Battle Earth: 12 by Nick S. Thomas Page B

under and fired a few rounds, but they couldn't penetrate the frontal armour of the Mech, and it pulled its blade free of his shield and thrust once again. He knew not to take any thrust now so tilted his shield and deflected the blow.
    "Down!"
    It was Jafar.
    He ducked, and Jafar swung the hulking 50BMG and hit the Mech with it like a club. The Mech folded from the force of it as if being hit by a truck, but Jafar did not let up as it crumpled to the ground. He took hold of the gun barrel and raised it up, smashing it down like a pile driver into the creature’s head. The force of the impact smashed its helmet and fractured its skull.
    Taylor turned around and saw Silva get hit by a pulse in the inner side of his arm. He cried out in pain and dropped his Assegai. Jafar lifted up the pig and held down the trigger until Silva's attacker was riddled with shots and fell. Taylor rushed at the last one with his shield held before him. The creature turned to engage, but he spun around it, smashing the lower edge of his shield into the back of its leg so that it dropped onto one knee. Before it could recover, he plunged his Assegai down into its collar and ran it down to the hilt.
    He pulled out the blade, and it spewed more blue blood out across him as he looked at the carnage surrounding them. As many of their own lay dead as those of the enemy. He rushed to Silva's side.
    "How is it?"
    "Not so bad," he replied with a groan.
    Taylor looked closer to see the shot had clipped the upper inside of his arm and gone right through.
    "Gonna hurt like a son of a bitch, but you'll be okay."
    "Great," he replied sarcastically.
    "Colonel Taylor?" Barclay asked over the comms.
    "Taylor here," he replied casually.
    "Colonel, I have two US Marine transports requesting permission to come aboard."
    "Well for goodness sake let them land."
    No response came back.
    "Can you walk?" Mitch asked Silva.
    "I'm wounded, not crippled," he replied defensively.
    Taylor reached down and helped him to his feet.
    "Squad stays put. I'll take what I came with and head for the docking bays and try and organise this bloody mess."
      Silva gathered up his rifle and winced, but he managed the weight despite the wound. Jafar still lugged the cumbersome pig, now coated in blood at the receiver end where it had caved in the skull of a Mech warrior. Taylor felt the familiar aches and pains that always came with a close quarters battle with the enemy. Far from letting it get him down, it was just a reminder that he was in the right place.
    Taylor led them back the way they had come and walked over the same dead bodies they had the first time. The corridors were quiet now, too quiet. Taylor didn’t know whether to mourn the dead or be concerned of whatever was left for them to deal with.
    “Don’t move!” a voice yelled.
    Taylor recoiled back and raised his rifle.
    “Identify yourself!” he shouted in return.
    “Sergeant Whitaker, US Marine Corps!”
    “Colonel Taylor…”
    He couldn’t think of anything to tag on, but felt it was all the introduction he would need. He lowered his rifle, stepped out slowly, and found himself in front of four marines. Their uniforms were perfectly cleaned and pressed beneath their armour. The Sergeant looked close to thirty and like he’d seen his fair share of combat, but the others couldn’t have been old enough to have served in the wars until very recently.
    “Sorry, Colonel, we couldn’t get a good eye on you before,” said Whitaker.
    He reached the Sergeant and then saw there were at least another two-dozen marines behind him.
    “Let us take over from here, Colonel,” said Whitaker.
    “You in charge of these boys?” Taylor asked. He looked them over and laughed as he saw that almost half were women, “and girls,” he added.
    “Yes, Sir.”
    They all carried the same Reitech equipment he was intimately familiar with. They moved with purpose and experience.
    “Let us sweep and clear, Colonel. You can stay put and