The map was in the same format as the other digital data that Nico had obtained from their military technology so far, and in only a few seconds, she had a 3D hologram projected above the table from her wrist device. It showed the entire planet, with all of its geography and cities, as well as the sites of known portal explosions and the ongoing battle sites.
That was enough for a basic war room, but Max knew that they needed more.
They only made fifty drone bombers, but if he put them at an altitude of twenty thousand metres, he could move them into a grid pattern and relay back a relatively complete live map of the region.
It wouldn't be perfect, but it should at least show the largest enemy groups, ongoing battles, and the state of any cities nearby. From that height, they could see roughly five hundred kilometres with decent sensor precision, so even putting them a hundred kilometres apart should give him enough overlapping sensor feeds to get reliable data.
Max ordered the bombers into a seven unit squared grid pattern, one hundred kilometres apart, and they quickly moved to get into position. For some that would take half an hour, but it would be worth it once they were ready to go and could relay longer distance communications.
What wasn't clear was how many cities would even be able to receive the messages in their current state. The one closest to him was in shambles, and the surging energy had completely destroyed most things electronic, including their military and civilian communications systems.
The details on Nico's map began to improve as the drone bombers spread out in all directions, but the news was not good. There were a few cities that weren't in terrible shape, and a few military messages being broadcast from them, but they were from short wave radios, which had most likely been in storage at the time of the attacks, and had a very limited range compared to the total size of the planet.
"We can make contact with the cities that are broadcasting on the short wave radios now. Our drones have the capability, and you can contact them through us. Where did I put it? Oh, here it is. One handheld radio. It will broadcast on the same frequency that your other cities are using, so you can inform them of your status here and help coordinate responses better than line of sight communications." Nico offered.
The dignitaries looked dubious, but when Nico turned the handheld radio on, the signal from the other cities was strong enough to understand, and the device stated that it was broadcasting throughout the drone network.
After a quick check with the holographic map to see how large of an area that was, the General began an announcement.
[Golden Legion, this is General Airwalker from the Seventeenth Command Group. We have a working arrangement with newly arrived human forces, who have set up a radio relay and sensor network. My Command seat is destroyed, but civilian casualties have been kept to under thirty percent, and the city has been upgraded to hostile but stable status.] He broadcast.
There was a pause where too many communications were relayed at once to make any sense of them, a limitation of single frequency shortwave radios, and then another clear voice came on the air.
[General Airwalker, this is General Perseus of the One Seventy Seventh Command Group, it is a relief to hear you. My jet was in the air when the portal opened, and I just returned to the city. The Command Seat here is intact, but all of our core troops were out on a training exercise with the Sixteenth when the incident started, and we are working with civil security to attempt to retake the city.] The voice announced.
The General cursed, and Nico spun the map to show the location of the One Seventy Seven, as well as the Sixteenth Command Group.
The first was only two cities away, and was one of the more intact ones, but it seemed that didn't save it from being at least partially overrun.
The Sixteenth was over a thousand kilometres away, so those troops would not be coming back here, even if they had contact with them.
Then another voice came over the radio, sounding ragged and wounded.
[This is General Decimus of the One Seventy Second Command Group. The Command Seat has fallen, but the city has been retaken and secured with the help of the local militia. Civilian casualties exceed eighty percent.]
Max looked at the map and realized that each Command Group was akin to a capital city, with Seventeen being the Regional Capital, and the three-digit numbers being district capitals arranged around it.
Eighty Percent casualties was not a sustainable state, even if the city itself was relatively intact, which it sounded like the One Seventy Second was not.
Max tapped his own communicator to join the conversation.
[This is Commander Keres Max of the Terminus Trading Company. I am the leader of the human force who has arrived in your territory. We are offering assistance on a priority basis. Those with ongoing attacks or Heavy casualties in cities that have not been lost, please report back in order of situation, so we can begin triage.]
There was a short pause, as if nobody knew who should speak next.
[Is there anyone with casualties in the seventy percent range who is still holding the city and can communicate?] General Airwalker asked.
No response.
[How about in the sixties?] He tried.
[One Seventy Four is stable]
[One Seventy Three remains destabilized]
[One Seventy Nine is currently being evacuated, requesting escort to One Seventy Two.]
Max made notes, and saw that 179 and 172 were about fifty kilometres apart. They were along the same river, so water transport would be best, if possible, but if not, he could send a team to help guard the convoy.
But millions of refugees wasn't going to be easy to move. General Airwalker seemed to think the same thing, as he demanded an explanation.
[General Boor, why are you evacuating the city?] He demanded.
[One Seventy Nine is unsustainable. The Nuclear Reactor has been breached, and the radiation leak is nearing fatal levels. The population is already on the move, and I don't have the forces to stop them.]
As far as excuses went, that was a pretty fething good one, Max thought.
