Obroa-skai: Planning

((Again, mostly informative...although I doubt anyone will read this anyways. ))

Could it be true?

The question was on the lips of all the residents of the once-peaceful neighborhood, a neighborhood that had now been reached by the war and was filled with police forces…a neighborhood that now got a very real glimpse of the strength—some would say tyranny—of the government’s domestic peacekeeping forces. No remarks against the government or favorable remarks toward those who opposed said government were tolerated; one wrong word, and you would find yourself in a county jail. The question was on everybody’s lips, yet they fearfully kept silent, lest they be the next victim of the thought police.

Could the nice Kel Dor family down the street really be traitors against the government? Could the Rato family, the ones so involved in the church and community, really be involved in the rebellion? And, if such decent people found there to be enough wrong with the governor to warrant a rebellion, could there be some truth behind their reasoning?

Could this harsh treatment of the thought police be the norm rather than the exception? If so, why hadn’t they joined the rebellion yet?

The confusion on the streets was palpable, but the residents made sure to avoid voicing their fears in public. They had been shell-shocked by the sudden arrest of Josh Rato for conspiracy to overthrow the government, which had been followed by the news that Rato’s wife was also wanted for her part in the conspiracy. Soon after, the news networks were proclaiming that Erdo and Ellana, one of the few Kel Dor families on Obroa-skai, had smuggled her to safety and were now fugitives. Then, the police had raided Hender’s community store and hauled him off to stand trial for his part in aiding and abetting the renegades. Several more arrests had been made, and even more people had disappeared mysteriously—some said the police had whisked them away, others that they had escaped to the rebellion. Regardless, the events had the remaining residents glancing fearfully over their shoulder at every turn, dreading the thought of the police knocking on their doors to interrogate them about their friends down the street, or arresting them on the suspicion that they were complicit in their law-breaking. Others, however, discreetly searched for a means to join the rebellion, to take a stand and strike back for their friends and relatives who had (as they saw it) been unjustly persecuted.

Erdo read the rebel report of what had happened in the wake of their escape without comment, although it disturbed him to hear of so many of his friends and acquaintances being taken into custody. Josh Rato had been taken a week earlier, and Hender just a few days after that, and so many others…Erdo finally had a personal stake in the matter. And it stung, enflamed his passions and reinforced his determination…and now that he was able to devote his time to the toppling of this tyranny, the Governor had better watch out. He had been elevated to General, a position third only to Commander-in-chief Zeta Horain and Supreme Commander Tyron Dabrini, both of whom were good friends of his, and as a newly-minted senior officer his responsibilities were to plan operations, not to take part in them. But he had resolved upon accepting the position that he would not send his people into situations into which he was not willing to go himself, and he would not allow himself to be taken out of the action. He needed an outlet for his fury and his newfound fervor, and simply sitting behind a desk and planning his opponents’ downfall was not enough for him.

There was a knock at the door to his office, and Erdo raised his head. “Come in,” he breathed softly, trying to contain the wrath the report had instilled in him. Though he new his was a righteous anger, it would cease to be so righteous if he allowed it to control him and lashed out at those not responsible.

A page, barely more than a boy, opened the door slightly, hesitated, then gathered up his courage and approached the General. “Sir, I was told to give this to you,” he said, handing Erdo a small flimsiplast with a message on it. Erdo nodded, and the kid scampered out. He shook his head; it was a mark of the desperation of the Rebellion that they had to rely on such young beings for such tasks. They were not completely overmatched by the planetary government, but they were still outnumbered, and they certainly were not at a point in which they could turn away recruits. We need all the help we can get.

The words on the flimsi instantly caught his attention, however. The message (written in a fairly simple code, just there so the messenger boys would not decode the message) read: General Erdo, your presence is required at a meeting of utmost importance in the main conference room immediately. This meeting is top-secret and must not be discussed with anyone. Sincerely, Commander-in-chief Zeta Horain.

A top-secret meeting? Something big must be in the works, Erdo knew. And perhaps it had something to do with his petition to put together a rescue mission for Josh Rato, Hender, and all of the other brave rebel soldiers who had been taken by the secret police, as well as those who had been captured during their military and commando operations. Hopefully, for he would not be able to sleep well until he knew that his friends were safe.

He rose and left the room, walking nonchalantly towards the main conference room—a casual observer might think he was going to lunch. Ducking inside the conference room, he stood at the edge, watching the fifteen or so high-level officers mill about, when one of them waved at him and motioned him over.

“So, Reeve, what’s the buzz?” Erdo asked as he slid next to the man. Reeve was the general who had recruited Josh—and thus, indirectly, Erdo—to the rebel cause, and he had been in charge of Erdo’s unit for the past couple of years. Now, they were equals, although they had long been friends.

“And hello to you too, General Erdo,” Reeve said with a smile, then shook his head. “No one really knows. Before ten minutes ago, no one had any idea there was going to be a meeting today, and we still don’t know why. Tyron must be playing this pretty close to the chest; I think only he and the Chief know what this is about.”

Erdo frowned underneath his customary breath mask. “That’s strange. Think we may be ready for a big push?”

“Maybe,” said Reeve with a smile. “It’s about time we tried again…I mean, we haven’t had a major operation since you and Josh took out Governor Frayen four weeks ago…and things have only gotten worse since then. I know you got chased out of your home, and things like that are happening everywhere. I’m tired of just sitting around planning minor operations and not getting anything done, while people are being arrested and executed unjustly all across the planet.”

“I hear ya,” Erdo said, nodding. “I for one would like to do something about those prisoners.”

Reeve was about to say something, but he was interrupted when the side door burst open and the two highest-ranking officers in the rebellion bustled in. As one, the officers in the room rose to their feet, but Chief Horain irritably waved for them to sit.

Zeta Horain and Tyron Dabrini were legends among the rebellion; both had served in the Obroan military through several galactic wars, and both had been serving in the legislature when Governor Frayen had come to power. Horain had been among Frayen’s most vocal opponents, and in the process of opposing the soon-to-be tyrant had won the admiration and loyalty of Tyron Dabrini. With a few sources close to the governor, Dabrini had discovered a plot to eliminate then-Senator Horain and had helped him to escape along with a third Senator, Artea Ferran, and there, in the basement of Dabrini’s home, the three of them had conceived of the rebellion.

They spread the word, and the rebellion multiplied like rabbits; it began taking on some minor missions to rescue imprisoned dissenters from the clutches of the overbearing government. On one such mission, Ferran had been killed, but Horain and Dabrini persevered and the ranks of the rebellion continued to swell. Tales abounded of their heroism in those first days, when membership, though growing rapidly, was still small, when the leaders of the rebellion, the “brains” of the outfit, couldn’t afford the luxury of staying off the front lines, and there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that they deserved their high ranks. Each one of them insisted on going out in the field every once in a while even now, and they always proved to be among the most effective soldiers in their unit. If by some miracle the rebellion managed to win the war, Horain was the odds-on favorite to become the new Governor, and Dablini would almost certainly become the supreme commander of the Obroa-skai military.

Horain now lifted his hand, calling the meeting to order. Glancing around him to make sure all the doors were closed, he took a deep breath and began. “My friends, I’m sorry for the late notice, but we had to make sure no one knew about this meeting. We have come across information that could turn the course of the war in our favor, and maybe even win it for us.”

Horain paused for a moment to let that sink in, and Erdo felt a chill of anticipation go down his side. Win the war? Already? Granted, they had been fighting for several years, but sometimes it seemed as though this war would go on forever, with neither side gaining a true advantage. Even if it were to end soon, Erdo had imagined seeing scores of secret police march into the rebellion headquarters, taking them completely by surprise and arresting every one of them on the spot. They were still the underdogs, and he saw no victory in sight. But apparently Horain and Dablini did.

“Our spies have reported that subtle preparations are being made little by little in the Capitol building…and former Governor Frayen’s dwelling place. At the same time, our informants with the current Governor tell us that he is gearing up for a trip, ostensibly to visit his family. However, we have reason to believe that the two events are related, which means that Governor Farriman is planning a trip to the Capitol…and we have determined when and how.”

“He will be traveling covertly by hovertrain in exactly two weeks, at approximately midday. Meanwhile, the army and many of the Governor’s secret service will be sent to protect other targets including the Governor’s family as a diversion, so the time is right for a major assault on the capitol city. I will let Commander Dabrini explain.”

Dabrini rose and set a holoprojecter in the center of the table, as Horain took his seat. “Thank you. Our assault will be divided into four separate prongs, and it will involve most of our forces. The first prong will be dedicated towards capturing or killing Governor Farriman, the second toward taking the Governor’s mansion and the Capitol building along with the rest of the Gang of 9, the third towards rescuing captured rebel operatives and political prisoners, and the fourth towards taking out the military forces remaining in the city and holding off the remainder of the military forces until the rest of our operations can be concluded successfully.”

He pressed a button on the holoprojector, and the air in front of Erdo shimmered and resolved itself into a birds-eye view of the city. Lines began to appear on it as he spoke. “Prong 4 will obviously have to be the largest of our operations, as it will have to go toe-to-toe with a much superior military force. I will be leading this branch of our assault, and Generals Guerdon, Hinden, and Büele will be assisting me. We will gather our forces together and approach the city from the south side, where the city garrison is located. With any luck, we will take them by surprise and they won’t be able to mobilize in time, but our force should be large enough to take them out regardless. We will then continue north through the city, where we will rendezvous with Prong 1 after what is hopefully their successful capture of the Governor, and some of our forces will provide cover for them as they attempt to bring the Governor back to our base. North of the city, we can probably expect to meet up with some more military forces from neighboring garrisons, and the main military force will probably engage us while we are busy with those troops. We will fight to hold them off there while the rest of our operations are still in progress…and while Chief Horain negotiates a surrender with the Governor.”

“Prong 3, under the command of Generals Erdo and Reeve, will be a smaller force designed to infiltrate the central prison in the city, the one a few blocks down from the capitol building.” Erdo and Reeve leaned forward as Dablini described this part of the mission, and Erdo felt a grin of satisfaction spread across his face. Perfect—he had received the assignment he wanted. Josh, Hender, and the rest wouldn’t have to wait long. “Prong 2, under the command of Generals Juwle and Ganger will be moving into the Capitol building itself in order to capture it and to Your team will begin to phase into the city a week from today, staying in various safe houses and abandoned buildings, although some of you—General Erdo included, as he is a little more conspicuous than most—will be moving into the city early that morning. When we give you the signal—which is when we will be on the move and hopefully attracting attention—you, along with the members of Prong 2, will all rendezvous in Erdo’s safe house, which at two blocks south of the prison is the closest to both destinations. From there you will distribute heavier weaponry and coordinate your arrival at your respective targets. The troops in both forces will arrive in intervals, coming only as singles or in small groups, and will leave for the targets in small groups as soon as they have been armed and debriefed. After Prong 3 gets as many people out of the prison as possible, they will return to Erdo’s safe house, arm the prisoners, and reinforce Prong 2 either at the Capitol building or at the Governor’s mansion, depending on how quickly they are progressing. Then, once both places are secure, you will stand by; hopefully by then Prong 1 will have negotiated a surrender with Farriman and the military operations will be suspended. If Prong 4 is forced to retreat before Farriman surrenders, you will receive a retreat order.”

“Prong 1 is perhaps the most important part of the operation, because if we cannot capture the governor and force his surrender, the rest of the operations will end in retreat and we will not have made a lasting impact, even if we do take out the rest of the Gang of 8. This team will be lead by General Neldan and…Chief Horain.” Ignoring the gasps and sighs of disbelief around the table, Dablini pushed onward. “Most of the operation will move into the city over the course of this week, also staying in a safe house, a large underground bunker that our enemies know nothing about. From there, they shall wait for midday two weeks from now and then disguise themselves and move onto the first stop for the train within city limits. There, they shall board the train and wait for further instructions. The rest of the team will be boarding the train from the nearest location to here and will ride it all the way to that stop, and, after rendezvousing with the leader of the first team, they will hijack the train, locate the Governor, and get out of there. By then, Prong 4 should have defeated the garrison and moved on upward, so we will be able to help convey Prong 1 with their prisoner back to our base.”

Dablini hit a switch, and the holoprojector. “That’s it. I have prepared more details of each assignment, and they will be sent to the leaders of each respective prong. Study them until you know them by heart, and then get some rest. We’re all going to need it for the weeks ahead. May the Force be with us all.”