1. Short chapter. Very short, actually. Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas has, as expected, taken over my existence. Before I disappear entirely, I figured I'd put this up. I just hope that by the time the next chapter gets put up, I haven't started talking like a 90's inner city street punk.
2. After the corrections from last chapter, I think the killboard should be all good by now. Hopefully my numbers are correct.
3. Lame "cliffhanger" warning.
4. Mini-glossary:
APC = Armored Personnel Carrier
IFV = Infantry Fighting Vehicle
RPG = Rocket Propelled Grenade
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The backbone of the Dominion force had been broken. The four tanks that comprised the platoon’s “heavy punch” capability were little more than smoking ruins, their crew members dead or otherwise incapacitated. But while the vehicles were a mess, there was still plenty of fight left in the infantry. The orcish foot soldiers continued their desperate bid to take the hills away from the Confederation units defending them, and while Delta and Epsilon groups continued to put up a vicious fight, they were vastly outnumbered, and getting hit hard. It was time to pull out.
Falynn raised everyone on the comm. “All right, folks… we did what we came to do. We’re bugging out.” She made sure she was broadcasting on the right frequency, then hailed the commander of the Confed contingent of vehicles. “Anvil One, objectives accomplished, we are go for extraction…”
The leader of the Thirty Corps detachment kicked his Infantry Fighting Vehicle into gear, and sent the rest of his crew to their stations. The engines growled hungrily as he rammed the throttle to the stops, and a low hum let him know that his gunners were powering their weapons up. “Copy that, Omega Lead, we’re moving in.” The convoy of IFVs and APCs fell into formation and began burning for the extraction zone.
Imoen casually put a round into the helmet of a Dominion soldier and then nudged Nalia in the shoulder. “Jeeves, bring the car around, would you? That’s a good chap.” The other woman grinned and winked in response.
“Reminds me of home… except, you know, our family limo never had laser cannons mounted on the roof.”
Imoen looked positively aghast for a moment, then broke into her customary, infectious grin. “Stick with me, hon. I’ll teach ya how to cruise around in style.”
“Less talk, more fight!” Falynn admonished the two of them. She dropped a pair of Dominion assault troopers that had gotten uncomfortably close to her position, then turned to check the flanks. The enemy was still pushing hard, somehow finding the wherewithal to continue their assault on Confederation positions. Her eyes scanned the area, falling on an orcish trooper toting a very dangerous-looking metal tube.
“RPG!” Raven cried out in warning, then tapped her rifle’s trigger three times, sending a quick laser-burst towards the nearby hostile.
The hurried shots were poorly aimed, missing low and wide; the attacking orc didn’t even flinch. He held his ground, brought the rocket-propelled-grenade launcher to his shoulder and yanked on the trigger. While marginally effective against vehicles, the weapon would tear into an unarmored human being just as efficiently. Instinctively, the three women dived for cover, each of them leaping in separate directions. The explosive shell landed closest to Imoen, peppering her combat vest with shrapnel, and stinging her exposed hands and neck. Loose gravel clacked against her helmet.
“Lousy orcs don’t deserve to play with bombs…” she grumbled as she rolled onto her back and tried to sit up. Nothing hurt, which was either a good sign or a really bad one.
“You all right, Lieutenant?” Nalia was hovering anxiously nearby, her sidearm drawn and held in a competent - if still somewhat inexperienced - looking grip.
“Think so… just… a little shaken up…”
“Good, because – watch out!” Before she even really realized what she was doing, Ensign Nalia de’Arnisse had taken her borrowed handgun and put two quick shots into the chest of an approaching Dominion trooper. The orc grunted once, then keeled over like a felled tree.
Nalia stared down at her hands - which were now trembling slightly - in surprise. Her eyes were wide, and her breath came in shallow gasps. She managed to control her shaking hands long enough to flick the safety on the weapon, and gingerly put the gun into the holster at her hip. Her fingers secured the holster and then quickly backed away, like a frightened animal scurrying away from a predator. “Did… I just-”
Imoen nodded solemnly. “Looks like. Guess it’s official…”
“ ‘Official?’ What… what do you mean, Lieutenant?”
“You shot a bad guy and saved both our lives. There’s probably still some paperwork to be done, but I’d say you’re one of the squad now.” She gave Nalia a reassuring smile which quickly turned into one of her customary smirks. “As a sidebar, this means you should stop calling me ‘Lieutenant.’”
The naval officer still seemed a bit overwhelmed by it all, but she managed a wry smirk of her own. “I’m… honored.”
“Of course you are – everyone should have a friend like me! Hey… wait a second. Where’s Falynn?”
“The Major? I don’t see her… hang on…” Nalia suddenly adopted a pained expression. “…over there…” She pointed to an impact crater a few meters away - and the motionless body that was lying near it.
Imoen shivered. “Oh no…”
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Killboard:
Llyr, F.: 5
Llyr, I.: 9
Marael, J.: 3
Vaonnor, M.: 4 (Infantry: 2, Vehicles: 2)
Jansen, J.: 2 (Infantry: 1, Vehicles: 1)
Corthala, V.: 10 (Infantry: 9, Vehicles: 1)
De’Arnisse, N.: 1
