The Shepherds Path, Part 30: Angels and Demons
Antoine Maillaux felt somewhat out of his element. The whole Black Talon team on New Jerusalem had been spread thin since their arrival. Field operations, training exercises alongside local forces, and briefings on equipment and tactics had meant few opportunities for rest. Exhaustion wasn’t the real issue here, though. Maillaux’s entire career, from his time as a smuggler, rover, Legion Noire member and now Black Talon operative, had conditioned him to a constant fight-and-fade style of operation. Despite that, here he was assisting with planning an assault on a fortified city. He had spoken with Wallis about his lack of experience with direct assaults, but the team leader didn’t relent. Wallis assured him their new allies would be able to take care of that part, and what they needed was an expert on the city of Ashanti. Maillaux had been through the city many times during his travels, a fact Wallis had quickly pointed out. That made Maillaux the best man for the job, even if it went against many of his own preferences.
The locals, who called themselves the Shepherds, were a pleasant surprise. After dealing with the Liberati, the Shepherds’ professionalism and willingness to do the hard things in war had been refreshing. Maillaux looked across the table at the holographic display of Ashanti. Numerous dots were spread across its landscape, reminding him of a teenager with bad acne. Each one indicated a point of interest to the assault such as troop concentrations, communications hubs, major intersections etc. He pointed to the coastline.
“Ashanti is one of the few coastal cities on Terra Nova. It’s on the shore of Lake Esperance, the largest lake on the planet. Prior to the invasion, it was totally under the control of the Southern Republic. The Republic has a wet naval fleet with warships, submarines, and dedicated amphibious combat units. These forces have been severely degraded but will assist with the invasion.” Maillaux shifted his attention, zooming the display in on the city’s northern border.
“A river runs through the city bringing some commercial traffic, but it’s just a trickle. It empties out around a deep-water harbor, which is currently in use by Earth as its primary naval base. The main access to the city is through a series of gates and checkpoints. The surrounding territory is mostly flat with no real cover. The CEF is using residential blocks on the west side to house troops, with the east side containing the military base and airport.” As he took a breath, one of the Shepherds officers chimed in.
“It looks like an approach over the water would be best. We drop in right on top of the harbor and push up the river line, cutting the city in half and removing their ability to reinforce. At the same time, we can bombard the airport and the CEF barracks to limit retaliation.” A small chorus of assents came from the assembled officers.
Maillaux took the opportunity a brief pause gave. “The harbor is well defended against air attacks. During the last major war we had, it was the target of aerial bombardment, and its defenses were heavily reinforced. Long range radar will spot any incoming spacecraft or airborne transports. Any drop on that will be costly. Additionally, it borders several major residential dis-”
“So, we go in low, right at water level. It won’t stop all the triple-A but it will limit our exposure on the approach. A concentrated bombardment of the surrounding areas will also restrict enemy reinforcements. If your people can have some teams on the ground to paint targets within the harbor, we can even use guided munitions on key targets,” said another officer to another round of agreements.
“Do we know where the CEF command staff is based?” a third Shepherds officer asked.
Maillaux shifted the display over to the administrative district. He pointed to the largest structure, which was nestled in the center of the district. The surrounding area was packed with buildings. “Right here, they based their command and control in the heart of a very active area of the city. We have tried to disrupt it but the risk of collateral dam-”
“Then we make that a priority target for the bombardment,” The third officer interrupted. “Its location is obscured from the shoreline, so we might need to drop orbital munitions. We split their forces, use bombardment of major highways and muster areas to restrict their movements, and then wipe out their command and control.” The third officer interrupted.
The next few hours were much the same, with Maillaux providing a tactical summary as well as any lessons learned followed up by the Shepherds planning their assault. As Maillaux walked away back to the barracks the Talons were using, he stopped. A chill ran up his spine as he realized something he hadn’t noticed.
None of the Shepherds officers had ever asked about the civilian population, let alone considered the collateral damage of their plans.
