(no subject)
Machine-gun fire rattled down the street. The bullets raked across the façade of an office building, glass and concrete shards filled the air. Had anyone still been standing in the street, the effect would have been rather like a fragmentation grenade. No one was left in this part of the city, though. Those who did not flee yesterday and had not been evacuated or taken prisoner were certainly dead. Between yesterday's opening artillery barrage and the vicious, street-to-street fighting, it had been emptied.
Except for us, of course, Harald thought. He sighed, hunkering down a little lower to wait out the machine gunner's barrage. His armor would probably protect him from the relatively small-calibre rounds, but it was best not to test fate. Not when there were so many other things that could easily kill him. He was, however, a man of limited patience. Turning around to face the crumbling remnant of a concrete traffic barrier, he slowly inched his head above its rim.
His vision was immediately filled with red warning indicators as the targeting and tracking software identified incoming projectiles and debris. None of it was an immediate danger, so he stayed to watch a second. The street itself was littered with bits of concrete and steel, dusted with the sparkling powder of shattered glass. Three cars lay between himself and where he suspected the gunner was, one of them overturned and on fire, sending thick, grey smoke billowing into the air between the two high-rise office buildings. The smoke was an effective screen, preventing his squad from seeing their target. All the enemy had to do was hose the approach with bullets.
Frowning, he knelt back down, taking cover once more behind the barrier. He'd been pinned down here for the better part of five minutes, and every passing second made him all the more nervous that reinforcements might arrive. An eye movement opened a command frequency. "Raker, do you have visual?"
The commlink crackled faintly behind his scout's reply. "Neg, they've got the south approach blocked. Two IFVs and at least a company of softies."
Not impossible, but certainly unwise without rotating the entire squad, which would leave the main approach open. He sighed faintly. He was unwilling to simply wait. The enemy's supply lines were cut, so they would run out of ammunition eventually. But not before he lost his window of opportunity.
"Stay put, Raker," he said, "but snipe at them to keep 'em occupied."
"Aye, sir."
"Naga and Joker, you come with me." He could safely leave his own IFV, a heavily armed Jackal, in place to hold the main road while he found another way around.
His two squadmates in tow, he bolted from cover, the artificial musculature of his suit providing him an impressive burst of speed. They bounded across the debris-littered road, heading for an alley that went between two office buildings. Bullets splashed them as they ran, one nicking his calf armor, but it was deflected with only minimal damage. Turning down the alley without breaking their pace, the three ran down the corridor at almost forty kilometers per hour, the great weight of their armor combining with the huge strides to leave considerable damage in the concrete.
Harald held up a hand as they skidded to a halt at the end of the alley. He slowly edged his face around the corner, seeing what lay ahead. Like the south approach, it was blocked. A lone IFV sat behind several concrete barriers, its turret swaying back and forth in search of a target. His software identified it for him, but he'd seen enough of them to know its capabilities. The turreted laser would have trouble in all this smoke, but if it managed a solid hit, he'd be in serious trouble.
He signaled to Joker, gesturing at the IFV. "Pop 'round the corner, and shove one up his ass."
Joker's armored head nodded imperceptibly, but his intent was clear as he hoisted his recoilless rifle onto his shoulder. Harald moved out of the way, allowing Joker to pass him in the alley. He and Naga retreated a few steps back down the alley. For a breath or two, Joker did not move, his frame hunched over in a kneeling position, the long tube of the rifle looming ominously.
Joker sprang into action, popping out of cover and turning to face down the street. A roar filled the air as smoke and flame shot out the back of the rifle. A loud WHOOSH washed over him, followed a second later by a THUMP. Joker laughed once, then dove back into the alley, rolling into a kneeling position in front of Harald, while laser and machine gun fire impacted where he had been standing.
"Sorry, sir, missed the turret."
"Damn it."
"But I got 'im right between the tracks. He ain't goin' anywhere."
Harald sighed with relief, but it was a momentary sensation. He turned and walked down the alley to a heavy metal door in the side of hte building. Inhaling, he lifted his leg and kicked with all the force he could muster. The door crumpled and flew off its heavy hinges, which ripped free of the concrete wall. The door thudded to a halt on the floor inside. Harald flipped on his night vision to overcome both the dust and the lack of electrical lighting.
His squadmates followed him as the trudged through the kitchen, silently thankful that the ceilings were tall enough to allow him to stand upright. The flashlight attached to the side of his helmet came on, sending a beam of white light into the dust before him. They pushed through the kitchen, and out into the dining room. The plush red carpet was dusty, and several of the chandeliers had fallen from their fastenings, shattering onto expensive wooden tables. Turning a corner, Harald knelt and activated his image enhancement.
Through the dust and the shattered glass of the far windows, he could make out his target. Infantrymen were running frantically off to the left, in the direction of the IFV Joker had just blasted. They would soon realize that their attackers were no longer over there, so his window of opportunity was closing fast. He stood and armed his autocannon.
"Joker, you and I have a job to do." Harald turned his head to face Naga, who had painted her suit's helmet with a blood red mask. "You know what to do."
She nodded, then engaged her active camoflage. It wasn't enough to fool the eyes entirely, but targeting sensors would have a hard time locking onto her as she ran, and enemy infantry wouldn't quite be able to get a good fix. Harald watched as she stalked closer to the windows.
He and Joker followed, their weapons raised and ready to cover their squadmate.
"On three," Naga whispered.
Harald counted down in his head. Right on cue, he bolted forward through the window, shattering the glass and immediately attracting the attention of the nearby infantry. Frozen for a half-second from the unexpected noise, it was all he needed. Depressing the trigger, the barrels of his autocannon began to spin, the high-pitched whine of the electric motor filling the air. A microsecond later, armor-piercing shells filled the air, tearing several soldiers into bloody masses before they even had the chance to react. A rocket blasted over his shoulder, trailing white smoke as it twisted toward a gun emplacement. Impacting at the foot of the heavy machine gun, the seven men standing near it were engulfed in flames.
Harald strode forward, moving his cannon from left to right, walking shells from one target to the next. He cut through an entire platoon before any serious return fire found him. A gun emplacement atop a small building across the street finally opened up, its heavy calibre rounds impacting heavily on his right shoulder and ruining his aim. He swore, but did not dive for cover. Raising his arm to point the cannon directly at them, he weathered their fire long enough to open fire. Grabbing a grenade from his left thigh, he ceased his fire in order to lob the explosive across the street. The gunfire stopped as the men dove for cover. A second later, smoke billowed from behind the gun, and no one stood up to man it. It had been a good idea to pack fragmentation grenades.
A heavy impact knocked him to the ground, and he slid for two meters, coming to rest against the limb body of an infantryman. Harald turned his head to see an enemy tank crawling down the street behind him, its turret tracking him. It was a light tank, but its laser was enough to seriously damage him.
"Joker?" he barked.
"On 'em, boss."
He saw Joker crouching behind a barrier ten meters away, a mere five meters from the tank. Unable to wait for Joker's attack, as the tank's capacitors would recharge any second, Harald pushed himself up into a standing position. The status monitor warned him of armor penetration and a serious degredation of protection on his left side. He threw another grenade in the direction of a cluster of infantry, then sprinted for the cover of a building.
An explosion filled the air, and Harald turned to see flame engulfing one side of the tank. Joker was backpedaling away from the tank, reloading his rifle as he went. The tank's turret turned as quickly as possible to the left, determined to punish the interloper. Realising far too slowly what would happen, Harald swore and aimed his cannon at the tank. The shells chewed into its front glacis, doing only marginal damage, but hopefully getting someone's attention. The turret continued its turn, but a light machine gun attached to the cupola swiveled in Harald's direction and opened fire.
"Naga?" he said, furious that he had not seen the tank.
There was no reply, and a quick survey of the field did not immediately reveal her location. The tank's laser opened fire, pale bursts of light just visible amid the smoke and dust. Joker leapt for the ground, a laser bolt melting the concrete to glass less than a meter behind him. Another bolt severed a supporting column. A loud CRACK warned ominously of the building's structural condition, and the sound of groaning steel filled the air.
Harald started to run parallel to the tank, dodging from one concrete barrier to another. Most of the infantry were dead or fleeing. One knot huddled behind a barrier screamed as he barreled into them. He held his trigger, but roughly tossed the men aside, almost certainly breaking some bones. His target came into view, looming like an oversize man behind the tank in the street. It was not (thankfully) powered up, and so it was merely a passive threat at the moment.
It would become an active threat in moments if they were delayed any longer.
He swung his arm wide, spraying the side of the tank's turret with shells as he ran past. It was still focused on Joker, who was scrambling for cover inside the dangerously unstable building. A blast from the laser caught Joker in the back, boiling back armor with alarming speed. The sudden loss of mass and malfunctioning musculature sent him sprawling across the concrete.
Knowing Joker would be unable to respond, Harald swerved suddenly and leapt from the top of a concrete barrier. He came crashing down atop the tank alongside its turret. The tank commander slammed his viewport shut, but the gunner was caught still trying to gun Harald down with the tank's machine gun. Harald grabbed the young man by the neck with his free hand, tossing him with casual force into the barrier from which he'd leapt. The gunner's head smashed against the concrete, leaving an ugly red stain on its scarred surface. Harald hardly paused, reaching down inside the turret and firing into the tank's interior with the submachine gun attached to his left forearm. Bullets ricocheted around inside the armored interior, and screams told him at least some hit home. Ripping his lone high-explosvie grenade from his thigh, he flipped its trigger and dropped it into the vehicle.
Harald leapt free from the vehicle less than a second before a gout of flame shot from the hole atop the turret. The tank stuttered to a halt, smoke pouring from every orifice. Scrambling to his feet, Harald immediately turned his attention to the walker still standing immobile twenty meters further down the street.
"Status!" he barked.
Naga's confirmation light blinked, but there was no audio response. Joker did neither. Harald, one eye still fixed warily on the silhouette of the walker, ran around the smoking tank and headed for where Joker's form lay on the scored concrete. Blood was oozing from the rents in his back. The armor had been completely seared away, and some of his squadmate's flesh had been visibly charred. Harald winced as he knelt beside Joker.
"Joker?" he said, leaning closer, but deciding against touching him.
There was no response.
Swearing, he opened a frequency back to his IFV. "Goblin, get a medic ready. Joker's down."
"Aye, sir."
Harald looked up just in time to see the walker rumble to life, its engine filling the air with a dull thrum. Its arms started to move in his direction, and he was suddenly painfully aware of just how vulnerable his position was. Standing over his squadmate, he raised his autocannon, and prepared to charge. He'd have no time to find decent cover, and he might as well try to do some damage. Where the hell was Naga?
As if to answer him, a shadowy form leapt up onto the walker's leg, scuttling quickly up its calf and stopping to plant a small device on its knee joint. The walker's pilot must've noticed, for it began frantically flailing with its one hand, trying to brush Naga from the walker's legs. Naga responded by circling around to the back of the leg and crawling farther up the machine. The walker took a step and jumped a meter into the air. It came down with a deafening crash, sixty tons of metal and ceramic blasting small craters into the asphalt. Harald crouched instinctively. He could not see if Naga had been knocked free, or if she was merely hidden on the walker's back.
Naga jumped free, her small jets leaving trails of white as she rocketed from the walker's back in Harald's direction. He followed her arc with his eyes, and watched as she landed mere meters in front of him, and immediately ran to his side. Her camouflage deactivated, and she knelt to sling one of Joker's arms around her neck. Harald, without thinking, followed her lead and helped her heave Joker's mutilated body from the sidewalk.
A dull crack signaled the first explosion. Harald looked back to see the walker stumble, smoke emanating from a mangled knee joint. It attempted to point its main weapon in his direction, but the strain on the knee was enough that the lower leg started to buckle under the weight. Before it could completely lose its balance, however, a second explosion sounded from behind it, and it staggered forward. There was an audible snap as the lower leg support broke, and the machine careened forward onto its face.
"Run!" Naga said.
Harald didn't have to be told twice. He and Naga struggled to drag Joker through the rubble of the office building's first floor and back into the alley. A deafening roar filled the air, followed by an equally deafening silence. Naga's second charge had punctured the engine shielding, stalling the reaction and ruining the reactor. It would take the best field crew weeks to get it running again, and they'd have to rip out the engine and replace it-impossible with their supply lines cut.
"Nice job," Harald said as they ran down the alley.
"Is he dead?" she asked.
Harald's heart sank. "Probably."
Naga did not answer. A moment later they were running for their previous position under the cover of laser fire from their IFV. As Harald deposited Joker in front of the medic behind the IFV, he watched motionless as they peeled the armor from his squadmate. He hardly noticed as a tech hurriedly fed more ammunition into the store for his autocannon, and strapped more grenades to his thigh. Joker's armor lay in a pile on the ground, much of it ruined beyond repair. The medic had wrapped his left leg in gauze, and was frantically trying to get more blood into him. The laser blast had cauterized much of the wound, so he had managed not to bleed to death while laying on the pavement.
After a moment, the medic turned it over to an assistant and jogged up to Harald, wiping his forehead with his shirtsleeve. "It's touchy, sir. Drugs kept him out of shock, but he lost a lot of blood, and he's been beaten to a pulp inside. We need to get him outta here."
Harald turned away, but nodded. "I'll radio for evac." He didn't listen to hear if the medic said anything more. He walked over to the side of the IFV and watched the chaos in the enemy lines. There wasn't much to see, but the figures running to and fro said to him that they'd succeeded in generating the confusion his commander had asked for.
He sighed. "HQ, this is Goblin Alpha, requesting medical evac."
Except for us, of course, Harald thought. He sighed, hunkering down a little lower to wait out the machine gunner's barrage. His armor would probably protect him from the relatively small-calibre rounds, but it was best not to test fate. Not when there were so many other things that could easily kill him. He was, however, a man of limited patience. Turning around to face the crumbling remnant of a concrete traffic barrier, he slowly inched his head above its rim.
His vision was immediately filled with red warning indicators as the targeting and tracking software identified incoming projectiles and debris. None of it was an immediate danger, so he stayed to watch a second. The street itself was littered with bits of concrete and steel, dusted with the sparkling powder of shattered glass. Three cars lay between himself and where he suspected the gunner was, one of them overturned and on fire, sending thick, grey smoke billowing into the air between the two high-rise office buildings. The smoke was an effective screen, preventing his squad from seeing their target. All the enemy had to do was hose the approach with bullets.
Frowning, he knelt back down, taking cover once more behind the barrier. He'd been pinned down here for the better part of five minutes, and every passing second made him all the more nervous that reinforcements might arrive. An eye movement opened a command frequency. "Raker, do you have visual?"
The commlink crackled faintly behind his scout's reply. "Neg, they've got the south approach blocked. Two IFVs and at least a company of softies."
Not impossible, but certainly unwise without rotating the entire squad, which would leave the main approach open. He sighed faintly. He was unwilling to simply wait. The enemy's supply lines were cut, so they would run out of ammunition eventually. But not before he lost his window of opportunity.
"Stay put, Raker," he said, "but snipe at them to keep 'em occupied."
"Aye, sir."
"Naga and Joker, you come with me." He could safely leave his own IFV, a heavily armed Jackal, in place to hold the main road while he found another way around.
His two squadmates in tow, he bolted from cover, the artificial musculature of his suit providing him an impressive burst of speed. They bounded across the debris-littered road, heading for an alley that went between two office buildings. Bullets splashed them as they ran, one nicking his calf armor, but it was deflected with only minimal damage. Turning down the alley without breaking their pace, the three ran down the corridor at almost forty kilometers per hour, the great weight of their armor combining with the huge strides to leave considerable damage in the concrete.
Harald held up a hand as they skidded to a halt at the end of the alley. He slowly edged his face around the corner, seeing what lay ahead. Like the south approach, it was blocked. A lone IFV sat behind several concrete barriers, its turret swaying back and forth in search of a target. His software identified it for him, but he'd seen enough of them to know its capabilities. The turreted laser would have trouble in all this smoke, but if it managed a solid hit, he'd be in serious trouble.
He signaled to Joker, gesturing at the IFV. "Pop 'round the corner, and shove one up his ass."
Joker's armored head nodded imperceptibly, but his intent was clear as he hoisted his recoilless rifle onto his shoulder. Harald moved out of the way, allowing Joker to pass him in the alley. He and Naga retreated a few steps back down the alley. For a breath or two, Joker did not move, his frame hunched over in a kneeling position, the long tube of the rifle looming ominously.
Joker sprang into action, popping out of cover and turning to face down the street. A roar filled the air as smoke and flame shot out the back of the rifle. A loud WHOOSH washed over him, followed a second later by a THUMP. Joker laughed once, then dove back into the alley, rolling into a kneeling position in front of Harald, while laser and machine gun fire impacted where he had been standing.
"Sorry, sir, missed the turret."
"Damn it."
"But I got 'im right between the tracks. He ain't goin' anywhere."
Harald sighed with relief, but it was a momentary sensation. He turned and walked down the alley to a heavy metal door in the side of hte building. Inhaling, he lifted his leg and kicked with all the force he could muster. The door crumpled and flew off its heavy hinges, which ripped free of the concrete wall. The door thudded to a halt on the floor inside. Harald flipped on his night vision to overcome both the dust and the lack of electrical lighting.
His squadmates followed him as the trudged through the kitchen, silently thankful that the ceilings were tall enough to allow him to stand upright. The flashlight attached to the side of his helmet came on, sending a beam of white light into the dust before him. They pushed through the kitchen, and out into the dining room. The plush red carpet was dusty, and several of the chandeliers had fallen from their fastenings, shattering onto expensive wooden tables. Turning a corner, Harald knelt and activated his image enhancement.
Through the dust and the shattered glass of the far windows, he could make out his target. Infantrymen were running frantically off to the left, in the direction of the IFV Joker had just blasted. They would soon realize that their attackers were no longer over there, so his window of opportunity was closing fast. He stood and armed his autocannon.
"Joker, you and I have a job to do." Harald turned his head to face Naga, who had painted her suit's helmet with a blood red mask. "You know what to do."
She nodded, then engaged her active camoflage. It wasn't enough to fool the eyes entirely, but targeting sensors would have a hard time locking onto her as she ran, and enemy infantry wouldn't quite be able to get a good fix. Harald watched as she stalked closer to the windows.
He and Joker followed, their weapons raised and ready to cover their squadmate.
"On three," Naga whispered.
Harald counted down in his head. Right on cue, he bolted forward through the window, shattering the glass and immediately attracting the attention of the nearby infantry. Frozen for a half-second from the unexpected noise, it was all he needed. Depressing the trigger, the barrels of his autocannon began to spin, the high-pitched whine of the electric motor filling the air. A microsecond later, armor-piercing shells filled the air, tearing several soldiers into bloody masses before they even had the chance to react. A rocket blasted over his shoulder, trailing white smoke as it twisted toward a gun emplacement. Impacting at the foot of the heavy machine gun, the seven men standing near it were engulfed in flames.
Harald strode forward, moving his cannon from left to right, walking shells from one target to the next. He cut through an entire platoon before any serious return fire found him. A gun emplacement atop a small building across the street finally opened up, its heavy calibre rounds impacting heavily on his right shoulder and ruining his aim. He swore, but did not dive for cover. Raising his arm to point the cannon directly at them, he weathered their fire long enough to open fire. Grabbing a grenade from his left thigh, he ceased his fire in order to lob the explosive across the street. The gunfire stopped as the men dove for cover. A second later, smoke billowed from behind the gun, and no one stood up to man it. It had been a good idea to pack fragmentation grenades.
A heavy impact knocked him to the ground, and he slid for two meters, coming to rest against the limb body of an infantryman. Harald turned his head to see an enemy tank crawling down the street behind him, its turret tracking him. It was a light tank, but its laser was enough to seriously damage him.
"Joker?" he barked.
"On 'em, boss."
He saw Joker crouching behind a barrier ten meters away, a mere five meters from the tank. Unable to wait for Joker's attack, as the tank's capacitors would recharge any second, Harald pushed himself up into a standing position. The status monitor warned him of armor penetration and a serious degredation of protection on his left side. He threw another grenade in the direction of a cluster of infantry, then sprinted for the cover of a building.
An explosion filled the air, and Harald turned to see flame engulfing one side of the tank. Joker was backpedaling away from the tank, reloading his rifle as he went. The tank's turret turned as quickly as possible to the left, determined to punish the interloper. Realising far too slowly what would happen, Harald swore and aimed his cannon at the tank. The shells chewed into its front glacis, doing only marginal damage, but hopefully getting someone's attention. The turret continued its turn, but a light machine gun attached to the cupola swiveled in Harald's direction and opened fire.
"Naga?" he said, furious that he had not seen the tank.
There was no reply, and a quick survey of the field did not immediately reveal her location. The tank's laser opened fire, pale bursts of light just visible amid the smoke and dust. Joker leapt for the ground, a laser bolt melting the concrete to glass less than a meter behind him. Another bolt severed a supporting column. A loud CRACK warned ominously of the building's structural condition, and the sound of groaning steel filled the air.
Harald started to run parallel to the tank, dodging from one concrete barrier to another. Most of the infantry were dead or fleeing. One knot huddled behind a barrier screamed as he barreled into them. He held his trigger, but roughly tossed the men aside, almost certainly breaking some bones. His target came into view, looming like an oversize man behind the tank in the street. It was not (thankfully) powered up, and so it was merely a passive threat at the moment.
It would become an active threat in moments if they were delayed any longer.
He swung his arm wide, spraying the side of the tank's turret with shells as he ran past. It was still focused on Joker, who was scrambling for cover inside the dangerously unstable building. A blast from the laser caught Joker in the back, boiling back armor with alarming speed. The sudden loss of mass and malfunctioning musculature sent him sprawling across the concrete.
Knowing Joker would be unable to respond, Harald swerved suddenly and leapt from the top of a concrete barrier. He came crashing down atop the tank alongside its turret. The tank commander slammed his viewport shut, but the gunner was caught still trying to gun Harald down with the tank's machine gun. Harald grabbed the young man by the neck with his free hand, tossing him with casual force into the barrier from which he'd leapt. The gunner's head smashed against the concrete, leaving an ugly red stain on its scarred surface. Harald hardly paused, reaching down inside the turret and firing into the tank's interior with the submachine gun attached to his left forearm. Bullets ricocheted around inside the armored interior, and screams told him at least some hit home. Ripping his lone high-explosvie grenade from his thigh, he flipped its trigger and dropped it into the vehicle.
Harald leapt free from the vehicle less than a second before a gout of flame shot from the hole atop the turret. The tank stuttered to a halt, smoke pouring from every orifice. Scrambling to his feet, Harald immediately turned his attention to the walker still standing immobile twenty meters further down the street.
"Status!" he barked.
Naga's confirmation light blinked, but there was no audio response. Joker did neither. Harald, one eye still fixed warily on the silhouette of the walker, ran around the smoking tank and headed for where Joker's form lay on the scored concrete. Blood was oozing from the rents in his back. The armor had been completely seared away, and some of his squadmate's flesh had been visibly charred. Harald winced as he knelt beside Joker.
"Joker?" he said, leaning closer, but deciding against touching him.
There was no response.
Swearing, he opened a frequency back to his IFV. "Goblin, get a medic ready. Joker's down."
"Aye, sir."
Harald looked up just in time to see the walker rumble to life, its engine filling the air with a dull thrum. Its arms started to move in his direction, and he was suddenly painfully aware of just how vulnerable his position was. Standing over his squadmate, he raised his autocannon, and prepared to charge. He'd have no time to find decent cover, and he might as well try to do some damage. Where the hell was Naga?
As if to answer him, a shadowy form leapt up onto the walker's leg, scuttling quickly up its calf and stopping to plant a small device on its knee joint. The walker's pilot must've noticed, for it began frantically flailing with its one hand, trying to brush Naga from the walker's legs. Naga responded by circling around to the back of the leg and crawling farther up the machine. The walker took a step and jumped a meter into the air. It came down with a deafening crash, sixty tons of metal and ceramic blasting small craters into the asphalt. Harald crouched instinctively. He could not see if Naga had been knocked free, or if she was merely hidden on the walker's back.
Naga jumped free, her small jets leaving trails of white as she rocketed from the walker's back in Harald's direction. He followed her arc with his eyes, and watched as she landed mere meters in front of him, and immediately ran to his side. Her camouflage deactivated, and she knelt to sling one of Joker's arms around her neck. Harald, without thinking, followed her lead and helped her heave Joker's mutilated body from the sidewalk.
A dull crack signaled the first explosion. Harald looked back to see the walker stumble, smoke emanating from a mangled knee joint. It attempted to point its main weapon in his direction, but the strain on the knee was enough that the lower leg started to buckle under the weight. Before it could completely lose its balance, however, a second explosion sounded from behind it, and it staggered forward. There was an audible snap as the lower leg support broke, and the machine careened forward onto its face.
"Run!" Naga said.
Harald didn't have to be told twice. He and Naga struggled to drag Joker through the rubble of the office building's first floor and back into the alley. A deafening roar filled the air, followed by an equally deafening silence. Naga's second charge had punctured the engine shielding, stalling the reaction and ruining the reactor. It would take the best field crew weeks to get it running again, and they'd have to rip out the engine and replace it-impossible with their supply lines cut.
"Nice job," Harald said as they ran down the alley.
"Is he dead?" she asked.
Harald's heart sank. "Probably."
Naga did not answer. A moment later they were running for their previous position under the cover of laser fire from their IFV. As Harald deposited Joker in front of the medic behind the IFV, he watched motionless as they peeled the armor from his squadmate. He hardly noticed as a tech hurriedly fed more ammunition into the store for his autocannon, and strapped more grenades to his thigh. Joker's armor lay in a pile on the ground, much of it ruined beyond repair. The medic had wrapped his left leg in gauze, and was frantically trying to get more blood into him. The laser blast had cauterized much of the wound, so he had managed not to bleed to death while laying on the pavement.
After a moment, the medic turned it over to an assistant and jogged up to Harald, wiping his forehead with his shirtsleeve. "It's touchy, sir. Drugs kept him out of shock, but he lost a lot of blood, and he's been beaten to a pulp inside. We need to get him outta here."
Harald turned away, but nodded. "I'll radio for evac." He didn't listen to hear if the medic said anything more. He walked over to the side of the IFV and watched the chaos in the enemy lines. There wasn't much to see, but the figures running to and fro said to him that they'd succeeded in generating the confusion his commander had asked for.
He sighed. "HQ, this is Goblin Alpha, requesting medical evac."