Operation Homefront: Wakeup Call

        Charcharadon was asleep when the message came through, and was
rather enjoying that state.  Operation Pacifica was over, and he was
thankful.  While it had been a success for the Jihad, it had been an
expensive one.  In Charcharadon's case, the cost was in the fact that he
was very very tired.  Extended campaigning and, more importantly, being
forced to deal with Lyrans had taxed his mental endurance to the limits,
and he was quite glad to have taken his brain off the hook and consigned
it, for a while at least, to the floating oblivion of slumber.
        Unfortunately for Charcharadon, the techs who had installed his
comm system knew that he was a relatively heavy sleeper, and had
adjusted the message tone to compensate.  It had been claimed that the
dead would only allow that annoying warble to continue for 45 seconds
before they got up to deal with it.  This night, it took Charcharadon a
full minute before he answered it.

        The message was short and rather vague, but it got his attention
well enough.  It was an Empire-wide alert.  Coming so hard on the heels
of Pacifica, it had to be something very big...
        _________________________________________
        ATTN:  All Dobermensch
        Subject: Real Big Nice-Making Array

        B'harnian Forces assembling mass spongification array.
        Elements of the array in transit to locations around world.
        Destroy elements and search for transmitter coordinates.
        Specific details to follow.

        Fleet Commander Aurelius Invid Manticore Samhain
        Commander Osiris Artemis Cyrene Inagei
        _________________________________________

        Charcharadon did not wait for the specific details to follow.
He picked up the commset and placed a call of his own.

        *click*
        "Hello, WEDJEE Advanced Wall-Propping and Scientific
Procrastination Division.  Trooper Charcharadon isn't in right now, so
you'd better leave a message with me," a female voice greeted him.
        "Very funny, Davis.  You think that up on your own?"
        There was a startled pause before the voice returned in an
apologetic tone.  "Sorry sir, I didn't..."
        "Never mind.  I realize I haven't exactly been pulling my weight
around here, but I've been on detached combat duty.  You all know that,
so cut with the snide remarks.  The backlog of work is going to make me
irritable enough."
        "Of course, sir."
        "Now, my griping aside, I need you to do something.  Roust the
rest of the Technical Brigade out of bed or wherever they are sleeping,
and get them to the situation room as fast as they can make it.  We've
got an Empire-wide alert to deal with here.  I'll be down there myself
as soon as I get some clothes on."
        "Yes sir," replied Davis.
        *click*

        Fifteen minutes later, Charcharadon walked into the situation
room of the new Iowa base, accompanied by a helpful cup of coffee.  He
walked to the head of the table and put down the folders he was
carrying, taking a moment to sweep his eyes over the score of people who
were sitting there, a few of them also banishing sleep with a caffinated
beverage of their choice.
        Charcharadon cleared his throat and began.  "Exactly sixteen
minutes ago, this message was send out by the High Command."  A wall
screen lit up, displaying the text of the message from Fleet Commander
Samhain and Commander Inagei.  Twenty sets of eyes turned towards it,
and Charcharadon paused to allow them time to read it.
        "The specific details it mentions," he continued, "have just
arrived.  This," he said, passing the folders he had brought around the
table, "Is everything the Empire has on the problem as of right now."
        While everyone opened the folders and began reading through the
contents, Charcharadon sat down and activated several controls built
into the briefing table's surface.  The lights dimmed and several more
wall screens switched on to display rotating maps of the globe, with
many bright red dots flashing in various places.
        "What you see here are the locations of the Very Large
Nice-Making Array elements which the Empire and TRES Corps have been
able to locate.  Local garrisons from TRES, the Doberman Empire, the
Legion of Doom, and other JAOs are acting to eliminate these array
elements, but the High Command is of the opinion that there are probably
more array elements than we can deal with.  With the ones we have
located, our resources will be stretched pretty thin.  I don't think I
have to mention the problem with the ones that haven't been located.
Couple this with the fact that we don't know the timetable for
activation, and you get one very nasty situation."
        "What are the capabilities of this device?" asked Benson from
down at the opposite end of the table.
        "What we have is in the files in front of you," replied
Charcharadon.  "We know it is a spongification tool, but since none of
the elements have been taken yet, we do not know how it works.  So the
range and potency are unknown."  This was greeted by a chorus of groans
from around the table.
        "So until we know more about the risks involved, I want everyone
to have Class A despongification materials with them at all times."
        "What are we supposed to do, specifically?" asked Davis,
prodding the briefing back on course.
        "To begin with, we are to sanitize our area and report our
findings back to Headquarters.  Anything beyond that we have to take as
it comes."  Another flick of the controls and the globes zoomed in on a
map of the central United States.  "There are three elements located in
our immediate area of operation, so we'll deal with these first.  After
that, we'll have to divide our resources."
        "They've put an element in Des Moines?  Bastards, " someone
commented.
        "Makes sense, you know.  Seat of the state government and all.
You'd want to hit them pretty hard right away," someone else replied.
        "OK, let's get down to the details here, people," said
Charcharadon.  "Since time is a limiting factor here, I want us to split
up and hit all three of these locations at once.  Three teams of six,
with the remaining three remaining here to coordinate.  You can decide
amongst yourselves who has to stay behind.  We'll be operating in public
sight for the most part, so we have to keep a low profile.  Think
stealth, people, not military force.  Operations, what have we got in
the way of equipment?"
        Blake cleared his throat.  "Well, plenty, but most of it is
along the lines of military force.  On the stealth side, we've got some
nondescript, government agency-looking vehicles we could use for
transportation and stakeout, and we have six completed units from your
Fuchikoma project."
        Charcharadon nodded.  "OK, it will have to do.  I want two
Fuchikoma units with each team, one for the leader and one for a forward
scout.  Run optics or use satellites for communications to be on the
secure side.  I want you to observe activity at the array locations
before moving in.  I'll take the Des Moines team personally, but
everyone stay in contact with me, OK?"
        Nods of agreement came from around the table.
        "Finally, what we need out of this operation is information.  We
can only get so much from capturing the array elements.  What we are
going to need are files, either soft or hard copy, and personnel.  So
try to disable and capture those that you come across, especially if
they appear to be giving orders, and make sure you don't allow any
documents to be destroyed.  Any questions?"
        There were none.
        "Then let's go.  Split yourselves up and we'll meet in the motor
pool in half an hour."

To be continued in "Smoke and Light"...