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gunfire erupted in the floor below. Automatic weapon fire from his comrades tore the creatures apart.
    The Major paced forward and looked down through the gaping hole, just in time to see the last rounds puncture the aliens’ armour and render them lifeless. He watched as Eli stepped up and laid a boot on a beast’s body before firing a final round through its faceplate. She looked up and smiled as she made out the dusty silhouette of Taylor.
    “Thought we’d lost you there for a minute!”
    “Outstanding,” he replied.
    Taylor leapt through the breach and used just a fraction of boost to soften his landing.
    “Let’s get the hell out of this shithole.”
    “I figure we’ve blown our way in this far, we might as well use this to work round that blocked alley.”
    “Lead the way, Sergeant,” he replied.
    Ten minutes later they were huddled behind a solid foundation wall.
    “Fire in the hole!” Parker shouted.
    She lifted an arming device and punched down the trigger. A small explosion rang out, and they turned to see that a two metre wide hole had been punched through the outer wall and out into an open shopping street.
    “We’re in business,” said Taylor.
    They strode out into the daylight. At the far end of the road, they could see the rubble pile blocking the main street that Chandra was trying to clear.
    “Alright, we’ve done it. Send the route back to Major Chandra. How long do you figure it’ll take to walk the distance?” he asked.
    “I figure about twenty-five minutes, now we’ve got a clear route.”
    Parker stopped and looked at Taylor and the state he was in. The thick black soot and dust clung to every part of his body and equipment. She suddenly burst into laughter at the sight of him. He looked down at the mess, thought back to the near death experience, and could do nothing but laugh as well.
    “You lot saved my ass back there. Another second, and I was a goner.”
    “Nothing you haven’t done for us, Major,” replied Lam.
    “We were wrong to think this was over. The enemy didn’t surrender, and they didn’t sign any treaty. We’ve been walking around as if they were gone for good,” mused Eli.
    Taylor lifted up his hands, looking at the congealed blue blood staining them and running down the metal forearm bars of his exoskeleton. He had lost the stomach for war so quickly, but in just one small action, he was reminded of the bloodlust they had all built in the war.
    “Guess we need to find you a weapon, Sir,” said Clark.
    The Major looked down at his hands once again and suddenly felt naked at the realisation that he was without a gun.
    “Reiter won’t be happy you lost his toys,” joked Parker.
    “We came way too close today. We’re trying to rebuild this country before we’ve even finished fighting.”
    He lifted his hand to activate his comms unit, and then remembered it had been destroyed on impact.
    “Get Chandra back on the line. It’s time we took this seriously and got some troops up ahead of the work. I want these lands purged of the infection of these Krycenaean bastards!”

Chapter 3
     

    Taylor had arrived back at their staging ground for just a few seconds when a jeep roared into view as if an urgent message was to be delivered. It was a sight they had gotten used to under the enemy jamming systems. He paced up beside Chandra who had also turned to find the meaning of such urgency.
    “What do you think they need us for now? Another heap of shit I’m sure,” whispered Taylor.
    She turned and looked at the filthy Major. “You met some resistance, I hear?”
    Taylor turned with a puzzled expression. “You don’t seem surprised?”
    “It was bound to happen soon enough. The real question is were those Mechs stranded here, or were they stationed here?”
    The jeep slid to a halt, and the driver leapt out to address them.
    “I guess we’re about to find out,” replied Taylor.
    The German Sergeant quickly saluted and immediately blurted out his