As they flew through the coming dawn Samuel could see bright flashes all around him. The fighter bombers were doing their job, going after the enemy's air defenses. By the time it was fully light the sky would virtually be theirs. Only twice did they come under light ground fire. Their gun ships quickly peeled off and silenced the guns.
When they arrived at their deployment point only one of their helicopters had been seriously hit and it managed to make a safe landing though it would be some time before it would fly again.
Their scout troops rushed forward, made sure the area was secure, and they moved towards their objective. Within minutes Samuel was walking through the gate and the children were being herded to the waiting helicopters. Samuel could not believe how many there were, and, of every race.
Some of the older ones resisted leaving, but their companions urged them to go. One by one the loaded helicopters rose and sped away. Finally the last one was gone. Only the older girls stood ready, weapons in hand. They had some scores to settle!
As Samuel headed for his command post he noticed a car just inside the gate. It was riddled with bullet holes. There were four bodies inside, two older men and two young women. Samuel motioned the young women's leader over to him. "What's this?" he asked.
"They found out," the young woman explained, "they were going to warn the capital, betray us. We HAD to stop them! The bitches LOVE their masters, would do anything for them." The girl spat on the ground. "Sluts!" she remarked. "We're holding a ouple more prisoner," she announced, "that betrayed a couple of the other girls that tried to escape."
Samuel nodded. "We'll try them later," he remarked.
The first day went well. The enemy was completely off balance, totally confused. The second day he began to get a little bit better organized and his resistance became determined. He was using what he had left very effectively, and there was far more of it than they had thought!
Apparently large numbers of the crusaders and many of St. George's supporters had managed to reach their friends and brought with them much of their equipment. It was the third day when Murphy's Law began to take effect. An aide came up to Samuel with a disturbing report.
"That weather system that was supposed to stay north, sir, is dipping far south. In less than six hours the whole country is going to be covered in heavy showers. Air operations will become impossible. There's reports, sir, the enemy's regrouping to the west of the city and planning a major push to try to retake the capital."
Samuel studied his map. "We're too thin," he remarked, "without reinforcements we can't hold all the ground we've taken. This base is in a very BAD position to defend. The enemy can mass in too many places. They'll overrun us! We NEED a more defendable position."
Kalina came over. "Sir," she remarked, "down here, below us. They're building a new sewerage treatment plant, by the river. It's open ground all around it. The river's on one side. They've built two retaining walls around the main pumping station. It would be the perfect place to dig in...a ready made fortress!
The pumping station is concrete. It'll easily withstand their mortars and rockets. There's two other defendable positions along the same line with clear ground before them. "
"Let's go!" Samuel snapped. "I want to look at these positions."
Within an hour he had the position scouted. Kalina was right! This ground was a killing field if the enemy was mad enough to come at them there.. It was the perfect place! He moved his command post, ordered half his troops to dig in in these positions, the rest would harass the enemy, giving ground as slow as they could.
The rain came right on time, and the enemy right behind it. Within four hours they had pushed The Republic's Forces back to their strong points, and the fighting was fierce. Twice they repelled heavy assaults, then night came.
"I've got a feeling," Samuel remarked, "THIS is going to be a LONG night, and before it's over we're going to be praying for daylight!"
The enemy kept coming. They lost their lower line of defense. The numbers of their dead grew with every passing hour. But the number of the enemy's losses grew, too. Before them the wrecks of tanks, pcs and armored cars littered the field and more bodies than Samuel liked to think about. Time after time they hit them, time after time they drove them back, sometimes the fighting went hand to hand.
It was only an hour or so before Samuel joined Lt. Rice. "I don't like this!" Rice commented. "They've pulled back. It's getting lighter. The rain is easing. I think they're getting ready for one LAST desperate effort. We're getting pretty low on ammunition."
"EVERYBODY is!" Samuel remarked.
A soldier operating a scanning device gave a warning. "Here they come, lots of 'em!"
Mortar and grenade rounds began to fall among them, and the enemy began to rush up the hill, trying again to reach their wall. Samuel and the lieutenant began to fire, but STILL they came!
A bullet nicked Samuel's arm, his third wound of the night, but he ignored it and continued to fire. He emptied his clip, reloaded, and emptied that one, but they still kept coming. He emptied a third one when the enemy began to top the wall, and he had no time to reload again.

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