"We're standing down?" Haybecker asked him.
"Yes, sir," Wilde told him. "I'll go see what's been modified this time."
"What's been fucked up you mean," one of the nearer crewmen said.
"Yeah," Wilde agreed. "That about sums it up."
He left the briefing room a moment later, mumbling to himself about joining the fucking greenies again. At least they let their military leaders make the goddamn military decisions.
"Okay," he said when he entered Browning's office. "What kind of atrocity did the suits in Denver lay on us this time?"
Browning was not amused. "You're getting awfully mouthy with me lately, Wilde," he said. "I'll thank you to remember some semblance of military courtesy when addressing me. I am your commanding general after all."
"Forgive me, sir," Wilde said without the slightest trace of sincerity. "So tell me, sir, what are the good folks back in Denver requesting we modify now?"
Browning continued to glare at him for a few moments and then mellowed. "Well," he said, "it seems that Steve Carlson, CEO of AgriCorp, was a bit upset when we changed our targeted city from Eden to New Pittsburgh."
"Oh no," Wilde said, shaking his head and looking up at the ceiling.
"Well you can certainly understand his position, can't you?" Browning asked. "More than thirty percent of AgriCorp's crops are grown in Eden and more than forty percent of their prepared food products are manufactured and packaged in Eden. The price of AgriCorp stock has fallen by more than a third since the greenies seized Mars and there are people going hungry in WestHem because AgriCorp can't get their food there anymore. It's vital that we get those assets and that production and shipping capability back in Carlson's hands. It's for the good of all WestHem."
"Of course it is," Wilde said. "So we're shifting the focus of our attack back to Eden then?"
"Well... yes and no."
Wilde chewed his upper lip a few times. "What exactly does that mean, General?"
"The Standard Steel and Corrigan Industries point of view is quite valid as well. The ability to re-take a large portion of our mining and manufacturing base — as well as capturing the terrorist leaders — is deemed to be too important to disregard."
"So which city are we going to take?" Wilde asked.
"Both," Browning said with a smirk.
Wilde had thought they couldn't screw up his plan any further than they'd already screwed it. He was wrong about that it seemed. "Both?" he asked. "You mean divide up our forces and make two separate landings?"
"Yes," Browning said. "It's a stroke of genius really. I'm surprised you didn't think of this initially."
Wilde knew that the decision was already made, that his pleas and angry outbursts would not change anything. But he had to try! "General," he said, "that is not a brilliant idea. It's a very unwise idea."
"What's wrong with it? I suggested this compromise myself and the Executive Council heartily agreed with it."
"Well... instead of an eight to one advantage against a single city we'll have two four to one advantages. That negates the overwhelming numerical superiority that made my initial plan a sure success."
"So?" Browning said with a shrug. "It's still a four to one advantage on each front. Have you forgotten that it only takes a three to one advantage to overtake a position?"
"That's not an absolute, sir. It's only a guideline and it only applies to equally matched and equipped forces with all things being equal. Just because you have a three to one advantage or a four to one advantage doesn't mean you will take your objective. We started out with an almost four to one advantage on the first stage at all fronts, remember? And look what happened there."
"That was because of that incompetent boob Wrath," Browning scoffed. "Now those four to one ratios will be under my command and you can bet that little leaf on your shoulder I will plan this campaign to win and we will sweep into those cities quickly and painlessly."
Jesus, thought Wilde, he's spouting off to me like he's talking to the press. He really believes that just because he says it it's true. God help us. "Sir," he said, "the only way we're going to sweep into anything down there is by maintaining the highest attack to defender ratio as possible. The Martians have air superiority and have denied us the use of our artillery guns. Our companies, platoons, and squads are disjointed from the first phase, with poor morale, inexperienced leaders, and lots of green troops who used to be cooks and maintenance men and computer programmers — guys who haven't held a gun since basic training. The Martians we'll be facing are now battle-hardened veterans with high morale and a lot to fight for. With the situation as it is the only way we're sure to take our objective is with that eight to one ratio. With four to one... well... things aren't all that certain anymore. There's a good chance we could be repelled again on one or both fronts."
"Look, Wilde," Browning said condescendingly, "I know it's your job to try to anticipate the worse that can happen and to be conservative in your military recommendations but I think you're carrying that a bit too far here — almost to the point of being overdramatic. Give us some credit here. We know the mistakes that were made by General Wrath. We know how the greenies fight now. Between the two of us we should be able to come up with a lightening-fast landing ship to city campaign that will take the targets with minimal casualties."
"We can come up with a plan, yes," Wilde said, "but as for a plan that guarantees success in our objectives..." He shook his head. "No, we can't do that. Not with the numbers we have against an enemy as well-trained, disciplined, and, most of all, motivated as the Martians."
"Guarantee?" Browning scoffed. "Who can guarantee anything in this life? Now why don't you go let Admiral Spears and Admiral Haybecker know that they'll need to start planning to isolate New Pittsburgh and Eden by rail now. That will mean two separate alpha strikes, I'm sure, so I'll give them another eighteen hours to develop a plan and get the crew to launch."
"They're not going to like that, sir," Wilde said. "It they can't take out the Martian recon-sats it's possible they won't have enough spacecraft to pull off two missions."
"They're not paid to like their orders," Browning said. "They're paid to carry them out and you're paid to deliver them. Once you get done with that you can compose this latest press release. After that, get to my office and we'll start planning our two campaigns."
Wilde sighed. "Yes, sir," he said.
Six hours later the big three were still going on about this latest modification of the Martian attack plan. All three were of the opinion that it was a bold endeavor, showing the aggressive nature of General Browning in his task.
"At the completion of this two-pronged strike," said one of the more popular military analysts on InfoServe, "WestHem forces will hold the two most important cities on the surface. After that, the terrorist insurgency will most likely collapse for lack of leadership, therefore allowing the Martian populace being held hostage in the other cities to simply resume rudimentary control from the state of lawlessness and despair that currently exists. Though a second force of marines will still have to be sent out to Mars — it is quite obvious, after all, that the Martian people need a stabilizing force to oversee them — it is quite possible these marines will not have to do much other than occupation duties and restoration of basic infrastructure."
Wilde wasn't amused by the analyst's statement. He wished Browning, who was working at another desk across the room, would just shut the damn screen off so he could concentrate on formulating this fabled "two-pronged attack" in a manner that would allow success on both fronts. This was something that could be done, he instinctively knew. And he suspected that if it were done right it could even be done without horrible losses. The trick would be to examine the failures of the first attempt with a realistic eye, learn from them, and try to correct them. He looked at what he had put on his screen so far, reviewing it, hoping for some sort of inspiration.