The lander cuts through the water, spray comes over the sides and gets us wet. Through gaps in the lander's ramp I can see the approaching beach and nervously tighten the grip I have on my rifle. Around me is Alpha Regiment's 9th Company. There’s one hundred of us, all fit and sexy, all made to fight and die.
The local governor has rebelled, got the garrison to support her. Mongrel bitch. She's holed up in a fortress on the island ahead with a shield preventing orbital bombardment. The Empress wants her alive anyway.
The lander screeches to a halt, its hull is torn open by camouflaged rocks and water starts flowing in. The ramp drops, I get a proper view of the beach, of its defences. Barbed wire fencing and machine guns, I think I can even see tank cannon. The defenders open fire, volleys of bullets reaching out as we disembark. A score of us are blown away on the ramp, become a hazard, and the water at the ramp's base reddens as more die.
I somehow make it to the beach, stepping gingerly past floating troopers. A girl just in front of me is riddled, her blood mistily settles upon my face, and slumps twitching over some barbed wire. She's scant cover but it's all there is, I scrunch up as tight as possible and listen to shots whizzing by.
I can't stay here. I stand, hear buzzing, and drop again, bullet holes punched into my chest…
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