Retaliation

CHAPTER ONE

Command Bunker West of Romanovka

Boris was tired. But a good kind of tired. Tomorrow the battle would be fought. His raiders had continued to mark the progress of the NVG column. The enemy column was continuing to travel, beyond all common sense, along the original route. His men were dug in and thoroughly prepared. Forces of about eighty Weres had been positioned on either end of the battle site ready to chase anyone that fled the assault on the column. As soon as the route was confirmed once again, those at the alternate assault site would start moving to join the main force.

Boris had given Danislav command of the secondary site forces. These troops were tasked with reinforcing the encamped primary group and sealing off the ends of the ambush against any NVG forces trying to escape. He’d put about two-thirds of his men on the far side of the battlefield, just in case the re-enforcements were detected before they were in position.

Insurance of a sort, against the possibility that the NVG tried to break all the way through the ambush and flee.

Central to the plan was the strategy to take out the vehicles. Those at the front of the column would be attacked first, then any at the rear. Second priority would be the armor. The most dangerous vehicle that the NVG had were agile APCs, so the lighter shoulder-mounted launchers, the Carl Gustavs, were to be used against them. Other tanks or reinforced vehicles could then be picked off by anti-tank missiles.

A group of twenty snipers had established firing positions and chose range markers at each site. Fighters, mostly drawn from the mercenaries with a few hunters in the mix, had been given half the stockpile of Barret M82 guns, shoulder-fired semi-automatic rifles. The large .50 caliber weapons had the balance of long range and high stopping power that this sort of battle required.

All of the marksmen had orders to disable and destroy any of the trucks that tried to go around the battle for strategic position or in an attempt to run. Boris did not want anyone to escape, especially in a highly mobile vehicle.

The anger of his men and his own need for retribution demanded that this engagement be a powerful blow. Retaliation for the deaths of his people, a justified response to their betrayal by their government. In a pinch, he could win against the approaching force with the troops already in place, but doing so without the reinforcements from the alternate site risked higher casualties.

While Boris wanted to win this battle, he had to win his war. Sacrificing his forces at this point in the campaign would endanger everything that they sought to preserve.

ADAM had confirmed that the two companies of NVG had been given orders to run the refugees down, take as many as possible captive, and march them to a position some hundred and fifty miles north of their home in Romanovka. Boris had marked the location carefully and was deciding whether or not to investigate the area once the battle was over. There had to be a reason that the NVG had selected it since it wasn’t convenient for a transport depot, or the exchange of prisoners.

Paul came running in. “Boss, we have confirmation. The NVG is heading for the primary route. The raiders will move to their areas of responsibility now. Danislav has some Weres shadowing them and a relay of wolf howls if they divert from what we know of their routes.” Paul grimaced. “It seems to be so… off to be effectively yelling signals to each other. What are we? Tribesmen?”

Boris grinned. “Ahh, but the pack can recognize each other’s howls, while it will be just usual sounds to the NVG. What is unusual in this wilderness about a few more wolf howls? They may have some sort of signal detectors, but when no messages are heard, they will think whoever was ambushing them gave up. After all, human forces wouldn’t be using wolf howls now would they?” His grin turned his face to an expression of vicious anticipation and glee.

Janna shook her head. “It is not like these troops are professionals, Boris. Oh, some probably are, no doubt. But the bulk are street thugs given a veneer of training and thrown into uniform.” A look of disgust covered her face, and she spat on the ground. “I doubt that your risk estimates are close. I’d be surprised if they manage to cause half the damage you are expecting.”

Boris simply shrugged “Better to be prepared for the worst. The only thing I regret is that I have to be at the rear of our forces. I never liked leading from the back. Besides, it is vital that we completely eliminate this group. Its orders are… not kind to our people. Once the threat that they represent is gone, we can focus more on finding information that will help us decide what to do next.”

Janna looked at him in a combination of consideration and buried anger. “With Bethany Anne willing to extract them, the fifteen agents I can still contact are ready to look for that information. As an Englishman might put it ‘Something is rotten in the kingdom of Denmark,’ yes? They are patriots, wanting to look after their country even though it has abandoned them.”

She continued, “I have not told them about what forces will be using that knowledge. One or two of them may put the bits and pieces together, but it is not important. I handpicked all of these people. They trust me as I trust them.”

A sour look appeared on her face. “We were betrayed, and I now know by whom. I never wanted Sergeant Brogonovich on my team, but he was assigned by someone above my Colonel’s pay grade. A plant from the start it seems. I hope I get to see him on his knees, begging for his life, before I shoot him in the back of his worthless head.”

Boris grinned. At least she had the penalties for fuckups and traitors in her current world down pat. Didn’t seem squeamish about it either. It showed a good perspective on the realities of their situation. He just wished that it did not make her even more attractive.

Dragging his mind back to the conversation, he said, “Now you two, we have a busy day tomorrow. Go, get some sleep.” Boris waved toward the exit of their half-buried command post.

Their command and control groups had been given enough radios by Lance for officers and senior non-coms, so they really could take advantage of someone giving orders from the rear. Boris was the only person with the experience and the knowledge of their other assets, so he was forced into a more protected position, although it continued to rankle him.

A dozen or more cameras had been linked into a network designed by TOM and coordinated by ADAM to enable Boris to come as close as possible to the action while still strategically overseeing the battle. It was a compact and comprehensive setup, with an added benefit that everything could be moved into the shipping container/command transport once the fight was over.

Paul responded, “After you, boss.”

Boris shook his head, “You know I never sleep before an op. I’ll go for a walk among the troops, making sure they know that I trust them to do their jobs. Boost their confidence, boost their morale. Show that I care for them.”

Janna glanced questioningly at Paul who answered the unasked question, “He does this every time. No matter the size or scope of the mission. Anything from a squad op to company-sized. The night before the battle he won’t sleep. Not that it seems to affect his ability to do the job well. Just makes me, a mere mortal, kinda jealous. Gets me every time he does that, too.” He shook his head and headed tiredly to his sleeping bag.

Watching Paul leave, Boris raised an eyebrow at Janna, who shrugged and also headed out. He was finding her less distracting to work with now, the passage of time allowing him to re-associate her smell. He couldn’t help but admire the grace with which she walked and the sway of her assets as she left. He sighed internally. She was not an option for romance. Definitely not now, one did not look to operational subordinates for such.

He headed out to circulate among the troops. It was a cold camp tonight, with no fires, but hopefully, he could hearten them. Boris still wished he could fight with them and swore to himself that next time he would not be kept out of the action.