Summoning America

Chapter 109: In The Shadows

August 8, 1640
Alue, Mu

Storm-gray eyes stared outside a glass window from within a small mountainside complex. They focused on the group of Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters that sat on an airfield connected to the complex itself. Pairs of yellow-coated workers moved about the field, conducting maintenance on the helicopters and clearing evacuation routes.

The eyes then refocused, staring at the reflection in the glass. They met with another pair of eyes, hiding behind sunglasses sitting atop the face of an experienced CIA officer. The mouth below then moved, releasing a sigh, before the reflection faded completely.

Officer Moore turned away from the window, knowing that it was only a matter of time before Alue was hit by the Gra Valkans. Unlike the other major Muan cities, Alue was not fortunate enough to receive the protection offered by layered defensive lines or geography. It, and the equally unfortunate region surrounding it, was situated right outside of the Malmund Mountains.

Conquering the Alue region was considered to be a necessary prerequisite for launching an assault through the Malmund Mountains. Although the Gra Valkans wouldn't be stupid enough for a charge into a death trap, they also wouldn't leave behind a major city that was ripe for the taking. With nigh-guaranteed invasion around the corner, evacuation of civilian personnel commenced.

A long, winding caravan of Alue residents crowded the highway toward the mainland, creating an immense traffic jam the magnitude of which rivaled Californian jams. Horse-drawn carriages traversed the wilderness that flanked the main road. Although they trotted slowly to maintain utmost care in handling their cargo, they still traveled faster than the motionless, honking vehicles trapped on the narrow, 6-lane highway.

The other three lanes were relatively empty, save for a handful of vehicles racing to pick up relatives stuck in Alue or a convoy of Muan trucks containing much-needed men and supplies. Sometimes, American-made trailers and flatbed trucks made an appearance, carrying supplies straight from Mykal. These shipments contained everything from machine guns and other light arms to MANPADs, mortars, and howitzers.

To the Muans on the roads below, it was an uplifting sight. To Moore, it was futile. At the very least, he found solace in the fact that most of the civilians of Alue would be exiting this future battlefield.

——

Near the Alue Suburbs

Located between the suburbs and downtown, a solitary base stood guard to defend the city. The position of the base itself formed a triangle with the suburbs and city it was established to protect, while also facing outward toward the border. Although not as significant as the beefy border defenses that have been recently established, it still served an important role as a support base, where troops and supplies could be stationed.

Because it was situated well behind the front lines, it had few defenses; most of the soldiers there were transferred to the border to protect against the inevitable Gra Valkan invasion. Still, a large crew remained to help facilitate the movement of much-needed supplies and expensive weapons. The transportation of these goods was crucial to the Muans, making this base a perfect target for the Gra Valkas Empire.

Although the base was separated from the city and suburbs themselves, some civilization did spring up along the way. In an abandoned store in the commercial district near the center of the triangular formation, ten silhouetted figures gathered around a table. A single lightbulb provided luminescence in absence of natural sunlight, which was shooed away by closed curtains.

The men inched closer to the bulb ahead, ready to convene and discuss their plans. As they approached the table, their figures were revealed. Most wore clothing typical of a Muan civilian; a couple wore dirty overalls matching with a laborer's outfit while others wore business attire. The outfits varied, although together they constituted what one might normally see in a Muan environment — all except for one.