It wasn't just the combined might of Knight and Ghost Battalion, either. Hydra had a rail line running between Lerna Bastion and the Zionville district of Indianapolis. If need be, they could shift troops from the south to the north, and they could do it quickly. It meant that Ragnarok would have to plan very carefully, lest they find themselves in a battle that they couldn't win.
And that could work in their favor, Zach thought, if they could just play their cards right. It would be tricky, but they had pulled off high-risk gambles before.
“I think that we actually can raid,” he continued. “But we need to be unpredictable about it. If we resort to the strategies we used last time, we're going to get slaughtered.”
“So you're saying the large scale raids are impossible?” Karen asked.
“Most likely, yes. And raiding in the same locations probably isn't going to work either. They know what we'll try, and anyhow, they aren't as important to them anymore,” Zach explained.
“Them capturing Madison has really made things difficult,” Robbie said.
Zach definitely had to agree with that assessment. Ragnarok had access to an area with resources that were completely untapped, much like Hydra had in the area around Indianapolis. And while Hydra was still fighting to take their city, Ragnarok could concentrate their full effort on building the military might, and then aim it right at the south.
The Hydra Alliance would be in serious trouble when that happened. Fending off Ragnarok's previous attacks had been hard enough, and it would be even harder when their full might was brought to bear. Even Lerna Bastion might not be able to withstand the onslaught.
But he had an idea.
“Them taking Madison means we have to switch up our strategy quite a bit,” Zach agreed. “We can't just raid their southern territory. That's not going to do much, and it'll cost us valuable resources. We need to strike them in their heartland.”
“How, exactly, are we going to get into the north?” Morgan asked. “They're not just going to let us waltz in, and they have air cover now as well.”
“The south is going to be hard,” Zach admitted. “But the north? That's a whole different story.”
“The north?” David asked. “I'm with Morgan. Just how are we going to pull that off?”
“I think that Ghost Battalion should head north and establish a base in the area. Not the north that we usually talk about, but the far north. Like, up around Green Bay, for instance. That looks like a good spot for that.”
“Has Ragnarok made a move that far north?” Liz asked.
“Last I hear, they were also gearing up to take Milwaukee,” Shayna said. “At least that's the word going around Old Chicago.”
“That gives us an opening,” Zach said. “If we can grab a base in the north, we can us it to launch attacks on Ragnarok's rear areas.”
“That's going to take a lot of doing,” Nora said, “And it also stretches our resources over several fronts. Can we handle that?”
“Wait, so you didn't come up with this plan beforehand?” David asked.
“No, because I wanted to see what everyone else thought of it before I sunk a lot of time into it,” Zach explained.
“So, you want to grab a base somewhere in the far north where Ragnarok won't discover it, and then use it to launch raids into their resource gathering and production areas?” Anna summarized. “That's not the craziest thing I've heard.”
“Again, how are we going to get there?” Morgan asked.
“We have our river craft, and we can reach Lake Michigan pretty easily,” Zach said. “After that, it's just a matter of heading to our target.”
“And you think that Green Bay is the best target?” Liz asked.
Zach shrugged. “It's relatively small. It's far enough in the north to be out of the way, but it's close enough to be within striking distance of Madison.”
“That could also make it a supply nightmare,” Liz pointed out. “We need ammunition and fusion batteries for our equipment. That means either shipping it in by water or by air, because there's no way that we can do it over the land routes.”
“We can use cargo aircraft for that,” Karen said. “Or the river craft. They can carry quite a bit of cargo for their size.”
“What happens when Ragnarok figures out where we're coming from?” Neil asked. “This seems like an awfully good way to get trapped in the north.”
“We'll take precautions,” Zach said. “If we do them right, then they'll be none the wiser.”
“This is going to be tough,” David said.
“Yeah, but so is every other option,” Anna said. She was clearly warming up to the idea.
“Plus, it also gives us a foothold to extend our territory elsewhere,” Liz pointed out. “Once we take Indianapolis, we could make a push for someplace like Milwaukee, or even the Twin Cities.”
“We'll need to recon the area, and that's going to take some doing,” David said.
“Perfect job for us,” Anna told him. “Provided that Raven is willing to take us there?”
“We're game,” Robbie confirmed.
“Right, so nothing moves forward without us knowing just what we're walking into,” Anna said. “Plus we need approval from the council.”
“Well, there's four of us here, which means we can force it through,” David said. “I'd prefer if we could get the others on board, though.”
“Right,” Zach agreed. “We'll try to get a plan up and running as soon as possible. In the mean time, we'll help to provide security around the bastion.”
“Ragnarok's going to notice that Ghost Battalion has gone completely missing if you make too much noise,” Morgan warned.
“Quiet is what we do,” Liz pointed out.
“And we can definitely do it,” Zach agreed.
Nora pulled him aside as the meeting was breaking up.
“What happens to my unit?” she asked. “I don't think there's any way to move the exoskeletons up north without really risking them.”
“It'll have to stay here,” Zach said. “That might not be the worst thing, either. It'll give Knight Battalion extra firepower, and it might help convince Ragnarok that we're still here.”
“Alright,” Nora replied, though she didn't sound very enthused.
She had spent so much time away from Black Wolf Company, and now that they were going on another adventure she was being left behind again. Zach wondered if that was influencing her feelings on the matter.
“We'll figure out some way to get you guys into the north,” Zach said to reassure her.
Nora replied with a slight smile. “Thanks, but I'm not convinced that you'll be able to do that. And unfortunately, that's the way things are going to have to be. We can't risk losing one of the suits if one of the transports gets sunk or shot down.”
It made sense. The exoskeletons were one of their most valuable resources, and they had no way to replace any losses. If they were caught in the north there was no way to run and hide, and that assumed they reached their base intact. Like Nora, Zach was very leery of them losing a transport. Leaving Hoplite Platoon in the south was the right decision, for the reasons he stated, and they all knew it.
But still, Zach couldn't help feeling a pang in his gut when he thought about it. Nora was part of Black Wolf. She should be with them when they were embarking on another one of their great adventures.
CHAPTER 3
Every Rose
“Gah!” Danny exclaimed as the water splashed over him. Lake Michigan was cold today, and the wind whipping by the speeding boat didn't help matters.
“No kidding,” Xavier commented from beside him. Everyone on the boat was drenched.
“Couldn't we slow down just a little?” Danny asked over the radio.
“I don't want to risk getting caught out in the open by Ragnarok aircraft,” Eli replied. He had command of the entire boat section, crewed by Raven Company members.
“OK, I can see the logic in that,” Danny replied begrudgingly. They cert
ainly couldn't risk being spotted, even if they were so far in the north. Their entire plan was doomed from the start if they lost the element of surprise.
“So... we're going pretty far down the bay,” Xavier commented from beside him. “What's our gameplan?”
Zach had assigned Bravo Wolf to scout the area around Green Bay in order to prepare for the initial assault on the city. Other than secrecy, Danny hadn't been given any specific orders. The parameters of the mission were up to him.
“There's a small settlement where Sturgeon Bay would be in the real world,” Danny explained. “Nothing more than a small outpost, really. I'm thinking that we can take that to use as a forward base. That could give Raven a safe area to arm and fuel their choppers and river craft.”
“Plus that gives us a place to stockpile supplies for the attack,” Xavier added. “Still, that's a tough assignment, going in with no preparation.”
“It's an outpost,” Danny said. “You're in Black Wolf. We took one on the first day with four people. We'll be fine with one platoon.”
“Right.” Xavier looked back out over the water. “Green Bay concerns me a lot more.”
“How come?”
Xavier looked right back at him. “The city is split in half by a river, which might mean there's two districts. And a single battalion against an entire city, even a small one? That's going to be a tall order, especially since we're not going to have any armor support.”
“Not much different from the Decatur district attack,” Danny said lightly.
“Yeah, except we had Sacred Sword with us last time. Not having those numbers is going to hurt us a lot.”
“We'll come up with something,” Danny said reassuringly, though in truth he was also concerned. “We always do.”
Xavier shrugged. “Right. But do we really need to take the city? Why not just take Sturgeon Bay and use that as our forward base?”
“Because that's too far out of the way,” Danny said. “Plus, Green Bay has defenses, and we're completely screwed without them if Ragnarok finds us.”
“OK, that's a good point. Still, this is going to be pretty tough.”
“Like I said, we can pull it off,” Danny said. He opened up his wrist menu and checked the map. They were getting close.
Danny contacted Ryan and Javy's squads in the other boats. “OK, we're about five minutes out from the target area. We'll offload just to the north of the outpost, then push down in a single sweep. Javy, cover the left flank and loop around to the east side of the outpost if they give you an opening.”
“Copy that,” came the response.
“Boat crews, give us cover from the water,” he added in.
“Will do,” Eli told him.
That was one advantage, fighting so close to the shore. Their river craft could provide formidable support, laying down a hail of minigun, machine gun and recoilless rifle fire on anything that tried to move. That would be their ace in the hole for the battle.
Danny checked his machine gun as their small flotilla approached the shore. Given the small size of his force, it was very likely that he would become involved in the battle. Not that it bothered him, because Danny relished the opportunity to utilize his skills as a heavy.
“Go,” he ordered as their boats motored up to the shore.
Bravo Wolf quickly dismounted and faded into the trees bordering the lake. Danny was quick to note that the forest in these parts wasn't nearly as thick as the ones in the south. That might make their stealth work harder if a similar situation existed around Green Bay.
Black Wolf Company didn't have to rely on stealth, however. They were a fighting company as well, and Danny knew they were fully capable of engaging in the worst brawls and coming out on top. Stealth was merely one tool at their disposal.
It was an extremely useful tool, though, and Danny wasn't about to toss it aside if he didn't have to. A fight always went better when they had the element of surprise.
Bravo Wolf crept south through the forest, weapons at the ready. Trouble could show up at any moment. There was no tension or apprehension in the air, though. Bravo Wolf was alert, focused, but not nervous. And that was what made them such a tough opponent for their enemies. Confident, savvy troops were extremely hard to rattle, even when things had turned against them. It allowed them to come up with plans on the fly when everything was going to pieces.
It was that confidence, that unit cohesion that had won them so many battles. And Danny had no doubt that it would win them this one, if it came to that.
But then their plan went to pieces.
Dozens of gun muzzles emerged from the brush pointed straight at them. Danny almost dropped his weapon in shock. Outside of Redd Foxx and a few others, no one was capable of tracking the rangers when they were sneaking. How had they been discovered?
Danny started to raise his gun and waited for the hail of bullets to cut his platoon down, but they didn't come. Confused, he took a closer look at the enemy confronting them.
All of them wore forest camouflage, augmented by grass, leaves and brush. Most were wearing facemasks, and the ones that weren't had facepaint. And most curious of all, they hadn't opened fire yet.
“Don't move,” someone said from the other side.
Danny watched as a female engineer emerged from the ranks of their opponents. She was of average height and build, though most of her distinguishing features were difficult to see under her camouflage. He did note that she carried a shotgun instead of a carbine.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Um,” Danny started to say. He slung his weapon over his shoulder and stepped out, hands held out in front of him disarmingly.
“Are you the leader?” she asked, shifting her aim toward him.
“Yeah, that would be me,” Danny said, his mind racing. One wrong step was going to get them all killed.
And how the heck had these people seen them? That question was what truly bothered him.
“Again, what are you doing here?”
Danny took a deep breath. “Look, there seems to be a big misunderstanding here. Can we all lower our guns and talk this out before we all kill each other?”
“Not until I hear why you showed up to this place,” she replied, edging closer. “And are you Ragnarok?”
Danny shifted his stance so she could see the unit patch on his shoulder. “Does it look like we're with Ragnarok?”
“What's Hydra doing this far north?” he heard one of the others mutter in the back of their ranks.
Their leader looked back with a fierce glare, then turned that gaze back onto him. “That still doesn't explain why you're here.”
“Long story short, we're trying to deal with Ragnarok,” Danny said. “I might be convinced to fill you in on the rest if you lower your guns.”
He saw the ghost of a smirk flicker across her face. “You're not exactly in the best position to ask that.”
“You haven't looked out in the bay, have you?” Danny commented.
Confusion flickered across her face. “What..?” Then she turned away. It looked like someone was signaling her on the radio.
Danny quickly activated his own. “Eli, hold fire for now. We've had some developments. Murder everything if the shooting starts though.”
“Copy that,” Eli said. “I really don't want to know what you've gotten yourselves into, do I?”
“Probably not,” Danny replied, with a smile.
The leader had finished her conversion and turned back to him, clearly unhappy. “OK, you've made your point. Call off your guys, and we'll lower our weapons.”
“Already did,” Danny informed her. “They have orders to attack if they hear shooting, though.”
“Fine. What do you want?”
“Just to talk,” Danny said. “Somewhere alone, preferably. I'll let you keep my troops under guard, and I'll even surrender my weapons.”
She sighed and made a hand signal. “Fine, but this had better be good.”
> “No kidding,” Danny responded when he heard the explanation.
“It's true,” Evy replied. Danny had managed to ferret her name out through conversation.
“Very true,” Lex added. He had been inside the outpost when they had arrived, and his reception of Danny had been much warmed.
Danny rubbed his chin. “Well, this changes everything.”
Hydra command had assumed that the Sturgeon Bay outpost was held by NPCs, but they were dead wrong. Instead, there were two player companies based here, and they were sizable, with over one hundred members between them.
Evy lead Thorn Company, the troops that had confronted them outside. Lex was the commander of Myrmidon Company, who were on duty guarding the walls of the outpost. Like many others, they had been driven into hiding by Ragnarok, forced to cower behind their stronghold walls to avoid being crushed. Danny had encountered companies like this before; Spectre Company was one that Hydra bailed out of trouble.
“So you want Green Bay,” Danny said. “That's a tall order, for a group your size.”
“We know,” Lex agreed. “But we had to try something, before we're finished.”
“Just how bad is it?” Danny asked.
Lex sighed and started to pace. “Pretty bad, actually. We're trapped up here. We have no way to get to Old Chicago, and that means were completely reliant on smuggling though Ragnarok territory for supplies.”
“That doesn't seem like its tenable,” Danny commented.
Evy shook her head. “It really isn't. We've taken to ambushing Ragnarok patrols and striping them of ammunition. And still, that's not enough. We probably would have been slaughtered if you forced us into a firefight.”
“So you want Green Bay, but you don't even have enough ammunition to take on a small platoon?” Danny asked. “How have you managed to survive this long?”
“They don't know we're up here,” Lex told him.
“And we've been able to find other ways to fight them. Traps, snares, bows and arrows, the like,” Evy explained. “It's surprising what you can do once you're forced to improvise.”
“I know someone that'll appreciate your efforts,” Danny said with a smile.
Werewolf: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 4) Page 3
