— 27 —
A cyan bolt tore from Bull's tank as he kicked the pedal, sundering the turret of an enemy tank. The enemy tank caught fire from the shot and exploded when the blaze reached its ammunition. Beside him the rest of his platoon poured cold, calculated, withering fire that tore the top off the mountain. Bolt after cyan bolt touched the mountain and rendered it to atoms.
It was a short, sharp engagement, much as Bull had expected. As soon as he started traversing the turret in search of another target, he realized that all the targets were either destroyed or had pulled back.
"Cease fire!" He called over the radio. "Report."
"Tango Alpha, no casualties," Lieutenant Dyer replied calmly.
"India Alpha, we're still combat ready," Lieutenant Peyton informed him.
"Lost a couple of men, but we can still fight," the leader of India Bravo reported.
"This is India, ready to move." Pete Smyth replied. Bull grinned. With Smyth it was always "Ready to move." It had been a joke between them, a bitter joke that had started one day several weeks ago when Smyth's strength was down to ten men and Bull had only two tanks. Bull had asked him if he felt they should withdraw to get more men and equipment, and Smyth had replied, "Ready to move."
The hill smoldered, and a dust cloud hung over it in testimony to the might of the powerguns. Any nearby enemy would know that something was happening, that someone was coming.
They were ready to move. Bull considered the roads ahead. They could alter course and head up toward Heatherlake, a large city and an excellent spot to be ambushed by well-protected infantry. Bull decided against that in an instant.
Keep track of the Slammers' casualties on the chart on page xiv.
Put a pencil check in the box for each unit that was destroyed in the battle, and turn to section 45.