Caught in the Crossfire — David Drake

THEY WERE THE BEST--THEY WERE HAMMER'S SLAMMERS!

In war, the only rule is survival. People on the side that hires Hammer's Slammers have the best chance of surviving.

Mercenary leader Alois Hammer has created an armored regiment that wins battles because it has better equipment and training than the opposition, and wins wars because Colonel Hammer and his troops are willing to do absolutely anything that's necessary to succeed. If that means vaporizing a village or drowning a riot in blood, they'll do the job they're being paid for.

There is an infinite number of moral shades to the decisions a war requires. The winner is usually the side whose troops pull the trigger anyway, because they know that the worst decision in a crisis is no decision at all.

After a war, the survivors have regrets. Nobody else has anything at all.