by Beth Reason
Chapter 21
Bradwin was holed up in a small parlor off Colonel Nord's ballroom, completely forgetting Irmara's stern warning to "only be a few minutes". They had a lot of damage control to do in front of their peers, and he had promised Irmara she wouldn't have to handle things alone. However, there were developments on the front lines, and the promise that had been so easily made was just as easy to ignore.
Jiti Ton had brought the new intel himself. It was clear to Bradwin that the man hadn't slept in days, and Bradwin felt a little bad for the boy. While he was handling the big picture, Jiti Ton was the one in the trenches trying to gear up for a war no one really knew how to fight.
Spread on the marble desk between them was a map, a real paper map. Jiti Ton had read in some military guide that in times of war, it was never a good idea to leave a digital trail. So old maps had been dug up from the Great Library. If things began to turn, the maps could easily be destroyed in seconds and the enemy would have no idea of their plans. It was a simple, yet brilliant, design, and Bradwin was quick to adopt the practice. There hadn't been a war in centuries. They all had to learn as they went.
Jiti Ton pointed to the border between Southland and the Borderlands. The ancient maps were a poor reflection on modern borders, rivers, and coastlines. So much had changed after the asteroid that it had taken a fair amount of time and effort to draw in new lakes, rivers, deserts, and landmarks. While it had been interesting to study the old borders, those, too, had been redrawn to reflect their modern world. At first, Bradwin had found Jiti Ton's scribblings confusing. However, the longer he looked at the map, the more sense it made.
"They're concentrating here, at the place they call Carlton," Jiti Ton explained as he pointed to the map.
Bradwin nodded. "Yes, that's about what we expected."
"But," Jiti Ton said quickly, tapping another spot near the Leonsburg marker. "They've also got forces here, and our radar would indicate a gathering of troops here." He tapped the last place, an area of the Borderlands simply marked "desert".
"They're gathering in a desert?"
Jiti Ton nodded. "Yes, sir. Actually, it's more of a barren plain. It's not hot like a desert, but, for some reason, everything's dead. And to get there, we'd have to cross a vast marsh." He shook his head. "It doesn't make any sense at all from the intel we've received so far."
Bradwin rubbed his chin and stared at the map. It was assumed from all they'd seen over the years that the real problem point would be Carlton. Because of that, he had his forces concentrated on taking out that hub. The change in tactics from the Borderlands was unexpected, and they would need to reassess their own plans. "Then we'll have to spread our forces out."
Jiti Ton ran a hand over his tired eyes. "I've ordered it, but it'll take time. The bots are on their way, but the men will have to march. And, to be honest, I don't think we've got a chance of crossing these marshes."
Bradwin waved a hand. "They won't, either."
"That's the thing, though, sir. They must. They must have a way of crossing. Why else would they fortify that particular location?" Jiti Ton shook his head again and unrolled another map. While it, too, showed the border with the modern corrections, there were several red Xs marked, with dashes that lead to different points in the Borderlands.
"What's this?" Bradwin asked, intrigued.
"This is something I've been working on," said Jiti Ton, clearly excited. "Are you familiar with Jenkins' Theory of Combat?" Bradwin shook his head. "See, we've been basing this operation around the Marlow protocol."
"Of course," said Bradwin, wondering where the boy was going. "As does every civilized nation."
Jiti Ton nodded patiently. "Maybe they would, if we've ever had a war. None of us have. General Marlow wrote his text on theory only, and under the belief that every nation would fight the same way."
"But you've found a different set of combat strategies," Bradwin said, catching on.
"Exactly. See, Marlow would have us attack the bases first, to cripple the enemy. However, Jenkins made a good point for sneaking in past the enemy and attacking from within. If we can gain control of..." Jiti Ton's voice trailed off as Bradwin started shaking his head and he felt a familiar stab of disappointment. All of his ideas got shot down, but he had hoped with things looking so desperate the old man might finally take one of his plans seriously.
"If we get into the wild interior, that will leave the border open for them to advance on our people," Bradwin explained patiently.
Jiti Ton pointed at the map. "But if they follow the rules of combat..."
Bradwin snorted, then instantly felt bad when he saw the hurt look cross the boy's exhausted face. No doubt this plan took him a long time and contributed to his obvious lack of sleep. "You are assuming these savages will fight with honor and integrity," he said in a kinder tone. "You've seen my granddaughter. And she was raised with Tenet trying to mitigate the damages! They are wild animals, Jiti Ton. They will not follow any rules of combat but their own."
"But..."
The door flew open and Irmara stood angrily tapping her foot. "Bradwin, a word."
Bradwin waved her off. "This is important."
"And so is your future in politics," Irmara said firmly. "If you do not get out here and start answering their questions, I will develop a headache and leave you to clean up the mess alone."
Bradwin clenched his jaw and counted to ten slowly in his head to calm down. She'd do it. Ever since their blow up the night before, she had been acting on her own agenda. It made her a loose cannon, and those were always dangerous. He had no doubt that she'd do it, walk away and let him pick up the pieces. And after the life he'd given her, too! He took a deep breath. "I thank you for the information, Jiti Ton. For now, we stay the course."
It was a mistake. Jiti Ton felt so with every fiber of his being. All signs indicated that their enemy was far stronger than they had initially thought. His gut reaction at the news of not one, but three major concentrations of Borderlands soldiers was to ask Bradwin to call off the war, or to attack from the New Canada side. But the old man was hellbent on this conflict, no matter what he might be trying to get people to believe. As soon as Jiti Ton got word that a command had been given to move troops closer to the border even after Tenet was back, he knew that this war was inevitable. He also knew that Bradwin was being a stubborn fool to so quickly write off the obstacles they faced. "Sir, just one more minute. Please."
"Bradwin," Irmara said coldly.
Bradwin held a hand up to Jiti Ton. "I appreciate your ideas. Truly. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another type of war to wage here." He gave a friendly, clueless smile, and Jiti Ton's stomach roiled with impotent anger.
The old man always had his own agenda. Over the years, Jiti Ton was satisfied that every leader did, as well, and that Bradwin was no different than any of the others. He looked the other way when Bradwin had asked. He pretended not to know what was really growing in the "alfalfa" fields. He released suspected illegal exporters whenever Bradwin asked because when he got right down to it, the country benefited from whatever it was Bradwin did. As Jiti Ton rolled up the map in defeat, he had the sinking feeling that perhaps he shouldn't have looked the other way so long. Bradwin wanted a war, and now people would pay with their lives. He hoped they were as strong as Bradwin seemed to believe, he really did. But the growing feeling of dread could not be ignored. His com chirped and he answered it, a call from a sergeant with yet another front line update. He told the man he'd be at headquarters as soon as possible, then left the party out the back door. Bradwin was set on his mission. The only thing Jiti Ton could do was keep casualties as low as possible.
