"Damn it! My gun jammed again!"
Private Robert Lloyd slapped his Boltok pistol, restraining from smashing it against the side of the King Raven they were flying in. He hated flying, and it didn't help that Gamma Squad's sniper, Private Lodwick, was sitting to his right, vomiting into a bucket. Private Lodwick was around five foot ten, and despite being broad, bald and intimidating, he didn't have the stomach to fly. Robert closed his eyes as Lodwick missed the bucket, and spilled some of the yellowish brown vomit on his boots.
"Oh man! That's disgusting!" Sergeant Hilde bellowed. "You sick fuck!"
Hilde was a tanned man built like a wrestler. Hilde had short, black hair and thick stubble on his chin. His armour, unlike the others, only covered his chest, exposing thick, strong arms covered in tattoos. Hilde's waist was decorated with grenades.
"I can't help it," Lodwick answered in his deep, monotonous voice. "These things play Hell with me!"
"You get any of that on me, and I'll be using your face to wipe my boot!" Hilde replied cruelly. "How did you get into the COGs, Lodwick? Spew on the bosses until they gave you a job?"
"You're in no position to talk," Lodwick snarled, wiping his mouth clean. "From what I hear, you were on Bravo team, but got reassigned after you fucked up their entire unit!"
Hilde shook his head. "They were pathetic. Their commander was a dick, and they were useless at even the simple missions. I'm surprised you weren't in Bravo."
"Fuck you!"
"God, they're at it again," David sighed quietly to Robert.
Robert smiled lightly. Corporal David James was the only soldier in the squad to wear his helmet due to his fear of snipers. David was not a muscular man, but made up for his lack of strength with his great knack for communication technology. David was the quiet one of the squad, but he and Robert had made friends easily. Mostly because they worked well together.
"Stop it, the pair of ya!" A strong voice commanded, which silenced the two instantly.
The owner of this voice was a tall man, around six foot six. He was a broad fellow, and wore an older armour than the newer COG gear. He had a shaved head, but it was obvious that he was blond before shaving it off. In his left hand his shotgun idly dangled, fully loaded and ready for action. The man's face was worn, yet contained strength. It was a face of experience and raw power. This man was their commander.
Luitenant Dale Gravell.
"Sir, tell Lodwick to grow some balls and hold in what he just ate!" Hilde said respectively.
"I'll feed ya a knuckle sandwich in a minute!" Lodwick snapped.
"Bring it on, bitch!" Hilde challenged, starting to get to his feet.
Luitenant Gravell's hand gripped Hilde's shoulder, preventing him from moving in. Hilde looked up, and glared at Dale. When Dale returned the stare, Hilde gave in, and relaxed.
"Good man," Gravell smiled, and sat next to the sulking Hilde.
"Sir," Robert began, curiosity overcoming him. "Where are we going?"
"Ephyra Station," Luitenant Gravell answered. "They require us to help push back the Locust and their tunnels."
"How can you push Locust tunnels back.... Sir?" Hilde asked, curious but still slightly moody.
Dale smacked Hilde over the back of the head with his hand, making a loud smack sound that echoed through the King Raven.
"With the Hammer of Dawn, Sergeant. How else?" Gravell shook his head. "The satellites will give the Hammer of Dawn enough power to use the satellite's laser to destroy the tunnels. This will push them back by about fifty miles."
"Wait," Lodwick suddenly spoke, seemingly out of vomit now. "Isn't Ephyra Station in North Wales?"
"Looks like the shithead knows Geography," Hilde mocked, but the voice had a more friendly tone to it, as though he was forgetting about the argument.
Gravell ignored this. "Yes soldier. Got a problem with that?"
Lodwick was silent, but shook his head.
"Good to hear, soldier," Gravell said. "Now the teams will-"
"Everyone, hold on!" Private Joseph Reed called from the cockpit of the King Raven. "Nemacysts!"
Robert instantly grabbed the side of the King Raven, looking to Gravell for orders. Gravell turned to face Private Neil Ashford. Neil was a new soldier, but was a good soldier. He was a strong, muscular man, but did not wear the COG armour, as he found it restricting. Instead, he wore a black shirt, dark blue jeans and boots.
Neil looked up from the picture he held to Gravell, and raised an eyebrow, awaiting orders.
"Ashford, man the King Raven Troika!" Gravell ordered.
Nodding, Ashford ran to the gun, and started firing. Gravell looked at the others.
"Hold on tight men!"

Neil Ashford had been looking into the picture silently before the Nemacysts appeared. He carried the picture with him to wish him luck. It reminded him of why he wanted to live, and why he wanted to fight.
The picture was of his wife and two year old son.
After E-Day (Emergence Day), Neil had survived the destruction of his town, along with several others. One of these was his future wife. Years after, the remaining people of his city, who were now viewed as the Stranded, had found a location near a COG HQ. There, he married his wife, and had his son. Later that month, most of his people had been killed by the Locust hordes, but through it he pulled his family out of there. He fought his way to the COG HQ, and forced them to take his family in safely. There they stayed for a year, and as soon as his son hit one years old, the COGs took him to join them. He trained for another year, through harsh training grounds and a drill sergeant that gave him several cuts and bruises. From there, he was assigned to Gamma Squad.
Now he sat, looking upon the faces of those he fought for. They were the reasons he did this. He only fought for his family.
"Nemacysts!"
He looked up towards Luitenant Gravell, expecting orders. He liked the Luitenant. Gravell had been a good leader to him, and was unlike many COGs who judged him for being a Stranded. The Luitenant helped him, and accepted him for the soldier he was.
"Ashford, man the King Raven Troika!"
Neil nodded, and ran to the Troika. He kissed the picture, and shoved it into his pocket delicately. Taking aim, he fired at the black, oily, insectile beasts that flew fiercely towards him. Each one he hit exploded as they homed in on him. Thoughts of his family rushed through his mind, and for a brief moment the images blinded him. The images made him fear inside, seeing this as a sign of his upcoming death. Finally, his vision cleared, but he was too late for what was to come.
The King Raven shook violently, knocking Neil off-balance. He landed in a sitting position, and gripped the Troika tightly. Suddenly, the King Raven tipped downwards.
"Oh God! We're hit! We're going down!" Joseph Reed screamed from the cockpit.
"Way to go, Neil!" cursed Hilde.
"Shut up and hold on!" Gravell bellowed. "Reed, try land us now!"
"Haven't a choice in the matter!" Joseph cried back. "Hold on! It's going to be a painful landing!"
Neil looked at the others. Hilde glared at him. Lodwick held onto the King Raven and his bucket. Gravell was standing, gripping onto the King Raven. Robert had his eyes closed and his arms on the King Raven. David looked blankly through his COG helmet outside.
Lodwick vomited again.
"Shit," Neil muttered.
They hit the ground with a violent crunch.