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Shenzu nodded. "You and your team had stolen a HERC, expensive government property you had no authority to fly off base."
"We were helping civilians," said Mazer.
"My superiors were afraid your flight path would be seen as an act of aggression against the Formics and instigate a conflict. There are still some officers who believe that's what happened."
"Is that what you think?" Mazer asked.
Shenzu hesitated then shook his head. "No. The Formics had already killed hundreds of civilians when they landed. Threatening to shoot you down was a mistake."
"What about arresting me and Captain O'Toole?" asked Mazer. "Was that a mistake as well? Are you intending t
o punish us for destroying one of the Formic landers? For helping your people?"
Shenzu turned his body toward the open tent flap and gestured toward the jeep. "General Sima is the man to answer that question. Shall we?"
They climbed up into the jeep and drove north through camp, maneuvering through a sea of tents, the bustle of camp all around them. Trucks and four-wheelers slogged through the mud. A team of mechanics huddled around a half-disassembled transport. Medics treated the wounded at a field hospital. Soldiers formed lines at mess halls and latrines. Trucks were being fueled and serviced. Equipment was being checked and rechecked. Loads were being tied down. They even passed a pickup game of baseball, where soldiers swung a broomstick bat at a wadded ball of socks.
"How many men are here?" asked Mazer.
"Close to eleven thousand," said Shenzu. "The camp extends for almost two kilometers west of us, all the way to the Qinglian Expressway." He pointed to their right. "The easternmost boundary of camp is the Lianjiang River. And just beyond that is the city of Lianzhou, where General Sima has established his command post."
It wasn't much of a city in Mazer's opinion. There were no high-rises, no industrial complexes, at least not along the western back of the river. Nor were there any people, from what Mazer could see. All the streets and shops along the river were vacant and quiet.
"Has the city been evacuated?" Mazer asked.
"The military ordered them north shortly after the invasion," said Shenzu. "It wasn't safe for them here, and the city is an important strategic position. The Qinglian Expressway is a supply line from the north. It's one of the few highways that has been cleared of abandoned vehicles for the army's use. It takes a lot of vehicles to move an army this size. Plus the city itself is a good source of food, blankets, communication devices, and other supplies. General Sima has crews collecting anything that might be useful as we speak."
"He's plundering the city?"
"General Sima's actions are in the best interest of the people," said Shenzu. "If the military isn't equipped, it can't protect the citizenry. And remember, this is China, Captain. Everything belongs to the republic anyway."
Ethics aside, it was a smart strategy, Mazer had to admit. Traditional supply lines weren't an option at the moment. Roads were out. The army was fragmented. Sima couldn't count on resupply trucks reaching him, particularly if he intended to move south, where the Formics were aggressively gassing cities. Those sites would be quarantined. Everything would be contaminated. Water, food, and supplies found there would be worthless. Stocking up in Lianzhou was necessary.
Shenzu stopped the jeep outside a tent where four armed guards stood at attention. "Stay here," he said. He hopped out, approached the guards, and presented his credentials. The lieutenant stepped aside, and Shenzu entered the tent. A moment later he returned with Captain Wit O'Toole, who looked unhurt but in desperate need of a shave.
"I'm glad to see you still alive," said Mazer.
"That makes two of us," said Wit. He climbed into the backseat, and Shenzu was off again.
"General Sima was insistent that we separate you two," said Shenzu. "I apologize for the inconvenience."
"Arresting us is what's inconvenient," said Wit. "We're wasting precious time, Captain. We should be attacking the other two landers. Once the Formics figure out how we destroyed the first one, once they realize the underside of the lander is their weak spot, they will take steps to shield it. And if they do, we're back to square one. We can't penetrate their shields. They'd be unstoppable."
"Duly noted," said Shenzu. "As for the other two landers, you need not worry. We have drill-sledge teams prepping to attack as we speak."
"With nukes?" asked Wit.
"I don't know the details of the op," said Shenzu.
"The drill sledges won't be able to drill into the underside of the landers," said Wit. "The Formics are tunnel dwellers. The area immediately below the landers will be dug out. We had to shoot molten ejecta at the hull and burn our way in. Captain Rackham and I should debrief whoever is leading the op."
"General Tang has that duty," said Shenzu. "And knowing General Tang, he will not want your assistance. Our orders are to take out the Formic death squads gassing cities in the south."
Shenzu reached the main road and turned east, heading toward the bridge that traversed the Lianjiang River and led into the city.
"How is General Sima intending to take down the death squads?" asked Mazer. "Each Formic is armed with a sprayer, and you need not inhale the gas for it to be fatal. If it merely touches your exposed skin you're dead."
"We learned that the hard way," said Shenzu. "We lost thousands of soldiers at the beginning. Beijing has now given the order that no soldier should engage the Formics without a full biosuit and oxygen. In theory that's a good policy, but it's unrealistic. There aren't enough suits and O2 to go around. Not even close. We can't even outfit twenty percent of our army. The suits simply don't exist. That many were never manufactured. No one ever imagined we would need that many."
