Battle earth box set 1.., p.38
Battle Earth - · Box Set 1-6, page 38
Chandra turned away. She wanted Jones back more than any of them, but she knew how crazy it was to go looking for him. She looked back up the hill towards their emplacements. Becker’s tank was trundling down towards them. It was scarred and beaten, but still active.
“Major, we have a chance to get him back!” shouted Friday.
She faced the two marine officers.
“We’ve won this battle, but don’t be under any illusions. This was a skirmish, and there are armies of those bastards out there.”
“And so we just give up on him?” asked Taylor.
“Even if I let you go, how would you even make that distance in any kind of time?”
Taylor’s eyes panned up to Captain Becker who had climbed out and stood on top of the hull of his tank. Chandra turned around to stare at the man. She could see the sadness in his face from the losses he had received. He’d lost far more of his unit than the infantry who’d gotten off lightly. She spoke to Taylor.
“You can’t ask that of them. Those crews have given everything to keep us alive.”
“And you think they wouldn’t want to save our people if there was any remote chance?”
“Even if Becker would go for it, you’ll be travelling for hours in hostile territory.”
Taylor ignored the Major and looked past to the tank commander.
“How about it, Captain, you willing to help us get our people back?”
“I’d be more than happy to assist, Major, but I doubt we’d make it. If we don’t get some repairs done on these vehicles within the next few kilometres...”
Taylor sighed. He knew it was too much to ask and far from sensible. He couldn’t believe that he wasn’t there when Jones needed him most.
“How the hell did this even happen?” snapped Taylor. “You let two of our men get kidnapped from under you!”
Chandra glared at Mitch. Her cheeks reddened as she was about to burst into a furious rage. She coughed and forced herself to calm down. The truth was she did blame herself for the loss of the two men, but she didn’t like being reminded of it.
“I regret all lost under my command, but do not think I have not done, and will continue to do everything in my power to keep our troops safe.”
Taylor was taken aback by her restrained response and already regretted his words. He took a few steps closer to her and whispered.
“Forgive me. I just can’t believe there is nothing we can do.”
“I get you, Major. If I thought there was any chance of you making it there, I’d let you go.”
The officers were quickly drawn to the sound of a single aircraft approaching at speed. They turned to see an Eagle FV assault copter rush overhead at an astonishing speed. It banked heavily before lifting its nose to reversing its thrust to come down beside them at speeds no normal pilot would dare.
They turned in intrigue to see who was aboard and why they were putting down on what was a bloody battlefield. The ramp opened and the pilot appeared at the door. He staggered down with the sort of undisciplined walk of what could only be one pilot they knew.
“Eddie!” shouted Taylor. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Taylor rushed forward and grabbed the Lieutenant off his feet, forgetting that he was still wearing the exosuit that provided him immense strength. He hoisted the man off his feet as if he weighed no more than a child. As he dropped Eddie down, the pilot staggered back as he stared at the suit and armour.
“I see you’ve had some upgrades.”
Taylor looked up at the copter which he had become so familiar with in his time of service. Atop the fuselage was a large and unfamiliar engine which looked as if it had literally been bolted on as a custom job.
“I’m not the only one,” he stated as he gestured towards the craft.
Eddie looked around at the copter and turned back with a smile on his face.
“Old Bessie here has been given a new turn of speed.”
“That how you made it across the channel?”
“Damn straight, no bastard in this universe could catch this bird!”
Taylor looked into the pilot’s face to see that his eyes were swollen and his face was pale. It was clear that the only thing keeping him on his feet were stimulants.
“I thought you were working the Moon supply runs. You gone AWOL, Lieutenant?”
“No, Sir! Moon supply is still ongoing with new pilots. I was ordered to report to you with all urgency.”
“By who?”
“General White himself.”
“On what task? I need soldiers, not pilots.”
“Glad to know I’m appreciated, Major,” laughed Rains. “Honestly, I have no clue. He said I’d know when you did.”
“Great, that helps,” mused Taylor.
Taylor looked beyond the Major to the other officers watching the conversation. He recognised most of them.
“Ma’am,” he greeted Chandra with a nod.
He looked back to Taylor with a quizzical expression.
“Where is Captain Jones?”
They all went silent.
“Dead? Can’t be.”
“We simply don’t know. He was detained by locals in a town that has since been overrun by the enemy.”
“What the fuck? Detained?”
“It’s bullshit, Eddie, we all know it. We were just discussing how we could get back to the town to attempt to find the Captain and Private Walker who was with him. But we can’t cover the ground fast enough, and these tanks need work.”
“Well, hell, I can get you there, no problem.”
Taylor turned to Chandra who was still in charge. He didn’t actually ask her permission, but she knew that’s what he wanted. She thought for a moment and then looked to Eddie.
“You sure you’re ready for this, Lieutenant? You’ll be going over a hundred kilometres into enemy territory.”
“Damn straight, Ma’am, I can get you there in no time at all, and get you out of trouble just as fast.”
She nodded several times as she thought it over. She didn’t want to risk further troops in her command, but she knew how important the Captain was to them all. To not search for him, when they had the opportunity, could severely hit the morale of the Company. She wanted to believe that she was thinking as Jones’ friend, but she no longer had that luxury. She had to think like a leader first and foremost.
“Taylor, the Company has been ordered to hold this position, and as the commanding officer I must do so. However, I am authorising you and the Lieutenant here for a search party. Take ten of your marines and be as quick as you can.”
A broad grin widened across Taylor’s face as he turned to bellow his orders.
“And, Major. Stay safe.”
“Sergeant Silva, gather your section, we move out immediately!”
Chapter 9
Commander Kelly paced around the command centre. Lewis stared at him. The comms officer knew that their leader was coming to realise their chances of survival were minimal. He was mulling over the few options they had. He finally walked up to Lewis.
“Gather the leaders.”
“With regards to what matter, Sir?”
“I don’t give a shit what you tell them, just get them here!”
“Yes, Sir,” muttered Lewis.
He looked up to see the staff and soldiers around the room all staring at him.
“Well, what are you looking at? You’ve got work to do!”
Ten minutes later the Commander stood before the remaining Lunar leaders in their makeshift meeting room. They all had long faces and few words to utter. The supplies from Earth continued to arrive in large enough quantities to keep them going, but they were losing ground all the time.
“It must not have escaped your notice that we will eventually have nowhere left to run. If we don’t start taking the fight to the enemy in a major way, then we are finished. In the confined spaces below ground their weapons are more devastating than ever.”
“We can’t survive in open battle!” shouted Vella.
Kelly shook his head, asking himself, what the fuck does she know?
“We cannot survive down here anyway, Senator. We have to try and hit them hard and try to make a difference.”
“And what difference can we make?” asked Allard.
“If the armies of Earth cannot hold these invaders back, what chances do we have?” asked Yang, the police commander of the city.
“So you would do what, lie down and die?” asked Kelly.
“We must do the best we can to survive down here until Earth forces can come to our assistance!” Vella yelled.
“But they are already beaten!” shouted Yang.
Kelly slammed his fist down on the table.
“God damn you and your infighting. This isn’t a time for petty squabbling. The Earth armies have had it hard, no doubt. But they are still fighting. It’s clear that our people down there are already adapting the enemy technology and are still firmly in the fight.”
“Our people?” asked Allard. “Earth folk don’t give a hoot about us.”
“And you could say the same for the relations of many Earth nations, and now look at them. They stand together as one,” snapped Kelly.
He stood up from his chair with a sigh and walked slowly around the table. The air was thick and far from fresh. The colonists had little time or resources to wash their clothes and bodies. He could feel his flesh was thick with dried sweat and clammy on top of it. He scratched what little hair was left on his itchy head. It can’t have come to this, thought Kelly.
“I refuse to die down here. I thought we had pride in the colony we have worked to establish here. Did our forefathers reach this moon for us to simply give up on it? I’d rather fight and die up there than wait to be butchered down here.”
He continued around the room as they all thought about the choice before them.
“And if you fail, and we are forced back down here with fewer people and resources than we started?” asked Allard.
“Then we will have done our best. From what we can tell, the alien forces have set up base on Earth. Their numbers and resources here are not endless. Every one of theirs we can kill will improve our situation.”
“I cannot agree with this course of action, Commander,” said Vella.
“And I am not asking you to. As the military leader of the colony, I alone will make the tactical decisions that I feel best serve our people. I consult you out of courtesy and to advise.”
“Then let us advise you, Commander,” snapped Vella.
Kelly sighed. He had no respect for the woman. He didn’t like her last month when things were as they used to be. He liked her even less now that she was trying to dictate military tactics.
“You would have us wait here to die, Senator. That may be the easy option for you. It involves no risk, no responsibility. Start thinking less like a politician and more like a human being. If we take the fight to the enemy and lose, we are no worse off. We will have lost people who will die when they reach us anyway.”
“I know what you’re saying, Commander, but I cannot justify sending our people to their deaths.”
“And that is why you are the Senator for Industry, and I am in charge of the defence of this great colony,” fumed Kelly.
Vella’s face scrunched up as she glared at the Commander with a bitter hatred. She knew there was nothing further she could do. More than anything, she was angry about the way he treated her, a fact that gave Kelly even less respect for the Senator.
“I am doing what is best for our colony. For our morale, for our people, and for our humanity. We may well all die in this war, but let us at least do so on our own terms.”
He strode out of the room to leave the rest of them sitting in silence. Many of the remaining leaders gathered knew that he was making the right decision, but they could not bring themselves to admit it. Kelly went up to Lewis.
“Put out the order for all senior officers to come to me immediately.”
“This it, Sir? Are we finally taking the fight to them?”
“Damn right, it’s time we stopped skulking down here and kicked some ass.”
* * *
Chandra walked along the line of trenches where they’d so recently fought from. Many of the men were making repairs to them with their e-tools, others sat quietly with a mug of tea or coffee. She continued on towards what was the makeshift aid station. There were twenty soldiers in various states of care. Only one was seriously wounded. The base doctor and his aides were administering to them.
“Doctor, I am Major Chandra.”
He continued on his work of injecting a healing serum into one of the soldiers as he talked.
“Matthew Wright.”
“This the first combat medicine you have administered, Doctor?”
“Yes, Ma’am, I was expecting more wounded.”
She looked across at the injuries. They were mostly minor glancing strikes or shrapnel.
“They don’t leave many. A good hit from their energy weapons will kill any man.”
The doctor nodded. After studying the scenes of field hospitals in war from archive footage, he’d expected a far more blood thirsty and gruesome sight. There were no screams of agony. The burning hot energy weapons cauterised many of the wounds.
“I was still expecting a lot more casualties, Major. The reports we have been getting have indicated far heavier losses.”
“It’s true. This has been our most successful skirmish yet.”
The doctor looked up and across at the casualties. He could see the mix of uniforms and had already realised they were an amalgamation of several units that had been decimated.
“God save us all.”
“God won’t save us from this enemy, Doctor. It’s up to us.”
The Major turned and strolled away before the doctor could argue. She stopped, noticing Captain Becker stood in her path. His face looked more exhausted and distraught than ever. His previously impeccable uniform was now unzipped and dirtied. He either no longer cared for his appearance or was too distressed to realise it was in such a state.
“What’s the status of your unit, Captain?”
He didn’t respond immediately, staring blankly past her at the wounded.
“Captain?”
His eyes turned and gazed at her, though he still did not speak.
“Becker, give me an update.”
The Captain coughed to clear his throat and finally answered in a coarse voice.
“Only two of my tanks are still operational, and even those are getting some urgent maintenance as we speak.”
“And your crews?”
He shook his head as he was reminded of the horror of it.
“Eight still active, two wounded.”
“Is that all that made it?
He nodded. “The rest perished in their vehicles.”
She looked out across the line to see the hulks of the vehicles still smouldering. The enemy had been quick to target what they must see as the greatest threat.
“I am sorry for your losses, Captain, but you should know that your people have made all the difference in the past few days. Without you, we would all be lost.”
The Captain nodded as he looked out across the plain at the twisted wrecks of the enemy vehicles and went into a daze. She knew there was nothing more she could say to consol the officer. Nothing would bring back his comrades.
She continued on to the trench where she had stood beside Taylor. Captain Friday was sitting on the side with his legs dangling down into it. He had ripped off most of his gear and thrown it down. Now he wore nothing but his BDUs. He was opening a ration pack with such excitement that anyone would think he’d been given a plate of steak.
“They don’t taste that great, you know,” she jested.
“When you’re hungry, they do.”
He dove into the meal.
“That new equipment really as good as it looked?” she asked.
The Captain nodded and grunted with a mouth full of food. As he swallowed it down, he looked up at the Major.
“It’s the shit. If we can get this to every grunt, then this war could be turned around as quickly as it started.”
“I fear they won’t give us that much time,” she mused.
“Well, we stopped them here, didn’t we?”
“It’s not the front line that bothers me. They’re building at an immense rate to the west, and whatever it is can’t be good. We won’t be the only ones looking for the next tactical advantage in this war.”
Friday shook his head.
“I’ll take the victory while I can. We did well today, and we should celebrate it.”
“Oh, I am, Captain, but we must also think of tomorrow, and next week, next year. We have survived this long, but many haven’t. How much longer do you think our luck will hold?”
Friday smiled as he threw the food down his throat.
“When it runs out, I won’t know it. I’ll be dead.”
Chandra laughed. She appreciated Friday doing his utmost to brighten the day.
“So you think Taylor will find the Captain?” he asked.
“I bloody well hope so, but I can’t say it’s likely.”
She sat down on the opposite edge of the trench facing Friday. There was nothing left for her to do that day but rest in readiness for the next battle. Trucks were already arriving with fresh supplies to keep them in the fight.
* * *
Taylor looked out at the passing landscape as they rushed along the treetops at barely a couple of hundred metres from the ground. The landscape was mostly abandoned and peaceful, but they saw the odd smoke plume in the distance from various battles. They could only guess at the outcome of the war that raged along the ever changing lines.
“We’re coming up on the town, Major!” shouted Rains.
“You know where we’re heading, right?”
“Yes, Siree. Major Chandra told me they were being held in a station directly south of the centre.”
He tapped his controls and a map projected on a screen. He pointed out an area along a main street heading out of the city.
“This has to be the place.”
“Okay, let us out over the roof.”
