Fang: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 3) (20 page)

Zach gave him an icy smile. “Yeah. This is going to be a ton of fun,” he said unenthusiastically.

They had good will on their side, at least. Almost everyone in the room had heaped their congratulations on the members of Ghost Battalion, especially Nora. Everyone was ecstatic at the capture of the Center City district. It put them ahead of schedule, and that was cause for celebration.

Now, though, there might be a fight. There was the matter of the exoskeletons that needed to be decided upon, and Anna was going to take a stance that might not be popular. Zach would support her. They also had assurances from Gina, Yusuf, David, Robbie and Neil that their support would be granted as well, but that worried him. Anna's support base skewed heavily toward the original five Hydra members and the Ranger Battalion. He was concerned that they were pitting the factions in the alliance against each other.

First things first, though. Zach and several others thought the issue of the mech suits was going to be too controversial, so they had put forth the fate of the Center City district first. Yusuf was detailing their plans right now.

“There's a high concentration of industrial equipment and research material contained within the district, along with the facilities needed to use it,” he was saying. “If allowed to we can turn the place into an industrial powerhouse. Forget what the Lerna Forge or the Eagle Creek Forge could do. I'm talking about being able to arm another battalion in the span of a week if we can get the troops and the materials.”

“
Pretty bold proclamation,” Lee said. “Not that there's any reason to ever doubt you. We'd be walking everywhere otherwise.”

“
Seems like a tall order, though,” C.J. said. “I get that having more space will help you, but are you sure that you can do more without really expanding your company?”

“
The key is automation,” Yusuf detailed. “If I can make a comparison? Right now industry in this world is operating on two levels. I'm not counting the NPC shops in Old Chicago, because they basically magic things out of thin air.”

“
Luckily enough for us,” David said.

“
Can't disagree with that,” Paige nodded. “We can't produce everything.”

Yusuf continued. “Anyway, back on track. It operates on two levels. First, there are the individuals making products in the own small company or by themselves. They're the cottage industry, if you will. Then there's the larger organizations like us, Ragnarok and Ronin. We're kind of like the people that would own a mill in medieval times. Much more efficient than the person at home grinding with their own stone, but still relatively slow. What we want is an industrial mill, that can produce quickly.”

“But again, is that even possible?” C.J. asked. “Industrial automation needs some sort of power, and we can't just rely on fusion batteries.”

“
No, we can't,” Yusuf agreed. “But that's not the only source of power we can use. I'm rather disappointed that I didn't think of this awhile ago, but we have the river. The White River runs right by the district, and we can use that to our advantage. I think we can build water wheels to power turbines.”

“
That's definitely possible,” Bryce agreed.

“
If we win the battle of industry we win the war,” Yusuf said simply. “We can get a head start, if you'll allow us.”

“
I call for a vote,” David said. “Everyone in favor of granting the Center City district for Hephaestus Company?”

The vote was unanimous.

“Thanks everyone,” Yusuf said. “I'll make sure that your confidence isn't misplaced.

David nodded. “Alright. Onto the second order of business. As you are all probably aware by now, Ghost Battalion discovered five suits of powered exoskeletons inside the district. Nora was able to operate one, and can tell you more.”

Nora stood up. “We still don't know much about the system. Most of my usage was simply trial and error. But we do know a couple of things. First, we have no way to build more. There's no schematic, and we can't reverse engineer them. Second, they use a voice key, and only the first user is able to pilot the suit afterward.”

“
Which means that whoever is selected for the suit is going to be the only one that can pilot it,” David finished. “So we're going to need to choose carefully. Nora already has claim to one. So what about the others?”

A buzz ran across the room as the various commanders and adjuncts talked to each other, but Anna quickly put a halt to that. She stood up to address them.

“I believe that the remaining exoskeletons should be assigned to Ghost Battalion,” she said.

There was a considerable hubbub over that statement, and Zach braced himself. This might end up getting very ugly.

“Why? Just because you discovered them?” said someone he didn't recognize.

“
No, because they fit in best with the capabilities of our battalion,” Anna replied.

Liz stood up beside her. “Ghost Battalion has always accomplished our missions, but we've done so without the heavy support that other battalions have at their disposal. Just think about it. Everyone else has armored support to call upon. The best we have are Raven Flight's attack choppers, which, pardon me saying so, don't quite have the presence of an assault gun.”

“No offense taken,” Robbie said amicably.

“
We're best built to operate within the confines of rough terrain, but we often are forced to rely on recoilless rifles as our heaviest weapons. That just doesn't cut it,” Liz said flatly. “We've been accomplishing our missions while being hamstrung.”

That comment didn't go over so well. Several of the others made angry remarks that blurred together in the buzz of the crowded chambers.

Surprisingly, it was Cody that restored order. He pounded his fist on the table and shouted over the din.

“
Everyone, just shut up!”

The room went deathly quiet.

Cody spoke again. “OK, I think this is actually a matter for the military council to decide. I'm going to side with Anna on this one. The rest of us have assault guns, and if what Yusuf said is true we can expect more in the future. But Ghost isn't going to get them.”

Anna nodded with appreciation. “That's why I believe the exoskeletons should go to Ghost Battalion. They'll allow us to bring heavy support through rough terrain like thick forests. That could be a critical advantage for us. It gives us backup that we'll need, and it gives us a card we can play as well. Who's going to expect four mech suits showing up on their flank through a thick forest?”

She didn't say so, but that 'who' she mentioned was definitely Ragnarok. It was easy to forget, but everything they were doing right now was because of their bitter enemy. The war may have ground to a halt right now, but Hydra needed every advantage it could muster for when the conflict went hot again.

“
I'm willing to support Ghost Battalion on this,” David said.

“
So am I,” Gina agreed. “Like Cody said, we get some of the heavier toys. It think it's in our best interests to give Ghost Battalion the support they need.”

“
I'll support them as well,” Bryce spoke up. “Their points are good ones.”

“
I will too,” Shayna said. That was a surprise, although on second thought it made sense. She was a member of Knight Battalion, so maybe she was supporting her commander.

“
And I will as well, though you probably already knew that,” Karen said.

“
That makes it a unanimous vote from the military council,” Cody said. “Ghost Battalion gets the suits.”

“
We'll make sure that they're put to good use,” Liz said.

“
Bear in mind this isn't about who we see as valuable,” Anna said. “
All
of you are valuable and important to the alliance. We cover each others weaknesses and fight as efficiently as possible.”

There was silence as the others observed that remark. Zach decided to break it.

“We're standing on the edge of greatness here. Just one more push and we're there. Let's do our best.”

CHAPTER 20

Comrades

“
Dodge to the left.”

Nora complied, throwing herself out of the way of the approaching shots. They weren't dangerous, only practice rounds, but it was her job to test out the capabilities of the armor. She was the only one who had the slightest clue of what to do inside, though that wasn't saying much.

She thrust with her legs, trying to get as much space from the practice round as possible, but Nora had underestimated the power of the exoskeleton's systems. She pushed off the ground and flew up almost ten feet in the air before she plummeted back down and made an awkward landing. Thankfully none of the systems were damaged. The suit was robust, at least.

“
Did you do that on purpose?” Yusuf asked.

“
No, that was on accident,” Nora said. “I'm still trying to get used to how much power it has.”

“
OK, maybe we should cool it with the practice rounds. Try to figure out how the system works before you try any complicated tasks with it.”

“
OK, I'll follow your lead,” Nora told him.

“
I'm being called back up north, so I'm going to have to leave you. Paige will take over from here,” Yusuf said. “Have fun.”

“
Thanks, you too.”

Nora watched him get on his ATV and drive away. A lock-on appeared over his vehicle, displaying direction and velocity. She wondered how she could use it to direct her shots, but she didn't think that Yusuf would appreciate her experimenting on him.

Paige laughed when she shared that thought. “No, I don't think he would. Let's try to figure out what we have here. Try to jump as high as you can.”

“
OK, but I can't guarantee it's going to come down safely,” Nora warned.

“
That's why we have one in reserve, so don't worry about it,” Paige said.

“
OK.”

Nora crouched down and thrust upward with her legs. She felt herself rocket up into the air, then plummet back down. This time she was ready and made a smooth landing, the shock absorbers of the suit doing their job well. Nora felt the impact, but it wasn't jarring.

“You got about twenty feet on that,” Paige told her. “With enough practice you might be able to jump over small buildings.”

“
That would be useful,” Nora agreed. She could just imagine the faces of the enemy on the ground when an exoskeleton dropped out of the sky in front of them.

“
OK, let's test out lateral movement. I'll mark a spot on your HUD. Get to it as fast as possible while keeping your eye on me. I'll time you.”

The location flashed up on the exoskeleton's HUD. Ever since she had been able to get a good look at the display Nora had been impressed, to say the least. The basic player HUD was good and displayed a lot of important information, but the suit's HUD blew it out of the water. The sheer number of things is could track was astounding, and none of the displays were distracting or intrusive. She could look at distance traveled or the number of detected enemy units in the area, or she could just ignore them and only use the visual display.

“Going,” Nora said, and then she was off. She launched herself in a sideways jump. This time she didn't push as had and had much better control. She made another good landing.

“
Nice. Took you less than a second to cover the distance,” Paige said. “Now try turning as fast as you can.”

“
It can do it pretty fast,” Nora informed her. “Poor Gavin found that out.”

“
Yeah, I heard about that. Can't say that being cut in half sounds like a nice way to go.”

“
Kind of off topic, but do you guys have any idea about the weapons this thing carries?”

“
We're working on it,” Paige replied. “None of us have gotten to have a really good look at one of the suits, but I took the time to skim over one when we weren't busy. It looks like the weapons mounts are modular, which means we might be able to switch the loadouts as needed.”

“
The one I was using seemed pretty effective,” Nora said. “Then again, most cannons are going to be pretty effective at point blank range.”

“
Well, we'll see what we can do once we've finished the rail link.”

“
How's that going, by the way?”

“
Progress is good,” Paige replied with some satisfaction in her voice. “We're making much better progress on the engine than we originally thought we would. Plus, it's not going to require fusion batteries.”

“
How does that work, then?” Nora asked.

“
Building from the ground up and the beauty of the free crafting system,” Paige said with a grin. “We're building a steam engine from scratch. All we need to run it is fuel and water, and neither of those are in short supply.”

“
What kind of fuel?”

“
Wood, to be precise. It'll be slower than an electric locomotive, but it will still be faster than Mules and will be easier to power. Plus, it won't be a big drain on our resources.”

“
See, I would have never thought of that,” Nora said. “I'm glad we have at least some people that can think outside the box for us.”

“
And I'm glad that we have people that can do the heavy fighting for us,” Paige replied. “I shudder to think where we would be if we had to do the front line fighting ourselves.”

“
Likewise.”

Paige laughed. “OK, let's get back to the tests.”

Nora laughed as well, and she quite enjoyed the feeling. For the first time in a quite a while, she was truly having a blast.

“I think we can do it,” Zach was saying. Some of the others looked rather less convinced.

“
What happens if we can't? Any setback is going to cost us dearly in the long run,” Gina said.

“
I know that,” he replied, “but I think that we're capable of taking two districts at once, if we play our cards right.”

Nora wasn't certain what to believe. On its face, Zach's plan was nothing short of suicide. There was another tunnel leading to the southwest district of Indianapolis, but other than the immediate area around the station, they were walking in with less information than they would have liked. There simply hadn't been enough time to reconnoiter the area. They had no idea what enemy opposition they were facing.

Still, they wouldn't be going in blind. They had the aerial photos that they had taken in the preliminary reconnaissance phase. They knew the street layout and could predict where the enemy would focus their strong points. They had artillery, armor and air support to call upon. And most importantly of all, they had plenty of veteran troops who by now were experts in urban warfare.

Zach's plan was direct and to the point. Dragon Battalion would attack the Meridian district with the aid of Rogue Battalion, using brute force to crack open the defenses. Meanwhile, Ghost Battalion would attack the Decatur district in the south where the city's airport was located. Sacred Sword would be quietly transferred from Lerna Bastion to help them in the operation, and Raven Flight would provide them with air cover.

There were many things that could go wrong. The plan could be far too ambitious. The enemy was going to outnumber them, perhaps overwhelmingly. The bosses could be especially difficult. Ragnarok could suddenly decided to attack from the north. It was quite the risk.

However, the risk might be necessary. Even with all the progress they were making, Hydra was still in a very precarious position. The silence from the north was scaring many of them. Things might be quiet now, but if Ragnarok decided to make the conflict go hot again they would be forced into a two front war. If the alliance could eliminate one front they would be in a much better position.

Taking the last two districts on the west side of the White River would give Hydra a strong position. The enemy would only be able to attack from two locations, which could be easily defended. Hydra would also have access to the river, which meant they could use their river craft for transport and fire support. And finally, once they had one side it would give them the much needed opportunity to rest and regroup.

They were hanging by a thread at this point, stretched to their limit. Their treasury was low. Their resource stocks were almost nonexistent, and every bit of ore coming into the city was immediately being turned into bullets or equipment. Troops were spread over several different fronts, vulnerable to a large attack. Hydra needed some way to improve their position, and this was it.

Now they needed to convince the others.

“
Not that I'm against fighting, but this might not be the greatest idea,” Cody said. The rest of the military council looked at each other and discussed the plan.

“
We can't afford to waste any time,” Zach insisted. “If we do we might not be able to make up the ground we lose. Ragnarok's planning something. They have to be. Why else would they suddenly stop fighting us?”

“
We're still skirmishing with their forces up along the border,” David said. “But we haven't heard anything in Old Chicago, or from the companies up north. There was news that a huge Ragnarok column went north, but then they completely disappeared.”

“
How the heck did they disappear?” Cody asked.

“
They sent the Valkyries after anyone that tried to follow them and told the rest that they would come back and annihilate them if they tried it.”

“
Ugly tactic,” Shayna commented.

“
An effective one as well,” Bryce shrugged. “I'm pretty sure that we'd use it as well, given the chance.”

“
Anyhow, they might be planning for something, but at the moment they're out of our hair. We can consider the front secure while their main forces are up north.”

“
For now,” Gina said. “They'll be back.”

“
And when they come back we need to be in a position to fight them,” Zach said. “That means we're going to have to take some risks whether we like it or not.”

“
Point taken,” David said. “However, we need to make sure that the risk is worth it.”

“
And that the risk is feasible,” Anna added. “It's no good trying if there's almost no hope of success.”

Zach stepped over to the holographic map table in the middle of the command center and zoomed in on part of the city.

“The Meridian district is definitely feasible,” he said. “Between Dragon and Rogue Battalions you have over six hundred troops with armor and artillery support. The district isn't huge either.”

“
That still leaves the Decatur district,” Anna said. “Even with reinforcements from Sacred Sword we only have four hundred troops.”

“
Right, but we also have air support. And that's going to be critical,” Zach said.

“
What about AA fire?” Bryce asked. “I imagine that's going to be a problem.”

“
Most of the AA guns are clustered around the airfield, here,” Zach said. He zoomed in on the area. Sure enough, they were thickly grouped around the airfield, but the rest of the district was relatively uncovered.

“
That could still be a big problem,” Liz spoke up. “That many AA guns in an open area? That's suicide for an infantry attack.”

“
Yes, but with Sacred Sword we'll also have assault guns. They can spearhead the attack and keep the enemy's attention focused on them. Plus, we have the exoskeletons.”

“
I can't guarantee how well they're going to perform,” Nora said. “We haven't selected anyone, and I'm still learning how to use them.”

“
Still, they're an excellent trump card to play,” Anna said. “This is a risk, but so is everything at this point. I'll support the attack, so long as we plan properly.”

“
Eh, why not?” Cody asked.

“
I'll agree to it as well,” Gina said. “With the condition, like Anna, that we plan this properly.”

“
I'm for it,” David confirmed.

“
Me as well,” Shayna agreed.

“
Me too,” Bryce added.

Karen hesitated for a moment. “Can I say just one thing?”

“Shoot,” Zach told her.

“
I don't think that four hundred troops is going to cut it, at least not in a straight battle,” she said. “We were only able to take Center City because we were facing primitives, That, and a whole lot of luck.”

“
OK, so what's you're idea?” Zach asked.

“
We need some way to even the odds,” she said. “I think we should try to launch a night attack to catch the enemy off guard.”

“
Bold move,” David commented.