MARS: Baroque Revolution

by Matthew Ellis

The Operative added, “Hopefully, we can get everything out before they come back.”

  The subordinate asked, “Can we ask for help?”

  The Operative replied, “No, once the engines are gone, we can’t do anything.”

  The Operative would not be able to ask for help until the next ship arrived to take supplies back to the ship around Mars. His belief that the mission was doomed was reinforced.

  The Star Brigade had to wait to re–enter Freedom’s air space. The Battle was still raging around them, so they had to wait until the spaceport was clear.

  Jack asked, “Why don’t we go and help our Air Force comrades?”

  Lane replied, “Because these ships aren’t very good on a planet. They’re designed for space battles, so they’re horrible on fuel.”

  Jack said, “I think I see an opening. It looks like the battle’s moving away from the spaceport.”

  Jack and the other Martian pilots returned to the Renaissance. They headed back to Freedom, without Jack, to inform the colony about the supply ship on Deimos and get some sleep.

  Jack left the group to visit Jane. He knew she would be worried about him until he went to see her.

  Jane said, “I see you made it back to me alive again,” as he entered the house.

  Jack closed the door and replied, “I told you I’ll always come back to you. You worry too much.”

  Jane said, “I worry because people die in wars. That’s the reality you want to deny.”

  Jack said, “I don’t deny it. I’m just saying it won’t happen to me, so you don’t have to worry about me.”

  Jane said, “I hope you’re being careful and not taking crazy chances up there. I’m a nervous wreck until you come to me.”

  Jack said, “I miss you like crazy up there.”

  Jane said, “Well, stop that. You need to concentrate on what you’re doing. If you’re thinking about me, you’ll make mistakes.”

  Jack said, “It gives me an incentive not to make them.”

  Then they made love on the couch. When they finished, Jack returned home and went to sleep. He had to prepare for another mission.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Battle of Progress

  General Rich called his commanders into the conference room again. He wanted to go over another new plan to defeat the criminals and bring them to justice.

  The commanders of the Air Force and the Army came into the conference room. The commander of the Space Force was busy formulating his own strategy to present to the General.

  General Rich said, “Everything we’ve done so far has failed. We need to do something different. We need to cut off the criminals’ supply line.”

  The commander of the Army said, “That’s damn near impossible. We got our asses handed to us when we tried to invade their bigger settlement. I don’t foresee anything good coming from attacking them directly.”

  General Rich said, “That’s only because we were attacking from the wrong angle. They’re defending that settlement with nearly everything they’ve got. We need to attack them more indirectly or more secretly.”

  The commander of the Air Force said, “But when we secretly attacked at dawn, they kicked our ass from the other town. They’re clearly defending both settlements. I don’t see how we can attack them with our limited resources. We should wait for reinforcements.”

  General Rich said, “I think you’re right about waiting for reinforcements. We’re in no position to launch an assault right now. That dawn battle was a little embarrassing. We didn’t even know they had a military installation in that second settlement. We thought it was still under construction.”

  The commander of the Army said, “But we haven’t tried attacking from that angle. Maybe if we attack the second town, we can destroy some vital supply lines.”

  General Rich said, “Are you paying attention? We just decided a direct attack isn’t a good idea. My informant hasn’t given me any information since we’ve been here. It’s time to utilize that resource and find out what we should attack. He’ll know their weak points.”

  The commander of the Army said, “We know what we need to attack. Your informant hasn’t given us the most reliable information in the past anyway.”

  General Rich said, “But he might be able to tell us where the colony is weakest. We need to wait for reinforcements anyway.”

  The commander of the Air Force said, “It’s not that big dome in the middle. It was a huge mistake to attack that thing. It’s damn near impenetrable.”

  General Rich asked, “Did you deal with your pilot?”

  The Air Force commander said, “Yes, I did. The attack wasn’t authorized or prudent. They gave away our position.”

  Rich said, “Don’t let it happen again. We need to capture these assholes. Poor decisions make it harder.”

  The Air Force commander slumped down in his seat. His face turned red and he tried to cover his face. It wasn’t a good idea to get General Rich angry.

  He said, “Yes, sir. I’ll keep my pilots in line.”

  General Rich said, “You’d better.”

  The commander of the Army asked, “So what’s our plan?”

  Rich said, “Plan on attacking the second town once reinforcements arrive, but I’m going to talk to my informant to see if I can find anything out.”

  The commander of the Army asked, “Where are we going to attack from? How many soldiers are we going to send? How much time do we have to prepare, and what’re our intended targets in the second town?”

  Rich said, “Just go back to your units and wait for farther orders. I’ll get back to you when I find something out.”

  The two commanders returned to their units. Both continued to conduct routine exercises to keep their troops prepared. They heard Rich mention reinforcements, but he never gave them a timetable for their arrival.

  General Rich called Notah to collect information. Notah saw the name on his phone. He was glad General Rich called him while he was home. The last thing he needed was for anyone, especially Jordan, to discover Rich was calling him.

  Notah answered, “Hello, General. What do you need?”

  Rich said, “It’s been a good long while since we last talked. How are things going?”

  Notah replied, “They’re not going too badly. Only a couple people suspect anything.”

  Rich asked, “Are you able to throw them off your scent?”

  Notah said, “I’ve earned Scout’s trust. That goes a long way in this group.”

  Rich said, “That better not be because you’re one of them. If you even think of double crossing me, there’ll be hell to pay.”

  Notah said, “I’m not really one of them, but I have to make it seem that way. Appearances are important, but they can be deceiving.”

  Rich asked, “So what can you tell me that might help me arrest these people?”

  Notah had to control his breathing so the General wouldn’t be able to hear how nervous he was. It was a conscious effort to control his breath. It was a good thing the call was over an audio only network. Video would betray him.

  Notah said, “They have two settlements. The main one is called ‘Freedom,’ and the newer one is called ‘Progress.’ The newer one is still being built, but the military base there is fully functional.”

  Rich asked, “So what’s the weakness of this new town?”

  Notah said, “Everything in the new town is supplied from ‘Freedom.’ Take out the train tracks and it’ll cripple them.”

  Rich asked, “Wouldn’t it make more sense to destroy the train?”

  Notah said, “The train’s always armed. It doesn’t go anywhere without a couple squadrons of soldiers. Even if there wasn’t a constant military presence, the train itself is heavily armed.”

  Rich asked, “What types of arms are on the train?”

  Notah answered, “Machine guns and missiles. They’re triggered by proximity. If anyone gets too close, they lock on and fire on any perceived threat.”


  Rich said, “So attacking the train is out, and destroying tracks is only a temporary setback. They’ll just repair the damn things.”

  Notah said, “Your best bet is to attack the military base early in the morning. Just make sure you’re there before the sun comes up.”

  Rich said, “We already tried that and failed.”

  Notah replied, “That’s because you did it wrong. You have to be more covert about it. Think stealth.”

  Rich said, “Won’t the proximity alarms give us away?”

  Notah said, “Come in from the north. There’s only one alarm up and running there. The rest are still being built.”

  Rich said, “Thanks, Notah. Your loyalty will be rewarded.”

  Notah said, “Thank you, sir,” and hung up the phone.

  After he got off the phone, Notah broke down and cried for a very long time. He was so conflicted, but he couldn’t let anyone know how he felt. No one but Scout really trusted him.

  Rich called the military commanders into the conference room the next morning and relayed the plan he and Notah discussed. The commanders were uneasy about the plan, but they went along with it because Rich was both a military genius and a madman. He was successful a good portion of the time, and defying him wasn’t a good idea.

  ***

  Jordan was conducting drills when he got a call from Scout. He was accustomed to these phone calls at inopportune times.

  Jordan said, “What’s going on, Scout?”

  Scout replied, “I have intelligence that says Progress is going to be attacked.”

  Jordan became suspicious. He didn’t like the idea of anonymous tipsters.

  Jordan asked, “Intelligence from whom?”

  Scout said, “That doesn’t matter. Just have your people ready well before dawn.”

  Jordan didn’t like not knowing who the source was. He wanted to make sure the intelligence was credible. Scout was the only person who could give him this kind of instruction because he trusted Scout that much.

  Jordan said, “Then we’d better make it an early night. What time should I have the troops up and ready?”

  Scout said, “Sometime around 0430.”

  Jordan said, “I’ll order reveille for 0350.”

  Scout said, “Just have your people ready.”

  Jordan said, “Did your intelligence source say anything specific about things like direction or nature of the attack?”

  Scout said, “No, it was just a warning. If we know too much, it’ll look suspicious.”

  Jordan was upset at this information. He knew who the source was, and he didn’t like it.

  Jordan said, “This is another one of those damned things Notah does, isn’t it? He always throws us off the real trail, or he’s so vague that it’s impossible to know if he’s helping or hindering.”

  Scout said, “I told you I trust him. That should be enough for you.”

  Jordan trusted Scout almost unconditionally. The only condition was that he didn’t trust Scout when Scout trusted someone Jordan didn’t trust. Jordan didn’t trust Scout when Scout trusted Notah.

  Jordan said, “It’s not. It’s never going to be. I can’t trust that guy. Something about him just says he’s sabotaging us.”

  Scout said, “Just trust me. That’ll have to be enough for you.”

  Jordan couldn’t argue with Scout’s logic. Jordan trusted Scout like a brother.

  Jordan said, “Okay. I’ll put the plan in motion.”

  ***

  The Allied Army was waiting at the northern edge of Progress at about 0445. The Army was too depleted to launch an autonomous attack. They were waiting for the Air Force to provide air support. The pilots were about two minutes northwest of Progress.

  They were bored, so they turned on the radio. They tried to keep it low enough that the Martians couldn’t hear them.

  It played:

  Join us today and improve your life.

  Defect today and end your strife.

  Surrender now, opportunity’s rife.

  You don’t have to be a slave,

  The Army commander ordered, “Turn that off. I’m so fucking tired of hearing their propaganda. Besides, we don’t want them to hear us coming for them.”

  The Martian Army was lying in wait in a trench they built the day before and covered with a tarp and rocks. While they waited, the Martian Air Force warmed up their planes. The military base was far enough from the edge of town that the Allied Forces didn’t notice them.

  The Allied Air Force planes arrived at the edge of Progress and all six of the proximity alarms went off. The alarms were audible and visible to anyone in Progress. As soon as the bright white lights started to strobe, the Martian Air Force planes took off.

  The Allied Army commander shouted, “Damnit! I knew that asshole was wrong. I don’t think he’s really working for us.”

  Allied Army soldiers charged south toward Progress. They needed to move quickly if they wanted to maintain the element of surprise.

  The Army commander ordered, “Keep quiet. They can’t know we’re here. We need to surprise them.”

  A subordinate replied, “We know. That’s why we’re here at this ungodly hour.”

  The Martian Army was tipped that they were coming. The Allied Army expected to surprise the Martian Army, but they were surprised.

  As they approached the trench, the Martian Army mowed them down with their machine guns. The Martian Army was invisible to the Allied Army, so they continued to charge even as their fellow soldiers met their ends.

  The commander said, “They knew we were coming! Stay alert and attack.”

  A subordinate replied, “You’ve lead us to the slaughter.”

  The commander said, “Not if you stay alert and attack. Follow my lead, and you’ll live to fight tomorrow.”

  ***

  Clive ordered, “Keep your heads down. Don’t let them see you or the trench.”

  A subordinate asked, “Should we give them the full spray or switch to semi-automatic?”

  Clive said, “If you have a clear shot, take the semi auto option. If there’s a cluster coming at you, give them the full spray.”

  The Martian Air Force planes met the Allied planes over the town. Every plane’s guns were firing, and both sides’ planes fired their missiles. The Martian Air Force’s dozen planes took heavy damage. The Allied Air Force’s planes, which were already heavily damaged, exploded in midair.

  Within minutes, the Martian Army killed every Allied Army soldier that didn’t retreat from the battle. There were 324 dead Allied Earth soldiers in front of the trench. The remaining 296 soldiers retreated to their base camp. The Martian Army didn’t suffer a single casualty in that particular battle.

  While the battle on the ground was one sided, the battle in the sky was not. Every time an Allied plane was destroyed, a Martian plane was forced to land. Crews worked furiously on damaged planes to get them back in the battle, but they weren’t always successful. Some planes needed to be rebuilt. A few had to be scrapped and recycled.

  Clive’s plane was hit by six Allied bullets, but the damage was not to critical parts of the plane. He fired his missiles at the Allied Earth planes. Every one of his missiles hit its target and destroyed an Allied plane, killing its pilot.

  The Allied Air Force sent 20 planes to attack Progress. Only three returned. They suffered 14 pilot casualties and three others were taken as prisoners of war. The Martian Air Force lost two planes and one pilot.

  The Allied Earth Army and Air Force limped back to their camp. They needed to heal and repair the equipment that was badly damaged in the battle.

  The commander of the Air Force said, “Bring the planes back. We’ll have to figure out another way to get these sons of bitches.”

  ***

  General Rich called Notah. He was pissed that Notah fed him faulty intelligence.

  He asked, “What the hell did you do?”

  Notah said, “I didn’t do anything. I told you the b
est way to attack.”

  Rich said, “Bullshit! You sold me out. I’ll bet you’re one of them.”

  Notah said, “No, I’m not. I’m on your side. Maybe they intercepted our call?”

  Rich said, “There’s no way to intercept one of my encrypted calls. My encryptions are impenetrable.”

  Notah said, “That sounds a bit overconfident. Nothing’s impenetrable. It sounds like you think you’re infallible.”

  Rich said, “That’s because I am. I know you betrayed me. You’ll pay dearly for this.”

  Notah said, “I did no such thing. I don’t think you remembered to encrypt our conversation.”

  Rich checked his phone. He went through all the recent calls and discovered that he’d forgotten to encrypt the conversation with Notah. He could have sworn he encrypted that conversation. He almost thought someone must have altered his records, but no one had access to his office.

  Rich said, “It looks like you’re right. Someone must’ve intercepted our plan. I’ll have to be more careful in the future.”

  Notah said, “I told you I’m on your side. I just can’t call you every five minutes or it’ll look suspicious. You must be patient.”

  Rich said, “Patience is not my strong suit. I need to put you on a schedule. I’m going to call you every other day at 0630.”

  Notah asked, “Is that 0630 Earth time or 0630 Mars time?”

  Rich said, “What?”

  Notah said, “We’re on a 25 hour day here. Every hour has 59 minutes, and every minute is 59 seconds. Our months are 29 days long. It’ll throw your clocks and calendars off within about a week.”

  Rich said, “I’ll have a clock on the ship programmed with Martian time. I’ll use that time to relay orders to you.”

  Notah said, “Understood.”

  Rich said, “You may hang up now.”

  Notah hung up the phone. Then he broke down in tears. The stress of his assignment was unbearable to most people, but the stakes were too high for him to allow himself to show his weakness.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Intelligence