“Been through it before, huh?” Orren asked.
Blonk nodded, all the laughter gone from his face. “More times than I care to think about.”
* * *
Increasingly I find my processors bogged down in recursive thinking. I have repeatedly reviewed all my actions since arriving on Delas and can find no serious flaw in my logic, judgment or execution of command protocol. Yet the paradox presented by these actions and Major Veck’s reactions to them require me to review them yet again.
The repeated examination of this material increasingly hampers my efficiency and is causing me distress, yet I must have answers. I have become aware of an emotion which should not be known to a Bolo: doubt.
For the past ten-point-oh-seven seconds I have been considering the direct neural interface with which I am equipped. Application of this interface in the field is left up to individual commanders, and Major Veck has never availed himself with the use of mine. I wonder if use of the interface could clarify my understanding of his actions, and relieve my dilemma? I am not sure, but the idea has certain appeal.
Yet the idea also causes me concern. Several of my caution routines show distress when analyzing the possibility, as though sharing of Major’s Veck’s thoughts and emotions might somehow be harmful to me. In any case, it is not my decision. The interface can only be initiated by the human commander, and in such a case, I would be powerless to resist it. I must put my faith in my Commander, my regiment, and the designers and programmers who made me.
My internal sensors show Major Veck studying a strategic display of the southern continent on which a combat simulation is currently running. I note that while each of these has explored a different scenario, none have represented the Kezdai offensive that I increasingly see as the most likely occurrence.
Major Veck has not asked my opinion on this matter, and given his past responses to initiative on my part, I have not volunteered it. But the locations of our Bolos have been manipulated in subtle ways, perhaps to concentrate us for an attack, perhaps to distract us from various locations for some purpose. Though I have not mentioned this theory to Major Veck, I have quietly put all my passive sensors on a high state of alert. The diversion of power is minimal, and does not require command authorization.
An autonomous attention circuit monitoring my long-range sensors crosses an attention threshold.
I shift my concentration to the sensor inputs.
A disturbance in the subspace flux is consistent with a number of large ships entering the system. I send a challenge pulse through my main transmitter. There is a 5.00213 second delay before receiving a coded reply. The ships are Concordiat registered freighters and light escort ships, not a threat.
I am about to return my attention to other matters when there is a second subspace disturbance. . . .
* * *
“Incoming enemy ships,” Rover said. “More than can be easily tracked.”
“You’re kidding?” Veck said.
“I do not kid,” Rover said.
Suddenly all hell broke loose. Veck’s command board lit up with enemy forces seeming to all move at once. He could see on his screen all the ships appearing in the system above the planet. All the other Bolos in his unit were now also calling in attacks by Kezdai forces.
“Taking evasive action,” Rover announced to Veck as the screens lit up with spearfall bombardment. “Suggest we initiate Hellrail firing sequence.”
“Do it,” Veck shouted.
On his screens Veck could see that all his units were being forced into defensive positions almost instantly. The skies were filling up with Kezdai ships, too many to shoot and defend against at the same time.
The first Hellrail shot rocked Rover as it headed for an enemy ship.
“Reports coming in that the local forces are taking heavy casualties and falling back,” Rover said.
Veck could see that one of his Bolos, SVA “Shiva,” commanded by Lieutenant Amad, was moving in beside the retreating force.
“Give them cover, Amad,” Veck relayed to him.
“Doing my best, sir,” Amad’s voice came back strong.
There was almost more going on than Veck could take in at once. They were getting hit and hit hard. It was exactly as General Kiel’s Bolo had predicted. Only worse.
Much, much worse. The Kezdai were throwing everything they had into this one assault.
Then, just when Veck thought nothing else could go wrong, it did. “We have just lost contact with Shiva,” Rover said.
“Then establish contact again.”
“I have been trying,” Rover said. “Even on back-up channels. They may be damaged. Seriously damaged.”
“Understood,” Veck said as another Hellrail shot streaked skyward toward another enemy ship.
Veck stared at Shiva’s position on the screen and the rapidly advancing enemy troops. That Bolo was going to be behind enemy lines if they didn’t do something quickly.
The problem was, they were doing everything they could just to stay alive, let alone pull off a rescue.
Five
“What a mess!” General Kiel said, staring at the big electronic maps that filled the walls of the forward command post. Those walls marked the locations planet-wide of every Bolo, every DFF battalion, every tank, every enemy Toro, every enemy battalion, every enemy ship in orbit. At the moment those boards were very, very cluttered and becoming chaotic as they showed a rapidly deteriorating situation worldwide. One that Kiel couldn’t even have imagined a few hours ago when Kal dropped him off here.
Kal had predicted part of this, but not this heavy an attack, or this widespread.
“Where’s General Rokoyan of the DFF?” Kiel asked of one of the techs sitting at stations in front of the big board. Kiel and Rokoyan had never seen eye-to-eye, and if Kiel could have taken him out of the loop long ago, he would have.
“Safe and sound at the local command post in Blackridge,” the tech said. “He is the one who has given the order to all DFF forces to pull back.”
“Sitting there safe, like a giant spider in the center of his web,” Kiel said, disgusted.
On the board it was clear that the DFF planetary defense lines had been completely broken by the enemy. The local forces were pulling back en masse. The problem was that there wasn’t a great deal of ground left to pull back to.
Kiel studied the map as more information appeared.
The 1198th Bolos were occupied with a full frontal assault. They were taking out Kezdai ships as quickly as their Hellrails could fire, but it didn’t seem to be making a dent in the attack at all. Between dodging spearfall, trying to avoid the mines the Kezdai had planted, and taking ground fire from all sides, those Bolos were lucky to be able to even defend themselves.
Kiel figured this was certainly going to test those rookies, that was for sure. He just hoped they survived to use the knowledge they were learning now.
Kiel studied the board even harder as new information appeared. His Mark XXXs were attempting to shore up the lines and cover the retreat, but from the looks of it, they were having only minor success.
One tech glanced over his shoulder. “General, Planetary Governor Traine is calling. He insists on talking to you.”
“That’s exactly what I don’t need now,” Kiel said. “Put him on this screen here.” Kiel pointed to a small screen in front of him as he stepped forward.
“What is it, Governor?” Kiel asked.
“Look, it appears you’ve been right all along,” Traine said, clearly shaken. “What can I do to help now?”
Kiel nodded. At least the man knew when to change course. With his planet quickly being taken over, there wasn’t time to wait and see about anything.
“Governor,” Kiel said, “get the civilian population moving north as rapidly as possible, no matter the cost. We’ll try to keep them protected as long as we can.”
“Done,” the governor said.
“Also,” Kiel said, “If you have any influence with General Rokoyan, get ready to use it. We’re going to have to take a stand somewhere, and I’m going to need Rokoyan’s full support to do it.”
“Rokoyan will do as I tell him,” Governor Traine said coldly. “Rest assured of that. And I will do as you ask.”
“Good,” Kiel said. “That will help.”
“One question, General,” Traine said. “How bad is this? Really?”
“Put it this way,” Kiel said, “If you can find any way to get your family off this planet, you should say your good-byes and do it.”
“Understood,” the governor said, nodding, and cut the connection.
Kiel stared at the situation on the board. From the looks of it, he hadn’t told the governor the complete truth.
It was actually worse. Much worse.
* * *
The command compartment around Major Veck felt like an oven. The boards in front of him showed chaos. All his Bolos were under attack, both from space and from Kezdai Toros on the ground. Rover had just reported that every Bolo had sustained some damage.