5 minutes later Eiriks 3 ships had circled the industrial complex several times, opening fire every time they saw Kloxna on the ground. After the first round around the complex, they started fleeing. Las'Tai and Trasti, who were waiting on the bridge along with the other essential crew, were horrified when Eirik ordered the fleeing soldiers to be shot down without mercy.

"CAPTAIN!" Las'Tai protested. "You can't shoot them down when they are fleeing!!"

Eirik never took his eyes off of the screen in front of him as he answered "Do you think they are going to stop being soldiers simply because they are fleeing their positions?? Every soldier we kill now is a soldier we do not have to face later. If they are willing to present themselves as obvious targets without firing back, who are we to ignore the opportunity? I told you when you joined, both of you, that we might be fighting against your people.

Out of respect for the both of you, I am more than willing to place you in the back of the lines, as a last defense. I do not want to force you to kill if you do not want to. But you better figure out where you stand in this war. With us, against us, or as an observer from the sidelines. There is no room for hesitation in war, especially not now that we are about to enter frontline combat!! If you cannot do what is being asked of you as a soldier, I will be more than happy to find you all new stations on the ship, far away from anything even resembling a conflict!" Eirik had started barking the last sentences and caught himself. After closing his eyes and breathing deeply a few times, he spoke again.

"Forgive my harsh tone, but what we are about to do requires more than one miracle to pull off with any kind of success. If what i saw on the horizon was not a mirage we are facing several divisions of Kloxna infantry, headed by a commander that seems to have taken a lesson out of our history books. This worries me. Terran tactics in the hand of an alien is bound to create new types of problems that no one has faced before. This means, I will be balancing on a knife's edge with every choice i make. So bear with me if I snap more than usually."

Las'Tai and Trasti did not respond, but he knew they understood. The mantle of leadership was heavy, more so when you were independent. In the military, you can hide behind the excuse of following the orders of those above you. As a freelancer, you, and you alone, were responsible for the people under your command.

"Captain," Trasti began, "I don't know what it means to be the leader, nor do i wish to know what it is. But we will do our duty, no matter which station we employ. I think Las'Tai meant that fleeing soldiers could be considered non-combatants."

Eirik sighed and had a painful expression on his face as he replied. "Morally, i agree with you, but as the commander of this operation, and considering how vastly we are outnumbered, it would be downright perverse negligence of responsibility to let them run without trying to kill them. As much as i feel for them not having any other choice, if I let my feeling start dictating my actions in war, I will be dead before the day is over. And that, I have no interest in."

They stood in silence until the ships were done with their strafing runs and gathered to land in a large area. The space they had chosen was right outside the large hangars they planned to store the ships in and the area was crawling with Terran soldiers, most of them clearing the area of random boxes and trash, the rest were busy getting the huge hangar doors open in preparation for the ships being guided in there for safe storage. Safe being relative, but anything was better than nothing.

David keyed the auto-landing sequence and got out of his chair to join Eirik with the rest of the command staff at the hangar bay ramp. Las'Tai and Trasti were there as well, as Eirik wanted them introduced as soon as possible. He did not need any incidents with soldiers thinking they were trying to infiltrate the area. They stepped forward as the ramp lowered and waited as a group.

A young woman with long brown hair was standing at ease in front of a group of ragged, tired, and very young soldiers who were giving their best attempt of standing at attention.

Eirik smirked at the sight but cursed the army inwardly. What kind of moron would place so many young recruits together without veterans to shore up the ranks?

"Greetings, Captain," The young woman said. "Thank you for clearing the area around the base, though i fear that is does not make much difference. The enemy is gathering to charge us as we speak." Eirik noted the almost hidden note of despair in the woman's voice.

"Where is your commander?" Eirik asked. "I wish to share words with him about the defenses."

"KIA," Tina responded. "A few days ago. Took one of those grenade/mortar rounds to the chest. We could store what was left of him in a small crate." Tine sounded confident as she stated facts, but Eirik saw how shaken she was. She might be able to hide it from the kids she was in charge of but there was no hiding it from experienced commanders.

"And I take it you are the next in command?" Eirik asked, more to get the confirmation than because he was in doubt. Why else would she be greeting him here?

"Yes. The 299 surviving soldiers of the 113th Terran Infantry Division stands ready!" She boasted, though her words sounded hollow when looking at the soldiers in front of him. Young, frightened, completely inexperienced, tired hungry, and hopeless. At least he could solve a couple of those problems right away.

Turning to David, Eirik said, "Get some supply crates with rations out here and let's feed these kids. We will take the next guard rotation, let their soldiers rest up, and relax. as much as possible before the attack begins." As Eirik spoke, the 2 other ships had landed and were finally disgorging their cargo of men and materials. Tina stared at the soldiers exiting Eirik's ships.

While not the youngest of men, they were drawn from people that lived harsh lives on the edge of the law. All of them had killed before, most of them had seen battle on a larger scale and they looked every part as experienced as they were. Scarred bodies and faces, cybernetic limbs to replace lost ones, quality gear, compared to an enlisted soldier in the Terran ground forces, full-body kevlar suits with strategically placed ceramic plates to enhance their protective qualities and full helmets to complete the look.

Had they been wearing their helmets instead of having them hang from the hip while they worked, it would have been almost impossible to distinguish one from another. The squad leaders gave their orders and sent their engineering units, along with half their infatry strength, to go over the defences, make improvements where possible, and relieve the TA* soldiers on watch.

Eirik, David, Jesper, Tina, Trasti, and Las'tai all moved away from the mass of working people to talk privately.

"What is your name and rank?" Eirik asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Corporal Tina. I am the highest-ranking soldier still alive at this point." She answered, happy to have someone on the ground that seemed to be more competent at this than her

"You have got to be fucking kidding me..." Eirik said out loud as he stared into the sky.

"Excuse me?!?" Tina said indignant and angry. They may not be commandos, but they were still soldiers damn it!

"No offense, Corporal, but I am tasked with holding this area until we can get you out of here. And now i find out that i am to do so with only the 500 soldiers I brought with me, and some 300 kids with guns. And I'm not talking about age here!" He added the last part as he saw her face scrunch up in anger

"We don't have time for me to walk you through the finer points of being a battlefield commander. You have to learn as we go along. Follow me, it's time to make sure your troopers are fed and rested before the enemy attacks."

________________

Tai'Tanu was practically foaming at her mouth as she screamed at her subordinate officers to gather the troops faster. Eirik was here and she would NOT let this chance to kill the annoying Terran slip between her claws. Maybe her daughter was here as well. If so, she would try to salvage the troublesome child. But if she refused again, Tai'Tanu would end Las'Tai's life, personally.

When she saw the ships flying rounds, shooting down all but a handful of Kloxna bombarding the industrial complex. All the experience her artillery crews had gained was now gone. Killed by the forever cursed Terran and his blasted ships!

When the ships landed and started disgorging soldiers, Tai'Tanu killed the nearest of her aides in frustration. The gurgling of the dying retainer satiated her anger a little, but barely enough to keep it in check. She could not think about anything other than killing Eirik! She wanted to feast on his heart while the bastard was still alive!

The soldiers that left the ships carried heavy weapons, and numerous crates of supplies, and they all looked like experienced soldiers when she studied them through binoculars. Sharp, surveying eyes, moving from cover to cover even when not under fire, working with their squads in unison with a precision that made her envious of the TA training regimen that allowed soldiers to be so in tune with each other. They would have to share those secrets with the Kloxxna when they were defeated.

When she saw several soldiers carrying oversized rifles with scopes, she retreated to the safety of her little hilltop, out of sight of the complex. She had to plan this out. She actually had to work before this attack!! She remembered well the hundreds of Kloxna soldiers that had been kept at bay by a couple of handfuls of Terrans with the right weapons, working together. She had no desire to see the damage he could inflict upon her forces with several hundred well-trained Terrans at his disposal.

With a snarl, she ordered one of her surviving aides to summon the officers. They could work for their survival!