I picked myself up from the bottom of the trench, and glanced over at the crater where the Aircav augered in. Thank GOD for a nice, deep, muddy hole when those guys are zipping around in the air.

I rinsed off the lenses of my binoculars and went back to surveying the opposing forces. I clicked my commo twice "This is Capt. Worthington-Smythe in trench line three...we've got Rams down, and looks like at least two casualties. Send a corpsman. Repeating Targeting coordinates, Capitol troops at 76.3, 22.8, mapsheet three".

I hugged the trenches, waiting for the shriek of the mortars as they zeroed in on the Cappy position. I could feel the ground shake as the heavy rounds tore into the command area. I was just getting back up when the familiar THUMP THUMP of a 'Caine walker shook our position, and there was a Ripple-crack of the HMG's.

I crept back into my spotter's nest, and watched. The Cappy Shark was in trouble, twisting and turning, trailing a bit of smoke as the 'Caine's HMGs peppered the sky around it. What was left of the Capiol forces were peppering the 'Caine with fire, but all it was doin' was scratching up the paint. As I looked, a Free Marine got a lucky shot, and scrached the eye out of the nose art. That just wouldn't do!

"All right, you men! We've got a Marine problem in those bushes to the right! Mount up! We'll show them wht the 182nd is made of!" I watched my command squad slither out of their shelters and sanbags and get to their firing positions. Thomas and Carruthers shook out the tripods for their chargers, and I pulled the Invader off my back. We waited for another tell-tale shot from the marines, and were rewarded soon when the familiar snarl of a deathlockdrum as it spat lead against the Hurricane, staggering it and causing sparks to fly.

"FIRE" I said, and a hail of bullets shot downrange at the now-revealed Marines. I could see several of them fall, and best of all the red spot of my laser sight lit up the forhead of that gunner right before it exploded. That should teach them to fool with the 182nd!

The Hurricaine had finally suceeded in hittting the Shark heavy, and it streaked to the ground, belching flames. The hurricaine turned, and was looking for new targets, when it suddenly started blasting away at a clump of bushes to it's left. I could tell it had seen better combats, and the holes from the Shark and the marines dripped lightly. I focussed the binox on that clump, and caught a glimpse of something Red and big.

Clicking open my com, I was checking with that 'Caine pilot when I saw a red streak and the scrrreeech-crash as the Hurricane was thrown to the ground, cracking open. "MEKA!" I called, and dove for the mud. Most of my squad made it before the damn Hurricaine's fuel went up, lighting up the sky.

I love the Mud.