Paralegic Heroes: The Forlorn Hope

By Ashley Mottram

An elite special forces unit under the Coalition of Governments attempt to land forces in Spain from the garrison at the British base of Sanctuary. With desperate and endless battles against the alien invaders, the garrison commanders also send a company to the north of England, to a facility sheltering a space shuttle, its mission to break the Earths orbit and scout out the alien fleet. A second company aims to link up scattered forces within England as well as aid European forces struggling to regain control. With heavy casualties in the battles, the Paralegic Regiment find themselves in a race against time, battling against battle-hardened troops with high-tech and barely beatable equipment. Sweat, blood, tears, and precious metal drench the fields of England and the Spanish beach of San Sebastin as a fleet of American and European warships join the fight to save mankind in an endless war.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Aug 28, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514461952

Ashley Mottram

Ashley Mottram has always held a keen interest on the military. Historical conflicts have always provided him with great interest. With many military/sci-fi, films, games and books around, this provided him the motivation to create his own sci-fi series, with many other projects being planned each in different genres. Living in the coastal city of Plymouth, UK, he dedicates this book to all those who serve their nations with valor and have lost their lives and limbs as a result of their sacrifices and services.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

With the successful assault on a captured British research facility, an elite unit of paralegic troops begin the repairs on the structures damaged during the heavy battle that consisted within the mile long walls of the base. Their commanders had received word that an American naval fleet was under heavy attack just off the coast of Spain. The Coalition of Governments has ordered all remaining CoG units to regroup in Germany for an all out assault on an enemy staging area. These CoG units, consisted of amputee troops known as Paralegics. Answering the CoG’s call for arms, Generals Lee and Brixton, in combined command of the forces in the British compound which was a mixture of British, American, Chinese, Japanese and Russian troops, the two generals prepare their men for war.

With General Brixton taking command at the compound and General Lee taking command of the assault group which would head to Germany, they must now come up with a joint plan to not only aid the other nations against an invasion from a still unknown alien force, they must also send out recon patrols to scout out any remaining enemy troops on the British lands aswell as find the secret location of a British shuttle, which they would use to launch out of the Earth’s atmosphere and recon the surrounding areas inwhich the alien fleet was hovering above.

In a race against time, they must act swiftly as many more thousands of lives have been lost and many more will surely follow, unless the enemy weakness could be revieled and used to destroy the invaders, It is December 2017 and the Paralegic Heroes begin their race to save mankind.

CHAPTER 1

Kneeling over a small grassy mount facing a large darkened field two figures watched as an enemy convoy slugged along their patrol route.

How many’s that now? Asked a captain.

Six patrols this week, sir Replied his sergeant as both men lowered their bodies into the grassy hill, two miles away from their new base. An aerial recon team had spotted an enemy convoy moving slowly towards the compounds position, in an attempt to stall them while aerial reinforcements refuelled, Captain Spncer was ordered to lead a small group of thirty men and cut off the enemy convoy. The previous night’s rain had made the small grass bank soggy and as many of the men were still getting used to their new legs, they often slid down before being helped back up by their comrades either side of them.

Some of the men wore grey armour which covered their entire torso, split by a belt which attached their combat trousers to their waists, while others wore similar armour, but were either in crimson red, caramel brown or sandy brown colours. Their helmets matched the colour of their armour except the eye sockets, many had a blue tint in them but others had violet or dark green, a choice made by the soldiers themselves.

Let’s hope this will send them crying all the way to whatever shithole Galaxy they came from! Muttered one of the riflemen, as he stayed prone on the tip of the bank and observed the enemy convoy through his rifle’s scope. Across a thin mudtrack, a heavily built armoured and well armed tank was at the convoy’s lead, behind it, were six large troop transports followed by three more tanks and a large artillery piece.

The clouds covered the sky above them, which would make it difficult to co-ordinate with their air support, each soldier carried a few smoke grenades, to cover any retreats or to signal a point of attack, it had been agreed that they should use orange smoke to pinpoint enemy positions for the air support to engage and rain down a barrage of missiles and with luck, destroying the enemy vehicles. As the convoy began to approach the ambush set by Captain Spencer, he looked around to a group of trees on the eastern flank. With his assault rifle, he pressed the flashlight on and a thin light beamed across to the trees. A return flash was given amongst a couple of trees on the dark edge of a small forest.

Ideal, Sergeant Ingle is in position.. He said softly to the sergeant next to him. Turning his head to the west, were the small hill he was on, bent around and stretched out the half mile of field ahead of him, he flashed his light again and waited for a response flash.

A flash caught his eye and he slid his body down the small bank, which he had positioned eight men ready to climb further up and ready themselves into position. Ok lads, Ingle and Ruiz are in positions on the east and west flanks, so watch your firing on those sectors… That goes to you Bosley! Chuckled Spencer as the men around Bosley slapped him on his back. Bosley had been nicknamed - bulldozer - for his reputation of lashing out and literally battering any man who pushed his luck, mainly as a result of betting during card games back at the base. One man had pushed his luck during a round of cards and decided to rub it in Bosley’s face, which he soon regretted as the newly promoted sergeant, flipped the table over and knocked the man unconscious in two solid hits to his head.

The sky had opened up with a thick rain slashing down on the ground around them.

Typical bloody country.. Muttered one of the riflemen, by the crimson armour, Spencer could tell the guy was one of the American troops and he just nodded in agreement as they stared at each other.

Save it for the enemy lad Spencer whispered to the trooper, before turning to the rest of his small squad check weapons guys, this is it!

He double checked his rifle’s scope and magazine clip, as did the men around him. Nodding in agreement, his waved them to follow him as he crawled back up the hill.

Slowly with four men to either side of him Spencer struggled up the soggy bank, with his armour sticking to the ground while the rain caused him to almost lose his bearings and slide back down, luckily he dug his foot into the ground and pushed his body up the last metre to the tip of the hill. While the others caught up to him, he switched his helmet’s sights to night vision as the dark clouds above, covered the ground. The night vision mode on their helmets simply shone through their eye sockets through pressing a button along the side of the helmets which slid an inner lining across the eye sockets, allowing the wearer to see in the dark.

Along the dirt track the lead tank was almost twenty metres away from the bend in the road which his small back was just above, giving two flashes of his rifle’s light to the troops awaiting in the eastern forest and western bank, he waved for one of the men carrying an anti tank launcher (A.T.L.).

Aim below the lead tanks tracks He whispered to the gunner.

The gunner was on of the Russian’s that was part of General Lee’s assault on the British compound, his steady shoulder with the heavy weapons made him perfect choice for the ambush squad.

Steady now lad, almost there, select your target carefully.. Said Spencer softly as a cold chill ran down his back. The convoy was moving slower than usual and was now fifteen metres away from them. Taking a deep breath, NOW!! Open fire!! he roared to the men around him. It took less then a second for the heavy weapons troop to squeeze the trigger and unleash a devastating shell into the enemy armour. A cloud of smoke blew out from the back of his launcher. The riflemen steadied themselves on one knee as they began to size up their targets along the enemy’s convoy. Along the east and western flanks, figures rose and emerged from their hiding positions and began to fire. Multiple rockets flew across the ground from both directions before bursting into the enemy vehicles.

From the middle of the convoy, almost fifty enemy troops emerged from the vehicles as two of the large rectangular transports were smoking from the sides. At once the enemy troops dug into a small trench at either side of the road, their thick metalic grey armour almost made them invisible with the darkened ground around the field. Only the flames from the smaller vehicles and the flashes from their plasma rifles made them visible, even with the night vision that the allied troops were using.

One of the snipers layed across the tip of the bank, signalled to Spencer and waved a finger in the convoy’s direction.

Sir, looks like another enemy commander! He called out other the noise of the firefight around him.

Good spot lad, all guns target that big fucker near the third vehicle!! He roared. Clicking on his helmet’s ear piece which the inside was attached to a radio which all the troops were equipped with. Sergeant Ruiz, have your sniper teams target the enemy commander, third vehicle along, you see him?

Yes sir, shooters on the move, ETA two minutes Replied Ruiz loudly as the background noise from his area consisted of yells from his men aswell as gunfire.

Good work Sergeant, How’s things faring at your end?

Got two men down sir, enemy hitting us hard, don’t think we can hold out on our own much longer… He yelled down the radio as his fired his rifle into a dense pack of enemy troops crawling across the muddy field.

Understood Sergeant, try and edge your way along the bank towards my position, we’’ll form up as a whole unit, if you can bring your fallen do it, if not, leave them till the choppers arrive. Replied Spencer as he lobbed a grenade towards the burning tank at the front of the convoy, luckily the man with the anti tank launcher managed to fire a couple of rounds into the front armour aswell as its large cannon and turned the tank into a blazing wreck, which unshrouded the enemy infantry around it.

Sergeant Ingle, what’s your situation over the there? He asked across the radio

Sir, pretty hot over here, enemy really not liking us today! Lost five men already, these fuckers have some very unnerving accuracy. Hiting them with all we got sir, but it ain’t enough, we need to pull back.. The signal cut off as Spencer saw another explosion flare up along the treeline which Ingle and his men were positioned.

Shit he muttered. Ok Sergeant, pull back into the woods, we’ll meet you round by the humvees.

Will do sir, good luck! Replied Ingle as he began to send his men back into the woods towards the seven humvees that were parked on the other side of the forest in a small field.

Ok lads, ease fire to the west, Ruiz and his boys are heading our way, time to give some covering fire! Sergeant Dingle, take three men to the edge of our bank and support Ruiz. The rest of you, fire at will! Called out Spencer as he lobbed another grenade towards a group of six enemy troops, crouching low in the field five metres from him.

How we doing Ruiz? He asked strainingly across the radio as he aided two men gun down a small squad of enemy troops that tried to flank them on the right. Nice one lads! He said with relief.

Almost there sir, had to leave the fallen lads behind, enemy really don’t like us right now…

I understand Sergeant, get to us when you can!

Turning to the men around him, just in time to see two of them slide backwards down the bank, one of them had a sizzling hole right through his helmet, the other was dragged down with him, but was not hit.

Shit, you ok down there? Called out one of the riflemen as he slid down to aid his comrade who was crushed under the dead weight of the fallen man.

Snipers, in field was all he could croak out as he tried to push the heavy body off of his own.

Sir, enemy snipers in the field, we need to move now! Called out the rifleman as he tapped Spencer on his shoulder.

Two more minutes, we need to cover Ruiz and his men first, then we fall back to the humvees, Ingle and his men are already there and should be manning the heavy 50.cal guns. He stopped as he noticed the rifleman’s head lean sideways, staring behind him.

Looks like they’re here now sir, what’s the plan for the fall back, if we all go at once, surely the enemy would just sit up hear and pop us off one by one.. but we haven’t enough men to cover anyway, we’re fucked unless air cav arrive..

I see your point bud, you’re right, we can’t go… Give me a sec to think this over, in mean time get the lads to put more fire onto the enemy troops. As the rifleman waved over the men approaching him and signalling them to join him, Spencer was deep in thought over how to get his men out of this mess.

"Alpha one to base, do you copy..? He said across the radio. A wave of static burst through his ear piece before a reply came through.

Alpha one it’s General Lee here, what’s your situation?

Sir, We’re engaging with heavy enemy troops, losing men like crazy down here, we need that air support…

Captain, the air support was sent half an hour ago, they should be there by now.. Hold on while we contact them.. Hang in there Captain

Shit Muttered Spencer to himself before he picked up his rifle and joined the rest of his men along the tip of the bank. The rain was starting to pour down now and the visability was begining to become non-existant.

Hang in there lads, General says air support is on their way! He called out over the firefight. A flash of lightning shone down in the background, illuminating the field ahead for a brief time. Nearly thirty enemy troops were slowly making their way across the field.

This is it lads, pour it on them! Roared Spencer as the andrenaline took over his instincts.

Sergeant Ingle, we’re not gunna make it, you get your men back to base pronto! He said quickly over the radio, giving him just enough time to reload his weapon and stand up to pick his targets.

Ain’t leaving you boys out there sir, hold on… and whatever you do, don’t fire to the east!! Yelled Ingle down the radio.

Ingle do as you’re told, that’s an order Sergeant! Bellowed Spencer. He waited but no reply came as he continued firing into the enemy troops. He saw ateast three of them hit the deck and remain still, given the cheers from the men around him indicated that they were the ones to gun down the heavily armoured enemy troops. A loud grunting noise errupted down the line of men as two more men fell backwards down the hill, chancing a quick glance, Spencer could see one of them rolling around clutching his leg, while the other remained still.

C’mon lads, let’s see if we can take more of them with us before we go! Bellowed Spencer as he slapped the man beside him on the shoulder keep it up lad! As the trooper began to nod his thanks, a plasma shot burst right through his forehead, his body froze before the slippriness of the bank caused his body to slid down. Looking out across the field which glowed dark green through his night vision mode, he could see another wave of enemy troops making their way down the boggy grass at a disturbingly fast pace. Looking along his left flank he could see six men firing wildly into the field, with roughly the same amount on his right flank. Just as another rifleman got hit through his shoulder, a small group of enemy troops slid across the ground below the bank and began to fire into the thin line of defenders. A couple riflemen managed to roll some grenades down the bank which exploded almost as they hit the buttom, which caused the ground to shake and a cloud of smoke to fill the air. The sounds of plasma fire from directly below them soon faded away. A flicker of light on the eastern flank by the forest caught his light, he hoped this was not who he thought it was.

CHAPTER 2

WAAAAHOOOOO!! Cheered one of the riflemen manning a 50.cal machine gun as the three humvees bounced down the muddy hill, dodging trees on either side.

Now this is proper rallying! Chuckled the driver in the second vehicle as he called out to his gunner, Hang on, this is gunna be fun.. The humvees had come to a small clift in the forest and one by one the drivers put more pressure on the accelerator pads and forced the vehicles to go faster as they neared the tip of the clift. Windscreen wipers were being worked double time as mud and rain was sprayed across the windows. Wheels were spinning wildly as the drivers tired to keep them under control.

Hey Sarge, how much further you reckon we gotta go? Asked the driver in the lead humvee.

Another dozen or so metres along this track should see us at the edge, after that…Fuck knows! Chuckled Ingle as he bounced up and down while the humvee flew down the hill. He knew that they were in a race against time, since he had only five men left he chose two of the humvess to be manned on the guns, his at the front and the other at the rear, with one in the middle without a gunner. Looking ahead of him as he ducked down to miss a large tree branch, he saw a narrow gap inwhich the humvee was speeding towards.

Hey Heckleman, I’ll give you fifty dollars for every tree you miss, of course I’ll have to give you an, I owe you card though.. He chuckled as the driver took a hand of the steering wheel and put a middle finger up at Ingle, who looked and laughed, screw you too buddy!" he chuckled as he ducked another branch.

Dude seriously, stop foolin’ around!! Yelled Ingle as he regained his balance. Ahead of him he could see the last few trees before they met the edge of the field. Humvees two and three, nearing forest’s edge, keep your eyes peeled lads, when we head out, we’ll head west along the track to where our boys were last! He said over the radio.

Got it Sarge! Said the driver in the second humvee, which was three metres behind and infront of the other.

The trees covered the sky above them, but even though Ingle could see the shiny silver specks of the moon shine through, the thick clouds blocked most of it and the ground which they passed by was dull and boggy, even with the vehicles’ headlights and his nightvision on, he still found it difficult to see.

The humvee kept sliding along the dirt track which they had followed since they began this mad dash to their comrades in the field.

Forest edge up ahead Sarge! Called out Heckleman.

I see, it. When we leave the trees I want you to drift out to the left flank and then wait for the others to form up behimd us, we’ll go in together! Shouted Ingle as he reached for his comms button on his helmet. Humvees two and three, get ready to drift out onto the field, form up behind me and to either side, we’ll head in together, humvee three you take the side facing the field while humvee two you take the side by the forest. Ordered Ingle.

On it Sarge! Replied the driver of the second humvee.

Ok boys this is it, hang on!! Barked Ingle down the radio as he gripped his arm onto the side of the hatch he was stood through. Heckleman managed to swerve the humvee into the field after skidding down the small slope. Ingle guessed they were doing at least forty-mph, with the downhill speed and the slipperyness of the ground and tires helped them go faster across the ground. Behind them, the other two drivers managed to regroup with Ingle and formed up to either side of his rear as the sped off towards the ongoing firefight ahead of them. The ground was covered with a thin layer of light grey mist, but the burning wrecks of vehicles and the flashes of rifle and plasma fire, soon directed them to their objective.

Kerksky, targets at two o’clock, let ’em rip!! Yelled Ingle down the radio as he prepped his machine gun ready to fire. As he began firing, the heavy thudding sounds of Kerksky’s gun firing behind him soon followed as he watched the tracers disapear into the mist.

C’mon Heckleman put more gas to it!! Yelled Ingle as he tried to fix his sights on a group of targets he could see rushing around the middle of the convoy.

Screw you man, it’s your fat ass that’s slowing us down! Laughed Heckleman as he steered the vehicle towards the conflict zone roughly twenty metres ahead of the small formation.

Keep goin till we’re near the captain’s position He shouted down to Heckleman over the sound of gunfire from behind him aswell as his own gun’s thunderous noise.

Sergeant Ingle, I’m low on ammo, loading last mag now sir! Said the gunner in humvee three over the radio.

I hear ya son, hold fire until we’re closer, save your ammo for positive sightings on targets only!

Roger that Sarge!

Less then two minutes saw the small formation rumbling over a small mount of grass in the swamped out field and into the sights of Captain Spencer and the remains of his men. The humvees had formed up with humves one and three at the front nearer the enemy troops, while humvee two was positioned nearest the bank while the driver waited for a gunner to mount the heavy 50.cal gun. Heavy enemy plasma fire lit up the darkened sky, with rays of light flashing past the vehicles and the men positioned on the tip of the bank. Occasional explosions threw specks of mud into the air as both sides exchanged rockets and grenade fire.

Captain Spencer had sent four of his men sliding down the bank to link up with the humvees and to use them as cover while the others slid down ready to mount up for a quick evac. His plan did not work, as Ingle soon realised one of the humvees was out of gas, which the driver had radioed across to him for advice.

Sarge, we can’t just stay here, we’ll be slaughtered and we can’t use one humvee to take men back to bring up the others, that will waste too much time, what’s the plan Sarge?

Sit tight, keep your gunner shooting at any target he see’s, Humvee two, I need you to head infront of humvee three and provide support while we try to fill the fuel tank with some spare gas from the canisters. Said Ingle as he remembered they had some fuel canisters inside a couple of the humvees. But to fill the tanks up, they would need heavy covering fire and only Captain Spencer could provide that.

Captain sir, I need to re-fuel the vehicles, but we need covering fire to do so!

Will do Sergeant, use the lads I sent down to aid you anyway they can, I’ll get the guns blazing up here! Keep me posted Sergeant! Replied Spencer as he began to signal his men to open fire on the few remaining enemy targets which had fallen back to the cover of their convoy. As he looked towards the enemy vehicles, he could see they were trying to bring one of their tanks into the game.

I need all A.T.L gunners to ready their sights on that big fucker rolling into the field! He yelled over the sounds of gunfire. The rain was begining to ease off and there was still no sign of any air support, he decided he needed a quick answer from command otherwise his men would be wipped out.

Control this is Captain Spencer, do you copy? The signal went static for a moment and he was sure he would get no reply from the interferance.

Captain Spencer, it’s Lee here, helos are inbound ETA ten minutes. Some dumbass sent them five miles in the wrong direction, hang in there!

Understood sir, although we’re low on ammo and humvees are low on fuel, got a few more casualties down here, I respectfully ask you to get the pilots to contact me when they are approaching, it’s dark as hell down here and don’t want and friendly fire sir!

Will do Captain, hang on a while longer, we’ll get you out of there!

Firing his weapon at a couple of enemy troops crouched infront of the burning tank in front of the convoy, he noticed out of the corner of his eye a burst of smoke coming from the cannon of the tank in the field.

INCOMING!! Hit the deck! He ordered as he and four others slid down the bank. The thumping sound of the cannon being fired echoed through the air until the whirling sound of the heavy plasma shell descending down on them, silenced in the air. A sudden vibration in the ground made the men lose their balance and fall awkwardly down on the slushy bank. Following the vibrations, the plasma shell detonated a few feet away from three men on the thin line of troops’ left flank, the sound was like a silenced rumble of engines shortly followed by a thunderous crack which sent the three men spinning wildly in the air.

Woah… Shit that’s new! Yelled one of the riflemen as he ducked his head into the ground as debris fell ontop of him and two other men.

Around him, body parts landed all torn and mangled up with bits of equipment. Arghh shit! He muttered to himself as a helmet landed to his right and rolled down the bank with blood squirting from the head that was still inside it.

FALL BACK!! Yelled Spencer as he witnessed the devastating power that the enemy’s new tank could deliver. Sergeant Ingle, mount your men up now and get the hell out of here, no time for heroics, just save the men that are with you and head back to base he barked down the radio as he helped one of his men regain his balance, while a couple others ran past them across the muddy field which led them to a small dirt track that led them to the rest of the humvees.

Yes sir, good luck Captain, we’ll see you back at base Came Ingle’s reply through a wave of static over the radio. The shouts of men helping and encouraging each other to run faster was soon driven out by the short sound of humvee’s engines being fired up and the heavy 50.cal, guns being worked.

Running as fast as his tired legs could carry him, Spencer breathed heavily as he followed the remaining men towards the open ground, behind them the sounds of the distant firefight was dying away and a bright light shone from the tip of the hill, chancing a quick look in the dark without tripping himself over, he could see the tip of a cannon through his night vision mode. A screen of infantry shrouded by the darkened sky appeared on either side of the vehicle. Looking back towards his men, he could see they were nearly ten feet from a small ditch, a good place to catch a breather and take cover he decided quickly as flashes of red plasma fire raced past him, clicking on his radio’s button heads up lads, head for the ditch, a few feet ahead, we’ll use it for cover! He said between taking deep gulps of air to refresh his burning lungs. The thumping sound of the enemy tank’s cannon being fired again echoed along the field, INCOMING!! Into the ditch now!! He roared at the last few men infront of him. The whirling sound of the shell flying towards him, was all the motivation he needed to dive the last few feet towards the ditch. Landing with a hard thump and rolling on the soggy grass, until one of the men managed to grab hold of his arm and stop him from rolling further. It took less then a split second for him to scurry towards the rocky mount which the rest of the men were heavily panting against while using it as cover from the enemy infantry’s aggressive firing.

The whirling sound stopped just a few metres behind them, before it made a loud cracking sound and detonated. A woosh of air pressed heavily into the backs of the curled up men as they dug their feet deeply into the soft ground. Mud slipping up their armoured boots as a couple of the men began to lose control of their feet. The explosion soon dissapeared and the pressure of the small aftershock soon evaporated from the group of men huddled together.

Shit that was close! Remarked one of the men as he clenched his body closer to the small mount of rock.

Keep your heads down, I’m taking a quick look ahead.. Whispered Spencer as he raised his body to a full stance with his head only just appearing above the tip of the ditch. The bank where they had run from was littered with enemy infantry flowing down and running across towards them, the tank was still on the tip of the hill. He could see a figure sprouting from the top of the cannon, arms waving in different directions, clearly a leader, he thought to himself.

Ducking down again he looked around at the few men around him, he could see scratches along some of their armoured plating, splodges of mud sprayed randomly across them aswell as a few sprays of dried of blood.

Ok lads, enemy moving towards us and fast, we have no time and nowhere to run to, let’s show these alien bitches that we die hard!! Lock ’n load fellas, shits about to get hot! He calmly said to the men. They were just as nervous as he was, having fought the enemy in many skirmishes, some of the men knew what their foes were capable of and the damage their weapons could do. As they prepared their weapons, tapping magazine clips against their helmets and adjusting to new positions which Spencer had directed them to individually cover along the ditch, which spread out roughly six metres, he estimated.

One of the men took a chancing look over the ditch and he could see atleast thirty heavily armoured infantry slowly creeping their way through the field.

Here they come! He whispered to the rest of the squad.

CHAPTER 3

C’mon Heckleman, faster, those lads are gunna need us! Yelled Ingle as he ducked inside the humvee as a tree branch was swept along the roof of his vehicle. The three humvees managed to escape the onslaught of the enemy attack and made their way back through the forest which they had rushed down through only ten minutes previous. Ingle planned to dissobey Captain Spencer’s direct order to fall back to the base. His plan was to use some of the troops that managed to escape with him, to mount up the other humvees and rush over to the next field where he guessed the captain would make a last stand while waiting for air support.

The hill was steep and the sticky mud made it diffucult for the three vehicles to grip onto the dirt track.

They were atleast another five minutes from the tip of the hill, which then leveled off onto a flat mud track which would take them to the rest of the humvees. Peering out the window to his left, he could see rows of trees shrouded by a dense fog that hovered above the ground.

I don’t like this! Muttered one of the men next to him who was also peering out of the window.

Tell me ’bout it, everytime I saw a mist like this, some real nasty shit followed… He sighed softly as he remembered the heavy firefight in the forest a few weeks previous. Ingle was attached to General Lee’s convoy, sent from General Brixton’s base to locate and observe the compound which was captured by enemy troops. His convoy got caught in an ambush along a forest’s dirt track and many men were slaughtered by a pack of alien wolf hound beasts. The huge bear like beasts attacked in huge packs, using their four dark eyes to hunt down their prey, before pouncing on it and slashing it apart with claws almost as big as a shark’s tooth, recalled Ingle as he rememebered being stood over a dead beasts body, he took some time during a rest period to cut out one of its teeth and he now wore it for a necklace while he wasn’t in his combat armour around the base.

Back to his senses, Ingle clicked on his radio all gunners, stay alert, don’t wanna be caught in any nasty surprises out here!

Roger that Sarge, sooner we’re out of this hell hole the better! Replied one of the gunners of the other humvees.

I know how you feel mate! Replied Spencer as he leaned his head against the window. The humvees were nearing the top of the steep hill, engines reving almost constant with the drivers need for control against the slushy ground, which caused some of the thick tyres to flick up specks of dirt as the ascended slowly up the hill.

Almost there Sarge! Shouted Heckleman as he could see the tip of the hill through the mud stained windshield. The vehicle’s windscreen wippers were being worked double time and occasionally jammed up with thick tuffs of grass.

Good work Heckleman, we’ll be outta here in no time! Cheered one of the riflemen in the back.

Don’t jinx us yet, you crazy bastard! Chuckled the man next to him, a very superstitous person who has always believed in bad karma.

Ahhh you just brickin’ it ’cause you are a scared boy.. Laughed the rifleman in return, just as he regained his control, a tree branch banged against the window causing the man to screem loudly and almost headbut the seat infront of him.

You’re karma’s bitch today Jerry! Laughed Ingle as he just sat and watched the rifleman regain his breathes back, while the superstituous man just laughed heavily.

Sarge, figures in the road! Yelled Heckleman as he looked at the track ahead of him, the humvees lights shining as best as they could while covered in specks of mud.

Keep at steady pace I’ll take a look uptop. Replied Ingle as he slid through the small hatch and placed both his hands on the slippery gun. The three riflemen inside the humvee all checked their weapons and prepared for instant action.

Along the track, Ingle could see through his helmet’s night vision mode, three figures stood in a line spread along the thin track, visibility was poor and the constant ducking from tree branches made it diffucult for him to focus in on the figures.

Humvees two and three, keep an eye out, we got movement up ahead, cover your sectors, everyone stay inside your vehicles! Ordered Ingle across the radio.

Aye sir, got one of the riflemen scanning the area, got three bogeys approaching east and west plus your three dead ahead! Replied humvee two’s driver. Some of the riflemen came equipped with a sensor pad which was strapped onto their armoured arms, and a flap on their armour piece opened up so they could use it, the scanners could detect movement upto a hundred metres aswell as wind speed and direction. The sensors could also scan for thermo signatures.

Nice job, keep matching our pace, we may need to rush outta here! Replied Ingle as he strained his eyes further, before he realised that the helmets could zoom in through a seperate button than the night vision mode, laughing to himself, he extended his line of sight and could clearly see the distant shapes if the three figures up ahead.

Heckleman, they look hostile, Jones reports six more targets coming on east and west flank, keep her steady, we may need the speed for quick evac! He called down to his driver.

Aye Sarge, keeping steady! Replied Heckleman as he eased of the speed and kept the vehicle at a steady stroll across the flattened surface of the hill. As he looked out on the ground ahead of him, a blinding red flash whizzed past his window, followed by another and another.

AMBUSH! Heckleman, drive like fuck, mow ’em down if you have to! Roared Ingle as he began firing his heavy gun. The popping sound of the guns heavy rounds being fired in bursts slightly deafened the two riflemen at the back of the humvee. Looking out their windows on either side, the two men could see flashes of red being fired towards them wildly.

Behind Ingle he could hear the sounds of the other two gunners on the 50.cal, guns begining to return fire, as the engine of his vehicle croaked and stalled, before Heckleman managed to control it and put his foot down on the pedal. The churning of gears made the clutch screech a little as the thick tyres went to town on the slushy ground. Mud was being flung everywhere. The enemy plasma shots were not very accurate and they flew wildly into the air on all three sides. The track was begining to get thicker in width as they were approaching the clearing near where the other humvees were parked.

Beasts, left flank! Called out the gunner in the third humvee. His driver only just say the shrouded shape of the bear like beasts racing him along the track, he was just about to call out to the gunner when one of the beasts charged home and smashed into the side of the vehcle, with the lack of grip on his tyres, he struggled to stop the vehicle spinning around as another beast slammed its head into the other side. A large shadow jumped over the bonnet and leaped over the roof of the humvee, a slight popping sound came from the roof and as one of the riflemen looked towards the gunner, his body slumped onto the humvee floor, without its head.

Shit, gunner’s down! Yelled the rifleman almost down the driver’s ear.

Oh fuck, ok nobody go uptop, everyone keep low!! He yelled and somebody get on the radio to the Sarge!

Humves one and two, mayday mayday from humvee three. We are being smashed aside from those beasts, lost our gunner, we need a hand back here.. A rifleman bellowed down the radio.

Hang tight, we’re pulling back to you now, nobody go uptop, we’ve got beasts leaping all over the place here! Replied Ingle.

Hang on boys! Barked the driver as he managed to control his vehicle’s grip on the track and began to speed off towards the other two vehicles already ten metres ahead of him, wheels skidding as they struggled to grip.

Humvee three here, we’re good to go, lead us out Sarge! Said the driver down the radio as he began to catch up with the other two.

Roger that, keep up and we’ll get through this, other humvees are in sight, soon as we reach them I want two men per vehicle, we’re gunna need the firepower and fresh wheels! Ordered Ingle.

Ahead of the small formation of vehicles, the rest began to drift apart from each other, giving the men in the lead a clear sight of the field ahead.

Two mins till we reach the other vehicles, Sarge! Shouted Heckleman as he looked in the rear view mirror, he could see Ingle slouched down on the seat behind him, not manning the gun because of the beasts’ wild charge at them.

All points, standby, ETA on the left behind humvees, two mins! Ingle repeated over the radio to alert the other teams to prepare for a swift disembarkment.

The enemy troops ceased their firing on the fleeing humvees and eventually the beasts gave up their wild persuit aswell and fell back into the shaddows of the forest.

Along the dirt track, they cleared the treeline, although the first two humvees waited for the heavily battered third one to materialise from the misty woods.

Reving their engines the two parked humvees began to stroll down a small bank towards an off cut which took them to the field which they were heading for. The off cut took them through a small group of trees before they cleared onto a gravled area and skidded to a halt. Men from each other three humvees, quickly got out and ran towards the others in pairs, one driver and one gunner.

A sudden roar of engines filled the silent night, while the gunenrs of the original three humvees scanned the are for an sign of Captain Spencer’s men or the enemy. Above the treeline to the east they could see pots of smoke climbing the air, surely that was the way they had to go. One by the humvess formed up into a box formation, with one at the lead and four behind, two on each side, leaving two humvees left unmanned. The small formation took off down a small dirt track.

Ingle was in the leading humvee, and was manning the heavy machine gun ontop. His armour was sprayed with mud, even the inside of his helmet was begining to get stuffy as some of the small air holes around the front of the helmet were clogged up with dirt.

All drivers, keep in box formation, we’ll head over the hill towards the smoke, and go in as a group, I don’t want any stragglers! Ingle Said calmly across the radio as he looked around the ground infront of him.

Roger that Sarge! Came the replies of three of the other drivers as they kept at the pace set by Ingle’s driver. A heavy wind drifted towards them as the clouds looked like they wanted to pour down with rain again.

Small lumps in the field cause the men to wobble sideways as they stood up mounting the heavy guns. Mud was sprayed all across the sides of the vehicles and once again, the drivers had difficulty keeping the windshield wipers unjammed from the mudded grass.

The were nearing a small hill that would take them over a thin dirt track and into the next field, where it would bend to the east and lead them to Captain Spencer’s last known position, a map of the area had been scanned heavily before they left for the mission and Ingle knew the quickest route to take from one field to another.

The closer they got towards the trails of smoke, the louder the distant firefight became. With nothing but clouds in the early morning sky, the screams of men and gunshots echoed with the thin air.

E.T.A three mins Sarge! Called out Heckleman as he drove the humvee over a small mount of field and across the dirt track which led them to the next field. A dozen or so metres would see them nearing the bend around a group of small trees.

Increase speed, sounds like our boys need a hand over there! Barked Ingle as he looked over to the eastern side of the formation. Plasma traces raced through the air, with the occasional explosion of grenades. As he looked closer, he could see a huge glowing purple ball descend from the air towards where the smaller pickets of smoke climbed the air.

Shit seems to be going down badly He muttered to himself as he readied his weapon for the instant firefight they were heading to. Heckleman forced the vehicle to go faster as the need to reinforce Spencer and his men became a high priority, since the glowing plasma ball caused a huge explosion beyond the treeline.

Captain Spencer, it’s Ingle here, what’s your location? Said Ingle as he tried to work out where to take the small formation once they turned round the bend. A static burst buzzed over the radio, giving Ingle a sudden ear ache.

Sergeant, you had your orders, get the hell outta here, pressure too hot from enemy firing!! Yelled Spencer through the static waves.

Sir, air support still not arrived, we’d be ambushed along our route back to base, I’d rather take my chances in pitched battle then give the enemy some cheap target practice! Barked Ingle.

You stubborn bastard chuckled Spencer, Ingle could hear a loud thumping noise in the background followed by an explosion. If you’re coming from the field which has a bend in it, you’ll want to head east, we’re in the centre behind a small ditch, head towards the green smoke!! Added Spencer.

Roger that sir, E.T.A one min..

CHAPTER 4

The trees began to thin out along a small dirt track, causing the vehicles to gradually head towards the bend. The air became stuffy as the heavy wind dragged a large picket of smoke towards the small convoy.

Sarge, targets in sight! Eleven o’clock, heading to cut us off from the captain’s men.. Belowed Heckleman.

Shit, ok, humvees two, three and four, split from formation, head west, intercept enemy targets approaching at eleven o’clock Ordered Ingle.

Command from Sergeant Ingle, our formation has been split by two enemy attacks, where the hell are those choppers? He roared down the radio. It had been way past ten minutes and their arrival was way over due.

Sergeant Ingle, it’s Lieutenant Porter, commanding air cav one, we are two mins out, what’s your location? A voice said over the radio.

Sir, we are en route to field marked with green smoke, if you got any guns with you, fire on the orange smoke… I say again, enemy targets on orange smoke!! Barked Ingle. Looking towards the bend as the vehicle began to drift, flinging mud up everywhere, he could see the distand shape of an enemy vehicle making good speed across the ground. Not sure if it was another tank or an enemy transport vehicle carrying more heavily armoured infantry, he decided that spliting the formation up would possibly be a bad thing to do, clicking on his radio again humvees two, three and four, change of plan… Stay in formation, enemy vehicle approaching from west, we’ll use the humvees to form a semi-circle defensive around the captain and his men..

Understood Sarge! Came a reply from one of the drivers.

The formation reached round the bend in the trees and was on its final stage before it met up with Captain Spencer and his men. The enemy vehicle was still making for the captain and as Ingle zoomed in with his helmet’s mode, he could see a dark out line of a long armoured transport vehicle, with two plasma turrets on the roof. One turret at the front, above the driver’s cockpit and the other to the rear where the infantry can man it. Along the side he could see four slots which, presumably, could slide open for the infantry to shoot out of. Underneath the vehicle a dark red glowed along the outter rims and he could see there were no wheels or tracks, as he focused a bit harder he could tell the vehicle was hovering off the ground, which he guessed was why it was making such good speed on this boggy terrain,

Lieutenant Porter, it’s Sergeant Ingle here again, we have an enemy heavy armoured hover transport heading towards green smoke from south west, we’ll mark target with laser beam for immediate air stirke…

Understood Sergeant, I’ll have three Apache gunships on standby waiting for your target lock on

Knowing he only had two target designators within the convoy, his humvee aswell as humvee three will have to spilt from the formation and take up the enemy vehicle’s flanks inorder to get a decent signal on the designator.

Humvee three, standy by to follow my lead towards enemy vehicle, have one of the riflemen load up the target designator! Ordered Ingle. All other humvees, follow humvee two as they take the lead towards the captain and his men, form a defensive and wait for air support, which should arrive in two mins!

Understood Sarge

Heckleman, steer off towards the west shouted Ingle as he tapped the rifleman sat on the seat below him load uo the designator! He ordered, as the rifleman quickly nodded and reached under his seat to pull out a large green box. Undoing the clips on the front, he pulled the lid open and pulled out a small squared grey device with a large lense on the front. Tapping Ingle on his leg, the rifleman shouted up designator set Sarge!

Good job lad, make sure it’s ready for when Heckleman gives you the singal! Said Ingle as he locked his heavy weapon onto the enemy vehicle, with humvee three driving closely behind them.

Target at twenty metres Sarge! Called out Heckleman.

Ok keep her steady and drift to the side, give our spotter here the best angle you can. Replied Ingle.

Roger that Sarge He called upto Ingle as he tilted his head back Heckleman nodded to the spotter in the back, his body shaking from either nervous or the bumps in the field that caused the vehicle to occasionally wobble, which is probably why he could see Ingle’s legs sliding along the flooring as he watched the sergeant regain his balance through the rear view mirror. Heads up mate, gunna have one shot at this so once you got the target locked, hold her steady! He called to the man behind him as he lowered the back window to give the spotter a clearer view. Regretting it soon after a sprays of rain managed to sneak through the back window.

Humvee three, follow my lead, we’re gunna drift out and glide across the grass to give the spotters a good view! Said Ingle down the radio.

Aye Sarge, drifting now! Replied the other vehicle’s driver in an excited tone.

As Ingle held onto the roof of the vehicle, he couldn’t help but feel his body slide to the left as Heckleman slammed on the breaks before releasing them and drifting to the right. Dirt splashed everywhere and Ingle had to regain his balance as his legs wobbled. The engine croacked as Heckleman constantly changed gears to keep the vehicle at a steady angle before straightening it out, making it level with the enemy vehicle but still keeping a fifteen metre gap between them. The rear turret of the enemy vehicle began to turn towards the two humvees, bursting out red tracers of plasma fire which flew through the air as the vehicle continued its hovering course towards the green smoke of Captain Spencer and his men.

Goldberg, light that fucker up now before they hit us! Yelled Ingle. As he looked towards the vehicle, he could see a thin red line beamed across the ground before it dissapeared into the vehicle’s exterior.

Target locked Sarge! Called out the spotter as he struggled to keep the beam steady and in line with the enemy vehicle.

A second beam shone across the ground as the other humvee’s spotter managed to select his target, all they needed now was to keep steady with their target and wait for the Apaches to come do some damage. Ingle had hoped that right now, the other humvees would have set up a perimeter around Captain Spencer and his men.

The firefight in the field was fierce, Captain Spencer had lost three of his men from an enemy sniper which fired plasma shots with careful accuracy. One man layed in the soggy grass with his throat burst wide open, while another had a hole sizzling through the side of his helmet and the third was killed as he stood to throw a grenade, the enemy sniper shot the grenade before it even left the rifleman’s hand. The explosion, tore him to pieces, aswell as wounding two more men with shrapnel wounds.

Covering fire!! Yelled Spencer as he pulled one of the wounded men down from the tip of the ditch which he had been blown onto. Within seconds, four riflemen leaned into the ditch and opened up with a burst fire of their new assault rifles, which the British had equipped them with after the battle for the compound a few weeks previous.

One of the wounded men had a piece of his armour’s leg torn right through to his own leg. Luckily there was no bleeding as it was the leg which he had replaced with a mechanical one due to having his own amputated a few months before the war began with the unknown alien invaders. Like this soldier, many had lost their limbs prior to the war and were approached by their commanding officers who requested then to join their nation’s paralegic programme, which consisted of amputees who still wanted to serve. Although they were not informed at the time, that the programme they joined was part of an international alliance under an organisation called the - Coalition of Governments (CoG).

Even though the leg was mechanical, it still sent waves of pain through to his leg’s stump causing him to yell out in agony as he was dragged to the floor by Spencer and given a quick dose of morphine to help ease his pain.

The deafening sound of the heavy battle was whistling through the open air just as multiple flashes of light shone from behind.

Oh shit, three men cover the rear, could be enemy reinforcements or Sergeant Ingle’s men so watch your fire! Bellowed Spencer as he ducked under the ditch rock to avoid a bust of plasma fire from within the field. The heavy enemy tank had been firing one shell after another, luckily for the allied troops, the shells landed a few metres off target each time, although the impacts of the explosions made their moral low.

Humvees to the rear! A voice called out from one