Retreat Hell (39 page)

The shuttle lurched, then hit the ground with a loud crash.  Mark pulled himself to his chair as soon as the craft stopped shaking, then followed his troops towards the hatch and out onto the local ground.  The smell struck him as soon as he took his first breath – every planet had its own smell – but he ignored it as he looked around.  Hundreds of years of work had been reduced to piles of rubble.

He smiled, darkly.  The first major planetary invasion of the post-Empire era and it was going according to plan.  His troops had already fanned out, securing the remains of the central government, while a number of prisoners were held firmly in the middle of one of the grand parks.  There was a dull roar behind him as the shuttle took off, clawing frantically for the sky before an isolated enemy unit could try to fire an HVM at it.  Mark allowed his smile to grow wider as he strode over to the newly-established command post.  The enemy were so badly hammered that they couldn't even mount a counterattack in the heart of their own city.

“We’ve secured all of the approaches, sir,” Major Hodge reported.  “Limited contact with roving bands of soldiers and a handful of armed civilians, but not much else.  They didn't even manage to shell our landing zones.”

“Let’s hope it stays that way,” Mark said.  A single mortar shell at the worst possible time could do a great deal of damage.  The downside of having shattered the enemy command network so thoroughly was that the bands of soldiers wouldn't get any orders to surrender, if the local government had sent any.  It was much more likely that any survivors would try to blend into the local population to continue an underground war.  “Start transmitting the message for the civilians on all bands.  We want them all to hear it.”

“Yes, sir,” Hodge said.

Mark nodded.  The message was simple enough, just informing them that Wolfbane had taken over the city and urging them to remain indoors, where they would be safe.  It was hard to know just how well they’d take it – civilians were mindless sheep at the best of times, in his opinion – but Thule
had
been in the grips of a civil war.  Surely the civilians would have learned when to keep their heads down by now.

“And then raise the Commonwealth forces,” Mark added.  There had been a reason the spaceport hadn't been targeted, quite apart from the value of having the facility intact for his own forces.  “Tell them ... that we wish to discuss their surrender.”

***

Jasmine found herself wrestling with a dilemma that she had never considered, not outside her worst nightmares.  On her own, she could and would continue the fight as long as possible, no matter what happened.  She had escaped from captivity once before, after all, even though it should have been impossible.  But she was responsible for over two thousand soldiers, all of whom would die if she continued the fight.  And there were the civilians who were likely to be caught in the middle.

She looked down at the terminal as the message started to repeat itself.  It was very simple, she noted sourly, but effective.  The Wolfbane commander had pointed out that their position was hopeless, ensuring their rapid destruction if they tried to fight.  But if they surrendered, he’d continued, they would be treated as prisoners of war under the pre-Unification Wars conventions.  Jasmine had had to look them up; they’d be imprisoned, unless they were traded back to the Commonwealth, but they wouldn't be harmed, interrogated or forced to betray their comrades.

But could Wolfbane be trusted?  Her impression of Admiral Singh had been that she was pragmatic, but also completely ruthless.  Even if she didn't know who Jasmine was, she might well interrogate Jasmine and her subordinate commanders for intelligence on the Commonwealth.  It would kill Jasmine if she tried, Jasmine knew; her implants simply wouldn't let her be interrogated thoroughly.  Would Admiral Singh see the benefits of keeping her word, despite the golden intelligence opportunity that would fall into her lap?

She stared down at her hands for a long moment, mentally searching for options.  But there were none. 

“Contact their commander,” she ordered.  Her mind felt numb, as if she had passed beyond sensation.  “Tell them ... tell them that we would like to surrender.”

She took a breath.  “And then destroy the computer cores,” she added.  “I don’t want even a scrap of useful data to fall into their hands.”

Second, the social scientists who had established themselves as ‘advisors’ were still exercising huge influence over the conflict zone.  In particular, they put restrictions on how the military could conduct its operations.  For example, given the nature of most aggressor armies, a program of targeted assassination aimed at their leaders would have rapidly rendered them headless.  Such a program, however, was declared verboten – forbidden.

Third, there was a colossal refugee crisis on the surface of the planet.  Imperial Army units found themselves tied down defending the refugee camps, which (at least in the case of the less well-disciplined units) rapidly resulted in mass abuse of the refugees.  Worse, the limited manpower available to the operation’s commanders forced them to limit their commitments, which meant that refugee camps often became targets for the aggressors. 

-
Professor Leo Caesius. 
War in a time of ‘Peace:’ The Empire’s Forgotten Military History.

“They surrendered,” Rani said.  “Excellent news, General.”

“Yes, Admiral,” General Haverford agreed.  His face smiled at her in the display.  “With your permission, I will prepare them for immediate transport to the POW facilities.”

Rani hesitated.  “You don’t want to interrogate them?”

“Admiral,” Haverford said, “I gave my word as a military officer that they would be treated under the conventions.  And I expect you to honour my word.”

Rani kept her face under tight control as she thought rapidly.  She wanted – needed – intelligence on whatever contingency plans the Commonwealth had for war with Wolfbane, but the General had neatly pre-empted her from pulling information out of the prisoners.  It would be simple enough to appeal to Governor Brown, but he might well take the view that harming prisoners would damage their cause more than gaining information would benefit it.  And besides, he had to be wondering about her role in starting the war ...

“Very well,” she said, tightly.  “I expect you to take the utmost care with them, General, while my forces secure the outer system.  And if they cause trouble, you are not to hold back.”

“Understood,” the General said.

His face vanished from the display.  Rani glared down at it for a long moment, then looked up at her crew.  There was still much work to be done before the system could be declared secure.  Besides, the enemy fleet had yet to abandon the system completely.

“Two destroyers are to remain in orbit to provide fire support for the troops on the ground,” she ordered.  “The remainder of the fleet is to prepare for immediate deployment.”

Her crew, sensing her vile mood, hastened to obey.

Rani settled back in her command chair and forced herself to relax.  Losing custody of the prisoners was annoying, but it paled compared to the sheer scope of her success.  The war had begun, Wolfbane had claimed the most important prize along the border ... and she’d ensured that there would be no hope of a negotiated peace.  Governor Brown would need her more than ever, now that the Commonwealth was hopping mad over the assassination attempt on their leader.  Rani had hoped it would kill her – a person who could broker a durable truce between warring factions was clearly not someone to underestimate – but it had worked out well enough.  For a plan executed across light years, with so much that could go wrong, it had been damn near perfect.

She smirked.  No matter the problems on the planet’s surface, there was no escaping the simple truth.  The war was halfway to being won.  All they had to do was keep up the pressure and the Commonwealth would crumple and collapse into chaos.  And then Rani would be well-placed to unseat Brown and take power for herself.

***

Mandy had known it was coming, but it still shocked her.

“She surrendered?”

“Yes, Captain,” the communications officer said.  “The CEF has surrendered.”

Mandy gritted her teeth.  At best, Jasmine would go into a POW camp, either on Thule itself or somewhere deeper in Wolfbane’s space.  There would be little hope of escape, even for a Marine.  But at worst, Admiral Singh would know just who was responsible for unseating her from Corinthian and extract a little revenge.  Jasmine might be tortured to death ...

She pushed the thought aside as she considered her options.  There was no point in lurking around the outskirts of the system, not now.  Admiral Singh would just keep tight hold of the planet and wait patiently for Mandy’s force to run out of supplies.  But if she was leaving the system, maybe she could deliver a parting blow before she left.

“Send the transports out of the system,” she ordered.  “And then alter course towards the gas giant.”

She smiled, humourlessly.  These days, replacing a cloudscoop wasn't quite the time-consuming task it had been in the days of the Empire, but losing the cloudscoops would still delay Admiral Singh’s attempts to turn Thule into a supply base for Wolfbane.  It would still take months to rebuild the scoops, even the newer ones.  Mandy was reluctant to engage them at all – spacers hated the thought of running out of fuel – but she saw no alternative.

“And broadcast a message across the system,” she added.  “Anyone who wants to seek refuge from Wolfbane with us is more than welcome.”

It was impossible to know just how many people would take her up on the offer, or if she
could
get them all away from the out-system bases and industrial nodes.  But any trained manpower was welcome ... and it would deny Admiral Singh the chance to make use of them.  Besides, if she threatened the cloudscoops ...

She shook her head.  An officer as experienced as Admiral Singh would know there was no point in trying to save the cloudscoops, not now.  There was no hope of distracting her from Thule long enough to slip around her and pick up Jasmine and the CEF.  All they could do was take out the scoops and pray it was enough to score a minor victory.

***

“This is bullshit!”

“As you were,” Thomas snapped.  He was just as shocked himself, but he had to maintain discipline.  “You have your orders,
soldier
.”

The soldier looked mutinous.  Thomas didn't really blame him.  None of them had prepared for the prospect of surrender, not really.  Going into Wolfbane’s hands would be risky – the promise of good treatment might easily be broken – but the alternative was disobeying orders and trying to go underground.  Anywhere else, Thomas would have considered it a viable tactic; after all, as long as it wasn’t completely hopeless, Marines were meant to carry on the fight.  But here, on Thule, he knew it had become hopeless.

He looked from face to face.  “If any of you believe that you can survive on this planet, you may leave now,” he added.  “But if you understand the real situation, you will stay here with me and wait for them.”

The sound of more shuttles echoed through the air as Wolfbane’s reinforcements arrived.  An eerie quiet had fallen over the city, despite the noise of the shuttles, as if the entire planet was holding its breath.  Thomas suspected that most of the civilians were praying that Wolfbane would bring an end to the war, if only by providing a common enemy.  Or simply by putting the leadership of both sides down.  Thule might not have been hopeless, but the actions of both parties to the conflict had made it beyond redemption. 

It was a sad end, he told himself, to an inglorious deployment.  But they’d been played, right down the line.  And maybe, in the end, they would learn from the experience.  Maybe the next conflict would be left to burn itself out. 

In the distance, he heard the sound of approaching troops.  It wouldn't be long now.

***

Jasmine still felt numb as she watched the two armoured cars and a handful of trucks making their way towards the spaceport’s gates.  Wolfbane’s soldiers didn't look
that
different from her own, she noted, although there were definite hints that they hadn't fought a major engagement before landing on Thule.  It wasn't something she could put into words, just a sense that they were ... less aware of their surroundings than they should have been.  But in the end, it didn't matter.

“Open the gates,” she ordered, quietly.

The armoured cars passed through the gate and came to a halt, while the trucks stopped outside and began to disgorge troops.  They fanned out, holding their weapons with an easy professionalism that would have been impressive under other circumstances, but was downright worrying now.  Not, she thought with a flicker of humour, that it was likely to matter.  She probably wouldn't see Avalon again.

She’d been conditioned, in Boot Camp and then the Slaughterhouse, never to give up.  She was psychologically incapable of it.  No matter what they did to her, she would retain her grim determination to keep going, but she couldn't think of a way out.  And yet there would be one, of that she was sure.  Sooner or later, there would be an opportunity to escape.

A man, wearing a combat uniform without any rank badges, strode over to face her.  Jasmine was mildly surprised to discover that she didn't recognise him, although she wasn't sure quite why she should have expected differently.  They’d gone through the files of officers who might joined Governor Brown, but there had been literally
billions
of officers and men in the Empire’s military.  At least it wasn't a known sadist, Jasmine considered, as the man came to a halt in front of her.  There were officers she would never have surrendered to, no matter the situation.  But would she have preferred an unknown sadist?

“Brigadier Yamane,” the newcomer said.  “I am General Haverford.”

Jasmine nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

“On behalf of Wolfbane, I accept your surrender,” the General continued.  Behind him, his men kept spreading through the spaceport.  “You have my word that you and your subordinates will be treated well.”

“Thank you,” Jasmine said, tightly.

She’d failed, she knew.  If she’d realised the trap in time, she might have encouraged Colonel Stalker not to deploy the CEF.  Or if she’d taken a firmer hand with the local government, she might have been able to talk them into making concessions that would have prevented the civil war from spiralling out of control.  Or if she’d prevented the assault on the Zone.  Or if ...

It wouldn't have mattered
, she thought, dully. 
The war would have begun with or without our presence on Wolfbane.

She offered no resistance as the newcomers bound her hands behind her with a plastic tie, then searched her quickly and efficiently.  One by one, her men were given the same treatment and then herded into a corner of the spaceport to wait, squatting on the ground.  No one objected, at least not out loud.  Jasmine was proud of their discipline; they held together, even when they were forced to surrender.  But she knew it might be the end of the line for all of them.

It was nearly an hour before they were escorted onto a shuttle and launched into space.  Jasmine wasn't too surprised.  Thule was hardly a safe place for POWs, particularly POWs who might be lynched by the planet’s population.  They’d probably be shipped to an isolated world and left there.  Or, perhaps, dropped onto a penal world.  Or would that be too rough a prison for POWs?

It doesn't matter
, she told herself. 
We are not going to give up.  We’re going to make it home
.

***

“The cloudscoops have been destroyed,” the tactical officer said.

Mandy nodded.  The cloudscoops were fragile and almost completely undefended.  A handful of kinetic projectiles had obliterated them, once their crews had boarded shuttles to escape the incoming missiles.  She’d invited them to join her fleet, but a third of the crews had refused her offer.

“Take us back towards the Phase Limit,” she ordered.  They’d been picking up other shuttles, crammed with technicians who refused to work for Wolfbane, but there was no longer any time to delay.  “And then set course for Avalon.”

She wondered, absently, if she would still be in command of the squadron after they got home.  Her father had once pointed out that the Empire had a nasty tendency to blame the messenger for the message, which was at least partly why it had collapsed.  Colonel Stalker wasn't like that, Mandy thought, but he wasn't the one making the decisions.  God alone knew what the Council would say about the disaster.  There was no way the Battle of Wolfbane could be spun as anything other than a defeat.

Wars generally don’t start well for the defender
, she told herself, firmly. 
But we can counterattack – and we will.  All we need is time to get back on our feet
.

***

“They took out the cloudscoops,” Rani said.

“Yes, Admiral,” the communications officer said.  He looked hesitant to say anything else, but kept on anyway.  “And they picked up at least three dozen shuttles from the various asteroid facilities.”

Rani scowled at the display.  The further they were from the Commonwealth ships, the longer it took to track their activities.  It was simple enough to imagine her ships being forced to give chase, then outflanked as the Commonwealth ships raced around her fleet and then slip into bombardment range of the planet.  They wouldn't have time to recover their people – half of them were already being shipped to the transports that would take them to the POW camps – but they could still inflict colossal damage.  And there would be nothing she could do.