Author's Note

To All the followers of this story I'm so so so so so so so so sorry I have not updated in so long... family maters as well as .... as a severe knock to my writing confidence, already puny level self esteem...along with a misleading "friend" who I thought I could trust that stabbing me in the back, hard.

I feel like I have really buggered up this chapter... I what everyone to tell me what they think and what I need to improve.

Don't worry something big is coming.

Sitting, Waiting, Shooting, Trying to Advance

Sitting, Waiting, Shooting, Advancing.

The sun slowly slid up over the horizon, Celestia bringing it up as was her sacred duty, she knew it must happen even in the situation she found her self and the citizens where in.

As the sun slowly raised it's golden red rays began creeping over the ground reveling the numerous artillery barrels of Miasma's and Zthuthaam's poking out from there dug outs, all pointing towards the City, each set to rain down on the trenches, Ross's battery's having superior range from there elevated position and preventing the Order and Seraphim from raining death into the city.

The sun continued lifting up over the lip of the horizon to reveal the carpet of mist that was hugging the ground. As the sun slowly raised up a little more reveling more and more of the misted wasteland the suddenly appearing foot step's in the mist. They slowly moved on through the mist the only hint to there source reveled by only a faint glittering in the air and soft humming of stealth field's.

Commando squad Zezunka slowly and gingerly walked on there scanner's constantly flicking through settings, scanning for trap's, spider holes, and even the strange energy's some of the creatures could summon and command.

Commando Relize slowly walked in the middle of the formation through the mist to his right was his twin sister, on his left was his mother, Relize looked to his mother, her armor being out lined with a red glow and a red line mesh, she looked at him and gave a slow nod.

Then he slowly turned his head to look at the holy entity that was walking in front of him and at the head of there formation.

The large bipedal armored carriage that held one of there gods who had elected to come with them to ensure there mission was successful. It stood at six feet tall and was larger then a normal man, it's was backward kneaded and walked with a slight role its two toe'd feet balancing it's somehow and it looked to delicate to fight like all of Seraphim technology. When it was not shrouded in it's stealth field it's armored plaits where of pure silver and etched with some of the most intriguing engravings of strange pattern's and complex images that Relize could not make out and

Relize sub-continuously mimicked the beings moment's to honer the god, even his own armorer's markings and of those around him had been changed to mimicked the set of there commander god they had the honer of serving in the hope of pleasing it.

The god stopped and raised a six fingered hand to single them to stop, the Commando's doing instantly and drawing there heavily modified rifles from across there chest's where they where held with magnetic lock's before they stood as still as possible to ensure there delicate stealth field would not fail.

There was a burbling as the god spoke into its hermit's radio then the transliterate in Relize's helmet made it's holy word's audible to his eternally unworthy ear's.

"They are infidels, are eternally dame... remember if possible capture the horned ones.... and the Siege warrior... we want him. There defenses are near, we shall track, kill only if there is no option, and do so with silence... Relize...point."

Relize felt his hart swell with zeal and joy at the sound of the monotone translated voice, "The God knew his name! What a impossible honer!." "Y...yes lord....I will do as-" he stopped as the God looked at him in the eye cutting him off from his fawning. "Go." It said to him.

Relize nodded his head quickly and a warning blip appeared in the HUD and his stealth field flicked from stress. Then his head vanished following a splat and crack of shattering metal as a shower of gore and blood filled the air. The body dropped, it's knee's bending as it crashed to the floor with a soft squirting sound, before the calmer of battle filled the air.

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Moonlight slowly pushed the periscope up over the lip of the trench, her gold cat like eye's looked into the mirror's as she slowly scanned through the misty dawn. She fought the tiredness that the night watch had brought on, her night vision denoting her and the few other Bat pony's in Ross's command to this duty. Moonlight pulled back from the periscope and rubbed her eye's for the thousandth time before she returned to looking back through the periscopes slightly clouded glass.

She slowly scanned out toward the trenches of The Order. Moonlight saw the still mist start swirling in a few places as sets of tracks formed. She then scanned passed them her blearily mind barely noting them. Then it clicked, her hart rate suddenly picked up and a sudden adrenaline rush woke her up as she looked at the mist swirling again then the mist stopped. Her cat like pupils contracted as she tried to pick up the swirling mist again.

She turned to her left and look at the gray lump next to her that was matching the now gray mud of the wasteland of the trench war. The lump was Ross who was sat there with his mask on, his chin and the connecting resting on his chest and his arms crossed as he sat lent into the muddy trench wall. The cold mud at his back being unnoticed by him due to practice and his trusted coat.

"There hoof prints forming in the mist." Moonlight whispered in a shushed voice not expecting Ross to respond if he was asleep, but respond he did. Moonlight jerked back as Ross's head jerked up from where he had been sleeping and he grabbed his swords grip. "Ugh... where?" he murmured, before pulling his feet free from the thick mud as he slide off his box and crouched down to look into the periscope through his gas mask.

"About twelve O'clock" Moonlight muttered in Ross's ear as she kicking a sleeping Applejack with her back left leg, the blow waking Applejack who was sleeping on the firing step along with all of the ranker pony's who where not on watch, while Officers assigned to trench rotation and not Officer of the Watch where sleeping in the small guard rooms built into the walls of the City by the gates, this allowed them to respond to calls to arms while allowing them sleeping in relative comfort.

Applejack threw a murderous look at Moonlight before noting Ross was awake meaning that something was happening. Applejack gave her brother a sharp poke and one for Crock Catcher, as she pressing a hoof to there lip's to silence them, they nodded understanding there need for silence for the moment as Applejack pulled her hoof back and moved to wake other's, soon the few pony's that where awake watched this sudden activity started waking there friend's before they pulled there weapons from under canvas covers or hastily repurposed boxes.

Ross blinked his eye's a little more forcing the tug of sleep to quickly vanish as he watched the mist carefully, he could not see much nor the footstep's Moonlight mentioned. He slowly pulled the periscope down before he felt something tap his shoulder, he turned to find Moonlight hold her rifle for him to take. He nodded a little and took the rifle in his right hand before checking if it was loaded, then Ross stepped to the right and onto the firing step, sliding the rifle into the one of the parapet's gun slit as he did, he then settled there resting his head on the stock before looking out into the mist.

If Moonlight said she saw something he would not but her down for it specially at times like this. As Ross scanned the mist Moonlight moved to the Periscope again and she pushed it back up before she continued scanning the mist where she had seen the swirling mist had last been forming.

Suddenly there was a pop and Ross saw a person flash in and out of existence, immediately he aimed and fired with out thinking then cracked the action open, he was rewarded with the sound of shattering armorer along with ripping flesh and cracking bone. The Commando stood there, headless as a fountain of blood started shooting out from the stump of the neck. It then fell to the ground blood poring out and mixing with the gray of the No Mans Land.

Ross herd several pop's as a group of figures de-cloaked and raised rifles to point at his gun slit. "ALARM!!!" Ross bellowed and ducked down as the shout was echoed up and down the length of the trench as bell's where rattled to wake troops and call them to arms. Ross had seen the group of commandos for a split second before he ducked in the trench, but the largest one got his attention in the bad way yet he could have a guess as to what it was.

S.O.H.U and Guard members into the trench huddled into the wall as crystals shattered or thwacked into the mud around them. Ross handed the rifle back to Moonlight as he drew his revolver in his right hand and pulled the hammer back. "Aim for the big one!" Ross ordered as raised his his revolver and fired wildly over the top of the trench in a wide spread. There was a few wet booming sound's of fleshy detonations as he pulled his arm back down, a quick count of the number of incoming shot's revealed that the number of shooter's had decreased by one or two.

"Fire at will!" Ross ordered and pressed the cylinder release with his thumb then with a flick of his wrist swung the cylinder out before he slapped the ejector in, the brasses sinking into the mud or bouncing off his boot, Ross felt along his webbing's pocket's, he found a fresh speed loader in the pouch on his left hip and pressed it home.

Applejack and Crock Catcher fairing in unison blowing two holes through the chest of one commando killing him out right, that left two commandos and there large leader. Mac pressed into Ross's back and looked up at the lip of the trench as he was unable to fight without exposing himself to the fire. Ross's ear's picked up the sound of body's hitting the mud after several shots from S.O.H.U's rifles rang out but they where to light of impacts for the big one.

Ross felt the ground tremble as something of grate mass landed next to him, Ross felt Mac's weight vanish as he pulled from his back and herd Mac whinny as he was flung through the air past him and into his sister, Moonlight, Pin Prick as well as a few other guards pony's

Ross turned round and found the hulking armored figure, it armorer glistening like a mirror and it moved to swiftly and fluidly for something like that should move, Ross stood up and snapped the revolver's cylinder home then raised it and cowboy'd the revolver, pumping the six rounds into a tight pattern in the center of it's chest plate, each war head detonating within the armor and blasting chunks of the mirror like armor out and crating a small hole in the armor reveling the gray black of the armor under the polished surface. Then the Dead Mans click met his ear's as Ross started backing away as the metal monstrosity drew a long slender silver club, it's head arching with electricity.

Half of S.O.H.U fired into it's back with there rifles and a few of the normal guards pony's firing bolts as well but it ignored the blows all together. Ross started to back away as he threw the revolver onto the side of the trench and waved his hand to the pony's behind him to back away, he slowly gave up his ground even as every fiber of him wanting to stand his ground but tactical sensibility making him back down. This opponent would be to strong for him.

Ross slowly continued backing away his mind trying to work a tactic out, but before he could work anything out he felt wood bump into his back and realize he had backed into of one of the staggering's that prevented shrapnel from flying down the trench. The thing babbled at him and and took it's club in both it's hands and raised it above him, ready to knock him out him.

"Fire!" Moonlight shouted as a few S.O.H.U fired, there round's hitting the thing in the back of it's helmet and setting it off balance, it's club coming down, smashing through the board and into the mud beneath it, as it struck, the head arced with blue green lightning, next to Ross head. Ross then shoved his for arm's ageist it chest, a unnatural warmth passing through his coat's sleeves, and with a grunted, Ross pushed ageist the hulking figure with all his might and the club was forced out of its grip. Ross staggered and the weight suddenly pulled the Commando away, he the watched as the armorer's weight forced the large thing back more and more but it soon gained balance.

Ross got his idea. He ran at the Commander, it looked at him, its eight glowing eye's each beady and bright stared at him. The Commander curled it's fists and set one leg spindly leg forwards to spread it's vast weight as Ross charged at it, Ross fainted to the left coursing the thing to swing at him with it's left arm, He ducked as the blow swiped through the air where Ross head was with enough force to have ripped it clean off if the blow had connected, while the blow did miss it was still close enough that the back of Ross helmet flaking gray paint and sparks as the fist scraped along the back of his head. Ross used the commander's leg to run up the figure.

Ross grabbed the figures head and shattered some of the eye's as he wrapped his leg's round it's neck, his hands taking a furn hold on its head, shattering its reaming eye's as he turned his momentum and wight into to the force to pull the figure off balance and onto it's back.

That was the opening pony's needed and they descended on it with sword's, knives, bit's of wood and there bear hooves as the began to brutally stamp, stab and crush it beneath them. Ross scrambled from its shoulder's as it crashed down, he scrambled to his feet to join the pony's, grabbing a mattock that was stuck in the trench wall. Ross turned and swung it down with all his might into the things chest , chest armor weakened by Ross's pistol round's, cracked under the mattock's blows as several swords and crossbow bolts found opening's in the neck joint and thick black green liquid pored out as it flayed in the mud.

It finely stopped after fighting after five minutes of continues bludgeoning, stabbing and a shot's from rifles and crossbows, but it finely let a ear splinting shriek out, it was high pitched and wavering in and out of Ross's hearing range but the sound dropped Moonlight and a few bat pony's to there knee's, there eyes screwed shut with agony and they held there ear's ageist there head, many pulling there helmets off, press there ears in harder. After five seconds of this wavering scratch it fell still and there was a heavy silence except for the panting and gasping of the pony's and Ross as they looked at there enemy.

Ross hefted the mattock up before lodging it back in the wall of the trench, it's once razor sharp ax head now blunt and chipped as the thick green black blood flowed from it's head and dripped onto the wall board's and duck boards making the mud slicked floor even more slippery.

"I... slay m..meany a men and women ... and have...respect for the enemy b...but this thing was not human..." Ross looked around. "Get... me a pole." Ross drew his saber and looked down at the body. His breath's coming in gasp's as he took a firm grip on his saber's handle.

Pony's looked at the grisly spectral hanging over there trench, the severed head hanging from the end of the pole, it's blood slowly oozing down with gravity. Ross sat under it as he screwed the binoculars into his gas mask lenses before slipping onto the firing step then sat low in a gun slit looking at the Order trench. Ross sat there for several minutes and the mist started to dissipating in the warm air.

Suddenly there was a shouting of a sniper or sentry that had court sight of the new trophy. Suddenly there then a cacophony of shouting. "I think we pissed them off." Ross muttered as several people climbed from there trench and charged towards the Pony's trench bellowing threats and oaths towards them, there guns spitting disks through the air.

"Step up!" Ross called lazily and pony's clambered onto the fire step then took aim with there bow's or rifles. As the Order Troopers crossed the one hundred yard mark Ross gave a slight nod and Moonlight, who was stood behind him and walked down behind the Pony's. "Fire at Will!" Moonlight called then the pony's fired.

Twanging sound's filled the air as cross bow's where released, there bolts zipping through the air then slamming into the Order armor, most sticking into the armor, coursing no harm to the trooper's. But several slammed into joiners and one into the neck of one warrior. "Who ever took that shot! Well done!" Ross called and reserved no acknowledgement. He had to remind him self he was not with UEF OR Death Korp troops anymore.

Then the rifles bellowed and the Order Trooper's jerked violently as the thumb sized bullets struck as they forced there way through the strange ceramic alloy armorer. Ross watched them fall several laying and screaming in agony or in anger at there gods death, Ross could not tell witch. "Weapon." Ross said holding a hand out to reserve something, he felt something press into his palm then looked to find a Crossbow.

Ross took it and tucked the too short stock into his shoulder before lining the simple grove sight on the head of the farthest warrior, the then aimed high to allow for the mis-fit of the weapon as well as the possible drop of the bolt. He squeezed the trigger up into the stock and the bolt shot from the weapon, it sailed through the air then slammed into the mud a few feet short, its bright white fletching sticking out from the gray of the mud.

Ross grabbed the string then pulled it back into the catch as a guard held a bolt out for Ross witch he took before he slid it home, he took aim again and aimed a inch higher than he had the first shot. He fired and there was a crack as the bold slammed home through the thinly armored top of the warrior's helm the Trooper gurgled wetly and trembled violently, be fore seizing up and then falling limp.

There was more twangs and bolts where released and the screaming stopped. Pony's letting sighs out as they set there weapon's down. there nerves shot at the events of the the last twenty minutes. Then a gurgling court his attention, Ross looked at his right to see the pony who's Crossbow he borrowed was retching, Ross gave him a sharp slap in the back, the blow stinting his hand a little as the felt the troopers inside jolt, the pony threw up the green and orange foam and chunks in stark contrast to the gray of the Mud Ross knew what had made the pony throw up. Ross knew what was awaiting him outside his mask.The smell would be of burnt gun powder, the blood and the thick stagnant water smell of the mud. Ross knew it well, even though the filter of his mask he could smell it as a memory. He had endured the smell for god knows how long over his service.

Then there was the silence ,that he knew just as well, it was heavy in the air, but Ross knew it would get a lot heavier sooner then later. Ross put his hand on the back of the sick pony. "It will pass, just breath deeply. The smell in not the worst part." Ross then held the crossbow to the pony's chest and he felt the Crossbow been taken from him. With that Ross slid down from the firing step.

"Step! Down!" Moonlight bellowed and the pony's climbed down from the firing step. Then they moved back towards there seats, renaming just as silent as ever. Except for the odd retching and heaving from the pony's as the powder smoke settled in the trench to hover there, a thin blue smoke hovered there. S.O.H.U where among them, use to moving before they breathed it in, or a breeze moved the smell on.

Ross raised his hand up to his mask's binocular's and started unscrewing them with a slight soft squeaking, Ross put them in a pouch on his chest, the one on the binocular's pouch its right holding the night vision goggles. Ross then placed his hand in the small of his back as he looked up and down the trench before he turned to his right to look at the slightly green Moonlight, it was almost comical Ross thought.

"Ammo count for S.O.H.U please, Sargent Major." Moonlight, saluted sharply then moved off up the trench and Ross moved back towards the trooper who was the first to be sick. Ross walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder with his right hand. The Pony looked up at Ross, the little green ageist the white of his coat sticking out brightly. He nodded not wanting to brake the strange silence.

"I GO TO MY GOD'S AND FOREBEARS!!!" The shout shattered the silence like a bomb in a small box, Ross looked up to find a Order Trooper running at him, he was unarmed and unarmored, a simple white singlet and boots was all he wore for clothing. The thick mud covering him telling that he had crawled through the No Mans Land.

The trooper ran at Ross who could see the wires and the strange pouches that where wrapped round the man's chest, there was another wire running from his strange vest to his hand where a little box was. Ross's drew his revolver with his left hand with lightning speed as he tucked his other hand behind his back, his hand just above his waist before he fired. His revolver bucking up and he held if firm as it pointing up into the air as the propellant punched the round through the air. The round entered the man's chest just below his hart.

The war head detonated a split second after entering and the resulting blast killing the Suicider, there was a split second pause then there was a blue flash as the vest's pay load exploded in violent fashion. Ross stood firm as the shock wave blasted past him. The blast knocking some pony to the floor, others holding there eye's as they where blinded.

Ross blinked the whiteness away in a second, his cornea's healing them selves quickly to allow him to see again, Pony's moaned and rubbed there eye's more and more aggressively. Ross then lowered his Revolver and slipped it into his holster, musicale memory pressing the pop clasp shut then resting his hand on the saber handle.

"The Blindness will pass in a few minutes, if not report to the Medical officer on duty!"

Ross turned to the Pony to his right and found his face was missing, the vest having jettisoned plasma bomblets in all directions but most detonating in the vest when Ross's warhead went off, but the few that did hit something left telling mark's. Several boards in the trench wall where on fire or smoldering, pony's threw mud onto the flames, smothering them out. Ross looked at the pony, his skull was cracked, chard deep black, the flesh around the hole was bubbling and steaming, he could here the fain pops as the bubbles bursting, spraying scolding blood as they did, then there was the helmet, it had run molten, the metal now fused to the fur and skin. Ross turned from the sight with out comment or change of mood. "Stretcher! Remove the body!" Ross ordered and walked down the trench.

Ross only took five steps before all hell broke louse, Order field peaces bellowed, healing there shell's into the air and down onto the Pony trenches. There heavy machine gun's, if they where even machine gun's, chattered as large disk's sliced through the air and into the mud all around the trench. Ross barely acknowledged the new sound as he continued to stride down the trench.

Pony's in the City stopped and looked round as the whistle of incoming, filled the air, then they saw the chunks of dirt that the larger round' flung high enough into the air to see over the wall. The citizens of Canterlot stopped to watch this display, this being the first major artillery strike, and largest, they had seen.

While the Canterlot Elite stopped to gorp, the Refugees, stat there in silence staring off into the distance, there minds filled with dark thoughts of there home towns and villages. Foals as well as older kid's cried, mothers comforted then while they cried them selfies then farther's and husbands comforted mother's and Wife's if they where there at all, while they too let silent tears fall.

They had ran from Death, now it was pounding at the door.

All that stood before it was a thin... brown...line.

Hours passed, the rain returned to fell like the shell's of the Order guns. The artillery was uncoordinated, inaccurate and not following any pattern of bombardment, it was fired in anger at them, there gun crews's filled with a unquenchable anger. They wanted to get as meany shells on top of him as possible, to try and do something but not caring to there inaccuracy. Pony's sat huddled together trying to stop shivering in the cold water meany sporting there issued poncho's, while the few officers in the trench paraded around in there clean and dry armor, the rain stopping about two foot above them and the mud dissolving from the armorer, a spell responsible for both of effects.

Pony's eyed there officer's and muttered curses under there breath and the tried huddling closer together.
Ross eyed one officer through his mask, the officer court sight of his eyes somehow, he turned to challenge Ross. Ross slowly turned his head to look at him, "Apologe Major." Ross muttered and the officer gave a curt nod before he walked on, Ross watched as he marched on splashing mud onto several troops . Ross settled again atop his box.

The rain hammered down round him and off his helmet, the soft "tink tink tink" reverberating around his helmet. His trusted coat letting the water run off in small stream's and to the floor where it joined the small ponds that had formed in that part of the trench. Then there was the shriek and explosion's of the artillery. Ross had no concern for them.

"Ross. S.O.H.U have forty five rounds a pony that's nine hundred round all together, Mac has three boxed of five hundred." Moonlight said as she came up the trench to his right and looked at Ross and he nodded. "Thank you Moonlight, get who you can out. I'll remain till the bomb bombardment it ove-COVER!!!" Ross turned his head as he bellowed, a particularly high pitch whistle met his ear's and there was a splash down that was accompanied with splintering wood as several large wood bards where flung into the air from the splash down and into the mud around the trench, Ross felt several large splinters mixed with mud bounce off him. "Dam..." Ross muttered as he took hold of one of the large lump of wood and threw it over his head and into the mud. "...that was the access trench... we are all staying till dark. Don't was to risk it." Ross said looking at Moonlight. He noticed the three bars on her armor's collier denoting her rank of Sargent when it should be four stripes with the royal crest on top of the stripes. "Not had your rank put on your armor?" He queried her and she shrugged her shoulder's. "Did not seem retentive in the present circumstances." Ross conceded the point with a nod. "Ta Moonlight." Ross pulled a small metal flash from his pocket,and offered it to her, "Whisky." She took it and raised it to her lips and took a swig. "Thank's... better go see to the Troops." Moonlight handed the flash back and walked off her wings rustling as she went.

Ross turned to look at the wall he was facing as he closed his eye's, he sat there and listen to the world. He sat listening like that for a few minutes, listening the the distant gun and counting how long it took there payload to hit this side, it was the same every time. Five seconds from booming retort to fiery impact.

Time slowly past and Ross kept counting the time of the shots till he herd the number of guns reduce, then slowly stop. He presumed control had finely been asserted once again, possibly the officer's bellowed them selfless hoarse and just as likely to no avail. Ross speculated in all likely hood one of the Order's mystic Battle Priest had come to preach loudly at the gun crews till they finely settled down.

Ross gave this thought little note and continued to sit there with his eyes closed listening to the sounds of earth settling from the bombardment, his ear's then picked up a sneeze to his left, Ross opened his left eye and turned his head slightly in its direction. He find Applejack sat on the ground a few feet from him, her rump partly submerged as she sat on the duck boards, the few empty spaced on the firing step or resting step no better then the floor. Ross then realized her poncho shredded ether from bad packing or during some other event, he could see her armor and orange fur showing through the holes, it also revealed she was shivering a lot more than any of the other's.

Ross sighed and unfolded his arm's to expose the mask's filterers, he reached up to his webbing's chest straps and unbuckled them before hanging them on the side of his box where a nail was sticking out of it, this was followed by his masks filter and the mask, Ross unbuckled his holster belt before he pulled it off, setting the holster and scabbard on the box next to him on the box than he started undoing the ten button's on his coat front and as he unbuttoned the last one he quickly pulled his coat off and over himself.

Ross gave a sharp whistle and Applejack looked at him. Ross jerked his head signaling her to come to him, as she did Ross put his holster belt to one side and patted the side of his box she nodded and hoped up pulling her poncho off as she huddled under the make shift tent with Ross.

Applejack looked up at Ross and she felt how warm he was yet. She could not help but huddle right up to him, her damp fur and cool armor separating them. She put her front legs round his arm and rested her head on his shoulder, she liked this.

"I'm shearing shelter. Not a invitation to cuddle up like that." Ross said sternly and Applejack took her arms from around his arm. "S...sorry Sir... Ya'll where just warm is all." she said honestly and took her for legs from his arm and took her head from his shoulder. Ross turned his head to look up the trench and they sat there.

Hours later the rain finely let up and Ross pulled his coat back a little as he looked at the sky seeing that the sun was past its high point and half way to setting. Ross then pulled his coat down himself and slid his arms back down the sleeves before pulling the holster belt open and fastening it again. "You can go now." Ross said as he pulled his mask scrubbers onto his chest and did the buckles on the leather harness. Applejack gave a nod and salute as she got off Ross's box and walked towards where she had last seen her brother. Ross stopped as he started pulling on his webbing, He had no idea how much ammo he had left for himself.

Ross was sat atop his box, a crate lid across his lap as a table as he sat there counting his revolver rounds while adding them into speed loader's that where empty, he now knew he was running low on the combat rounds and the minerals to produce them where not with in the small amount he had extracted from the mountain.

As Ross set the last speed loader down he looked at his reserves. He had fifty explosive war headed rounds, twenty five Executioner rounds, sixty three Magnum shotgun round's, twelve solid slugs and a dozen odds and sods ranging from target rounds to normal magnum rounds even a low velocity flare round for his shotgun. Ross's eye's then looked at the lead lined case that held six rounds of terrible power, he would not use them with out sanction from the Princesses or The Lord of the Forge himself.

Ross picked the box up and looked at the wax seal on the lid sealing it closed, Ross looked at it and the o so familiar seal of the Krige Korps was on it Ross lifted the box so it was level wit his eye's and looked over the seal.

The Double headed Steel Eagle sat there regale and proud, it represented there army's pride and discipline as well as the stratocracy society of his home world, the only world to survive for so long under such leader ship. Below the Eagle held in its talons was a skull representing there military duty and sacrifice, there and his willingness to die was in the understanding of the need for sacrifice to ensure the UEF and Humanity could survive all odd's.

Ross then place the rounds into his webbing and pockets, his mind turning outcomes around in his head. After Ross placed the last speed loader into a belt pouch with one hand he set the box lid down and looked out at the lights of the city from the trench. The lights glinting and flickering over the top of the wall , Hell Hammers silhouetted by the slight light pollution of the city. Ross raised his eye's to the void of the sky, the sun was just below the horizon, the moon slowly peaking up making the sky a deep purple as Ross looked up into the infinite void his mind wandering from the situation to deep thoughts. "Can I save this world? Would he be the only solder of the UEF on this world?" With a sigh Ross lowered his head, the mud wall opposite him confirming he was back to reality.

Ross patted his pouches as he remember in his ammo issue, Ross sat there, then looked at his swords handle his hand moving to it and griping the oddly plastic like leather that spiraled around the grip like the tape on a bat. "Well... some times the old ways are the best ways." Ross thought as he took his hand from the handle and noted the cool nip of the night started to set and the darkness of the night starting to ink the sky. There was no beard song, he noted, not like after he first walked in the city

Ross's enhanced hearing picked up a soft squelch coursing Ross to jerk his head up, then there was a soft wet scraping ,a tell tail sound of something or one slipping on the mud and trying to muffle it, he could tell it was on the far side of No Mans Land, "Would it be worth raising the alarm?" Ross though then decided not to, in case it bough a full assault on. Ross looked at Moonlight who was sat opposite and she slowly nodded at him, "Heard it to."

Ross pulled his mask on and took a beep breath, the reassuring and familiarly dry air was calming and familiar. Moonlight watched Ross as he pulled his gloves on before he grabbed a hand full of browny gray mud, he then started smearing it on his helmet, turning the gray colore to the browny gray of the wasteland. As Moonlight watched Ross started slapping and rubbing more mud onto his already coated uniform.

Soon Ross stopped before he started shacking the mud from his hands before he looked at the wall of the trench, Ross the slipped his helmet on with his left hand while the right one moved to take a firm grip on the handle of his survival knife. He slowly pulled the blade out then pressed the blade into the wall, dulling the polished blade to stop it from shinning in the low sun. Ross then pulled his night vision goggles out of there webbing pouch and pressed them into his mask's lenses. Ross then slowly slipped over the trench para pit. Moonlight watching him go.

Time ticked pass and Moonlight started feeling more and more nervous, Ross's presence was a oddly calm influence to her, was it his silence in all this ore how he was acting so calm

Moonlight looked through the periscope her natural night vision picking out the detailed of the wasteland around her. She could not see Ross or what he was hunting. She sat back on her small seat and pulled her Rifle into her hoof's ready to bring to bear. She sat there listening to the soft whisper of wind. Was that a blade entering something? A muffled shout? she then shook her head, Wind. Just, Wind.

Moonlight let her ear's scan back and fourth, her eyes watching the lip of the trench an like her ear's scanned back and fourth just as the sun set

The white of the moon started appearing over the horizon as the dark gray brown figure slipped over the lip of the trench. Moonlight looked at Ross as he slid down the wall of the Trench, his uniform still crusted with mud. "What did you go out there for? " Ross looked at Moonlight through his mask. "I was scouting for probe's and sappers' the'll be wanting in soon so the officers will be wanting us checked out..." Ross held up his survival knife, Moonlights eye's could see the thick red blood glinted in the late evening sun. "...That's twelve reports there not going to get." Ross said wiping the blade on a rag hanging from a nail. "Here, souvenir." Ross muttered passing her a yellowish skull. "Human. Possible from one of the commando's I saved you from when I got here." Ross muttered as he un-clipped his helmet from his mask,then pulled it off. Ross then returned to sitting on his box.

Ross looked up at the moon and then at his watch, "21:26:38" With that Ross gave Moonlight who was sat next to him a rap on her helmet. "Five minutes till we are rotated out. But I want us on stand by." he said as he looked up and down the trench as as he slid, from his box while stretched his slightly stiff leg's. "Oofh...bugger!" Ross muttered as the stiffness vanished in a rush of feeling.

Moonlight nodded to Ross as he stretched then she moved off to gather the members of Ross's command to ready up and prepare for retreat down the access trench leading to the secondary trench then crawl along the completely destroyed and filled in access trench to the city.

Five minutes later Ross stood and nodded to the new officer of the watch. "Why no salute?" The Officer asked as a line of bat pony's passed Ross command, he then waved the muddy troops to pass with a nod at Moonlight who nodded back, the bags under her eyes starting to form . "There are sniper's watching us. I think they want me alive but I suspect they will kill you if you reveal superior ranks. So no salutes or ranks names only." Ross explained knowing there was a good chance a sniper was scanning the air right above the lip of the trench where he was standing. Ross then looked at the lip of the trench before he patted the officer on the shoulder, "Good Night. And don't stick your head up."