Anvegad(A.K.A Anvil Gate), A.E. 16, 7th of Storm, 10 a.m.

It was mid-morning when Hoffman woke up to the sound of local birds cheeping. It had been months since he had heard such natural noises surrounding him. The fresh scent of cooking loafs filled his nostrils, although he knew these loaves largely consisted of hay mixed with little flour just to make rations stretch. As he pulled himself out of his cot, he found that his old age was setting in faster then he had liked. He was not the young NCO he use to be when he was stationed in Anvil Gate the first time. No, but he was a wiser and stronger officer then the last time.

Like clockwork, his tough South Islander woman came through the doorway of there utility-closest turned room to greet him.

"Hey, looks like the ol' man finally woke up." Bernie said teasingly.

Shit. How lucky was I to end up with this woman? The woman I was forced to separate with just to become an officer. Isn't a day that goes by that I don't consider myself lucky to have been stuck with her over any of the woman I've been with in this horrible hell we've all been through.

There was always a special feeling in the air when Bernie and Hoffman could have some one-on-one time. It was a mixture between romance and awe. Awe in the sense that both of the individuals had been through almost twenty consecutive years of war and had been able to find one another even after being separated for so long.

"Well I'll be damned, if it isn't the Boomer lady herself here to greet me good morning." Hoffman wasn't known to be a joking type of guy to many of his peers and commanders. Matter of fact, Hoffman was seen as the no-bullshit kind of guy and no one would have ever guessed that he had a playful side to him. It was Bernie who brought that tiny amount of playfulness that Hoffman had locked away.

"Sorry to break this to you so early, but while our morning has been quiet, our afternoon is about to get very busy. Baker just reported in that at least two battalions of grubs are moving in from the North. It has also been supported that Siege beast are also close behind them. Looks like we are going to need to prepare a little."

Hoffman ran his hand over his bald scalp, remembering when it at least had thinning hair that he took care of even though he knew it was vain to. The grubs had been quiet for some time. It came to no surprise that they had assembled such a large force with the support of artillery to attack them. They would be upon them by nightfall and that would be when they strike at full force.

"Call Martinez and tell him to assemble the Gears in the Bazaar. I'll need to make sure everyone is on the same page before these bastards hit us hard."

With a simple nod, Bernie left the room to go to Ops. Hoffman found a brief moment where, although the armor covered most of her body, he couldn't help but catch a glimpse of her figure. Catching himself, he quickly put on his own gear and made his way to the mess hall to grab a quick meal.

-2 Hours later-

400. That was how many Gears were left to defend Anvil gate. Over half of these men and women were only locals and civvies trained to be Gears, not actual conscripts. That didn't mean they were any less experienced or worth less, anyone who could fire a gun and fight the locust was a valuable person and Hoffman would make damn sure he would not let anyone with that kind of value go unnoticed. Martinez had rounded up all the Gears in the Bazaar and soon after the last of the Gears had shown up, Hoffman and Bernie made their way to the small stage in the center that was once used street show artist and the like, but now was used a meeting place to prepare those who now called Anvegad home. Hoffman cleared his throat and with that every Gear in ear distance instantly became silent.

"Alright Gears, we all knew that our time to sit around and not do shit would come to an end. The locust are moving in on us and will be at our doorstep by the time we all usually head to bed. We are outnumbered 2 to 1 and are going to be facing artillery fire as well as Mulcher and Boomshot fire. We need everyone to man their stations and hold their positions no matter what. This isn't our first firefight here, we all know how difficult it is to take this fortress once someone sets up here. So why don't we teach these grubs a lesson and show them what the COG is made of?"

The speech was met with applauds and screams of approval. Hoffman was never the politician type, but he did know how to get his men ready to fight for their lives. The last battle with the locust haunted him though, as he could remember the screaming of those dying throughout the fight and the amount of civvies and Gears he lost. He wouldn't let that happen again. This was the closest place he could consider to being his "home" and he wasn't about to let the grubs shit all over it. It wasn't only about him though, as he valued the lives of his Gears and the civvies he looked over also. Whether he liked it or not, Hoffman had turned from being a leader of just soldiers to the overall leader of the Anvegad community. With so much on his mind, Hoffman escaped to his private quarters to think about the battle to come.

-8 Hours later-

It wasn't the sound of the War horn that informed Hoffman of the Locust arrival. No, no it was the different feeling in the air. It was the awkward shift from a cool and dry winter night, to a silent and chilly winter night. Hoffman could feel the atmosphere within the fort change, he knew that everyone was on edge. Five minutes past before the sound of gunfire could be heard and suddenly the whole base seem to be under attack. As quickly as possible, Hoffman grabbed his Lancer and ran to the front wall. Thoughts clouded his mind as he ran.

What if I lose Bernie? What if they breach that last defense? What will happen if I die?

Hoffman swiftly put all the negative thoughts to rest as he remembered one thing. He was alive. He had outlived one war and was kicking grub ass in another. The Colonel knew he was one tough SOB, and it would take more then a couple negative thoughts to put him out of commission.

As he found his way to the front wall, he could hear how tough the night ahead of them would be. But he could also feel something, something much larger and heavier then a Siege Beast. The vibrations in the ground got stronger, but the sound of gunfire drained any potential noise that could be coming from the source of such a large amount of ground movement. They wouldn't know until it was upon them, what the Locust had in store. Hoffman hugged the wall in front of him and laid down fire on the grubs bellow. It would only be a matter of minute before he and the other Gears realized what was in store for them.