Chapter 30

Perry led the other five troops through the forest, all of them survivors from other squadrons who felt that they had a debt to the Huskies. Once out of the clearing, they had met very few enemy troops, and those that they had met were quickly dispatched by Perry's sniper rifle before they could even line up a shot.

Now the team was quickly and silently stalking closer to the mine entrance. Behind them, the sounds of starfighters and small-arms fire told the fury of the battle going on.

Mingled in with that was the sound of marching.

Perry motioned for the others to get down. Just ahead, an enemy patrol was coming through, twelve troops strong. Perry set a small device into the ground and used sign language to arrange his team. They all crept back, behind trees and into small craters and trenches, in a crescent around Perry's mine. Perry himself hid behind a log and set his sniper rifle.

As the patrol moved through, Perry picked his targets- if the mine didn't get him, he'd pop the commander first, then the comm officer then the heavy laser cannoneer.

The patrol moved right over where the mine was, running at some speed. One of them glanced down at the camouflaged green box on the forest floor.

Perry hit the trigger and sent half the patrol flying. The commander and comm officer were killed outright, so Perry went for the trooper scrambling for the heavy laser cannon. An unseen shaft of energy lanced straight through the creature's throat, stopping him dead.

At that, the rest of his team opened fire, cutting down every last trooper in the patrol. They spared each body a shot to make sure all the enemy troops were dead.

Perry waved his paw and his team emerged, moving stealthily towards the blip on Perry's scanner.

The forest floor began to slope upwards as they came to the foot of the mountain. Even from a distance, Perry could easily discern the gaping hole that was the mine entrance. Around the entrance, the trees were a little thin, and Perry could make out a large number of enemy troops there. It seemed to be a staging point of some sort, and Perry couldn't deal with it using only his small team. He activated his comm.

"Husky Leader, this is Husky Two, target at mine entrance, I estimate fifty troops there. My team requires you scatter them."

"I copy, stand by." Said Bill.

For a few seconds Perry and his team sat there, waiting. Then, a high pitched whine approached. The enemy troops suddenly looked skyward, and began to move, seeking better shelter.

Two fighters flashed past, lasers blazing. They left a trail of fire and destruction in their wake, maiming the body of troops assembled there. As the enemy began to scatter, a third fighter came through and struck down those left near the mine entrance. A transport then came in and began unleashing close, accurate fire into the enemy troops.

With the enemy's concentration now focused on the transport, Perry and his team swept in, blasting any troops about to see them. They all made the relative safety of the mine.

"Night vision." Perry muttered.

As he fitted the goggles over his head, details of the mine became clear. Where it once appeared pitch black, he could now see entrances and exits to the sprawling maze of mine shafts.

Lightning Four suddenly swore. "Shit, Husky Two, my night vision isn't working."

"Easy, quiet Lightning Four." Perry thought for a second. "All right, stay near the mine entrance, keep yourself hidden. I'll comm you when we're about to get back."

"Yessir." Lightning Two took off his goggles and went back towards the entrance.

"OK, everyone else, on me. Stay close, quiet, and let me handle dangerous spots." Perry said. Then they set their weapons to recharge, pulled out automatic pistols for close combat, and plunged into the darkness, following that blip which was near a mile away, somewhere in the mine.

Blaze bent low over the body of the enemy sergeant he had just killed. The rest of the squad had been romping through the mines with flashlights, which made them easy targets for him, Damon and Matt.

"Geez, I'll never get over how ugly these bastards are." Blaze commented, as he pulled a comm unit off the dead sergeant. "Nice. Now we can keep track of what they're saying."

"Well, they making any transmissions?" Asked Matt.

"Nope." Blaze thought for a moment. "Not much to talk about I guess. C'mon, keep moving."

The trio made their way now towards the mine entrance. Blaze was in the lead, Matt carried the computer core and kept watch over their backs and Damon traveled between the two of them.

Blaze paused and sniffed the air. "I'd say we're about half a mile awa… DOWN!!!"

The three of them ducked just as a flashlight came around the corner. Another squad of troops had come, and some of them began firing immediately. Blaze, Matt and Damon returned fire, but only got one of the enemy as the rest ducked behind the corner again. Sporadic bursts of fire would cut through the darkness, but the fire was inaccurate and undirected, simply meant to pin them down until help arrived.

Suddenly Damon yelped, and began groaning as though in pain.

"Shit! Damon! Are you hit?"

"Arrgh… Not badly, a shot just grazed my tail, that's all… OW! It hurts like hell!" The young tiger replied through clenched teeth.

The two older creatures sighed in relief. "Matt, better stop swearing around the kid, now he's beginning to get foul-mouthed." Blaze muttered.

"Hang on… look!" said Matt.

Additional sounds of combat emerged from the corridor ahead, but the fire coming in at them had abruptly ceased. Then all went quiet.

Neither Matt nor Damon could hear it, but Blaze caught wind of something being whispered by whoever was around the corner, and he whooped in joy.

"Perry! Perry! We're here! Around the corner!"

A flashlight came on around the corner, and a single person stepped out, his face hidden by a set of night-vision goggles.

"Blaze, I don't believe I've ever heard you so vocal." He said.

Blaze jumped up and gave Perry a warm backslapping hug. "I've never been so happy to see ya!"