"First Kill" by Scott burt

I moved through the night. My steps through the dense underbrush of the forest clumsy compared to sergeant Gerrin's cat-like grace, something that only came after her 13 years in service. This was my first real mission. It was nothing too major, a hit and run raid against a Chagram staging base in northern Florida. Everyone knew it wouldn't do much to hurt the worm-heads but any victory was needed these days. The Chagram wouldn't lay down and die like everyone would want them to and it would take a tough fight to get them off Earth.

I was nervous, every quiet cautious step took them that much closer to the worm-head base.

"Sergeant I got a contact", Dan reported over the comm, "Looks like a scout walker running patrol, sending co-ordinates." A line of numbers appeared over my helmet mounted HUD underneath a line informing me of my own position. The scout walker was just to the north east, about 100 metres.

"Roger that private, me, and the Rookies are coming in to flank, hold position." Sergeant Gerrins waved me and Ty over and we headed at a sprint to the north and then broke east 30 seconds later. Through the trees I spotted the scout walker, a split second later so did the computer in my HUD and it started filling my vision with known technical specs on the two legged walker. It's legs canted back like a birds supporting a bulbous cockpit. The scout was armed with a pair of light laser cannons, not too powerful but a couple shots could put a trooper down quick enough.

"Dan draw it's fire while we crack it's back"

"Will do sarge"

The walker stopped as it's sensors suddenly picked up a contact, Dan in his Lineman power armour. A lighter power armour suit that sees a lot of use, and for good reason. Light enough not to hamper movement too much but able to double or triple a troopers firepower and protect him from heavy weapons fire, I was wishing that I was in that suit right now, but I wouldn't be able to fit into it with my wings, my light modern-tech armour had much less weight and greater mobility, allowing me to stretch my wings and fly, that was going to be important in a minute. Dan took a laser blast from the Chagram scout walker and fired back with two of his own ruby streams. Me, Ty and sergeant Gerrins crouched not twenty metres behind the walker, ready to bring it down.

"Give Jared a lift Ty" on Gerrin's command Ty took a dagger decorated with a ruby on the hilt form his belt and concentrated. I knew what he was doing even if I couldn't see it. Ty was gathering energy to cast a spell in order to boost me up onto the back of the walker, we practised this a few times in basic, a standard manoeuver for squads like the 13^th . I readied a shaped charge to slap onto the walker's back. Ty looked up and even though I was prepared for it, it took me by surprise as I suddenly found myself sailing through the air straight at the enemy scout. Spreading my wings a bit I caught some air and glided towards the walker. I landed on its back one hand gripping onto a hand hold probably used to get into and out of the walker. My other hand pressed a button on the explosive and slapped it onto the machine's back. I pushed off away from the walker, spreading my wings again I glided the 5 metres or so to the ground. The explosive charge I so neatly planted went off, blasting a hole through the walker's armour and gutting the war machine, a few pieces of blasted armour and wiring rained down on my head sending a ring through my helmet and the Chagram scout fell flat on it's face, crushing a couple trees in the process.

Dan came over to me, giving me a half salute.

"Your first kill kid, good work, now lets go get a few more worm-heads eh?"