Echoes of War Box Set, page 51
part #1 of Echoes of War Series
Sarno looked down at Monahan’s hand, then took it in her own and shook it. “General, I will confess, I am most shocked at your appearance here.”
“There are people throughout the government and the military that abhor the actions of our leaders, Mother Superior. I will begin by apologizing for firing on your vessels. I did so under penalty of being shot by the prime minister. There was simply nothing I could do.”
“I understand, General. I am very thankful only a few of our sisters died when our supply vessel was destroyed.”
“Do you plan to move against the government? My forces are set up in cells across the planet. We stand ready to help you topple this regime and restore order and humanity to Monrovia.”
“We’re not here to affect regime change, General. My order is here to liberate the camps and set up safe zones for humanitarian evacuations.”
Monahan’s face twisted, a clouded look of distaste momentarily displayed.
Calvin stared at him intently. Yeah, he’s about as thrilled about this as I am. We ought to be out there smashing the Monrovian government’s heads in.
“Mother Superior, I must protest that I don’t see how we can save all the religious citizens on this planet without decapitating the government, the police, paramilitary units, and the National Guard. With those institutions neutralized, citizens that believe as we do would be free to express themselves once more and escape. Today, regardless of what faith you have or even if you question the idea that there is no higher power, you must hide that belief within you and mention it to no one, never write it down, and try to throw suspicion onto others. People are snatched from the streets and their homes in the dead of night. Our entire planet lives in a state of terror.”
Sarno’s face retained its mask of serenity, coupled with a harsh stare. “General, we are here to save lives, not take them. We will use the least amount of force required to complete our mission, and I will tell you for the last time that our order does not engage in regime change. If your planet should rise up and remove its government, then perhaps that would be a different question. Today, again, we’re here to liberate the camps and evacuate as many as we can.”
“Is the CDF involved in this operation?” Monahan asked, looking directly at David as he spoke.
“Absolutely not. Those of us here, including me, Colonel Demood, Dr. Tural, and Colonel Amir, are strictly volunteers. We’ve all taken a leave of absence from our duties in the CDF.”
“The Terran Coalition can’t spare a few thousand soldiers?”
“General, our government isn’t willing to declare another war right now.”
“Yes, because we don’t have any important minerals. God knows, if there were a supply of lithium on this planet, you’d do anything needed to safeguard the supply and make sure it flowed into your war machine,” Monahan said, his voice testy.
“I speak only for myself, not the Terran Coalition. And I’m here, along with my fellows, to do whatever we can to help.”
Monahan shifted his focus from David and back to Sarno. “Will you allow us to assist?”
“Any who wish to fight under our banner are welcome. However, you must agree to abide by the rules of our order. The first of these is that we avoid casualties at all costs. We use stun weapons when at all possible. Your soldiers must agree to this condition, or we will not fight side by side with them.”
“And how exactly do you stun enemy aircraft?” Monahan said, his tone sour and sarcastic.
“We don’t. There are areas we accept must include death, and we will use lethal force if and when it is required. Until that time, we avoid casualties. Are we clear, General?”
Calvin found it difficult not to snicker. She must’ve been a TCMC senior drill instructor. That general just had poop thrown all over his brass, and she told him to polish it up to boot.
“We’re clear, Miss—”
“You may address me as Mother Superior Sarno or simply Mother Superior.”
“Yes…Mother Superior,” Monahan finally grated out.
“I believe if we agree, I will take my leave of you all for prayer and supplication for our mission.”
“Of course.”
Calvin thought he looked eager to get out of the room. I would be too.
“I will meet you all later in the command tent,” Sarno said before turning away, her robe sweeping after her.
“That is one tough lady,” Calvin said after the nuns had departed. “Had to be a Marine.”
David smirked. “Because only Marines are tough?”
Monahan crossed his arms in front of him. “This business of not using lethal ammunition is silly.”
“It’s their party, General. We’re just tagging along,” David said.
“Yeah. Well, it’s my planet. I’ve been fighting here a heck of a lot longer than any of you. I’m going to go collect my troops and get them situated.”
“Good luck, General,” David said while extending his hand. Monahan took the offered hand and shook it before walking out.
“Pleasant fellow,” Calvin said.
“After what he’s been up to the last however many years? I’ll give him a pass.”
“Fair enough.”
“How about we go find some grub?”
Calvin grinned. “Now you’re speaking my language, Colonel.”
“We’re off duty. The name is David.”
“Yeah… I’m a Marine. Sir.”
David laughed. “Let’s go.”
A few hours after General Monahan revealed himself to be the leader of the resistance movement and sent shockwaves through the CDF team and the nuns, David found himself walking through the military installation they had captured. Some sisters were busy marching prisoners into holding areas, while others erected static defenses and brought air defense systems online. The hospital attracted his attention again, even though he’d been there earlier in the day, thanks to Dr. Tural’s presence outside, directing traffic.
Adjusting his path, David made his way over to the doctor. “Salaam-Alaikum, Dr. Tural.”
“Wa-Alaikum-Salaam, Colonel Cohen,” Tural said. “How are you doing, sir?”
“I’m honestly a bit shocked we survived the trip down.” David cracked a smile. “It was more than touch and go there for a moment.”
“I’m thankful at times that my place is deep within the ship; I rarely know how close we all come to dying daily.”
“Mother Superior told me they lost most of the medical supplies. How bad is the situation, honestly?”
Tural shook his head. “Not good, sir. I thank Allah we managed to take this hospital intact for the most part, and while we don’t want for basic medical supplies, the more advanced materials, especially for battlefield wound treatment, are lacking.”
“I’ve set in motion obtaining new supplies, but it’s going to be at least thirty-six hours before they arrive.”
“The sisters have also insisted on treating all enemy combatants and civilians.”
“I can see that… they’re even more stringent on saving lives than we are. Calvin was complaining loudly to me a few minutes ago that he’s not allowed to use lethal ammunition except against vehicles and power armor.”
“I am concerned that we won’t have enough supplies left to treat our casualties. The sisters will undoubtedly suffer combatants wounded in action,” Tural insisted.
“Doctor, I hear you. But to these folks… all life is sacred. Period. They’ve got a very rigid code of honor. You or I aren’t changing it… besides, I’ve known you to insist on treating all wounded, regardless of who they are.”
“Of course… that’s my duty as a doctor. I must treat all patients without regard for who they are or what they’ve done. However, this is a situation where I would invoke the proverb of trust in Allah but tie your camel to a tree.”
David laughed. “You grew up on New Arabia, didn’t you?”
“One of its moons, sir. A heavy G environment that had approximately 1.3 normal earth gravities.”
David frowned. Heavy-G causes all kinds of health problems. He’s lucky to be alive. “That must have been hard.”
“Yes, it was. My younger brother didn’t survive. It tested my faith and still does to an extent. You see, I think my parents believed that Allah would grant us a miracle because of our faith. I’ve come to believe that God helps those that help themselves, as one of my Christian friends put it.”
“That’s not for me to judge, Doctor,” David said. “But here, we’ve got an opportunity to help people. I think these nuns are the best opportunity we have to do that, right here, right now, on this planet.”
Tural nodded his agreement but did not speak.
“Can you get me a list of supplies we need in advance of a more formal resupply mission?”
“Yes, of course. Do you have something in mind?”
“Well, this planet has drug stores, warehouses, and military bases. If we need things, let’s shop local first,” David said with a smirk.
It was Tural’s turn to laugh. “Colonel… I have to say, I love how you put a positive spin on the worst situations.”
“I haven’t always been that way. Blame Colonel Aibek, our recent success in the war, and a changing of perspectives after Sheila died.”
“Do you still believe she appeared to you?”
David turned his head to the side and peered at Tural. “Some days, yes…some days, no. Honestly, I try not to dwell on it. All I know is that what happened that night gave me the strength to carry on. Since then, the things that have happened have continued to give me that inner strength we all so desperately need.”
“I wish I’d been able to give you a more definitive answer.”
David shrugged his shoulders. “The Torah makes clear that we have to accept some things by faith. Miracles imply faith, and not everything is explainable. How we define the margins… is our faith. I look at our universe and the mystery of how we arrived here and believe an all-powerful being explains it. An atheist thinks it’s random chance. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? I guess we’ll find out when we die, but my faith is unshakeable.”
“Not even in the face of horrendous loss?”
“No. The Lord gives; the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord,” David replied to Tural’s puzzled expression. “The book of Job.”
“I see, sir. Well, I’d better get back to setting up this hospital properly. It won’t do itself.”
“Good luck, Doctor. I’m going to grab a bite to eat and attend the briefing the sisters have called for to discuss our strategy. I’m curious to see what insights General Monahan can offer… this is, after all, his planet.”
“Ila’liqaa’, Colonel,” Tural said, an Arabic expression for “until we meet again.”
16
Calvin walked through the flaps of a large tent bearing the symbol of the cross; for some reason, the sisters wanted their HQ operation outside of the administration building on the military base and were adamant about using only the equipment they had brought with them. David and General Monahan had already arrived, as had Sarno and several younger nuns, whom he recognized as what passed for platoon and company commanders, including Kaufman. They still had their battle armor on but had changed it back to an all-white configuration and exchanged their helmets for habits. The juxtaposition of battle armor, nuns’ habits, and gleaming battle rifles were more than a bit jarring, even for Calvin, who had thought he’d seen just about everything at his age.
“Mother Superior, Sisters, Colonel,” Calvin said in greeting.
Sarno glanced up at him. “Thank you for joining us, Colonel Demood.”
David inclined his head and shifted to one side, leaving a space for Calvin to stand that he gratefully took. They gathered around a large table with a map —an old-school paper map at that— of the planet’s surface. Different colored pins showed Monrovian troop concentrations, camp locations, and large supply centers. Dr. Tural and Amir entered together, taking open spaces up near the far side of the table.
“I believe we are ready to begin,” Sarno said, looking about the room. “Let us pray.”
Calvin bowed his head and closed his eyes as the older nun spoke once more.
“Lord God, there is nothing that is beyond Your power, there is nothing beyond Your will. Bless our purpose here today, and help us to protect the oppressed, comfort those who are hurt, and strike fear into the hearts of those who would oppose your will. Bless those who stand with us and thank You for watching over us in our last battle. May we all serve You today in Your will, Amen.”
“Amen!” Calvin said with gusto while all those around murmured the same.
“I would first like to commend all involved for the success of our first engagement. All of you performed superbly, and in so doing, brought honor to the name of God and His commandments. We stand here now to decide on our next actions. Sisters, I know it is unusual to see outsiders among our ranks, but as they’ve fought beside you, I believe they showed their worth. So we will today ask for their counsel as well.”
David nodded and respectfully inclined his head. “Thank you, Mother Superior. We are here but to serve.”
“Our first order of business must be to begin to free those held in the internment camps established by the Monrovian government,” Sarno stated. “I believe that by doing so, we can bring hope to those still in bondage, increase the number of soldiers who support us, and show this wicked government that it cannot bind those who have faith any longer.”
Dr. Tural cleared his throat. “Mother Superior, do you intend to use prisoners from the camps as combatants?”
“There are only seventy-five-hundred of us versus a fifty-thousand-person strong military force. So yes, Doctor, I’m looking for all the additional troops I can get.”
“Those people will likely have been starved, mistreated, and will be unable to fight without rehabilitation, food, and rest,” Tural said forcefully.
“I think what the doctor is trying to say is that anyone we get out of those camps won’t be that useful to a war effort,” David amplified.
Monahan shook his head and crossed his arms. “I would have to disagree, Colonel. Military-aged men and women are inside those camps. I’m sure they held up better than the rest and might be willing to pick up a weapon and help free their fellows.”
“With all due respect, General… after a human being is starved and left without proper nutrition and exercise, the muscles atrophy. If they’re starved enough, the body begins to shut down.”
“So we feed them, Doctor,” Monahan said, directing a bored look at Tural.
“If we feed them normal food in that state, it would kill them. I’ve served in liberated League gulags, General. We lost twenty percent of our patients even with the best medical care available to us. By Allah, it would be against every medical ethic to ask these people to go out and fight.”
“The sanctity of human and alien life is extraordinarily important to us, Doctor,” Sarno said. “Is it not possible, however, that some of these people will be in something approaching decent shape?”
“It’s possible, but I don’t want us going into it thinking we’ll get an army out of the rescues. The first objective must be to do no harm.”
“Then we agree,” Sarno stated before changing subjects. “What of our supplies, Colonel Cohen?”
“Twenty-four to thirty-six hours away, Mother Superior. I’ll contact my guy tonight and confirm the details.”
“Your guy?” Monahan said in a mocking tone.
“Civilian defense contractor. Reliable and discreet. I’m confident he’ll get the supplies in here that we need.”
“Then we have the subject of tactics to discuss. There are two main options here; we attack the camps and save as many as we can, or we could use our strength to attack government and military targets and try to bring down this government,” Sarno explained.
David pointed to the nearest concentration camp on the map. “I strongly suggest we stick to liberating the camps for now, outside of strikes required to decrease their force effectiveness, Mother Superior.”
“I disagree. We need to hit the Monrovian government as hard and as fast as we can and topple it. After that, nothing else matters,” Monahan said.
“General, we don’t have the strength to do it. We have an island of superiority right now where we control the ground and air. Your stratofighter and space fighter strength is nearly three hundred craft. We’ve got twelve,” David shot back.
“Your twelve are so advanced, our planes can’t even target them.”
“Until they run out of missiles and get into visual range. No, sir, I cannot support that course of action. I believe we should stage a few hit-and-run attacks, mostly on airbases that house platforms capable of projecting power, and as much as possible stick to saving the innocents. And if you want to get cynical about it, pictures of half-starving people being ferried back here for medical treatment plays a hell of a lot better on the holochannels than pictures of dead Monrovian soldiers, followed by them claiming we’re religious terrorists.”
Calvin shifted his feet. Heh, David sure doesn’t pull any punches. I gotta admit, I like his style. “I’ve got to back the colonel a hundred percent here, ma’am. This fight is as much about optics as it is the battlefield. I do enjoy shooting bad guys, preferably in the head, but this time, I think we need to focus our attention on the camps.”
Sarno cleared her throat. “I appreciate your input, gentlemen. My order came here to liberate the oppressed people on this planet. After considering all points of view, the only viable way I see forward is to liberate as many camps as we can, as fast as we can. I am, however, very interested in degrading Monrovia’s ability to project offensive military power at us. Sister Arendse, have you reviewed the intelligence reports as to where the enemy stores its bombers and strike-capable fighters?”
“Yes, Mother Superior. They have about sixty bombers. Most of their fighters can carry bombs and ground attack missiles. The bombers, however, represent the most dangerous target. At least fourteen of them can launch large numbers of cruise missiles,” Arendse said, speaking for the first time since the meeting began.
