The sounds of the rifles were becoming deafening. Farrell and I were now running to the tent, taking cover at any opportunity. I loosed a burst of bullets at a soldier attempting to give support to some of his fallen comrades in the middle of the field, hitting him hard in the chest. I didn't wait to see his body drop dead; I just hugged the ground again as I drew some return fire from a machine-gun position behind the killed soldier. Farrell was already hiding behind a stack of supplies, near me and further away from the machine-gunners. We were now about 20 metres away from the tent but the machine-gun emplacement was keeping us from our objective. Splinters flew off the crates as Farrell shouted something to me. I signalled that I couldn't hear him, and he repeated impatiently.

            "What happened to Mitch?? He's supposed to give us covering fire!"

            I shook my head, not knowing how to reply to Farrell. I tried to crawl closer to the tent, but a burst of machine-gun fire raked the grass in front of me and I pulled back to the small bunker of sandbags I had jumped into earlier.

            For some reason, Mitch had not started the initial assault, so upon the second birdcall Colin led his team to assault the first tent while Sergeant Wye moved out to give Farrell and I cover fire. Colin was lucky, they just lobbed a few grenades near the ammo crates and caused such a big explosion that the tent was wiped out instantly. However their team was hit by the explosion as well, injuring some of them. Now I could see them getting pinned by a machine-gun emplacement near their positions. At this rate, the Mech pilots might be able to get to their machines. Once that happens, we're all done for, even if Sergeant Mitch joins in the fight.

           I looked behind me and saw Sergeant Wye fire a few rounds at the machine-gun nest. The nest was impossibly defended, since it was located in a natural depression and surrounded by sandbags. The crew were good; they rarely stuck their heads up long enough to become targets. The situation looked hopeless.

            I stared straight ahead at the tent. Teddy was making sure the men inside couldn't get out, but sooner or later some would make it out and give more reinforcements to the other men in the field. We were going to run out of ammo soon if this carried on. I thought about lobbing a grenade at that extreme distance to the tent. I shouted that idea to Farrell, but he just shook his head. Fine. He probably knows best. Then I thought about the machine-gun nest. It was located in a depression after all. That would make it easier for the grenade to fall in! Another burst of bullets raked the sandbags protecting my position. A bag exploded from the impact of the bullets, forcing me to lie lower. That does it! If I don't do something, I'm going to die here anyway.

            I took out two out of the three grenades I had. Without any prior experience in hurtling grenades, I sure hoped I wouldn't foul up now, in the middle of this battle. Farrell looked at me questioningly, and I pointed backwards at the machine-gun nest. Farrell seemed uncertain, and shook his head. But I didn't care. I put one grenade in my right hand, that being my stronger hand, and prepared to pull the ring. Suddenly I saw Farrell stepping out from behind the crates long enough to loose off half a magazine of his assault rifle. He was giving me covering fire!

            I quickly got into a crouching position and turned towards the machine-gun nest. The crew were still hiding from Farrell's barrage, and I swiftly took the chance to throw the grenade as hard as I could.

            Yet, the grenade fell before the depression, and only blew up enough dust and dirt to obscure our vision. Damn! What did I do wrong?

            I lay low, holding on to my other grenade. Farrell was shaking his head, trying to shout to me something, but the machine-gunners were back and kept spraying our position with a vengeance. I noted their shots were wild, though. My initial grenade must have rattled them a bit. This was my chance …. I am going to run to the nest and lob one grenade in!! I ignored Farrell, and started to crawl out of my position, preparing to run.

            This was going to be a hell of a run.

            I was just about to get up and run when I heard another grenade explode between us and the nest. I don't know whose bomb was it, but I just ran anyway. The dust obscured my vision, but it would serve to cover my advance too. I pulled the pin out from the grenade, running ever closer to where I thought the nest was. Suddenly, I saw the blurry shape of the nest on my left! I had run beyond it, but no matter. I took a few more steps before I dumped the second grenade in, then I threw myself to the ground. There was silence for a while. Did I miss?

            The next thing I knew, I felt my body being thrown up and flung away from the nest, before I heard; or more like felt, the resounding boom of the grenade. I flipped in mid-air, unable to control my body. Landing hard on my back, I felt a searing pain in my left leg. I didn't cry out, though, and I managed to get up to a better position to see my surroundings. I was barely metres from the Awesome! I forced myself up and ran over to take refuge near the machine. My leg hurt, but I could still take the pain. I looked around again and saw the machine-gun emplacement I bombed wreathed in flames, and several men lying around the place motionless. Odd. Only then I noticed that there was no more gunfire from the defenders. The last machine-gun emplacement was silent, and instead I saw our infantry pointing their weapons into it. Sergeant Mitch had assaulted the emplacement from behind! I didn't know why he didn't move into the agreed initial positions but he managed to save Colin's group with that swift attack anyway.

            With the silencing of the two main defence points, the other soldiers soon gave up, some managing to flee. Even with slightly more superior numbers, their officers and Mechwarriors were pinned inside the tent, and Farrell had been brave and quick enough to run over and threaten them all with his grenades after I knocked out the machine-gun nest. Sergeant Mitch soon came and backed him up, confisticating all their firearms.
            We had won!

            The field hospital bed was pretty comfortable, dispelling my past notions that it was hell in these field hospitals. Sergeant Mitch had just been around to see me, being the first visitor I had after my short operation on my left leg. It had been hit by shrapnel from the blast I created, but fortunately the injury was light and I would be able to get back into action soon. But not that I was rearing to go back to the frontlines again. I missed Jay, wished she would come visit me soon and spend time with me. I hope she was fine though. Sergeant Mitch gave me a brief report on the status of the war after I was admitted to the field hospital.

            Jabbar was retaken after our lance of Mechs successfully defeated the remaining 3 Mechs. Apparently the pilot of the Awesome was the leader of the Hussar team in the town, and losing him caused much disarray and morale loss. Sergeant Mitch's team had almost been surprised by a Hussar patrol, forcing them to fail to secure their pre-determined positions, but they managed to slip away and came back into battle at the field at the right time. Our three squads had suffered very few deaths compared to the other squads, whom were pinned down by concentrated fire from a platoon of Hussar infantry in another corner of Jabbar. We were really lucky.

            But Sergeant Mitch was duly impressed with my performance at the field.

            "We were already approaching the other machine-gun emplacement, when we saw you make that first crazy attempt at blowing the other nest. Then I expected you to make another attempt. You were damned lucky, soldier. We launched one pack of SRMs to cover your approach to the nest; otherwise you'd never get through the second time. Our SRMs missed the emplacement, but you got near enough to lob that beautiful grenade in and blow them to bits. Hell, I've seen some lucky men, but you've definitely set a new record for me, sonny!" I grinned at the memory.

            "When you're ready for action again, Greg, call on me. You've got a bright future ahead of you, son!"

            Besides that, Lieutenant Jerry had managed to clinch the biggest victory of all – eliminating the final point of resistance of the Hussars by taking the starport. The abbreviated lance and infantry had been sent to Jabbar to capture some supplies for the starport garrison, as they were almost completely out of rations. That desperate move failed when we successfully recaptured Jabbar, and soon the Hussars at the starport gave up.

            The door creaked open, startling me from my thoughts. Familiar faces appeared, though very worried-looking.

            "Dad! Mom! You're all okay!!"

            My mother, tears streaming from her face, ran to me and gave me a hug. Astounded by her emotions, I hugged her hard too.

            Dad approached the bed slowly, his face showing signs of relief. My mother stopped her sobbing for a while to sing praises to God.

            "Thank heavens ….. thank you God …."

            "Mom, I'm okay now. Just a minor wound."

            Dad sighed. "I told you to stay away from the militia. But you wouldn't listen."

            "Hey, I'm okay now, Dad. The militia is taking good care of me now. How's everyone? Joseph? How's Jay? Is she fine?"

            Dad's face lost that look of relief, but he kept quiet. Mom sat up on my bed, and grasped my hand. She looked so sad.

            "Your little brother is fine, dear … but Jay ….. I don't know how to put this to you. After your unit won near Arturo's, some of the Hussars fled. Did you know that?"

            This was becoming very ominous to me. "Yes."

            Mom seemed to be unable to find the right words to say. Her composure seemed to wilt even further. Instead, Dad spoke up.

            "Son. Jay was captured by the one of the Hussars."