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Chapter 4
Time: CY 9788 DecemberLocation: Tizona
The first warning when came when the orbital surveillance satellites detected the slip portal event. There were no arrivals scheduled for this time so an alert was automatically generated. An instant later the ships that had created the slip portal emerged from the stream. The satellites analyzed the engine signatures and the alert was changed to an alarm. The signatures matched those of Magog swarm ships. Given the speed of the attackers' craft the defenders of the planet would have approximately four hours preparation before they landed. It wouldn't be enough but it was all they had.
On the planet alarms began to sound. Some Home Guard units began to man the Nietzschean surface to air missile batteries and captured Garuda fighters that had been such an unpleasant surprise to the Lancers that had liberated the planet. The Lancers' Phoenix fighters prepared for launch as well. The fighters didn't have the endurance of the Garudas but, unlike the long range patrol craft, they could be used in the planet's atmosphere. Lancer and Home Guard ground forces moved to their pre-prepared defensive positions to wait out the bombardment that would preceded the Magog landing. Some of the civilian population began to stream towards evacuation centers while others headed towards the wilderness area that that been the sanctuary of the resistance forces during the Nietzschean occupation, but there were too many civilians and not enough time.
As the Magog swarm ships approached the planet, defense satellites launched their missiles. There were a surprising number of them considering the size of the population of the planet. The men and women in charge of Tizona's defense had taken advantage of the fact that the planet has once harboured a High Guard supply depot and had used those supplies liberally. The defense satellites destroyed scores of the invaders but for every one they destroyed ten got by them. The planet-to-space missile batteries and the fighters rose up to meet the swarm ships. Scores more were destroyed but the swarmships were now in range to use their space-to-planet weaponry to good effect. Magog counter-battery fire silenced many of the missile batteries while flash bombs, the weapons designed to incapacitate rather than kill, detonated over the major population centers.
The majority of the swarm ships landed in what had once been the planet's capital city while others landed in other large population centers. Cities that since the Nietzschean invasion and subsequent food shortage had been largely abandoned. Moments after the landings the cities and the swarmships vanished in nuclear fire that consumed the invaders, as well as the few remaining civilians that had not left the cities, as the defenders launched surface to surface nuclear missiles, reckoning that the damage done to the planet's biosphere by the nuclear explosions would be less of a threat than the Magog.. Other swarmships landed in the rural areas and smaller cities and disgorged their crews who began their routine of slaughter and infection. The Lancer and Home Guard ground forces emerged from their redoubts and engaged their enemy while the surviving Phoenix fighters attacked the grounded swarmships. The Lancer and Home Guard troops died in large numbers but the Magog died in even larger ones. The Magog commander realizing that he had led his hordes into a hornets' nest ordered his remaining troops to retreat. As they left the planet they were engaged by the surviving missile batteries and defense satellites. Very few of the swarmships made it to the slippoint. On Tizona the survivors began the task of burying the dead and giving the infected a merciful death.
Time: CY9789 FebruaryLocation: Major Korgar's office
"Good morning, Donald,"said Major Korgar as he arose from his seat and held out a hand. "I just returned from a visit to Chancellor Rhinegold 's office and there are some matters I need to discuss with you. With all my officers actually but since you're for all intents and purposes my aide I decided I would break the news to you first."
"Err, yes sir," said Lawford automatically taking the major's hand feeling somewhat unbalanced by the use of his first name. "I hope you extended to the chancellor my congratulations on her election victory over Chancellor Juno."
"I did. And she told me to tell you that your use of a shovel was quite ingenious. You almost convinced her to vote for the shovel instead of herself. But I didn't call you in to discuss the election." He waved his hand to indicate that Lawford should sit down
As soon as the signifer was seated the major took his seat. "I'm not going to beat around the bush with this, Signifer. I need you to turn in your resignation from the Lancer Corps"
An expression of shock crossed Lawford's face. He started to automatically form a protest but then regained control of himself and all expression left his face. "I understand," he said tonelessly. "Lobera, my preparations for its defense were inadequate. We lost far to many people. I'll turn in my resignation immediately. I'm sure that you will find my gunnery sergeant capable of assuming my duties until you can find a replacement for me."
Korgar shook his head in negation. "This has nothing to do with your performance Signifer. Your actions on Durendal not only helped secure us a source of much needed supplies but the terms of surrender you negotiated for the South Islanders were good enough that they may no longer feel the need to be an independent state. And your defense of Lobera during the Magog attack was nothing short of brilliant. Considering the resources you had available to you to defend the city none of my other officers could have done any better"
"Then why...." began Lawford only to be forestalled by the major's raised hand.
"You've read the reports on the situation here on Tizona What's your estimation that Tizona can continue to be a viable place to live without outside assistance. That we can pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps so to speak."
"Essentially zero," answered Lawford an expression of interest came over his face as he realized that his commanding officer wasn't sacking him for incompetence. "Tizona is marginally habitable at best and even before the war its economy depended heavily on subsidies from the Commonwealth. With time it could be developed into self sufficiency, but without substantial imports from other planets it will take years just to get back to where they, uh. we were before the war and the Magog, and by then most of the population will have starved."
"And if we're going to import we'll need something to export in return," said the major. "And at present Tizona has only one potential export. Us. It was our success on Durendal that brought the chancellor to this decision. Under both Commonwealth law and Tizona's own planetary charter neither High Guard or Home Guard units can be used in such a fashion. I'll give Chancellor Juno credit for putting the welfare of the planet over the law in this case but it sets a bad precedent. What Chancellor Rhinegold is asking is that you, me, and all the other officers in the division resign our commissions. We will then form an independent corporation with it's own security organization similar to those of some of the Commonwealth's larger mega-corporations had. As there are no other Commonwealth units to turn over our equipment and the bases to they will fall under the stewardship of the Tizona government, which will in turn lease them back to us for one crown per year."
"I see," said Lawford. "You and the Chancellor are proposing that we become a state sponsored mercenary corportion. Do you and the chancellor expect that there will be much demand for our services?"
"The Kalderans and the Ogami have officially seceded from the Commonwealth. Halcyon, Mobious, and Benesserit have all declared themselves to be the new capital of the Systems Commonwealth. The Than have virtually cut themselves off from all outside contacts and there are rumors that the Nietzscheans have begun to fight amongst themselves. So yes, we expect that the Korgar Military Assistance Corporation will have plenty of business opportunities. It will still be a near thing. A bad crop season or a sudden outbreak of peace could create mass starvation and send the entire planet back into the dark ages."
He paused and a look of determination came over his face. "Tizona still may not be able to outrun the bony bastard but we'll give him one hell of a run for his money."
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