ASEC officially presented the defense corps on the first of June, 2079. The announcement was a mere formality, an official declaration of what everyone had already suspected. With it, they cleared up misunderstandings and dispelled many of the rumors that had been flying around.
The organization had chosen to represent itself, not as a classic strategic offensive force, but as Oliver Trenerry's team outlined, a force focused on conserving the Earth's natural balance, a force for which the main directive was to protect the natural environment from human and non-terrestrial threats, as well as natural disasters.
This included the endless wars that humanity engaged in, and meant that henceforth no nation would be able to possess the means with which to oppose the ASEC NLE program. To validate this course of action in the case of any such opposition, a defense corps known as the IRD Black Army would be used.
The priority of the NLE program was decommissioning all undesirable military assets, consisting primarily of weapons of mass destruction, followed by long-range ballistics, and then high explosives, and so on, down the chain of military weapons systems used for killing.
However, the NLE program did not affect all national armed forces assets, but was based on a penal system of statutes listing all harmful activities, whereby those who were involved in harmful activities were deported thousands of kilometers from civilization. The guilty individual or group was trans-located as they were caught, regardless of whether or not they were equipped or properly attired.
*
The LRT units made up three by three formations, although a swarm of such Demon fighters consisted of eight as one of them was much larger than the others and took up a double position. Each of these swarms was part of a squadron, consisting of a total of forty swarms that were positioned around Cameo type vessels, which were the largest enforcement units in the fleet. The Cameo vessels were equipped, not only with far stronger gravity cannons, but had NGI drives as well. They were not specifically designed for space travel, but it was helpful in terms of defense for them to be able to leave the Earth's atmosphere. The Cameos were even capable of taking a submarine out of the ocean and putting it onto the Moon if needed.
A total of forty-eight squadron were based on each platform together with which they embodied the poles of enforcement. Globally, the LRT units of execution consisted of one hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred smaller or larger Demon fighters, and four hundred and eighty Cameo type vessels, making a force that left almost no room for misinterpretation.
*
An ASEC command ship appeared out of nowhere above the black force, soaring high above them. The extremely humid air washed out its color, but from the ground, it still seemed enormous. Murinko and his best officers traveled in the company of the thirty-eight successful commanders, who had all but disappeared from their home cities in the intervening period. Unlike their peers, who had been rejected and sent home during training, they were far beyond the average in character, strength, and perseverance. Their characteristics were also very different from each other. There were those good at coordinating a team, those whose strengths lay predominantly in mission planning and organization, but there were also some odd characters who excelled in decision-making. Those who succeeded in remaining a part of the ASEC commander training program represented essential values and were to play a significant role in the military action to come.
So far all attempts at breaking them, both physically and mentally, had failed. Even Steersman's systematic psychological warfare had not deterred them from becoming active commanders in the world's most influential military organization. It had quickly become common knowledge that Steersman knew no bounds when he pitted his expectations against any of their productive capacity.
Whether they managed to resist him or not, the one and a half years of continuous mental and spiritual effort had transformed the candidates and given maturity as well. They had become conscious minded adults, and despite their youth, they had become intimately familiar with and fully grasped the problems that faced the world.
ASEC leadership was aware of this also. It had been decided that – after months of tactical exercises with operational robots, the time had come to take part in real military operations.
Their current mission was for real and going live, which placed upon them an incredible amount of strain. Two-man teams were required to deploy terrestrial robot units against the Land Army, as the Chinese had not only prepared with their Air Forces. Therefore, the commanders had to defend against armored and mechanized land divisions as well as contend with air defense forces.
When the fifth ASEC northern divisions infiltrated Chinese airspace like a matte black mist, the Chinese fighter squadrons were already close by and waited only for the command to attack.
And the command arrived.
The Demon swarms immediately spread out and the black fog quickly vanished. Only Cameo units remained clustered together as they had much stronger defense systems, the entire surface area of each ship was protected against impact by negative gravitational shields. They were transporting terrestrial units so they flew close to the ground to release them. During the course of land unit deployment they became easy targets for anti-aircraft defense, so thousands of short-response robots immediately disembarked, then the Cameos quickly disappeared into the air and hastened to reinforce fighter swarms.
Subsequently, nineteen control vehicles were positioned near the robot squadrons by the ASEC command ship. Each of them had two commanders on board who – according to protocol – controlled the robots within half a kilometer range of the control vessel, but not more than a proportionate share of the total workforce.
This method of command had many advantages as the formation of specific units were subject to the requirements dictated by the course of battle or by best tactical positions, rather than by a specific commander. This way, even after having left an area, robots would continue their missions according to the last order received until they were belonged to a new field of control, where new orders would be given by the nearest commander. This system allowed for such flexibility in the hands of the commanders that traditional methods of warfare could never match their reaction times.
According to ASEC NLA program security protocols, active intervention in any events occurring in an operation had to take place as soon as possible, because any perception of a prolonged military action could allow escalation into a fully blown conflict, which was to be as much avoided as possible.
The final opposition mission had been planned to last a total of forty-five minutes, which initially seemed just completely unrealistic in a battle against the world's largest armed forces, especially considering that zero human collateral damage was acceptable. However, in return, ASEC was counting on a substantial financial gain as all incapacitated military equipment, machines and weapons would end up at the molecular neutralization center to be recycled into raw materials.
After landing nearby, command vessels deployed terrestrial SRT robots as planned, in divisional order. Each such division was known as a cluster, and when a number of clusters attacked the same target, they made up a multi-cluster.
In command vessel eleven, Jeff Hayes and his partner Dave Valko were sitting in a semi-recumbent position, both studying displays which showed the positions of Chinese units. The images showed everything in quite some detail. They saw that other clusters had already positioned themselves on both flanks.
Around the command vessel, the robots were moving in deliberate disarray. The vessel provided the highest degree of safety for staff, and although it was not suitable for combat, it was well equipped for defensive and deceptive maneuvers.
“All right, let's go,” Hayes said quietly, though his heart was raging in his chest. Ahead, thousands of robots marched on, and a little further in the distance, the fourth and eighteenth command vessels were visible. Hayes and Valko's command area closed the wedge at the rear, giving them a strategically important role in th
e endgame.
“Take it easy!” ordered Murinko from the chief command ship, that had long been in thick of things. He was tensely observing the vital signs of the young commanders, and saw that in all of them, neurotransmitter activity had jumped, especially dopamine and serotonin levels. They were also affected by high levels of adrenaline in their blood streams. “As long as they're shooting rockets and steel cores, there'll be no problem,” he quipped reassuringly.
“Yes, sir,” replied Valko.
Above them, the sky churned. The three by three formations tumbled and rolled in seeming confusion, but none of them broke with the eight Demons fighters sticking together as if they were one. They only separated when they captured an enemy fighter.
The Chinese fighter planes, maneuvering insanely across the sky, were quite simply left with no chance as powerful gravitational radii caught them in their beams, then pushed them mercilessly to the ground where the wings and fuselages broke and crumpled like toys. The pilots were removed and the destroyed aircrafts were collected. It was a continuous process.
Although ASEC had a significant numerical superiority and the dismantling of the hardware was not excessively difficult, the Chinese Air Force's seven thousand fighters was still a huge amount of work.
The role of the giant Cameo vessels was significant in breaking up and destroying closely linked formations as it was much harder to get close to them without casualties.
It's a pure miracle they don't crash into each other up there, Jeff thought for a moment, but quickly got back to business. It worried him that inhabited villages lay nearby. At the edge of the Tarim basin, there were many farmer families scattered across the countryside. The Chinese mainland forces, seemingly unconcerned by that fact, fired upon the ASEC forces like madmen.
“Eleventh to Command,” said Hayes into his helmet mic.
“Command, go on,” sounded in his ear.
“The right wing needs support to be moved up front to the north. There are a number of civilian settlements there.”
There was no response for a few seconds, as his request was being verified, something that could be so much more easily from above.
“Confirmed. The outer left clusters are to be deployed around the formation from behind, and make sure they stick to the right flank. Begin the attack, immediately! Time is short!” came the orders from the command vessel.
“Fourth detached, ninth detached, sixteenth detached …” the area commanders reported one by one. Altogether five of them detached, and Hayes and Valko saw them thundering up behind, stirring up a thick dust cloud.
Because of that maneuver, the Chinese commenced their attack from the north towards the center, where the closest formations reacted quickly, opposing the attack instantly. The operational robots, moving along with the range of control vehicle, caused a slight breach in the center which could have led to ASEC units being divided.
The eleventh immediately recognized the danger and plugged up the gap, but, by that time, the enemy had reacted so that the two division commanders found themselves facing a stronger force within seconds. There was no time left for anything else but action.
“All SRT units! Attack!” Hayes ordered, and in that moment two Chinese fighters were taken down by Demon fighters. The Chinese fighters were smashed to the ground and picked apart right in front of them. The pilots, who had fought so madly in the air above, were taken out of their seats and then collected by a Cameo ship that exploded onto the scene, then vanished.
Hayes smiled to himself
“If the Chinese saw that, I'll bet they could hardly believe their eyes,” he said.
“You betcha,” Valko concurred, grinning.
The robot forces of the eleventh showed no concern and quickly started picking shells from the air fired by tanks that were in the distance. The robot units had to move closer in to be able to disable the tanks, which was easily feasible by bending gun barrels or rolling vehicles over.
“This is the eleventh calling for reinforcements,” Hayes shouted.
“Copy that, eleventh,” came the reply from the command ship. “Reinforcement units arriving by air from the south. Cluster four, join the eleventh!”
“On our way,” confirmed the fourth commander, joining them shortly afterward.
“Cluster commander, Hayes.” said the ship commander.
“Copied,” Jeff replied. “All right, let's make SRT formations of fifteen and spread them three hundred meters apart. Keep 'em moving!”
“Copied,” said the fourth.
“Let's go!”
Both command vehicles surged forward, the robot units in groups darting ahead, advancing implacably.
“Impact detected!” the vehicle's on-board computer informed them.
“Damn it!” cursed Valko and accelerated with a kick. The explosion sent an immediate shock wave through the vehicle as it hit from the side, sending it flying. Valko spun it round and applied opposite force to slow the wildly slewing vehicle, almost landing it on top of a farmhouse.
“Whoa! These are fucking fast!” he shouted.
“Then let's be faster!” Hayed shouted back.
“No problem!” said Valko, and in the following minutes, they already ran group formations through the enemy positions, taking the huge number of scattered positions apart one by one.
The enemy reaction time could not hope to come close to that of the robots. Only the Chinese robotic machine guns – that were fixed onto almost all vehicles – were able to keep up. They were quite accurate which meant that ASEC forces had to continually evade them, but fortunately, they were not smart and assumed that SRT groups were one entity, so that when the SRT groups broke up at intervals, the Chinese weapons took time to acquire new targets, and it was their biggest weakness.
Thus, they were so doomed.
As if SRT units knew it – that this gave them a huge advantage, they quickly incorporated into their tactics. Armored cars, tanks, rocket launchers and artillery were soon flying around, spinning, turning and crashing to the ground in twisted piles of scrap metal.
Soon, five hundred square kilometers of the Tarim basin were covered in a sea of metal with pillars of smoke dissipated by strong winds and a sudden storm that added to the chaos.
Murinko looked at his watch as he stood implacably on the bridge of the command ship. “Congratulations all command officers. Mission successfully completed in forty-one minutes and ten seconds,” he said calmly.
Cheers of elation erupted from the intercom.
The only jobs that remained to be done were collecting the pilots who had been given their freedom a few thousand kilometers away in Russian Federation territory, though it was true that the Chinese were not very popular in Russia, and even less so the Chinese soldiers. And the wreckage of military machinery also had to be collected and shipped to the ASEC processing plant where about the 250 million tons of metal was to be recycled for civilized use and made available for order through the GlobalNet.
*
Over the coast of Japan, the fifth platform again began to move. By that time, a complete water settlement had formed underneath, composed of ships tied together, on which impromptu parties were held in the shadow of the massive structure.
Unexpectedly, the anti-gravity drives came to life and began to hum monotonously on the outer edges of the platform, and the entire monstrosity moved ponderously on its way. The mainly youthful crowd – mellowed by a festive, alcohol induced intoxication – loudly announced that the party was over as they realized that the enforcement pole was gliding away.
Japan was one of the few countries that had authorized enforcement pole transit without any problems so there was no disruption, but North Korea however, was another matter. Although they considered it, North Korea did not offer any military reaction to the news of the bloody Chinese defeat in the Tarim Basin, but the State Army Supreme Commander was later reported to have called the incident outrageous. For ASEC it was merely a storm in a teacup.
>
Much more important was how the now humiliated Chinese government welcomed the enforcement pole platform into the air space over Beijing, virtually right above their heads.
It did not really go down too well.
Despite the fact that Zhiqiang Gao had suffered an immense and unprecedented defeat, he decided to make one last attempt to seize control and ordered all units stationed nearby to attack the enforcement pole platform. The president observed events from the presidential palace balcony as his pilots obeyed in desperation, trying to make something of the situation.
Suddenly, thousands of Demon fighters crowded the air over Beijing and flooded the entire city.
What seemed fast in the wide open wilderness of the Tarim Basin, seemed more like a supernatural phenomenon above the city. ASEC units left Chinese forces no chance of survival, grabbing fighters from the air, dragging them down into abnormally large public squares, and tearing them to pieces in front of a frantically escaping public. Cameo units added to the imposing atmosphere with their presence alone, when they arrived to remove the twisted wreckage and chastised enemy pilots.
Much of the city was reigned by panic and President Zhiqiang Gao's own military guards tried to drag him from the balcony as the ASEC command ship zeroed in over the palace.
The president and his men rushed into the building and attempted to disappear into a hidden security corridor, then one side of the building was ripped open with a deafening rumble, and robots filled the room.
They effortlessly pulled the body guards off the president, leaving them no time to engage their weapons, then they flew out through the ragged wall to transport them northwards towards cooler climes.
One of the SRT units moved towards the president as the man fell heavily to the ground. The robot emitted a blood curdling sound and Zhiqiang Gao shouted at the sight of its approach, trying to cover his face like a frightened child. “No, please! Give me a chance!”
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