The Genesis Defense (Beyond the Impossible Book 5) by Frank Kennedy

Author:Frank Kennedy [Kennedy, Frank]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-05-02T16:00:00+00:00

17

Sai-Por City

R OYAL FELT THE SPLINTER slipping from his grasp. If he didn’t find it by morning, he never would. So, he made his most enthusiastic pitch to Breck, the resistance leader, without making it all about himself. A difficult feat, but Royal thought he prepared a convincing case.

“Your biggest threat in the green zone is in this area,” he told Breck as they studied holos of the city grid. “You have a battalion of FGs patrolling four blocks, and they’re fanning out scalps to cover their flanks. It’s standard Swarm strategy, but this time they’re using civilians like a shield.”

Breck nodded. “A cowardly tactic. The outer ring consists of unqualified fighters.”

“It’s a test. They want to see if we’re willing to wipe out hundreds of brainwashed Hokkis to go after the real prize. I’m betting every civvie in the outer ring is wearing a radial bomb.”

“I’ve heard of those but never seen one in action.”

“Nasty shit. When they detonate, they spray a rosette of inch-long laser missiles over a twenty-meter radius. These things can pierce even Talon armor by breaking down the synaptic interface. If your people get caught up in it, they’ll be dead before they blink.”

“It’s also a propaganda tool, Royal. If we do nothing, they’ll show images of the Converted defending their city against savages. If we attack, they’ll say we murdered innocent people protecting their homes. If those bombs take us out, the scalps will be honored as martyrs to the Church.”

“It’s a no-win, Breck. My plan will help us both. With a dash of luck, you’ll have strong intel and I’ll have eyes on my Splinter. A win-win.”

Royal highlighted a building within two blocks of the hothouses where he crash-landed. The three-story residential structure bordered the southeast edge of the city. It overlooked large, open fields where gardens of debris waited to be harvested by idle drone loaders. It also fell inside the “inner ring” patrolled by FGs.

“This will be a good surveillance perch,” Royal continued. “We’ll be right up their assholes, which they won’t expect. We enter through the sewer and make our way up to the top floor like so.”

“Scalps occupy a few of those flats. They’ll be vigilant and well-armed. If they or the FGs cut you off from retreat, you’re dead.”

“They’ll have a better chance of hearing mice. I know how to do this shit. You have great surveillance tech. Your comm disrupters can get us inside their local command. If they’re planning to make a move, you’ll know about it.”

“How do you propose to find your cube? You said it fits into the palm of a hand.”

“Look, it’s a fucking longshot. I’ll be scanning for a magnetic energy that stands out from everything else in the spectrum. If the energy field is about yay-big,” he said, holding his hand wide open, “I’ll know where to find it. Your people make a beeline back here, and I’ll go for the Splinter.”

“And then?”

He preferred not to tell the truth.

“I won’t be your problem.

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