Howl: A World at War Novel (15 page)

Tafari laughed. “Ah, can't argue about it when it's true.”

“Anyhow, they want to seize the fort. Ragnarok has beefed up their defenses, but it's nothing impossible. I've already sent word to the council. They've authorized us use of the armored company, Bravehart, Griffon, Jackal and Sacred Sword.”

“
Jeeze. That's a lot,” Danny said.

Zach nodded. “I know, which is why I don't want to screw this up. I think we're only going to use the infantry and artillery companies. We don't want to waste our armored vehicles attacking a fort.”

“Do you have a problem with us reserving our best forces?” Danny asked Tafari.

He shook his head. “I'll take whatever help you're willing to give us.”

“Our plan is to use Bravehart and Griffon to pound Fort Odin with mortars and artillery. Jackal will be there to provide security for them, and to support the main attack if they need it.”

“
What about Sacred Sword?” Danny asked.

Liz spoke up. “That's where we come in, actually. We've noticed that any time the Valkyries have responded to us they've come from the direction of Old Chicago. We think that they're based there unless they're on a mission. And they're going to be our biggest problem.”

“What, not the thousands of troops they can call upon?” Danny asked. “Yeah, they're a very tough unit. But they're not as bad as having five hundred enemies suddenly descend upon us.”

“
That's where the armored company is going to come in,” Zach explained.

“
I thought you said we weren't going to use them,” Danny pointed out.

“
In battle, no. But we're going to put them at Fort Baldr, and we're going to make sure that Ragnarok knows that.”

“
Ah, I see,” Danny said. That would definitely give them pause. Normally they could move troops from other garrisons south to support Fort Odin, but with the armored company in the area the situation would be very uncertain. He could hear the questions they would be asking themselves. Where was Hydra going to strike? What were they after? Was the attack on the fort just a diversion?

Questions like those would freeze them in place. Only a few units could respond, lest they have a powerful force wreaking havoc behind their lines. And if they could only use a few units, Danny was pretty sure which ones they would choose.

“So I'm guessing our job is to fight the Valkyries?”

Zach nodded. “Your job is to make sure they don't make it through to relieve the fort. It's going to be your platoons, plus Sacred Sword. I'm going to be in command of all Hydra forces in the north. Danny, I want you in command of the blocking force, with Liz as your second.”

Danny frowned. “I'm flattered, but what does David this of this? Shouldn't the command role go to an actual company commander?”

“
David agreed to it already,” Zach said. “He suggested it, actually. We're the ones who have experience fighting the Valkyries. That means you two are best qualified for the job.”

“
Why me and not her, then?”

“
When's the last time you were an adjunct?” Liz asked.

“
Uh, never?”

“
Exactly.”

Danny turned to Tafari. “How many troops are you going to have attacking the fort?”

“Our full strength that we can put in the field,” he said. “We still need to have troops guarding our strongholds and forts, so that cuts down on the numbers a bit. We still have about three hundred troops that we can commit.”

“
How big is the garrison at Fort Odin?”

“
Around two hundred,” Tafari said. “They may have increased the size after we took Fort Baldr.”

“
You're putting an awful lot of faith in Bravehart and Griffon,” Danny said.

“
Well, it's not like we have too much of a choice,” Zach said. “Aaron really doesn't want to take part in it, and C.J. is pretty iffy on it as well. I'm pretty sure that Cody would have a brain aneurism if we asked him.”

Danny burst out laughing. “I could totally see that happening.”

“We should be fine,” Tafari said. “We've become experts at storming fortified positions.”

“
You should join us, then,” Liz said.

Tafari shook his head. “I'm flattered by the offer, but my duty is to the other members of the alliance.”

“How strong is the garrison? Are they veterans or scrubs?” Danny asked.

Zach shook his head and gave a rueful smile. “They're pretty good quality, and that might be our fault. Remember, the forts were built to protect Ragnarok's territory from attack, mostly by us. They've had strong garrisons ever since we pushed them out of the south, and our raids have probably made them even stronger.”

“Still, they're not invincible,” Tafari said. “We'll have fire support from you guys, and we have our own veteran troops storming the fort. It's not going to be easy, but it's definitely doable.”

“
Has Levi given approval to these plans?” Liz asked.

“
Not yet, but he will,” Tafari said. “He's not stupid.”

“
Can I ask you a bit of a personal question?” Danny asked him.

“
Sure.”

Danny hesitated for a moment. “Why are you guys following Levi? I mean, I understand loyalty and all, but he seems to rub a lot of people the wrong way. How do you stick with him?”

Tafari gave a crooked smile. “Yeah, I've heard that before. I can see how he'd upset some people. He's someone who's very set in his ways. But he's not the dictator that a lot of people want to portray him as. Does he want control? Yeah, he does. But not like people say.”

“
Could you... elaborate?” Danny asked. “I'm sorry if this is a bit personal.”

Tafari shrugged. “Nope, it's a perfectly valid question. Some of this is conjecture, but I think that Levi sees himself as a necessary evil. In order to fight Ragnarok we can't have any hesitation, and in his mind the only way to prevent that hesitation is to have a single central authority. He's chosen to be the bad guy and is trying to be that authority. But he's not a dictator. He listens, he takes suggestions. Levi might have final say, but he's not the only decision maker.”

Danny grimaced. “It's surprising how much your perspective changes once you hear the other side of the story.”

“
But doesn't our alliance disprove his theory?” Liz asked. “We're run by a council, and we've hurt Ragnarok badly.”

“
How long will that last before disagreements and politics start tearing it apart, though?” Tafari asked. “That's Levi's concern. The intentions are good, but without a strong authority it could all go bad very quickly. And then the end is nasty, brutish and short.”

“
Hobbes?” Danny asked.

Tafari shrugged. “That's part of Levi's theory.”

“Then his theory is wrong. Hobbes doesn't say that people have to be governed by one person with all the authority. He says that people need to be ruled over by a strong centralized authority, which our council qualifies as such.”

“
That's a bit of a nitpick.”

“
He's currently getting his doctorate in philosophy,” Zach explained. “That kind of nitpick is pretty important to him.”

Tafari laughed. “OK, point taken.”

“And it's a fair question. But I think we'd be stronger if we all joined forces. Why not join Hydra?”

“
You mean other than the fact that Cody would have a coronary?” Liz asked.

“
Oh, he'd be fine once we found something for him to kill,” Danny said.

“
We like our alliance as it is,” Tafari shrugged. “Do we want more cooperation with you guys? Yeah, I think that would be great. But we don't want to give up what we have right now.”

“
Fair enough,” Danny said.

Tafari stood up. “Well, I need to head to Ronin Fortress for the company command meeting. Time to get this all approved.”

“Have fun. Thanks for putting up with me,” Danny said.

“
No problem,” Tafari said. He left the meeting room.

Danny started to get up, but his alert buzzed. There was a message from Zach. Danny gave him a quizzical look, then opened it up.

Don't sabotage our meatshield
,” it said.

Danny laughed and typed a message back to him.
Man, you're mean
, it said. That was the type of world they were in, though.

“Here it goes,” Danny said. He swung his club forward and got a solid hit. His ball banked off the wooden angle and curve. It went in. “Hole in one!” Danny said, pumping his fists in the air.

“
I guess that makes up for you putting it in the water obstacle on the last hole,” Nora said.

“
Oh, you're just jealous, Ms. I'm in Last Place,” Danny said.

“
Just wait until we get to the windmill,” Zach said.

“
Just how bad is it?” Liz asked.

“
Not that bad,” Danny said.

“
Not that bad? If we timed you we might need to use a calendar,” Zach said.

“
Five dollars says I make it through at par or better,” Danny said.

“
Sorry, but I have a policy of not being a thief,” Zach said.

Nora laughed. “Oh, that's harsh.”

“Fine then. I'll prove you wrong anyhow,” Danny said.

They moved on the the next hole, a green with a loop. Liz lined up for her shot. She hit it through the loop without a problem, though her shot was slightly off target and missed the hole. She put it in with her next shot.

Zach went next. He hit the ball squarely, but like Liz his shot was slightly off target. He completed the hole in two shots as well.

Nora made a hard shot that was off target. She hit the edge of the loop, causing the ball to ricochet back. Her next shot was more on target, though again it was still wide of the hole. She finished a shot over par.

Then it was Danny's turn. He carefully lined up his shot, trying to make sure everything was line up.

“
Any day now would be good,” Zach said.

“
You're trying to throw me off,” Danny said.

“
I can't help if my words have side effects,” Zach shrugged.

“
Fine, I'll take even longer.”

Liz poked him with her club. “Just go.”

“Alright, if you insist.” Danny shot. His putt was right on target. It went through the loop at the perfect angle and velocity. Hole in one again. He could hear the others groan behind him.

“
Whose idea was this?” Nora asked.

“
Trust me, it'll be worth it once we get to the windmill,” Zach said.

“
What, just because you guys need the virtual display? Maybe we should play virtual world golf next time?”

“
I'm pretty sure I'd rip my neuro-helmet off in frustration and smash it,” Liz said. “And then where would we be?”

“
That's not even possible,” Danny said.

“
I'd find a way.”

“
We need to go outside sometimes,” Nora said. “I'm not going to spend my entire life in the virtual world.”

“
How do you know what's real and what isn't?” Danny asked.

Nora groaned. “No philosophy puzzles tonight.”

Danny laughed. “Just kidding. None of those crazy discussions tonight. I'm fine with just relaxing.”

“
Yeah, I can agree with that. Sometimes the game world can seem a bit overstimulating.”

That was definitely true, and there was a lot to be said for peace and quiet. Even though World at War was great fun, Danny still took the time to enjoy less action-packed entertainment. His love of reading was still as strong as ever, and he still spent a lot of time reading the writings of various philosophers.

“Are you two planning another cabin trip?” Liz asked.

Nora sighed. “We don't know. I'd like to do one before it gets too cold to hike. But there's a lot of stuff going on in the game, and we can't just walk away from that right now. It is our job, after all, and I think they're going to be very interested in what we're doing.”

“A lot of it depends on the timing of everything,” Zach says. “If we're behind schedule, then it's not going to happen. If we're ahead, then we'll probably end up going.”

The moved on to the next hole. The green was dotted with various hills. Danny made a trio of good shots and scored par. The rest of them struggled and took at least five to finish the hole.

“Whose idea was this?” Nora asked again.

“
Windmill,” Zach reminded her.