General Markov left the others in the Operations Room and returned to his office to catch up on reviewing the day's reports. Already it looked like several things were an immediate cause for concern. The inventories were not as strong as he had hoped. When he studied the historical figures, it was clear that droid counts had been falling for at least eight months. Gail Thompson had failed to replace droids that had been damaged or destroyed in combat. The tech factories were only now ramping up production rates to replace ailing and damaged stock across all chassis types. It was too little too late. Even at full capacity the tech factories would take weeks to restore the droid fleets to their full capacity.
The weapons inventory wasn't looking good either. Nearly half of the hand-held proton cannons could not be accounted for, and many other weapons were missing too. Every report painted a bleak picture of the current situation. Markov was beginning to be concerned about whether Central Command was really ready to deal with a major attack at all.
When his console buzzed, Markov tapped a button on his desk to open the door. It slid up into the ceiling and he could see Commander Susan Kemp's perpetual scowl facing him from the corridor outside. On this occasion, he had to admit that she probably had something to be aggrieved about.
'General, do you have a minute?'
Markov nodded and gestured for her to come in and take a seat. When she stepped into his office, he saw Commander Beth Pain following close behind her. Pain looked excited, as though she was ready to go to Alma Station immediately, but Kemp always had a list of complaints and excuses that she wanted to go through before she would entertain the thought of doing anything at all. Some called her thorough. Markov called her a pain in the ass.
'Thanks for coming,' Markov said. 'I presume Drefnig told you what this is all about?'
Pain nodded. She had been present when he had discussed the plan with the others in the Operations Room, but Kemp hadn't been there. She was just getting up to speed.
'This doesn't make any sense,' Kemp said. 'We need to be here to prepare for Jacob's attack. We can't afford to send so many soldiers and droids away to the South right now.'
'Agreed,' Markov said.
Kemp blinked. 'So, we're not going?'
'You are going.'
'I don't understand.'
'It's true that we can't afford to spare any soldiers right now, but it's also true that Alma Station is in trouble and needs our help. Those are good men out there. They've been working the fless caves for many years, risking their lives to keep us safe. We can't abandon them now.'
'I didn't say we should abandon them. We risk our lives here too, but there must be some better option?'
Markov folded his arms across his barrel chest and regarded her from beneath his furrowed brow. 'There is no better option, no. We hardly have any options at all. We need to contain the situation at Alma Station before it gets even worse. We cannot allow the fless to move north. Every minute we sit here talking about it is another minute lost while the crew of Alma Station suffer and die alone. They need backup now. If Alma Station is lost, there will be nothing to stop the fless moving north, and then we'll have a much bigger problem.'
Kemp sighed, mumbling something under her breath as she stared down at the floor. Markov couldn't believe the fight had gone out of her so soon. She was usually much more stubborn and pigheaded. Maybe Pain had already explained the urgency to her. He suspected that this particular battle had been won long before Kemp had entered the room.
'Do you have anything to add?' Markov said to Commander Beth Pain who was still standing in the doorway.
'I'm just looking forward to getting out of the Operations Room for a while. I can't wait to get outside the towers and take part in an actual combat operation.'
Markov raised an eyebrow. 'Has it been that long?'
'Almost a year.'
'You can request to be on combat operations, you know. You don't have to wait for me to ask.'
'I'm here to serve,' General. 'I enjoy working in the Operations Room too. It's the first place the other commanders call when they need help. I like helping them.'
Markov gave Pain an appraising look. She had always done a good job. She wasn't one to complain about anything. She and Kemp would make an interesting and contrasting team for sure.
'General,' Pain said. 'I've been researching the fless with the help of the Heart.'
'Very good. It will pay to be prepared for this operation. I'm sure you'll find it unlike any other.'
'Is it true that they're a savage species and they always attack by going for the neck?'
'No. The fless are intelligent creatures. General Wolfhammer's personal diaries describe them disturbingly well. You should read them. Make no mistake, these are not dumb animals that will make the same mistakes over and over again. The fless will watch you, hunt you, and change their behaviour as they learn more about you. It's true that they're violent by nature. It's also true that they like to attack by swooping down from above, using the sun to obscure their descent. They tend to rip out their victim's throats with long talons, but they are by no means fixed in these behaviours. If you defend well against them, they will adapt and change their strategies.'
'Strategies?' Kemp said. 'Are they capable of planning?'
'We don't know,' Markov said. 'From what I've read about the Fless Wars, I'd say we can't rule anything out.'
'Do you have any advice for us, General?' Pain said. 'You served in the Southern Territories for a long time.'
'Wear full combat gear at all times. Wear thick metal collars around your necks. They're uncomfortable but they'll save your life more times than you can imagine.'
'Are there any combat methods that have been proven to work well against the fless?' Kemp said.
Markov looked down at his desk. 'Wolfhammer made great use of jets of fire, but he didn't have the droids and weapons that we have today. If he had our options he may have used a different tactic. I suspect the Mech Enforcers will be most effective against them, but we've never had the opportunity to test that theory out until now.'
Pain nodded and even smiled. 'Is there anything we know to be ineffective, things we shouldn't try against them?'
'Never engage the Fless in hand to hand combat, even if you have a blade in each hand. They're too fast and their talons are savagely sharp. It only takes one scratch and you'll bleed out before you can find help. Keep your distance. Stay under cover so they can't dive bomb you from above. But don't expect them to always attack in the same way. Like I said, they'll adapt to what's happening around them. They'll change whatever they need to change. Let the droids do the fighting. I want you two to do the thinking. Find out what's happening down there. Handle the situation as best you can, but first and foremost keep yourselves safe.'
'Very well, General,' Kemp said, 'but I still think this is a mistake.'
'One other thing,' Markov said. 'If the position looks dire, get out of there. Don't start a fight that you can't win. I want you to help Commander Harg - if he's still alive. Let him help guide you as to the best way to proceed.'
'What if he's dead?' Kemp said.
Markov gazed down at his desk. 'I hope that isn't the case. If you cannot find him, report on the status of the base. Bring back the injured to be treated here and leave the Mech Enforcers at Alma Station to help defend the remaining crew.'
'We can't leave the Mech Enforcers,' Kemp said. 'We don't have enough of them to spare.'
'If they'll make a difference, leave them. We'll get the tech factories to make some more.'
'That could take months,' Pain said. 'The tech factories need upgrading. They've been struggling to keep up with capacity for a long time.'
'It takes as long as it takes,' Markov said. 'We'll deal with things here, you deal with Alma Station.'
Pain looked eager to get started. Kemp had returned to her usual scowl.
'You'd better get going,' Markov said. 'There's no time to delay.'
The commanders turned and stepped out into the corridor, leaving Markov alone with his thoughts. He rested his hands on the desk in front of him, observing the tightness forming in his shoulders. He just hoped they wouldn't be too late.