RTS System in the Apocalypse: New World

”Bring the next BACV up and deploy it here. Mine stays with the advance.”

”Copy.”

The command vehicle pulled into the cleared position.

Its sensor assembly shifted into the full deployed configuration while the crew brought the larger Radar package online. The process took roughly a minute and a half.

Then the picture widened. The BACV’s fifteen-kilometer moving envelope expanded toward its full fifty-kilometer deployed radius.

The BACV’s results was still much rougher than a Physical Radar Facility, but the larger movements and concentrations stood out clearly.

Horjus filled the eastern side of the display. The city was close enough that much of it already sat inside the deployed Radar coverage.

Brandon placed the earlier Raptor imagery beside the new picture.

Several gray concentrations matched the inhabited northern and western sections. Trucks and motorcycles moved along a few of the roads between them.

The eastern and southern sides were worse.

Large red concentrations filled several built-up areas, while a few blocks showed red and gray contacts close together.

Horjus still had survivors, but nobody had cleared the whole city.

Brandon enlarged the eastern and southern sectors.

The mixed blocks were immediately off the table for heavy fire. The isolated red concentrations were different.

Horjus was not blocking the road to Silverpeak, so Brandon had no reason to pull the entire battle group east. But he wasn’t leaving concentrations that large beside the supply corridor without doing anything about them.

Heavy bombardment could also push surviving infected out of the impact areas. Someone needed to be waiting when that happened.

Brandon marked the largest isolated red sectors.

The Hellhammers could work on the smaller concentrations once the firing areas were checked. The MLRS could hit the larger masses from farther back.

None of them would fire into the mixed sectors.

”Mark every mixed sector as no-fire. Send the isolated red concentrations to Fires and Air for confirmation. Restrict launches until we have a formation ready to contain any movement outward.”

A Radio Operator acknowledged.

Brandon then opened the long-range command channel.

”Southern command to Main Base.”

The reply came through the Radar chain shortly afterward.

”Main Base receiving.”

”Forward junction secured. Horjus is inside our deployed Radar coverage.”

Brandon sent the current picture and the marked no-fire sectors with the report.

”Survivor concentrations are active in the north and west. Large infected concentrations remain east and south, with several mixed areas between them.”

He switched to the marked red sectors.

”Request one follow-on formation for Horjus and a limited fires package. Hellhammers for the closer concentrations, MLRS for the larger isolated groups. Air can confirm movement before release.”

A brief pause followed.

”Mixed sectors remain off-limits from fire mission.”

”Report received, Southern Command. Send the target package. Follow-on and fires assignments are being reviewed.”