The Navigator (The Apollo Stone Trilogy Book 1)
Page 49
It was thanks to General Longmire’s plan and the valor of his troops at the Battle of Bullard Creek, as it came to be known, that complete disaster had been averted. Though heavily criticized by his superiors and the League Council when he conceived of the plan, it was now widely recognized that Longmire’s decision to preposition heavy guns, ammunition, and supplies south of the rail bridge had made the difference.
Not aware of the plan but trusting in their officers and General Longmire, the troops had performed admirably when they flawlessly executed what was considered the greatest fighting retreat in modern history. Then those same troops pivoted from a defensive to an offensive footing without hesitation and fought like hell to halt the enemy’s advance. Once the invaders’ progress was stopped, Longmire ordered the left wing of the League-Lycian line to swing northeast. Like a giant closing door, the maneuver pinned the Sahiradin and PRA troops against the Mississippi River. The Sahiradin managed to fight their way out of the trap and retreat northward, but the PRA’s army was utterly destroyed.
After the successful assault on Dominion and the near catastrophe at the Battle of Bullard Creek, the Sahiradin decided to quickly retrieve its army. They withdrew to Mars where, according to the Lycians, they were currently busily working to repair Dominion and establish a base on that planet’s surface.
The Lycians also withdrew their troops after the battle. They spread their ships around Earth’s orbit and throughout the system in the hope of finding the Apollo Stone, which Logan said was left on board the Blackhawk when it exploded. Not surprisingly, the Lycians were desperate to find the stone, terrified by the possibility that the Sahiradin would find it first and launch surprise attacks deep inside Lycian-held space.
Logan heard footsteps on the rocks behind him. He turned to see Cap and Lena approaching them. He and Cap nodded to each other, but no one spoke for several minutes as they watched the long line of retreating PRA troops marching east.
“What now?” asked Cap, finally breaking the silence.
“I don’t know,” said Logan. “We avoided total annihilation, but the PRA has gained a lot of territory around St. Louis. And they’ve disrupted the river trade which will bring extreme hardship to the League’s members. But they’re not done. I expect they’ll regroup and prepare for a new offensive next spring.”
“But now we don’t have the river to help protect us,” said Styles. “Once they fortify St. Louis and resupply, they’ll sweep across the plains.”
“And even if we somehow stop the next PRA offensive, we can’t forget the Sahiradin are still out there,” said Cap glancing up at the sky. “Something tells me they won’t be gone for long.”
No one spoke. Styles leaned a little toward Logan. He looked at her and squeezed her hand.
“The war isn’t over, but let’s enjoy today,” said Logan. “Tomorrow will be here soon enough.”