BOOM!

I stand up, my ears ringing, and look over the top of the trench, and try to figure out what the HELL just happened.

"CONTACT!"

I turn to my right upon hearing someone yell that.

"HARD CONTACT!"

I turn when I hear something land behind me, and see a Mandalorian in front of me, wearing red armor.

I punch the Mandalorian in the face, and draw my knife from my belt.

Gunny jumps up, the explosions forcing him awake. He stands up and looks out over the front of the trench, seeing the Mandalorians were indeed attacking again, with their tanks.

Another explosion goes off behind him, and Gunny twists around, wondering what the hell it was.

Gunny looks around, seeing their artillery pieces all blasted and smoking. Gunny realizes what had just happened.

The Mandalorians had rolled their tanks up, aimed for the artillery, fired, and just destroyed a good 70% of their artillery. Their only anti-tank weaponry. And were now advancing.

Gunny turns back around and runs through the trench to find Kell. They needed to get out of here. Now!

I grapple with the Mandalorian, trying to stab him in the neck, but he was stronger than I was, keeping my hand above him.

I feel him knee my stomach, knocking the wind out of me, forcing me to my knees.

I refuse to give in though, and lunge forward, digging my knife into his side.

The Mandalorian grabs my hand, yelling in pain, then kicks me.

I land on my back, and look up to see the Mandalorian still yelling and gripping his side with the knife in it.

Gunny finds Kell, only to see a Mandalorian in front of him.

Gunny lifts his repeating blaster rifle and takes aim, and blows him away.

I stare as rounds from a blaster rifle punch into the Mandalorian. He falls forward, and I roll out of the way, him landing next to me.

I look to see Gunny had been the one shooting. Gunny runs over and lifts me to my feet, yelling "We need to move now! Their tanks are going to advance and crush everything!"

"What about everyone else?!" I ask.

"We can't worry about them!" Gunny replies.

"I can't leave my friends behind!" I yell at him.

Gunny curses, and then says "Fine. I'll get Tanner, you get Tura, meet here in 30 seconds!"

I nod my head and run down to the left flank of the trench, looking for Tura.

Gunny finds Tanner, surprised Tanner had managed to not get himself killed after the scout rush on the trench.

Gunny grabs Tanner and yells "With me! We're falling back!"

Tanner simply nods at Gunny in understanding. Well at least he didn't fight my orders. I'll need to instill that in Kell.

Gunny turns and heads back for the support trench. They needed to get back to the western complex, then the main complex, and hopefully catch a shuttle out of here. Or use that pistol.

Kell had better be there when he got back.

"TURA!"

Tura steps down from her post, looking at me, fear in her eyes.

"Follow me!" I yell at her.

She turns and runs over to me, and I turn and run back for where Gunny and I would meet.

"What's going on!?" She asks. I could hear the desperation in her voice. And the fear.

"No time to explain!"

I catch up to Gunny and Tanner, exchanging no words. Instead we turn and head back for the western complex.

As we run past the three trench lines, I see the destroyed artillery pieces we had built into the trenches. It seemed like all of them were smoking and destroyed.

It doesn't take long for the four of us to run out of the trench system, and sprint up to the western complex.

"GUNNY! LOOK!"

"Not now!" Gunny yells back, leading us through the western complex.

We come to a stop once we get to the back of the complex, sitting in a quick circle.

"Ok, what is it?!" Gunny asks.

Tanner points to the main complex. The buildings and bunkers were on fire or destroyed, and the sounds of fighting heard.

"How the hell did they surround us!?" Tura screams.

"Guys! We have another problem!" Tanner yells.

I turn and look behind us, to see the Mandalorians were overwhelming the trenches we had just fled.

"Gunny! Time to use that flare!" I scream.

"I agree," Gunny declares, grabbing a pistol and aiming into the sky.

A ghost white flare shoots into the sky, screaming as it flies through the sky.

I fall to my knees, the high-pitched whistle of the flare splitting my ear drums.

"SICKO! YOU CRAZY BASTARD!"

Sicko laughs at his co-pilot Bach's insult. Most pilots wouldn't pull off a barrel roll this close to a planet. None would do it in a transport.

Sicko straightens out the transport's roll, and heads for space.

"Wait! SICKO!"

"What is it Bach? Gaining too much altitude?" Sicko asks.

"White flare, over there!" Bach points off to their right.

Sicko looks over and sees the flare. "You know what that means, right?" Sicko asks his co-pilot.

"A commander needs help to get out alive?" Bach asks sarcastically.

"No, promotion time!" Sicko answers, barreling for the location of the flare.

"Damn it Gunny! Why don't you just put up a big sign displaying our location?!" I scream.

Before he can respond, the loud BANG of a sniper rifle goes off. I drop to my stomach, and look back in the direction of the trenches. "What the hell was that!?" I scream.

Before someone answers, I hear a THUD next to me. I look over and see it was Tanner, lying on his back.

"TANNER!"

I grab Tanner, pulling him over, and look over his body. I saw a wound in his torso, red blood starting to pump out of the hole.

"KELL! STAY DOWN!"

"SICKO! We can't land there!"

"You wouldn't," Sicko laughs, putting the transport in a dive, feeling himself pushed into the leather seat he was strapped into.

He pulls up the throttle at the last second, feeling the transport come to a stop, and flips the switch to open the doors. "Bach, get our officer in here!" Sicko commands.

I jump on top of Tanner when a small transport comes to a sudden stop near us. I make sure to cover his wound so no dirt or dust that was stirred up would get in.

I grab Tanner and try to pick him, but my right forearm feels like it shreds itself as I try to pick him. "I need some help!"

Gunny runs over, helping me pick Tanner up. We drag him over to the transport, and a pilot helps us load him into the transport.

Tura is already in the transport, her rifle up and firing.

Gunny climbs in, then pulls me up.

"Where is the officer!?" The pilot asks.

"Dead!" Gunny lies.

"Damn it!" The pilot curses, heading for the cockpit. "Strap yourselves in!"

Before we can even move, I hear Tura scream in pain behind me, and turn around, seeing her fall out of the transport. "TURA!"

Gunny turns around when he hears Kell yell, and sees Kell lying on the floor, holding Tura's arm as the transport lifts off the ground.

"NO!"

Gunny hits the manual door lockdown, then grabs Kell's left arm, keeping him from getting pulled out of the transport, or crushed by the automatic doors.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

My shoulders stretch and feel like they are having their muscles pulled out of place.

Come on! Focus. You can do this!

I ignore Gunny's yells, and try to lift Tura in the shuttle, but it feels like the sheer force my muscles are exerting will snap my bones.

I feel Tura reach up, both of her hands grabbing my right hand and forearm, as she tries to climb up into the transport.

Sicko stares at the blaring red light that meant the transport's doors were open.

"Bach, why are the doors open?" Sicko asks surprisingly calmly.

"WHAT!?" Bach asks after he just finished strapping himself into his chair. "Those idiots!"

"Is the commander inside?" Sicko asks.

"There is no commander," Bach corrects him.

"Then don't bother, we're getting out of here," Sicko says, cursing, and hitting the engines. "They better get in."

As the shuttle climbs in the atmosphere, I slip out of Gunny's grasp and feel myself almost pulled out of the shuttle.

I come to hard a stop, and realize I had hit the doorsill, with my upper body dangling out, the only thing keeping in me in my legs.

I look down and see I was only holding onto Tura's hand now.

I take a deep breath, trying to numb out the excruciating pain in my arm. Holding her above my head and marching was easy, but trying to pull her into the shuttle with only one arm was far harder.

I begin trying to lift her into the shuttle when I feel something hot hit my right shoulder, causing my right arm to spasm, and let go of Tura's hand.

I hear her scream as my hand releases her, and she falls back down, and push myself out the door.

"TURA!"

Gunny regains his senses after hitting his head against the hard metal floor, and sees Kell hanging out of the shuttle. He jumps forward, grabbing Kell, and pulls him back into the transport, throwing him against the other wall, and hits the manual lockdown on the door, causing it to slam shut.

Kell pushes off the wall and rushes for the door, colliding with it, screaming and crying in agony.

Gunny grabs Kell, pulling him away from the door, knowing what had just happened.

Kell had dropped Tura.

When Gunny smells burnt flesh and armor, he looks Kell over, seeing a blaster wound in his right shoulder.

Kell tries to fight out of Gunny's embrace, but Gunny hugs him tighter, wrapping Kell in a fatherly embrace. "I'm, sorry son. I'm sorry."

I stop fighting Gunny, the adrenaline, rage, desperation, the shock, everything finally sinking in.

I had just dropped Tura to her death.

"Tura…" I whisper, closing my eyes, tears streaming down my face.