Into the War (Rise of the Republic Book 3)

by James Rosone

  She was clearly taken aback by the promotion. Abigail sat silently, not saying anything at first. She had argued against Fran’s promotion to admiral. Unlike in the previous navy before the reorg and the unification of the militaries on Earth, there weren’t a lot of admirals or generals in the military anymore. When one made these lofty ranks, there were typically few others. It was part of the Republic’s effort to consolidate the top tier of the military and force out the less-qualified admirals and generals. They were, after all, building a wartime military. Many of those selected for grade reduction were also offered the option of an early retirement. If they chose to stay, they might one day earn back that rank, but they also might not.

  Bailey smiled as he got up and moved over to stand next to Fran. “Here, let me help you pin them on. Let’s get these eagles off those collars and get these stars on.” He fiddled with the ranks for a moment until they were in the right positions. He then took his seat opposite her.

  Abigail finally chimed in. “Congratulations, Fran. You’ve done a great job as the task force commander on the last two campaigns.”

  McKee smiled. “Thank you, Admiral. That means a lot coming from you.”

  Admiral Bailey was aware that Admiral Halsey had sour grapes over how rapidly some of the younger officers had moved through the ranks. McKee had only crossed the twenty-two-year mark in the Navy. Halsey, on the other hand, had served forty. Halsey had told him some of the other captains and task force commanders should have been promoted because they’d spent more time in grade and uniform.

  Chester noticed the subtle interplay between the two women. “You know why we’re promoting you, Fran?”

  Admiral McKee didn’t reply right away, which forced him to do the talking.

  Chester leaned forward as he spoke. “I promoted you above many of your other peers for two reasons. You’re aggressive as hell and know when to push your people and your ships, and you’re a natural-born leader and tactician. When you got back from the last campaign, I read several reports from the Primord fleet admiral. You impressed him with how you fought and defeated those Orbot ships. I also received a report from the Empire, and the war council headed by the Altairians also commended you for your action. They named your maneuver during the last battle the McKee Maneuver and plan to train their own fleet commanders to execute it in future battles against the Orbots. They told me when Admiral Hunt returns to Earth, he’ll be bringing a special award to present to you on behalf of the council.”

  Halsey bristled a bit at the accolades heaped on her subordinate. It was, after all, her overall fleet that had led the assaults. Since Bailey could tell that Halsey was a bit annoyed by what he’d just said, he quickly added, “Abigail, the council also told me that you will be receiving the same award for your action and leadership in the two campaigns.”

  He could see her relax a little bit. “Abigail, Miles will be returning to Earth at some point in the near future,” Bailey added. “When he does, unless you’re opposed, I’d like to select you to take his place on the war council on Altairius Prime. Like his tour, it would be roughly a three-year stint, but it’d get you out of New Eden.

  “Now, if you don’t want to go, I’d completely understand. As a matter of fact, Admiral O’Neal is opting to retire rather than stay on for another stint as the fleet operations chief. If you took that position, it would have you working back on Earth with me in my old position. You’d effectively become the second-in-command of the Space Force if you chose to accept the position. However, before you make your decision, understand this: the fleet operations chief position means you would likely never command a starship again. You would likely never command a fleet either. The Ops position is a staff position—a vital position, but an Ops position nonetheless.”

  Admiral Bailey practiced considerable restraint as he made this offer, but it was hard to hide the twinkle of excitement in his eyes that betrayed his pride in his vice admiral. Abigail was completely taken aback by the offer. If she took the fleet operations chief position, it meant a fourth star. If she took the war council position, though, it meant a chance to learn more about the alliance and see more of the galaxy.

  “Abigail, I don’t need an answer right away, and I won’t accept one from you right now. It’s a big decision; take some time to think about it. I’m going to spend the next two weeks touring some of our facilities down on the surface before I head back to Earth. Please let me know what you decide before I return to Sol.”

  Halsey nodded. “If I take the fleet Ops position, how long would I be able to serve in that position?” she inquired. “I only ask because, if I remember right, when you held the position, there was no higher tenure.”

  Bailey smiled at the question; he knew what she was getting at. “It’s still roughly the same setup. You’d be getting your fourth star if you take the position. It would, however, lock you into that position for a very long time. I’m not sure if or when you’d be able to take a posting on the war council again. I can’t say for certain if they’re going to require that position be filled by someone who stays longer or how they’re ultimately going to work it out. I know getting your fourth star would mean the world to you. It’s something you’ve worked toward your whole life.

  “Frankly, Abigail, you’ve been my protégé for a long time and I’ve done all I can to groom you to take my position at Fleet Ops, maybe even as the fleet admiral one day. But, serving on the war council with the Altairians and all the other races would be an incredible experience. If I were in your shoes, I honestly don’t know what I’d do. I don’t know if I could turn down a prospect like that. To see more of the galaxy and to learn what Miles learned would be a unique opportunity. That’s why I’m telling you to take some time to really think about the decision.”

  Bailey turned back to Fran. “In the meantime, Admiral McKee, you will take charge of the fleet. I know you’re two stars below Abigail, but frankly, she was top-heavy for the position. You are now the fleet commander for the second expeditionary force.

  “Lieutenant General Ross McGinnis is going to be the overall commander for this next campaign, but you’ll be in charge of the fleet operations. I know Ross; he’s a good guy, as I’m sure Abigail will be able to attest to. He knows ground combat. Trust him when he asks for certain things, but most importantly, make sure you take care of the fleet and you protect his soldiers. As the new fleet commander, you’re not just going to be in charge of your sailors and ships, you’re going to be responsible for all of his soldiers reaching the planet. This next campaign is the one we’ve been asking and training for for years.”

  They spent the next hour going over the plan to invade the Zodark territory and liberate the Sumerian home world. A sense of satisfaction surrounded the daunting task because they’d been dreaming of it since they’d first learned who the Sumerians were and how they’d been enslaved by the Zodarks.

  *******

  New Eden

  Camp Victory

  Third Army Group HQ

  Admiral Chester Bailey took in a deep breath of fresh air as he stood on the parking ramp. The engine of the Osprey behind him winded down as the pilots finished the shutdown procedure. A few moments later, the man Bailey was there to meet walked toward him.

  “Admiral Bailey, it’s good to see you again. I hope the trip was pleasant,” said Lieutenant General Ross McGinnis as the two men shook hands.

  They walked to an SUV that would take them to McGinnis’s headquarters. A couple of aides grabbed the admiral’s gear and loaded it in the chase car.

  “It was an enjoyable trip. Three days of isolation in the warp bubble can do wonders for a person,” Bailey said with a chuckle. “How are things going here now that your command is back home?”

  The two of them climbed into the back of the spacious SUV. The door closed behind them and the vehicle began to move. The soft and quiet electric engine made it hard to sense they were in motion at all.

  McGinnis smiled as he replied
, “As they say, Admiral, there’s no place like home. Everyone is settling in and enjoying the downtime before the start of our next campaign. In a few months, we’ll begin the work-up regimen prior to loading everyone back up in the ships again.”

  Bailey nodded in approval, “I’m glad to hear you’re giving everyone some R&R. That was a very long and brutal campaign your army just returned home from. What’s the status on the formation of the new Special Forces unit, the Rangers?”

  McGinnis shrugged his shoulders. “Eh, they’re coming along. Like anything new, there are some growing pains. We gave everyone in the division a full thirty days of R&R before we started the medical augmentations. They’re still in that phase right now. They have another two weeks until they’ll be cleared to begin the first phase of the physical training and conditioning, which I’m told is the most difficult.”

  The vehicle turned a corner and continued down a wide four-lane road toward another section of the base. Most of the construction on the place had been completed since Bailey’s last visit more than three years ago.

  “How’s the recruitment been going, Ross?” asked Bailey. “I heard it got a little bumpy.”

  Ross tilted his head. “At first, it appeared like we were going to have the entire division join. I’m not sure what changed, but about thirteen percent of the soldiers opted to stay in the regular army. When I saw which soldiers opted not to join, it made sense; nearly all of them are on stop-loss. Most of them have between eight and twelve months of service left in the RA. I suspect they’re just worn out and ready to leave.”

  Admiral Bailey sighed. “Let me ask you something, Ross. I don’t want to keep people on stop-loss any longer than needed; however, the Altairians have given us some high numbers for the Army to keep. As you know, your Army group is the only one that’s combat-ready for these campaigns. We’re nearly ready with Fourth Army. First Army has to stay on Earth, and Second Army has to stay here. How would you approach this problem of raising the numbers we need and getting them all trained?”

  Every now and then, Bailey liked to throw a tough problem at his subordinates to see what they came up with. He’d often found ideas that way that might work better than his own.

  As the vehicle pulled up to the headquarters building, McGinnis said, “Let’s finish this conversation in my office. It’ll give me a moment to think about it and give you a better answer.”

  The two of them got out and headed in.

  A couple of minutes later, Bailey took a seat in one of the chairs in McGinnis’s office and waited for an answer to his question.

  McGinnis cleared his throat. “Here’s what I would do, Chester. I’d take all the soldiers that are on stop-loss and transfer them to First Army back on Earth. These soldiers have been through hell. There’s no reason to keep deploying them knowing damn well many of them may end up getting killed. They’ve served their country, it’s time to serve them now. Because my Army group is sadly the only one that’s combat-ready and slated to deploy again, ask for volunteers from across the other groups to see if anyone wants to transfer. If they don’t, then yank the best soldiers from those groups and send them here.”

  Bailey snorted at the solution as he shook his head. “You’re going to ruffle some feathers with that approach.”

  McGinnis shrugged. “Like I care. My soldiers have been fighting and dying on one campaign after another. It’s not like any of these other soldiers or officers are making major sacrifices. They can suck it up. Better yet, they can deploy in our stead.”

  McGinnis was a bit hostile in his response, but Bailey knew he was right. McGinnis’s soldiers had done more than their share. It wasn’t right that they were the ones being asked to carry so much of the load. Every time Bailey would get another army group brought up to one hundred percent and ready to redeploy, McGinnis would send over a casualty report and Bailey would have to take fifty or even a hundred thousand soldiers from another group and ship them over to McGinnis. His army group was like a meat grinder, constantly demanding more and more soldiers.

  “Ross, I like your idea. I’m going to talk with General Pilsner, and we’ll do it. You make a good point about the soldiers on stop-loss. They deserve better from us, and it’s up to us as the senior leaders to do our best to take care of them. Now, for the real reason I’m here. Let’s talk about Operation Arrowhead Ripper…”

  *******

  New Eden

  Fort Roughneck

  1st Battalion, 4th SFG

  Colonel Bill “Wild Bill” Hackworth read the mission brief given to him by General McGinnis with a bit of skepticism and scorn.

  “You look like you just chewed on a lemon, Bill,” McGinnis commented.

  Hackworth reached for his spit cup and spat some of his chew into it. He knew it was a dirty habit. Still, he wanted that nicotine fix. If they wouldn’t let a person smoke anymore, then he damn well would get his fix from his chew.

  “I’m not sure the mission can be done, sir,” Hackworth finally commented gruffly.

  “You’re Special Forces. Work your magic. Make it work,” McGinnis countered, not giving an inch.

  Hackworth snorted. “It isn’t that easy, sir.”

  McGinnis lifted an eyebrow at that. “Really? Do tell.”

  “First, how are we going to infiltrate the system? Second, how are we going to insert our teams without drawing the attention of the Zodarks? Third, how are we going to communicate anything we find or discover back to the fleet? Unless there’s some new techno wizardry I haven’t been made aware of that’ll solve some of these problems, this mission won’t work.”

  The regular Army general stared at Wild Bill for a moment. “If those problems were solved, could you accomplish this mission?”

  Wild Bill paused, calculating. “All right, General, here’s the deal. If you can get my teams into orbit undetected, and if you can provide us with a means of communicating off-planet to the fleet what we’re finding on the surface, then, yes, I think the mission is doable.”

  “I think it’s time you take a short ride with me,” General McGinnis said with a mischievous smile. “Admiral Bailey has made some new toys from DARPA available to us for a mission like this. Oh, and before you allow skepticism to take over, you should know General Trevor Morton already signed off on adding the new equipment to the SOF inventory.”

  Hackworth chuckled at the mention of Morton, the head of Special Operations Command out of Tampa, Florida. “Well, General, why didn’t you mention Trevor had some new toys for me? That changes everything.”

  “Bill, I don’t have to tell you everything,” McGinnis replied with a laugh. “Besides, I wanted your unbiased honest opinion of this mission before I told you squat about the new toys. You told me what I needed and was hoping you’d say. Now it’s time I show you some gadgets that might make this mission possible. I need a blunt assessment once you’ve seen them to know if this is going to work or not. Let’s head to the flight line. We need to take a little trip to the DARPA facility, where the stuff’s being kept under wraps.”

  The two of them went to the flight line to take a short flight to a small facility tucked a few hundred miles away from anything on the planet. The location gave the R&D team plenty of space to test some cool stuff without prying eyes.

  The flight to the secret squirrel facility went smoothly. The pilots flying the Osprey were based out of there, so they knew exactly where it was. When they came around a set of ridges, the R&D facility suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The base was wedged against the side of a ridge that appeared to extend from a nearby mountain range. It had a runway and roughly two dozen buildings scattered about the place. There was also a paved ramp leading up the ridge and several large closed doors, hiding something within.

  Hackworth turned to the general. “I had no idea this place was even here,” he said as they descended.

  “No one does. That’s how they want it.”

  “Who runs the security for it?”

 
“Morton has a team from JSOC handling it along with a contingent of C100s. Heck, even Walburg Industries has a small shop here. Maybe we can get them to give us a tour while we’re here, beyond what they’re already going to show you,” the general offered as the Osprey settled on the parking ramp.

  The two of them got out. There was no one here to greet them, at least not right away. Then two figures walked out of a nearby building. The facility director, a colonel, and the R&D director, a civilian, walked up to them and guided them into the building.

  “Colonel Hackworth—I was told you were briefed on Operation Arrowhead Ripper and had some questions about the insertion of your people and their ability to communicate once on the ground?” said the R&D director. His name tape said “Bob,” but Hackworth doubted that was his real name.

  Bob continued to explain, “I believe we have some tools that might be able to address some of those concerns. If you’ll follow me, we’ll talk over your coms challenge.”

  As Colonel Hackworth followed Bob into the room, he perked up at all the sophisticated gadgetry that surrounded them: tiny man-portable satellite antennas, new drones, and unrecognizable communications equipment.

  The R&D director, Bob, picked up a cylinder. “This, Colonel, is the RD2 advanced communication system. It’s a two-part system specifically built for Special Forces to allow you to operate deep behind enemy lines and still communicate with the fleet or other forces as you need to.”

  “OK, Doc—you’re going to need to explain that a bit further before I’m willing to put my people in harm’s way with it,” Hackworth responded skeptically.

  The civilian politely proceeded to explain how it worked. “As I said, it’s a two-part system. This part is the actual com satellite. The launch tube is one meter in length and ten centimeters in diameter. This piece here is the fuel source. When you’re ready to launch the satellite, you extend the legs like this. Then you attach the satellite to the base like this. Fully assembled, it stands about two meters tall. Once you’ve activated it and synced it to your coms unit, either in your HUD or the handheld device it comes with, then you launch it.”