In the West, the Battle of the Bayfront is over and casualties are being treated, but the Rangers won’t get much of a break. Before the day is out, all of the Ranger battalions in New Hope Town will be sent north and east to prepare to meet the oncoming alien ground assault that must be held off long enough to complete the evacuation of the colonial capital. In the East, Commander Cassidy and Gunnery Sergeant Pickford take Jacks Company and the more than 500 Rangers and civilians they have saved from the alien cookpots to New St Louis, 700 miles south of Winter Cove. They hope to find safety there, even if that means taking it from the aliens by force. They can’t stay in Winter Cove any longer; the aliens know they are there now and will be coming back in force soon.