Engagement 8: Hamlet

Staring down the sights of her Mags, Wendy advanced on the two pinpoints of light that emanated from the inside of a small building. The sun – or what little light it had provided through the storm – had set 20 minutes before, and the light from the small hamlet's buildings was all there they had to guide the assault team's movement. Just ahead, Sergeant Caird led the advance. Walking slowly, he kept his weapon trained on the house ahead while he scanned the area for patrols. The civilian had said that there were anywhere from 20 to 30 imperials in the small village, and he wasn't going to risk losing the initiative.

Raising his fist to signal a stop, Coby dropped to his knee. After a moment of peering through the darkness, he ordered his soldiers to move behind a line of small bushes. It was a tight fit. As lightning flashed above them, he could see everyone who comprised the assault team. Rosie's 2nd section and Ramona's 4th section were crouched next to him, and Wavy and Marina's units comprised the security teams surrounding the hamlet. As quickly as the light came, the Militiamen were thrust back into near complete darkness. The sudden changes in visibility created a difficult situation for the advancing unit. If lightning struck as a patrol passed, they would be caught with little to no cover in the clearing ahead. Unfortunately, the probably of a patrol was no longer in question. Coby had seen two imperials as they crossed past one of the windows of a house. They would have to be taken out before the Militia could advance.

"Wyatt, radio," he whispered. The sound of his voice was barely audible over the noise of the rain. Nevertheless, Dallas took a knee next to Coby. Picking the handset off of her large radio pack, he brought it to his ear. "O'Hara, this is Caird – Two man patrol passing the northern building. Do you see them? Over."

From her spot in the tree line behind the advancing unit, Catherine had seen the two Imperials in the previous lightning strike. Her job was to provide sniper support for the advance, but the conditions weren't very conducive to the task. "This is O'Hara – I see them. It is very dark though. Following them through my scope but they fade out now and again, over."

Taking the handset from his head, Coby peeked around the bushes. Ahead of him he could barely see the silhouettes of the two men. In about a minute they would be passing in front of them. Ducking back into cover, he brought the handset up again. "From Caird – We need to take them out, but keep it quiet. Aim for the one in the back when they pass us. We'll take the one up front when he's down. Acknowledge, over."

"From O'Hara. Roger. Take him out quietly. WILCO. Out."

Dropping the handset back into its cradle, Coby quickly devised a plan. The patrol would be passing in about 30 seconds. If O'Hara's shot hit its mark, that would still leave one Imperial for them to deal with. He would have to be taken down quickly and quietly. It would be messy, but there was only one solid option. "Corporal Linton, once the first Imp is down, you should be clear to sneak up and take the second." With the darkness to obscure visibility and the disorienting patter of the rain to conceal footsteps – especially with her relatively light frame – Coby figured she would be able to bring the enemy down from behind. "Their armor is thick enough to slow a knife, but there's a gap between the helmet and the chest plate. We'll be right behind you once he's taken out."

Through the rain he couldn't see Ramona's cringe. She had the feeling this was going to be a lot worse than a little dirt. Regardless, the guard had to be taken out. "Ok, I'm on top of it," she said as she drew her knife from her chest rig.

At the edge of the forest, Catherine prepared to make her shot. Under the conditions required she would only have one chance, and would have to time it with a lightning strike to hide the report. Fortunately, at 400 meters the target would be right at her GSR's zero. She was barely able to make out her target's head, but with some effort she placed her cross hairs directly over his helmet. Normally a shot to the target's center would have been preferred, but she had to guarantee he would go down in one hit. Steadying her breath, she waited for a lightning strike. The target was already passing the assault team's position. If she waited too long, they wouldn't have a good shot at the second Imp. With sweat and rain rolling down her forehead, she began putting pressure on her trigger and waited.

Ramona had just stuck her head out when the lightning struck. The thunder clap was immediate. Seemingly out of nowhere the second Imperial's helmet exploded. In the flash of light she could see the fragments from the bullet's exit flying through the air. Before his body hit the ground, she was on her feet. In a half crouch half run, she came up behind the second patrolman unnoticed.

With her left arm, Ramona covered the Imperial's visor and pulled back. With her other, she brought her knife in front of his throat. "The fu…" Anything else he was about to say was lost as she drove the weapon into his neck. The cool rain on her arm was instantly accompanied by a much warmer liquid. Flailing his arms, the Imperial swung his hands up to his neck. He only managed to push the knife in further. Unable to scream, the Imperial couldn't alert any of his squad mates. He wasn't silent, however. Instead of a scream, he let out a low gurgle that was somehow worse than any scream Ramona had ever heard before. With her leg, she kicked in the back of his knee and brought him down to a kneel. The gurgling stopped, and his arms went limp.

Still holding the limp body, Ramona removed the knife from the man's throat. His head lolled, and a stream of blood ran its way down the front of his chest plate. Over the storm she could hear a dull thud as she let the body drop. That one's... going to stick around for a while. Behind her, the rest of the assault team advanced on the houses. The blood on her arm was slick, but it began to run off in the rain. The blood on her sleeve didn't. As the rest of the team passed her, she took a moment to clear her head. Swallowing dinner for the second time, she swung her rifle from off of her shoulder and moved to catch up with the rest of the unit.

Sergeant Caird stopped the group when they reached the buildings. Approaching from the west, there were two buildings side by side where they'd entered. They were in close proximity, so anyone in one might be able to see into the next. Once more he dropped to his knee. "Rosie, take your unit and capture the building on the left. I'll go in with the youngin' here on the right." The buildings both had back doors. It would make for easy coordination between the two groups' timing. "If you can take the building without firing, all the better." Defending a position was always easier than attacking, and even with superior numbers Squad 7 would be at a disadvantage if they lost the initiative too soon. After issuing his orders to Rosie, he addressed the rest of the unit. "Make sure you check your targets. There are civilians in the area. Visibility is pretty low, so if you're not sure, don't go firing."

With a wave, he sent Rosie and her troops off to storm their house. Simultaneously, Ramona ordered her shock troopers to stack up at their building's doorway. While trying to stay quiet and keeping civilian casualties to a minimum, grenades were out, so they would have to breech the building unaided. Testing the handle, Wendy found it resisted. "It's locked." Normally they would have shot out the lock with Audrey's shotgun or – as Wendy preferred – used a charge to blow the door down, but that was out of the question. It was times like this that she wished Militia Squads carried battering rams like the Royal Guard divisions. She wasn't too flustered though. There was always a less precise way to get the job done.

Falling in behind Dorothy, Coby gave her a pat on the shoulder. Dorothy extended the gesture to Wendy. Wendy extended it to the door – with her foot. The frame gave, and the door splintered. The entryway was empty. "Clear!" Without wasting time, the three shock troopers swept through the room and moved into the next. It was a living room, and the four imperials in it were caught completely by surprise. None of them were wearing full combat armor, and only one of them had managed to reach his weapon in the time it took for the shock troopers to move in since kicking the door down. Dorothy was on him in an instant.

"Drop the weapon!" She yelled as she moved in on him. "Drop it and get down!"

Coby had the other three covered. Two of them had been playing cards with the first, and the third had been cleaning his weapon. It was still stripped on the table. "Down on the ground! Militia! Down!"

They didn't fight back. The Imperial with the weapon placed it on the floor and went down on his stomach. His comrades followed. The living room comprised most of the first floor. At the far end was a stairwell leading to the second. Wendy had it covered. As the rest of the group came in behind the shock troopers, they moved on to clear the upstairs. Meanwhile, the rest of the group had prisoners to deal with.

Ramona looked them over. Without their uniforms, they might have fit in well with a Militia Squad. Two of them were in their late teens, and looked like they could have been related. One of them was a woman in her early 20's, and the last was a man in his mid 20's with glasses. Ordering them off the ground, Ramona sat them down against the back wall. "Which one of you is in charge?"

Nobody answered. It didn't seem like they were going to cooperate. "Nobody?" she asked again with a puzzled look. "You," she said, pointing to the man with the glasses. "Stand up." He complied. "How many Imperials are stationed here?"

"Obergefeiter Paul Bäumer, 091511-B-45568."

At least she now knew who he was. "Alright, Paul. Thanks for the introduction. Now, will you answer my question?"

"Obergefeiter Paul Bäumer, 091511-B-45568."

That answered that. "Fine, Paulie. Sit back down." Even if she hated the Imperials as her enemies, Ramona had to respect their discipline, and enemy or no, he had some pretty stylish glasses. As Paul sat back next to his squad mates, the trio of shock troopers returned down the stairs accompanied by a man and a woman in civilian clothing. Maybe they could get the information out of them.

Coby sat the two down at the table the Imperials had previously occupied. Their cards were still laid out on the table, but the civilians ignored them. The old man looked them over. A man and a woman; looked about 45. This was probably their house. "I apologize for the screaming," he said in as friendly a voice as he could muster, "but as I said before, we're the Gallian Militia. Any information you have would be of great help."

The man grabbed onto his wife's hand. "Anything I can tell you, I will." His wife gave a slight nod. She was probably in shock.

"Can you tell us how many Imperials are stationed here?"

"Not exactly," the man replied shaking his head, "but I can tell you there are no more than 24. It's only a squad or two. Probably two." Coby did the math. Two killed outside. Four prisoners here. He hadn't heard any gunfire from next door, but the building could have been empty. That meant at most there were still 18 enemies within the tiny hamlet. Not a comforting thought.

"Are there any positions that you know of? Maybe a machine gun nest or a sniper roost?"

The man thought for a moment. "They had a sniper in the bell tower earlier this morning. That's two buildings east of here, or straight out from the front door. He'll have most of the village covered if he's still up there."

Even though the weather was terrible, a sniper covering the town was bad news. "How many civilians are there in…" Coby was interrupted when an explosion went off next door. Even in the other house, he could feel the foundation shake. Immediately the sound was followed by gunfire. "Cheslock, Stijnen! Get upstairs and set up the .30. Cover as much of the town as you can." The Imperials had no doubt heard the blast as well, and would soon be coming around to check it out. "Nadine! Radio!"

Obediently, Nadine moved next to the Sergeant. Picking up the handset, Coby turned to the Squad's frequency. "Rosie, this is Caird – Give me a SITREP. Over."

For a long moment, there was nothing but static. Finally, Rosie's voice cut through. "Caird, this is Rosie – We've got two prisoners. A third tried to play hero and threw a grenade in from upstairs. We tossed it into a spare room and took him out. No casualties. Over."

"From Caird – Hold your position. Out to you." Three more down. That brought the highest possible total for opposing forces down to 15. However, the assault team had lost the initiative, and 15 defenders wasn't a force to be taken lightly by the 22 man unit. To make matters even more difficult, the Shamrock and the Eidelweiss would be ineffective due to the risk of civilian casualties, and calling in one of the security teams for reinforcements increased the chances of the Imperials successfully fleeing the hamlet and regrouping. With a grimace, he tuned the radio back to the security team's frequency. "O'Hara, this is Caird – Can you see anything out there? Over."

Catherine looked through her binoculars. Through the storm she couldn't see any movement, but she could make out the shape of the buildings on the western edge of the hamlet. Dropping her binoculars, she brought her handset to her ear. "Caird, this is O'Hara – Your building is at the southern end of town. There is one building north of Rosie's. Have them move north. Move Linton east. If you can, put Cezray in the bell tower. Over."

That seemed like a good plan. Once successful, it would leave only the north eastern section of the hamlet under Imperial control, and the two sections could flank it. "From Caird – Roger. Out to you." Once more he changed the frequency back to the Squad's. "Rosie, this is Caird- Move your section north then work your way east. Acknowledge. Over."

"Caird, this is Rosie – Moving north then heading east. Out."

With the plan set, Coby turned to the section with him. With the .30 set up upstairs, they should have enough covering fire to make it across the street into the next building. That would put them next to the bell tower. First though, he had to set up a firing position here. "Kill the lights. I don't want them able to see in through the windows." Once the lights were out, it was nearly impossible to see inside the building from outside. It was also a lot easier to see out. With a wave, Coby positioned the rest of the group near the front of the house. From their position, they could see the building directly in front of them and look left down the road through the hamlet. To their north east was an open green. Just before it, the road forked off to the east, creating a T intersection. Coby decided it would be best to stay out of the open.

Before he could order his troops to advance, the lights in the house across the street went out. In fact, most of the hamlet was now dark. "Keep an eye on those windows. Make sure your target is an Imp before firing."

Upstairs, Wendy set up the section's .30 caliber machine gun in an open window. With a wave of her hands, she opened the top cover and lifted the extractor. Next to her, Cherry inserted a full belt of ammunition into the feed trey. Inverting her steps, Wendy closed the top cover and pulled back the cocking handle. It made a satisfying clicking sound as she slid it back. "Good to go, Cherry," she said as she aimed the barrel out of the frame. "Lemme' know if you see anything."

"I'm sooo on it." Cherry squinted her eyes to get a better view of the hamlet. Now that everything was dark, it was harder to see around the houses, but the light pollution was gone, so her eyes started to adjust. Within a few seconds, she saw movement. Straining her eyes to get a better view, Cherry noticed two more Imperials moving down the T intersection. "Spotted an enemy!" she exclaimed, pointing out the two targets. "Right in front of the green."

If they hadn't been moving, Wendy wouldn't have been able to pick them out. Swinging the .30 in their direction, she brought the lead target into her sight picture. "Hehehe," she laughed to herself. Cherry gave her a troubled look. "I have the power." With that, she squeezed the trigger. The weapon jumped in response, but the window frame was enough to limit the recoil. As the weapon barked, Cherry fed the ammunition belt through the feeding trey. Through her sights, Wendy watched the bullets impact. One in every five rounds was a tracer, and she could see the first two make contact around her target. Firing in bursts, she moved to the second. Thankfully, the rain would help keep the barrel from overheating. With the second Imperial in her sights, she let off another burst. Once again, the machine gun jumped in the window frame. As her eyes readjusted to the dark after the muzzle flashes dissipated she could see the two targets were down. Before she could turn the weapon back on the other building the window frame above her splintered and burst into fragments. The flash of the weapon had given away their position. Ducking below the window for cover, Wendy and Cherry waited for the incoming fire to stop. Before it settled down, the Imperials had shattered the windows and torn the opposite wall to shreds.

Below them, the rest of the unit began to open up on the attackers. The fire had come from the first floor of the building across the street. As the Militia soldiers fired, the incoming return fire became more and more sporadic. When it had settled enough to peek out of cover, Wendy lifted the weapon back into the window frame and opened fire on the left window of the building's first floor. The bullets tore through the house and sent debris flying through the air around the frame. Still firing, she felt Cherry's hand pat her right shoulder. She'd seen a target to the right. The roar of the weapon created difficulties in verbal communication, so pats were the most effective way to direct fire. Swinging the gun to the right, Wendy lit up the second window. She couldn't see anyone in the frame, but fire had been coming from it just moments before. Once more, Wendy felt Cherry's pat – This time at the back of her head. Shifting her fire to the second floor, she sent another burst at the third window. She saw someone this time. With her second burst, the Imperial's pauldron flew off his body and into the room behind him. The other rounds impacted the man just below the sternum. As he fell out of sight, Wendy stopped her fire. "Grab another belt," she commanded. Cherry pulled another ammunition belt out of the ammunition box and the two began to reload the weapon.

Below them, Coby prepared to move on the next building. "Cheslock!" he yelled up the stairway. "We're crossing the street! Check your fire!"

Wendy yelled back in response. "Yeah!"

"Claudia, stay back and watch the prisoners," Coby said as he opened the front door and stepped out into the rain. The incoming fire from the house across the street had stopped, but the firefight between Rosie's section and the surrounding buildings was still going strong. Behind Coby, the rest of the group filed out into the night. Once again they stacked up at the door of the house, and once again they found it was locked. This time, though, they didn't have to worry about noise. Stepping forward, Audrey aimed her shotgun and squeezed off a shell. The resulting force blew out the lock and cracked the door open. Moving through the doorway, the shock troopers began clearing the first floor. With his weapon raised, Coby entered the home's kitchen. The Imperial scout in the room didn't have a chance to raise his rifle. Before the weapon had crossed his waist, Coby let off a burst of rounds. Three circular holes appeared in the scout's armor, and a spraying mist of blood showered the countertops behind him. "First floor is clear!" Coby yelled.

Dorothy returned from the other side of the house. "Clear here, m-moving upstairs."

The two shock troopers swept the upper floor room by room. Finally, they made it to the room on the left face of the house. Rushing through the door, they found the body of an Imperial soldier. Wendy's .30 cal had torn him open. Stepping over shattered glass and a pool of the soldier's blood, Coby yelled back across the street to the machine gun crew. "Cheslock! We're clear!" Through the window he could see Wendy and Cherry manning the gun. The barrel was still trained on the house. "Try and get some cover on Rosie's unit!"

"We're on it!" Across the green, Wendy could see the muzzle flashes and tracers of the Imperial weapons firing on Rosie's position. Taking aim, she opened fire. Rosie's section was having a slower time. From their position, they were taking fire from two buildings. If they tried to move north from the house they had taken, the Imps would have a clear shot at them.

"Keep firing on those buildings," Rosie ordered while she swept a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "We need to cut down their fire."

From his spot in the entryway, Alex had a clear view across the green. Fire was coming in heavy from the building straight across from them. Unfortunately, he couldn't see any individual targets. Without being picky about where he was aiming, he finished off his magazine. As he pulled another one out of his chest rig, he saw movement. Hurrying, he slammed the mag into his weapon's magazine well and took aim. Staring down the sights, he could see an Imperial soldier running across the green. He was completely exposed. Without thinking twice, Alex pulled his trigger and the weapon jumped in his hands. Through a flash of lightning, he could see a puff of red as the Imperial went down. A fraction of a second later, he watched in horror as he saw the second patch of red at the Imperial's shoulder.

"Shit!" he cried out.

Next to him, Rosie ducked down out of her window frame. Sliding the magazine out of her Mags, she began to reload. "What's the matter, Bird?" she asked as she pulled the bolt back on her weapon. "You hit?"

Alex stared out his window. He wasn't completely sure about what he'd seen, but if he was right, he could have created a sticky situation. "I think I just shot a medic."

Rosie peeked out of her window. Alex pointed out the target he'd just dropped. She couldn't tell in the darkness. "Well what the Hell was he doing running out in the open?"

From across the room, Jane laughed. "The dumb types make easy targets."

Alex followed the path the man had been running. "Looks like he was headed for the two guys our machine gun dropped."

Grumbling, Rosie called for the radio. Dallas was crouched next to her within seconds. For some reason or another, the girl never strayed too far from the women of the Squad. It was a slight annoyance at times, but Rosie appreciated it at times like this. Women did have to stick together, after all. Turning the frequency to the security team, Rosie picked up the handset. "O'Hara, this is Rosie – We might have a situation with the ROE here, over."

There was a slight pause before she heard Catherine's response. "This is O'Hara – You're coming in loud but unreadable. Speak slower and say again, over."

Rosie was well known for staying calm in a firefight. The only hint that gave her away when under stress was the fact that she tended to talk faster. Calming herself down, she brought the tempo of her voice down a few notches. "This is Rosie – I say again: We think we've shot a medic. Is Fina on standby? Over."

"From O'Hara – Yes, she's here. Mina should be with Sergeant Caird though; can she take care of it? Over."

Mina had come with the assault team to provide combat medical support. She was a competent medic and could get the job done under fire, but once the fighting stopped the excess adrenaline in her system gave her tremors. "From Rosie – She's here, but she tends to get the shakes after action. Keep Fina on standby. Out."

Setting the handset down, she peeked out the window again. "Can you tell if he's still alive?"

Through the darkness, Alex could see the Imperial rolling slightly on the green. He looked like he was in pain, but he wasn't dead. "Yeah. He's still alive."

Jane raised her weapon. "Then why'd you stop firing?"

Rosie was on her in a flash. Pushing the barrel of Jane's gun to the floor, she looked the woman square in the eyes. "Cease fire, Turner! ROE says we don't shoot medics, so we're not going to shoot medics, Imperial or not!"

Reluctantly, Jane lowered her weapon. "Fine. Damn Imps…"

Rosie wasn't completely satisfied, but that would have to do, and the medic would have to wait until the hamlet was secure. Outside, she could see the tracers flying from Wendy's position. The suppression the .30 provided gave Rosie's section enough leeway to advance. "Alright kiddo's, on me. We're heading north. Aika, stay here and keep an eye on those prisoners. If one of them even moves, plug em'." Aika nodded in response. "Everyone else, let's go."

The unit stepped out of the house. While the incoming fire had died down, it hadn't disappeared. While they ran between the houses, rounds snapped past them. Vyse was the first person to reach the building. Barely stopping, he brought his foot to the door and the Militiamen filed in. The building was comprised of one room – almost like a town hall – and it was full of civilians. Quickly, Vyse took a head count. "Eight civilians, sir! No Imps."

Rosie was relieved that there were no Imperials in the building, but the civilian presence created another problem. They would have to ensure that none of them were hit in the crossfire. Stepping forward, she waved the civilians to the far corner of the room. "Everybody get on the floor and stay down. Don't get up for anything unless I tell you." Suddenly, a single round crashed through a window and whizzed past Rosie's head. Instinctively, she dropped to the floor and rolled behind a pew for cover. Through the shattered glass, she could see the bell tower clearly across the hamlet. Crawling behind her cover, she worked her way to Dallas's position. "Caird, this is Rosie – That sniper in the bell tower has us pinned. Can you take care of him? Over."

After a few seconds, Nadine's voice sounded over the radio. "Rosie this is Caird's assault team – We're on him. Out."

Next door to the bell tower, Ramona's section engaged the Imperials across the green. Moving towards the back of the house, Ramona nudged Hermes. "Kissinger, can you see the bell tower from here?"

With its imposing figure, it was impossible to miss. "You might have better night vision than I do, but I'm not blind, you know."

Ramona ignored his lip. "Can you hit it with a rifle grenade?" While she didn't want to create a lot of collateral damage to the hamlet, a rifle grenade was the only way to ensure the sniper was killed.

"Come on, Ramona," he said with his trademarked wink, "I'm the best grenadier in your unit."

"You're my only grenadier, dumbass."

"Ah," Hermes sighed. "Ramona said I'm her one and only. I can die happy."

She tried to hide it, but Ramona couldn't help but laugh. "I'd prefer you didn't," she relented. Turning away, Hermes aimed the grenade. It shot off his rifle in an arc, and landed directly within the tower. Exploding on impact, the grenade sent shrapnel in every direction, creating a kill zone in the confined area of the tower. "Tower is down!" Ramona cried after watching Hermes' shot. "Clear it!"

The shock troopers moved on ahead and began their sweep of the building. Nadine and Audrey followed behind them, but Karl froze at the door. Behind him, Cezary grew impatient. "Hey. What's the hold up?"

Karl wouldn't move. From across the green, he could see the tracers from the Imperial weapons fly between the two buildings. "They're still shooting."

"You've got to be…" Cezary was all for looking out for his own hide, but he knew the only way he was going to survive was by doing his job. If anything kept him from doing his job – and thereby decreased his chances of survival – he took it personally. "Suck it up and get through that doorway," he growled. "I bet that darkie of yours wouldn't hesitate."

Karl turned on his heels and screamed. "What the Hell did you just say?" Before, Karl and Cezary had kept an unspoken truce. Cezary's use of the term "darkie" changed that in an instant.

"I said your fiancé's a darkie and she's got a monopoly on the testosterone in your relationship," he replied coolly.

Forgetting all about the firefight, Karl grabbed Cezary's chest rig and pulled him in close. Inches away from one another, Karl stared the other man down. "You son of a bitch! You stupid son of a bitch, I'll have you…"

"What the Hell is going on here!" Ramona walked into the room and glared at the two men. "I could have done my hair and makeup three times over in the time it's taken you to get over to that next house, and I take a lot of pride in how long I spend doing it!" As she walked closer, Karl let go of Cezary's rig. The two still hadn't taken their eyes off of each other. "If you two have a problem, sort out your personal crap later. Karl, get your ass through that door. Now!"

Finally, Karl stepped back. "We'll talk later."

"Whatever you say. Sir." The distain in his last word was unmistakable. Filled with rage, Karl ignored the incoming fire and ran out of the house. Cezary had called Lynn a darkie. He wouldn't forgive him for that.

Within moments, the rest of the unit had made it to the building. Coby was just getting off of the radio with Rosie's section. Turning his head to the door, he set the handset down and sent Nadine off. "Building's clear," he said once everyone had piled in. "What took you guys so long? I'm 65 and I could have cleared this place twice."

"Equipment issue, sir," Ramona lied with the straight face she'd perfected on her father. "Always have to look good for Ian Imperial, am I right?" She added a smile to get the full effect.

Coby rolled his eyes. He'd never understood the girl's obsession with looks, but faulty equipment posed technical problems as well. "As long as everything's working the way it should." After moving everyone into the house, he ordered them into a firing position. The building was soon filled with the sound of gunfire, and empty casings littered the floor. "Cezary," he said, turning towards the sniper. "Get in the tower and finish off those Imps."

Cezary began his way up the tower. "An order's an order." When he reached the top, he could see the damage the grenade had done. The bell was destroyed, and would probably never ring the same way again, if at all. The enemy sniper's death had been quick, but messy. There were holes all up and down his armor from the shrapnel, and whatever life he'd had left after the blast had quickly bled out on the tower's floor. "Better you than me," Cezary said to the body as he stepped over it. Kneeling at the tower's edge, he supported his rifle on the stone siding. Looking down, he could see nearly the entire hamlet. "Way too high up for my tastes." Regardless, it was the only position he could effectively shoot from. Looking down his scope, he took aim at one of the muzzle flashes coming from a building across the hamlet. The tracers coming from the weapon were green. The Militia used red. Slowly, Cezary pulled the trigger, and his rifle cracked. It was a hit. Moving over to the next window, he re-steadied his breath. For the second time, his rifle cracked and his target went down.

Suddenly, the outgoing fire stopped. Though Rosie's group continued to fire on the building, the green tracers had stopped flying across the village. Within a minute, Cezary could see the shapes of the Imperials running out from behind the house away from the hamlet. Setting his rifle aside, he called down the stairs. "Sergeant Caird! They're retreating!" Picking up his binoculars, he watched as the Imperials fled. Out of the corner of his binoculars, he saw a new group of people. "New contacts to the north! There are a lot of them!"

Sergeant Caird's response was almost lost under the storm, but it was audible. "Who are they?"

Cezary looked through the binoculars at the new group. Though he couldn't make out any details, the snipers had been trained to identify vehicles by their silhouette. "It's Army," he said relieved. "They're friendly!"

Coby scanned the hamlet. "Linton, take some troops and make sure those buildings are clear. Bring any civilians you find back with you." Immediately, Ramona and the remaining troops in the building set off to finish clearing the area. With a groan, Coby sat down in one of the room's chairs. "Damn back…" he moaned to himself. "Still, no casualties... Goddamn miracle..."

Within minutes, Fina arrived at Rosies' position, and the woman guided her to the downed medic. He was shot in the hip, and the wound kept him from moving. "You Gallians are shooting medics, now, eh?" he jabbed as the two approached. "Guess I'm not surprised."

Rosie was furious. "How the Hell are we supposed to know you're a medic when you're running through the pitch dark? And in a storm! What were you trying to do? You can't help your buddies with a hole in your hip."

The Imperial glared at the woman. Medics in the Imperial military wore helmets with one eye exposed so they could see unobstructed, and his expression was clear as day. "I can't help them if I sit back and let them bleed out either. I'll take that risk if it's the only chance they've got." He flinched as Fina gave him a shot of Ragnaid. "How are they, anyway? Why aren't you working on them first?"

"They're dead," Fina replied matter of factly.

The Imperial slammed his fist on the ground. "I could have saved them, you know."

"Yeah," she answered. "I know." Removing his armor, the Gallian medic assessed his wound. The damage would probably be permanent. "Rosie, help me move him back into the buildings. I can't dress his wound in this rain."

Grabbing the Imperial under his arms, the women dragged the injured medic off of the green. Down the road, the Army troops were just coming into sight. After three long days of delays and marches, Squad 7 had made its rendezvous.


Next Engagement: The Road to Rodez