Pasted

As Avery rolled to his feet and pulled a fresh M7 magazine from his vest, he saw another of the gray-skinned aliens striding toward his position. This one looked different than the others. Beneath its
harness it wore an orange tunic, emblazoned with a yellow, circular symbol. The plasma pistol clenched in its knobby hands glowed with an overcharged bolt. Avery looked the thing square in the fa-
ce, knowing it had him dead-to-rights. But the alien seemed to be looking past him. And when it loosed its bolt, the wavering ball of green plasma sizzled wide of Avery's head.
 Avery whipped around to follow the shot and saw it strike the gold-armored alien in the chest. Instantly, its energy shields collapsed with a loud snap. Some of its armor broke away in a burst of
sparks and steam. The alien roared as electricity from its armor's shorted circuits arced about its neck and arms. Then it sprinted forward, knocking Avery aside. The Staff Sergeant lost his M7 as he landed on his hands. Looking up, he saw the hammer-wielding alien bring its weapon down onto the head of the alien in the tunic. 
 The shorter creature simply disappeared under the weight of the heavy stone cudgel—perished
in a crushing blow that saw the hammer's head straight down bet- ween its arms and legs, pulping it against the walkway. Avery didn't waste any time wondering why the smaller alien had tried to kill its leader and not him. Instead, he raised his M7
and did his best to finish the job. And he might have done it if the black haired giant hadn't retreated, dragging its hammer behind it, into an unexpected melee between the insects and the gray-skinned aliens near the control center.-Chpt.22