"Are we going back to reinforce Fort Howe?" By now, Third Platoon's commanding officer and the four squad leaders had gathered together, and one of the squad leaders raised the question.
"But we're barely a full platoon—not even a hundred men," said the leader of Fourth Squad. "What could we possibly do? The fort only had three platoons. For all we know, it's already fallen."
"The fleet is still in orbit. All we can do is hope they'll deploy airborne units," Reagan said. In the absence of contact with Warfield, he didn't really have any other ideas.
He was the kind of man who operated strictly by the book—and the same applied to his command style. Reagan was used to following the orders of Company Commander Warfield. The moment something strayed from the original plan, he was completely at a loss.
"The Sea Dragon troops attacking Fort Howe can't possibly number more than a battalion," Augustus said, motioning behind him. "Jim, bring the map."
Augustus had begun operating under the assumption that Fort Howe was under attack the moment he heard Hill's report. Based on that assumption, he had already started drafting a few preliminary plans in his mind.
Under the watchful gaze of the others, Augustus knelt down and unfurled a map that covered Fort Howe and its surrounding cities, transport routes, and major highlands. "The Kel-Morian fleets and space stations in synchronous orbit over Turaxis II have already been destroyed. That means their ground forces will receive no reinforcements from Moria. The only remaining Kel-Morian presence in this region is the Sea Dragon Legion."
"In nearly three years of war, the Sea Dragon forces on Turaxis still don't amount to even two of our army corps." Under the illumination of a power armor searchlight, Augustus extended one hand and drew a straight line eastward from Fort Howe on the map with his index finger.
"To the east of Fort Howe lies the Snakeback Mountains—the largest mountain range on this hemisphere. It's rich in vast, unbroken Ardeon Crystal deposits, and its volcanic fields constantly spew out high-energy gas vents."
"The Sea Dragon Legion hollowed out several mountains there and built a sprawling underground fortress. Most of their troops are stationed inside," Augustus said, pointing to the Zulu Outpost on the map.
"Their underground fortress is about 1,600 kilometers from Fort Howe. At the only canyon pass in the Snakeback Mountains navigable by vehicles lies Zulu Outpost. It's the spike our First Marine Division hammered into their front door—our springboard for advancing along the eastern front."
"The main force of the Sea Dragon Legion couldn't possibly break through the Snakeback Mountains right under the nose of the Zulu Outpost to launch a surprise attack on Fort Howe. Their transport aircraft wouldn't be able to evade our satellite radar either," Augustus said with absolute confidence.
Though he was merely a regular non-commissioned officer, whose duties were no more than following orders and keeping his subordinates in line, Augustus had spent his free time—aside from reading and playing cards—studying maps and simulating tactics on sand tables. He firmly believed that one day it would prove useful.
"The Sea Dragons roaming around Fort Howe are actually just assault squads of about one hundred to three hundred troops each, scattered across roughly 5.2 million square kilometers of land. All those units combined are probably equivalent to one of our brigades—just a few thousand men at most."
"Which is why I believe the enemy we're about to face may number only in the hundreds—or even fewer."
"Only a few hundred, and they still dare attack a fortress?" The squad leader of First Squad was already half-convinced by Augustus, but he still found it unbelievable. The fortress-like outer walls of Fort Howe were built from massive cubical stone blocks, clad in a thick layer of neosteel plating. Its heavy-caliber autocannons and rotating electromagnetic turret guns were enough to hold off an entire infantry brigade.
"Those Kel-Morian folks are certainly bold," Augustus said, sweeping his gaze over the others, "but there must be something else driving them to take this risk."
"A mole!" Raynor, who had been listening nearby, chimed in. He was naturally sharp and good at connecting the dots. After spending so much time working with Augustus, the two had developed a strong sense of mutual understanding.
"Pete, the guy flying the Gladiator transport—he's a hippie. I've always had my suspicions."
"Was it Jerome? He's always sneaking around, and he once told me it was just to steal donuts. Does that sound reasonable to you?"
"Lieutenant Justin! It has to be him! When he was eating an FD combat ration, he even said he was team sweet!"
Everyone jumped in without hesitation, throwing out names of potential moles—but almost every accusation was driven by personal bias. After all the speculation, there wasn't much consensus.
"Augustus, you've said so much. I'm guessing you already have a plan," Reagan said, looking at him.
"I do have a plan," Augustus replied. "Of course, the final call is still yours."
"Cunning bastard, taking all the good lines for yourself. What choice do I have left?" Reagan shook his head.
"The nearest city to us right now is Oakwood, less than 16 kilometers away. We'll head there first to rendezvous with the Second Battalion, then proceed to support Fort Howe. Compared to that, heading east to Taverston—though it has more troops—would take us until morning."
Augustus added, "I know the Second Battalion was transferred to Oakwood two weeks ago, but I don't know if they're still there."
"If we can't get their support, then we'll execute the plan here." He circled a spot on the map. In addition to major cities, the map also marked each city's landmarks, notable businesses, and factories.
"The Green Automotive Plant?" Reagan was puzzled.
"Repaint." Augustus tapped on his powered armor. "Coat it in Sea Dragon deep blue."
It wasn't hard to understand—after all, when the Kel-Morian forces captured powered armor from the Terran Confederacy, they repainted them on-site at their own vehicle plants.
"You want us to disguise ourselves as Sea Dragon troops?" Reagan was shocked at the risk Augustus proposed. "No way. That's too dangerous."
"I knew you'd say that," Augustus replied. "But think of the worst-case scenario: if Fort Howe has already fallen by the time we arrive, we could infiltrate before the enemy fully secures it. On the other hand, if Warfield's men are still holding the line, we'll be able to flank them from behind and attack from both sides."
"Using conventional tactics, our chances of victory are pitifully low. Only by breaking from convention can we achieve the element of surprise. Opportunity always comes hand-in-hand with risk, and we must take that risk," he said. "I've already done the math—even if we spend nearly an hour at the automotive plant repainting, we should still be among the first reinforcements to arrive."
...
At 20:44, the armored personnel carrier carrying Augustus arrived at Oakwood.
Oakwood had originally been a small town established by lumberjacks. Later, with the development of the railway network, the town prospered thanks to its strategic position at a transportation hub. Its commercial, industrial, and residential zones gradually separated and evolved, giving rise to a dynamic, forward-looking city.
By the time the third squad arrived, most of the city's buildings were dark. Only the police station, the maglev train terminal, and the city government still had lights on.
Reagan and Augustus split up—one team was sent to locate the Second Battalion's garrison, while the other headed to the Green Automotive Plant.
The factory sat right beside Oakwood's train station. Before the war, this station served as a transfer point between Fort Howe, Odyssey, and the Western Crossroads, with twelve double-track railways converging here. Now, it was a dead end.
The station's roof was a reinforced steel-arch structure, and the artificial lighting fixed onto the beams illuminated the place like broad daylight.
At first, there was no response from within the tall-walled compound of the automotive plant. But at Augustus's command, his squad's grenadier, Ward, promptly blasted open the gate. Two Marine squads marched in, stepping over the twisted remnants of the iron fence as they entered the factory grounds.
When one of the factory supervisors, followed by a few security guards, scurried into the workshop like panicked hamsters, Augustus's men had already begun calibrating the paint-spraying equipment with practiced ease. Repainting or restoring powered armor was a required skill back in boot camp. The real headache for Augustus was the Sea Dragon insignia—specifically, their winged emblem.
Fortunately, this problem was quickly solved by Lee Dong-Nyong, an automotive engineer in the squad who had previously worked at Wolf Industries. Now, all that remained was for Reagan to return with either good news or bad.
When the factory supervisor nervously asked what Augustus's men were doing, Augustus simply told him to provide a bank account capable of receiving funds. After that, no one asked any more questions.
"I'm afraid we're on our own. The Second Battalion isn't here. Oakwood only has a single garrison company, and they've refused to abandon the city to assist us," Reagan said over comms ten minutes later. "I'll be there soon."
At 23:00, a unit of Marines stepped out of the factory clad in deep-blue paint. Their trucks had also been modified and now flew the Kel-Morian flag. Half an hour later, the convoy entered the highway and began heading toward Fort Howe. By that time, the heavy snowfall had stopped, but the road conditions remained poor. Augustus estimated they would arrive back at the fortress in about two hours.
By then, they would be masquerading as a Sea Dragon squad sent in as reinforcements.
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