Echoes of War Box Set by Daniel Gibbs

Author:Daniel Gibbs [Gibbs, Daniel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-07-13T22:00:00+00:00

21

Inside of the command operations tent, Sarno paced. She had been briefed by the strike team leader, Sister Kaufman, during the flight back, and now she was waiting for her senior staff to assemble. Kaufman, David, Amir, and Calvin were the first ones through the flap of the tent. “Greetings, Sister, Colonels.”

“Thank you, Mother Superior.” Kaufman kneeled and reached her right hand up, the index finger pointing toward heaven; the traditional salute of the Sisters.

David and Calvin brought themselves to attention but did not salute.

“Simply put, what happened?”

“We were able to rescue eighty-nine prisoners. However, we were exfiltrating the area…”

David’s face flushed red with anger. “Someone set off a massive improvised explosive device and brought down half a city block.”

“It’s possible the Monrovians engaged in a false flag exercise to give themselves cover and to sway public opinion against us,” Calvin interjected.

“Those people know no bounds of depravity,” David said.

General Monahan’s face appeared through the tent entrance as he walked in. “I apologize for being late. I was reviewing reports on damage to the government’s military infrastructure.”

“Thank you for joining us, General,” Sarno replied. “We have a bit of a situation here. While thanks to your intelligence, we were able to rescue many high-value prisoners, there was an attack with an explosive-laden hover-van that, in the words of Colonel Cohen, leveled half a city block. I assume the Monrovian government was behind it.”

Monahan, for a brief moment, looked squeamish. “Actually, Mother Superior, that was my network.”

“What?” David demanded, his jaw dropping open.

Sarno’s eyes widened. What have they done? “Explain yourself, General.”

“The building that we hit was the headquarters of Monrovia’s internal security agency. It’s quite secret; you won’t find it on a map, and most citizens have no idea it’s even a government office complex. You cleared the streets for us, and one of my teams moved in. The driver sacrificed himself to ensure the success of the operation, and to prevent the use of remote communication jammers from being effective.”

“Let me get this straight,” David said, his voice rising. “You gave us intel to enable an attack on a detention facility two blocks from a target you turned around and hit with a suicide bomber? Do you realize how many civilians are probably dead?”

“Oh, stow your sanctimonious bullshit, Colonel. You expect me to believe you’ve never killed a civilian, that the CDF has never bombed a school or a hospital from orbit. It’s called collateral damage. It happens. You’ve got to break a few eggs to make an omelet.”

“Sounds like something a Leaguer would say,” Calvin interjected.

“Gentlemen, please. General Monahan, I’m incredibly distressed that you’ve chosen this course. I’m not sure that we can continue to stay here on Monrovia. I will not be a party to the death of innocents through the actions of my order. It’s an affront to all we cherish and the ideals we try to uphold.”

A nun stuck her head into the tent. “Mother Superior, there’s something on the holonet you should see.” At Sarno’s nod, she stepped inside and tuned the holoprojector.

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