Mace turned, following the Karthian officers as they returned to their troops. Each assembled their officers and gave out commands. Mace walked behind, engaging the Human officers as the Karthians moved back to their command perch.
“Major Carter, don’t turn around. I have several messages for you. First, when the actual fighting begins, you will have no triage support. The Karthians plan to dispose of any men taken off the line. So keep you men alive and fighting. Second, when this skirmish here today begins, I want the aggressor to have victory. The defender should only offer a modest defense. Make it look reasonable, but allow the aggressor to win.
“Our goal here is to grow confidence in the Karthian officers. You do that and they are much more likely to let you command your own troops when the real fighting comes. And from what I’ve seen, you will want to do that. Other than their own personal glory, they could care less about Humans.”
The major asked, “Who are you?”
Mace replied, “For my own protection and yours, I can’t say. Just know that at least a small group of us is out here trying to do what we can. And it’s critical that you share this information with your other officers. When the time comes to fight you will have to fight to win. Not that you wouldn’t be doing that anyway, but at least you now know some of what’s going on. You can’t trust the Karthians to be making decisions that are best for you.
“They plan on moving you out in about three weeks. And I believe you will be involved in ground assaults on their enemy’s cities. And these will be home armies fighting on their own soil.”
The major gave an order to one of his lieutenants. “Karcher, keep your men in step.
“Can I ask about the attributes of those we’re going to be fighting?”
Mace replied, “I don’t have that information, but I will do my best to get it for you. That as well as weapons and any tactics the Karthians may know about. You might ask your Karthian commanders for that information too. I can’t see a reason for them to deny that to you. They do want to win. And if you ask, don’t mention the Consortium, they’ll want to know where you heard that name from.”
The major replied, “We already know of the Consortium. They were widely discussed during the king’s attempted agreement with the Karthians. Unfortunately, they didn’t share anything about their enemy with us except the name.”
“Then by all means, ask. Tell them you need to know everything they have on the Consortium fighters and what you might expect. Convince them you are not only fighting for yourselves, but for them too, as you’ve heard Humans might be allowed into their empire if all goes well. That is not true, but make them think you believe it to be true and they’ll be more cooperative.”
“Will you be gathering information on the Karthians?”
Mace replied, “We will. All we can. Our goal is to free all of us. Humans don’t do well as slaves. We’re too independent. History has shown us that.”
Nomig called to the major: “You, come here!”
Mace said, “I’ll feed you information as I get it. Until then, as I said, let the offensive battalion win these games.”
The major jogged over to the Karthian officer. Mace moved to each of the battalion officers to offer a similar speech. Following the data dump, he moved back to the command shuttle to observe the Karthians as they watched the war games play out.
The Karthian colonel sat in a chair in front of a large holo-display. Two lieutenants serviced his viewing requests as the two defending battalions moved into position. When the attack signal was given, the aggressors moved down along the abandoned building fronts on the street leading to the defenders. Laser pulses flashed from broken-out windows.
The streets were soon in chaos as eight hundred Human soldiers advanced up three avenues. Fierce firefights around the entryways to the buildings saw the defenders pushed back as the aggressors moved forward in a relentless barrage of laser pulses. Within minutes, the four Karthian officers and their junior staffs were eliminated from the fights.
The captain of the colonel’s command ship sat in a chair beside him. “They are efficient, and skilled.”
The colonel replied, “They are terrifyingly accurate, too. At least the attacking battalion is. I see critical mistakes being made on the defensive side.”
The captain said, “That could be easily solved with the proper training.”
The colonel raised his hand. “We don’t need defensive stands. We need winning assaults. And both of those are winning assaults. If we get this kind of performance out of all the Human units, we might win this war in only a few days. Lieutenant, switch to the camera view of Nomig’s battalion.”
A new image flashed up on the split screen. One quarter of the image showed Major Jackson Carter as he led the assault through the lobby of the building they had entered. The aggressors continued to push forward with a relentless spirit.
The colonel took a deep breath. “Outstanding! I see why our conscripts on Redalt IV were slaughtered. These Humans are warriors. What do we have on their history?”
The captain replied, “They had only just discovered dark matter. And it’s believed that breakthrough was brought on by spies from the former Galactic Union. They attempted to subdue the Humans for their own fighting forces and were unsuccessful in their efforts to contain them.”
The colonel nodded. “Which is why we will be rid of them when this conflict is complete. That information is not for release, by the way.”
The captain continued: “They were still in the warring stage of development. Many individual nations with differing languages kept them all sharply divided and constantly fighting. That warrior-like mentality is still prevalent among them.”
The colonel nodded. “It shows. This officer, the major, I shall want to speak with him after this fight. He may just be our brigade commander. Although the captain of the second assault is doing equally as well. It looks as though it was good for the Humans that we didn’t land ground troops during this fight. Their defensive tactics are abysmal.”
Fifty minutes into the first assault and fifty-three into the second, the last of the defenders were annihilated. The Karthian colonel had the commanding officers of the winning battalions brought to the command shuttle.
“Major Carter, an excellent show of your leadership.”
The major nodded. “Thank you, sir. This is the kind of warfare we excel at.”
The colonel smiled. “Excellent. This is likely to be the warfare you will be fighting. The both of you should be proud of your leadership and the men you led. For this next round, you will each be defending while your counterparts take on the role of the aggressor. Should you perform equally as well, I will be making you first and second in command for my brigade. Under my Karthian officers, of course.”
The captain asked, “May I speak, sir?”
The colonel nodded. “Please, be frank.”
The captain glanced up at the images of the aftermath on the display. “Well sir, your officers, they died early. They seemed timid with their orders and chaotic with their initial decisions. If our goal is to win whatever fight you will be placing us in, well, I’d hate to see needless loss because of leadership in the early stages of the fight. Our goal as warriors is to win and to win completely. We can’t afford early losses on a battlefield we are unfamiliar with. It’s not only bad for morale, but it can cost us key people that we may need later in the fight.”
The colonel clasped his hands together. “Are you suggesting that I cede field command to you, Captain?”
The captain nodded. “I am.”
The colonel was silent for several seconds. “I shall take that request under consideration. Now… the two of you have buildings to defend. I should like to see how you manage your defenses.”
The winning Human commanders left the command shuttle. The losers were brought in front of the colonel.
The Karthian colonel tapped his fingers together. “Gentlemen, your performance was less than impre
ssive. Is this what we can expect when you go into battle?”
A major for the battalion under Fanjo replied, “We aren’t much for sitting still, Colonel. We’re fighters. We move forward and overtake. Defenders are a different breed.”
The colonel sighed. “Yes, well I suppose you will have to show that to me. Should you be denied your mission goals in this second round, I will be looking to replace the two of you. Is that understood?”
The major nodded. “Very clear, sir.”
The commanders were released. The second round went off similarly to the first. The aggressors moved boldly up the streets, powering their way into the building entryways. From there, lobbies and stairwells were cleared, followed by each of the floors. When the last man of each defending force was downed, the colonel called all four commanders back to the shuttle.
The colonel was shaking his head. “Major Carter, you showed so much promise. Now you look weak. Your tactics were what I would expect from one of the former Galactic Union members. What do you have to say in your defense?”
The major replied, “In all fairness, Colonel, we were each heavily trained in assault. You see, our nation was a superpower, we had little to worry about with regards to defense. No one would dare attack us. Our fights were generally assaults made elsewhere in the world. That’s what we trained for. This upcoming fight is an assault, am I correct?”
The colonel nodded. “It is.”
The major continued, “Then our performance will be similar to what you have seen with us being aggressors. Our goal will be to attack and defeat. Not to defend and hold.”
The colonel clasped his hands together, propping his fish-face atop his fingers. “Show me what you can do with an assault, Major. And you, Captain, you held out for fifty minutes last time. Can you do better?”
The captain nodded. “We will do our best, sir.”
A third round of games were conducted. Again the aggressors were victorious. Two additional rounds with each battalion switching sides followed with the assaulting team coming away with a resounding victory each time. The colonel was giddy with excitement.
The Karthian captain said, “I believe you have your winning team, Colonel. And I believe the major to be a competent choice to lead the troops. Your commander can follow from behind and report. I believe they would prefer that as well.”
The colonel smiled. “Yes. I agree. Tomorrow we begin working on the assault tactics to be used against the Consortium. We will train a side in the defensive tactics they can expect in the morning and conduct assaults throughout the afternoon. The day after we will switch sides. By the end of the week we might have a fighting force that is already able to be deployed. The general will be pleased.”
The captain asked, “Have you heard any news from the other commands?”
The Karthian colonel nodded. “Reports of results similar to what we have seen here. Even the brigades designated as second and third-line are performing above expectations. The Consortium will be in for a shock in only a few weeks��� time. And you and I, Captain, will be there for the making of history.”
Chapter 7
*
Mace and Jordan Crawford each made the rounds, collecting the volunteers from their spying assignments. After landing in the field beside the cave entrance, the two teams took position on the gift shop porch.
Mace said, “They plan on moving troops seventeen days from today. And they may be willing to allow our own commanders to lead. I took up post at the community center in Boston. They were running drills where our troops were assaulting buildings. From what I heard and could see, it would appear that will be what our people are used for. Their ships will attack and try to land as many troop transports as they can in the Consortium cities on Molingrad.”
Johnny replied, “I heard the same. They were running simulated attacks the last three days in D.C.”
Mace nodded. “I had the commanders see to it that the attackers always had a resounding victory. Since that’s what the Karthians want to use us for, assaults, I thought it best that we give them confidence we were good at it. It worked, and from that the Karthian commander in Boston will recommend the Humans be allowed to command themselves on the battlefield. If we can manage that elsewhere, it should give our boys a better chance when the fighting starts. The Karthians don’t care for Humans, so they would have no issue with commanding us to the slaughter.”
Jenny said, “There were three brigades in Pittsburgh. Their commanders had similar thoughts. Show themselves to be aggressors and the Karthians would allow them to lead their own assaults. They came to that conclusion on their own after I told them not to expect medical care. I overheard the Karthian commander say the name of the city he thought they would be assigned to conquer. Any way we can get intel on a city named Golguthin?”
Mace nodded. “Perhaps. Check with Jeff. He has the complete data download from the first Karthian station we invaded, the data Jasper acquired. Ask him if it contains any information about the Consortium capital.”
The discussion continued for most of an hour before Jeff walked up to the porch. “I believe we can add a wormhole generator to one of the shuttles. I’ve made several repairs to the small damaged prototype unit. If it’s again fully functional, you will be able to open a micro-wormhole the shuttle can pass through. I wish the news was better, but we only have the one unit.”
Mace replied, “Better news? That’s great news! We can now make a trip to Centauri to check on Mr. Collins. When will the upgrade be ready?”
Jeff looked over at the nearest shuttle. “Technically, it already is. The unit was designed to be portable. However, I would advise that we bolt it down until we���re familiar with its use. You wouldn’t want it bouncing around in there the first time you took a heavy energy blast.”
Mace said, “Round up as many people as you need to make this happen, Mr. Moskowitz. This will give us a way off this planet.”
The small wormhole unit was added to the first shuttle. Again the free Humans sent their spies out to gather intel. When Mace had dropped off the last of his crew, the shuttle was turned toward space. As the ship reached the black void, a micro-wormhole was opened and the shuttle slipped through to the Alpha Centauri site. The Organ Cave was parked in a deep crevasse. Jasper and his crew were camped out in the quarters that had been constructed only a short time before.
Mace opened a comm. “Mr. Collins?”
Jasper replied, “You finally made it out here. Was beginning to think you’d been captured.”
Mace shook his head. “No. We were unable to contact you without giving away our location.”
Jasper said, “You have a shuttle. How’d you manage to escape? And who else is with you?”
“Just me. The Karthians have conscripted everyone���other than our little group that is. The rest of man is now training for an invasion of the capital world of the Consortium. We’re trying to feed them whatever information we can. As far as the escape goes, Doc figured out how to combine the gatrellium with copper to make a sort of signal inhibitor paint. The inside of this shuttle is covered with it. We’re also using the holo-projector to make the ship visually invisible. Our comms we can’t hide, so we haven’t been using them.”
“How’d you get a wormhole open to out here?”
“Doc managed to repair the prototype unit he was using to develop the wormhole weapon. It’s aboard this shuttle now.”
Jasper gestured, “There’s room in this bay. Bring it on in where we can talk face to face. I’ll tell you what I’ve been up to.”
The shuttle landed. Jasper came out to greet Mace before leading him back to the lounge area where his crew spent most of their time.
“You guys did a bang-up job with this complex. All we had to do was move in.”
Mace asked, “Where’s all your people?”
Jasper smiled. “They are back on Hardy and are doing well. That claim tag you spiked down did the trick. The Karthians showed up and t
hen turned away. Haven’t been back since.”
“I would advise switching it off unless and until they return. If the United Front shows up, you don’t want them actually taking possession of that planet and kicking you off.”
Jasper nodded. “Already taken care of. So what can you tell me about their battle plans? Maybe I can start planning to throw a wrench in the works.”
Mace replied, “Not a good idea. What we need to do is to make sure our people not only win, but that they have value when the fighting is done. The Karthians have been talking about the extermination of us all should the Consortium sign some peace treaty they���ve been pushing.”
Jasper said, “And let me guess, Stark is cozying up to the Karthians in all this?”
“He is, but not with the extermination aspect of this discussion. He’s looking for an avenue where he can again seize control of the situation. And I have to support him in that endeavor. I believe the Karthians would carry out the genocide without a second thought. Just as Stark once referred to us as tools, they have the same outlook.”
Jasper scowled. “So what are we doing about it?”
“Well, I’d like to say we were right on top of it, but our resources are limited. We have this coating on our suits and the holo-projectors that could be game-changers, just not with only a handful of people.”
Jasper asked, “How much of that paint could you get me? I still have thirty-five warships. I know that ain’t much, but I could do a lot of damage if I can fly around unseen.”
Mace frowned. “The problem is that you can be seen when you’re moving because of slight distortions in the holo-image. Of course that might be even less visible in space, but I couldn’t be sure. And if you use your comms you will definitely be seen. With this tech you would be harder to detect and target, but not completely.”
Jasper rubbed his chin. “I’ve been trying to figure out how we could turn our little force into a pirate fleet of sorts. We’d jump into Karthian space, hit a cargo hauler and then come back with the booty. We’re struggling right now to build anything because we don’t have the factories. Even ship maintenance is difficult. I’ve got four birds I can’t even fly because we don’t have the means to fix them.”
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