— 12 —
Bromley didn't dismount just then. "Your suggestions?" he asked.
Sergeant Lewis screwed up his face. "Get there quick. Choose a good route. If Jebbitt's Raiders got together again, you'd better choose a route they don't expect. Blitzkrieg 'em.
Pete Smyth approached just then. "Sergeant Lewis told me the whole story already, sir. I agree. I have one other suggestion, though." Bromley's cocked eyebrow encouraged him to continue. "I think we should take emergency CEOIs and use 'em."
"CEOIs?" Lewis inquired of the two officers.
"Communications Equipment Operating Instructions," Bromley explained. "Every tank and skimmer's got a book of them. In times when secure communications weren't possible, armed forces used codes. They included codes for each vehicle and unit. They take a bit of getting used to, but the enemy won't be able to decipher them easily."
"I don't like the idea, sir," Lewis replied. "If I don't know about them, you can be sure none of the other non-coms are familiar with them, either. A new system could add trouble where we've got enough already."
"That's true," Smyth agreed. "But if the Raiders are out there, they could have some of our comm. equipment. They might even have caused that transport to crash. If that's the case, I don't think we should give them the chance to know what we're doing. We shouldn't even rely on the standard CEOIs. Let's set up emergency codes for this operation."
If Bull chooses to set up special CEOIs, turn to section 13.
If Bull decides not to use special CEOIs, turn to section 14.