ALL NOVEL Chapter 6
""Long live the confederation!""
Those were the first words Rika heard as she entered the freshly built command post in sector B7-46.
On the sides, soldiers making salutes formed a line along the two sides of a red carpet dorning golden trims. They were the ones who shouted those words.
Rika continued on as if nothing had happened, she passed the saluting men and walked on the red carpet. She was used to this kind of ceremonial entry. The higher ups of the Borkian confederation loved them and added them everywhere they could. This flaunted their ego and did nothing to help. But it had been done so many times that it became tradition. Rika remembered Ticia saying a long time ago that she disliked this the most about the military. What was the need to flaunt your wealth on a battlefield?
The tip of her mouth raised a little. She had to admit that Ticia was right. Still, since it was protocol, she herself wore a military uniform rich with decorations. Her uniform was the standard gray one issued by the Borkian military. But the Borkian military was also very lax about the uniform. This allowed her to redesign her uniform however she wanted. In addition to the golden and silver trims and buttons on her uniform, she had added dark green lines on the extremities and the joints. This, with the addition of the emblem of her brigade, three silver spears crossing each other at the center on a dark green background, on her right sleeve, made her unit recognizable by all. Of course, she also had shoulder pads and a necktie inscribed with two golden stars. They indicated her rank. Finally, she had a multitude of medals and service ribbons attached on her chest, right where her heart was.
She arrived in front of the closed doors guarded by heavily armed soldiers. A soldier in an armored suit stopped her.
"Please introduce yourself Ma’am."
She nodded, this was also part of the protocol since they could already tell who she was. Rika took out a card from pocket and gave it to the man. He inserted it into his suit, and, after a few seconds. "Brigadier-General Doesson, the meeting will soon begin, please follow me."
He gave her back her card and she nodded at his words. The guards opened the door, then she followed the man in the armored suit. Rika sighed internally. Twenty days after receiving her orders, Rika had arrived in sector B7- 46, where Borkian troops were gathering before entering the conflict zone, B7-45. As soon as she did, she immediately received a convocation from the highest placed officer taking part in the mission, indicating that the person was already there for the meeting. All of this was bothering her. The higher ups had sent a high graded general to lead the operation without telling who until the last minute. The only thing she knew was that her presence was imperatively needed for today’s meeting, and that she could not use a hologram to participate from a distant location. The secrecy policy made her a bit tense as it was unusual. Still, she complied with her orders and hurried over.
The armored man guided her inside a room already packed with military staff. All seated around a big table. Rika could see some faces she recognised, both good and bad ones, she nodded at each of them. Her expression remained neutral throughout all this. When she reached her seat, she sat down immediately, then removed her military cap.
At that moment, the man to her left called her.
"General Doesson, I see they called you too?"
She turned her head to her left, she recognised the old man.
"Oh, greetings, General Poltok. Yes they called me here too."
The old man to her left was Major General Berdo Poltok. He was a war veteran with whom she had already collaborated in the past. They were on friendly terms.
"If you're here, that means you brought the Old Devils with you?"
"Indeed, while not all troops are there yet, My devils will be hunting republicans very soon."
The old man said with a smirk, he was already salivating for prey. The Old Devils Rika mentioned was Berdo’s unit, the 15th mechanized division. Because they were battle hardened veterans who contributed a lot in multiple battles, they got the nickname of ‘The Old Devils’. And Berdo was the embodiment of those devils.
Seeing him, Rika once again assessed the seriousness of the mission. If it wasn’t important, the higher ups would not send two of their more experienced units on the same battlefield.
"Now that I think about it, I don’t see your ‘bodyguard’ today…" Berdo looked around, he was searching for Ticia, which would usually follow Rika around. "...Is she sick?"
"...No." Rika shook her head. "She has been reported as missing since a month ago."
"What?" Berdo had a hard time understanding what Rika just said. He knew Ticia’s battle record, while it wasn’t rare for her to be written as missing in a report, she would usually show up two or three days later, reporting her success in her mission.
"..Did she die?" Berdo murmured next to Rika’s ear. Even though he thought it was unlikely, he still needed to confirm. Having known both women for some years now, Berdo grew attached as much to Ticia than to Rika, both of which could be his granddaughters age wise. Strictly speaking, he also recognised the duo as invaluable assets of the Borkian military. To him, they might as well represent the future of the Borkian Confederation.
Rika shook her head, answering Berdo’s question. "It’s more complicated than that."
Even now, Rika had this slight feeling that Ticia was still alive somehow. Maybe she would come back to her camp and find the girl waiting there to give her report. All dirtied up but safe and sound.
"Is that so? Well you can tell me more about it later, it seems like the meeting will start soon."
Just like Berdo said, the doors of the meeting room were opened plainly, a group of people stood there, in gaudy but still gray uniforms full of medals and golden trims. All people within the room stood up and saluted when they saw a handsome young man, the most decorated of all, at the head of the group. The man looked around the room, before entering he let out in a calm, yet authoritarian voice.
"At ease." Just like that, everybody came back to what they were doing.
"That’s General David Fika." Berdo then silently said to Rika. "He’s a rising star within the command center, and has been building a lot of influence. Rumors say he might soon be a candidate for the presidential elections."
Rika nodded her head, she had heard of the man from her connections, but they weren’t praising words. While she did not doubt his skills, the rumors she had gathered told that General David Fika was a cunning politician more than a military man and that he frequently accepted bribes.
General Fika took his seat at the end of the table. Everybody present in the room looked at him. He rapidly scanned his papers, then spoke. "Ahem, now that everyone is here, let us begin the meeting." The room quieted down, the General continued. "First, a report from the 506th cavalry company, Captain Rowla, you may speak."
"Yes General, thank you." Captain Rowla stood up, saluted, then spoke up.
"We have confirmed the presence of republican troops within sector B7-45 since one week ago. As soon as they arrived, they secured a perimeter and integrated the defectors within their ranks. We estimate their forces to be similar to ours in numbers of men, with a slight superiority on their side. Here are the locations where my men found a concentration of troops, some of them are camps, some are defensive positions or quickly made fortifications, and others are just patrol routes."
As she spoke, a 3D map appeared on the table for everyone to see. Red dots lit up on the map to indicate where enemy troops were gathering. Additionally, pictures appeared to justify her words. When she finished her report, whispers could be heard here and there as some officers were commenting on the data. General Fika then asked her a question, silencing the room.
"Did they try to enter the old facility?"
"No sir, not yet at least."
"Good, you may sit down."
After Captain Rowla sat down, General Fika smiled and spoke again.
"It would seem luck is still on our side, gentlemen. The enemy has yet to steal our prize. Our first priority is to enter sector B7-45 and install a command center. Once done, we will slowly deploy our troops."
Everyone nodded, all that was said was in accordance with the current military thought. There was no need to rush into battle, all guns blazing. Building a command structure and preparing logistics came first. The last time the Borkian confederation tried to rush into battle was thirty years ago against the Techno-empire of Philio. They suffered a humiliating defeat and had to cede an entire planet to them. Hence, military doctrine now insisted on well planned maneuvers.
"Now then, let’s affiliate responsibilities." The general continued. "I order the 15th mechanized division to deploy itself and be ready to engage the enemy at any moment. The 9th special assault brigade shall be put under Major-General Poltok as a support unit."
Everybody nodded at his words as he was pointing at some places on the map. Green dots then appeared where he pointed and followed the direction of his fingers.
Then he continued on. "The 612th and 615th infantry regiments shall join me as we close in on the abandoned facility. The 506th cavalry company shall be put in reserve in case reinforcement is needed somewhere. Any questions?"
One of the officers raised his hand, then spoke. "General, can we expect to receive aerial support?"
General Fika shook his head. "No, aerial or spatial strikes and even artillery strikes are prohibited for this operation. The facility must be secured intact." There were some frowns from some of the officers, when general Fika saw that, he continued. "If you have anything else to say about the battle plan, please raise your hand."
Nobody raised a hand except Rika. "Yes, Brigadier-General Doesson?"
"Sir, I understand your eagerness in securing and exploring the abandoned facility, but please reconsider. Engaging only half of our forces would put us at a great disadvantage. And if we do not get any support, how are we going to prepare for our assault? The republicans would rain hell on us."
Rika made a point, and the other officers nodded in agreement. Rika and Berdo’s forces would make a total of fifteen thousand men, and there were another fifteen thousand men available from the two infantry regiments. If they, like Captain Rowla had said, were already numerically inferior, they would have a hard time holding the line against the republicans without making sacrifices. Besides, they were the one attacking, and from what the report just said, the enemy had already prepared their defenses. If, unlike the Borkian military, the republicans didn’t care about the state of the facility, Their forces would suffer heavily under aerial strikes or artillery strikes. All in all, they wouldn’t come out of this skirmish unscathed, something that Rika, as well as Berdo, wanted to avoid. Both of them wanted to keep their losses to the minimum.
"What Brigadier-General Doesson said is understandable. However, I can only dispatch five more infantry squads from the infantry regiments to the frontline." General Fika said. That would mean around sixty five hundred more men would be added to Rika and Berdo’s forces. Before new hands could be raised, the general continued. "This is a code red operation, I am under strict orders from the fieldmarshal. The government has asked for the abandoned facility to be explored at all cost before the republicans. This is unnegotiable. I need the rest of the mannpower to secure the site. As for retaliation strikes, there is no need to worry. The republicans want this facility as much as we want. They wouldn’t dare hit it."
A silence followed, the general had made it clear that there would be no more discussions on the subject. Code red was a term employed when a mission was given by the president of the Borkian confederation and his cabinet. The terms could in no way be changed. No officer asked any more questions, except Rika who raised her hand again.
"General, I understand that we are in no place to change our orders right now, but could you at the very least give us the reason why this abandoned facility must be explored at all cost? I need something to motivate my men."
This was a question that nobody dared to ask after general Fika had mentioned that the operation was under code red. It was not that they were prohibited to know, but that asking this could endanger you in the eyes of the ones who gave the mission. Rika did not care much about this, since she had managed to prove her neutrality to the political factions, just like Berdo. And yet, when General Fika looked at Rika while smiling, Rika immediately felt chills in her back.
"I understand your concerns Brigadier-General, however, I cannot say it." He paused for a moment, like he was thinking of something. "That’s right, Brigadier-General, I read in the reports that one of your soldiers was transferred to the 608th infantry escort company just before they defected."
"!!!" Cold sweat began to form on Rika’s head.
"If I am correct, you were quite close to that soldier, right? You must be quite worried about her right now…"
Rika paled, she understood what the general secretly meant by saying this. What he actually meant was: ‘Shut up and stay at your place. Stop bothering me. Else I’ll make you a scapegoat for the defection that just happened.’
"Why don’t you motivate your troops by announcing that this is a rescue operation? I’m sure your troops would gladly accept." General Fika said, still smiling.
"...Understood, General…"
"Now that this is settled, let us begin our preparations. We should set out as soon as possible. We are limited by time after all."
General Fika closed the discussion and passed to the next thing on the program for the meeting. Everyone did the same, except Rika, whose mind was somewhere else.
Rika was in a tight spot, she would not be able to have any part in important discussions now, she would just be scoffed out. The general had clearly shown that she wasn’t considered a person of trust who was politically neutral. If she even dared to express herself again, General Fika would end her career on the spot! Berdo sent her a worried glance. Fortunately she was working under him for this mission. As the meeting continued on about small details such as food rationing, Rika promised herself that she would explain her situation to the old devil in front of a good meal with expensive alcohol.
