Patricians: Power Politics (2 of 9)

Chapter 37: Mobilization

Looking out the window of the commander's office, Henry could see fighters and drones hovering on the horizon. Down below on the Alesia's deck, officers were loading up transports ready for deployment. Fighters on the launch deck awaited permission from the tower for take-off. Orders filtered through the Muse neural network, setting all hands into motion. IRME forces had yet to launch a counter-offensive, but everyone could see the storm coming. NATO forces would require Muse support to hold any of the territory they had gained, and until the new Cybernetic Assault Division could be deployed, Henry had to rely on Muse forces.

Working in the command center, Sgt. Malarkey was cracking through the last barriers of the IRME network. The taste of victory drove Kendra. The hacker's attack programs were obliterating the last of the barrier programs. Inside the digital world, the attack program's computation algorithms mutated to mirror the IRME's barrier program. Kendra had programmed the attack algorithm to obliterate, replicate, and create a permanent system backdoor. It was the cutting edge of barrier hacking, and none of IRME's hackers would be able to see through the deception.

IRME's network raced out before Kendra like a city made of various colours of light. Buildings raced towards the sky representing the Islamic Republic's network mainframes. People walked the street, representing individuals working in the system. Kendra didn't see what these people saw. Years of hacking had changed her mind and perception of the digital world. Kendra saw only the lines of code that represented programs and human thoughts flickering through the city of lights.

In the digital world, most people still walked from system to system. It was a reflection of the real world instinct. Physical travel was the means by which the human mind accessed system command functions. To the uninitiated mind, it was the only way to access the digital world, but the digital world opened up to the mind of a hacker. System shortcuts allowed for a near-instant transmission of data. With one thought, hackers could move from one location to another. In the digital world, the hacker's mind reigned supreme.

With one thought, Kendra set to her task of searching for algorithms. The programs computed the digital world code, searching for any references to the specified information being sought. Kendra was looking for just one thing. "Muhammad Saladin" was the name the search engine had been sent to find. Anything relating to this man inside the IRME system could hint to his location. Within a few seconds, the algorithm filled Kendra's mind with all the information IRME forces possessed on Muhammad Saladin. According to the information, Islamic Republic forces were engaged in a conflict with Allah's Warriors on the outskirts of Mecca.

Sitting behind the desk, Henry just stared at the strategic map, feeling the weight of the situation assigned to him. Enemy dispositions showed that a counter-attack could be launched on NATO forces at any time. Now the burden of defense lay on Henry's shoulders. Muse forces would offer aid, but that might not be enough to stop the surging Islamic Republic armies. Looking over available forces, Henry knew he needed to commit more troops. Reinforcements from Atlantis would arrive in the next few hours carrying vital troops, equipment, and supplies. Standing up, Henry committed himself to laying out the necessary plans.

Standing in the command center, Maj. Lee was following orders by seeing to the new troop assignments. Forming the core of the Muse armoured division was the Behemoth class mech unit, and orders required the remaining five hundred units stay in reserve so they could be deployed to the fronts. IRME forces threatened both Amman and Beirut, and neither position could be lost. Reports showed the initial capturing of both positions had destroyed their defenses. NATO forces were attempting to deploy their assets to make up for that, but Maj. Lee knew it wasn't enough. Mech forces would act in the capacity of cavalry to break any attempted push by IRME forces, but the city needed defenses systems to protect the skies and the troops holding the city.