(Miiora)

“Holy…” Fick says as we exit the adminkey prisoners in claw. I can feel my mouth hang open upon seeing the state of the intersection Fallon was guarding while we were inside, and to my amazement, there are two new kinds of war machine standing alongside the NAC ATLAS’. My helmet identifies the three green one with open cockpits as Siafu, while the one with wings folded behind its headless torso is designated as a Gungnir. Standing below them in the rubble of a hastily constructed barricades are six changelings, two kleese, one tymerian and one human. I can see that there are multiple atlas machines lying motionless on the street, at least six of the already small number of fifteen we started the assault with.

I suddenly feel the ground shake and hear the metallic clang of an Atlas taking a step and see a green Atlas with a yellow glow to its lenses and a green flame painted under the sensor bulb. There are multiple bullet holes, gouges, scorch marks and other signs of battle damage across its armored body and the upper body of a pony is impaled on one of the foot claws of the machine. A liquid splashes onto my armor and when I look down I almost gag inside of my helmet. The street is literally covered in a mixture of different colored blood brown minotaur, orange dragon blood, crimson human, griffin and pony, and the multiple hues of different changeling hives all mixed on the ground like an oil slick.

There are literally hundreds maybe a thousand bodies at most littering the street all pushed into piles to give both cover and good fields of fire for Fallon and the others who were defending the entrance to the Adminkey. However, looking around I can not help but fail to see the white armor of Avery Fallons machine. Then there was a wet grinding noise like someone stabbing scales and through the smoke we turn to see a the form of an Atlas with a kind of blade mounted to the Icarus mount. The blade is protruding from up and over the machines right shoulder and into from a green adolescent dragon. Before the Atlas’s blade manages to drag itself upward slicing the dragon's chest open and the machine kicks the reptile away. The three Siafu one with only one arm raise their autocannons and proceed to gundown the dragon firing into the opening in the chest.

“Woah, That was fucking cool.” Trombley says by my side, the battle around us died down as UEC forces are hunted down and in a dramatic fashion, the smoke clears as a dropship flies overhead to prepare for landing when the smoke clears.

The white armor of Fallon's Atlas SD-0624 is virtually covered in streaks and spatterings of blood. In the encroaching darkness of the setting sun and light of burning fires the red glowing lenses glare at us like the eyes of a demon out of Tymerian legend. Hanging behind it the blade flips with a metallic clunk back into the white holder as Fallon takes a step forward absentmindedly crushing a crawling UEC soldier and retrieves his weapon. As he draws closer we can see the numerous puncture wounds, gouges, and dents throughout the machine.

“Sir SD is out of the fight, over eighty six percent combat ineffective. Requesting permission to dismount.” Fallon says over the taclink.

“Go ahead.” Fick responds prompting the Cockpit hatch to open with a metallic noise. SD lowers itself to one knee and lets Avery Fallon use its blood soaked hand as a step and lowers him the rest of the way.

The pitch of the engines grow in volume as the dropship lowers itself into position and another strange looking dropship swoops overhead and lands near by. This dropship is almost bronze in color and looks bulbous in appearance. Unlike the NAC dropships who only use two engines, this appears to use four two situated on mounts on a protruding back. Where clamped a rather strange looking Tank with four big wheels and some kind of Ram in the front, and engines are two mounted on either side of the dropships cockpit acting as both wings and engines. All four sets of engines flair to life as a secondary set of thrusters are employed to lower the craft, to the ground where two sets of wheels unfold from the bottom of the craft. My helmet computer identifies the craft as a “Pelican dropship” and the troops exiting the hold as “African Commonwealth” troops. Then there is a metallic clang as the “Centaur” tank is released from its clamps and rolls to the side allowing the damaged “Siafu” to slide into position and “sits” before being picked up by the dropship.

“I’ll see you up their bud.” Fallon says

“Acknowledged pilot.” The machine says before crouching down and begin picked up by the retrieval arm of an NAC dropship.

“Orders people. The remaining UEC troops are dug in and are holding their own against the taskforce. They’re too close in for orbital strikes, the RCT is ordering that all able troops come to aid the final push.”

“Miiora go with them. Your job here is done” Fick says to me.

I look at the men around me at Forbes, Trombley, Parkins, Fick and my eyes linger on the body of Garza being taken inside of the AF dropship, but my eyes linger on the form of Fallon who appears to be sweating under his EPP helmet, furiously drinking water and frantically smoking a cigarette with shaking hands with a distant look in his eyes. He then sees me looking before taking a deep breath and seemingly returning to normal.

“With all do respect LT Fick, I would like to stay with you all. After all I have come with you this far, I want to see it through.” He smiles at this before nodding his head.

“Glad to hear it. After All we need all the luck we can get. WE'RE OSCAR MIKE” He says before walking away.

I look up as I feel the first drops of rain before walking over to Fallon and placing a hand on his shoulder, an action I instantly regret because the second my hand makes contact, he has my arm in a crushing grasp and my own side arm pointed under my snout. His eyes go wide upon realising what he has done and he instantly lets me go.

“I'm sorry.” he continually repeats as he returns my sidearm. One of the Human prisoners spits at us muttering something under his breath. Fallon however gets that strange look in his eyes again before walking up to him and punching him in the face with his armored fist. The blow catches the prisoner completely off guard and he falls to his knees.

“Do you know what we are going to do to you all? Traitor.” Fallon says in a conversational voice with his knife in his hand.

“What? Show me a good time like i bet you all do to that Scaly bitch?” the prisoner receives a brisk kick in the stomach from one of the marines for his comment.

“No, the Non-humans will be treated like any other POW, but you human collaborators, you traitors have no rights, no protection, and are treated with zero moral code. After the sci-ops guys are done with you we will send your government a message. It was suggested by the NE and backed up by the SRA and AFC and is an ancient Norse tradition that we used when we discovered someone had tried to help the Lankies.”

“What message NAC dog?” the prisoner responds spitting on Fallon's face. Fallon in response to this takes a pin he liberated from a dead collaborator depicting an eagle clutching the UEC emblem.

“I got the transmission a few minutes ago. Our Governments say that since you live like Eagles high above others… we will draw a blood eagle on your backs.” Fallon says in a rasp.

“A-a what?”

“We will slice open your back” I take a step forward upon hearing this sounds barbaric something no one would ever do not even the UEC.

“And make your ribcage spring apart..” Fallon says

“No.” one of the prisoners says.

“No please. I..what about...” another says before Fallon speaks again.

“Like wings.” he says before turning around and walking away as Fick gives the order to move out. As we walk we leave the pleading prisoners behind with five marines who herd them into the pelican before it and the Cazador lift off and disappear into the night.
=================================================

(Fallon)

When we reach the site of the UEC’s last stand I see that it is a large courtyard. Like something out of a history documentary, the enemy has trenches and machine gun emplacements in place. I can see what seem like thousands but are probably hundreds of UEC soldiers digging, or preparing for the inevitable. They have set up the battlefield completely in their favor, the roads leading to the courtyard are covered by collapsed buildings, and old style tank traps litter the courtyard ahead of them. I can see teams up on the rooftops with shoulder mounted SAM launchers, and I suspect that there are snipers in the buildings surrounding the UEC side of the courtyard. Across from them we can see COG troops in crater holes lying in wait some exchanging fire with the UEC troops, and I can see the virtual sea of blue confirmed friendly icons as both NAC and AFC forces begin final preparations for a nasty bloodbath of epic proportions.

All in all they have set this up to funnel every COG trooper and vehicle into a massive killzone, and from the chatter on the net we know instantly from the way the UEC is set up, that we are facing a human commander. Their formation is too dispersed leaving portions of the line open for the COG to get stuck in and cut down with overlapping fields of fire, and concentrated mortar hits. I have no doubt in my mind that the UEC has bunkers and tunnels in their little trench network. The issue won't be those we can clear those with incinerator units, the issue will be that we won't be able to call in any friendly artillery or orbital strikes.

As we settle in with the COG troops amassing for the attack, I look to my right and see Miiora looking at the battlefield her normally hard to read features covered by her helmet, but I can tell she is nervous judging by the droop of her tail, the clicking of her clawed feet on the ground, and fidgeting of her clawed hands with her weapon. I take a step over and reach my arm around her before gesturing to the battlefield opting to attempt to lighten the mood with humor and she visibly jolts when my arm makes contact.

“So my scaly friend tonight we are… um…” I trail off when she turns her head to regard me forgetting my before continuing.

“Relax Miiora, forget what that Caleb fuck said. Stay close to me and we'll be alright.” I tell her and she nods her head.

“I've got your back alright. We’ll do this together.” I continue trying to reassure myself more than her honestly.

“We are going to go over there and we are going to kill those people. See’em standing over there? Ya they’re gonna die.” I say standing gesturing to the UEC encampment.

“Relax we won't be going into that, the Ninth is going around it to attack the buildings on the flanks. Come on it'll be fun”

=============================================

(Trombley)

“Microwave” Fallon says into the taclink first squad is stacked on either side of a door.

With myself to the left of the door and Fallon on the right, behind me Snafu raises an old M-90 LHO rifle, behind Fallon is Miiora her PDW rattles as she slides the bolt, and Forbes who is standing in front of the door lifts his rifle readying the incinerator. We switch our vision to microwave able to pick up the slight movements of air molecules when something moves, or what is commonly referred to as a heartbeat sensor. Through the wall, we see the movement of at least a dozen shapes which normally would mean we go in soft, but since the final assault has begun, we were kinda short on time.

“Plug it.” the sergeant says before looking around for something to punch a four-inch wide hole into the thin plastic door. I see movement behind the sarge as Miiora perks up like she has just had an idea. With her usual grace that would make even Olympic athletes jealous, she strides forward and presses her back to the wall beside the door. She then raises her knee as if to kick as she raises one of her claws like a velociraptor and she rather violently snaps her foot back punching a perfect four-inch hole in the wall with her claw. As she walks back to her position I am now a little more cautious of those claws that clatter against the floor.

“That was fuckin cool.” I say it's like she’s some kind of walking hole punch.

“Nice job. Light it.” Fallon says patting his charge on the back as she retakes her position behind him. Forbes then takes a step forward and lowers the nozzle of his incinerator into the hole. We can see the movement beyond the door thanks to our microwave vision mode and their is a frantic panic as Forbes lets loose a torrent of purple flame. Their screams can be heard from out here as the potassium based napalm melts their flesh from their bones.

“Woah it's like a Halloween fun house.” I comment as the screams of agony can still be heard as we round the next corner in the building. After about fifteen minutes of walking and Miiora making holes in doors and Forbes lighting them up we get a call from Fick straight from command, and Fallon attempts to argue with Fick over the comms.

“We are splitting up, Forbes take Trombley and Snafu clear the odd numbered floors. I'll go with Miiora and clear the even and we'll meet up here in thirty. Execute.”

“Got it sarge.”

============================================

(Miiora)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztEBw8Vyr5A

I have somehow ended up separated from Avery Fallon and as I enter a room I hear what sounds like crying. I raise my PDW sweep the green targeting laser over the room but my suits targeting computer has nothing to fixate on. Then a burst of movement appears in my peripheral heading in my direction. The next thing I know my helmet and PDW are flying through the air. I was lifted bodily and slammed into what I can only assume is a desk. My eyes are naturally better suited to dark environments and I see what look like two new breed changelings coming at me.

Acting quickly faster than most humans I have seen I snap my talon and spring backward up and over the desk, landing on top scattering papers and other flotsam. I let out a low hiss before springing forward towards one of the two changelings. I land on the larger of the two in a crouch with my talons buried deep into his thighs punching through the fabric of his uniform like it wasn't even there. As he begins to cry out in pain I raise my clawed hand and slice his throat open earning a wet choked gurgle from my efforts.

As I lean down to reach for my weapon by his side my tail picks up movement and twitches. I retract my claws from the dying changeling and turn around violently earning a wet crunch as my tail covered in jointed ceramic hardshell armor meets the weak chitan of the changeling. As he stumbles backward uttering curses I go low and sweep his legs out from under him. By the time he hits the ground, he looks up to see one of my talons coming down and slice into his windpipe.

I sense a rush of movement before a fur covered from charges into me and slams me into a desk. I stagger back to my feet before a massive red hoof slams into my stomach. I can literally feel the armor on parts of my lower body crack or dent as I am thrown across the room by the force of the impact. I struggle to my knees and look up with enough time to move out of the way of a massive blond-maned earth pony. Spying my PDW lying beside me just as the earth pony kicks a desk sending it rocketing in my direction. Seeing my opening I use my tail to snatch the weapon from the ground as I spring to the left and onto a desk. The pony charges me again but in the darkness fails to notice the PDW clutched in my clawed hands, only realizing too late as the green targeting laser flashes over his chest and I fire a five round burst into his chest.

“I love it when they put up a fight.” A human voice says

What happens next is a blur of motion I sense movement but am unable to turn to face it as a pair of pale hairless arms grasp my arms and wrench them behind my back, forcing me to drop my weapon. I see movement to my left as I am lifted and slammed into the desk snout first. Knowing what is about to happen next I snap my foot out in a similar way to how I was punching holes into doors earlier. However instead of the human's flesh yielding to the blow my talon skips off of the hard surface. As my tail is lifted I manage to tilt my head and see a human in NAC battle armor. For a moment i fear the worst before I see the differences in the armor, lack of any shoulder pauldrons, UEC markings, lack of a helmet, and the large collection of stars on his chest plate. I know instantly who this is, the Infamous Commander who goes by the name Ajax, one of the captains of Princess Twilight's royal guard. I was about to whip my tail around and snap his neck when a painful jolt goes through my body.

“None of that slave.” he says a shock stick in his hand. I try again and am jolted again, however this time the other human slams my upper body into the desk and he pushes my legs apart. I have no intentions of figuring out how he plans to rape me while I still have on ballistic hard shell.

However before he can go any further a shot fills the air and one of the four human’s in the room heads explode. There is another series of horse reports and the human in front of me who was holding my arms lets out a choked gurgle and I look up to see him fall back, fresh flechette wounds in his chest. I suddenly feel Ajax leap off of me and dive to the side as more flechettes fly through the air. I scramble to the side and retrieve my PDW. The hoarse reports of the flechette rifle come to a stop as the slide snaps back on an empty magazine.

“This is my squad mate and you just tried to rape her. I am her sergeant, and you fuck face are a corpse. You just don't know it yet.”

“Miiora go meet up with the others.” Fallon says as he walks passed me putting himself between me and the human sympathizer as I see Ajax stand back up pulling his combat knife. I can tell in the cold even tone of his voice he is in full “Iceman” mode and his order was not a request.

====================================================

(Fallon)

The hole this guy has dug for himself just keeps getting bigger and bigger. The fuck flips his knife into a reverse grip and he lunges at me eating a punch in the face for his efforts. I go to follow it up with a left hook only to have my arm redirected and my helmet slammed into a desk. I grew up in a PRC avoiding situations like this almost everyday and am a combat controller, so I don't know if he thought that would work but it will take a lot more than that.

“Ok then. You’re gonna fuckin die.” I say wishing that the NAC bothered to issue us enlisted grunts sidearms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h-W1qLcTSA

“Whatever you say earther!” I turn around and draw my combat knife from where I have it mounted on my shoulder. The guy runs at me again like an idiot and I react by raising my arms like a boxer. He goes for a downward stab and actually manages to graze my armor as I redirect him into a chair collapsing it. He kicks his legs out and I take a step back to avoid it as he springs to his feet in a ready stance.

Right camm, I snap my knee into his cock, he doubles over and I make my own stab at the base of his spine before i feel a searing pain in my side. I snap another knee up this time into his unarmored stomach, and take a step back. My armor’s auto dock immediately kicks in and I feel a pinprick as a service is jabbed into the base of my neck. As the painkillers flood my system, I decided that this is getting ridiculous. I was sitting here having a knife fight while my squad is away. Seeing my opening I wait as the walking corpse makes another thrust, however this time instead of simply redirecting the attack, I do a kind of spin move around him. I snatch the sidearm from his thigh holster and shoot him in the base of the spine making him fall to the ground like an ungraceful sack. I then unload the entire magazine into his neck and head before the bolt locks back on an empty feed and I throw the weapon away. My vision starts to fade. I shoot my hand to my side and it comes away covered in blood. Then with a thundering crash the building shakes and I was flung across the room and passed out.

I wake up in the medical ward on board the Manitoba two days later. When I check my DPD, I discovered that as payback for their treatment of us on the planet for those months. Most of the UEC that retreated died and those who stayed died just the same. I look to my left and see a medical corpsman and a mechanical arm holding an IV bag of white fluid. When I try to peel off the blanket, I was greeted with a silver prosthetic for my right arm. Unlike the prosthetics of the past, the Docs onboard the ship have been able to reattach the nerve endings allowing me a sense of touch with my new carbon fiber and aluminum limb.

“Stop playing with it.” the corpsman says taking a seat beside me.

“What happened?”

“Your platoon liaison found you under a ton of debris from an errant artillery shell. Apparently some officer was bucking for a medal and instead got you fucked up. Damn near lost us the battle. If it wasn't for your armor, you would have more than just three broken ribs, one severed arm, punctured lung and last but most amazingly, a knife wound. Mind explaining that last one?” he says with a chuckle towards the end checking his PDP before administering me more painkillers.

“Ya some jackass thought it would be a good idea to get into a knife fight with a PRC hoodrat.”

“Say no more. Well your blood is going to be white for a while and are restricted from duty for the time being.” he says as I stand up and he hands me a pair of CDUs.

“Where are we headed?”

“Earth and the fleet dock at Luna. COG taskforce Manitoba got banged up pretty good.”

“Thanks man.” I grunt

“Hey don't thank me just yet. Here, take these, you don't look like a pill head. If those don't work come back and I'll give you something stronger.” he says to me throwing me a bottle of painkillers as I walk out of the door.