“Do you think she’s on to you?” Jordan asked, alarmed.
“Maybe,” Worthington replied. “She came right up to me and asked for directions to Franklin Street, even though we were only a block away. When we got to the corner, she stumbled and hit me in the calf with the tip of her umbrella.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s just a scratch. I think it was an accident.”
Jordan drummed his fingers on the desktop, a sign he was considering his options. “Okay, let’s put some good intelligencers on her. I’ll bet my bottom dollar she’s here spying for the Republic.”
“Why not just pick her up?” Worthington asked.
“If she is a spy, I want to know whom she’s plying our secrets from, and how she’s passing them up to her masters in the Republic. And then I’ll have my revenge,” Jordan added.
* * *
Winslow House was an elegant boarding house, one of the finest in the country before the war began. Her room was spacious and airy, with large windows framed by heavy silk drapes and white lace curtains. A fourposter cherry wood bed dominated the room, but there was ample space for a small settee, as well as a matching cherry wood desk and chair set. The walls were covered with off-white wallpaper and the hardwood floor sported several very nice throw rugs that went well with the wallpaper.
Anna reclined on the settee decoding a letter from Peta Carver. To no one’s surprise, Peta had succeeded Liam Keating as commander of Spec Ops after graduating from high school, ISRM basic training, and officer candidate school, then serving for two years as the Spec Ops assistant platoon leader. Peta was now responsible for updating Anna’s extraction plan, and executing it should the need arise. Anna asked for the update when she observed a Confederate quartermaster company setting up in a field that had been one of her pickup points.
Once she’d memorized the new location, she turned her attention to the latest edition of the Richmond Daily Dispatch. She quickly grew bored with it however, and picked up a novel, Israel Potter: His Fifty Years of Exile, by Herman Melville.
As the midnight hour approached, she judged that everyone else in the establishment was sound asleep. She rose and closed the heavy drapes, then unbuttoned the collar of her dress, which allowed her to pull the portal generator out by its lanyard. She activated the device, extended the aerial, and opened a six-foot-diameter portal. She stepped though it into a ten-hour-old temporal artifact of seven o’clock that morning, then closed the portal behind her.
It was a short walk down the street to the Mechanics Institute Building, which served as the headquarters of both the Confederates States Army and the Confederate Navy. Once there, she proceeded from room to room, gathering up anything that might be of interest to ISRM Intelligence. Often, she had to step over or move aside the lifeless artifacts of rebel soldiers and sailors, or civilian workers.
After two hours of picking through the rebel headquarters, she made her way back to Winslow House, hauling a basket of papers, dispatches, and telegrams. Back in the living universe, she spread her treasure out and examined it more carefully. She selected the most interesting material, then disposed of the rest by opening a small, horizontal portal and dumping the unwanted material into an artifact.
Anna placed a half-inch thick sheaf of paper in the bottom of her sewing basket, then covered it with a dress that needed mending. She would be meeting General Archibald Gracie, one of her many highly-placed suitors, for lunch. But not before stopping by Ye Olde Needle on Seventh Street to drop off the dress and the stolen files for her ISRM Intel Branch contact. She’d stop by the shop again on the way back from lunch to pick up the dress and provide her contact any useful information she’d managed to wheedle out of General Gracie. As far as Director Keefe and the rest of Intel Branch were concerned, that was how she got all her information. She intended to keep it that way. The portal generator was her ace in the hole.
PART III
39 - MACK
Gator: common term for the JEPS-powered, twenty-five-ton, eight-wheeled, amphibious, light-armored, ground assault, transport or reconnaissance (ALAGATOR) family of combat vehicles. There are several variants, including Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV), Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), Gun Carrier (GC) vehicle, Reconnaissance, Surveillance & Target Acquisition (RSTA) vehicle, Logistics (LOG) vehicle, Recovery (REC) vehicle, Command & Control (C2) vehicle, Mortar Carrier (MC), and an Ambulance (AMB). Each Gator is armed according to its mission profile. In particular, the ICV variant has a remotely operated weapon system with an M240 7.62mm machine gun and an M-47 programmable 40mm automatic grenade launcher; the IFV variant has a 25mm chain gun and a coaxial M240 machine gun; the GC variant has a 105mm main gun and a coaxial M240 machine gun; and the Mortar Carrier has 120mm Dragon Fire mortar. All variants, except the ambulance, also have an M249 5.56mm squad automatic weapon (SAW) mounted on a pedestal at the commander’s hatch. The Gator is an ISRM adaptation of the Singaporean Terrex, which is based on the (non-amphibious) U.S. Army Stryker system. Glossary, An Illustrated History of the Republic, Helen O’Shea, Ed.
Washington, DC, USA, Wednesday, April 1, 1863
In February 1862 the Supreme Council authorized the ISRM to double the drill hours of all Maneuver Branch and Aviation Branch units. Colonel Harrison Forte, commander of the Dragoon Regiment, and Colonel Liam Keating, commander of the Motorized Infantry Regiment, took full advantage.
In mid-March, 1863, a massive Union attempt to breach the Rappahannock at Fredericksburg, Virginia resulted in a stinging defeat, at the cost of tens of thousands of casualties on both sides. Ian McMaster, the Republic’s ambassador to the United States, sought an audience with the U.S. Secretary of State. He brought Mack O’Malley along to the meeting, which took place in the State, War and Navy Building, adjacent to the White House. The spacious, vaulted Indian Treaty Room, decorated with nautical motifs on the walls and ceiling, was mostly devoid of furniture, except for a mahogany table around which twelve captain’s chairs had been placed.
“Good morning, Mr. Secretary. I’m glad you were able to make time to meet with us. May I present Mack O’Malley, former commander of the ISRM?”
“Pleased to meet you both.” Secretary Seward introduced his military aide, then gestured for everyone to sit. “I hope the Republic is finally willing to sell some of those repeating weapons to us so we can finish off the South.”
“I’m sorry, we just can’t do that,” McMasters countered. “But we do have a better offer for you, if President Lincoln is willing to free all the slaves.”
“What’s your offer?” Seward asked, warily.
“Mack?” McMasters inclined his head towards him.
“Sir, the ISRM Intelligence Branch is prepared to provide the Union forces with detailed intelligence on Confederate States Army unit strength and movements, as well as detailed reports from our sources in the Confederate Capital.” Mack removed a sheaf of papers from his briefcase and passed them to Seward’s military aide, who scanned them with interest.
“Additionally,” Mack went on, “we are prepared to field an armored task force of fourteen hundred men, equipped with our most advanced weaponry, to spearhead your next drive into Virginia. We’ll also provide liaison teams equipped with wireless sets down to Corps level to allow your commanders to better coordinate their attacks with us and with each other.”
“I’ve heard of these wireless sets – I believe you call them radios?” the aide asked.
“That’s correct,” Mack confirmed. The aide turned to the Secretary.
“Sir, we could’ve avoided several of the disasters we’ve suffered if we had those. I’m sure this armored task force would be of great value as well, but you know the politics involved in releasing the slaves.”
“Why is the Republic so adamant about releasing the slaves?” Seward asked.
“It’s in the Preamble to our Constitution that we can’t join the United States until slavery and indentured servitude are abolished. Our Su
preme Council interprets join to include formation of a military alliance. Since Supreme Councilor Fallon’s parents were once indentured servants, I’m afraid he is rather intransigent on this issue.”
“Okay, I’ll take it to the President. Perhaps the latest disaster on the battlefield will sway him in favor of your request.”
Five days later, President Lincoln issued an executive order known as the Emancipation Proclamation freeing all the slaves in the United States. While it took the Republic two weeks to mobilize Task Force Javelin, intelligence on Confederate movements began pouring into the War Department within hours of President Lincoln’s issuance of the proclamation.
Mack already knew that Brigadier Kellen Coyle, commander of the ISRM, would command the task force himself, which was comprised of Harrison Forte’s Armored Dragoon Regiment, Jennifer Carlton’s Medical company, and a task force headquarters company. The headquarters company included the task force battle staff, an aviation transportation platoon, a quartermaster platoon, and Peta Carver’s Spec Ops platoon. The Dragoons consisted of a Headquarters and Support company, three Armored Dragoon companies, Jake Carlton’s Grenadier company, and a Combat Support company.
On March 26th, 1863, the Wheeling Convention adopted a revised state constitution abolishing slavery, clearing the way for the admission of West Virginia into the Union as an independent Free State, effective April 20th, 1863.
* * *
Roberts Farm, Springfield, Virginia, Wednesday, April 15, 1863
In the northern Shenandoah Valley, Winchester had changed hands between Confederate and Union control five times, with the rebels currently in command of the city. Romney had changed hands no less than ten times, with the Union 116th Ohio Infantry Regiment now in control of the town, charged with guarding the Mechanicsburg Gap to the west.
Mack O’Malley had given up command of the ISRM in 1857, but as war loomed, he had agreed to serve as the expeditionary unit Operations Officer, so he was now the Task Force Javelin S3. His plan was for Task Force Javelin to make its initial entry into the Confederate South through the Roberts family farm in Springfield, Virginia. Anna had long since moved to Richmond, but her younger son Paul and his family still occupied the property.
Two hours after nightfall on April 15th, 1863, Paul activated sixteen infrared flashers in the fields around the Roberts homestead. Arranged in four sets of four, with each set blinking at different rates, the flashers marked out safe landing zones for the Republic’s initial wave of aircraft. Mack was on the first aircraft to touch down, a CV-22JEP Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. It quickly discharged its twenty-four passengers and immediately jumped back into the air to provide any needed fire support with its ramp-mounted .50 caliber machine gun. Peta’s eighteen member Spec-Ops Pathfinder team spread out to provide perimeter security. Mack watched anxiously while four communications specialists set up AM, FM and HF radio systems, as well as a Warfighter Information Network terminal.
Once full communications were established, three CH-47JEP Chinook cargo helicopters touched down. Each aircraft discharged a squad of engineers and a multi-purpose, lightweight military tractor from the Dragoon’s combat support company. The engineers retrieved a medium girder bridge that had been previously stored in the Roberts’ barn, and proceeded to set up a fifty-meter-long bridge over the South Branch of the Potomac River. They completed their task just as the first ground units of Task Force Javelin arrived on the north bank of the river, having driven from the Republic.
Military vehicles immediately began pouring across the bridge. About one-half of the task force’s combat vehicles were amphibious, but since driving over a bridge was much quicker than swimming across a river, Mack planned to build bridges whenever time permitted.
First to arrive were the eight ALAGATOR vehicles of the Dragoon Scout platoon. The troops usually referred to the huge, eight-wheeled combat vehicles as “Gators.” The second wave of units to arrive were three companies of armored dragoons in their Gators and support vehicles. Jake’s company of armored grenadiers arrived next in their Abrams main battle tanks, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and support vehicles.
Once the rest of the Combat Support company passed over the bridge, the remainder of the Spec-Ops platoon arrived. Six Geckos were followed by three high mobility equipment transporters carrying Spec-Ops’ SOC-R boats, and three five-ton cargo trucks, each hauling a MH-6JEP Little Bird helicopter on a trailer. Relieved of their perimeter security duties by the Dragoons, the Spec-Ops Pathfinders took possession of their Geckos from the mechanics who had driven them south from the Republic.
A Reaper drone circling overhead at 25,000 feet detected only one threat – a troop of Confederate cavalry moving west out of Winchester along the Northwestern Pike. With Brigadier Coyle’s consent, Mack dispatched the Dragoon Scout platoon to deal with them. The eight Gator-RSTA vehicles moved south to Romney, where they encountered pickets of the Union 116th Ohio Infantry, which was currently occupying the town. That unit’s commander, Colonel James Washburn, had been alerted to the task force’s imminent arrival via a telegram from the War Department in Washington, and the scouts were allowed to pass unhindered. They proceeded east from Romney and set up an ambush for the cavalry troop in Capon Bridge, where the rebels would have to cross the Cacapon River.
Mack intended to keep word of the task force’s arrival on the battlefield from reaching General Lee as long as possible. This would be accomplished by cutting the telegraph lines that passed through the Blue Ridge Mountains between the Shenandoah Valley and eastern Virginia. Shortly after midnight Peta reported that her three Little Birds were ready to fly. The Little Bird crew chiefs strapped two combat engineers into externally-mounted seats on each helicopter and the aircraft took off into the night sky. Between thirty minutes and an hour later they landed again, each at a different and very remote location in the mountains. The two engineers cut the lines. By 0200 hours this mission had been completed and Peta reported that all three Little Birds had returned to the Roberts’ farm.
Meanwhile the remainder of Task Force Javelin drove or flew across the river, including Brigadier Coyle and the headquarters staff. The task force had three hundred and seven combat vehicles and fifty-three aircraft. In addition to the three Spec-Ops Little Birds and the three Chinooks, there were three UH-60JEP Blackhawk utility helicopters; six AH-1JEP Viper attack helicopters; an AS-7JEP Striker armed scout helicopter; two HH-60JEP Rescue Hawk air ambulances; and an MH-60JEP Pave Hawk combat search and rescue helicopter. The latter three helicopters were assigned to the medical company’s aero-medical evacuation platoon. Also scattered among the forty different platoons that made up the task force were thirty small surveillance drones of various sizes, from the hand-launched Wasps each headquarters platoon had, to the slingshot-launched Skyblades the Geckos and Gator-RSTAs carried. Four catapult-launched RQ-7JEP Shadows belonging to the aerial recon platoon in the Dragoon’s Combat Support company provided high altitude surveillance.
Just after midnight, Brigadier Coyle ordered Peta and the Spec Ops Pathfinders to scout Route Whiskey and occupy Observation Post Haggis. Route Whiskey was the westernmost of the three routes the task force would take to reach the James River Gap, near the town of Glasgow, Virginia. Observation Post Haggis was located near the east end of the Gap, overlooking Big Island.
Route Charlie would be cleared by Jake’s detached Grenadier company and Route Echo by two Dragoon companies, as those units moved to destroy the few Army of Northern Virginia units presently stationed in the Shenandoah Valley.
The circling Osprey would land at the farm before first light, in accordance with a standing order intended to preserve tactical surprise by concealing the Task Force’s aerial capabilities as long as possible. The Wasp and Skyblade drones were exempted from this restriction, due to their ability to be unobtrusively launched, and non-threatening size. The Reapers, which operated at sufficient altitude to avoid notice by people not inclined to be looking for them, were also exe
mpt.
The one-hundred and four soldiers of the Medical company set up their field hospital on Roberts’ farm. The hospital featured two skid-mounted operating room modules and four large environmentally-controlled tents to serve as triage, trauma, pre-op, and post-op wards. When the main ground elements of the task force departed, one company of Dragoons would remain behind to guard the hospital and grounded aviation assets.
* * *
Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, Thursday, April 16, 1863
The Republic’s first engagement of the American Civil War occurred at 0300 hours on April 16th, 1863 when the confederate cavalry troop moving along Northwestern Pike was ambushed by the Dragoon Scout platoon in Capon Bridge. Mack listened to the engagement over his radio as the platoon obliterated the rebel cavalry troopers with machine gun fire. For the moment, the task force was safe from discovery by the rebels.
At 0800 hours, two Dragoon companies began their movement along eastern Route Echo. Their mission was to destroy Confederate units in Winchester, then conduct an assault crossing of the Shenandoah River north of Front Royal, destroying the rebel regiment in Front Royal. Half of the Dragoons’ vehicles were amphibious Gators. The unit also had an engineer bridge platoon that could deploy M3 Mobile Assault Bridges to create a one-hundred-meter-long class 70 bridge.
After completing operations in Front Royal, the Dragoons would precede south along the eastern bank of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River to Port Republic. Upon arrival in Port Republic, they would establish and hold a river crossing, then await the Grenadiers.
At 1000 hours, Jake’s Grenadier company began its movement along central Route Charlie. This route did not include any water obstacles that could not be forded or crossed using the unit’s M14 Wolverine heavy assault bridges, although crossing points on the Cacapon River and the North Fork of the Shenandoah River had been chosen with care. Initially trailing the Dragoons, Jake would divert southwest around Winchester and destroy Confederate forces near Strasburg, then Harrisonburg. He would link up with the Dragoons at Port Republic. After crossing the river, the Grenadiers would lead the Dragoons south to Glasgow and down the James River Gap to Big Island.
The Legend of Indian Stream Page 22