Retribution (31 page)

Chapter 33. Nova Vista 1500, 24 June

Alex gazed out at the 400 people sitting down in the theatre before him. He tried to focus on faces but the bright lights aimed at his face made that nigh impossible. But they were a necessary evil for this was being video conferenced to every significant population centre on the planet. 

“So to recap” said Alex “tonight at 1800 our time we implement the plan without any communications via Arcwright. That means all comms are double checked to ensure no recipients outside this system. I can’t emphasise this enough. Just one slip will undo us.”

Alex continued “Shelter wardens are to be at their station by 1730, along with transport and comms staff. The aim is to have completed the category 1 relocations by 2300 and cat 2 by 0500. This is going to be a massive undertaking in terms of logistics and coordination. It is imperative that all staff remain calm throughout. We do not want to instil a sense of panic.”

“I want to extend the Admiral’s appreciation to you all. Now are there any final questions?”

There was a sea of hands rising in the crowd and Alex thought ‘Oh boy.’ He looked down at his console and saw he had over five hundred online questions. He selected one of the online ones.

“Yes it’s Mira Owanga here from Langford” said the strong face on the monitor. “We still haven’t received our assigned transport. I have responsibility for over 15 outback townships and unless I get those transports asap we’re not going to make it.”

“Mira” said Alex “and anyone else with a similar resource issue, please contact your sector coordinator. If they can’t help you directly then they will contact their country coordinator. Are there any non-resource questions?”

The hands in the audience subsided below the wave of heads and he was left with just a few dozen online ones. He selected another.

“Boris Yovenski from Bulbark” announced the head on the screen “what happens if the rogan invade. Do we still stay in the shelters and if so for how long and how will we be resupplied. Here we have only five days worth of provisions.”

“Good question Boris. As per the plan you stay in the shelter till the all clear is given. We anticipate this battle to be over in a matter of days. In the unlikely event that things drag on, we’ll implement one of our contingency plans and you will be contacted and given instructions.”

“But what if comms are down” asked Boris.

“Then try and make physical contact with your sector coordinator. Failing that you will have to exercise your own judgement. Just remember that the lives of millions rest in your hands.”

Boris appeared quite sobered by that. “Should we surrender to the rogan if there are no friendly forces to protect us?”

“If there are no means of escape then yes it’s probably best to surrender civilians than to try and resist.”

“Right next question….” And so it continued for half an hour.

The question queue was now empty on his console and there were no hands up in front of him.

“Thanks for your questions. Remember no comms outside the system and stay calm. Thank you.”

Alex felt relieved when it was over. He picked up his gear, thanked the theatre staff for their efforts and headed back to Polaris HQ. As he drove through downtown Nova Vista he realised that things would look quite different here tomorrow.

Chapter 34. Nova Vista 1700, 24 June

General Shen Xian had had enough of waiting. He hopped in the passenger’ seat of his buggy and told his driver to take him downtown. He was also sick and tired of being cooped up indoors. He wanted to breathe fresh air and feel the wind on his weathered face.

Outside the heavy cumulus clouds were billowing and expanding rapidly in the late afternoon sun. It had been stinking hot and now it was almost oppressively humid. It would be raining before too long. To many looking at the ominous clouds, they were a portend of yet another burden to bear in the operation. But to Shen they offered the promise of relief from the heat followed by crystal clear air. A smile appeared on his face. It was noted by his driver as he glanced across.

Out of Polaris HQ they encountered a steady stream of military vehicles making their way into the city. This was ostensibly what Shen was out to see. But he had every confidence in his staff and subordinates. What he was really about was being seen by his troops.

He knew how many of these troops would be feeling. Most had never seen actual combat. Unlike the Marines, who often were employed to trouble spots to deal with minor troubles, the Army tended to be held back and only committed for major crisis. Some had seen active service in one or more of the Federation’s intractable disputes. But these tended to be protracted peace keeping operations or counter insurgency operations. As such most of the action was small scale and low intensity.

But if the Fleet failed to hold back the Rogan above, then this would be large scale, high intensity conflict not seen be the vast majority of serving soldiers. They had trained for it, of course, in the annual simulation exercises. But actually experienced it, no. This would be playing on their minds. ‘What would it be like?’ ‘How would I stand up to it?’ ‘What are my chances of survival?’ These were the questions he knew they would be asking of themselves.

He couldn’t answer them as such but what he could do, what he was about to do was demonstrate that they were not alone and that they were being led by confident commanders, who valued their lives.

He indicated for his driver to pull over at the upcoming checkpoint that was being setup. His appearance caused a stir amongst the troops on the ground. A sergeant called his troops to attention and saluted.

“As you were Sergeant. Where’s your officer?”

“He’s over on the next street setting up another check point.”

“Good. You’ll be ready by 1800?”

“Yes Sir. No worries.”

“Have you identified the nearest shelter for you and your troops?”

“Yes Sir it’s two blocks away.”

“You reckon you get there in five minutes?”

“Should do Sir, though I may have to use these boots on these guys to do so.”

Shen chuckled. “Very good, though I’m sure it won’t come to that. What happens to the tanks?” added Shen pointing to the tracked armoured fighting vehicles on the side of the road. They were the older T260s but still mounted a formidable 90mm pulse cannon. Army tanks were heavier and more powerful than Marine battlewagons.

“We leave them here Sir…they won’t fit through the doors” said the sergeant with a wry smile.

Shen laughed. “All right Sergeant I’ll leave you to get on with it. Keep up the good work soldiers.”

Shen climbed back in the buggy and the driver pulled back out onto the road and headed to the next checkpoint.

Chapter 35. Nova Vista 1800, 24 June

Rihan turned to Cmdr Andy Bagnitis, the head of fighter ops staff, and nodded. He activated the command that would see a rolling series of interceptor flights around the planet. These were designed to test the combined fighter response.

The holo showed no less than 100 fighters, mostly the older Thunderbolts but with a few Lightnings, and a further 100 Marauder drones taking off from ten different bases in the western hemisphere. They were climbing rapidly into space and had marshalled into four different groups, one of which was centred over Nova Vista.

Rihan let Andy and his staff run the exercise. What she was interested in were the timings and any lagging by particular squadrons. Coordination was paramount lest they be defeated in detail. She looked on as the individual fighter icons merged first into their respective squadrons and then into the groups.

Once that happened the staff initiated the commit and the group icons changed status to attack. A series of waypoints could be seen leading from the Groups towards the designated target ships.

Rihan was already noting the average time to form group. At 14 minutes it wasn’t bad. ‘But will we get that long?’ she asked herself. She interrogated the stats and identified that the average time would have been 12 minutes had five of the squadrons actually taken off on time. She flagged a note on her console before returning her attention to the attacks.

The air staff had zoomed in the holo to watch the group over Nova Vista conduct its attack on the designated ‘enemy cap’. The fighters were expending most of their missile systems taking out the simulated missiles launched from the enemy cap. Thus they were protecting the Marauders while they closed within missile range. The drone craft had sophisticated AI but even so were generally not regarded for their evasive capabilities.

At 1857 Andy called a halt to the exercise. The fighter and bomber craft streamed back to their bases and for the subsequent debriefing. As previously agreed, Rihan let Andy alone for five minutes while he discussed with his staff the outcomes. She then joined their group.

Andy looked either annoyed or bothered or both. “What’s wrong?” asked Rihan.

“Where do I start” said Andy. “First off, the bloody take offs were hopeless. Look at this spread of launch times. 17
^th
squadron didn’t get its last fighter into the air until 1812. Bloody hopeless.” Rihan mentally ticked that one off her list.

“Second the fighters in Group 1 – the one over us that we watched in detail – got too far ahead of the Marauders and at one point the leading fighters had to circle back. During that little debacle the Marauders were effectively wiped out by the enemy missiles. The enemy launched two waves. The fighters concentrated two for ones on the first wave and ended up having nothing left to deal with the second. It was a bloody cockup from woe to go. We need to do it again.”

Rihan could see the nodding heads from Andy’s team. “OK it’s a late dinner then.” She left Andy to it and decided to drop in on the Admiral and let him know how it went. But when she got there he was on the phone. By the look on Phil’s face he was getting an earful from someone very irate. She left him to it. When she got back Andy was still barking orders out to someone she suspected was the 17
^th
squadron commander. It had been a long day already and it was getting longer.

Chapter 36. Nova Vista 0500, 25 June

It was an exhausted Alex that finally hit the send button on his report about the relocations. He was off to bed now, having been up for almost 24 hours. The logistics, the administration, the coordination, the bun fights, the accusations…they were all behind him now. By and large he was satisfied. It hadn’t been perfect but few operations ever are and even fewer of this magnitude.

‘Over four billion souls relocated to shelters’ he said to himself as he turned out the light in his office. He went to go out to the car park before he realised that he wasn’t going back to his apartment. ‘Blast’ he said to himself. He trudged back inside and to the elevator and hit the B17 button.

Chapter 37. Nova Vista 0800, 25 June

Phil read Alex’s report. He sat back in his chair in the B16 ops centre and knew he owed Alex big time. It appeared that they had just pulled off the biggest relocation in human history, albeit with few exceptions the distances were very small, but it was a relocation nonetheless.

His calculations of the enemy arrival were based on the fact that they would arrive within two weeks of the falsification of the signals. The rogan would know that it took less than two weeks to warp from Earth to Polaris and that once a ship arrived here with the truth then the gig would be up. The deadline for that now was later today, which happened to be the time when the Enterprise group was due in.

The question that kept nagging Phil was how long he would have to hold out till the Enterprise arrived. It was one of the high points of anxiety that plagued Rudi and most of the Fleet officers as they faced the dawn.

Art entered Phil’s office, which was a lot smaller than the one Phil was used to. “Good morning Sir” said Art.

“Let’s hope it is Art. Let’s hope it is” responded Phil. “Alex pulled it off.”

“That’s amazing when you consider it.”

“Damm right it is. Poor bugger. He signed off at 0500 this morning. I want you to follow up with the local Council reps and make sure all the ends are tied. Can you do that now and report back to me in an hour. Don’t spend any more time than that. I may need you for more pressing matters.”

“Right O Sir. Leave it with me.”

Art passed a weary Rihan as she came down the corridor. “What time did you finish up?” he asked her.

“About 2200 but then I had to move down here didn’t I and I’m sharing a room with three others, two of whom snore very badly.”

“Everyone’s a bit strung out. It won’t be for too long.”

“Where are you off to?” asked Rihan.

“Chasing up on the relocation – making sure there are no loose ends. But it looked like it went well. I better go.”

Rihan arrived at the B16 Ops Centre and took over from Captain Harry Heller, who was part of the original Polaris HQ Ops Team. “Good morning Sir” she said.

“Gee you look as tired as I feel” said Harry. “Are you OK?”

“Yeah I’ll be fine. I’m up now” she added with a weak smile. “Nothing to report I take it?”

“No completely uneventful.” Harry pointed to the holo display. “The only change in fleet composition is the arrival of the Shokogu and two frigates. They’ve been assigned to the Harlow Group. On the ground here we have the 20
^th
Mech Div deployed. All checkpoints manned as per the plan. The 17
^th
Inf Div is still en route to Mogadista. It’s ETA is 0930. They are going to take several more hours before they are fully deployed. All other ground units are in position. We have 40 fighters on CAP. All other air assets are showing their status as ready – but I understand some are a little tired after their exercises last night.”

“Tell me about it” chimed in Rihan.

“We still have a shit load of ground logistic traffic across the planet though all airborne and space log traffic has been grounded or prohibited as per the plan.”