Howl: A World at War Novel (17 page)

“How are we going to deal with twenty antiaircraft guns?” Gray asked. “That pretty much kills any hope of air support.”

“
Well, we're fighting in an urban environment,” Nora said. “While air support would be helpful, it probably isn't going to be extremely effective. Assault guns and APCs will probably be more useful as backup.”

“
Plus, we're not going to be able to use it anyhow if we end up in close quarters with the enemy,” Selene pointed out. “We'll just need to rely on our fighting skills, and we have plenty.”

“
The biggest problem is going to be the two towers with the artillery on top. If they start blasting the armored company while they're assembling or trying to cross the bridge we're toast.”

“
How are we going to take them out without air support?” Gray said.

“
Artillery, though they're going to need to be right on target,” Anna suggested. “I'm pretty sure they're going to get counter fire if the guns live through the first few shots.”

“
That was my original plan,” Nora told them. “Our choppers don't have anything heavier than machine guns on them anyhow, and I don't think that's going to be enough to take out artillery. We can kill the crews, but I don't want to risk it.”

“
Actually, some of the Hephaestus Company engineers had a crazy thought,” Gray said. “They suggested mounting a battery of recoilless rifle tubes on the stub wings and rigging up a trigger mechanism. They don't think the choppers could carry more than six, but it would give the much heavier firepower.”

“
That's an interesting thought,” Anna commented.

“
That's a pretty useful thought, actually,” Selene added. “Might be good to have a couple if we run into a tank again.”

Anna nodded. “Ah, yes, the capture point boss. Do you have any idea what it might be?”

Nora shook her head. “No, and I have a feeling that they don't want us to find out.”

“
We'll just have to plan for whatever they might throw at us. It can't be that bad,” Gray said, sounding a bit optimistic.

“
Uh, I seem to remember both of us getting killed by the one in Lerna Bastion,” Selene said. “How many of us didn't end up getting killed by the boss?”

“
Me,” Anna said.

“
Me as well,” Nora said.

Selene scowled. “It really doesn't count if you were in the headquarters then entire time.”

“What do you have to complain about? You got free drinks out of the deal.”

Selene laughed. “That's true. I'm pretty sad that Zach stopped making those offers.”

“I'm pretty sure he would be broke and we'd all have cirrhosis of the liver by now,” Nora said.

“
Back on topic, I still think we'll need air support to take the district, no matter how ineffective it might be,” Anna said.

“
I think we can get it,” Nora said. “It's going to take a lot of recon work and a lot of coordination, but I think we can clear out all the AA guns in the area.”

“
You're talking about raiding them? That's going to be pretty hard, especially if they have a thousand troops in there,” Gray said. “Not that I'm against that kind of challenge, but it might be tough.”

“
That's one possibility. The other possibility is that we use our artillery to blast them. If we pinpoint where they are then we can have Griffon and Bravehart hit them with artillery strikes. We'll need to be accurate, though. I'm not sure we want to rely on photos from the air, 'cause I'm not sure they're completely accurate.”

“
We could find out whether they're accurate or not,” Anna suggested. “Send in teams and have them pinpoint the location of a few guns. If they match up with the information we have now, then we'll know that the aerial photos are accurate.”

“
That will work too,” Nora said, wondering why she didn't think of the idea herself. It was an obvious one, really.

“
We've got some light at the end of the tunnel,” Selene said.

“
If that's true, then we're going to need to take a plan in front of the council,” Anna said. She turned to Nora. “I assume we're going to base it off of Selene's plan. Is there anything you wanted to add to it after looking over the new map?”

“
I have a full plan sketched up, based around Selene's idea,” Nora said. “I think it's pretty sound.”

“
Let's hear it, then.”

Nora opened up her menu and found her notes. She didn't want to forget any of the details. With a few swipes she adjusted the map table so it only focused on a single district.

“Alright, I think that an amphibious assault over the reservoir is the best idea, given the fact that the other options are trying to take the wall in a frontal attack or trying an airborne assault with all the antiaircraft guns in the city. I also agree that we should be the ones making the first landing, since we have the most experience. I think that Black Wolf should make the initial assault, since we're better equipped for a frontal attack.”

“
Makes sense,” Gray said.

Nora adjusted the zoom on the map. “Two blocks in from the shore there's a wide boulevard that stretches about a mile, and it's bordered by houses and apartments on the beach side. After we take the shore the rangers should move there and set up a defensive line. That will keep the enemy away from the shore while the rest of our forces land. Marauder, Crimson Eagle and Sacred Sword will be coming across.”

“That's a lot of troops to transport by water,” Anna commented. “Are we sure we can do it quickly enough?”

“
Thanks to Hephaestus, yes.” Nora cycled through her menu and brought up a set of plans that she had been given. “I talked to Yusuf about the problem, and he and Garrett came up with a solution. They're going to build specialized craft like this to get the follow on wave over the water.”

The design was based on their river craft. It consisted of a pair of boats joined together by a central platform, like a catamaran. It was a simple and crude design, but it would serve its purpose well enough.

“How many people can it carry?” Selene asked.

“
Thirty.”

Anna nodded. “Well, that's more than enough room.”

“We're going to need to do it in two waves. I think we should send Marauder and part of Sacred Sword over in the first wave. Marauder storms the gate and Sacred Sword helps to hold the landing area. Once Crimson Eagle and the rest of Sacred Sword come over in the second wave we can start pushing into the city. Hopefully by then the gate will be captured. Once that happens we'll signal the armored company. They'll cross the bridge and then help us take the city. Sacred Sword's assault guns will be going across with them as well.”

“
What about the guns?” Gray asked.

“
While all this is going on, Griffon and Bravehart will be bombarding the city. They'll take out the artillery first, then move on to any AA guns we haven't destroyed before the battle. Once they're gone we can send in the choppers. If we can get them down quickly enough then I think we can use the transport choppers as well. We can load up squads from the ranger company and drop them behind the enemy lines to flank them.”

“
The pilots are going to have to be careful that they don't stray over other areas of the city,” Gray said.

Selene agreed. “I don't think their strategy of fast attack runs is going to work. There's too much risk of them going too far and being shot up. They're going to have to hover more, and that's going to put them at risk.”

“They came up with the fast attack run strategy because we didn't want to risk the choppers if we could help it. This is what we were saving them for,” Nora said. “Anyway, that's the plan. It's mostly in place, though we might need to make a few adjustments. So what does everyone think?”

Everyone was silent for a moment. She thought that might be a bad sign.

“And you were worried about taking command if I got killed?” Anna said. “This is as good of a plan as any I've seen. I don't think there's much more we can tweak. We just need to do our recon work and make sure everyone's ready.”

“
And we have to make sure our northern front is secure,” Gray pointed out.

“
That's Zach's job,” Anna said.

It was Zach's job, his and Danny's and Liz's. All of her planning meant nothing if Ragnarok could stab them as soon as their back was turned. They would need to make sure Ronin and its allies could take the fight to Ragnarok.

And they were in for a hard fight.

CHAPTER 15

Sound and Thunder

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

Danny could hear the thunder of guns in the distance. Bravehart and Griffon were blasting Fort Odin with everything they had. He had seen both companies in action, though not at the same time. The amount of fire either company could throw out was impressive. Working together, their combined strength must have been staggering. Danny almost felt sorry for the Ragnarok troops caught in the bombardment. Almost.

He activated his radio. “Watchman, Watchman, this is Bravo Wolf, over.”

“
Bravo Wolf, this is Watchman. I read you loud and clear,” came the response. Watchman was the callsign for their Sparrow, circling above and tracking the movements of any enemy troops coming out of Old Chicago.

“
Anything to report?”

“
Nothing but the normal traffic. We'll keep you posted.”

“
Understood. Bravo Wolf out.”

“
Nervous?” Liz asked him.

Danny shrugged. “You were in the last battle. You know why.”

She nodded grimly. “Yeah, this is probably going to be ugly. But at least we have Sacred Sword to back us up.”

That was going to be their saving grace. Redd Foxx and Black Wolf were as tough as anyone in World at War, but Sacred Sword was built for front line fighting. They were experienced, battle-hardened and savvy, led by veteran commanders. They were large as well, with about ninety members. And while the rangers would put up a hard fight, Sacred Sword would help to put some real backbone in the line.

Aside from the power of their soldiers and their heavy weapons teams, they also had their assault gun to back them up.
Orcrist
was armed with a 75mm artillery piece, the same weapon that Griffon and Bravehart were using on Fort Odin. When used for direct fire it had a much lower range, but it was deadly to tightly packed infantry, and could blast through most cover.

Would it be enough to hold off the Valkyries? Danny thought so, but the prospect made him nervous all the same. They were so tough and unpredictable. Or maybe they were in his head, and he was overestimating their abilities. In any case, he couldn't let that influence his judgment.

David walked up with Morgan, his second. “Alright, we're set up according to the plan. Are we still following it?”

“
Unless anything changes, yes,” Danny said.

Sacred Sword's three platoons were spread out in a line, with Gio on the left, Staci on the right and Morgan in the center guarding the highway.
Orcrist
was in the center, since that was the only place it could really maneuver. The ranger company was being held in reserve. The Black Wolf platoon was under the command of Xavier, going by the callsign Zulu Wolf for this mission. They would act as a general reserve, plugging holes in the line if they appeared. Liz's platoon was going to wait until the battle started. Once the enemy was engaged and they had a clear picture of what they were doing, Redd Foxx would fade into the woods and then attack one of the flanks. Danny hoped that the surprise would allow them to roll up the enemy line.

It had worked against other Ragnarok forces in the past, but would it work against the Valkyries? They were diehards, and there was a good chance they would stand their ground and fight, even if they were being slaughtered. But then again, there was no harm in trying. The only other option was to slug it out with them, and Danny wasn't optimistic about their chances. Sure, they would probably win, but the Valkyries could do a heck of a lot of damage before they went down, which Hydra couldn't afford to take. This whole front was only a sideshow to their real objective, after all, and they needed to preserve their forces for the attack on Indianapolis.

“Everyone seems really nervous,” Morgan said. “I know the rumors say the Valkyries are really tough, but are they really as bad as they say?”

“
They might be worse,” Danny told him. “We got absolutely massacred by them when we grabbed the schematic.”

“
Then again, we might be overestimating them,” Liz said. “I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that they caught us by surprise last time, and that we were trying to get away. We'll probably have better luck with them if we stand and fight.”

“
Still, they're really tough,” Danny said.

Liz shrugged. “That's to be expected. But everyone seems to be focusing on the fact that we lost most of our troops. We
won
. We got the schematic, and then we got away with it.”

“
Besides, they're not the only ones who are really tough,” Morgan said. “You say they like close quarters? Well, we'll be happy to oblige them.”

Danny nodded. He was being far too pessimistic. “Watchman, Watchman, do you see anything?”

“Nothing yet,” came the reply. He thought there was a hint of annoyance in Watchman's voice. Maybe it was time to lay off.

“
Nervous?” David asked.

“
I asked him the same thing,” Liz said.

Danny shrugged. “It's the waiting. Once we get in battle I'll be fine.”

The guns continued to thunder in the distance.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

*              *              *

The bombardment was ferocious. Zach was up with the forward teams from Griffon and Bravehart, watching them fire their mortars at Fort Odin. Their speed was incredible. Once they had zeroed in on a target a single team could put four or five shells on it in the span of a minute. Multiply that by the number of teams here, and there was a lot of hurt raining down on the Ragnarok troops inside the fort.

These weren't even the heavy ones; they were 81mm mortars. The
120s
were further back laying down their own barrage, and further back from them were the big guns, the artillery. He looked over at the area where the shells were falling. Fort Odin was a sheet of flame. Nothing could survive that kind of bombardment.

At least, that's what it looked like. Zach knew better. The fort had plenty of areas where the enemy could take cover, completely safe from their fire. For as impressive as everything looked, the fact remained that their artillery was at the light end of the scale. It was deadly, but it could be shrugged off by well-made fortifications. And Fort Odin was definitely a well-made fortification, with thick walls and a tough citadel.

The real purpose of the bombardment was to force the enemy into cover, giving Ronin, White Tiger and Dogs of War time to get close enough. By the time the bombardment lifted and the defenders were able to get back on the wall, the attacking force would already be close. Zach also hoped that they could destroy some of the heavy weapons that had been placed on the wall. Ragnarok had .50 caliber machine guns and automatic grenade launchers, and Zach knew from experience that both were deadly. They had started their attack with little warning, so he hoped that Ragnarok had been forced to leave their guns on the wall to seek shelter. If they took out even half the number then that would help a lot.

He found Bryce watching his troops fire off their ordinance. There wasn't much else for him to do up here at the moment. Both Bravehart and Griffon were well trained and experienced, so they required little direction.

“Beautiful, isn't it,” Bryce said.

“
Not quite the word I'd use, but yeah, it is impressive,” Zach said.

Bryce shrugged. “Well, there's a lot to those feelings. Having Ragnarok come and take your stronghold out from under you leaves a lot of resentment. I'm not sorry to say that it feels good to see them on the receiving end.”

Zach nodded and looked back toward Fort Odin. In a few minutes the bombardment would lift and the infantry would begin their attack. Hopefully Ragnarok was stunned enough that their resistance would be less intense than they had run into in the past. At any rate, he was glad that it would be companies outside of Hydra taking the casualties.

“
There's a lot of people who have personal vendettas against Ragnarok, come to think of it,” Zach said. “I mean, my company didn't like Ragnarok, but it was never particularly personal for anyone. It was just something that ended up happening.”

“
Yeah, the former Pact members have a pretty personal grudge against them,” Bryce agreed. “We spent so much time getting established, and they took it all away from us just like that.”

“
We'd never be where we are today without you guys.”

“
I know, and quite honestly, I think it's for the best. We're a united front, after all, and we're making them sweat at the very least. But still, they tried to take our symbols and pride from us and make us conform. That's something that I can't forgive.”

Zach nodded. More explosions thundered on top of Fort Odin. “I can see that.”

“But we shouldn't let that mess with our heads, is that what you want to say? Don't worry, we won't let it happen. We want payback, sure. But we're not going to dwell in the past. The Legion Pact is dead, and nothing that we do is going to bring it back. Now we do what's best for Hydra.”

“
Good. And I think that Ragnarok is going to regret what they did. We would have never had the strength to take a proper city by ourselves. But with you guys, I think we can do it. And that's when we become the superpower in the region.”

“
Yeah, and we'll do it the right way. Calm and under control.”

Zach started to say something, then paused for a moment. “Actually, I think that having a bit of fire behind you is a good thing,” he said. “We've been prepared to fight Ragnarok from the beginning, but our fight has been cold, calculated. It's all very logical and matter-of-fact.”

Bryce nodded. “That's a good thing, right?”

Zach looked back over toward Fort Odin. The bombardment was beginning to let up. It was time for the main attack. “To a point, yeah. But while that may be good in a strategy meeting or in headquarters, sometimes there's just something missing if your troops in the field feel that way. Anger and a thirst for payback drives them to fight harder, you know?”

“Yeah, I've seen quite a bit of that,” Bryce said. “One of the reasons I think Marauder is so effective is because they fight angry. Controlled, mind you, but angry.”

Zach nodded. “I think we have some of that in Black Wolf now. I'm glad that Karen and her group joined up. That made it pretty personal for us.”

“She's the one with the company that got crushed by Ragnarok?” Bryce asked. “Got to admire her resolve, at the very least. Refusing to yield even when they have you broken and defeated.”

“
Yeah, and I'm pretty flattered that she ended up choosing us,” Zach said.

“
Honestly, it's not surprising,” Bryce said. “A lot of us have notoriety, but most of us would kill to have your reputation.”

Zach shrugged. “Is it really all that?”

Bryce laughed. “Oh, where to start? You were the first company founded. Everyone who's been in the game long enough has heard about the stunt you guys pulled the first day. You're the catalyst for the alliance, and you control the overdrive markets.”

“
We've had a lot of help,” Zach said.

“
And you're still the face. Maybe it's like you're the quarterback, if you want to use an analogy. You get all the attention, even if other people had a lot to do with the success.”

“
Ugh. Anyhow, they wanted to join us. Karen took it pretty personally, I think. She felt like she failed the rest of her troops.”

“
Not much a small company can do against something the size of Ragnarok,” Bryce said. “Except for you guys, which is why you're so famous.”

Zach grinned and shook his head as he thought about it. “Withholding drugs. That's go to be the worst way to make yourself famous. Glorious last stand? Heroic attack against all odds? Nope, we're famous because we told the addict that he couldn't get his fix if he didn't do what we told him.”

“Hey, whatever works,” Bryce laughed.

“
Well, Karen felt like she failed, regardless. I refused to let her in the company to begin with. I told her to reform her old company, and we would give them what they needed to succeed. The stronghold, the weapons, whatever. But she refused.”

“
Man, she must have taken it really personally,” Bryce said.

“
Yeah, she told me that she thought she wasn't up to the job. She needed to follow instead of lead. So they joined our company as rank and file troops.”

“
You said that made it personal for you guys?”

Zach nodded. He could hear gunfire coming from the direction of Fort Odin now. “We never liked Ragnarok before. Having her group in Black Wolf just gave us an excuse to have a real vendetta against them, you know? You stepped all over our comrades, so we're going to make you pay. That kind of thing.”

“She has squad command though, right? How did you convince her to take that?”