As Rejad tossed scraps of raw meat into the air, the stingers would sweep in by twos, the first stinging the “prey,” with the sharp barbs at the ends of its twin tails, the second grabbing it in powerful claws before the others could steal it away. The pair would then meet in the air a few yards away to rip the meat apart and divide their spoils.
As she stepped closer, one of the stingers lunged at her, green eyes glowing, claws and poisoned barbs lashing. She ducked aside and the big insect swung past her head and returned to join the flock.
Rejad hissed his amusement. “They are protective, sister. They are not brilliant animals, but they know who keeps them fed. There is a lesson in that somewhere.”
She was not in the mood. “I have returned from the front, brother, though I am not entirely sure why I was sent in the first place. I would be more useful seeing to the refit of Blade of Kevv.”
“The refit is done, sister. As for your mission, it was to do what you always do, listen and remember. Do the generals speak of me?”
“When they think I cannot hear them, loud and often. They wonder why the Is-kaldai does not visit the battlefield, why he does not at least lead them from the flagship of the fleet rather than the decadent luxury of his yacht. They wonder why we hesitate to press the offensive against the Humans. When they learn that Blade of Kevv has been repaired, and they will hear, even if we do not yet move it here, they will doubt you have any spirit at all.”
Rejad held up his arm for one of the stingers to light. It crawled in circles for a moment, then jabbed him with its stingers. Rejad hissed slightly and shrugged the creature off his arm. He flicked his black tongue over the wounds, which bled only slightly.
He turned to her. “The generals should know that I lead with my brain and not with my blade. This is where I think best, and therefore, this is where I should be.”
“Go down and tell them that yourself.”
“Not now, sister. This is a critical time. The Humans learned too much on our last offensive. If we merely use the same tactics, we will lose. If we do not neutralize, or at least minimize the threat represented by these Bolo, then we will lose. I do not plan to lose. The Blade of Kevv offers us one advantage against the Bolo, but only one. We must use deception to lure them into a trap. I have a plan for this to be done. Come.”
He gestured her closer, then sat down and began digging in the sand. He flattened an area, then off to one side he began to construct a series of hills and valleys.
She sat down beside him. “Don’t we have hologram maps for this sort of thing, brother?”
“This,” he said, continuing to dig, “was how battles were planned in the old times. Sometimes the old ways are still good.”
He pointed at the hills and valleys. “These represent the western edge of the mountain range centered at the thirtieth division. This flat area represents the grasslands below, one of the dryer areas of the planet. I have studied the area well. I plan to put my palace there once the planet is ours.”
“You are not one to wait about before making plans, brother.”
“Someday, it will also host a monument to our victory. You know of these mountains?”
“They are where many of the Human refugees have hidden from our troops. They are rich with metals that blind and confuse our sensors, making it difficult to find the vermin.”
“Excellent. This is all true, but they will befuddle the Bolo’s sensors as well. On open ground, it is impossible to surprise the great machines. They can detect an armored column coming well over the horizon. Here,” he pointed at the flats, “surprise is possible. I have located a valley that opens into the grassland and have already begun to assemble an armored column there. Meanwhile, we have also received a new type of mine-layer. They plant the anti-Bolo mines quickly, quietly, at night, and leave no visual traces on the ground when they are through. Every night they are on the plain planting their mines, only a few at a time, to avoid suspicion.”
“This is a fine trap, but what is a trap without bait?”
“I have been making a show of withdrawing our visible forces from this area, creating a tempting weak spot in the line. In most cases, the withdrawn forces have simply circled around the mountains and joined my armored reserves. I am convinced that the humans are as eager to advance as we are. I will make it easy for them, for a time. Oh, we will provide enough resistance to keep it interesting, but they will have to fight their way into the minefields.”
“Conventional armor will not activate the mines, ours or theirs?” she asked.
“No. Only the Bolos will be large enough, and they will not discover the danger until it is too late. But by then they will be trapped among the mines, the Blade of Kevv will rain death from above, and our armored force will sweep down and pick them off.”
“It is a good plan, brother. It could work. If the generals will support you.”
“I know you have eyes and ears on the planet, sister. Tell them that you have fact, not rumor. When the true battle comes, the Is-kaldai will lead them from the Blade of Kevv, and he will lead them to victory, total and everlasting.”
* * *
“There’s no doubt,” General Kiel said to General Rokoyan and Lieutenant Veck, “that if we’re ever going to retake the southern territories, we need to go on the offensive. And do it quickly.”
The three of them had just started the planning meeting around a large holographic map of the fighting fronts. Already Kiel was feeling frustrated. It wasn’t bad enough that they had to fight a multifront war with the Kezdai, but he also had to constantly fight with the local forces led by Rokoyan. If the man would just go along, this war might be over a lot sooner.
“I just don’t think we’re ready yet,” Rokoyan said. “My forces took heavy losses and still are, just holding the lines we have now.”
“I understand that,” Kiel said.
“And our local production is not up to replacing the armor as fast as we are destroying it,” Rokoyan went on. “That plus the fact that we’re a colony world and we don’t have a surplus of population makes this a tough war to fight. Someone has to keep the mines and factories running.”
“All the more reason to make the push now,” Kiel said. “Before your troops are ground down.”
“So, if we start this offensive,” Rokoyan asked, “can we expect reinforcements from the Concordiat?”
“The 1198th’s last Bolo was destroyed with the incoming convoy,” Kiel said, staring at Rokoyan. “There will be no more.”
“Can’t spare a one, huh?” Rokoyan asked.
“No, actually, the Concordiat can’t,” Kiel said. “All projected Bolo production is needed on the Melconian front. Nor are there troops to spare.”
“The fleet?” Rokoyan asked.
“Nothing,” Kiel said. “We have to win this on our own, or not at all.”
He hoped that would end that line of thinking, so they could get back to work planning an offensive, but Rokoyan wasn’t willing to let it go just yet.
“So the Concordiat has given up on us, has it?” Rokoyan said. “I suspected as much.”
“Trust me, General,” Keil said, trying to keep his anger in check. “If that were the case, there would be no Bolos here at all. The Concordiat is fighting for its survival against the Melconians and must prioritize. They’ve placed a great deal of trust in the two regiments that they’ve sent to defend this planet.”
“Perhaps,” Rokoyan said, turning to look at Veck, “they’ve placed too much trust in them.”
Veck started to say something, but Kiel held up his hand for the lieutenant to be silent. Then Kiel took a step toward the local commander and stared him right in the eyes.
“Lieutenant Veck has made serious mistakes,” Kiel said, keeping his voice low and even and strong. “And he has taken responsibility with the grace befitting an officer. But you must remember that it was his idea that turned the battle. Without his plan, you might be sitting in a Kezdai prison right now.”
Rokoyan nodded and looked back at the hologram. “All right, all right,” he said. “You made your point. Just what is the plan for this offensive?”
Kiel winked at Veck over the top of Rokoyan’s back, then pointed to the map. “We’ve discovered a weak spot in the Kezdai lines, west of Kennis Peak where the foothills turn into high flatlands area. The space should give our Bolos ample area to maneuver as we push the Kezdai south.”