Lone Star

"Manley, call for a pickup for Blue two crew, Leffler, head for base," Karen told her crew.

The tank slowly crept ahead, gaining speed slowly. Leffler turned north heading back to base.

"Manley, full scans, I don't want any surprises with people on top of us."

"Roger."

* * Charlie Squad * *

Osterhouse and his squad exited the cave just as the explosion south of them brightened the sky. Propping himself up on his elbows, he looked long and hard to the south. There was a rising column of smoke but nothing else.

"Gear up, we're on the move back to base," Osterhouse told his men.

Once they all had their packs and weapon stowed, they started out to the east in a single file. Up one dune, down the next, they were in a never-ending sea of tan sand.

"We're being scanned," yelled Mickelowski.

"Cover, cover, cover," yelled Osterhouse. "Where from?"

"Due south, five hundred meters and coming toward us fast," said Mickelowski.

All the men turned to their right and climbed the dune there. As Osterhouse looked out over the flat ahead, he spied one of the tanks that had been after him and his men. The tank had three people riding on the outside. They were going to pass within two hundred meters of their position. Osterhouse was all for letting them pass untouched. Even with sixteen men, a tank was a hard nut to crack.

Osterhouse waved his men back down the dune.

"We wait," he told them. "Everyone keep down and keep quiet."

Sixteen men lay on the side of a dune, waiting and watching.

* * Lone Star Tanks * *

"Contacts, sixteen, five hundred meters to the north-northeast," Manley called out.

"Steady on course. It looks like they found another way out," Karen said. "Ignore them. We have three buddies up top with no protection or weapons."

The tank kept on to the south. On her screen, Karen saw the sixteen blips. She saw that they would pass them some two hundred meters to the west. Close enough for her main gun and tri-barrel but too far for the weapons of the squad they had been chasing all day. She was tired and dirty and didn't really want to kill any more people today.

The two tanks and this squad had kept each other busy the whole day, so she decided to let everyone go home.

"Leffler, steady on course, let's go home."

"Roger."

* * Charlie Squad * *

Osterhouse watched as the tank sped on by. He knew they had been seen. He knew they were sitting ducks. He knew the tank could have picked them off one by one. He knew he should be dead. He wasn't. And for that, he was thankful. When this was all over, he would have to find that tank commander and buy him a drink.

"Let's go home men," Osterhouse told his squad.

They all rose and started the long march to their base.