"I'm a student of a lot of things."
Shoshang scratched at his cheek then sighed. "Very well. I'm willing to drop the price because of the legality issue." He said the word like it annoyed him.
"What about fuel?"
"I am feeling generous today," said Shoshang. "I will give you all five vehicles and enough batteries and fuel cells for a year of constant use."
"For how much?"
Shoshang told him. It was ten times what the vehicles were worth, even on the black market.
"We'll take them," said Wit.
Shoshang looked surprised. He had expected a brutal negotiation, an argument even. But Wit had neither the time nor the inclination. Strategos auditors would likely sniff out Shoshang and seize the money back anyway. It wasn't Wit's concern.
"We also need supplies," said Wit. "I'm told you're a man who can acquire anything."
"I'm a man of many talents, yes. What else do you need?"
"Containment suits, for starters. With HUDs, targeting capabilities, and plenty of oxygen."
"I take it you've seen the mist the Formics spray."
"We'd rather not breathe it," said Wit. "We also need weapons. Small arms. Antiaircraft. Smart grenade launchers."
"What type of grenade munitions?"
"Whatever we can get. HEABs, flechette-laden, thermobaric. Low-velocity, twenty-by-forty millimeters."
HEABs, or high-explosive air-bursting grenades, would be ideal. It was easier to program the munitions, and air detonations usually had the greatest kill count. But Wit wasn't getting his hopes up.
"I'll need to make a few calls," said Shoshang. "It will take a few hours. It's not every day I'm asked to outfit a miniarmy. But don't worry, Captain, I will get you what you need." Shoshang removed his hat, dabbed at his forehead with a cloth, and smiled. "I can't help but wonder, however, why your own agency isn't supplying you. Not that it's any of my business."
"You're right," said Wit. "It's not your business."
*
Four hours later a convoy of five Rhinos and forty MOPs were heading south out of Changsha on secondary highways. Wit and Calinga were up in the cab of the lead vehicle. The northbound lanes were packed, but the southbound lanes were wide open.
Calinga gestured to the containment suit he was wearing and the rifle in the seat beside them. "Dare I ask where you got the money to buy all this?"
"MOPs has emergency accounts all over Europe," said Wit. "I emptied a few of them. If we help win the war, the expense may be forgiven. If we die in the process or if the Formics seize Earth, it won't much matter anyway."
"Such confidence," said Calinga.
"This won't be an easy fight. No reason to avoid that fact."
"So what's the plan? You said we'll strike key targets and sabotage. What are our targets exactly? The landers? They're shielded. Missiles can't touch them. The air force is hitting them with everything they've got and not putting a scratch on them."
"Then we'll have to find a way inside one."
"How?"
"No idea. If we can reach one, we can do some recon and investigate." He brought up a map of southeast China on his holopad. "We'll hit the second lander first. The one in the middle. The northernmost lander near Guilin is where the highest casualties are, but it's also where the military is concentrating. I'd rather avoid direct contact with the army right now. Let's accomplish something first. Let's prove our worth to the Chinese. Then they'll ask us to stay."
"Why not go for the southernmost lander, where the flyers are seeding bacteria into the sea? That's serious ecological damage. The faster we stop that the better."
"That lander is more isolated," said Wit. "It's at a higher elevation and harder to reach. That's better left to the air force. Plus the casualties there are in the hundreds, whereas they're reaching the thousands and tens of thousands at the other two. The second lander is the best strategic position as well. We can easily get to either of the other two if we suddenly have to."