First Squad, 2nd Platoon, Dog Company rushed in to where third platoon, I Company were pulling back to. "Lay down a base of fire!" Sergeant Kunst wanted to cover their withrdawal. The Slammer grunts dismounted their skimmers, spreading out on foot to find cover, whatever was available. The jeep containing two soldiers and an automatic grenade launcher began pumping out 40mm grenades at a cyclic rate of three rounds per second. Small 5 meter diameter explosions creating a swath of deathly grey circles between the retreating Armored Cars and the suspected threat. The other seven solders of the squad added their 20mm assault rifle fire to the mix, attempting to pin down whatever threat was out there.

Shortly, after the grunts arrived, rendering assistance to their friends in I company, everyone heard the message from the third platoon leader, [i]“Item Three Four to all Slammers Elements, Bandits in the city with buzzbombs and cammo cloth. We are two cars down and withdrawing west.”[/i]

The remaining elements of the third platoon made it out safe and within two minutes, fourth squad, Dog Company arrived to assist the first squad. The fourth squad's jeep had a buzz bomb instead of an AGL. Sergeant Biship ordered his squad to fill in with the first squad members as he spoke with Sergeant Kunst.

"Have you made contact with the I company Platoon Leader yet?"

"No Hansen, I have not," Gottfried Kunst yelled to his fellow squad leader. "Take charge of the two squads, I will seek out the Armor Car PL and report to the LT." Kunst looked down range, pointing at the adobe style building where most of the fire was coming from. HE pointed from their vantage point toward the building, "keep up an intense volume on that building. Don't let anyone out! I'll let you know once I speak to their PL!" Bishop nodded his head, rendered a thumbs up and checked the positions of the two squad members. He made a few adjustments to insure someone was watching both flanks of their support by fire position.

Gottfried Kunst ran back to the armored Kunst just as an intensive explosion rippled through the city of adoby style buildings. Many windows disintegrated as a wave of heat and dust passed across the infantry firing on the building.

Sergeant Kunst fell to a prone position and jumped back onto his feet, trying to utter, [i]'what the f---?'[/i] when he heard someone to his front exclaim,  [i]"Jehovah’s balls what was that?”[/i]

"My sentiments exactly," Sergeant Kunst stated as he caught up to Corporal Artevelder. "Hey Corporal, where's your Platoon Leader?" The Corporal tossed a thumb over his shoulder pointing to one of the other cars. Kunst ran to the vehicle in order to find whoever the element leader was.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Vandervoort and Sergeant Klinker raced across the stretch of open ground between Camp Able and Calagahn. The gun fire from inside the city was picked up on the HUDs of their helmets. They could see his two squads engaged with the unknown enemy. They heard the transmission from the I Company Platoon.

"Dagger one, this is Dagger three, SITREP, over," the Platoon Leader reached out to his first squad leader in Calagahn.

"Dagger six, attempting to establish contact with the Indigo element. Will give you a thorough SITREP after that conversation. Continue to within two hundred mikes of our position, how copy, over."

"Dagger one, Dagger Six, roger out," the lieutenant accepted the Sergeant's situation report as is and left him to develop the situation. The Lieutenant then  turned to the second and third squads, waved an arm forward as the fourteen skimmers and four jeeps headed down the city streets toward the contact point. They were actually further to the south of the contact and halted three city blocks from the objective building. "Park your skimmers here, we'll go in on foot. Keep the jeeps in a support role behind the squads, Second on the left and third on the right."

"Sir, Sergeant Kunst said to halt back two hundred meters and await for his sitrep," Master Sergeant Klinker reminded the brand new second lieutenant.

"Sergeant," Lieutenant Vandervoort turned abruptly to the 38 year old NCO with fifteen years with the Slammers. "I am well aware of what the First squad leader told me. I happen to believe that if we don't get into this fight ASAP, it will be over before it is started. If you don't mind, remain with the support vehicles and insure they find excellent vantage points to place suppressive fire from."

Sergeant Klinker was not one to mince words with his platoon leader, even if he had only been in the army all day. "Sir, yes sir!" The Master Sergeant executed an about face and double timed back to the jeeps as the Lieutenant took the dismounted squads forward. "Don't get your balls blown off, dick head," Sergeant Klinker muttered under his breath so no one heard him before hopping into his jeep driven by Private Willem Sellers.

"Follow the infantry, Sellers," Klinker ordered the Private, "but not too close."