“Miller time,” the SEAL said, one cheek jerking up in a rictus of a smile. Weaver had explained exactly what Sanson and the rest of the platoon were guarding.
“Next best scenario, and it’s a real serious drop, is that we get it close to the gate, this is not close enough, and it blows up,” Bill said.
“How serious a drop?” the general asked.
“You don’t want to know,” Bill replied.
“Really,” Miller said. “I wish he hadn’t told me.”
“That bad?” the general said, lightly. “I wish he hadn’t told me, too. If you get it close to the gate and can’t get it through, then what?”
“I’ll blow it,” Bill replied. “It will destabilize this fractal track. It might even blowback along the fractal. I’m not sure what that will do to the Adar, or to us, if it happens, but it’s going to do worse to the Titcher. This is about more than America, more than any personal needs, wants and desires, more than the needs of the human race, this is about the future of multiple races. If the Titcher get out on this planet, with that runaway boson generator Ray Chen created, there’s no stopping them. If we’re lucky, there will be survivors in nuke boats at sea and places like Cheyenne Mountain.”
“And the worse case is you never get near the gate,” the general said, licking his lips. He hadn’t realized it would be that bad. After twenty-five years of service in uniform he was used to taking risks with his life and the lives of the soldiers he commanded. But this was risking the fate of all humanity.
“Yes, sir,” Miller replied. “That would really and truly suck.”
“Well, for the first time today, I understand my orders,” the general said. He gave the physicist a half salute and walked back to the lawyer’s office that he had taken over as a command center.
“You think it’s gonna work?” Miller asked.
“It’d take a miracle.”
“The gate is at the head of this narrow ravine that branches off of the main Clover Branch valley,” the S-3 of what was being called Joint Task Force Oakdale said, pointing at the map. The major was normally the S-3 of the 37th Armored Brigade Ohio National Guard. As a full-time reservist he was decently capable of arranging the operations of his brigade, whether it be summer training, training schedules for the battalions scattered throughout Ohio or peacekeeping in Bosnia, Iraq or Afghanistan.
Planning a desperate assault on a mountaintop in Kentucky for four brigades and a battalion of regular soldiers was a different ballgame.
“The Mreee hold most of the Twin Creek Valley as well as Keen Fork and Bear Fork, but are being held up on ridges on three sides by units of the Kentucky National Guard.”
There was an “ooowah!” from the back of the crowded tent and the S-3 smiled thinly.
“Part of this is probably because the Mreee seem willing to stand on their gains. But a continual trickle of reinforcements has been coming through the gate, both Mreee and Nitch. It is believed when they have sufficient force they intend to assault, probably in the direction of Jackson. Most of the reinforcements have been moving up the Twin Creek Valley to assemble opposite the defenses near Elkatawa.”
He turned back to the map and frowned.
“The assault on the bridge will be along four axes. The majority of the 35th Brigade will move into positions opposite the Chenowee build-up and prepare for a direct frontal assault up Highway 52. In the meantime, 1st Battalion 149th Infantry with supporting units from 2nd Battalion 123rd Armor, will move up to the vicinity of Lawson where they will prepare for an assault over the ridges along the axis of Warcreek-Filmore Road. Once established on the ridges they will advance along the axis of Keen Fork. There is an unnamed road running along the creek that junctions with Warcreek-Filmore at the ridgeline. It is anticipated that the majority of this advance will be dismounted as the named roads are the only ones that will be functional for mechanized systems. Thirty-fifth Brigade, less one battalion, will move as soon as possible to the vicinity of Copebranch. When they are in position, they will move down to strike the enemy positions near Athol. This has to be the first assault made. The intention is to force the enemy to redeploy troops to repel it before the other two brigades engage.
“Second Battalion, Third Brigade of the One-Oh-One will be moved up to the vicinity of Elkatawa. They will then dismount and move up onto the ridgelines currently held by 2nd Battalion, 149th Infantry of the Kentucky National Guard. Their objective will be to move, hopefully undetected, along the ridgelines to the vicinity of 541, then stage a dismounted assault upon the gate under cover of the mounted and dismounted assaults from the other directions. Your northern border will be the general axis of Warcreek to the Warcreek-Filmore Road with southern border the ridges overlooking Highway 52. But movement is to be along the ridges. Kentucky National Guard patrols have found what may be a clear lane, nearly to the gate opening. The Second Battalion will be accompanied by units of SEAL Team Five and Dr. Weaver, who will be carrying the gate closure device.”
“So, what you’re saying,” the brigade commander of the 1st Brigade said, “is that we’re on the nature of a great big diversion.”
“Yes,” General McKeen said, looking over his shoulder. “Is that a problem?”
“No, sir,” the colonel replied, grinning. “We’ll just be as diverting as hell.”
“If you can take the gate, any of you, do it,” the general said. “Push for it like hell. But the 101st battalion is, hopefully, the key. They’ve got more experience moving dismounted and they can move through the hills better than your troops probably can. The Mreee seem to be just tacking down the ridgelines, concentrating on forming their forces in the valley. We’re going to use that to butt-fuck them. Once Dr. Weaver and the SEALs insert the device, the gates close. At that point, it’s all over but the mopping up. Not just here, everywhere. Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, from Florida to Saskatchewan. It’s all up to us. And we’re going to do the job. Any questions?”
There were none. The S-3 turned over the briefing to the Assistant S-3 who ran through the movement lanes, phaselines and other nitpicky details of the attack. He studiously ignored the portion on artillery support; there was none for the simple reason that it didn’t work. He also ignored resupply and postassault consolidation. This was an all or nothing attack. There would be no resupply and if it failed there would be no need for reconsolidation.
Bill tuned that out as he tried to quiet his own fears. He had written down the instructions on how to set the bomb, but if the artass had made a mistake it was going to be a lousy time to find out right in front of the gate. So far it had only been Mreee and Nitch on this gate, but that didn’t mean that the Titcher might not show up at any time. They were racing against a series of deadlines, some of them unknown and unknowable. He glanced at his watch again. Five hours.
Finally the briefing was over and the various officers filed out of the large tent, some of them joking halfheartedly. They all knew that they were going into a gauntlet from which most of their forces, their soldiers, their children, would not return.
“Dr. Weaver?” a lieutenant colonel said as they were leaving. “Lieutenant Colonel John Forsythe, I’m the battalion commander from the One-Oh-One. You’re with me.” He was a tall officer with a clean-cut look and a square jaw. He looked like Hollywood’s idea of an airborne battalion commander.
“We’ll meet you at the assembly area, sir,” Miller interjected. “We’ve got some special materials we need to assemble and we have our own transportation. It was in the movement supplement.”