“Welcome, Captain, we need all the help we can get. What do we know?”
“All hell’s breaking loose here in Alaska, as well as the rest of North America.”
“Give me our situation first, please.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He cleared his throat and his face remained free of emotion. “Thirty Russian tanks are advancing from St. Nicholas at roughly forty-five kilometers per hour. Behind them are troop carriers, forty-five at the very least. Reports are still coming in from our scouts.”
“How far out are they?”
“There are some lead elements, three scout cars and a few motorcycles, ten klicks ahead of the rest who are approximately three hundred and fifty kilometers away. It will take them at least thirty hours to get here.
“Much closer to home we have a three part battle group moving up from Tetlin Redoubt, some of their armor was already in St. Anthony, twenty tanks and forty trucks, which will hit us first, probably in less than two hours.”
“They must not be too worried about mines and ambushes,” Wing said.
“They have an advance force of rangers who are moving very fast. Our people have picked off about ten of them and we’ve lost five effectives.”
“Two to one, not good enough,” she said.
“To beat the numbers they’re sending against us, we need to make it eight to one,” he said with a nod.
“What else?” A sudden numbness crept over her and she had to concentrate to make sense of his words.
“Our 77th Airborne parachuted into St. Michael and, in concert with your Northern Defense Force, are engaging the enemy at Bridge. Mobile antiaircraft batteries are en route as we speak. There’s so much happening down south that the only way to follow it is chronologically.”
He glanced down at the paper in his hand and pointed a long stick at the maps. “British Canadian armor has struck across the corner of the First People’s Nation, here”—he tapped the map—“and into the U.S., here. The town of Bemidji, Minnesota”—another tap—“is under siege. A second front at Detroit Lakes has bogged down and the town is under heavy artillery attack.”
“Where are you from in the United States, Major?”
“Iowa, ma’am, out west in ‘Confederacy Corner.’” His grin held no humor. “We’re east of the First People’s Nation and north of the Confederate States. We haven’t had trouble with the F.P.N. since we gave ’em back Kansas and signed the big treaty back in 1877. If anything they would be allies, but so far they’re just sittin’ quiet.”
More of her officers hurried into the room and stopped to listen.
“Will the United States lose to Canada?”
“Not likely. Our borders have been beefed up for decades, waiting for this.”
“What else is happening down there?”
“Well, the Confederates are trying for a second win at Harrisburg, but our boys are holding without too much trouble since we aren’t using muskets this time.”
“It seems that fighting a two-front war is the fashion these days,” Wing said.
A few in the room laughed-brittle, edgy barks lacking humor and evading release.
“Can anything down there change our situation one way or another?”
“On our way here,” Captain Lauesen said, “Republic of California Air Defense told us to expect heavy friendly traffic from their direction. They didn’t elaborate.”
The door crashed open.
“What the hell is going on?” Malagni swept into the room, radiating energy. He glanced at Captain Lauesen, pinned Wing with his eyes. “Report, Colonel.”
Great, he’s in crazy mode.
“This is Captain Lauesen of the U.S. Army.”
“Colonel,” Lauesen said with a nod.
“He and the rest of us were assessing the situation, Colonel,” Wing said. “It seems all of North America is suddenly at war with itself.”
“What’s our situation?” he asked with a nod to the captain.
“The Russians are fielding enough men that we’re outnumbered eight to one,” Wing said. “To be truthful, I don’t know if we can hold them.”
“Of course we can hold them!” Malagni’s teeth bared under glinting eyes and Wing wondered if he smiled or snarled. He pressed on.
“Tanana Command is being beefed up by antiaircraft batteries from the U.S. and their new radar units show a large flight coming in from the R.O.C. All we gotta do is slow the damned Russians. Not that I would mind slaughtering every mother’s son of ’em!”
“Any word on Grisha?” Wing asked.
“No.” Malagni moved over to the map table and grabbed a pointer. The moose-hide shirt that covered his chest had only one sleeve. The right side flowed seamlessly over his stump. “Show me where they’re at.”
Captain Lauesen smoothly redelivered the report he had just given Wing. She edged back and watched as markers changed position on the table, strategies discussed and dismissed.
“Your people are fighting a two-front war?” Malagni asked.
“Three,” Lauesen said with a grin. “We’ve launched an amphibious assault on the big naval yards at Norfolk and Little Creek, Virginia. Our marines are ashore and moving inland, as well as up into Chesapeake Bay.”
“With that much going on I’m surprised the 77th came up to help us out.”
“President Cuomo never backs away from his promises.”
A U.S. Army sergeant moved briskly into the room and handed a sheet of paper to Captain Lauesen, who quickly read it.
“Well?” Malagni gestured at the paper.
“The Spanish are swarming across the Rio Grande into the Texas Republic from a number of positions. Everything south of San Antonio is under the Spanish flag right now.” He took a deep breath.
“The Canadians are sending two armored columns against the Republic of California, with perhaps a third cutting through the First People’s Nation.”
“They’ve actually cut through the F.P.N. twice,” Malagni whispered; Wing was sure he grinned. “The British are even dumber than I thought,” he boomed. “They’ve really stirred up a hornet’s nest now. Didn’t they ever hear about Custer?”
He stared at the map table. “This is what we’re going to do.”
69
“Ambassador Adams, Colonel Grigorievich, gentlemen, please be seated,” Republic of California Secretary of State Frank Barnes swept his arm out toward chairs in front of his desk. The secretary sank into his own leather upholstery.
“Please accept the president’s apologies for not keeping you in the picture over the past few days. The situation in Alaska has polarized our congress and nation. After forty hours of debate the Senate and House both gave President Reagan authorization to declare war on Imperial Russia.”
“So we are now allies?” Claude asked.
“Very much so,” Secretary Barnes said. He grinned. “I think the president gave the people one of his best speeches ever. ‘There’s an eagle in the woods, it has two heads and both wear a crown. It likes to eat baby republics.’ He received a standing ovation on that one.”
Grisha laughed. “Good imagery. Does this mean I can get back to my command soon?”
Secretary Barnes glanced at his watch. “Your flight leaves in a little over an hour. You’ll be flying with a squadron of troop transports carrying the Third Parachute Infantry Regiment and a Special Forces contingent to Fort Yukon. Ambassador Adams and you other gentlemen will be flown out tomorrow, assuming we all agree on our current treaty.”
“We certainly want to finish our mission before going home,” Claude said.
Grisha stood up. “Where do I go to catch this flight, sir?”