Superiority Chapter 5
#6 of Superiority
Superiority
Chapter 5
"Reports from AYFD bases three, four, seven, and eight indicate possible attempts to conceal the true number of canadian troops fortifying their installations," said General Freeman, much to the dismay of everyone in the room.
"What about installations near the other bases? Have there been any reports so far?" asked the Emperor, worried about what this could mean when the canadians declared war.
"None yet, Your Majesty," replied the General. "But I assure you the reports will be in soon. Most of the forces are concentrating on fortification, and have just recently been able to organize a scouting party."
"What sort of activities have they been reporting?" asked the Emperor.
"Very alarming activities, Your Majesty. Training exercises, and large shipments of unknown nature, assumed to be ammunition," replied Freeman.
"May I be so bold as to make a suggestion, Your Majesty?" asked General Nosov.
"And what might that be Dimitri?" asked the Emperor.
"The Spider Hole Artillery. If they have a large amount of infantry, they could prove very useful." suggested Dimitri.
That was a good suggestion. The new artillery could turn a battle. But it would take a while.
"That's a large risk Dimitri," said Freeman, speaking out of turn. "It takes up to a month to manufacture, and deploy those. We may not have that kind of time."
"A large risk it may be Anthony, but it could prove to turn a battle," replied the Emperor "I want them installed on the four bases least likely to be attacked first," he said excitedly. He wanted to see how these devices would fare outside of testing. "As for the other twelve, I want more anti-infantry assault vehicles."
"It shall be done, Your Majesty," Replied Freeman.
"Well then, is there anything anyone else would like to discuss?" asked the Emperor.
After a few seconds of silence he replied "Meeting adjourned, good day gentleman."
He was happy to be out of the War Council Chambers. They were buried deep within the palace, and although brightly lit, they had no windows, to keep prying eyes out, making them a little claustrophobic.
"You have a call waiting, Your Majesty," said his errand boy, as he met him in the hall.
"Thank you, erm, what was your name again?" he replied.
"Daniel, Your Majesty," he said quietly.
"Thank you, Daniel. Do you know who it was that called?" asked the Emperor.
"The governor of the Utah Territory, Your Majesty," was the answer.
"Riots? What do you mean riots, Governor?" said the Emperor, shocked.
"Exactly that, Your Majesty. Mostly contained within Salt Lake City, but there are some minor riots popping up in smaller towns," said the Governor.
"Just who the hell is starting them?" the Emperor asked, angrily.
"That's the alarming part, Your Majesty. The riots aren't causing much damage, but the participants are entirely former humans," said the Governor. "We believe it may be Rebellion."
The Rebellion had been a thorn in the Emperors side since the end of the war. They were more organized than most would think.
"I have important things to attend to Governor. Thank you for informing me, but I believe I can trust you with this. Report to me, if you have any solid evidence of Rebellion support, then you will receive some assistance. But remember, I have a war to fight. I can't just give you anything you need. You'll have to be smart about this," said the Emperor.
"That's all I ask," replied the Governor. Quickly ending the call.
The Emperor was still worried about his War Council meeting. If they didn't know what they were up against, there was no way of knowing if they were prepared. It had been two months since he initiated the draft, but even with the massive growth to his military, if the canadians were concealing their numbers, he couldn't possibly know what to expect.
His worries quickly began to fade when he started thinking about the Spider Hole Artillery. It was a marvel of engineering. They were large fortifications dug into the ground, that when commanded, could rise up, revealing twenty large fifteen millimeter independently aimed cannons, to be used against infantry. He had seen testing demonstrations before, and they were devastating. But because of their large, and awkward shape, they couldn't be transported easily, and the large compartments used to hold their ammunition took up a lot of space.
The Emperor sighed heavily, he'd had a long day, and all he wanted to do, was go to his study, and stare out the window.
The city was unusually dark. It wasn't late, but because of it's latitude, the sun only shone for a few hours a day this time of year.
The Emperor stared at the light display in front of him. Even without the natural beauty around it, his city was amazing. It almost seemed unreal. The lights shone off of the glistening white buildings, making it appear as if the city were still in the sunlight, which contrasted greatly with the pitch black sky behind it. He could just sit here, and stare forever.
"Staring isn't going to win a war," he thought, his mind returning to the reality of his situation.
Maybe it wasn't enough. Maybe his country was going to fall apart in front of him.
No. He wouldn't let that happen. Not after all of the work he did to make this dream a reality. Defeat was a possibility he would not let cloud his mind.
It had to be enough. But how could he be sure?
He couldn't be, he admitted to himself. He was bold. Maybe a little too bold. Canada had a military that was well settled in. His only had six years to form. But he knew his men were superior. They were larger, faster, stronger, smarter, better.
"Yes, that's it," he thought to himself.
He had superiority on his side.