by Jay Allan
Wu interjected. "But Imperial intervention has been delayed for months because of Santiago's disruptions. If you were aware of his status, why didn't you inform the Bureau?"
She smiled. "We did inform them." She enjoyed Wu's renewed look of surprise. "Monitoring Santiago's activities was a joint operation. We allowed his sabotage to occur in order to continue the deception. The Alliance now believes that the empire will not be able to initiate hostilities for at least six months. General Santiago has imposed significant delays on their supply chain. It was necessary to allow him to actually cause damage to convince the Alliance that the empire's lack of readiness was factual."
"But it is factual." Admiral Lin had been listening quietly until now. "I have seen the reports. It is not possible for them to mount a significant offensive operation until they have resolved their supply issues. And I think six months is a very optimistic projection."
"Indeed, Admiral, your analysis is correct save for one fact. My agency has been conducting an operation to secretly provide supplies and support to the empire. Admittedly, this has been a strain on our own logistics, and hiding that has not been easy, but I can state unequivocally that the Imperial forces can be ready to launch a major offensive in as little as two weeks."
Wu and Lin both reacted with stunned surprise. "Is that possible? The Alliance cannot be expecting an attack so soon. We must coordinate with the imp..."
"Please, Admiral,” Li interjected. "Allow me to continue, as I have only advised you of the first portion of the plan." Lin was annoyed at the interruption, but he leaned back. He was curious what else Li An had to say.
"The Alliance expects the empire to attack one of the obvious target worlds along their line of advance to open space. However, I have obtained the emperor's approval for an alternative operation. Indeed, he has placed most of the available Imperial military resources at my disposal for this operation."
She cleared her throat before continuing. "To understand what I now propose, we must review some back story. Early in this conflict, before the war was even officially declared, we became aware of a significant discovery made by the Alliance on Epsilon Eridani IV." She placed a data chip on the desk. "This chip contains a summary of what the Alliance found on that world. Before you leave tonight, you will both view the information on my secure terminal. The data chip will self-destruct after this single viewing." She paused, clearly uncomfortable about having to disclose the secret. "Please understand that this is classified at the very highest level. Most of the Committee is even unaware of the contents of this chip. I must stress that you cannot speak of this or record anything to do with it by any means." She looked at them both with a feral gaze. "Are we agreed?"
Lin nodded immediately. He had already considered it unwise to cross Li An, but one look at her current expression was enough to freeze his blood. Wu paused for the briefest moment, not happy to be taking something like orders from Li, but he too nodded his agreement.
Li acknowledged their acceptance with a nod. "You will recall that we launched a pre-emptive attack and took control of the Epsilon Eridani system. Unfortunately, the Alliance was unexpectedly able to respond more quickly than we projected, and they retook the planet before we were able to reinforce." At least they made it easy on us in one way, she thought. Angry that the invaders had employed chemical weapons against the militia, the Alliance had wiped out the CAC troops who had been on the planet, saving her from having to do the same to maintain security.
"The Alliance has reinforced the planet and stationed a battlegroup there in defense." She leaned forward in her chair, hands on the desk. "We will attack Epsilon Eridani IV and again seize control of the planet."
Lin was startled. "Minister Li, we do not have the resources to launch such an assault. Epsilon Eridani is three transits into enemy-held systems. We would need an enormous force to fight our way there and then engage and defeat the defending battlegroup and planetary defenses. It is impossible, at least until Admiral Liang's mission is completed."
"Indeed, Admiral," she said, smiling. "This operation would seem to be impossible and so the enemy will never expect it. Surprise will aid us in fighting our way to the target. The intervening systems are lightly defended, and we will not be attacking any populated worlds. However, what truly makes the mission feasible is the assistance of our allies."
Wu blurted a response this time. "The Caliphate? They are crippled after the battle in Gliese 250, and their logistics is in a shambles since they lost their rim worlds and the vital supplies they provide. What help can they give?"
Li flashed a catlike grin. "I do not speak of the Caliphate, though I have secured a small supporting force from them for the operation. I refer to the emperor, whom I have convinced to commit virtually the entirety of his naval forces to the campaign."
Wu and Lin gasped in unison.
"And to Europa Federalis," she continued, "which has agreed to provide a battlegroup and a cruiser squadron to the effort."
They looked back at her blankly, too stunned to answer.
"As I mentioned previously, one of the systems the emperor demands as the price of his support is held by the CEL. The need to meet this requirement forces us into eventual war with the League, which makes an alliance with Europa Federalis inevitable. By moving up the timeline we gain the element of surprise as well as support for this operation. The Alliance defenders in Eridani will not expect an attack, and they will be faced with a combined fleet and overwhelmed. Meanwhile, Admiral Liang will have eliminated Admiral Garret, creating a command vacuum in the Alliance navy."
Her two guests sat in stunned silence. They were shocked at the amount of preparation Li had managed to complete in total secrecy. Finally, Wu spoke, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. "We should have been briefed on all of this much earlier."
"These were C1 operations undertaken for the good of the state." Li An spoke evenly, her expression calm and non-provocative. She really didn't care if Wu or Lin liked what she had done, but her plans were likelier to succeed without petty rivalries interfering. "Of course, the alliance with Europa Federalis will have to be ratified by the Committee, which is why I have called a special session for tomorrow." She held up another data chip. "I have here the Europan ratification of the treaty. The Consulate met in secret session two days ago and approved both the alliance and the plan to provide support to our Eridani operation."
Now I will make them feel a part of this and cut off any foolish resentment, she thought. "Admiral Lin, Minister Wu, it was my intention to fully brief the two of you in advance of that meeting, which is why we are here now. To date it has been necessary to maintain the highest possible degree of secrecy, however if we are to achieve success and redeem the fortunes of the war, we must work together."
Wu was still clearly annoyed, but she could see that she had successfully appealed to his vanity by placing him and Admiral Lin above the other members of the Committee. What they didn't know - didn't need to know - was that she had similarly met with a number of other Committee members. Li An left as little as possible to chance, and when she called a Committee meeting she made sure she had the support she needed before anyone entered the chamber.
"You should have advised us sooner." Wu found it necessary to complain a bit more, but Li was pretty sure he was onboard. Lin didn't even argue. He understood the military situation, and even if he didn't want to admit it, he was well aware they were now losing the war. Li's bold moves had an excellent chance of dramatically changing the strategic situation.
Li relaxed a bit and leaned back in her chair. "Please note the table of organization I have provided." She motioned to two small 'pads on the desk. "This is a proposed partial order of battle for a ground force to occupy Epsilon Eridani IV. It includes most of the Imperial mobile forces as well as a small contingent from Europa Federalis." She looked at Lin. "Admiral, you will find suggested formations from our own ground forces to add to the operation. I would be most appreciative if
you would review these and make whatever modifications you feel are required. Overall integration of the allied contingents with our forces is your responsibility."
Lin nodded acknowledgement, his face blank. He picked up the 'pad and began to scan the information on the screen. He glanced over briefly and saw that Wu was doing the same thing. My God, he thought, how did she put all of this together? On the 'pad in his hand was set forth the greatest land army ever assembled for an off-world operation. The table included most of the mobile assault forces of the South American Empire as well as contingents from both the Caliphate and Europa Federalis - tens of thousands of troops. After the allied contingents was a list including dozens of CAC units drawn from every colony or base within a reasonable transit distance to Epsilon Eridani IV.
Lin was about to question how so many troops were to be shipped to the Eridani system when he flipped to the next screen and saw a detailed manifest of transport assets. Troopships from four superpowers, plus list after list of civilian transport ships to be commandeered.
Li smiled as she saw his question answered before he could ask it. "You will note that we have completed a significant amount of prep work on securing sufficient transport. The actual assault force to take the planet will consist of approximately 10,000 troops. The rest are being sent as part of our overall plan to trap General Holm." She paused, waiting for them to look up from the 'pads and pay attention. "The Alliance will do anything to take back Epsilon Eridani IV. Most of our fleet will withdraw to the outer reaches of the system and go dark, waiting." She saw that she had the complete attention of her guests. "General Holm is the natural choice to mount an assault to retake the planet. We want him to land. We will leave a small naval contingent near the planet to put up a cursory resistance. This force is largely sacrificial. They must be defeated for the plan to proceed."
Wu continued to listen, untroubled by what Li had said. Admiral Lin looked less happy, and while he had sent thousands to their deaths in battle, he didn't like the way she was casually using CAC warships as bait. Still, he remained silent and listened.
"If our counter-intelligence efforts are successful, General Holm will have no idea that he will be facing almost 100,000 troops. Most of this force will be landed after we secure the planet and kept hidden in reserve. The planet has significant heavy metal deposits, and troops deployed in and around the primary mountain ranges will be undetectable from orbit. When General Holm has landed along with the bulk of his forces, we will commit the entire army to a full scale battle of attrition. Simultaneously, our hidden fleet units will move back in-system to engage and destroy the Alliance naval forces, while Holm is overwhelmed and crushed on the ground.
Lin and Wu just sat in stunned silence. The scope of Li's plan was shocking, yet they could see the potential. The operation would not only eliminate General Holm, it would inflict enormous land and naval losses on the Alliance, especially if Liang was also successful in his attack. Combined with the entry of the empire and Europa Federalis into the war, the operation could be the climactic battle. It could swing the fortunes of the CAC from near-defeat to total victory.
There was just one thing bothering Lin. "Your plan is impressive, Minister Li. You are to be congratulated. However, the entire plan is dependent upon the Alliance reacting immediately and committing everything they can to retake the planet. How can you know they will respond so aggressively? While it is well within their sphere, the planet is unremarkable."
She stared right into Lin's eyes. "Now I would like you both to review the contents of that data chip. It is time you knew the secret of Epsilon Eridani IV."
Chapter 6
Classified Excavation Site Z
Epsilon Eridani IV
Alex picked her way through the rubble-strewn excavation site and brushed the reddish dirt from her fatigues. Things had been going even more slowly than she had feared. Someone was going to pay for dragging her out to this forsaken dustball.
The site was beyond just classified; no other secret she knew of had ever been so carefully guarded as this one. That made it hard to move things quickly. The workers were expendable at least; they didn't realize it of course, but none of them were ever going to leave Carson's World. But the supervisory personnel had to be drawn from the highest levels of Alliance Intelligence, and there wasn't a big cross-section between that group and excavation experience. Not beyond burying bodies, at least.
She was having trouble getting equipment here too. She wasn't used to dealing with such mundane problems - a member of the Directorate pretty much had a blank check. But this was specialized equipment, and you couldn't buy too much of it too quickly without drawing unwanted attention.
Her cover was Christine Cole, an engineer and troubleshooter brought in to expedite the operation. She had revamped the procedure and reviewed every aspect of the timetable. She'd promised Number One that the first shipment would leave in six months. It had taken her almost one of those months just to get here. She started making changes immediately, adding two additional hours to each shift, and shaking up the supervisory staff. They'll grumble, she thought, but what are they going to do about it? She was going to keep to her schedule whatever it took. Even if she had to stay here for the next five months and manage the operation herself. This was the most important op anywhere in human-occupied space. If she could pull this off, she'd be the odds on favorite to replace Number Two when the old man finally realized how ancient he was and died.
This planet had been full of miners, she thought wistfully. Once we'd decided to eliminate them, we should have gotten some work out of them first. They would, of course, have done that, except for the damned Marine garrison. And the only way to get rid of them was the epidemic that killed all the miners. They'd blamed that on some local pathogen, but if it got out that it was a GX-11 variant, people would go crazy. GX-11 was manmade, just one more hellish invention from the Unification Wars. Though the Directorate's new strain was new and improved and a lot more controllable than the original.
Now, courtesy of the virus there was no one on Carson's World but her and her people. The planet was safe, even to the unvaccinated. GX-11 couldn't live without a host, and all of the carriers on the planet were dead. Nevertheless, it would be regarded as a plague planet for some time which, she thought, would probably prove useful.
I wonder who Carson was, she pondered. Guy named this whole planet after himself, but I bet he had no idea what he really had here hidden below the surface. She wondered how many third or fourth generation Carsons were among the eleven thousand civilians she'd killed to keep this planet's secret.
She thought about her meeting with Number One before she'd left Earth. Not the Directorate conference, the one in her bed the next night. They'd discussed some interesting things. Alex preferred to deal with Number One on as close to her own terms as she could manage, which was usually her naked and on top. She knew her charms and just how far she could go with them. Most men - and a lot of women too - would do just about anything for her. But Gavin Stark was different. She could push him only so far, and she knew, if it served his purpose, he'd snap her neck without a second thought. He'd miss her; they were good together, and some of the things she did to him he'd find hard to replace. But he'd never let that get in the way of his best interests.
She laughed softly. They were all so scared of Andres Carillon, mostly because he was so creepy. But Stark was far more dangerous. Brilliant, ruthless, soulless. If Alex knew one thing, she knew how to pick her allies. It pissed off Carillon when she rebuffed his advances, but he'd never dare give her a problem. Not while she was allied with Stark.
She found it hard to believe what he had told her. My sister, she thought, could she really still be alive? When Stark first brought it up, she’d had a momentary flash of excitement. Her family had been gone for a long time...she tried to picture her sister's face, to wonder what it would be like to have family again.
But then the anger came back. Alex had been
eight years old when her sister was offered a place as a concubine for the son of a very highly placed politician. If she'd have gone along with it, the whole family would probably have benefited. But she refused, and they all suffered. Worse, after the hired thugs came and took her despite her refusal, she managed to kill her admirer and escape. When they couldn't find her, they came after her family. Their parents were questioned with very aggressive methods and, when it was obvious they didn't know where their renegade daughter was, they were expelled from Manhattan into the crumbling slums across the river west of the city.
Her parents were broken by the torture they had suffered while in custody, and her mother died within a few months. Her father hung on, desperately trying to protect her, stealing food, finding shelter. Somehow he survived for three years before he too died, and Alex was alone. She'd repressed all of those memories, but now they came flooding back. Life was not easy in that urban hell for an eleven year old girl on her own. She was no one's weakling, but even she couldn't bear to think of what she'd had to do to survive. She thought bitterly, all the people who think I am such a rock hard bitch should live through what I did...do the things I had to do.
She hated to show any weakness, but she'd lost her composure that night with Stark, and she was angry with herself for the lapse in her iron control. She couldn't imagine how pleased he was with himself...to have found the chink in the ice queen's armor.
"So, sister dear...we may meet again." She spoke softly to herself, her words dripping bitterness and hatred. "If you'd just spread your legs for that pig, mother and father would still be alive. And I wouldn't be what I have become. What you made me."
Alex woke up to the frantic buzzing sound of her com. "What is going on?" She was groggy and irritable, but her mind was still sharp.
"We have received a transmission from the garrison task force. Enemy ships transiting into the system from YZ Ceti. No data yet on numbers or breakdowns."