Greenies

'How bad are the casualties?' Jackson asked, having to fight to keep his fear from showing.

'The AT platoons got it the hardest,' Zoloft said. 'The WestHem arty plastered their positions with sustained, penetrating shell fire. The trenches just couldn't hold up, particularly since most of them were already damaged from the first engagement. Preliminary reports are more than four hundred dead, five hundred wounded, more than three hundred unaccounted for.'

Jackson sighed, having trouble looking into the eyes of his subordinate's image on the screen. 'And the WestHems?' he asked.

'They're still clearing the Blue Line but their tanks and APCs are already forming up on the other side to start the next advance.'

'And their arty?'

'We've been pounding on those mobile guns, just like you ordered, but are efforts are not very effective. The only time we can hit them with the remaining heavy guns are when they are actually setting up to fire. When they're advancing to the next position they keep constantly in motion, zigzagging back and forth in unpredictable patterns. The Mosquitoes and the special forces teams are scoring some kills but not enough to make much of a difference.'

'All because of that damn air strike,' Jackson said, shaking his head in disgust. 'I can't believe I didn't anticipate that in advance.'

'That isn't your fault, Kevin,' Zoloft told him. 'Nobody thought about them launching something like that until after they'd done it.'

'I should have,' Jackson insisted. 'I committed the same error that they've been committing this whole time. I underestimated them. I started to feel that their entire staff and their entire planning process was corrupted so I started to think they couldn't possibly do anything clever or original.' He shook his head again. 'My lack of insight into this latest landing may very well cost us Eden.'

Zoloft didn't seem to know what to say to this. Instead, he changed the subject. 'How are things in New Pittsburgh? Are they holding there?'

Jackson nodded. 'They're holding. The WestHem artillery moved in and the 250s engaged it, just like before. They were forced to pull their mobile guns back out of range again. When the tanks and the APCs rolled on the Crossland Gap our AT teams hit them hard. Casualties have been light and as of five minutes ago we still held the gap, although the dismounts are moving up the base of the hill under heavy fire. We'll more than likely start pulling back to the NP Blue Line in the next thirty minutes.'

Zoloft nodded. 'That's good,' he said. 'It's fortunate that the air strike in NP was launched fifteen minutes after the Eden strike.'

'Yes, that seems to be the deciding factor.'

The two men stared at each other's image for a few seconds.

'Look, Kevin,' Zoloft said. 'We're getting killed out here. I'm taking heavy casualties among the AT crews and I'm losing a lot of the others to desertion. I don't think my forces can hold the Purple Line. I'm not sure they're going to be able to hold the main line. Not if the WestHems keep their arty intact.'

'I see,' Jackson said.

'You see?' Zoloft said, allowing some of the strain he was under to show through. 'What the fuck is that supposed to mean, General? Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?'

'I think so,' Jackson said. 'But suppose you tell me just so we know we're on the same page here.'

'Our defense is untenable,' Zoloft said. 'We're outnumbered, our reinforcements are arriving too slowly, and the WestHem artillery is massacring the most important part of our defenses. We're not inflicting significant casualties on the enemy with our ACRs.' He took a deep breath. 'I'm afraid that unless things change I'll be forced to pull all of the units out of the field under MPG doctrine. We're not out here to be kamikazes. If we can't hold them back we must surrender Eden to keep people from being needlessly killed.'

Jackson nodded. 'I understand,' he said. 'And I completely agree with you as well.'

Zoloft looked solemn, scared. 'So... you think its come to that?'

'If things go on as they are... yes,' he said. 'We'll be forced to surrender Eden to them.'

'If we surrender Eden, we'll lose this planet eventually,' Zoloft said.

'I know,' Jackson said. 'We'll hold on for a few years but if they hold Eden they hold a base from which to launch attacks from. They'll hold our rail hub and our largest agricultural base.'

'I don't want to do this, Kevin,' Zoloft said. 'I've been with you from the beginning. You know that. You know I wouldn't even suggest this unless it was the only option.'

'I know,' Jackson said. 'But quite frankly, I don't see any other way at the moment.'

'Me either.' He sighed. 'Listen... do you think that maybe we should contact Browning and ask for a cease fire in the Eden theater?'

'He'd never go for it,' Jackson said. 'Not unless we agreed to a cease fire in New Pittsburgh as well. And the way things are going down there it looks like we're going to hold New Pittsburgh.'

'Is there any point in holding it though?' Zoloft asked. 'I mean, sure, we can probably hold onto it and the rest of the cities for a few years but eventually...'

'I see what you're saying,' Jackson said. He shook his head violently. 'Goddammit! I can't just accept that after everything we've gone through that we'll be defeated just because of one instance of bad luck!'

'So... so... what are you saying?' Zoloft asked.

Jackson called up a map of the Eden area on the screen next to him. He looked it over for a few moments, looking at the lines of defense his armored cavalry regiments were supposed to be inflicting heavy punishment on. There was the Jutfield Gap and the Blue Line — both of which they'd already been pushed out of. Behind that, in the area where the valley widened out like a funnel, was the Purple Line, where they were heading now, and the Red Line, the last line before the final defensive positions known as the main line.

'All of this planning, all of this sacrifice destroyed because of a goddamned air strike,' Jackson said. 'Because we can't take out their fucking artillery guns.'

Zoloft remained silent, simply watching his boss think this through.

'The Mosquitoes can take out some,' Jackson said, 'but not enough. The same goes for the special forces teams. They're effective, but we just don't have enough of them.'

'It's too bad we couldn't send tanks after those mobile guns,' Zoloft said wistfully. 'They'd blow them into little pieces.'

'Yes,' Jackson said, continuing to stare at the map. 'And if wishes were blowjobs, perverts would have a job for life. Let's talk realities here, Zoloft. There's no way we could advance our tanks through the WestHem lines and into the rear where...'

'Where what?' Zoloft asked.

Jackson was staring at the screen again, looking at the layout of the valley the WestHems were currently marching through. It was an ever-widening cone surrounded by foothills and mountain ranges — the same foothills and mountain ranges the Mosquitoes used as cover for their attacks.

'General?' Zoloft asked.

'Hold on a second,' Jackson said, looking more intently at the screen now.

Zoloft held on, not speaking.

'Computer,' Jackson said, 'give me a satellite overhead of Eden from 0130 today. Infrared enhanced.'

'Overhead loading,' the computer said. A moment later the image appeared.

'Son of a bitch,' Jackson said, looking at the tiny figures of the WestHem armor spread throughout the wastelands. The imagery was clear enough that he could tell what kind of vehicle was what. 'Zoloft,' he said. 'Pull up overhead 09142146ED0130A on your screen and tell me what you see.'

Zoloft did so. 'I see an ass-load of WestHem armor moving on the Jutfield Gap and a lot of flashes from artillery firing.'

'Exactly,' Jackson said. 'The artillery is firing from the rear of the formation. And the range on WestHem tanks and APCs is... ?'

'Uh... about one hundred and sixty klicks. What's your point?'

'I think I have an idea,' Jackson said.

'What is it?'

'Let me work on it for a few more minutes before I describe it in detail,' Jackson said. 'In the meantime,