By eight in the morning, the leading Resocialized Battalion had advanced several miles toward the city center and lost contact with the other units behind it. After entering the city, Warfield's 1st Company had chosen to link up with several of the other companies before leading the advance.
Augustus's squad followed an Arclite Siege Tank along Route 30, a four-lane east-west highway. They entered the city from the Dunlin District northeast of Pride of Boke, then continued west, heading straight for the command center and orbital satellite communications hub in the heart of Kel-Morian-controlled territory.
The rainy season in the northern hemisphere of Turaxis II brought a steady drizzle. White steam hung over the cooling tower on the back of Augustus's Power Armor. Rain trickled down from the top of his visor, and the devastated streets grew hazy before his eyes.
Thanks to the Resocialized Soldiers, Warfield's forces had encountered no Kel-Morian resistance as they advanced along the highway. Only the destroyed roadblocks and the bodies of Resocialized Soldiers and Kel-Morians hinted at the terrible battles that had taken place there.
With every mile they advanced, the number of bodies on the highway increased. Rainwater mixed with blood and flowed into the still-unclogged storm drains. Ratlike creatures crawled unconcernedly into shattered helmet visors and gnawed at the human corpses.
By keeping track of the number of Resocialized Soldiers' bodies, Augustus could tell that the still-charging battalion had already lost most of its men.
Augustus's squad had yet to encounter any organized Kel-Morian units. In open areas, the tanks could provide them with cover, too.
Only the occasional Kel-Morian Labor Auxiliary, hidden in houses, sewers, or trash cans, suddenly burst from its hiding place. With explosives and Electromagnetic Grenades strapped all over their bodies, they tried to take out the Confederacy's tanks in a suicide attack.
The highway offered a clear line of sight. These Kel-Morian soldiers had no armor to protect them, and the moment they showed themselves, Confederacy troops shot them down.
Among them, Rick Kidd, the sniper in Augustus's squad, had the highest kill count by far. His shots were precise and deadly, each one a headshot. The powerful CPO sniper rifle could tear an enemy's skull open even with a shot that merely grazed his scalp.
Their good luck ended when they were about three miles from the city center. Pride of Boke was crisscrossed with numerous man-made canals, which separated its various districts. On the way from the Dunlin District into the main city, the Confederacy troops had to cross dozens of bridges.
Most of the bridges had collapsed, with clear signs of deliberate demolition. Only Goliath Combat Robots, towering like giants, could wade through the artificial canals during flood season. The Confederacy troops had fewer and fewer routes to choose from.
Disaster struck as they crossed the last bridge over the river in the Dunlin District. A full platoon of Confederate Marine Corps and an Arclite Siege Tank were heading into the distance across the white bridge, which had not been checked for explosives. Augustus's squad was only eight hundred yards away. At their pace, they would reach the bridge in less than a minute.
Suddenly, there was a tremendous blast. The earth seemed to shift sideways by five inches, and the thunderous explosion could be heard from miles away.
Augustus's first sensation was as if someone had slapped him across the ears. Amid the ringing, the shattered remains of the bridge's central span flew into the air before his eyes. Twisted bodies, steel, and blood rained down onto the water.
The shock wave kicked up a wall of dirt. The nearest squad slammed into an incredibly dense wall of air sweeping sideways. Even their Power Armor crumpled like crushed cans, and more than twenty people were flung through the air like flies swatted away.
The bridge, with its white marble railings carved with images of the gods, had once been a masterpiece of architects and artists. Now it had become a tomb.
"You idiots! Why didn't you wait for the bomb disposal team?" The speaker was the commander of the 5th Battalion. He didn't use the comms channel. Instead, he lifted his visor and roared at the Marines preparing to cross the bridge.
Augustus didn't know which unit had been on the bridge, but it certainly wasn't 1st Company. Warfield's order came through the command channel amid a loud buzz: he and 2nd Platoon had been among the first to cross the bridge safely. The explosive device had clearly used a timer rather than another method of detonation.
Augustus had fallen behind naturally, since he had to protect the tank as his squad advanced. He hadn't expected that delay to save their lives.
"Well, that's just great. We'll be waiting here for quite a while now," Josephine said with schadenfreude. He had no enthusiasm for war. Unlike Warfield, who insisted on being right at the front, deep in the most dangerous areas, Josephine's policy was to keep his head down and never stick his neck out.
"That's not good news." By then, the ringing in Augustus's ears had eased somewhat. He was nowhere near as optimistic as Josephine. "I've already checked. There's more than one way across the river."
"Of course. This is the closest route in a straight line to the Kel-Morian command center marked on the satellite map, and the only highway that tanks and convoys can use. We can take a detour, but we'll have to use side streets and cut through the residential and commercial districts alongside the highway to reach the other side of the river. Believe me, Josephine, that'll be much more dangerous than taking the wide main road."
"Augustus is right. At least we have tanks with us on the main road, and we won't have Kel-Morian bastards suddenly popping out at us." Ward talked more during combat than the others. The moment he saw Kel-Morians, he became as excited as an avenging angel.
"This is terrible," Omo lamented.
"The real trouble is just beginning." Augustus warned his soldiers, "Just as I said before the battle, if anyone gets knocked down, we bring him back, no matter what."
So far, Augustus's squad hadn't suffered a single casualty. But now he might have to lead his men straight into danger.
Just as Augustus had suspected, with Warfield absent, the 5th Battalion commander, a hook-nosed lieutenant colonel, took command of Augustus's platoon. He ordered them to detour north by platoon through an abandoned commercial district and cross the river using another bridge.
Reagan, the commander of 3rd Platoon, had already crossed the river with Warfield, so command of 1st Squad fell to the commander of 4th Company.
The tanks could no longer proceed through the narrow streets of the residential district, whose roads couldn't bear their weight. Augustus had no choice but to grit his teeth and lead his squad after 4th Company into a commercial street far narrower than the highway.
This street lay between the three routes of 4th Brigade's advance. No troops had ventured deep into it, which meant it could well be hiding Kel-Morian soldiers who had retreated there.
With two more battalions following behind the 5th, thousands of Marines couldn't all stroll along a single commercial street. So, acting on the battalion commander's orders, they split up by platoon and chose different streets for the detour.
Augustus followed two squads from 4th Company, 5th Battalion, into a commercial street marked A-220. Benjamin, the heavy machine-gunner in the first fireteam, and Omo, his assistant carrying the ammunition box, stayed closest. Reagan and Harnack's second fireteam followed behind.
Thanks to Star Ring for the tip, and thanks to Glory to the Eldest Son, Starwish Xingyuan, zerostart, and Miaosha Pao for the monthly votes.
UNN Evening News: The Rak'Shir Ritual has failed. The pigeon was pushed into the Ascension Pit.
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