The ion engine of the Crocodile Tears, the nozzle of which, along with part of the stern, was cut off by the stern, exploded.
Berserker, standing in the center of the Tear, understood that the engine would explode, waited for this explosion and used the impact to jump as high as possible, attacking the infantryman. She flew towards him, rotating a double-bladed lance above her head, reminiscent of an attack helicopter from a movie about a giant space kaiju going into attack.
Lance Corporal Johnny L. Doug did not expect the explosion, so he took the blow of the rising adrenaline as an order to open fire. Spitting out a cigarette, with a cry of "For the Overlord!" he pressed the trigger and tried to get the Berserker in his sights. The first two missiles raised columns of sand on the beach, the three following pierced the black sky. The rest of the squad joined Johnny. The midshipman tore his rocket launcher from his belt and managed to fire four shots in response. The first hit Private Lobe in the head, who stood up from behind a bush to his full height, aiming his laser rifle, the next three entered the cockpit of the "birdie", shutting down its engine and causing the searchlights powered by the transport to begin to go out. Then the Berserker fell on the knight from above, he tried to protect his head with his shoulder, but the Berserker hung on to his opponent, catching one of the blades of the glaive on his shoulder pad, rested her feet on the protective ridge above her head and leaned back, shifting the center of gravity and forcing him to awkwardly turn to face the position from which Johnny Dag and the others continued to pour fire on the "Tear". Before Major Marthon realized what was happening and began shouting: "Stop, idiot, stop, everyone stop!!!" several of Johnny's shells found their mark. From the distance of fifty meters, from which the corporal fired, the heavy subcaliber armor-piercing rounds had enough muzzle energy to dent and then penetrate the midshipman's chest plate, which had already been damaged in the battle with the natives. The only shell that got through the shattered armor pierced the infantryman's body through and through, hit the back protection, bounced off and began to jump chaotically inside the armor, reflecting off the walls and grinding the insides into mincemeat. So, when silence fell after the firefight, and the searchlights went out, to the horror of the major, the midshipman took a step back, fell on his back and died. The berserker slid like a dark shadow from the side of the Tear into the water behind his powerful shoulder. Someone lit a flashlight, then another. Somewhere in the distance a turbine hummed. Alexander Marthon took off his cap and emerged from the undergrowth onto the beach, looking at his handiwork in horror. The operation had failed. The Lord's Knight was dead.