Chapter 265: Relocation

In the morning light of Silverpeak, a large commotion had already started around the old transport yard near the northern side of the MDC-controlled district.

It was used by both MDC soldiers and families that were either displaced or had relatives inside the MDC.

Now they were being told to move again.

"Major, where the hell are we supposed to put all of this?"

An MDC soldier stood beside several ammunition crates while two others carried equipment out of one of the warehouses.

Federick looked toward the growing pile.

"Warehouse Three. Anything that doesn’t fit goes to the secondary vehicle yard."

"And our quarters?"

"A temporary barracks has been set up beside the eastern compound."

The soldier stared at him.

"The eastern compound? Bloody me. Those are already crowded!"

"The colonel’s orders. If you want to complain, go ask him."

Another voice came from farther behind them.

"Major, I can’t accept this arrangement! My family wants to stay upstairs!"

Federick turned.

One of the MDC soldiers was helping his wife carry two bags from the old administrative building. A young girl followed between them while holding a folded blanket against her chest.

"We’ve been moved twice already, Major. You and I both know that."

Federick had heard the same complaint several times that morning.

"Your family has a place prepared inside the civilian shelter area. You’ll remain with your unit."

The soldier looked toward the building again.

"This place was just fine. What’s with the move out?"

"Colonel’s orders. Clear the yard before the Golden Eagle column gets here."

There was little else anyone could do about it.

The MDC had spent months using whatever secure space Silverpeak still had available. Empty buildings became barracks. Warehouses became storage areas. Families stayed wherever the defensive lines could protect them.

Giving Golden Eagle enough room for hundreds of soldiers and armored vehicles meant moving people who were already settled somewhere else.

Complaints continued, but so did the work.

The last of the MDC trucks were leaving the yard when the sound of heavier engines came from the northern road.

Several soldiers stopped to look.

The Guardian APCs appeared first.

Their unfamiliar hulls rolled through the approach one after another while Golden Eagle infantry moved with them. Vanguard tanks followed farther behind, their larger profiles drawing even more attention from the people leaving the transport yard.

The soldier with his family looked back toward them.

"Those the guys everyone’s calling the fucking army that saved us?"

Another MDC soldier nudged him forward.

"Move it. Less talking, more walking."

"I’m moving."

His daughter kept staring at the approaching vehicles.

"Daddy, are those tanks the ones I saw last night?"

"Yeah. Come here baby. We’re not staying here anymore."

"Are they the ones staying here instead?"

The soldier didn’t say anything.

The first Guardian passed the entrance while MDC personnel directed it toward the cleared vehicle area.

Then a few more followed.

What had looked like an oversized transport yard only an hour earlier slowly began filling again.

And this time, it was filling with the Golden Eagle army.

...

Inside one of the Guardian APCs near the middle of the formation, Brandon received reports as the column entered the MDC-controlled district.

"Sir, we’re getting complaints from some of the residents around the transport yard."

Brandon expected as much.

They had been given occupied ground. Someone was always going to be unhappy about being moved for people they barely knew.

"We’ll give them a surprise soon. For now, let the Colonel handle most of the affairs. Push forward, Bulldog One."

"Understood."

The formation continued through the northern approach.

The first Guardians entered the transport yard while infantry spread toward the buildings assigned to them. Engineers were already being directed toward the warehouses, vehicle sheds and open sections of pavement that would need to be inspected before heavier equipment settled in.

Brandon’s Guardian followed them inside.

The yard was large enough to begin with.

Whether it stayed that way depended on how much of Southern Command he eventually brought into Silverpeak.

For now, the maneuver elements entering with him would establish the forward position while the rest of the force remained distributed around the approaches.

The column continued moving into its assigned areas.

A while later, Brandon stepped out of the BACV after it settled along one side of the transport yard.

The vehicle was positioned beside one of the larger warehouse buildings, leaving the central vehicle lanes open for the rest of Southern Command.

Its deployment had already started.

Several sections along the hull shifted into position while the vehicle prepared itself for stationary operations. Inside Brandon’s interface, the Radar picture changed with it.

A ring spread outward from the BACV’s position.

It passed beyond the transport yard, across the MDC-controlled districts and farther into Silverpeak.

More of the city entered the System Radar’s picture. Brandon watched the coverage settle before closing the display.

Someone was already waiting for him near the edge of the central area.

Major Federick approached from the direction of an old administrative building that the MDC had cleared for Golden Eagle’s use.

"Commander Brandon."

"Major. Good to see you this early."

"The place was cleared in a rush. If you find something out of place, tell my troops. We’ll sort it out."

"Don’t worry, Major. We won’t hassle these people any more than we already did."

Federick sighed.

"I wish there was a better way to do this."

"I should be the one saying that."

Brandon lightly tapped his shoulder.

"We’ll be setting up camp for now. Anything else we need to know?"

"The MDC compiled everything we have on the city."

Federick pointed toward the administrative building.

"We cleared one of the operations rooms for your people. Maps, sector reports, civilian locations, known infected concentrations and whatever else we could gather are already inside."

"I’ll have my staff go through it."

"I’ll also assign two squads to help your soldiers around the yard. They know the surrounding roads and buildings. I hope they’re helpful to your cause."

"We’ll make do with it."

Federick looked around the transport yard.

Guardian APCs occupied several parts of the open area while infantry moved supplies into the warehouses. Vanguards were still entering through the northern approach, with more Golden Eagle vehicles waiting farther outside.

Something still bothered him.

The recon team had reported a battalion-sized force outside the city. And what they had seen seemed smaller than what he was seeing now.

"Excuse me, Commander Brandon. I don’t want to sound nosy but, where’s the rest of your troops?"

Brandon looked toward him. "Oh. About that—"