No matter what, however, tank cannon is a really a wicked thing. A robot can’t survive a direct hit, and it just obliterates. Only seven of my ten robots were left, and two needed repairs. They stumbled: their scanning and navigating systems were damaged. Again I said a mental ‘Thank you’ to the development engineers for their great work. As soon as my robots were united in one battle network the damaged ones were given targets by their serviceable neighbors.

Soon, we realized that these adventures were just a prelude, a kind of delicacy to whet the appetite before the main course that the toads were going to serve without any delay. The toads waited until the main bulk of their troops had landed and then launched the operation. They hit us from where we didn’t expect it.

Terrestrial batteries with anti-orbital cannons were always considered to be desperate weaponry, a kind of last trump card to stop attacks on troops and infrastructure from enemy ships hovering over a planet. But this time the toads demonstrated that quantity can morph into quality.

From under the surface bluster cannons appeared, mushrooming like after the rain. Well camouflaged, they previously went undetected. Hundreds of lightning strikes darted into the sky, annihilating ten troop carriers that were starting their final approach using corridors considered to be secure. Our orbital group was completely shocked, and orbital support suffered a major setback. Atmospheric planes had to stop their flights. When our battleships, with their long-range cannons, moved closer in order to neutralize the terrestrial batteries the toads counterattacked. Everyone was really shocked and depressed.

But I had asked to be here for this very moment, and it was time to do my job. I indicated the motion vector to my tiny roaches and we briskly ran to the nearest enemy battery that had just appeared out of the ground.

Quickly it became clear that I had overplayed my hand. The toads today were throwing out unpleasant surprises, one after another. As soon as the anti-orbital cannons arrived they sent out a swarm of atmospheric destroyers and attack planes. Until that moment the toads spared these swift but vulnerable machines, trying hard to shield them from orbital attack, but now it was time to use them.

The battle quickly fell into separate sectors where isolated ground units tried to fight off the air forces pressing down hard. In some places it worked pretty well, but there were too many in the sky. My assault robots started to run low on ammo. Plasma guns – that’s good, but to obliterate an enemy by a guided missile is much more pleasant: the distance is greater and target accuracy is better. Only a few missiles were left, however. Two previously damaged robots were finished off rather quickly, and only five remained.

As it turned out, my small problems were nothing in comparison with what was happening in space. Almost simultaneously with the toads’ attack on the planet, their ships started to appear out of hyper-jump. First, there were just a few, the fastest ones, but before long their number was equal to that of the Empire’s ships. By and large, those higher up in headquarters quickly became aware of the kind of cesspool our invasion fleet had fallen into.

A counteroffensive could well result in a catastrophe. The Admiralty didn’t want to push the situation to the point where it would be an irreversible clusterfuck, and so the order was given for an urgent evacuation and to leave the system.

Despite all this, I wasn’t going to evacuate. For me, this was almost a perfect situation. I’d be most useful by covering the evacuating troops; that’s what I was going to do. I altered the task for my robots and started to move them to the landing point while shooting our way out and taking cover behind the smoldering remains of equipment.

The orbital force continued to hold. In just the last hour our ships in orbit considerably reduced the number of enemy terrestrial batteries that had harassed them so much, and now cannon fire from the cruisers and battleships pounded the wave of armored vehicles rolling toward the ring closing around the commandos. A continuous stream of carriers landed on the cleared ground behind the troops. People quickly embarked and loaded the most valuable equipment and headed back to orbit where they started to accelerate for a hyper-jump out of the Delta Kirsani system.

New robots were added to my platoon. When a considerably battered assault company was evacuated, only the pilots and their command modules were taken into the carrier. Their robots were handed over to me. There were only seven, but now I had more robots than before. I wouldn’t say that these new ones were equal to those I’d lost. The previous generation of robots was far inferior to the latest developments, but I had no reason to complain. I had gotten a generous refill of ammo because they didn’t need to take it with them to orbit.

Still, the toads didn’t let our commandos quit the system quietly. They regrouped their ships within the system and tried to intercept the carriers accelerating for hyper-jump. Our ships naturally rushed to defend them. A battle ensued, and soon all the big ships in the system were involved. Therefore, the remaining troops on the surface couldn’t rely anymore on support from orbit.

We felt the impact immediately. The insolent atmospheric planes pushed forward raining missiles down on us, as plasma poured from cannons. Enemy tanks started a new attack, pushing aside the debris of equipment knocked out of action. Few of us remained since the main body of troops had been evacuated. As the senior officer among those on the surface, I ordered to abandon the equipment and make a run to orbit in my Cuirassier that stood on the edge of the landing site.

They tried to make me fly with them, but I repeated with a certain pleasure some colorful figures of speech used by a sergeant at the military school where I was a cadet. All the subordinates evidently had a similar experience, so they obeyed, jumping into the Cuirassier, and with an enviable swiftness rushed into the sky.

The equipment was not just left behind but was hooked up to my command module. Thanks again to the engineers, my module was able to control this motley crew, although at first I doubted it. I now commanded almost a battalion comprised of 50 assault robots, a couple of heavy assault tanks, two launchers of short range missiles and even three armed unmanned atmospheric planes.

The toads immediately took an interest in the Cuirassier’s take-off and were about to shoot, but I didn’t let them. My motley crew made a frontal attack, imitating a breakthrough of the defensive ring. I told half of my robots to shoot down the missiles launched at the Cuirassier, and the rest they destroyed at point of launch.

My attack fizzled out almost at once, however, as was expected. After all, we were greatly outnumbered. In just 90 seconds both of my assault tanks were burning with smoky fire, only one-third of the assault robots remained. The launching racks were now a useless heap of junk since no one was left to reload and the ammo was gone. Atmospheric planes were shot down while covering the transport ships. Still, I bought the Cuirassier 90 seconds; they had a chance.

Generally speaking, I should have been dead by now. I was still alive, but I had no idea what to do next. I completed my mission but I couldn’t be evacuated. I could go on fighting, of course, but there was no point.

I continued to direct my robots while trying to find a solution. My thoughts were interrupted by a call. We had agreed with General Clay that there would be no farewells and no ritual verbiage, hence I was caught off guard by this call. Since it was the top brass, I had to respond.

“This is Brigadier General Dean, you have my full attention,” reverberated the words in an official tone in my helmet telecom system.

“Stop this fucking circus, Dean. Why the hell didn’t you answer my call? Get out of there. Now!” General Clay used approximately the same words that I’d used some ten minutes prior to convince my subordinates to board the Cuirassier.

“Well, Clay,” I responded tiredly, ignoring protocol. “We agreed upon everything.”

“Brigadier General, when was the last time you were in solitary?! Have you forgotten how to address a senior officer?” screamed Clay, which was unusual for him, changing the subject right away. “There’s a message from headquarters. Doctors demand you return, we need you intact. They’ve found a solution, and not only for you, but for all of us, for the whole Empire. And it’s all to do with you. Exclusively! You understand? What’s with your theater show?! Turn the beacon on immediately and stop trying to be a hero!”

“I have no way out. I’m completely encircled, and the toads are finishing off my robots. There’s only 10 left. Fuck…” my module’s force field was hit from above and was thrown about, but wasn’t severely damaged.

“What happened?”

“Nothing serious, yet. Some operational issues. I turned the beacon on.”

“I see. Wait. And don’t you dare die. You’ve got it, General?”

“Yes, Sir. My mission is not to die. Do I have permission to carry it out?”

“Once you reach my ship, I’ll show you!”

I didn’t listen. Behind the thin chain of my robots was a small relatively vacant patch of space in front of a heap of burnt iron debris. That’s to where we were slowly moving back, snapping shots at the toads’ most impudent flyers and terrestrial drones. Good thing they had run out of heavy tanks, otherwise I’d quickly been screwed. There was no good news in my situation.

The medium-range scanner buzzed, and 19 small high-speed air targets appeared on the screen. That was a missile salvo. How fortunate that there was almost nothing left to deal with them. Just guns. I had run out of guided missiles seven minutes ago, and I directed my module to the enormous pile of burnt heavy machinery.

On top of this heap of wreckage our heavy tank stood with its hull side split open and the turret smashed. Hiding behind it, I sent my robots to the opposite side where they began to shoot at the approaching missiles. The toads became quiet, and didn’t want to get hit by their own missiles. My robots performed very well and managed to shoot down nine missiles… Then an explosion!

The tank behind me, where I was hiding, was knocked over by a shock wave, but I managed to get out of the way. As I’d hoped the incoming missiles were aimed at targets that were actively fighting back.

“General, do you hear me?”

“Yes, Dean, I hear you well.”

“I’m alone now, the robots have been blown to bits.”

Before Clay could answer, a toad drone appeared, jumping on the tank that was on its side. We fired almost simultaneously at each other, the enemy was blown away from the tank and disappeared behind a heap of debris. My module’s force shield repelled the intense plasma strike, but the generator burnt out from overload and only my armor could protect my vulnerable module.

“Lie down!” I heard the general shouting in my helmet’s headphones.

I fulfilled the order without thinking, and I did so right in time. The area around me became a fiery inferno. The main battleship’s cannons ain't no aircraft gun. I’ve already seen something like that… The air above me was filled with howling pieces of armor flying in all directions, as well as pieces of concrete and various debris. You don’t want to get caught in the way of these projectiles. Heavy blows banged the module’s armor, but lucky for me the shards couldn’t pierce it.

When the dust settled I saw an approaching corvette. Usually, space warships don’t enter the atmosphere, but this was clearly a very special case. The battleship above continued shooting while taking on fire from 800 meters away. Clearly there were no worthy targets left in my vicinity. I didn’t wait for an invitation and rushed to the corvette as fast as I could. My module tumbled into the ship’s hold while general Clay urged me on, hollering with such great skill that even the legendary sergeant from military school would have been envious.