They would die for this. Damn the dirty pirates!

This time he would be in time to exact revenge. This time he wouldn't be too late. Not like twenty years earlier when he watched his dying parents vanish into the darkness surrounding the mining station he would never again call home. That was the real reason for him joining the military. Somewhere deep inside he knew he'd abandoned the professionalism he used to share with his old lieutenant, but what he had seen, what they had all seen...

"Cease fire!" Heinrich Goldberger called and searched the waters with a satisfied smile.

Broken pieces of wood floated on the waves as far as he could see, some of them still burning. Now that was one hell of a good ambush. The sailors apparently never expected anyone from land to be able to reach them with weapons. Well, they were proved wrong. The fifth time now. It was almost like target practice, but he didn't mind. He drew in a deep breath and allowed the smell of seawater to fill his lungs before he turned to his men.

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"Move it! We've got work to do further south."

"Major, we shouldn't... well you know... get any more involved." The young subaltern looked uncomfortable. He even managed to cringe in his exoskeleton body walker.

Ah, damn. Their own little self appointed lawyer again.

"You saw what those bastards did to that village, didn't you?"

"Yes, but we have orders."

"Ah! That's right. Orders, yes! I'll check with HQ if I've misinterpreted my orders." Heinrich dramatically patted the side of his helmet where a com unit had once been. "Ooh, look, no ears! Sorry, can't verify. Guess we have to stick with my way of reading our orders then. Now move out you lazy little pigs! I want more burning ships by nightfall."