A native of Cardiff Wales, Leftenant Colonel Cox informed his Brigade commander that his battalion task force successfully bypassed the sporadic ambush sites occupied by enemy combatants. They may have intended to impede their progress, but the Grathik modified Armored Personnel Carriers moved gracefully over the artificial terrain. 

Virginia born, Brigadier General Guy Strafford, 54 had previously served as an infantry officer in the US Army prior to joining the Grathik’s Foreign Legion spoke in a southern drawl. His ancestry was peppered with warriors like himself. A great great great grandfather served with the 5th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment for the Confederate States of America (CSA) during the [i]War of Northern Aggression[/i]. His ancestor’s unit saw combat under General Thomas Jackson with the famed Stonewall Brigade at First Manassas, First Kernstown and in Jackson’s Valley Campaign. Later the Fightin’ Fifth served in the campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia from the Seven Days’ Battles to Cold Harbor. They also saw action with Jubal Early during his Shenandoah Valley operations and around Appomattox. General Strafford’s ancestor survived the war to embark on a career with a southern railroad. The Commander of the 1st Earth Motorized Infantry Brigade never wanted to work for the railroad like the long line of men in his family had since 1865. He was fortunate to gain a commission through the Virginia Military Institute (VMI). Upon completion of the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Ft. Benning, GA, Guy completed Airborne School, Ranger School and eventually the Infantry Officer Advanced Course. He served with the 75th Ranger Regiment seeing combat with the 2nd battalion in Grenada in 1983. He also saw action as a Company Commander in the 82nd Airborne Division in 1991 in Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The southern gentleman claims to be descended from a Cherokee warrior, but no evidence supports those claims.

“Good job, COX!” Strafford informed the battalion commander over the radio. “FITZGERALD is rolling up behind you with tanks. They’ll clear out those varmints you left behind. Establish contact with the enemy and kill them! Out!”

Colonel Cox received the transmission and felt no reason to respond. He received his orders. He expected additional ambush sites to the front and briefed his company and team commanders of their existence before they started this operation. They were prepared for the ambush sites and ready to bypass rather than fight through them. Task Force FITZGERALD or 1st Battalion 10th Armor consisted of three company teams of armor and one company team of mechanized infantry. The anti-gravity tank could roll up on the Salvesh ambush sites and dispatch the oversized brutes with impunity. Colonel Cox’ task force also had a company team of anti grav tanks. It was one of his mech infantry companies that was attached to Fitzgerald’s battalion.

Alexander Cox thoroughly enjoyed listening to his American Commander with his Southern drawl. It was somehow entertaining and encouraging, albeit foreign from the many dialects spoken in his native United Kingdom. He had some hostility however toward Jessup Roy, the English born commander of the First Battalion currently located to his west pushing in the same direction as he. But enjoyed the company of the commander of the 2nd Battalion to his right. Charles McCusker hailed from Edinburgh, Scotland possessing a similar animosity towards the Englishman, from Manchester, England. Jessup Roy walked on eggshells around his Welsh and Scottish peers. The two armor commanders were both Americans; one from California and the other from Arkansas. It was the one from Arkansas who trailed Cox’ battalion now. He was looking forward to watching the new armor in combat against the Grathik. He did have a company of the beasts in his own battalion task force and hoped he would see something grand. But only if the Salvesh did not have vehicles to oppose them.

Lieutenant Colonel Cox called the Bravo Team Commander, Captain Otto. Kevin Otto was from the Boston, MA area and spoke with an entirely different American accent. Again, Alex Cox enjoyed listening to his American comrades. “Continue to push forward. Let me know if you meet stiff resistance and cannot move forward. Deploy and I will send support, over.”

“Roger that. Will deploy and inform you of same,” Captain Otto responded over the radio. “I have pulled in my OPs and am at full strength, over.” The acronym OP refers to the Observation Posts used by units to provide intelligence and surveillance on various key locations on a battlefield.

“Roger that, COX out.”

Captain Otto was frustrated about losing his first platoon commander, Lieutenant Fischer, but Hauptfeldwebel Lang had taken command of the platoon. Otto had confidence in the experienced NCO. He had referred to the first platoon as his German platoon with both the Platoon’s commander and senior NCO being from Germany. But the rest of the platoon was composed of soldiers all over Europe as well as Australians, Canadians and Americans.

Fifteen minutes into the run, the lead vehicle took a devastating shot to the engine in the front right of the vehicle. The anti-gravity system failed dropping the 15-ton vehicle into the concrete street. The beast slid in an agonizing screech of death. Two soldiers including the driver and one other dismount were killed during the impact.

“Contact one o’clock! One hundred meters! Infantry in buildings!” Sergeant Lang yelled over the radio on the company’s net. His platoon deployed forward with the four remaining vehicles on line pumping fire into the direction of the recent contact. 

The third platoon, commanded by Lieutenant David Moore of Birmingham (UK) moved to the left of the first platoon attempting to bypass. A second anti-material round with its ensuing sonic boom impacted with the lead vehicle. “Contact ten o’clock, fifty meters, infantry in building!” Lieutenant Moore yelled over the company net.

“I think we have established contact with their main line of defense,” Brian Park calmly spoke over the squad net. “First and third platoons each lost a vehicle. They are deploying. We’re next.”

Over the platoon net, Lieutenant Butterfield called out, “We are pushing to the west to get around the left of third platoon. The lead two platoons have run into enemy contact and are deploying to clear the buildings. We will either establish contact on the left or roll up the enemy’s flank. Be prepared to deploy!”

“Here it comes,” Park calmly encouraged his soldiers as the occupants felt the vehicles turn to the left and then again to the right.

A loud explosion halted the lead vehicle in the platoon and dropped it to the concrete just as two similar vehicles had. “Remaining Second Platoon vehicles, move up on the left!” Warrant Officer 2 Milton Anderson of Melbourne, Australia yelled over the net.

“Driver! Follow the third squad and move to their left!” Park yelled over comms. “Pull up by that building and stop!” When the driver completed the move, “Drop Ramp! Drop Ramp!” As the driver dropped the ramp, the squad leader left the turret and yelled, “Deploy! Deploy!” The squad hurriedly moved out of the vehicle and sought cover behind concrete structures.

Once the dismounts were arrayed behind a stone wall, Sergeant Park informed the squad. “The platoon commander, Lieutenant Butterfield is dead. Warrant Anderson is now our platoon commander. The fire all across Team Bravo’s front was intense. Both the humans and the Salvesh were dispensing death as rapidly as they could. It was unknown how large of a force they were facing. 

Captain Otto attempted to determine the size of the force he faced. He had lost two officers and nine soldiers in the first two minutes of this engagement. “COX, this is OTTO, SITREP follows,” the company commander issued a situation report to his higher headquarters. “Unknown quantity of enemy soldiers to our front; possibly company strength. We have deployed on line and are engaging the enemy at Grid xxxxxx. Their fire is intense and they are using the buildings to their advantage. Recommend probing to our left and right, over.”

As the Battalion commander began pushing infantry and armor units around the flanks of Team Bravo, Brian Park and his 2nd squad laid down intense fire in the direction of where the Salvesh were suspected to be. Edwards and Brown got their grav mounted .50 caliber up and were placing heavy fire on the enemy locations.