Less than zero (RN: Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

strategies as there weren’t any to predict. One minute the Chinese were scanning blank space, the next a tidal wave of military anarchy flashed into existence and steamrolled their forces. There could be no hope of survival, let alone victory. Not a single Chinese ship left the fray. They lost the military and colonist fleets, the colony and the Fujian provincial station, which was still under construction - not to mention their best commanders, well-drilled crews, the bulk of their construction fleet. Everything!”
     
    “It sounds to me as if The Koll were trying to prove something.”
     
    “As I said, The Koll intended on making a statement and nothing could have been more effective than what they did, the way they did and in so little time. Do you have any idea of how long the engagement took?”
     
    “From the root media sources I have access to, about two days. But I suppose this is a fabrication.”
     
    “Yes, this was something created by the Chinese media to save a little face in front of their own people. They’re a proud lot. In actuality it took a little over fourteen hours. From The Koll jumping in to the station being destroyed took fourteen hours and twenty-two minutes.”
     
    “My God! That’s... that’s over fifty ships an hour.”
     
    “If you include the colonist and support ships, it’s closer to eighty.”
     
    “My ...my hands are shaking, but I need to ask. Casualties?”
     
    “Including the colony and station, a little under a million. Would you like some water?”
     
    “Yes, can you pass me the, er ... thank you. Excuse me ….I had no idea.”
    “And nobody does. And it would be a pity if anybody did find out, if I make myself understood.”
     
    “ Eh ...perfectly.”
     
    “I don’t wish to sound overly censoring, but I’m sure you understand how unfortunate it would be for certain higher-ups if such truths became public. And we wouldn’t want that now, would we?”
     
    “I understand completely, Air Marshall. You can count on my confidentiality.”
     
    “Hmm.  I’m not so sure. And my actual rank is Senior Commander, not Air Marshall.”
     
    “Senior Commander? But your profile states that –”
     
    “Yes, I know what my profile states. I was promoted belatedly for bravery in the face of overwhelming odds after Devon. By The Koll, if you can believe it. But the bestowment of Koll offices is nothing more than a low simpering to win the loyalties of the new generation of EDP officers. And whilst many of the newer recruits shine their medals with pride, such pacifications mean little to veteran Earth pact officers.”
     
    “I apologise, Commander.”
     
    “Senior Commander.”
     
    “I’m sorry – Senior Commander. If I may continue...?”
     
    “Certainly.”
     
    “The Koll had a great number of ships, true. But even so, how did they overrun the Chinese forces in so little time? I mean, even disorganised, the Chinese are still a formidable military.”
     
    “A pertinent question, and also so very true a statement. As I mentioned, The Koll used no clear stratagem other than absence of strategy, which many military thinkers regard as a stratagem in itself. I personally believe the opening bombardment was what caused such disarray amongst the Chinese.”
     
    “Bombardment? I thought they engaged directly?”
     
    “I apologise, that’s an error on my part. This information was never made public, as many see what The Koll did as an existence-ending scenario that could cause panic during a time of crisis. The Koll entered the system pushing hundreds of boulders and asteroids ahead of them, and even though the majority of them missed the staging areas, the Chinese lost a quarter of their fleet before they even saw a Koll ship. It was following this that The Koll dove in. If any assemblage of planning can be found in what happened next, it’s that The Koll arrived, gained their objectives and now held a beachhead deep within our core