Between Gates (The Gate Chronicles Book 1)

Chapter 4: Strategy

She laughed. “Quit making stupid jokes. It distracts me.” She turned to look at the pulsing red dots, calculating some things as she shifted, trying to find a comfortable spot to rest her back in the metal-backed chair.

He laughed too. “You're the invading force here. So decide what you’ll do. And explain it.”

“Well, the most obvious place to go if I’m attacking, not defending, is through this small pass in the hilly terrain. It’s the only place where the land around is flatter so that I can see what I’m dealing with to some extent. I’m going to assume that the enemy already knows that I’m on the plain. That’s the best way to approach the issue. Never assume that they haven’t spotted you yet.” She gave him a glance.

He nodded. “Continue.”

“So, I can’t go through this flat terrain because that’s predictable, assuming that they already know where I am. If I circle around behind them…” She paused.

Staring at the terminal, she placed her fingers into the holographic projection.

It melted away from her hands like ink bleeding on a paper. She spread her thumb and pointer finger far away from each other, zooming in on the display. The terrain sharpened and she could see the details of the encampment. Soldiers and buildings popped up on the plains, showing her where the defenses were and how they were laid out.

They had a strong guard on their right flank and both front and back positions, but the left flank was left open with few guards there. The mountains stretching up behind the camp could present a problem, but if she played it right, those same mountains would work to her advantage to hide her so they wouldn't see her coming.

She grinned. This was fun. “Their guard is weak on the left flank. They seem to feel confident that the mountains to that side of them and the hills will discourage any attackers. Looking at the terrain, it probably would. But then, it is in the perfect position for my army to march quickly and quietly through the hills unnoticed if I do it right.

"I would need to send my army into their positions several large groups at a time. I can’t take everyone through there all at once or they’ll spot us. So I’ll send groups, have them cluster in these key positions, and when everyone is assembled twenty or thirty minutes later, I’ll signal the attack.”

Andrew nodded. “Good, but one issue. If the enemy has already spotted you, Nari, don’t you think they’ll be watching to see what you do? They’d see the troop movement and begin fortifying in the areas you’re sending the troops to. How will you fix that issue?”

She shrugged, still grinning. “Easy. I’ll send a larger group to the right flank. They’ll do everything the way the smaller group would, and try not to be spotted. Then I’ll have the other, smaller groups appear too obvious to be the real attack. The enemy will believe that the bigger troop is the real attack and ignore the one small group.

"I’ll send several smaller groups to circle around, and I’ll go with one of them, leaving my subordinates in charge of the bigger troop movement that I’m using as distraction. Then, the bigger troop will start attacking the enemy position, creating small distractions and then disengaging and disappearing. Meanwhile, the rest of the army is getting into position. Then when everyone on my side is ready, the real attack is launched while the other portion of my army is creating a diversion.”

“Sounds complex, Nari. It’s best to keep a plan simple. So many components allow for too many variables in the enemy movement and even in your own army. Not only that, you don't have endless soldiers.” He glanced at his watch. “Our lesson time is over. I’m going to go grab some lunch. I don’t know what you have to do, but it's probably best you get moving so that you don’t end up late.”