First of all, what immediately caught his attention was the location of the battle, and that it occurred in the region of his previous command. The second fact sealed the deal for him, giving him goosebumps as he read farther. Phrases and sentences jumped out to him, but there was one in particular he read three times before allowing himself to believe it. “Initial signs point to remarkable similarities between this scene and previous battles with the terrorist known as Starkindler.” A thrill ran down his spine at the news, a complex mix of fear, anxiety, and to his surprise, even a bit of relief that his arch foe might still be alive.
Upon initially scanning the file, he excused himself and then retreated to the barren office assigned to him, reflecting on the implications of the news and read it in full, knowing that if true, the effects would ripple across the planet. There was little to go on as he again pulled up the report and scoured over the findings in detail. The fact that there had been a post-battle investigation at all was amazing amidst the current state of affairs. The investigators were being worked harder than ever, a creation of the system after “The Reckoning” to assist commanders with post-op findings about what went wrong during a battle that they lost. General Akari silently thanked whatever angel had seen fit to create them and that they had investigated this particular battle.
* * * * *
The last three days had been a hectic time of learning and adjusting to his new surroundings, the contents of the report always in the back of his mind. It had taken more time than anyone anticipated locating and properly briefing his successor on the challenges facing his now former command, needing to perform the briefing in person instead of over a video connection due to the continued signal interference deriving from an unknown source that was crippling the planets communication network. Having access to the Hellfire Brigade would help his successor, but the challenges he faced were extreme in the face of the resurgent StormCrow Brigade, and the rapidly expanding Lazarus Faction. And now instead of dealing with the real problems sweeping across the planet, he was thousands of miles away from the nearest battlefront, confined to a computer, with more than enough unnecessary “paperwork” to keep him out of trouble, chafing at every wasted second that he could, instead, be doing something actually useful.
The other Generals and their command staff grudgingly made room for him in the cramped twenty story complex known simply as the Mountain, where the General Staff of the combined military services made its headquarters. The rumors surrounding his transfer were both good and bad, leaving his peers with just enough doubt in their minds to avoid beginning a turf war until they saw which way his political winds would blow. Enough of a taint remained however, that they no longer saw his star as still rising either. No one approached him, whether to brown nose or assist him in adjusting to the new situation, leaving him completely isolated and therefore without distractions, able to focus solely on what mattered most.
Once again, he found himself called into his friend General Baknon’s office for a private consultation. “How are you finding things?” His friend and mentor asked earnestly upon his arrival.
“If I have to waste one more day doing nothing but reading reports and status updates, I think I may have to examine the result of my life choices.” General Akari said, exuding more bitterness than he intended. The words left his mouth before he considered their implications, a rare occurrence for him. He glanced nervously at his friend who was stuck doing exactly that for a living.
A hearty laugh was all the reply he got, followed by a rueful grin as General Baknon stood and moved to the bar in order to refill their glasses, using the liquor as an excuse to avoid having to reply and embarrassing them both. Finished, he returned, sitting back down in the comfortable divan opposite. “You know, it’s really not as bad as all that.”
“Sorry, but then again I’m not. I truly have no idea how you stand it. I have to find a way to get back in the middle of the things again.” General Akari said.
A snort and a curt reply were his reward for speaking his mind. “What, afraid that in our old age we are too good to push paper and have others do the hard work for us, all while we steal the credit from them?” General Baknon said, staring at him over the top of the glass, raised nearly all the way to his mouth as if daring him to say yes.
Without a missing a beat, General Akari retorted. “Please, we both know that’s the only way you became a four star. You were always the more qualified of us: older, slower, softer, and with an ego the size of a sixteen year old. Hell, you were tailor made for the job.”
They both laughed for a moment before General Baknon turned serious again. “You serious about wanting something to do, even if it’s a shit job?”
He never even hesitated, “I can’t take one more day of this and you know that. Hell, that’s probably why you gave it to me, so that I would come here begging for something and you would give me whatever mess you couldn’t fix yourself in the first place and then say it was my idea.”
The truth of his words presented themselves on his friends face. “I regret nothing. Everything I have ever done has been in our planet’s best interests, which is why I did something that has been keeping me up at night … Are you sure?” General Baknon said.
A nod from Akari was all the permission he needed to continue. “This goes no further than this room, understood?”
“Understood. What do you have for me?” General Akari said.
“You are aware that the corporate bean counters have finally allowed us to begin upgrading the mainline variants of Mech armor, after showing them that even with mass produced models and superior numbers, we are losing this war right?” He paused briefly after the mostly rhetorical question, and then once he received the head nod of recognition continued. “The problem is, we are capped with how many units we can field by the damned treaty with Titan, and the Corporate Congress will fudge the numbers a little, but only so far. The other solution would be to chop up some of the older units for parts, making room to introduce the upgraded models; but again, the Corporate Congress won’t allow that, which presents us with the problem of how to get the new models out of the factories and to the field where they are needed most. In the end, that only leaves us with one option, but the pilots are considerably harder to replace than the units as they take years to train properly, meaning that this has to be accomplished in a very specific fashion or all we end up doing is weakening ourselves even further, and that simply can’t be allowed.”
General Baknon paused for a moment, but he could see the intrigue in General Akari’s eyes and continued. “About a year ago, I had a feeling things may come down to this, but never expected them to be this bad mind you. I pulled some strings and had the recruiters start allowing recruits for pilots that barely failed the application to be accepted and sent to a special reserve pool to be drawn upon as needed. Not ones that missed the results by much. For most of them, it’s something small like their reflexes aren’t quite fast enough or they have a minor medical condition that they don’t have the credits to get fixed before applying as a pilot. So we are paying for their treatments and working with them to sharpen their skills etc. Altogether, we already have over a thousand pilots we are working with, and they are training with the oldest and most decrepit reserve units, which are the ones we will miss the least and therefore need to get rid of most. They are located in garrisons around the capitol as part of the reserve Armored Corp, and are finally ready to deploy soon, now I only need a target to send them against.”
His words hung in the air, thick with portent and implications. General Akari took everything in, breaking it down and running the calculations before calling up a map on his data slate and mirroring it onto the far wall, where it expanded to fill the end of the office in extreme detail. Excitedly, he moved to the wall, talking out loud as he looked at the various information tags on the map showing known terrorist outposts. “The greatest threat in the East and South are the WinterSong, but they are too strong
for a force like that, and if you are going to expend them, then it would be best to get something in return. As stretched as we are, we can’t afford not to. That means we need an enemy that they can compete against, and that’s exactly where I come in.”
General Akari began adjusting the map, a topographical satellite view of the planet, before he started navigating through it, finding what he was searching for and circling it to highlight its location. “In the West, there is one particular thorn that is growing rapidly and needs to be pruned, the Lazarus faction. They have several different outposts, so rapidly have they risen, but this one, named Kerrack, in particular is new and therefore vulnerable, and consequently ideal for the type of operation you have in mind. Also, because they rely on numbers of mechanized ground vehicles for the majority of their combat capability and not Mech armor, the reserves have a chance of really hitting above their weight instead of being at a severe disadvantage.”
General Baknon stood next to him, staring at the circled hill that stood at the lip of a large crater currently highlighted, considering the next move before replying. “That’s only about fifty miles away from Mount Olympus…” He said, letting his voice trail off, waiting for an explanation.
General Akari did not hesitate, “Yes it’s true, I may be a little obsessed, and the StormCrows will almost certainly attempt to support their sister faction. But that’s exactly why it’s such a good idea. With the level of forces at our disposal, we can not only pare back the Lazarus Factions growth, but also set a trap that the StormCrows will almost certainly spring, fulfilling three major objectives in one operation.”
His friend and mentor stared at him a moment, evaluating his reply. “You’re sure this isn’t personal?”
“Damned straight it’s personal. But it’s also strategically sound and that’s what matters.” General Akari said.
Baknon simply nodded as if expecting the answer the entire time. “I need someone I trust to take command and make sure this gets done right, not someone who is going to waste those men for the sake of getting rid of them. As you said, we’re stretched too thin to simply waste them.”
“I understand.” General Akari said, giving only tactic confirmation that he was agreeing, without committing to what he was agreeing to, desperate to get back to a command.
“Make me a list of what you need … Commander,” General Baknon said as he paused, placing extra emphasis on the word. “And then get ready to meet your troops. I’ll put in the request right now. Get to it, time is of the essence.”
* * * * *
In the end, General Baknon called in some further favors and had SGM. Anderson, as well as two dozen of his most loyal technicians and general staff transferred back to Akari’s command. The task at hand would be difficult enough without state of the art resources and veteran teams working behind the scenes coordinating logistics, and he had neither. Getting people who knew what they were doing in the right positions would at least help smooth some of the herculean tasks they had to accomplish in a very short time. General Akari had always made it a point of pride that he cultivated and maintained excellent staff members, the results of which were now paying dividends. Upon their arrival, they immediately went about their assigned tasks with little input needed from him, leaving him to focus on his tasks.
His new command oversaw five divisions and three large bases that, if combined, held more personnel than one of the military branches. Four smaller bases that had dedicated missions such as supporting a local airfield and air wing, and seventeen smaller outposts that housed a brigade or less were mainly used for patrol purposes. On paper, his new command looked terrifyingly huge, able to sweep across the planet and reshape its future from the ashes of the conquered. He knew that in reality, the green troops and outdated equipment would be lucky, at best, to not embarrass themselves in a major confrontation like the one he was in the middle of planning. They had mere months to plan the large scale attack, and there was little to no chance of whipping his force into shape during that time. Instead, he had to focus on smaller, more realistic goals, such as overwhelming the Lazarus Faction with sheer numbers.
On paper, his new command covered over a thousand square miles of the southern portion of the Tharsis plain surrounding Hellas proper. Nine dormant volcanos jutted up from the surface, dominating the surrounding areas with their towering heights. Plains around the different volcanos were notorious for their high winds and violent, shifting sands that made footing treacherous, able to swallow a Mech armor whole that miss stepped. His command also carried responsibility for actively patrolling a western section of the Valles Marineris. Anything that might be considered decent terrain was littered with craters and small sand dunes that made ambushes extremely deadly.
The reserve Armored Corp surrounded Hellas, looking fearsome, praying no one tested them, technically responsible for eliminating any terrorist found in their territory. That was provided they could even find a terrorist, and once that feat was accomplished, could then manage doing anything other than dying. They were a measure of last resort, and a pathetic one at best.
General Baknon gave him a nearly blank check and his full assistance in preparing for the upcoming campaign. Already factory domes surrounding Hellas proper were turning out some of the most desperately needed spare parts and munitions, waiting on a wish list for more specific items. His first task had been to review the troops and Mech armor divisions in order to create that wish list. What he found worried him. He could sum up their state in one word, decrepit, and lacking access to any of the much more capable mercenary units being brought from Earth as well as Reapers, or any of the upgraded drone models which were being mass produced in larger quantities than ever before. A severe shortage of drones existed across the planet due to the majority of them being assigned to sectors fighting against the WinterSong faction, as well as the communication network problems rendering them difficult or impossible to control. Also in the back of his mind was the fact that if the WinterSong broke through the weakened garrisons in between them and Hellas, his force would be divided, half sent to support those garrisons and any counterattack to retake them.
General Akari was feeling the limitations of his new command as he worked on a strategy that would give the limited forces under his grasp a fighting chance when SGM. Anderson interrupted with a knock on the door. His slow response to the repeated soft knock irritatingly reminded him of his age. He grumped an "Enter," more frustration showing in his voice then he cared for.
The SGM. rushed in carrying a data slate, brushing off his commander’s grumpiness, his face displaying a boyish grin attempting a sober air of proprietary, and failing hopelessly. "I know we aren't supposed to touch this, but you have to see this battle. Ever since we regained control of our satellites, I put a trigger on anything like Starkindler showing up. When a feed triggers, they are recorded and then downloaded to my workstation. I am still getting everything organized, which explains why it took so long for me to notice this. Four days ago, this happened." He slid the slate across the desk.
General Akari caught the slate before it landed in his lap, the high resolution data feed already zoomed in on a large battle between Mech armor forces. He gasped, instantly recognizing without needing to be told what the SGM. had wanted him to see. Three units in particular stood out, even beyond the unique mercenary units.
SGM. Anderson started talking as if the General's reaction was the cue he had been waiting for. "HellFire Brigade. Total strength, three squadrons, with a reinforcing squadron of mercenary Mech armor brought from Earth. A friend over in High Command tells me they were given the task of laying a trap around Hell’s Gate, a prime spot for transiting between the Tharsis Plain and the Valles Marineris as you surely remember. Seems Intel has finally realized that area is a fairly high traffic zone for the terrorists, and some higher up decided it would be a good use for the mercenaries if they actually earned their keep.”
He continued, “Everything was going per
fectly until those three Mech armor realized it was an ambush and flanked the poor bastards, hard. The first two units are Close Quarters Combat (CQC) types evidently, but the third unit is evidently a sniper and able to get its knocks in as well. If you zoom in really close though,” He said as he pointed to the off white unit that sprung the ambush, “On that one in particular, it looks a hell of a lot like Starkindler."
When no reply proved forthcoming, SGM. Anderson turned from the slate to look at his General, instantly recognizing the look on his Generals face that said he no longer realized Anderson was there. SGM. Anderson quietly left the room, leaving General Akari to watch the battle footage time and again.
PART TWO
“The great questions of the day will not be settled by means of
speeches and majority decisions, but by iron and blood.”
- Otto Von Bismarck
I look around and see this web of lies,
This frail house of cards that we have built our lives upon,
And it is no wonder to me that every time this world of ours draws breath,
As all living things must,
That the foundation that appears so solid from the outside,
Does tremble with anticipation at being told the game is up.
Now that I know,
Reality replacing what was once unequivocal truth,
I watch and I see,
As new cards are laid into place by those who never believed,
Lest it all collapse and we all fall together.
- General Akari
CHAPTER NINE – TURNING POINT
“We usually don't realize the thing that is defining our identity until that thing is taken away.”
- Unknown
“Dr. Hesken! We need your help immediately please, it’s Mikkhael. He was feeling feverish and then he fainted. He has been acting strangely the last few days. I should have come sooner, help him!”
Nemesis (The MechaVerse Trilogy Book 2) Page 14
