Flash Fic: Demonstration Of Force

"As you can see, Major Keitel, the site is heavily guarded. We estimate opposition strength to be at least two companies' worth of personnel, with heavy weapons sections and emplaced surface-to-orbit platforms." The demi-insectoid Coalition intelligence officer made a gesture indicating studied understatement. "I believe humans would call this 'a tough nut to crack,' if I'm using the idiom correctly."

Keitel nodded briefly in confirmation. Coalition Joint Special Forces Command had been chewing on the situation since the first confirmed reports of hostages taken and corralled into a central location. The professional in him had to tip his hat to the enemy's audacity. Clearly, there had been absolutely unconscionable lapses in security to allow a Coalition Fleet spaceport to be taken over by amateurs. The rest of him was quietly furious and mentally counting the number of rounds he knew he was going to expend in a little while. Keitel's team had done so, against a fully alert spaceport, in about half the time and without having to take a single hostage as part of a security exercise. He already knew how this was going to go down.

General Pol cracked his neck briefly. "What is the recommendation from the gut checkers, Captain Tr-kao-vaz?" he asked quietly.

"Staff Intelligence recommends the 357th Special Operations Combat Team make a stealth insertion from outside the spaceport's sensor envelope and approach the site from underneath through the storm sewers. An infiltration of this nature provides minimal risk to the hostages and maximum surprise against the opposition."

"Captain, have we been able to confirm these yahoos are from the Criticorum Liberation Front?" asked Keitel quietly.

"We have. Voiceprint analysis of their demand broadcasts have identified at least three known CLF direct action operators." An emphatic chitter of exclamatory certitude came from the intelligence officer.

Pol tilted his head slightly. "What're you thinking, Vic?"

"I'm thinking it's time to quit dicking around and put the fear of whatever gods these morons believe in into them." A hard light filled Keitel's eyes as he looked over at Pol. "New Trieste, Samarkand Station, Ptah III. Every time these CLF chucklefucks pull a stunt like this, we always take the quiet approach. We walk softly, we delete the opposition, and we don't do a damned thing afterwards. Look, I know the guys in the 357th. I've cross-trained with them often enough with my own crew. Got nothing but respect for the Smoking Guns. But this time, the qualitative and quantitative leaps made demand a serious response. This many people, they're practically begging for a fight! And I propose we give them one.

"General, I recommend we pull out all the stops. Inform them that the 101st Orbital Strike Team is on station and dying for a fight. Hell, give them a deadline and then deliberately miss it. Sure, if they seem like they're gonna harm the hostages, we go in anyway, but keep them on edge. Make'em know the Sword of Damocles is right over their head. Make'em sweat. And when we do go in, we use HADES pods."

Pol's eyebrows went up. The Heavy Assault Drop and Engagement Suppression pods were intended to establish fortified beachheads in the hottest of hot drop zones. They were typically deployed as the opening gambit of invasions against near-peer powers. Four drop-certified Raiders were stuffed into a single pod. Each pod carried a 20mm "infinite repeater" cannon at the top and the egress panels turned each pod into a field expedient foxhole. They were supposed to crash into hardened defenses, cutting off fortified positions from reinforcement while simultaneously forcing enemy defenders to honor the threat from their rear. Nobody had ever contemplated using them in a hostage rescue scenario.

Except, apparently, Major Victor Keitel.

"Not exactly subtle, Major," the intelligence officer said, his gesture of studied understatement even more elaborate.

"We've tried being subtle and the CLF just has not taken the hint," said Keitel coldly. "They seem to be intent on making a demonstration of force. I intend to present a counterpoint they cannot possibly ignore." 

(This piece originally appeared on r/humansarespaceorcs)