Runs In The Family by Kevin Ikenberry

Author:Kevin Ikenberry [Ikenberry, Kevin]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Theogony Books
Published: 2018-01-02T07:00:00+00:00

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Thirty-Eight

Six months later...

The Greys advanced inside the Outer Rim, but the attack on Rayu-4 never materialized. Losses at the Wolc, Radin, and Narrob colonies revealed obvious failures in the TDF strategic campaign. Though Mairin proved that simple tactics and smart maneuvering could be employed on a small scale, the TDF knew when the Greys left the field, they were still superior in force and capable of holding the TDF at bay. There was hope, though.

Coordinated defensive strategies and dedicated close air support proved deadly. Now it was time to bring the Greys back to the fight. Drawing them in, to a time and place of the defenders choosing, dated to Sun Tzu and his predecessors. Historically, the tactic continued to work in human conflict throughout the twenty-first century. There was no indication that, against a superiorly numbered force like the Greys, the tactic would not work as advertised again.

The idea of playing defense and then attacking struck Mairin as being stupid. The enemy was superior in numbers but seemingly slow to react to counteroffensive operations. Maneuver challenged the Greys as it had for anyone not raised in the Spartan army throughout history. Terrain, the plan itself, or some other unplanned for contingency slowed down the plan, she told herself. Be it a soldier, an element, a platoon, or a division there will always be a hole in the line. There would always be an opportunity for success, and because of that the probability for a counterattack at that precise point was statistically significant no matter how many times she ran the numbers. In the defense, there were too many things that could go wrong when trying to produce a counterattack, especially with poor leadership.

Mairin studied the battle plan for the defense of the colony planet Ashland and looked at her four platoon leaders. She could smell the academy on the three new ones. Bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and ready to follow every order to completion without fully understanding it, she thought wryly. One will get lost, one will forget to shower and shave daily, and one will find every last nerve when it comes to asking “Why?” like a toddler. She looked across at Ulson and noticed for the hundredth time his change from boy to man. He’d “seen the elephant” so to speak, and in his calm, experienced eyes Mairin saw leadership. She felt a little surer of the forces at her fingertips, and fortunately for the lieutenants under her leadership, a little more patient.

“So, what’s the plan, Captain?”

Mairin met the walleyed gaze of Lieutenant Thornton. “You went to the Academy, isn’t that right, Thornton?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He grinned showing imperfect teeth. Combined with his heavy eyebrows and bulging eyes, he looked like a sideshow attraction. “Graduated in April, but didn’t get selected for pilot training.”

Five months. Sonuvabitch. Probably rushed through officer training in a hurry by the TDF to fill gaps. Mairin sighed and raised her gaze to the group. “Everyone has seen this, right?” Heads nodded. She blinked the mission timer in her neurals.

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