The first burst dug into the ash around the pursuing troops, and they reacted predictably, diving for cover as best they could even as the second burst kicked up more ash and dirt. Steph fired a third burst before Milla signaled him.

“I am behind cover.”

He dropped back, leaning against the boulder. “Good. Now, listen carefully . . . Put your weapon into burst mode . . .”

“Done.”

“Okay, now set up, pick a grouping of the enemy troops . . . away from my position,” Steph said. “That part is really important, okay?”

“I normally handle shipboard weapon batteries, Stephan,” she told him dryly. “I believe that I am familiar with the concept of minimizing collateral damage.”

“Ah . . . right. Okay, fire when you’re ready, and don’t stop until I get to cover,” he said.

“Roger, as your people like to say.”

Steph tensed to run as the first burst roared through the thin atmosphere.

►►►

► Moro Kav, the troop commander on the ground, huffed as he pushed dust and ash out of his faceplate and risked looking up from where he’d dived into the dirt.

“Burn them down!” he bellowed, leveling his pulse gun ahead of him and firing as best he could, half-buried in volcanic ash.

His squad responded, slowly at first, but in a few seconds the terrain was lit up with trace from the pulse discharges, most of which were not just missing wide but far wide as fire from their targets continued to slap into the ash around them. Moro caught a glimpse of a figure running all out, but before he could do much more, the target dived behind a large boulder and was out of sight.

“Get to cover!” he ordered his troops, crawling through the shin-deep ash toward the rocky terrain concealing their targets.

He knew that he had to get his men under cover before they could effectively start countering the target’s strategy. The line of rock ahead of them should serve his needs, he figured, but there was no doubt in Moro’s mind that this mission had just gotten dirty and was going to stay that way.

►►►

► A withdrawal under fire was, perhaps, one of the most difficult tactical maneuvers to execute correctly, largely because even if you did it right, the risk was extremely high that you still weren’t going to nail it. That was the problem with the enemy: sometimes they didn’t cooperate by doing what you expected of them. Bastards just live to make life hard on you, don’t you know?

So Steph was mildly surprised, yet quite pleased, not to have been boiled to a goopy smear on the rock by a stray laser as he slid around a boulder and into cover. He rolled over, got his rifle out ahead of him, and settled the stock onto his shoulder while calling Milla on the comm.

“Alright, your turn. Wait for me to open fire, then run like all hell is chasing you.”