Battle Earth IX Read Online Free PDF Page B

Well that's a big fucking help. A burst in the torso from a Reitech rifle did nothing; we need to know something, as this is gonna be a big ass problem."
    Jafar raised his rifle and fired a point blank shot into the creature's sternum, and then knelt down to look at the impact. His fingers passed over the surface.
    "The bullet has impacted and stopped."
    "These are high AP rounds, how can that be? Must be some new tech."
    "Is it such a surprise that the enemy would improve over time its weapons and equipment, just as we have?"
    Taylor shrugged his shoulders. It made sense, but he still didn't like hearing it.
    "How about the other Mechs out there? Same?"
    "It took many shots to take them down."
    "Casualties?"
    "A few."
    Taylor stepped back out through the hole he had been thrown to hear the sound of war was now all around. Explosions and volleys of gunfire were especially frequent towards the south wall, and pulses continued to smash their positions from the enemy ships above, providing brutal ground support. One of the German sailors lay dead, and a marine was wounded, as well as one of their own being patched up. They looked to him for something.
    "They've up armoured, up gunned, and upped their game. If we want to win this war, we're gonna have to do the same, just as we always have. But right now, we have to survive."
    As he said it, a pulse struck the ground only a metre from him, and he looked up at more Mechs descending from the sky.
    "Incoming!" he yelled.
    They all scattered for cover, and Taylor leapt partially into the hole he had been thrown in before. He took aim and fired several shots into one of the Mechs, killing it instantly. But as he took aim at his next target, he noticed the new armour pattern once again. He fired several shots, but none seemed to penetrate.
    "Goddamn it!" he muttered to himself.
    As the creature landed, he took aim at its head, firing a three-shot burst, but two were deflected from the sloped and pointed faceplate while the third seemed to embed but not go through. He let his rifle drop to his side, drew out his Assegai, and rushed at the alien; his shield held forward and tilted back to try and deflect energy. He felt a pulse strike it and saw the light particles burst past either side of his shield. A second later he barrelled into the Mech soldier, and it felt good to be the one dealing out some punishment.
    The impact was enough to knock the Mech back a few paces, but it quickly got its footing and ground to a halt. Taylor could feel the mass of the creature because he would have been able to throw a normal Mech over with such a ferocious charge. He hooked a thrust around the edge of his Assegai and felt it meet the creature’s armour, though he could not see where.
    Without warning, a thunderous strike smashed into his shield. Taylor felt it break in the centre, and he heard a crunch and felt his left arm go numb; the numbness and tingling sensation was immediately followed by pain surging up through his arm, and he felt it droop. His arm was broken, for sure, but he could not pause to check it. He looked back, and the Mech was swinging its weapon like a huge club at his head. He ducked under the strike and drove his Assegai up into its torso, stabbing again and again until the Mech began to slump.
    The creature was collapsing down towards him, and he spun around just in time to avoid being crushed beneath its corpse. He immediately cupped his injured arm with the other and retreated back against a wall. He saw Jafar snap one of the Mech's arms, the armour plating tearing apart, and he drove an Assegai through the open plate.
    The air was thick with the smell of sweat, blood, and scorched flesh. It was what Taylor hated worst about war, the acrid smell and taste of it. Parker rushed to his side, and he could see the concern in her face.
    "You all right?"
    He nodded.
    "No really, Mitch, don't bullshit me!"
    "I'm fine. Left arm is fucked, but I'm fine."
    She looked down at the joint