2
90 miles east of St. Anthony Redoubt
For at least the thousandth time, Lieutenant Colonel Samedi Janeki wished the Imperial Russian Army would line tank hatches with rubber or something softer than steel. His kidneys were taking a beating as the Imperial 5th Armored rumbled toward Chena Redoubt from Tetlin Redoubt.
The Russian Amerika Company could certainly profit by making the Russia-Canada Highway more travel friendly. The smallest stone in the semi-packed surface looked larger than his fist. But then his column of 30 tanks, 15 trucks and assorted other vehicles were tearing along at 15 kph, which made it impossible for his driver to avoid the larger rocks.
As his Zukhov jarred over yet another small boulder, his radioman broke in on his comm channel.
“Colonel, communication from St. Nicholas Redoubt!”
“Patch it in, Kerenski.” A click transferred him to a different frequency. “This is Lieutenant Colonel Janeki of the 5th Armored.”
“Janeki,” the voice came through scratchy, “this is Skalovich.”
“Georgi, my friend, how are you?” They had been friends for over twenty years and Georgi, a full colonel, now sat behind an impressive desk in St. Nicholas Redoubt as deputy commander of Northern Land Forces in Russian Amerika. Georgi would get a star before Janeki did.
“My health is good, thank you, Samedi. But I must make you aware of bad news.”
“I’m being replaced?”
Colonel Skalovich forced a laugh. “No, nothing like that. In fact at the moment you are irreplaceable. Lazarev and the Flash Division have been destroyed crossing the Alaska Range.”
“Destroyed, by whom?”
“The Republic of California Air Force.” Janeki could hear the disgust in his friend’s voice. “They’ve also cut the road. Now everything must go through Tetlin first.”
“Don’t worry, Georgi, the 5th Armored can handle the mission.”
“I am not finished with bad news, Samedi. Tetlin Redoubt is under armored attack from the east.”
“California again?”
“No, the First People’s Nation. They have taken the British Army out of the war and are hitting Tetlin with at least three dozen tanks. You took all our armor with you, didn’t you?”
“As ordered,” Janeki said, angry that his voice had tightened along with his jaw.
“I know those were your orders, I issued them. This FPN thing caught us flat-footed. We do have artillery and infantry there, and they are offering a stiff resistance.”
Janeki instantly felt mollified. “Do you want me to stop my advance and return to Tetlin, Colonel?”
“No. You should be linking up with your old mentor Myslosovich within twenty-four hours. He has lost his ass at Chena and will be full of doom and gloom. Turn him around and hit Chena again, we need to be as deep into Dená territory as possible when the cease-fire order comes down.”
“Cease-fire order? Why would they do that, we’re just getting started in this wasteland. Only a small fraction of the army has been committed to stop this piddling revolt.”
“It’s not common knowledge yet. Imperial Command is trying to pull its fat out of the fire, but most of the Pacific Fleet went to the bottom day before yesterday, courtesy of the Republic of California Navy.”
“Oh, Jesus,” Janeki breathed into the microphone.
“It gets worse, Samedi. No sooner than the diplomats asked for peace terms, the Japanese Navy started shelling Naval Base Kodiak.”
“The Japanese?” Janeki shouted. “Where the hell did they come from?”
“It seems the Kolosh are pulling the same crap on us the Dená did. Only they asked the Japanese for military aid rather than the USA or the ROC.”
“Who isn’t up here messing in our internal affairs?”
“As near as we can figure, the CSA, Republic of Texas, and Deseret.”
“Well that’s a damned relief, no religious zealots to worry about!”
“I don’t think the Mormons have an army as such.”
“Mormons? I was speaking of the Confederacy, wild-eyed Protestants to the last man.”
Colonel Skalovich’s laugh was genuine this time. “I’m glad you still have your sense of humor, my friend, because you’re going to need it.”
“Any idea when this cease-fire order will come down from on high?”
“No. We know the Baltic Fleet has steamed east to help, but we don’t know if they will be in time to make a difference. In my opinion, high command has put Alaska further down the list of important things to think about. I think they’re worried about Mother Russia’s east coast with the Japanese threat.”
“So we are fighting a lost cause, Georgi?”
“Perhaps, Samedi, perhaps.”
“Not if I can help it, old friend!”