Operation: Home Front - "Counting Heads"
	Authors: Will Keith, A. P. Selene / Zaphyre

	Selene picked up the final collection of names, divided by JAO.
"Ready?"
	"As ready as one gets.  I enjoy public speaking if I know what I'm
talking about."
	"Do we?"
	Will just gave her a look.  "Come on."  They stepped out of the tent.
	At 5 P.M., the sun was still well up in the sky over the Kansas
plain, and the flat horizon promised hours more light to come.  The area
within the encampment was a low hedge-maze of tents, shelters, and
equipment with shadows falling just sufficiently to delineate every
individual structure and make each object a bright and shadowed relief.
	As close as possible to an equidistant point from each JAO's
separate camp, a wide space about twenty paces across had been cleared.
Guards from each organization had been placed at strategic positions
forming a rough ring around the gathering.  Inside this protective barrier,
the representatives milled about, awaiting the arrival of their commanding
officers.
	Will, never much of a judge of people's emotions, tried now to get
a feel for their state of mind.  For some reason, Warrior Jambavan was
rubbing his ear, while Thaleia was looking smug; the VRDET leader, who had
a relatively small group, was going over a paper of something; Commander
Burdoo dispatched an Ensign back to the TRES area.
	As they approached this strange mix of people, Selene suddenly
found herself growing inexplicably nervous.
	*Grimace, Zaph, I hate this,* she mentally griped to the dragon.
Straightening her spine, she forced herself to present an aura of
certainty, while inwardly she was quaking in her shoes.
	*It goes with the territory... have you tried picturing them in
their underwear?*
	*Zaph!*  The Centurion stifled her giggles.
	*Well, have you?*
	*I guess not.  Well, did you at least notice Charc... I mean
Jambavan rubbing his ear?*
	*No, where?*  She glanced sharply in his direction and couldn't
stop a large grin from spreading across her face.  *Let's just hope Thaleia
got him good.  He deserved it after that dirty trick.*  An image of mounds
of papers appeared suddenly in the Centurion's mind.
	As they neared, the group saw them coming and formed a rough circle
inside the guards, who parted to give them access.
	Will planted his staff.  Selene ran a quick count of heads.  She
noted one missing - "Where's Sanford?"
	"Captain Mitchell for the Legion, ma'am.  The Colonel was delayed
by a matter back in camp, he should be -"
	"Right here."  Colonel Sanford took his place among the attendees.
"Sorry I'm late."
	"Very well," said Keith.  "Let's begin.  Several of you were given
tasks.  The results of your efforts in that direction will determine which
of several strategies we will take.
	"Colonel Sanford, final report on the alterations aboard the _Lydia_."
	"Alterations to sensors, weapons array, and stationskeeping
thrusters all have been completed satisfactorily.  We took the liberty of
testing them over the Legion's Artificial Atoll #23 testing site, Northern
Pacific.  They passed."
	"Excellent."
	Selene spoke.  "Warrior Jambavan - final count on the number of
people encamped, and our equipment."
	"5,342 people.  Here's a breakdown by various categories."
Hand-copied sheets made their way around the circle.  "As for equipment,
it's basically what you already know.  There are few mechas or similarly
enhanced soldiers.  Primary weaponry is vehicle-mounted and hand-held,
although this ranges into the upper categories of such weaponry."
	Will asked the final question: "Commander Burdoo, have the TRES
watch teams noted any unusual activity?"
	"None.  Save only, that activity is considerably lower than would
be expected for a base of this estimated size."
	Will and Selene passed a look between them, then nodded.  The
expected strategy would be used.
	"Noted," said Will.  He took a deep breath.  "Based on this
information, which is mostly as we had expected or hoped for, you all know
that taking the base by storm is highly unlikely to succeed.  We do not
have the manpower or equipment for a blitz, nor do we have the time for a
siege.  What remains to us, then, is such stealth as we can muster."
	He raised his staff, and an image began to form in the center of
the circle.  Selene took up the narration, a hit of sorrow tinging her
words.  "You have all been informed of the first, probably, casualty of
this Operation.  Late last night, Private Merengue of VRDET was captured
and imprisoned within the fortress and is currently presumed dead.
However, though she paid an incredibly high price, the information she gave
to us has proven invaluable."  Landscape took shape, indicating the
positions of first the Jihad encampment and its perimeter, cardinal
directions, and landscape features, then the major and minor entrances to
Sumner-X.  "Thanks to her, we know where the Main Generator is...."  The
scale expanded, the Jihad camp disappearing, and innner map details of the
base were shown.  Below and slightly to the South(to the right as one
looking in the front door would see it) a purple dot appeared.  "...And
given the propensity of the Purple Forces for simple, functional
architecture, we should be able to make our way there with the smallest
possible exposure."
	"Our entrance point," Will chimed in, "will be the minor gateway."
A line of red dots made its way through the cargo passage to the junction
nearest the Generator, then faded into a red mist connecting the two.
"Yes, it is over a mile, if not linearly, but it seems to be lightly
guarded - and there will be a considerable distraction.  Namely, everyone
not part of the team selected to take this entrance."
	Selene faced each of the JAO group leaders in turn.  "We've
selected a team of thirty to enter the minor gateway, based on the profile
information we had.  You probably know your group better than we, so your
alternative proposals for membership will be given considerable weight.
The rest of the Jihad force here will be pretending to make as serious a go
as they can at getting in the major entrance.  This is where the _Lydia_
comes in.  Colonel Sanford, we won't even be able to make a pretense of
action without the _Lydia_'s guns.  We'll need that modified weapons array
to open up the front gate, and should it become necessary, the back.
Hopefully, though, we'll be able to get in the back gate - and set up our
distraction - when some cargo is sent out."
	Sanford grinned.  "We'll peel 'em like a can of sardines, ma'am."
	Will laughed shortly.  "Once in, we'll need to defeat whatever
security setups we find, make our way to the Generator, and destroy it.
Then, our exit will be right out the way we came.
	"Comments."
	Commander Burdoo spoke up.  "I don't like the idea of traveling
such a long route to get to the main part of the base.  What if we used the
large group to force a way in the main doors once opened, and then sent the
small group off into the side passages from there while the defenders were
focused on that?"
	Thaleia piped up, "Just off the main corridor is probably the
second-highest security level in the base."
	Jambavan interjected, "Besides, with the bulk of our forces thrown
in that area, all their reserves will be moved in to try and cut up the
attack in those corridors.  Short of a mechanized assault team, a splinter
force would get into trouble pretty quick."
	Selene mulled a moment and said, "Original plan then?"  General
agreement.  "Very well."
	Jambavan added his own question.  "Do we have any new information
on the nature and/or weaknesses of the Main Generator itself?"
	Commander Keith shook his head.  "We know plenty about the signal
that will come out of there, but almost nothing about how it is generated,
and most of what we have is conjectural anyway."
	Jambavan grunted.  "Well, I'll just have to pack the entire toybox,
then."
	Selene made a notation on a paper.  "One position we've left open
is who will be commanding the distraction force.  It will need to be
somebody sufficiently high up that the illusion is reasonable, which means
someone here.  But we didn't want to volunteer any of you."
	Captain Mitchell proceeded to volunteer himself.  "I'll do it.  But I'd
like to alter our mission in one way - should it appear possible that the
distraction force could actually make it into the base, it would probably
be worth a try."
	Sanford turned to him.  "It would be a high-casualty operation,
probably only useful as a last resort."
	Will thought.  "The small team, Team 2, will try to maintain
communications with the large force.  But if communications are broken, it
could certainly become a higher priority to force an entrance."
	Selene cautioned, "We don't want the two forces to work at
cross-purposes.  Unless it is a lot easier than we expected to force an
entrance, or time is getting down to the wire and Team 2 has not reported
success.  Then go for it, but don't go throwing away lives unnecessarily."
	"I think I can handle this," Mitchell replied.  "Orders are to
remain in position, pretending to try to break in and be held back.  Kick
up a fuss.  But if it appears Team 2 isn't going to achieve its objective,
or if it looks like I could have a serious chance at gaining entrance, I
try for it."
	Will nodded.  "It seems a sound alteration to the plan.  So changed."
	"You know," interjected Burdoo, "vehicle-mounted weaponry isn't
going to do any good for the small team.  But for the larger force -"
	Selene pounced on it.  "Yes, it might help indeed.  Captain
Mitchell, you're authorized to use any resources you can get your hands on
that the small team doesn't get."
	"Yes, ma'am."
	Silence.
	Will looked about.  "Any further suggestions?"
	Nobody answered.
	Will swiftly concluded the meeting. "Very well.  JAO group leaders,
these are the suggestions for personnel for the insertion force."  Selene
passed them out.  "Inform these personnel, or such replacements as you wish
to name, to be ready to move out at 0800 hours tomorrow.  Inform the rest
of your groups of the battle order for tomorrow as well."
        The papers were handed out.  "Final comments?  No?  Dismissed.  And
get some sleep, people, we'll need our wits tomorrow."

        The next morning, each JAO group leader had made exactly one change
to the personnel lists - each of them was now coming with the second team.
	But before that, one tiny thing happened...

	Selene took advantage of the momentary confusion to slip up next to
Warrior Jambavan.  "Charc... drat it, I mean Jambavan, I wanted to tell you
that you've done an outstanding job getting the equipment and other
necesssities together so far."
	The Warrior eyed her slightly askance, as if wondering what she was
trying to pull.  Years of experience and training warned him that this
might be the prefix to what those in business call 'a fast one'.
Guardedly, he began, "Um, thanks, I ..."
	Selene didn't let him finish.  Her eyes slowly transformed into
small flames of light, as she interrupted him with a soft hiss.  "What I
don't understand, is why somebody as smart as you would volunteer to run
the supply wagons.  Care to explain?"
	He blinked a couple times, unsure of her intent and half convinced
that she was nuts.  Still, something prodded him not to brush this off too
easily.  Something about not messing with dragons.  "Volunteer? Ha!" he
tried to diffuse her obviously building anger with a little self
deprecating humor.  "No, sir, I wouldn't have taken the job if I could
avoid it.  I was ordered to by Commander Keith.  My punishment for showing
up early I suppose."
	The light in her eyes flashed brightly.  Forcibly dimming them, she
smiled coolly.  "Thank you for the information, Warrior.  I apologize for
any harm I was...  Well, if you'll excuse me?"  Without waiting for an
answer, she turned and walked steathily towards her Co-Commander.
	Inside, Selene was a wreck.  Half of her essence wanted to explode
in rage, shredding the impudent human limb by limb.  The other half,
however, had found something in him that just seemed to make the world a
better place.  She snarled in frustration.
	Surprised, Will glanced up and found himself face to face with an
enraged dragon.  Dragon Fear[tm] cascaded over him, causing the remaining
spectators to flee for safety.  Knowing that the instinct to run was not
only externally imposed but probably among the dumbest of his options at
the moment, the TRES officer refused to move.  As they eyed each other,
neither one knew what to do.  Selene/Zaphyre felt her frustration grow and
trumpeted her ire toward the heavens.  Swiftly, she launched herself from
the ground and snatching the human between her talons, quickly disappeared
into the sky leaving the camp far behind.

TBC in "Emotions Running High"