"New Pittsburgh?" Jackson asked, surprised. "They're going after NP now?"
"That's what they're saying, General," Sprinkle confirmed. "Listen."
He listened.
"Our plans are to re-direct the strike we were planning against Eden to New Pittsburgh, isolating that city from reinforcement and taking out it's armament capabilities all in one stroke." Browning pointed at a graphic map of the New Pittsburgh area on the screen behind him. "This is the Alexander Industries ammunition plant which has been taken over by Martian insurgents and is supplying them with bullets, bombs, and booby-trap material. As before, the number one priority is to put this plant out of operation. At the same time, however, we will also be able to hit the main loading platforms of the Martian rail system and then destroy a number of bridges and tunnels on this rail system, effectively isolating the city. Our information is that the Martians have somewhere in the vicinity of twenty thousand poorly trained and equipped separatist terrorists holding the city. We will land all four hundred thousand of our marines outside this city and march inward, plowing through their meager defenses and taking the city under occupation. We will capture Laura Whiting, Kevin Jackson, and as many of the other high-ranking insurgents that are controlling this occupation of Mars' capitol and we will send them back to Earth for trial and conviction. It is felt that once this task has been accomplished the rest of the insurgency will simply collapse under its own weight and Mars will be returned to WestHem control by default."
A question and answer period began after this but neither man listened to it.
"Well what do you know about that?" Jackson asked, smiling. "It's a good thing I didn't shift all my troops to Eden now, isn't it?"
Sprinkle was smiling as well, this despite the fact that he'd been one of the strongest voices for moving the troops as soon as Eden was announced as the target. "You called it, sir," he said. "Standard Steel influence?"
"Undoubtedly," Jackson said. "They've probably been hounding the Executive Council for the last twenty-four hours. Standard Steel is one of the most powerful non-agricultural or non-media related corporations in existence. It's really not my psychic abilities that allowed me to predict this, it's simply common sense. I know how that system operates. I witnessed it in the Jupiter War." He shook his head. "Hell, I even participated in it to some degree. Remind me to tell you the story about that some day."
"Yes, General," Sprinkle said. "What now? Should we start moving our troops and armor towards New Pittsburgh?"
"No," Jackson said without hesitation. "Not yet."
"No?" Sprinkle asked. "But they just said NP is the new target."
"That was a decision made by accountants in suits back in Denver," Jackson said. "Those accountants are our greatest allies in this conflict."
"Yes, sir... but..."
"Everyone holds in place for now," Jackson said. "I know its not a popular decision and I know its making my own troops antsy, but I don't think those accountants in Denver are done making stupid decisions for us just yet."
"Yes, General," Sprinkle said. "We'll hold everything in place for now."
Chapter 21
Aboard the WSS Nebraska, Mars orbit
September 11, 2146
Major Wilde was once again observing the final flight briefing less than two hours from the scheduled launch time. Admiral Haybecker was explaining to the AA-71 pilots and gunners for the tenth time that no matter what else they blew up in or around New Pittsburgh on the coming strike they were not to touch so much as a hair on the head of the Alexander Industries ammunition plant.
"That plant is a vital part of the WestHem military supply apparatus and its destruction or damage would be catastrophic for us after we liberate this planet."
None of the flight crews questioned this reversal of their previous orders. They hadn't questioned it even when they'd been advised for the first time that the plant was now off limits. They were too used to abrupt and contradictory changes in their orders by this point. Most, in fact, were starting to wonder if they were ever going to go anywhere or blow anything up.
The scrubbing of the Alexander Industries plant from the frag list had come six hours before, this time not as an order from the Executive Council (although they had not opposed the order) but as an order from Admiral Wesley Brooke, supreme commander of the WestHem navy and, by default, supreme commander of the WestHem marines as well since the marines were technically part of the navy. The official reason for the scrub was the bullshit Haybecker had just spouted about the plant being vital to the military supply apparatus. Though the plant was important it was certainly not vital since there were other Alexander Industries plants on Earth that were capable of picking up the slack — those other plants had, in fact, supplied all of the shells and bullets for Operation Martian Hammer to this point since, of course, their Martian plant was now in Martian hands. No, the real reason had to be more political interference from lobbyists, accountants, and, undoubtedly, Robert Allen Trump II, Alexander Industries' CEO. Though he wasn't powerful enough to directly threaten the Executive Council as the other CEOs had, he did hold most of the joint chiefs of staff and WestHem's top military commanders in his pocket since his corporation was the only one capable of supplying all of the bullets, bombs, and shells the army, navy, and marines required in the numbers that they required. And Trump would want his New Pittsburgh plant to be still standing and operational once the marines liberated that city. If it were operational then it could produce the ordinance needed for the liberation of the rest of Mars without having to worry about shipping it across the solar system. Another military decision made in the name of politics and profit margins.
I should just go join the damn greenies, Wilde thought sourly as Haybecker told his crews that two of the New Pittsburgh rail junctions had been scrubbed as well. This, though he didn't mention it, was because they were within ten kilometers of the Alexander Industries plant and he didn't want to risk that a stray laser shot would accidentally hit it.
Wilde's PC began to buzz. He sighed, completely unsurprised. Neither, apparently, were the pilots or their commanders. The briefing came to a halt as they saw him pull it out and flip it open. Everyone in the room stared in his direction.
"Yes, General?" Wilde said. "Has there been another change in plans?"
"Why yes," Browning replied. "How did you know?"
"It just came to me," Wilde said.
"I see," Browning said, looking a little confused. He seemed to shrug it off after a moment. "Anyway, there has been another minor adjustment to the attack plan. Come to my office right away so I can brief you on it and you can start preparing a new press release for me."
"Are we standing down the space launches again?" Wilde asked.
"I would rather discuss that in person, Major. We'll go over it when you get to my office."
"Sir, I've got more than two hundred flight crews in here receiving their final briefing. Should Admiral Haybecker continue this briefing or will the crews need to stand down for a new frag list again?"
Browning pouted a little but answered the question. "They'll be stood down," he said. "The target list will need to be modified again."
The groan of disgust started near Wilde, by those flight crewmen who could hear his conversation. Within a few seconds it spread throughout the entire room, occasionally interspersed with some rather colorful profanity. Wilde simply muttered a "yes sir" and flipped his PC shut.