of Chosen soldiers.”

  The officer turned to face General Gruber. “Sir, I find it hard to believe that there are no Kurgan troops on the ground. All of the intelligence updates we received prior to the Kurgan invasion never once spoke of humans being used in lieu of Kurgan warriors, not one.”

  “Perhaps your reports were wrong, sir,” said the division sergeant major dryly.

  The general’s chief of staff interjected, “General, we could have been receiving bad information for years. If what Mister Sheridan is saying is correct, Kurgan spies could have been operating in our fleet for generations. It’s going to be hard to trust anything sent to us in the future if we ever find a way to cut through the enemy’s jamming.”

  The division sergeant major leaned over to Cole and quietly said, “Your boy’s quite smart and confident for a Two-LT. He’s Admiral Sheridan’s son, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, he is, sergeant major,” replied Cole. “And yes, he is very intelligent. He has the potential to go far if he wants to. He’s still got a lot to learn about soldiering, but he’s already shown to me that he can work well under pressure.”

  “This PO you have with you, the one you found in the wreckage, do you think he could detect enemy messages in our computer files?”

  “He’s a nervous type, but what have you to lose by letting him poke about in your computers?”

  “I know whose computer he’s going to examine first,” said the sergeant major, eyeing the intelligence officer.

  General Gruber rhythmically drummed his fingers on the table for a minute, lost in thought. He took in a deep breath and said, “Well, even if we don’t all agree on the details of Mister Sheridan’s report, we can’t afford to ignore them, either.” He turned to face his chief of staff. “Anne, have the MPs double their patrols effective immediately. I also want all of our command and control centers guarded twenty-four-seven from now on. Draft soldiers from the artillery if you have to. Since the drones trashed their guns, they haven’t had much to do.”

  Gruber placed his hands palm down on the table. “Mister Sheridan, I would like to thank you for efforts in keeping your people alive and in persevering against the odds to warn us of a threat none of us had the slightest inkling of.”

  “Thank you, sir,” replied Sheridan.

  “Now, if my staff is right, and I think they are, we’re going to be attacked in the next few hours. I could use an officer like you on the front lines. Report right away to the Forty-Fourth Marine Regiment for your next duty assignment. My staff will let them know you are coming.”

  Sheridan stood and saluted. “Sir, could I please take Staff Sergeant Cole and the other survivors with me?”

  “You got balls, kid. Not too many second lieutenants would ever dream of asking their commanding general for a favor.” Gruber grinned. “Permission granted.”

  “Good luck,” said the sergeant major to Cole as he shook his hand goodbye.

  Outside the room, Sheridan looked at Cole. “I hope that’s okay with you, Sergeant.”

  Cole smiled. “I gotta serve somewhere. Besides, I’d rather not have to break in a new platoon leader. You’ll do for now.”

  “I guess we had best find Agnar, Garcia, and Obermman and tell them the good news.”

  “Come on, sir, they’re bound to be sitting around the mess hall waiting to find out what’s going on.”

  With that, they picked up their weapons from the MP’s guarding the hallway and headed straight for the mess hall. As expected, the Marines were sitting at a table by themselves. Agnar was busy helping himself to as much food as he could. Sheridan sat down and broke the news to them.

  “A job is a job,” Garcia noted philosophically.

  “Say, si
r, what’s the name of this outfit?” asked Obermman.

  “Since it’s a mishmash of regiments and units thrown together to defend the planet, it’s called the Capital Division,” replied Sheridan.

  Cole said, “Come on, Marines, we’ve got a bit of a hike, so let’s get moving.”

  “Why not,” Agnar responded while he jammed a couple of apples into his pockets.

  With Sheridan leading, they made their way through the warren maze of trenches that led from the headquarters to the frontlines. Walking out in the open would have invited a Kurgan drone missile strike. They passed other soldiers and civilians using the trenches for safety. What bothered Sheridan was the despondent look on the faces of many of the people they saw. It was as if they had already resigned themselves to defeat. He prayed that the soldiers manning the frontlines weren’t infected with the same malaise, or they and the city didn’t stand a chance against the coming storm.

  16