Battle earth box set 1.., p.112
Battle Earth - · Box Set 1-6, page 112
Taylor and Jafar reached the barrier and leapt onto it. They hadn't stopped firing as they closed the distance, and merely put their weapons over and kept firing until all three were dead. They had stopped for just a second to ensure the job was done before continuing on at a sprint. Taylor lifted his watch to see a minute and a half had passed. They were on the home run now; the long, broad corridor that took them directly to the half wrecked room where the Stallion awaited them.
"My bird better still be there!" yelled Eddie.
Nobody responded. They all knew their survival now relied entirely on that ship and it being in the state they had left it. They kept running and hoped for the best. Taylor reached the door to the room first and stopped as he entered. He half expected to run on to a firing squad or find just empty space.
"What is it?"
Eddie pushed his way to the front.
"Oh, baby! I knew you'd be there for us!"
He turned to the others who were still in as much shock as Taylor.
"What are you waiting for? Let's get the hell outta here!"
He rushed for the Stallion with the others close behind. Jones waited at the door, pulling it shut as the last of the platoon got aboard. He turned to call that they were ready, but Eddie hadn't waited for them. The engines were roaring, and they were lifting off.
"No need for secrecy anymore, hit it!" Taylor shouted.
The craft banked quickly, and Eddie quickly cranked the power up to full. They soared out from the gaping mouth of the wreckage. Taylor looked at his watch once again. There was one minute left.
"Fuck, this is gonna be close."
"Have faith, Colonel. You've done your part. Now let us do ours."
"We've got incoming," said Perez.
Eddie brought it up on the display,which was one of the only other things they had got working for this very situation.
"Two ships on our ass."
"What can you do?" asked Taylor.
"Besides get blown to shit, not a lot. We have no weapons working, no counter measures, nothing."
Taylor shook his head.
"No God damn way. We didn't get off that thing to die now."
"I don't know what else we can do. They're gaining on us, and there ain't nobody else left to help us out."
Taylor dipped his head and thought about it for a moment. He turned and looked at Jones.
"Get the loading doors open!"
Jones didn't understand what he was saying but only hesitated for a second before rushing to the back of the craft. The larger double doors at the rear were almost as wide as the fuselage and allowed for the loading of large crates. He pushed the doors open to be met by a pulse rushing towards him. Rains banked at the last second, and it smashed into the doorway, sending hot debris burning into his armour, but saving his life.
"We've got a problem here!"
Taylor rushed to the entrance and lifted his rifle to give a quick burst. Several others joined in, but what little fire they managed to hit the enemy ship with seemed to have no effect. Their fire was returned with a pulse that flew right through the doors and hit the roof of the Stallion. Debris smashed over the platoon, but their armour saved them from the shrapnel.
Before Taylor could get up, another pulse rushed through the opening, striking three of the soldiers and killing them instantly. It ripped through the length of the Stallion until it reached the cockpit. The core of the pulse hit Perez in the back and pierced through his front plate. Shrapnel was thrown around the cockpit as it did.
"Fuck!" Eddie screamed.
He recovered to look over at Perez and could see his co-pilot was already dead. Taylor looked over the dead and felt more pissed off than ever.
"Grenades!"
He pulled the two he had left and twisted the fuses.
"You'll need a short timing, so wait three seconds before you throw!"
He turned back and threw the two out of the door. The tiny high explosive devices vanished from sight immediately and blew almost as quickly. One missed the two enemy ships entirely, and the other struck nearby, forcing the pilot to take evasive action. Jones could see it might work and did the same.
"Come on! Everything you have!"
The rest of the platoon threw out their grenades, and the sixth was a direct hit on the engines, making one of the enemy ships slow to beyond range. The grenades kept going until Blinker came to the door with the very last one.
"Make it count," said Taylor.
He lifted the grenade to his mask, pretended to kiss it, and tossed it out the door. The blast struck near the cockpit of the enemy fighter and blasted the mirrored glass open. The pilot veered off for a second before recovering.
"God damn it, fuck!" Blinker cried out.
Taylor could now seethe pilot who wore a thin Mech power suit. His helmet was cracked from the blast, and he was lining up for a final run which would see them all dead.
"Fuck this!"
Taylor leapt from the storage doors and activated his boosters. He surged towards the fighter. Jones and the others watched in amazement as he hit the prow of the fighter and slid around to the cockpit, grasping the rim of the damaged glass.
"You crazy son of a bitch," said Jones.
They watched as he jumped in through the open glass and held his rifle against the creature’s body, firing six shots on full auto. The creature slumped back dead. Taylor climbed off its corpse and leapt from the fighter. Rains lowered the power and banked to see the Gezgen K'til, as Taylor floated towards them. He used his boosters to clumsily return and bounce off the walls. Jones helped him stand steady and had just enough time to shake his head in amazement before the view from the cockpit lit up from a blast. They looked up to see a massive explosion tear through the K'til.
"Yes, you mother fuckers!" Blinker shouted.
He could not hold himself back and continued with the expletives as the others roared in excitement. Further eruptions ran along the edge of the K'til, and huge segments were blown off the vessel. For a full minute, they all stood watching, and then the most unthinkable happened. Lights pulsed over the hulking ship, and a noise began pulsating from it, like a massive power source increasing in strength. Their faces turned to stone.
"What the hell is that?" Taylor gasped.
He turned to Jafar to see the same icy fear in the creature’s face.
"No, how? How can they still do this? You said it would work!"
He grabbed Jafar by the armour on his chest and hauled him in close.
"How is this happening?"
Jafar did not respond or fight back. He had nothing more to say.
"Fuck!" Taylor turned back to look at the K'til. A huge centre section began to open, revealing a massive pulsating light that could only be the weapon and the source of the sound they were hearing.
"What can we do?" he asked.
"What more can we do? We just hit them with everything we had."
Taylor slumped down in one of the seats and dropped his head into his hands.
"It's all over. We gave it everything, and still we lose.”
No one had an answer. There was no way to soften the blow of realising that all they knew on Earth were going to be destroyed in less than three minutes. Just when all hope appeared lost, Rains' voice broke the silence.
"Look!"
Taylor did not get up. He couldn't imagine anything could improve the scenario. Instead, Jones rushed to the cockpit to receive the news.
"My, God, the Washington. She's got power!"
Taylor heard the words and shot up from his seat, rushing to join the two officers. He got to the cockpit to first witness the grizzly sight of Perez's body in the co-pilot’s seat, and his blood splattered across the controls in front of him. He quickly turned his attention away to what was before them. As Jones had said, the engines of the their flagship, the Washington, were firing up.
"Can we get a message to Huber?" asked Taylor.
"Negative, we haven't got comms, and I doubt they do either."
"What have they got?"
"Probably just what we can see, engines. They wouldn't have had time to get anything else going. It's a miracle they're even moving so quickly after the EMP."
The Washington began to edge forward and gained speed at a steady pace, but Taylor could see the silhouettes of objects, seeming to be dropping from her hull.
"What's that?"
Eddie squinted to look.
"Life pods. They don't have any power, but enough oxygen to keep the crew alive for a day or two."
"They're evacuating but still going forward? What is Huber doing?" asked Jones.
"The only thing he can. The Washington is the only weapon we have left."
"But you just said the weapons were..."
Jones stopped as he realised what Taylor was saying.
"Huber's gonna ram the K'til, and he's getting everyone off that he can."
Taylor nodded.
"God, almighty!"
They watched as dozens of pods dropped from the Washington and were left floating in space. The pulsating light and sound of the K'til's Planet Killing weapon was uncomfortably loud now and was forcing them to shout to hear each other. Jafar stepped up to join them and could barely squeeze into the cockpit to see.
"Admiral Huber, will he be safe?"
Taylor shook his head.
"A Captain goes down with his ship. Huber will be at the helm until the end."
"A brave man."
"Yes, and he may well have just saved humanity from extinction."
They watched the last few pods leave the Washington, and its speed increased as it rushed towards the K'til. The massive carrier was still tiny compared to the huge super weapon of a ship. Taylor looked at his watch, praying they had enough time.
"One minute to go."
The rest of the platoon sat anxiously in the ship. Only the three officers and Jafar could see what was about to unfold. A few enemy ships that had regained power had cottoned on to what was happening and were moving to intercept the Washington. Pulses smashed into her hull, but it was not enough to stop her.
"Good luck to you," said Taylor.
The human flagship soared towards the opening at the core of the enemy weapon with ever increasing speed.
"Thirty seconds!" yelled Jones.
The noise was almost deafening, and they barely heard him.
The Washington pierced the light and vanished completely from sight into the K'til. The deafening pulse died almost instantly, and cracks began to appear in the hull of the Planet Killer. The light faded completely from it, and the hull began to prise apart. They watched as the monster of a vessel was torn in half and split at its core.
"He did it," Taylor said quietly.
He turned around and shouted it again for all to hear. Rains slumped back in his seat and sighed in relief. It was too soon for celebrations when he sat next to the body of a dead friend, but he at least managed a smile.
Chapter 6
Taylor was speechless for five minutes as he watched the two parts of the K'til were drawn in towards Earth and broke through the atmosphere. Several of the enemy ships that had regained power followed. There was not a single remainder of the Washington to be seen, but everyone could see the evidence of her efforts.
"That thing is gonna land hard when it hits land," Eddie said.
"No, those ships are going to assist," replied Jafar.
"What do you mean assist?"
"They'll use their own power to reduce the speed and impact of the K'til."
"Why?"
"Because Demiran is onboard," said Taylor sternly.
"So?" snapped Eddie.
"Because those who don't make an effort to assist their Lord will feel his wrath, should he still survive."
"Yes," added Jafar.
"There must be thousands of Mechs aboard that thing too," continued Jones.
"And you think they can break the fall of something that massive?" Eddie asked.
"Enough to save those aboard, yes. But the K'til will never fly again."
Power was being quickly restored to those ships around them now, but clearly many still did not have access to weapons. Most of the enemy ships made a beeline for Earth to follow their leader. They passed the monstrous Earth Defence Grid lying lifeless and unable to stop them.
"We've stopped the weapon, and they're stranded here now, but we've got a long road ahead."
"We've beaten them on Earth before. We'll do it again," replied Jones.
"This battle is over. Eddie, get us back on firm ground."
"Yes, Siree, batten down the hatches because we're going home!"
* * *
The Stallion landed hard, bouncing on the landing strip, but they quickly came to a halt and were relieved to once again be on home soil. Jones pushed open the damaged doors, with the help of Jafar, and stood aside to allow Taylor through first. He looked around to see the base was in absolute chaos. Fighters, Stallions, and others cargo ships were scattered all over. Larger ships had put down near the hangars. Fire trucks were trying to put out what they could, and medics and doctors were treating wounded at make shift aid points. A line of body bags lay across the way beside one of the buildings. They were the only things laid out tidily with respect.
"Colonel! Colonel Taylor!"
He turned to see General White and his entourage approaching. They were all armed and armoured with the same Reitech equipment he wore.
"Is the base under attack, Sir?"
"Uhh... no. This is precautionary only. We have no idea what to expect. Communications have been down with the fleet for some time, and we are only now getting reports through of what happened. Enemy ships have entered the atmosphere and seem to be putting down somewhere over Africa or Europe. What the hell happened up there?"
"It's a long story. But the short version is that the mothership was taken down when Admiral Huber rammed it with the Washington. It's broken into two sections and has come down to Earth."
White's eyes widened.
"And the lack of communication? From down here it looked like both fleets just went dead. My experts tell me some kind of EMP."
"Exactly that, Sir."
"Okay, so let me get this straight. We won up there. Their fleet is now stranded somewhere on Earth?"
Taylor nodded.
"Well, the last thing I ever wanted to see was those bastards step foot here again, but it could have gone a whole lot worse. This Planet Killer weapon, is it done with?"
Taylor turned to Jafar for confirmation.
"Absolutely. The Gezgen K'til was the weapon, and that has gone."
White took in a deep breath and relaxed. He needed to hear the information from a reliable source before he could really take it in.
"What now, Sir?" asked Taylor.
"That's not my decision to make. They have not landed on our soil. It is for higher powers to decide that. Right now, my priority is getting these wounded seen to. I'm glad to see you made it through, Colonel."
"What are our orders?"
"Stand down, rest. You've been through hell. We have plenty of marines to get to work here. There will be a briefing at 0800 hours that I expect you to attend. Until then your time is your own."
"Thank you, Sir."
White had just left when Taylor heard his name yelled once again. It was Parker rushing towards him. Her pace slowed as she saw the bodies being carried from their Stallion. She looked at him, checking he was okay.
"You did it?" she asked.
"No, Huber did it. Our nukes went off but didn't get the job done."
"I'm afraid that's not how we saw it."
Taylor looked passed Parker to see Vega, the Washington's XO. The man had never liked him, but that dislike seemed to have washed away.
"We picked up a lot of the drop pods after the blast," Eli added.
Vega paced forward to shake Taylor's hand. He was shocked but accepted as the Captain continued.
"We were doing everything to get power back when the Planet Killer began to cycle that weapon up. We could see it but were powerless to do anything. We figured we had just a couple of minutes, but it wasn't enough. Then a massive blast tore through the ship. Not enough to destroy it, but they lost power to the weapon and had to begin the cycle again several minutes later. In that time,we had got power to the engines."
"What are you saying?"
"That you delayed the weapon for maybe five minutes, enough for our engineering crews to get the ship back on her feet for one last run. Huber ordered all crew off and remained at the manual controls until the very end. The Washington may have destroyed that thing, but it would never have been possible if it were not for you and your people."
Taylor could see Jones' platoon had been listening in. Their efforts had not been wasted, and the deaths of three of their comrades had not been in vain, but the sombre tone remained until Eddie finally felt the need to break it.
"So the long and short of it is, we whooped 'em again?"
Taylor had to smile.
"See to the dead and wounded. After that you have the night to yourselves. The battle for the Solar System is over. Tomorrow the second Battle for Earth begins. Get some rest and be ready for it."
Parker wrapped her arm around his as the others parted and led him back towards his quarters.
"You're a crazy son of a bitch, you know that? One of these days one of your crazy missions is going to be the end of you."
He turned to her and could see she jested with him. It was hard to be tough on him after the results he had achieved.
"All the crazy stunts you pull, and yet you're still alive? How do you do it?"
"I'd like to say I'm lucky. But I don't feel lucky. I ache like hell," he retorted with a smile.
They got back to his private quarters to find them just the way he had left them, spotless. All squared away and with little sign of a living inhabitant at all. He stripped off his armour and suit, throwing it all to the floor with no care in the world.
"Damn it feels good to be out of that thing."
He felt Parker's arms wrap around his shoulders from behind, and the soothing feeling of human contact made him relax immediately and feel drowsy.
