Thanks for your reviws. Keep 'em coming. I'll try to keep chapters at 1000 words and 1 chapter a week but no promises.

Breaking The Stalemate

As the men walked back to their posts Keren explained the situation to Kais.

"There's at least one more anti-ship silo on the planet that has not been neutralized. Analysis from the missile launched at my ship shows that something took down all electrical systems. We have discovered an E.M.P cannon somewhere in Ore's Tash'n. Somewhere near this position. If this cannon continues it could destroy the whole fleet." Keren told him.

"Can't we just bomb the heck out of it?" Goran said stripping down his Pulse rifle.

"I'm afraid not." the pilot told him. "The E.M.P cannon is in an underground location. The only time it is exposed is when it fires and no captain would be crazy to try hitting it then."

"So" Kais said. "You want us to break through this stalemate, continue through enemy lines, sneak into a top security Imperial base and destroy this emp cann--

"It's pronounced E.M.P" Keren interupted.

"Whatever" Kais said. "You want us- half a cadre- to do this. With no support and no extraction. How do you even know about this?"

"The drop-pod was linked to fleet command." Keren answered him.

"Then we can call for support and get--" Kaleel started.

"No it was severed when I hit the walker." Keren cut him off.

"So" Vordan said, hopping of an ammo crate. "Who's ready to face certain death?"

"Ok so Keren." Kais said angrily. "You expect us to brake off our push into the capital and go on some wild grox-chase because you dropped out of the sky and told us to?"

"Fine" Keren said, raising his hands. "Oh and by the way the orders came to me from fleet so I hope your firing squad is friendly."

"Kais?" Vordan said "Is it just me or whenever we have to face certain death we get threatened with certain death? At least taking out the cannon would help the fleet."

Sighing Kais said "Ok Keren we'll do your job but one thing."

"Oh and what's that?" Keren questioned.

"How in the greater good are we supposed to break the stalemate?" He said.

"Ah well" Keren smiled with a conspiratorial wink. "I'm glad you brought that up."

*

Goran inched across the field on his stomach. The rubble scrapeing against his chestplate sounded like a thousand demons of the warp to him. He was surprised the Imperials didn't hear his heart beat it was so loud. Creeping up behind the drop-pod he peered around it's side. There was a light in the trench. A rowdy group of humans were singing in drunken tones about females and something called "ass". Searching around inside the pod he found what he was looking for. He hefted the large box out. Just then one of the two moons decided to come out from behind a cloud. He was illuminated. He stopped moving. He stopped breathing. For almost a minute he stayed frozen. Th clouds obscured the moon again. The rest of the crawl was uneventful.

*

He was met with a heores welcome.

Kais walked up and shook his hand. "Well done trooper." he said

"O" Goran said "Can you do me a favour?"

"Sure Goran. What?" Kais asked.

"If I ever volunteer for something like that again I want you to shoot me. I should stick to demolitions" There was laughs and drinking all around. The only people not celebrating were the lookouts.

Vordan -ever the pessimist- shouted over the throng "So Keren what's in this mystery box?"

"Actually come to think of it yeah!" said Goran.

They gathered around as Keren typed the code. The box hissed open. Lifting the lid the men gasped.

"Keren I love you." Goran said. Inside was a tripod mounted missile pod complete with ammo. Goran the demolitions "expert" (though more like explosion enthusiast) had gone without equipment since early on in the Kronus campaign.

"Come morning Goran use that to break the stalemate." Keren told the men.

"I REALLY love you man" Goran said and started hugging him. The men laughed.

"Wait" Kaleel said. "Remember the Marnes Prime campaign when he got a missile pod?" Kais groaned. The damage had come out of his paycheck. 30,000 credits later Goran had said sorry. He was lucky he wasn't shot.

*

Private Harper wandered through his trench. The stalemate against the Xenoes had gone on too long. He just wanted it to be broken. Almost as soon as the thought came into his head a missile struck. The side of the trench collapsed in. Antoher missile struck blowing a small group of startled men to bits. As missile after missile hit Harper stayed hunched over in the middle of the trench. He thanked the Emperor he hadn't been hit and begged that he wouldn't be. After what seemed like an age the missiles stopped. They were so infrequent there could only have been one launcher, but so unexpected it didn't matter. Crawling from the smoking trench, trembling and holding his ringing ears he realized he was the only survivor. He looked up. The xenoes stood over him.

"And then there was one" said Vordan drawing his pulse-pistol.

"Stand down trooper" Kais said. And lifting Harper by his scruff Kais aimed his own pulse-pistol at him. "Where's the E.M.P cannon located?" he said.

"I-I'll transmit the coordinates to you if you spare me" The frightened himan said.

"Sounds like a deal" Kais said, and hooking his data-pad to the humans he downloaded the coordinates. He dropped the human, who stayed on the ground. "Lets go." The cadre headed off after Kais. As Vordan stepped over the trooper he stood on the mans neck breaking it.

"Oops" he said, smiling. His hate for the humans was notorious in the cadre. They found that out when he torched the house of a family of humans who had been accepted into the greater good.