"Texas Wildfire" - Chapter 15

Texas Wildfire

Chapter 15

By Dwayne MacInnes

Buck Dubois sat in the pilot's seat aboard his prized possession the B-29 Superfortress he named the Yellow Rose. The old forgotten runway teamed with other vintage aircraft ranging in service dates from World War II to the Gulf War. Buck had deliberately chosen this field for its remote location and forgotten origins.

Buck waited for over a month and a half as the forces in the New Republic of Texas consolidated. Furthermore, as Ramirez dawdled, Buck, along with the nearly two hundred fellow pilots and crewmembers, awaited word for their service. Today they received the word, Operation Snakehead was to begin.

Fuel, armament, and supplies had been smuggled to their airfield. No one left to go to town lest they raise suspicion. Only a few heavily bribed smugglers brought them their supplies.

Now as the venerable piston engines roared to life along with the heavy whine of the more contemporary jets, the airfield was alive with action. The tall yellow grass swayed and buffeted in the artificial windstorm produced by the aircraft.

Buck, being the flight leader, proceeded to run the Yellow Rose down the old cracked runway. The bomber laden with tons of bombs eventually defied gravity and gracefully climbed in the morning sky. Soon, other bombers and their myriad of fighter escorts joined the B-29 in the air.

Buck smiled to his copilot and gave a thumbs-up. By the end of their mission, they could very well end the war against the New Republic of Texas.

* * * * *

LTG Groves still held Fort Hood. The siege at first was nothing more than a band of rabble encircling the huge military base. The rebels made a few attempts to charge the perimeters with cars, trucks and an old Brinks armor truck. The M-3 Schwarzkopfs easily obliterated any threat that approached the outer defenses.

The remains of those vehicles now littered the fields around the base. Groves prepared his troops to be ready at moments notice to sally forth and push their way through Killeen.

However, the order as of yet still had not been given. Groves also made sure that he had whatever air cover that was available. He needed whatever he could have provided to Fort Hood. This unfortunately entailed a few Blackfoot attack helicopters. The air force bases across Texas, though still valiantly resisted to succumbing to the rebels, were in no position to mount an offensive or lend any air support.

Airdrops and helicopters were resupplying bases like Fort Hood. As of yet, the rebels were not successful in posing any challenge to the United States air superiority. The problem was that Ramirez feared an errant bomb hitting a school or hospital. The political backlash that such and event would bring him and his supporters was not wanted. Therefore, there were no air support strikes.

Groves never liked politics, never liked any of the major parties and did not give a damn about political backlash. Right now, his forces were under siege and they awaited the orders to spring forth to wipe off this stain on the honor of the United States of America.

Before Groves could proceed to make himself any angrier, the air sirens across the base started to scream. Groves ran toward his office window and was surprised to see the entire sky filled with aluminum foil balloons. There had to be thousands, no hundreds of thousands of them. He suspected that the balloons were shadowing the entire perimeter of the base.

Groves raced out of his office and started to organize his people as the sky continued to fill with more and more foil balloons. Officers scrambled to their posts and readied their troopers.

"Sir," a master sergeant ran up to Groves and saluted. Groves returned the salute as the sergeant continued, "The radar has been rendered useless by the balloons. There are even latex balloons with strips of aluminum foil inside them. When they burst they act as chaff."

Groves felt the impending attack. He just did not know where it would come from. It could come from the sky, the land, or even both.

Without further notice, one of the Schwarzkopfs exploded in a bright fireball that washed across the base. Groves looked up in time to see an F-16 loose another missile at his tanks. Soon another M-3 burst into flames and debris.

The F-16 did not get far before a shoulder mounted SAM raced towards the old jet fighter. The burst of white near the jet's tail sent it spiraling out of control. However, there were more jets racing out of the sky to attack the base.

Missiles from ground defenses, helicopters, and soldier shoulder mounted systems raced towards their targets in the sky. In the same minute, missiles launched from F-16s, F-15s and a few relics from previous wars going back nearly a hundred years headed towards the ground.

The sky around Fort Hood blazed into fire, as did the ground. Soon, debris was raining down on the defenders. Great clouds of dirt, metal, and fire covered the horizon. However, through it all a new sound made its way through the cacophony of combat to reach Groves' ears. The sound tank treads bearing down on the defenders.

Groves yelled orders to have the remaining tanks and armored vehicles meet the new threat. Soon from all directions, that Groves could survey every design of tank converged on Fort Hood. From old Soviet T-34s, and M-4 Shermans from World War II, to some M-48s from Veitnam, to M1A1 Abrams that were decommissioned twenty years ago.

Sheriff Gracen walked into Oath Keepers headquarters, which right now was a hotel room occupied by Wilson. As Gracen entered the room, he saw Wilson talking to a soldier whose arm was in a sling.

"Thank you Lieutenant, I have already passed the information on to the right people," Wilson said shaking the soldier's good hand. "If what you told me last night is true you have done a great service for democracy."

"Sheriff, good to see you," Wilson said joyfully when he noticed Gracen at the door. The soldier nodded towards the lawman as he vacated the hotel room.

"Today could mean certain victory for the New Republic of Texas," Wilson stated proudly. "Ted is waiting for General Davis at the airport. He'll make sure he gets to the Army Reserve Center in time."

Gracen frowned; lately he was starting to become disillusioned in the Oath Keepers by Wilson's lack of neutrality. "You mean Davis is coming here?"

"Yes, and if the reports are correct he is going to set up headquarters in Littleton," Wilson stated sternly. "We must protect the Constitution at all costs."

"What are you talking about?" Gracen asked as worry began to work its way into his stomach.

Wilson looked at his watch, "You will find out in approximately two hours. That should be plenty of time for the new commandant of New Mexico to be at the Army Reserve Center."