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location from visual and thermal detection.
    His M3A3 tanks were not a match for a spider-mech in a one on one fight even though they had been upgraded to the new 130 mm smoothbore guns.  Even their bulky ablative armour add-ons would only take a single hit from the alien beam cannon.  The extreme engagement range for the 130 mm gun was about 2500 metres, but he knew the chance of getting a kill on a Black Widow spider-mech were non-existent at that range.  They had to get the range down to 1500 metres to get good kills.  On the other hand, the alien beam cannon could kill a tank at 2000 metres with a far longer extreme engagement range that could even engage aircraft.
    Ericson wasn’t in the best defensive position, but it would do as the flanking copses of woods and gullies would work for him.  At the same time, it wasn’t a likely ambush position, and he was banking the aliens wouldn’t think so either.  The tanks were going to be the hammer for the attack, but he would need to guarantee the spider-mechs would enter the anvil. To bait the spider-mechs in he would use one of his two platoons of robot combat walkers.  When the tanks engaged the aliens they would be the opening hammer.  The other walker platoon, concealed in the northerly copse of woods, would to hit the Newts from the side.  From the southern side, a platoon of battlesuit infantry would strike at the same time to complete the ambush . 
    The plan looked great, he just hoped it would survive contact with the enemy.  Originally, X-14’s long range coil-gun was supposed to begin the engagement, but things hadn’t worked out.  Still, it was good news that X-14 had knocked out two spider-mechs as there were two less to worry about.  He knew X-14 was coming in, but he also knew it wouldn’t  make it for the opening of the battle in time.  Its primary weapons would have been a great asset.  As it was, the battle ahead was going to be bloody.
    Specialist Sam Winston called up to Ericson at his commander’s position from his gunner’s seat.  “Think the plan’s gonna work?” 
    Ericson looked down at Sam.  “I think we got a good chance,” but Sam could tell he was putting the best spin on it.  After all the LT couldn’t be a defeatist or it would be game over already.
    “We’ll get ‘em.  I’m going to put a sabot round up their butt ,” Sam replied with bravado. “They must have butts, right?”
    Ericson, gave a slight laugh at the half-hearted humour.  He pulled out a rumpled picture of his wife and his two daughters from his pocket.  I’ll be back to see you, he promised himself.
     
    ***
     
    The Blue Newts had sent a trio of moth-like reconnaissance drones ahead of their advance to observe for enemy activity.  As the drones approached they managed to see a half dozen combat walkers on the highway scrambling to cover, but that was all they saw. Shoulder launched anti-aircraft missiles from the advance pickets of battlesuit infantry shot them down before further observations could be made.  The infantry then bounded in powered hops to their n ew concealed firing locations from their old positions.
    The trap was set and a little luck would not hurt, Ericson thought.  He suddenly realized his throat was quite dry and took out his canteen for a quick swig.  Yes, he thought again, a little luck wouldn’t hurt at all.  “All units.  Prepare to engage according to the plan.  Let’s get these guys.”
    Now that enemy units had been spotted, the spider-mechs slowed and spread out into a skirmish line that was almost a kilometre wide with seventy metres between each mech.  Their turrets  panned from side to side.  They had seen the robot combat walkers.  The walkers were normally no match for them, but there could be other enemy units nearby.
    The command data net had gone passive so units wouldn’t give themselves away via radio emissions.  A few furtive reconnaissance RPVs flying low at extreme range provided