Read Online Warzone: Nemesis: A Novel of Mars by Morris Graham - Free Book Online
Authors: Morris Graham
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our post. ASDC command has informed me that reinforcements won’t be ready to deploy here for at least four days. With no hope of reinforcements, we will fight to the last man. Sidearms and rifles have been issued to noncombatant personnel, including the mess crew.
When a security leak to the Soviets compromised the personal information of many of my men’s families, the Soviets used the threat of harming them to break our morale. I recommend to ASDC Command that all personnel who serve on frontier posts use call signs only.
COL Darrel Cavender
Black Dogs Battalion, Luna
A dark shadow crept over the colonel’s face as he digested the report. The idea that they were losing because of the alloy-x freighters he was packing for his post on Mars cut him to the quick. He could do the math. They weren’t ready and wouldn’t make it there in time to defend Eagle 1. COL Wycoff put down the paper.
“What are your orders, sir?”
“How soon can your team be ready to leave for Luna?”
“One week, sir.”
“You have three days. Even so, Eagle 1 may have fallen before you get there. You’ll direct your landing team to reinforce Eagle 1 on Luna. If the post has fallen by the time you get there, dig in and establish a new post. I cannot stress enough the importance of this mission. There is no more alloy-x to supply another team should you fail, and failure is not an option. If Eagle 1 has fallen, you must establish your landing zone at Landau Crater, which will give you ample time to dig in and build a post before you have visitors. The distance between the Soviet post at the Fabry Crater and the Landau Crater is 3,933 kilometers. Make the landing zone at the beginning of their satellite blackout window to gain an additional hour and fifty minutes before the Soviets know you’ve landed. You never know when the extra time may be critical. Speed in setting up your recycler, defensive grid, artillery, armory, and factory is imperative. If you can’t raise anyone alive on radio at Eagle 1 when you arrive, don’t attempt to go there. Any questions?”
“None, sir.”
“Here is the file on your mission,” he said as he handed him a file stuffed with documents. “There will be only a small window for you to construct your post and get prepared to defend her. Once the Soviet satellite blackout is over, you have approximately thirty-nine hours before all of the tanks the Soviets possess will come knocking at your door, followed by their artillery pieces approximately three days later. You must have your defensive grid in place, and enough tanks built by the time the Soviet tanks get there to hold them off. You must have your own artillery constructed before theirs arrives.”
“Understood, sir.”
“I believe COL Cavender was right. From now on, all personnel on these frontier posts will be referred to by call signs only. What will yours be?”
COL Wycoff thought a moment, and then showed his teeth. “Red Fangs, sir.”
“Very good. Launch time has been moved up to three days from now, at seventeen hundred hours.”
“Yes, sir.”
Rising to his feet, the general shook COL Wycoff’s hand and wished him luck. He had every confidence in COL Red Fangs as he was now called. He was a hard charger and had filled his team with hard chargers and the best technical people he could find.
The Americans worked around the clock to ready the expedition of sixteen ships for the trip to Luna. They would sleep on the sixteen hour trip, then hit the ground running and work sixteen hour days until the Soviets arrived. The men had endured grueling training to learn how to function with little sleep or food when the need called for it. It was time for their training to pay off.
COL Red Fangs couldn’t bring all of his personnel on the first trip. His priority, on the first trip, was to transport vital equipment and supplies. The equipment included electronic and surveillance equipment, the recycler, heavy equipment for the
When a security leak to the Soviets compromised the personal information of many of my men’s families, the Soviets used the threat of harming them to break our morale. I recommend to ASDC Command that all personnel who serve on frontier posts use call signs only.
COL Darrel Cavender
Black Dogs Battalion, Luna
A dark shadow crept over the colonel’s face as he digested the report. The idea that they were losing because of the alloy-x freighters he was packing for his post on Mars cut him to the quick. He could do the math. They weren’t ready and wouldn’t make it there in time to defend Eagle 1. COL Wycoff put down the paper.
“What are your orders, sir?”
“How soon can your team be ready to leave for Luna?”
“One week, sir.”
“You have three days. Even so, Eagle 1 may have fallen before you get there. You’ll direct your landing team to reinforce Eagle 1 on Luna. If the post has fallen by the time you get there, dig in and establish a new post. I cannot stress enough the importance of this mission. There is no more alloy-x to supply another team should you fail, and failure is not an option. If Eagle 1 has fallen, you must establish your landing zone at Landau Crater, which will give you ample time to dig in and build a post before you have visitors. The distance between the Soviet post at the Fabry Crater and the Landau Crater is 3,933 kilometers. Make the landing zone at the beginning of their satellite blackout window to gain an additional hour and fifty minutes before the Soviets know you’ve landed. You never know when the extra time may be critical. Speed in setting up your recycler, defensive grid, artillery, armory, and factory is imperative. If you can’t raise anyone alive on radio at Eagle 1 when you arrive, don’t attempt to go there. Any questions?”
“None, sir.”
“Here is the file on your mission,” he said as he handed him a file stuffed with documents. “There will be only a small window for you to construct your post and get prepared to defend her. Once the Soviet satellite blackout is over, you have approximately thirty-nine hours before all of the tanks the Soviets possess will come knocking at your door, followed by their artillery pieces approximately three days later. You must have your defensive grid in place, and enough tanks built by the time the Soviet tanks get there to hold them off. You must have your own artillery constructed before theirs arrives.”
“Understood, sir.”
“I believe COL Cavender was right. From now on, all personnel on these frontier posts will be referred to by call signs only. What will yours be?”
COL Wycoff thought a moment, and then showed his teeth. “Red Fangs, sir.”
“Very good. Launch time has been moved up to three days from now, at seventeen hundred hours.”
“Yes, sir.”
Rising to his feet, the general shook COL Wycoff’s hand and wished him luck. He had every confidence in COL Red Fangs as he was now called. He was a hard charger and had filled his team with hard chargers and the best technical people he could find.
The Americans worked around the clock to ready the expedition of sixteen ships for the trip to Luna. They would sleep on the sixteen hour trip, then hit the ground running and work sixteen hour days until the Soviets arrived. The men had endured grueling training to learn how to function with little sleep or food when the need called for it. It was time for their training to pay off.
COL Red Fangs couldn’t bring all of his personnel on the first trip. His priority, on the first trip, was to transport vital equipment and supplies. The equipment included electronic and surveillance equipment, the recycler, heavy equipment for the
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