I was struck by lightning, walkin' down the street

I was hit by something last night in my sleep

It's a dead man's party, who could ask for more?

Everybody's comin', leave your body at the door

Leave your body and soul at the door

Don't run away, it's only me

Don't be afraid of what you can't see

Oingo Boingo - “Dead Man's Party”

The Ronin armor turned the tide, as the enemy scrambled to fall back. Nassat and the others struggled to keep up as the massive tanks surged forward, their speed only limited by the terrain and the raw power of their engines. He had seen the artificial life forms in a variety of body shapes over the years, but nothing in his experience had prepared him for anything like this! Their mammoth turrets swept across the battlefield, destroying everything in their path, as Nassat and his fellow Saurotaurs felt a wave of relief wash over them. With the tanks at their side, the battle would be over in a matter of days...perhaps even hours! It was cause for celebration...but as they cheered and clapped each other’s flanks one of the armored vehicles exploded, sending a pillar of fire a hundred meters into the sky. Two more died seconds later, and then it was the panzers in full retreat.

“God damn it!” Sergeant Lin screamed in frustration, “I told those stupid Ronin bastards to wait for support!”

Nassat could only stare in shock. “Sergeant, what happened?” he asked, as he watched his hopes for a quick end to the war come crashing down.

“Ambush,” he snarled, stomping his feet. “The enemy led them right into a trap.” He turned to look at Nassat. “Never assume your opponent’s an idiot, Nassat,” he warned him, “it’s the surest way to end up dead.”

“...yes Sergeant,” he mumbled, as another tank went up in flames.

Dhyaksh Jiyazh Ghuuyaz waved his engineer forward as he studied the plot on his console. “What is the status of Retribution and Reciprocity?” he asked him.

“We can return Retribution to operational status in just a few hours,” the engineer informed him. “The damage it suffered will greatly reduce its speed, as well as its firepower, but it will be functional. Reciprocity is more problematic...while we can repair its engines, at least in a limited capacity, they have holed it in multiple locations. It cannot sustain life until we have sealed those off, and even once that is complete, we have also detected several radiation leaks. Dhyaksh...I believe it is best we scuttled her,” he finished.

Jiyazh grimaced at the news, though he was not surprised. The engineer had confirmed his own worst suspicions, and despite his overwhelming numerical advantage, the loss of the two ships hurt.

He snarled, pounding his console in frustration. He had to break free of the cage the enemy held him in! The Human forces...and he knew now this new force must be human, or at least led by them...would allow him to escape, he was certain of that, but that would leave the warriors on the planet without support. They would have no choice but to surrender, and that could not be allowed. They represented the bulk of his fighting force, and he would not abandon them to their fate.

His eyes studied the plot once more, searching for an answer...when a strategy suggested itself to him. His eyes narrowed as he manipulated the data, adjusting the parameters...as a thin smile appeared on his face.

The Dhyaksh turned back to his engineer. “I have something different in mind,” he told him in conspiratorial tones.

“Now here is what I wish you to do…”

Admiral Fujimoto stared at the enemy’s formation and wondered what her counterpart was thinking. He couldn’t stay there forever, that much had to be obvious to him, which left only two options; Escape, or Breakout. If he withdrew, she would allow him to do so, for that would leave the enemy on the ground at her mercy. But as canny as her opponent had proved she was certain that was the last thing on his mind.

Which meant he had to be planning a Breakout.

That being the case, he had two strategies that would give him a chance to preserve his forces. He could use the bulk of his fleet as cover to evacuate the planet, and then attempt an escape, but that was a risky proposition. As soon as she spotted any shuttles heading for or leaving the planet, she’d send in the fighters. They could operate in atmosphere, whereas his big ships could not, and the Comets would wreak havoc on anything as slow and defenseless as a shuttle.

Or...he could send an advance force against her carriers. There was also a risk there, she’d already shown him what her fighters could do against his ships, but of the two options, it was the smarter play. So how would he do it?

She was still mulling that over when her comm officer signaled for her attention. “Admiral, I have Flash Priority traffic. Eyes Only, and encrypted.”

Hélène arched an eyebrow. “Send it to my monitor,” she ordered, as she waited for the download and the decryption protocols to finish. Her eyes narrowed as the message appeared in the clear, drumming her fingers on the console as she read the brief communiqué, before sighing as she leaned back in her chair. This would be a complication, but then she’d prepared for the possibility.

“Get the ground commander on the horn,” she ordered, “and tell him there’s been a slight change in plans...”

Nassat ducked into the Medical tent, his eyes searching through the gloom. They had lined row after row of cots in the temporary structure, each one filled with a wounded Saurotaur or human. The Healers were moving with purpose, doing their best to save as many lives as they could, but even to his neophyte eyes, he could see it overwhelmed them. The moans and cries of the wounded were heart-wrenching...but worse still were the silent forms that made no sound at all. They stacked them to one side, out of the way, and despite the bodies he saw he knew there were many more still on the battlefield. The very sight of it should have reduced him to agonized tears...and the fact that it didn’t spoke volumes at just how much death he had already seen.

He froze as he spotted the person he’d been searching for, making his way through the maze of wounded until he touched her on the shoulder. Raichret looked up at him, her smock splattered with the blood of a dozen different soldiers. Her eyes softened as she recognized him, as she rose to her feet.

“Nassat...I am pleased you are still alive,” she told him, though her eyes narrowed as she stared at his arm. “You are wounded,” she said, reaching for her kit.

He blinked in confusion. “No, I am fine,” he tried to reassure her, but as she grasped his arm and lifted it up, he realized it was streaked with blood. “What? I didn’t...when did that happen?” he wondered aloud, as she started to clean and dress the injury.

“You are fortunate, it is not serious,” Raichret said with a ghost of a smile. “I am surprised Sergeant Lin allowed you to come here, they have forced us to make the lesser cases wait.”

Nassat shook his head. “That is not why I came,” he told her. “Sergeant Lin sent me to fetch you. He said we required a Healer, though he did not say why...only that he would brief us upon our return.”

Raichret shook her head. “I am needed here,” she protested, as she finished securing the dressing, “we are already understaffed.”

“You have been attached to our unit,” he shrugged. “I have already passed the orders to your superior.” He flexed his arm a few times and smiled. “Thank you,” he told her, “it feels much better already.”

She nodded, as she peeled off her smock and pulled on her uniform jacket. “I hope this will be worth it,” she said. “Many will not survive without my presence here.”

“Sergeant Lin would not take you from your duties without good cause,” he assured her, as they made their way out of the tent. It was only a short distance to where Lin was waiting, and they didn’t have to bound from crater to foxhole along the way. With the help of the Ronin armor, the lines had stabilized, despite the losses, and now both sides were digging in. A tense quiet seemed to hang over the small compound, threatened to explode once more at the drop of a pin.

In only a few minutes they arrived where Lin was waiting. “Good, you both made it,” he nodded. The rest of Bravo Company...the ones still alive...glanced over at them as they waited to hear what was going on.

“They have tasked us with a mission,” Lin informed them, coming straight to the point. “A group of friendlies are caught behind enemy lines, and Command has ordered us to bring them back out.”

Raichret looked up at that. “Do you know who they are?” she asked, in a sudden burst of emotion.

Lin shook his head. “No idea...just that it’s important. They’re holed up in an abandoned building here,” he informed them, marking the location on their HUD displays. “The mission is simple...we go in, secure the friendlies, and bring them back. Nice and easy.” He paused for a moment, looking over the group. “Because of our losses, 3rd Platoon gets folded into 1st, and I’ll be taking charge of that platoon myself. Since we lost Sergeant Vadas, Corporal Nassat will take over 2nd Platoon.”

Nassat stared at him in confusion. “But...I’m only a Private,” he corrected him.

“Not anymore,” he smirked. “I need someone who can think on their feet...and that’s you.”

Nassat’s mind spun at the sudden change in circumstance. He looked over at Raichret for support, who returned his gaze with an appraising eye while saying nothing. “...yes Sergeant,” he mumbled, still dazed by the unexpected promotion.

“All right then...saddle up. We do this quiet, people. In and out. Questions?” No one raised their hand. “You’re on point, Nassat,” Lin ordered. “Move out.”

Night was already falling as Bravo company made their way through friendly lines, past the tanks guarding the perimeter. Nassat wished one was coming with them, but then quiet was the one thing the massive machines were not. He’d asked Lin about that, but the Sergeant had shaken his head and made some vague reference to “Bomb Magnets”, whatever that meant. Raichret hung back with Lin and 1st Platoon while he eased through the barren terrain, his eyes sweeping back and forth as he searched for any sign of the enemy. The rest of the company followed behind him, their weapons out as they too watched for movement. But for once fortune smiled upon them, and soon they arrived short of their destination, without having stumbled across any of the alien attackers.

Sergeant Lin called a halt, as he signaled ahead. Nassat waited anxiously, for the mission was going far too smoothly for his liking. The entire planet was crawling with enemy warriors, so where were they? He hunkered down behind a small rocky outcropping as Lin verified the friendlies were still there...when suddenly a hail of gunfire came out of nowhere, cutting down half a dozen of his platoon in the first salvo.

“Take cover! Return fire!” Lin shouted, as Bravo company opened up, their weapons searching for the enemy. He spotted them on his HUD with the night vision optics, but they were in a well-covered position. There was no way they’d be able to dislodge them, not without reinforcements...or taking heavy casualties. They lobbed grenade after grenade with their launchers, missing only by centimeters sometimes, but it might as well have been by a kilometer.

Nassat checked his map, even as Raichret was up and moving, treating the wounded. She was exposing herself to enemy fire, and though he searched for a unit close enough for a fire mission, there was nothing within range. It was tempting to send another prayer skyward to the Creator, but part of him wondered if perhaps he had already received his allotment of miracles.

Something whistled past his ear, quickly followed by another. Nassat threw himself to the ground as the fire whipped past his position...but then he realized the fire was heading towards the enemy, not coming from it, and it was slacking off. One by one, the enemy guns went silent, and as he stared in amazement he spotted a small group heading towards their position. His rifle whipped around to cover the new threat, just as Sergeant Lin reached him and pushed his weapon down.

“Those are our friendlies,” he informed him, as he breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He watched as what appeared to be four humans draw closer, dragging along with them what had to be an enemy prisoner. In less than a minute they arrived at their position...as a blonde-haired human female cradled a long gun in her arms.

“You’re late,” Tango informed them.