12.

8 May 2350

The Pre-Operation Togo military conference: 10.26 A.M.

Participants: Enkov, Hawthorne, Shell (Commander, Orbital Sector), Kitamura (Field Marshal, Japan Sector), Ulrich (Air Marshal, Strategic Command East), O’Connor (Admiral, Pacific Fleet), Green (Colonel-General, Replacement Army East).

Enkov: Commander Shell, please report upon the situation.

Shell: Delicate, Lord Director, but theoretically promising. According to our best information, two Doom Stars and other ancillary spacecraft still hold their station in Mars orbit. A Doom Star guards Venus, one has gone to refit at the Mercury construction yard and one is unaccounted for. We suspect but have not yet located the Doom Star in Earth or in the Moon’s orbit. Concerning enemy Near-Earth Orbital deployment, three laser stations continue to search and destroy targets of opportunity, as do two of their missile stations. Three Highborn orbital fighter platforms are dedicated to the present Japanese campaign and are in stationary orbit here, here and here.

Hawthorne: Adherence to our space strategy of scattering and therefore maintaining what is left of our deep-space vessels has forced the Highborn to garrison each of their planets with a Doom Star.

Enkov: That is an imprecise statement, General Hawthorne. They control the near orbit of each of the said planets, but not the planets themselves.

Hawthorne: Yes, Lord Director, I stand corrected.

Shell: The Highborn deploy superior electronic countermeasure and detection equipment, Lord Director. But in their wisdom, Space Command long ago placed emergency pods in Earth orbit for just this situation. These pods have been carefully maneuvered into position and are timed to detonate at the commencement of Operation Togo.

Enkov: Which stations in particular have you targeted?

Shell: Two of the three dedicated Highborn orbital fighter platforms and this laser platform.

Enkov: What about the others?

Shell: I have saved the best for last, Lord Director. Breakthrough beam technology and ‘total’ construction efforts have given us proton beam stations in seven cities. The proton beams are an order of magnitude greater in power and destructiveness, Lord Director. I assure you, the Highborn have never faced anything like these.

Enkov: Our previous beam sites drained the power grid. If these are more powerful, how have you solved the problem?

Shell: The proton beam is charged directly from a deep-core mine, Lord Director. All other city functions are taken offline or run with emergency systems. The proton beams have full and complete use of the deep mine. Therefore, lack of power is no longer a problem. These beams, they will be a terrible surprise for the Highborn. For the coming operation, these East Asian stations will target the remaining orbital platforms and—

Enkov: You’re ready?

Shell: Yes, Lord Director, but I would like to point out that—

Enkov: Thank you, Commander. Orbital Space Command has done their duty. Air Marshal Ulrich, please make your report.

Ulrich: Lord Director, in the Northern Chinese airfields we have reached seventy-nine percent of the projected strength levels. As mandated, the majority of these combat units are medium and long-range bomber formations. Korea holds the bulk of Fighter Command and is at sixty-three percent of projected strength levels. Long range Trotsky Bombers wait in the Siberian airfields at ninety-one percent operational strength. In another week, we could raise all those percentages near maximum.

Enkov: Four weeks was my original timeframe for the counterattack, Air Marshal. In two days, Operation Togo will commence with the units you already have in place.

Ulrich: Understood, Lord Director. But—

Enkov: Thank you, Air Marshal. Field Marshal Kitamura, please make your report.

Kitamura: The love of the Japanese people for their Director spurs them to deeds of unparalleled heroism, Lord Director. Tokyo holds. Kobi fell only yesterday, but after bitter fighting. Unfortunately, in the north the battle-lines have neared the beleaguered capital. Yet we have found the key to victory, Lord Director. While our army units, guard divisions, in particular, hold the gates, the people train underground in the cities. Thus, we launch endless assaults with the Kamikaze squads, maintaining our trained troops for—

Enkov: The Samurai Divisions?

Kitamura: Yes, Lord Director. They are the guard divisions, the heart of Japanese defense. They have been carefully maintained and they will go over onto the assault for Operation Togo.

Enkov: Tokyo has also held because the enemy’s supply lines have been relentlessly disrupted.

Kitamura: The people of Japan agree with you, Lord Director. Your precision nuclear strikes have defeated the mongrel forces of darkness.

Enkov: No, no, not defeated, Field Marshal. We must never overstate. But the nuclear strikes have given us the time to marshal our forces for the supreme blow. It seems, General Hawthorne, that you were wrong concerning Highborn reaction to our nuclear retaliation.

Hawthorne: Frankly, Director—excuse me, Lord Director—I’m amazed at the Highborn’s restraint.

Enkov: Not restraint, General. Fear. They evidence the fear of those who have overstepped themselves and now see their dilemma.

Hawthorne: But that’s just it, Lord Director. If they were afraid, wouldn’t they resort to nuclear retaliation on a massive scale?

Enkov: It always amazes me when my generals don’t understand the politics of nuclear weapons. The Highborn didn’t first use nuclear weapons in Tokyo because they feared, General Hawthorne, but out of arrogance, which is a form of confidence. Misplaced as that confidence has proved to be. Then they were shocked to discover that Social Unity has not lost its confidence—at no thanks to my generals and their timidity. Yet I don’t hold that against you, gentleman. As I said, nuclear weapons are political tools, needing political courage to use. Our nuclear strikes against their sea lines have had a devastating effect. Tokyo holds, where every other city has fallen after less than a three-day assault. For over four weeks, Field Marshal Kitamura has held the Highborn at bay, often taking back lost parts of the city, although now they retreat again. Kobi only fell after a prolonged siege and gave the Highborn savage losses. True, in the north their panzer divisions have wreaked havoc. But that’s why Operation Togo will begin in two days. Colonel-General Green, is the Replacement Army ready?

Green: The Siberian, Korean and Northern Chinese ports brim with transports and troops, Lord Director. The numbers are eighty percent of anticipated levels, but only fifty-nine percent of hoped for transports.

O’Connor: We’ve scraped together everything we could, sir.

Green: No disrepute was meant upon the Navy, Admiral. Those damnable orbital laser stations of theirs keep knocking out the transports.

Enkov: Only fifty-nine percent?

O’Connor: River and canal coasters have been reassigned, Lord Director. In another nine days—

Enkov: No, no, two days. Two days!

O’Connor: In two days perhaps seventy percent could be cobbled together to—

Enkov: I’m disappointed to hear you speak like this, Admiral.

O’Connor: The Highborn strike hard from sea and space, Lord Director. I’m not certain—

Enkov: Admiral O’Connor, defeatist talk is not what I anticipated at this conference, not before the beginning of Operation Togo and the start of the end for the Highborn.

O’Connor: I will do my best, Lord Director.

Enkov: Who said anything about best? You will comply with Social Unity’s requirements or I will find someone who can. You must employ ‘total’ effort.

O’Connor: The Navy stands ready to do its duty, Lord Director.

Enkov: Very good, Admiral. See to it that these are simply not false words given under duress.

Hawthorne: Lord Director, I hold to your principles concerning—

Enkov: The principles of Social Unity, you mean.

Hawthorne: Yes, Lord Director. Your serenity during these terrible days has given us strength and vision. But may I be permitted a possible conjecture concerning the Highborn?

Enkov: I called the conference for the interplay of ideas, General. Please, speak freely.

Hawthorne: My reports indicate that very few Highborn have landed in Japan.

Enkov: Three hundred thousand is a few?

Hawthorne: Their ability to raise Earth units and train them to fighting competency is astounding, Lord Director. The bulk of their invasion army is composed of former Social Unity personnel. Surprising, as it is to report, Lord Director, there are only a few Highborn units on Japan.

Enkov: Your report must be mistaken.

Hawthorne: Body counts of enemy dead indicate—

Enkov: Naturally, when Highborn die in battle their High Command has taken every effort to snatch those fallen bodies and hide the fact of their losses from us. The rebel Earth units—nobody loves traitors, not even those who employ them. So of course, the arrogant Highborn does not attempt to save the corpses of those they refer to as premen, not even their own premen. Field Marshal, don’t your men make every effort to drag their dead comrades off the battlefield?

Kitamura: Those in the Samurai Divisions especially do so, Lord Director, in order to cremate them and give the ashes of these heroes to their wives and children.

Enkov: There you are, General Hawthorne. I’m sure the Highborn believe we have no Samurai Divisions, at least if they allowed themselves the sort of conclusions you’ve drawn from their collected dead.

Hawthorne: One wonders if there might not be another conclusion, Lord Director.

Enkov: By all means, General Hawthorne, tell us this possibility.

Hawthorne: Lord Director, the lack of nuclear retaliation and the lack of overpowering Highborn formations within Japan leads me to a frightening conclusion.

Enkov: Fear must be conquered, General. It amazes me the lack of real courage I find in my military men. No, not the men, but in the officers, in the generals, admirals and air marshals. Nine weeks you originally told me—Nine weeks to build up the force to face these ogres we call Highborn. Many of the directors took their cue from you gentlemen. No! Courage, starting with political courage, with will, gentlemen, the will to face the enemy head on by any means necessary. I’ve given that tool to Social Unity. Those directors who lacked this quality have given way to those of us who don’t. Courage to use nuclear weapons. The will to attack faster than they expected us. Operation Togo must and will catch them flatfooted. Then we will hammer them remorselessly. Every plane, every ship, every trained soldier will be thrown at these mongrel ingrates of the scientists and their biological theories run amok.

Hawthorne: Lord Director, what if the Japanese Invasion is simply a gigantic, Highborn trap?

Enkov: Trap? You think that this is a trap? Unbelievable! If my allegiance monitors hadn’t kept careful tabs of your incoming and outgoing calls, General—A trap! You’d better explain yourself and this witless attempt at fear mongering.

Hawthorne: Lord Director, fear mongering is not my intention. And I repeat again that we in Strategic Planning agree totally with your theories on will and courage.

Enkov: Not theories, General. Facts!

Hawthorne: I agree, Lord Director. Yet… I hesitate now in, ah…

Enkov: No, no, speak your mind.

Hawthorne: Lord Director… fleet and air units are hardest for us to replace, after space units, of course. What if—the Highborn are clever. They must know we will strike back. That at some point we must strike back if we hope to defeat them. So I am compelled to consider this awful possibility. What if they have staged this invasion in order to draw out our last fleet, air and space units? My reports lead me to—

Enkov: General Hawthorne, I will not tolerate this defeatist talk. Not this late in the planning of the greatest attack to ever be launched against the enemy of man. If there truly is a lack of Highborn formations in Japan, it merely shows that our nuclear strikes were even more effective than we thought. They fear to place Highborn where we can hit them. Their losses, I suggest, have been even heavier than you, my generals, have let on in their various campaigns against us. I understand basic military caution. You have all been trained with it. It is the reason a man like me is needed at such a historic moment. But your collective caution has now edged near treason, for it has developed in many of you an unnatural dread of the Highborn. Strike hard, with the most devastating weapon possible, and we will see how quickly the Highborn lose confidence. Operation Togo, fought at the pace of their own attacks, will utterly demoralize them. All the Solar System will see at last that mongrel dogs cannot beat down Social Unity. Now, if I had let your original suggestion stand of taking nine weeks to gather what I’ve forced you to do in four weeks…. Field Marshal Kitamura, could you hold out for another five weeks?

Kitamura: It would be difficult at best, Lord Director.

Enkov: How will Operation Togo affect Japanese defense?

Kitamura: A successful counterattack will save the home islands.

Enkov: Do you doubt its success?

Kitamura: Please excuse an old soldier, Lord Director. That military disease you just spoke about had infected me. But your leadership, just as the sun drives away shadows, has driven away the doubts I once had. Operation Togo cannot fail!

Enkov: Your honesty does you great credit, Field Marshal. Alas, nothing is perfect, gentlemen. But we must be confident of the outcome, or how can we expect the soldiers under us to fight all out for victory?

Kitamura: You speak the truth!

Enkov: This is the Battle for Earth, gentlemen: the successful completion of Operation Togo. It absolutely must not fail. I expect each of you to goad your men to furious action. If there is any slacking in our counterattacks, then I expect each of you to go out and by personal example revive our warriors. If that means you must make the supreme sacrifice—you will be given a hero’s funeral, I assure you. The time of planning is over. Our will is set. Now we must act.