They were civilians and if captured by the Tahn would be quite legally executed. But then, on the other hand, if Cavite City fell, they would be executed as collaborators, even though everyone on Cavite was supposedly an Imperial citizen. If Cavite City fell? Sten wondered if he was getting sick—there was no reason for any sort of optimism. When Cavite City fell.
What the clot—the Tiges were probably in no worse shape with him than anywhere else.
Besides, there was business. Sutton ran down the supply station.
The spindar had personally lumbered down the rows of ammunition on the bottom level. The pumps had kept the dump from flooding, and the rack sprays had lubricated the stored rounds at intervals.
Bedding? Mr. Sutton lifted a rear leg and scratched the back of his neck. Forget bedding—the dehumidifiers on the third level were wonky. The living spaces themselves were almost uninhabitable.
That wasn't a problem. The troops could doss down in the ready rooms.
Water? Again, no problem. The rain collectors were in perfect condition, as were the purifiers.
Rations?
Sutton was outraged. "I am preparing a full report, Commander. Cha-chuff. Whoever was the quartermaster was on the dropsy! An out-and-out crook!"
Sten smiled. Sutton was getting moralistic on him.
"Examine this," Sutton growled, and pointed to a computer screen. "Imperial regulations specify that each serving trooper is to be afforded a balanced, interesting diet. Am I correct?"
"Imperial regulations specify a lot of things that get conveniently lost in the shuffle."
Sutton ignored Sten's reference to his past. "Balanced, interesting, with full provision for nonhumanoid or special diets."
"GA"
"Look at what this unspeakable person did! All that we have warehoused here are paked legumes and freeze-dried herbivore flesh! How can I feed my people on things like this? How can the Tiges manage to keep the rations interesting? We might as well hook ourselves up to a mass converter and be done with it!"
"We live on nothing but beans and beef for a few days," Sten comforted, "we'll all be our own mass converters."
"Not humorous."
"Besides," Sten continued, "The Tahn are going to wipe us out before we get bored."
"Commander, I'm appalled. You have been associating with that Kilgour for entirely too long."
Sten nodded agreement and went back to the command center. It was time to get in touch with Mahoney and tell him that Strongpoint Sh'aarl't was ready for war.
General Mahoney wanted to make very sure that his new fort would remain undiscovered until exactly the right moment. His com line with Sten was via a ground-cable ULF transmitter. Sten responded with previously coded single-dit signals. Other than that, the fort remained completely passive.
It took Mahoney four days to prepare his major offensive.
A battle can have many objectives—to gain territory, to mask a second attack, etc. Mahoney's attack was designed to kill Tahn soldiers.
He explained his battle plan very carefully to Admiral van Doorman. Once van Doorman understood the plan, he was ecstatic. He was sure that the battle would shatter the Tahn and force them to withdraw from Cavite—or at least to retreat into defensive quarters.
Ian Mahoney wondered how van Doorman had managed to spend so many years in the service and still believe there was a pony in there somewhere.
The most that could happen was that the Tahn juggernaut might be thrown back and stalled for a while. Mahoney saw no other strategy than the one he had begun with—to try to keep fighting until Cavite could be reinforced. This was a possibility that he viewed as increasingly unlikely. But in the meantime, he could make victory increasingly expensive for Lady Atago and the Tahn.
And so, expecting nothing, the Empire attacked.
The Tahn, of course, had air supremacy around the perimeter. Their constantly patrolling tacships made sure that any men or vehicles moving near the lines stood an odds-on chance of being hit.
Farther back, closer to Cavite Base, Mahoney still had enough functioning AA launchers to keep off all but major Tahn air strikes. Under cover of darkness, he moved half of his available launchers forward and positioned them just inside the perimeter sector near Strongpoint Sh'aarl't.
Van Doorman had very few warships left besides the carefully hidden Swampscott. But one of them was the destroyer commanded by Halldor, the Husha.
The Tahn normally kept their tacships grounded during darkness, maintaining air superiority with destroyers equipped with warning sensors some kilometers beyond the lines. A night sortie by Imperial ships would bring an instant response, but the Tahn ground-support craft would not be worn out by constant patrolling.
At sunrise, the Tahn tacships lifted from their forward bases toward the lines.
At sunrise plus fifteen minutes, the Husha bellowed out of its underground hanger and, at full Yukawa drive, swept toward and then across the perimeter. Weapons yammering, the Husha shattered the flotilla of Tahn ships patrolling that sector. By the time the Tahn had cruisers and destroyers over that part of the perimeter, the Husha was already grounded and safe.
Lady Atago and Admiral Deska asked why an Imperial ship would have made the sweep. The answer was obvious—van Doorman proposed an attack.
They reinforced their aerial elements and sent them forward over the lines.
The Tahn ships were easy targets as the Empire's AA tracks threw off their camouflage and launched.
More Tahn ships, including one cruiser, were killed. The Tahn infantry was put on full alert.
And the Imperial Forces made their assault.
Atago was surprised—the first wave wasn't made up of Guard forces. Instead, ragtag soldiers of the naval provisional battalions went forward.
For the Tahn landing forces, they were easy targets.
The naval battalions held briefly, then reeled back, back beyond their original positions.
This was the weak point that Atago had been waiting for. This was a chance to drive a spearhead through the Empire's lines and possibly take Cavite Base itself.
The time was close to nightfall.
Atago ordered her forces to consolidate their salient. At dawn, they would attack once more.
Four hours later, both EliInt and Siglnt told Atago that Mahoney was reinforcing the defensive positions with armor. What few assault tracks were undamaged appeared, indeed, to be moving toward the perimeter.
Very good, Lady Atago thought. Her own heavy equipment outnumbered the Imperial tracks by ten to one. Now was the chance to completely smash the Imperial Forces on Cavite. She stripped her own units bare, sending armor forward, organized by hastily established combat commands.
The plan, she knew, would be that at dawn she would attack. General Mahoney would counterattack with his tanks. And her own mailed fist would rumble forward.
There were three hours until dawn.
Lady Atago slept the sleep of a heroine.
General Ian Mahoney, on the other hand, slurped caff and snarled.
From his side of the lines, things were very different. The attack by the Husha had been very deliberate, intended to destroy not only Tahn tacships but their reinforcements. That assault had indeed been made by naval battalions, but battalions commanded by officers from the First Guards, who had carefully choreographed the events. Attack... and then fall back beyond the lines.