network all in one strike. And it will be a smaller strike too, won't it? It won't be as difficult to isolate New Pittsburgh since there are less rail junctions to worry about.'
'Sir,' Wilde said, trying one last time, 'you're talking about a complete change in flight missions. It will take much more than eight hours to plan out the sort of strike you're talking about.'
'Eight hours, twelve hours, hell... we can go eighteen if we need to. The important thing is that we need to shift our priorities immediately. It's the Executive Council's orders.'
'Jesus,' Wilde muttered, feeling a flare of his own ulcer now. 'Who is behind this? I know the Executive Council isn't suddenly trying to think rationally. I smell corporate lobbyists behind this decision.'
'Well... now that you mention it,' Browning said, 'Ms. Williams did mention to me that Standard Steel and Corrigan Industries were a bit upset that New Pittsburgh — which is where their very operations are based — was going to be left in Martian hands for the indeterminate future. You see, they want their city liberated so they can resume operations as quickly as possible and start supplying the tanks and steel needed for the liberation of the rest of the planet.'
'But what about Eden?' Wilde said. 'It's the central rail hub and the center of the entire agricultural region! We can paralyze transportation on that planet if we take that city! We can cut the Martian food production in half. We can't let a bunch of corporate heads make our military decisions for us!'
'They didn't make the decision,' Browning said coldly. 'They suggested it to me and I made the decision. I resent the implication that I would bow to corporate pressure in my military planning.'
Wilde clenched his fists in rage for a second and then slowly released them. He took a few breaths, closed his eyes, and tried to remain calm. After a moment or two of this an idea occurred to him. 'Okay,' he said. 'I think this can work and that maybe we can even turn it to our advantage.'
'Now that's the spirit,' Browning said.
'The important part is that we keep this from the media.'
'What?' Browning said.
'We let them think the main target is still Eden. We hit New Pittsburgh with the AA-71s in one massive strike at this time tomorrow and then we send down the landing ships forty-eight hours later. That way we'll catch the Martians off-guard.'
Browning was already shaking his head. 'You know my thoughts on lying to the press,' he said. 'We can't keep them in the dark about this major change in plans.'
'I thought it was a minor change in plans,' Wilde said.
'Don't play word games with me, Major,' Browning said angrily. 'I brought you up here so you could put together a new briefing for the big three reps onboard. I want our updated plans released to them within three hours.'
'Sir... that's madness!' he protested.
'It's also an order,' Browning said. 'Get that briefing drawn up and on my desk within two hours. I want preliminary times, dates, numbers, and targets of the space strikes. I want an outline of the defenses we'll be up against and how we plan to smash through them. I'll call Admiral Spears and tell him to get a new plan together. You can coordinate with him as needed.'
'But, sir...' Wilde said.
'That's an order, Major. Get to it.'
Wilde sighed, feeling the war slipping through his fingers once again. 'Yes, sir,' he said. 'I'll get right on it.'
General Jackson was sound asleep in his usual place these days — the couch in his office. He was still wearing his MPG shorts and T-shirt and had a two-day growth of beard on his face. He was awakened by Major Tim Sprinkle, the head of MPG Intelligence, shaking him.
'Yeah, Tim,' he said with a yawn when his head had cleared enough for coherent speech. 'What is it? The space strike?'
'No, General,' he said. 'They've called it off.'
'Called it off?'
Sprinkle nodded, smiling. 'I think your gamble might have paid off. I think you should turn on InfoServe, sir. They're carrying a briefing live.'
He rolled out of his bed and then looked up at the ceiling. 'Computer,' he said. 'Show InfoServe primary.'
'InfoServe primary coming on line,' the computer replied.
The screen flared to life, showing a podium where General Browning was standing in his camouflage fatigues and addressing the WestHem press. The caption at the bottom read 'Live from WSS
'So it is felt,' said Browning, 'that since New Pittsburgh is both more strategically located and easier to isolate, and, that since it is the source of most of the weaponry these Martian terrorists are using to attack our brave troops in the field, and, most importantly, it is the focus of much of the insurgent activity on Mars and home to the leaders of this insurgency — namely Laura Whiting and Kevin Jackson — that it should be the target of the coming operations.'
'New Pittsburgh?' Jackson asked, surprised. 'They're going after NP now?'
'That's what they're saying, General,' Sprinkle confirmed. 'Listen.'
He listened.
'Our plans are to re-direct the strike we were planning against Eden to New Pittsburgh, isolating that city from reinforcement and taking out it's armament capabilities all in one stroke.' Browning pointed at a graphic map of the New Pittsburgh area on the screen behind him. 'This is the Alexander Industries ammunition plant which has been taken over by Martian insurgents and is supplying them with bullets, bombs, and booby-trap material. As before, the number one priority is to put this plant out of operation. At the same time, however, we will also be able to hit the main loading platforms of the Martian rail system and then destroy a number of bridges and tunnels on this rail system, effectively isolating the city. Our information is that the Martians have somewhere in the vicinity of twenty thousand poorly trained and equipped separatist terrorists holding the city. We will land all four hundred thousand of our marines outside this city and march inward, plowing through their meager defenses and taking the city under occupation. We will capture Laura Whiting, Kevin Jackson, and as many of the other high-ranking insurgents that are controlling this occupation of Mars' capitol and we will send them back to Earth for trial and conviction. It is felt that once this task has been accomplished the rest of the insurgency will simply collapse under its own weight and Mars will be returned to WestHem control by default.'
A question and answer period began after this but neither man listened to it.
'Well what do you know about that?' Jackson asked, smiling. 'It's a good thing I didn't shift all my troops to Eden now, isn't it?'
Sprinkle was smiling as well, this despite the fact that he'd been one of the strongest voices for moving the troops as soon as Eden was announced as the target. 'You called it, sir,' he said. 'Standard Steel influence?'
'Undoubtedly,' Jackson said. 'They've probably been hounding the Executive Council for the last twenty-four hours. Standard Steel is one of the most powerful non-agricultural or non-media related corporations in existence. It's really not my psychic abilities that allowed me to predict this, it's simply common sense. I know how that system operates. I witnessed it in the Jupiter War.' He shook his head. 'Hell, I even participated in it to some degree. Remind me to tell you the story about that some day.'
'Yes, General,' Sprinkle said. 'What now? Should we start moving our troops and armor towards New Pittsburgh?'
'No,' Jackson said without hesitation. 'Not yet.'
'No?' Sprinkle asked. 'But they just said NP is the new target.'
'That was a decision made by accountants in suits back in Denver,' Jackson said. 'Those accountants are our greatest allies in this conflict.'
'Yes, sir... but...'
'Everyone holds in place for now,' Jackson said. 'I know its not a popular decision and I know its making my own troops antsy, but I don't think those accountants in Denver are done making stupid decisions for us just yet.'
'Yes, General,' Sprinkle said. 'We'll hold everything in place for now.'
