Yaargraukh rumbled deep in his chest. “Then we are all doomed. The moment we can no longer strike at Earth’s planetary forces from orbit, the humans will launch their missiles, and scramble all the aircraft and assault VTOLs that must surely be waiting out beyond the interdict line in the rest of this archipelago, and in Australia. They would be in among us so quickly, and so closely, that even if we reacquired orbital fire support later on, it would be useless. We would be hitting ourselves along with the humans. We will have irretrievably lost control of the ground campaign.”
Hu’urs Khraam’s voice was slow. “So by showing us the tail numbers—”
Caine nodded. “I think my leaders are making one last attempt at averting a full-scale strategic confrontation. Because once that kind of conflagration starts, there’s no controlling how far or fast or hot it will burn.”
Darzhee Kut’s voice raised tentatively. “Your word for that is ‘apocalypse,’ is it not?”
“There are several that would be suitable, Darzhee Kut, but that is the basic idea. So, I believe my leaders are sending your leaders a message. That there’s still a chance to control this situation before it spins so far out of control that there’s no way to stop it.”
Hu’urs Khraam looked over toward First Voice. “If you would join me, for my joints are weak, I would be in your debt.”
First Voice approached, waved back his train, never bothering to look at Hu’urs Khraam. Together with two Arat Kur analysts, they formed an improbable huddle.
Yaargraukh had come around the holotank, stood close to Caine but did not look at him as he muttered, “As I feared when we spoke at Convocation, it seems we are destined to fight before we may finish the bridge we pledged to build between us.”
Caine nodded. “True, but even now, that pledge gratifies me. If we survive to complete it, how many bridges can claim to have been so sturdily built, and under such inauspicious conditions?”
Yaargraukh’s tongue flicked. “None that I know of—or would care to stand on.”
Caine smiled back. “Take care in what is to come.”
“You too, Caine. It is wise you do not trust my kind. They do not understand your actions, and Graagkhruud has not troubled himself to place them in an accurate context.”
Caine would have thanked him, but Yaargraukh moved on, having seen, or intuited, the breakup of the huddle. Hu’urs Khraam took one last look around his circle of advisors, who in turn looked down at their computing tablets. They all bobbed in his direction. Hu’urs Khraam turned to Caine. “It is decided. We shall fight.” He turned to Urzueth Ragh. “Summon the fleet from Vesta. At best speed, they should reach Earth in several days. They are to launch drones and high-endurance missiles to join our battle here as soon as it is practicable.” He turned back to Caine. “Your species is to be congratulated for its characteristic cunning. But for us, this is only a setback, not a defeat.”
Caine watched the red motes—his—approach the yellow motes—theirs—and feared that Hu’urs Khraam might yet prove correct. The Arat Kur had a distinct technological edge that might yet prove decisive, even when so heavily outnumbered. It promised to be a very close contest, but with the enemy’s belt flotilla approaching at high-gee, whatever control humanity could buy with the best of her blood and her ships might be short-lived indeed.
That was when the first rockets hit.
Chapter Thirty-Four
As the barrage intensified, a rocket knifed into the eastern face of the Ananka Building. Trevor turned his face away as the window blasted inward from the shock of the nearby detonation.
Tygg continued briefing the rebel officers they’d summoned. “It’s a fine day for our little surprise party, mates. Weather is just the way we want it. After this morning’s rain, we’ve got a temp that’s still going up, probably to ninety-seven Fahrenheit. The air will stay supersaturated the whole day: mist everywhere as soon as the sun peeks through a bit more. Storms expected by three PM, which will cover our retreat if we have to turn tail, but bogs the exos down if they abandon their compounds for the countryside. They don’t know their way around the bush too well.” He had to raise his voice over the constant roar of window-buffeting explosions. “This barrage will continue right up until M-minute. As you’ve seen, this phase of it is only crudely aimed and—so far—is coming in from the jungles and nearby kempangs. So stay in your positions and under cover. And do not fire, under any circumstances, until you receive the ‘go’ signal for the final attack, which will commence in a few hours and focus upon their C4I and PDF assets.
“Until we get that final signal, don’t even let friendlies know you’re in the neighborhood. I reemphasize. We are not part of the general attack, which will commence first. The assaults which will commence after the peak of the barrage, and the current uprising in the streets, are primarily a cover for infiltration teams and special missions like ours.” Tygg paused. It had the desired effect. The faces around him leaned closer, a bit more solemn. “For the locals working with us final assault teams, it’s going to be very hard, spending hours watching their mates, maybe their own relatives, fighting and dying while they sit by and do nothing. So when you go back to your units, take one last measure of your war-fighters. If you’re worried that one of them might not be able to wait, watch, and do nothing until signaled, then reassign that person to one of the squads that will be joining the general assault. Or let them join up with the rebels doing the street fighting now. Because anyone who can’t take the waiting while other people are doing the dying, is no good to us today. Timing is everything.
“And so is communication: here are our protocols for the final assault, which won’t be confirmed for at least two hours. The jumpoff signal will be sent over the cell repeater net that will be activated as part of the general assault, or on the remaining pagers if the net is down. If both of those are carked, we’ll be relying on the fiber-com net some tunnel rats have been building for us. We’ll try to stay connected to them via runners. If that’s not feasible, we’ll rely on smokes from preset command-and-control points in the area of operation. Red smoke means the general standoff units are to commence firing. Green smoke signals maximum sustainable covering fire from the standoff units, and then our final close-assault charge after a ten-count. In our particular case, don’t get eager and rush the presidential compound immediately, or you’re going to be too close when the breaching charges go off inside its walls. Now off you go, mates, and good luck to you.”
As all but two of the Indonesians left, Trevor cleared his throat. “Tygg, before the show starts, I just want to say I appreciate how you jumped on board with my mission.”
“Yeh, well, hard to reach the home office for permission, eh? Besides, my unit was too badly banged up to achieve our original objectives. At least this way, we’re back in the main fight.”
Trevor nodded, hoped he wasn’t blushing in shame. The main fight? You mean that part of the battle where, acting under falsified orders, I usurp local forces to bust into the enemy compound to rescue my sister, a woman from the past who’s in love with another man instead of me, and maybe even the other man himself? Oh, it’s still a worthwhile mission and it still uses the local assets to achieve Downing’s objectives—breaching the compound, taking out their HQ—but I’m not even one hundred percent certain that the people I’m trying to rescue will be there. But if I know Opal, she’ll gravitate towards Caine’s probable location like iron filings to a magnet…