“Not at all, sir.” In fact, Alexander suspected that the higher the rank, the more you needed to keep subordinates waiting, just to keep them aware of who they were dealing with.
“We have a final go from the Senate,” McCulloch said. “It was damned close, but Operation Lafayette has been approved.”
“Lafayette?”
“Obscure historical reference, I’m told—‘Lafayette, we are here.’ Don’t ask me. I just work here.”
“But we’re going in to get our people.”
“Ay-firmative.”
“When?”
“Riki-damned-tick. As soon as you can get an assault team together.”
“I’ve tapped the 55th MARS,” Alexander told him. “They’re only just back from Alighan, but that means they haven’t scattered to the four corners yet. The platoon COs are authorizing liberty, but no leave.”
“Tough break for them.”
Alexander shrugged. “They’re Marines. They’re squared away and set to boost. We just need to load their AT with fresh supplies and expendables. We have some more data, though, that you should see. I’m uploading to you now.”
He waited as General McCulloch assimilated the data. “It seems Puller 659 has become doubly important,” the older man said after a moment.
“Yes, sir. A bit of serendipity, actually. It gives us a choice from the same Stargate … Starwall, which appears to be a major Xul base, or the Nova Aquila region.” He briefly outlined his ideas about the Aquilae novae, and why they might be important. “I was recommending Starwall,” he concluded. “I need to study this data from the AI research team, but right now my inclination is to try that route instead.”
“Have you considered both options?”
“Not yet. I will. Of course, we’re so badly outnumbered and outgunned as it is. Splitting my force in the face of the enemy might not be the brightest of ideas.”
“Well, it’s going to be your call,” McCulloch told him, “pending Senate approval, of course. Just keep me in the loop.”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
“I actually came down here to see what you could tell me about the Puller situation. What’s the latest on that front?”
Alexander lifted his eyebrows. “I’d think you would know more about the situation out there than me.”
“Hell, son, no one tells me anything. By the time the EAs finish filtering out the news they think I shouldn’t be burdened with, there’s not enough left to let me ask intelligent questions. I just know the PEs have some of our people at Puller in custody, but that some of them are still loose and lying low.”
“That’s right, sir.” Alexander thought-clicked an animation into view, showing the tiny, red Puller sun, the orbit of the system’s lone gas giant, and the wider orbit of the stargate. “Our covert base in that system consisted of two facilities. The larger, main base is dug into the surface of an ice-covered moon of this gas giant, here. The giant’s radiation belts mask any electronic leakage. The smaller facility is out here, dug into the interior of a 10-kilometer asteroid that’s in orbit around the stargate itself.
“Lieutenant Lee reemerged from the Gate on 2410. One month later, on 1911, a PanEuropean battlefleet arrived in-system—we think from the base at Aurore. Assault troops landed on the gas giant moon and took over our facility there. The LP commander, Major Tomanaga, reported PE troops inside the base, and then all communication with the unit was lost.
“Our best guess is that the PEs had a small, probably robotic probe in the Puller system, and that it detected and tracked the ships Tomanaga sent out to pick up Lieutenant Lee when her Night Owl reemerged from the Gate. It would take about a month for Republic ships to get out there.
“Apparently, however, the Republican forces did not detect the asteroid LP near the Gate. There are still five Marines there, under the command of a Lieutenant Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick has been sending us regular updates via QCC.”
QCC, Quantum-Coupled Communications, possessed two singular advantages over any other form of long-range communication. It was instantaneous, and there was no way an enemy could tap into the transmission because there was no beam or wave to tap. A message spoken or typed at one console simply appeared at the designated receiver without passing through the intervening space, a satisfyingly practical application of what the long-dead Einstein had called “spooky action at a distance.”
“So Fitzpatrick and his people are still undetected?” Mc-Culloch asked.
“As of their last report, yes, sir. He was able to tell us that the PE squadron consisted of twelve ships, including the fast cruiser Aurore, a heavy monitor identified as Rommel, and a fleet carrier, Le Guerrier.”
“I saw the list,” McCulloch said. “They came loaded for bear, didn’t they?”
“I’m not sure what ‘bear’ is, but, yeah. They came in with their heavies. Our best guess is that Tomanaga, Lee, and thirty-five other Marines and naval personnel are now being held on board the Aurore. She will be our chief target.”
McCulloch nodded. “I just had some intel passed down from I-squared. You’re going to have help when you get there.”
Alexander felt an internal twist of hard suspicion. “What kind of help?”
“You’re aware of the religious problems in the French sectors?”
Alexander nodded. “Somewhat. I don’t understand them. …”
“The Republic’s French sectors are officially Reformed Catholic. But there’s a strong Traditionalist Catholic element in their fleet. DCI2 tells us that the T.C. is set to mutiny if and when our forces appear. If they can take over the French warships before we can deploy, they will … and they’ve promised to try to protect our people.”
Alexander groaned. “Gods. …”
“What’s the matter?”
“That complicates things, General. You realize that, don’t you?”
“I know.”
“We’re going to need to go in hot and hard. We do not need a bunch of friendlies running around, getting in our way and maybe taking friendly fire. That could get real nasty, real fast.”
“Affirmative. But we work with what we’ve got.”
“Ooh-rah.” Alexander looked at the animation of the Puller star system for a moment. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and the PE fleet will pull out before we get our act together.”
“Don’t count on that, General. So far, they haven’t admitted that they have our people … and we haven’t admitted that we know they have our people. Their safest bet is to sit tight at the Puller system, especially since they’re probably questioning our people on exactly what Lee saw on the other side of the Gate.”
“Starwall. Right. Okay, General. We’ll take them down and we’ll get our people out. But …”
“‘But?’”
“Nothing. But when we go in, those so-called friendlies in the PE fleet had better stay the hell out of our way. Our Marines are going to be moving fast and kicking ass, and they will not have the time to find out what church their targets attend.”
“Understood. Just do your best.”
Damn, Alexander thought. It’s going to be a cluster-fuck.