By the time they reached the larger road, dozens of people had already gathered along both sides.
Golden Eagle soldiers and several civilian volunteers kept the road clear while traffic from the smaller streets was temporarily held back.
Nick and the group waited for a few minutes before the sound of heavy engines reached them from farther up the road.
The first vehicles appeared around the distant bend.
Armored reconnaissance vehicles came through first, followed by Guardian APCs carrying infantry farther behind them.
Then came the tanks.
Vanguards rolled south in spaced groups, their tracks grinding against pavement that looked almost new beneath them.
More Guardians followed.
Trucks.
Engineering vehicles.
Medical and recovery vehicles.
Another large command vehicle moved somewhere near the middle of the formation, surrounded by its own security element.
Nick stopped counting after the first few dozen. More vehicles were still coming around the bend.
