With each passing mile, the Augs attacked intermittently, but they forged on. Captain Walker was a skilled tactician and he kept the rebel losses to a minimum. Richard held Josephine’s hand every time they came under fire, but as the night wore on, she seemed increasingly unsettled by the attacks.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I just want to get there and be done with it,” she replied.
“I know, waiting is the hardest part,” he agreed.
After they passed through Vaughn, Captain Walker headed east across the open farmland so they could attack the production facility from the north side of the Missouri River. When they reached the outskirts of Great Falls, the city lights revealed a wall of troops and armor that stretched from the northern suburbs to Giant Springs State Park. Even the most optimistic soldier could recognize the obvious; the enemy’s force was far more superior than anyone had imagined. The discrepancy was so evident that Richard instantly called Captain Walker on the radio.
“I see it,” Captain Walker replied. “We’ll continue further east and attack from the bluffs across from the state park so we have the high ground.” Richard set the radio down and stared at the enemy lines in the distance.
“What’s wrong?” Josephine whispered as she read the despair on his moonlit face.
“We have grossly underestimated the enemy’s strength and numbers,” he whispered back.
“I still believe in you,” she replied in an effort to bolster his confidence. Richard gulped down the lump that had formed in his throat and tried to keep his composure. The last thing he wanted was to seem weak in the eyes of the volunteers.
Once they reached the bluffs, Captain Walker and his men unhooked all of the carts and moved into a defensive position. Then he signaled for Richard to come over so they could go over the attack plan.
“The enemies’ force appears to be considerably stronger than our intelligence estimated,” Captain Walker admitted.
“What’s you assessment in light of the circumstances?” Richard asked.
“As I said before, it’s going to be a tough fight. Turning back was never really an option as you and I both know, the Augs will try and exterminate us the moment we let our guard down.”
“So you thought their offer was a sham too?” Richard asked.
“Yes, especially since we know they are up to something with that ‘Northern Lights’ project.”
“I was hoping the odds would be better,” Richard sighed.
“We have the high ground, so I’ll order my men to stay back as long as they can and try to knock out some of their assets before they get within range of us. It’s going to get chaotic pretty fast, so once the shooting starts, I recommend that you keep the soldiers back until we either punch through their lines, or get depleted,” Captain Walker suggested.
“Alright, we’ll stay up here until you’ve softened them up for us,” Richard replied.
“I’ll do my best,” Captain Walker replied.
The rebel soldiers looked on as Captain Walker and his men slowly crept down the hill firing at the enemy’s lines. The Augs responded by firing their rockets at the advancing tanks, instantly destroying several of them. The remaining rebel tanks advanced so they could target the rocket batteries located behind the enemy’s lines, but in doing so, they lost their uphill advantage and the Augs opened fire on them. The rebel soldiers looked on as the battlefield below erupted into explosions. Tanks were being destroyed left and right, but it was impossible to tell which side was winning. After fifteen minutes of intense fighting, there were only a few tanks left, along with a couple of mobile rocket launchers on a hill close to Malmstrom. As they looked on, the launchers fired and the glow of rocket traces could be seen climbing high into the night sky.
“Take cover!” Richard yelled when he realized they had been targeted. The ground shook in rapid succession as rockets exploded all along the ridge just behind the rebel lines. Dirt and debris rained down from the sky as the soldiers scrambled for protection under the carts.
“Take cover! Richard shouted again as the telltale rocket plumes lit up from the hill across the river from them. Moments later the cries of the wounded filled the space between explosions. Soldiers darted to and fro, as shells exploded randomly all around them. Then as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Richard scrambled to the overlook to see what was happening and in the distance he saw two defiant tanks charging through the enemy’s lines. As they fired at the remaining rocket launchers near the Augs base, both tanks suddenly erupted into a shower of sparks and flames after being struck by shoulder-fired rockets. “Nooo!” Richard cried out, as he realized that the last two Black Horse Troopers had just been killed. Then he looked across at the hill where the rocket launchers were smoldering, praying that they would not be able to strike them. As he anxiously waited for rockets to rain down on them, Josephine came running over to see him.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
“I think the troopers knocked out or damaged their last few mobile rocket launchers,” Richard replied.
“What are they doing now?” she questioned, when she didn’t see any tanks left in operation.
“They didn’t make it,” Richard replied. Josephine lowered her head and then cussed under her breath for several minutes.
“There’re all gone?” she asked in disbelief after looking up.
“I’m afraid so, but the Augs didn’t fare all that well either. All their tanks were destroyed in the firefight, along with most of their other artillery. Josephine nodded, but her attention quickly turned from the smoldering armor to the mass of enemy soldiers advancing towards them.
“Richard, I don’t think it’s over yet,” she said in a nervous voice.
“Far from it, Richard replied as he turned to warn the others. “The Augs are coming, turn the carts on their side, and form a barrier!” he yelled out. The soldiers quickly worked together to form a long barricade and then aimed their rifles towards the advancing hoard.
“Fire!” Richard yelled as the Augs started running up the hill towards them. A wall of blue plasma balls erupted from the rebels lines, instantly vaporizing the first few rows of enemy soldiers, but they kept on coming. The Rebels continued to fire as fast as they could pull the trigger, but they outnumbered them fifty-to-one. Richard kept hoping that the Augs would turn and run as they had done so many times in the past, but they just kept coming. A few of the rebels turned and ran once the firefight drew closer, making it increasingly more difficult to keep the enemy at bay. The Augs intensified their attack, targeting the rebel’s carts. It didn’t seem to matter how many Augs they killed, they just kept advancing on them. Soon, the dead outnumbered the living, and it was all too obvious that the rebel force would be slaughtered in its entirety. Richard began to panic. There seemed to be no way out of the deteriorating situation. The carts, which had initially protected them, were quickly becoming their tomb. His glorious plan to attack the city was faltering, as feelings of guilt and hopelessness overwhelmed him. Tears started to run down his face as he blamed himself for the onslaught. He quickly looked over at Josephine’s face as pulse rifle flashes illuminated the last moments of their lives. Time seemed to slow down as the Augs concentrated their fire in their direction. Bits of rock and debris seemed to float effortlessly past his head as showers of dirt gently rained down on his head. Richard slowly lowered his weapon in defeat as he stared at Josephine. Her eyes twinkled each time the darkness was interrupted by weapon fire, and Richard felt that his love for her could not have been any more intense than it was in that fleeting moment.