Battle earth box set 1.., p.84
Battle Earth - · Box Set 1-6, page 84
“Hang on a minute.”
He walked over to the two aliens still stood, awaiting their orders.
“I appreciate this brings us to a difficult position. You joined us as soldiers, but there is now not a war to fight.”
“There is always another war on the horizon,” replied Jafar.
Taylor smiled. He wasn’t sure whether to feel comfort in their support, or sadness in that they were probably right.
“You’ve got free movement around this base. Just be sure to be in uniform at all times, and to keep your ID cards handy. We are proud to have you among us. You earned our trust and respect, but it will not come so quickly to the rest of this world.”
“Thank you,” replied Jafar.
Taylor was taken aback by their response, as if they should be thankful for what little faith was placed in them.
“I cannot promise you will be treated fairly by many humans. You must remember the horrors we faced against your kind. There is little you can do that will help them overcome it. They need time. Continue to do what you’re doing, and eventually you’ll, well, fit in.”
“Lieutenant Rains suggested he could use our help,” stated Tsengal.
Taylor turned in curiosity but had no answer where there was not a question.
“May we assist him?”
Taylor nodded. “Of course, I’m sure he could use a hand. Crazy bastard would rather work on his bird than take a little time out.”
“A true warrior,” replied Jafar.
“Maybe, or maybe he just has a screw loose.”
The two creatures looked confused by his statement and went silent.
“I’m out of here. Remember what I said. Stick to base, keep insignia on at all times, avoid restricted areas, and you’ll be just fine. I’ll see you Monday morning.”
Mitch turned and grabbed Parker. She giggled as he tore her away to the jeep they had waiting.
“Where we heading, Sir?” she jested.
“When was the last time you kicked back on a beach, Sergeant?”
She smiled in response. Half an hour later they were at San Onofre, laying in front a beach hut they’d not seen since long before the war had begun. They knew that come the evening it would be a hive of activity, but until the end of the working day, they could enjoy the peace. Time seemed to pass them by as they relaxed and slowly fell into a deep sleep.
The constant bleep of Taylor’s communicator caused him to spring up. He hit the answer button and responded in a croaky voice.
“Taylor.”
“Mitch, you want to get your ass over here now. MPs are here with a particularly abrasive son of a bitch. They are trying to arrest our two alien friends.”
“What? Why?” he asked.
“Nothing they have done. Apparently, they’re acting like they are hunting for spies.”
“Christ, Eddie, where are Jafar and Tsengal now?”
“I hid them in a maintenance room, but they’ll not last long there. I sent the MPs packing, but they’ll soon be back when they find out the two of them were supposed to be here.”
“Alright, you just hold on. Do not let any bastard touch two of our own!”
“You got it, but you hurry on up here now. I can’t fight them off alone.”
Taylor leapt to his feet, which caused Eli to rouse and sit up with a smile. She looked disgruntled and disappointed that he was in such a flurry during their only leave in over a year. Then she noticed the concern in his face and quickly rubbed her eyes and tried to come to.
“What is it?”
“Jafar and Tsengal, MPs are trying to arrest them!”
She sighed, and he already knew she was put out by his support of the creatures. She shook her head in disapproval, but that only served to anger Mitch.
“Those two are part of us. Would you leave any other one of the Company in such a time?”
“No, but they aren’t one of us, are they?”
“People have said the same about female soldiers and black soldiers not so long ago. They stand with us, and that’s enough for me.”
“For Christ’s sake, will we never get a break?” she complained.
“Do what you like, but I’ll not leave them behind.”
He pulled on his shirt and buttoned it quickly as he rushed to the vehicle. Eli watched him leap aboard in a furious manner, speeding away from the tranquil paradise she had so recently been enjoying.
“You fool,” she whispered.
Taylor was already travelling well over the speed limit by the time he passed the gates to the road, and dust and sand swept in through the open sides of the jeep. His shirt was only half buttoned, and he was still wearing sandals. It was far from the well-kept image he maintained on base, but there was no time to change.
“God damn fucking bastards,” he yelled to himself as he hit the wheel of the car.
“I go for two God damn minutes, and they try to fuck us in the ass.”
Taylor had no love of the MPs, few did, but he genuinely had more than enough reasons to want to shoot some of them. Many despised him because of his combat record and all the glory they felt it brought. It was an envy he had to deal with on a regular basis.
Mitch could feel his head pounding as his anger and rage built. He reached the base gates in half the time it had taken the two of them to get to the beach. The dusty jeep came to a halt at the guard post, and a Corporal stepped forward to check his ID. The man looked suspicious of Taylor’s rough appearance, as he rightfully should be.
The Corporal desperately wanted to say something about his ill disciplined attire but looked to the rank on his shoulders, and knew he could not risk insult if Taylor really was what he was claiming.
“Identification, Sir?”
“For Christ’s sake,” he muttered.
Taylor reached into his pocket and fumbled around for his card that had seen so little use. He’d long forgotten what life was like at home.
“Here,” he snapped, passing the man a bent identify card. It was heavily worn and slightly burnt in one corner. The guard looked in shock at the card and took it suspiciously from his hands. Taylor sat impatiently.
“Well, come on, I haven’t got all day,” insisted Taylor.
“Uhh, yes, Sir.”
The man lifted his scanner, twisting the bent card to make it read properly and stood surprised as Mitch’s name and identity was displayed. There wasn’t a marine on base that didn’t know the name.
“Major Taylor, sorry for the delay, Sir.”
Mitch snatched the card from the Corporal’s hands and put his foot to the floor. The jeep raced forward and narrowly made it through the gates. They were only half open when he squeezed through. The Corporal shook his head in astonishment.
“Crazy bastard.”
Taylor’s jeep slid around the first corner, and he was quickly able to open up the throttle and tear across an open road towards Rains’ hangar. He slammed the brakes on and slid to a halt at the open doors where the pilot sat with his feet up as if it were any other day.
“Where are they, Eddie?”
The Lieutenant took another sip from his mug, not affected at all by the Major’s flustered state. He sighed and turned to Taylor, signalling over his shoulder with his eyes and a nod. Taylor turned to see three military police vehicles approaching. He snapped back around.
“We can’t keep them hidden forever,” mused Eddie.
Taylor shook his head. He knew his old friend was right, but it weighed heavily on his conscience that he would have to give up his own men, without them committing an offence. He turned back and stood confidently upright, glaring at the approaching vehicles. His right hand instinctively reached down to his thigh to rest on the pistol that had lived there for the last year, but it was nowhere to be found. He looked down in shock at the realisation that he was unarmed.
Caught without a weapon, for God’s sake, he thought.
The recent peace had let Mitch slip back into an easy life, not yet earned. He coughed to clear his throat and prepare himself for the assault of the MPs. The three jeeps slid to an abrupt halt less than ten metres from his position, and eight soldiers leapt from them. At least they were officially soldiers; Taylor could never see them as such.
“I am Captain Ames. We are looking for the two aliens under your command, Major.”
Taylor grimaced. He had hoped they were unaware of who he was. He quickly realised that they were well informed, and he was not going to talk his way out of it.
“On what charge do you wish to arrest men under my command?”
The Captain squinted in surprise at Mitch’s description of the creatures.
“The alien soldiers known as Jafar and Tsengal are soldiers of an enemy army which sought to conquer this world. The reason for their arrest should not need explanation.”
Taylor’s face turned to bitter anger.
“I do not need reminding what this war was about. I fought it whilst you lay about polishing your pretty uniforms. I will not surrender any under my command without just cause.”
Before the Captain could respond a door opened behind Eddie, and they all stopped to look. The two alien soldiers step out from hiding. The MPs quickly lifted their handguns.
“Whoa!” yelled Taylor. Tell your men to stand down!”
He looked back to see the two creatures stepping slowly towards the group, without showing any signs of aggression. Taylor snapped back around and roared at the troops.
“Put your weapons down!”
The Captain lifted his hand and signalled them to lower their pistols, in an attempt to alleviate the situation. The two stopped before Taylor, and Jafar finally spoke.
“We will do as is ordered. We will not hide from this any longer.”
“No, they can’t do this!”
He turned back around. “Who gave these orders?”
“I do not have that information, Sir. We are only doing our job. They are happy to surrender, so let us get this done, and there need not be any further trouble.”
The Captain stepped forward to pass right through the Major without stopping. Taylor could see he was uneasy with the task he had been given, but nothing was going to convince him to act against those orders. Mitch reached forward, firmly grasping the hand in which the MP carried his pistol and twisted until the man yelped in pain. Taylor struck him on the nose with one firm knife hand blow that caused his nose to burst and throw blood over his gleaming uniform.
Two more of the MPs rushed forward with batons in one hand and pistols in the other. One took a swing for him, and he nimbly ducked under the clumsy and excessive swing. He thrust an uppercut into the man’s stomach, throwing him off his feet, and quickly turned to the other. The baton was thrust forward at him with a more experienced fighter than the last. He narrowly avoided it with a quick sidestep. Before the MP could respond, he wrapped his one arm around the elbow and pushed with his other hand. The man’s arm snapped in on itself, driving the shock baton into his chest.
The MP spasmed from the voltage pulsing through his body, and he collapsed with the loss of motor control. Taylor looked up to see that remainder of the MPs were lifting their pistols to fire, but he was too far away to do much about it. He defiantly stood over his vanquished foes, praying they would not shoot a superior officer.
Taylor’s face grew long as he saw the look in their eyes. They were willing to pull the trigger, and he could do nothing but hope for a miracle. Two shots rang out, but as they did so, Jafar leapt in front of the Major. The small calibre rounds ricocheted from his armour and hit the hangar beside them.
The alien dwarfed Taylor and completely blocked the MPs view of him. Jafar stood calmly between them. He had no weapon in hand nor made any attempt to join in the fight. Taylor stepped around his newly found friend to see the two MPs stood in shock. He could see just a tiny bit of the horror he had first witnessed on the beaches in France upon their first meet with the enemy.
The MPs still held their weapons high and trained on the alien, but they knew that any more shots would be futile. They stood silently, awaiting the next move. Taylor turned to Jafar and looked at him in surprise. It was in part for saving his life once more, but more from the restraint he had shown in not fighting back.
“These men come to take you away. I cannot say for certain their reasons, but I can say that it will not be pleasant. They want you for lab rats.”
Jafar shrugged his shoulders.
“We both knew this day would come. Your commanders must have many questions for us, and we will assist them in any way we can.”
“But not like this, you are with us now.”
“And I follow your orders, just as you must follow your superiors. Do not throw your life away so quickly.”
The deep voice pierced Taylor’s thoughts, and he instantly calmed himself.
“You never cease to amaze me. How on Earth can the rest of your race be the way they are, when you bare so little resemblance?”
“Just one of the questions which will require an answer in the coming days.”
The area went silent as all reflected on what had just happened. The MPs on the ground reeled in sighs of pain. Then the silence was broken by the rushed pace of a jeep soaring towards the hangar bay. The vehicle bore the stars of General White. It slid to a halt, and Sergeant Gibbons leapt out, the General’s driver. He had two marines with him. Neither were MPs.
Gibbons stopped and quickly surveyed the scene, shaking his head at the bloodied police on the ground.
“Christ, Major, the war’s over, and yet you want to keep fighting?”
Had it been any other Sergeant questioning him, he would have been most put out, but Gibbons commanded respect across the base.
“I didn’t come looking for one. These idiots came to arrest troops under my command, without right or reason.”
“The two aliens are being brought in for questioning by direct orders of General White, and even if you can get away with this incident, you will not defy the General and get away with it.”
Taylor suddenly felt the tension in his body release, and his pulse calm at the sobering realisation of what a mess he had made. He was still bitterly angry about what was about to happen, but now knew he could not stop it.
“I want to speak with the General immediately!”
“And he is waiting for you. In the meantime, you will step aside and allow the MPs to carry out their orders.”
He thought about it for a moment, finally nodding in agreement. The MPs lowered their weapons and went to the aid of the others. Mitch stepped forward and reached out his arm to help one to his feet.
“Please understand I was only protecting my own. I meant you no harm.”
The man nodded as he gritted his teeth.
“Not much of an apology,” he replied.
“A fitting one, considering your actions.”
The man scowled, but Gibbons immediately cut in.
“That’s enough, gentlemen! This situation has already been messy enough. Major Taylor, please join me.”
He gestured for Taylor to follow him. Mitch looked back for a moment to Eddie who stood with a rifle in hand. He had no doubt the Lieutenant would have been willing to use it had the fight escalated. He nodded in gratitude before turning and continuing on to the jeep.
It’s gonna be a long fucking day, he thought.
Chapter 2
Taylor stood to attention before the General’s desk. White ignored him and continued to read through information on a datapad. The door opened once again, and another soldier stepped into the room. Taylor turned slightly and saw it was Captain Ames. He held a blood soaked cloth to his nose that was still gushing. The blood was smeared over his cheeks, and it had already dried to a flat brown over the white straps of his MPs webbing. General White looked up at the injured man and turned sternly to Taylor.
“This is Captain Ames, a military police officer who you struck whilst he was carrying out his orders. I know you have no love of MPs, Major, but when you undermine them, you undermine me.”
Taylor butted in, despite it being completely unacceptable for him to do so.
“On what orders were they arresting honest and reliable soldiers? Last I looked, we protected our own, simper fi, Sir!”
White’s face began to redden with rage, but he quickly calmed himself before he responded.
“Major, we have a lot to learn about their race. We must do everything in our power to better prepare ourselves for the next potential war. I am sorry for the way this was handled, which was certainly clumsy and ill conceived, but that does not change the fact it was necessary.”
“They are more than happy to help in any way, so why on Earth arrest them?”
“I find your trust in these aliens curious, Major, when you’ve probably been single-handedly responsible for more of their deaths than any other human being.”
Taylor tried to butt in, but White didn’t let him.
“They are aliens, aliens! They may indeed have defected, but I’d like to know for certain. And if they truly are on our side, then they can fill in many blanks.”
Taylor shook his head.
“I agree they can do that, but sending this idiot to imprison them was a dumbass move. We’re only lucky Jafar and Tsengal saw reason. They had every right to tear Ames and his MPs apart.”
Ames gasped and tried to speak up, but White interrupted.
“Captain, you’ve caused enough trouble today. I have no doubt your CO will have much to say about it. You can tell him from me that he’ll suffer if he pursues this.”
Ames begrudgingly nodded in agreement.
“Now get out and get that looked at!”
Taylor smiled at the MP being sent packing with his tail between his legs. The door slammed behind him, and Mitch looked back to see White with his head in his hands.
“Jesus, Mitch, can you never stay out of trouble?” he whispered.
Taylor didn’t respond. He knew the General was as in as much a difficult spot as himself.
