Battle Earth IV

Chapter 8

It was a new day and a seemingly new dawn for Inter-Allied. Chandra and Taylor stood before eight hundred of the finest soldiers Earth had to offer, and they were theirs to do with as they saw fit.

“Hell of a sight, ain’t it?” asked Taylor.

“Damn right,” Chandra whispered in reply.

She watched as the NCOs make their inspections.

“You know I heard Reiter wasn’t in Ramstein. He’s still alive,” Taylor went on.

“Bloody hell, the crazy bastard’s still with us. Good, we’ll need him.”

They were formed up on the hard standing of the old school. It had been abandoned for so many months that it was beginning to look derelict. The troops fell quiet as the NCOs took up their positions and awaited the Colonel.

“Good morning to you all!” she called. “You all have come from proud units, just as we had. Inter-Allied started as a simple way to combine two key units during the battle for France. As time went on, more were added, to the extent that you could no longer begin to explain our identity. I do not ask you to forget where you came from but to embrace where you are now. We stand together as one!”

A cheer rang out as the NCOs led the call.

“No soldier likes re-organisation. We get used to what we have. I will do my very best to change as little as humanly possible. From now on, the Battalion will be structured as four Companies. Major Taylor will remain second in command for Inter-Allied. Alpha Company will be commanded by Captain Jones and will encompass the remaining members of my old Company, with a number drawn from 2 Para to bring them up to strength.”

She paced along the line and looked to the officers to see Jones nod in gratitude.

“Bravo Company, the remainder of 2 para, will be under the command of Lieutenant Grey. Charlie and Delta are to be led by Captain Jackson and Lieutenant Ota respectively. The US rangers among you are to report to the Charlie and Delta to make up their number.”

She took in a deep breath and looked across at the troops’ faces. They seemed content with the news.

“Lastly, I am appointing Sergeant Silva to Company Sergeant Major. He has been a force of reason and discipline throughout this war, and I cannot think of a better soldier to keep things in order. Congratulations Sergeant!”

Whistles broke the silence, and the troops that had been with them since the beginning clapped to the Sergeant’s success. She smiled at their appreciation. Silva was humbled and could not bring himself to discipline them for such open support. Chandra lifted up her hand to request silence, and it was quickly given.

“Company commanders have been sent full lists of those personnel who will serve under them. Please report to them upon dismissal. We’re lacking the NCOs and officers we need at platoon level, and I will leave that to Company commanders to resolve as they see fit. You will see along the back wall there four letters. Those are the designated assembly areas for each Company.”

She could see a number of the troops start to shiver in the cool morning breeze.

“It is vital that this Battalion learns to work as one in the shortest time possible. Change is never easy, and I know that you will all have become closely tied with those you have served beside. That same bond must now be extended to all standing here today. Thank you. Fall out and assemble with your Company leaders.

She nodded to Silva to relay her commands. Within seconds, the troops were scattering to assemble as requested. Most of the officers rushed to take command of their troops, but Taylor watched in amazement.

“Strange isn’t it?” asked Chandra.

“What’s that?”

“To be stood back here watching while everything is done for you.”

“For now, but we won’t be taking desk jobs anytime soon.”

“True. Although at Battalion HQ we will need some additional staff. Having Silva at hand will be most useful to us, but we are still lacking a medical officer, quartermaster and several other administrative staff. A chaplain may also be useful.”

“Really? For what?”

“The pressure these troops are under on a daily basis, don’t you think they could do with some outlet?”

Taylor shook his head.

“Not much of a believer myself.”

“You don’t have to believe in anything to simply just have someone to talk to. I don’t want any cracks appearing in this Battalion, so whatever is necessary to keep it strong will be done.”

They watched as the four Company commanders quickly formed up their troops, and it was clear the Battalion was quickly taking shape. Chandra marvelled at the troops who now all wore matching uniforms for the first time since amalgamation.

“We are finally getting the army we always needed,” she stated.

“We need to put these troops through combat simulations. We need to know they are going to be able to work together as sharply as the Company always has done.”

“Agreed. Sergeant Major!” she yelled.

Silva rushed to her position.

“Sergeant, I am placing you in charge of assembling a series of combat tests. You have free rein to use the former industrial park a kilometre south of here for any and all exercises, including live fire. Put them through their paces.”

“Yes Ma’am!”

He rushed off with a new level of enthusiasm.

“Schulz may have give us all this, but he’s going to expect a lot in return,” she whispered.

“Agreed, but wouldn’t it be expected, anyway?”

She nodded in agreement. It seemed hard to imagine that they could have ever played a larger part in the war.

“Shouldn’t we get in on this training?” asked Taylor.

“Not yet, this is our Battalion now. Let the troops get used to the chain of command. Right now we have other work ahead of us. We may have wings, but we’ll need more substantial transport for where we’re going.”

“Surely not our problem to sort out?”

“Maybe so, but I’d rather have the pick of it before we get dumped on some civilian liner and sent up into enemy territory. Phillips promised me he’d sort it, and I want to make sure he has kept his word. Follow me.”

Half an hour later they stood at their former landing zone in Reims. Rains and Kato were desperately trying to salvage parts from the wreckage they had recovered to use as a donor for the last copter. Rains noticed them approaching and spoke out as he continued to use a power wrench.

“Shame you couldn’t get us some of those shiny new rides.”

Chandra smiled as they heard a large ship approaching their positions.

They looked up to the sky to see an Achilles class vessel roar into view and come in to land. It was large enough to almost completely fill the landing zone from where they had been operational.

“You might be careful what you wish for,” replied Chandra.

The vessel descended to the ground, and Taylor could make out the name, Deveron.

“Reyes’ ship, what’s it doing here?” he asked.

A ramp lowered from the vessel, and an officer stepped out to greet them. Taylor had seen him before but had never shared words.

“Lieutenant Ryan at your service.”

“Welcome to Reims, Lieutenant,” replied Chandra.

“I am sorry to hear of the loss of your Captain, he was a good man,” Taylor added.

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Major, the Deveron has been assigned to our Battalion as long range transport for the foreseeable future, along with three other Achilles class frigates.”

Taylor stepped around the Lieutenant and peered down the hull of the ship. He recognised the name, but much of the rest was new to him.

“Some refit, hey, Lieutenant?”

“Yes, Sir, we’ve been given new engines, new weapons, things I’ve never seen in my life.”

Eddie strolled up to their positions.

“Looks like someone has taken my improvements to a larger scale.”

“Are you Lieutenant Rains?”

“One and only,” he replied.

“We are carrying two new Eagle HVs which are to be delivered to you.”

Eddie turned in shock as he raised an eyebrow in astonishment.

“Taylor, who’s ass have you kissed to get us such treatment?”

Before they could marvel at the technology any further, a jeep drew up beside them. The driver leapt out within a second of it drawing to a halt.

“Colonel Chandra?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Orders from Commander Phillips, you and Major Taylor are to assemble at briefing shelter A at 1100 hours.”

“Why did this not get relayed via comms?” she asked.

“The Commander asked me to relay the order personally, and for your ears only, Ma’am.”

“Alright, thank you, you can be on your way.”

As the jeep pulled away, she looked down at her watch to see there was little time before they were to be summoned.

“We were supposed to have another day,” said Taylor.

“When does anything work to the schedule we need?” she responded. “Come on, I’m eager to see what is in store for us.”

Chandra and Taylor stepped into the briefing shelter with just seconds to spare. Several dozen other officers awaited the Commander to start. They barely recognised anyone in the room. It was a stark reminder of how much they had lost in the war. A door towards the front of the room opened, and General Schulz stepped through with several of his staff. Nobody was even aware that he had arrived in the city, but they all understood it meant there was a matter of great importance.

“Welcome all of you. A new operation is about to begin which will see you all tested to your sheer limits. We drove the enemy from this planet, and yet we have not driven them from human territory. As long as the enemy remain on the Moon, humanity is in danger. Tomorrow we launch the greatest military operation outside of Earth boundaries that has ever taken place in human history.”

Several gasps rang out. Taylor could see that there was a mix of officers from around the world, including several Americans.

“Schulz has been gathering forces here, and we didn’t even know it,” he whispered.

“It’s as good a place as any,” replied Chandra.

“I’d like to introduce you all to Commander Kelly, the former military leader of the Moon colony forces.”

Schulz ushered the Commander up to take a seat beside him.

“The Commander’s efforts in defending his colony and keeping his people safe are to be commended. It is only natural that he would want a stake in this new enterprise to free the lands he calls home.”

The officers around the room clapped Kelly as he took to the stage beside the General. Schulz called quiet and tapped a few buttons before him which displayed their solar system behind him.

“If we are to fight a war outside of Earth’s boundaries, we need a foothold in space, one which we no longer have. The L2 station is by far our best option. We know the enemy occupy the station but are unsure of their exact strength. Tomorrow you will depart for L2 and take it with a rapid strike before they can bolster their forces. It is vital that we gain this position in order to continue to the Lunar colony.”

“I am hearing a lot of unknowns here,” whispered Taylor.

“What do you expect? We lost everything outside of this atmosphere,” replied Chandra.

“Between you all, you can field approximately six thousand troops and will make up the initial raid to take L2 in what is to be known as Operation Phoenix.”

Chandra smiled.

“He’s pretty confident of victory, then?” she whispered.

“I fucking hope so, or it’ll be our asses left for dead up there,” replied Taylor.

Taylor slumped into bed after a half day of planning for the operation. He was exhausted from seemingly doing nothing but sitting and listening. Just a few minutes after lying down alone, there was a knock on the door. He knew Parker wouldn’t have stopped at the door.

“Come!” he called as he sat up.

To Taylor’s surprise it was Commander Kelly who stepped through. He was alone, and it put Mitch’s guard up. His hand instinctively closed towards his pistol, but he stopped short of taking the grip in hand.

“I didn’t come to squabble, Major.”

Taylor looked down at his hand held next to the pistol like an old gunslinger.

“You’ll forgive me, Commander. Our last meeting was not a friendly one.”

“Appreciated, and I want that resolved. Tomorrow we go to war together. Schulz may still be in command, but you will also be accountable to me. Will that be a problem?”

“Not unless you try and get me and mine killed.”

“The General tells me that you volunteered for this offensive, is that correct?”

Taylor nodded.

“It means a lot. My soldiers believed you only interested in Earth. It will go a long way to mending fences with them to see you join our side.”

“I was never not on your side, but I had my orders just like everyone else.”

“And you always follow them?” he replied.

Taylor smiled. “I’m sorry we left you to fend for yourselves, and I am sorry we could not help further. What more do you want me to say?”

“Nothing, that is quite enough. You’re a hero here on Earth, so take your place among us as the same. If you can be half the soldier you have been through this war, then we’d be foolish not to have you with us.”

Taylor nodded in agreement.

“That’ll be all. Good luck tomorrow, and thank you for joining us.”

“And to you, Sir. It will be an honour to serve with you.”

“Good morning to you all!” shouted Chandra.

She stood before the Battalion formed up in front of the four Achilles frigates. Their assault copters were loaded, and everything was ready for their departure. The ground was quiet now as they all awaited the final order to depart.

“I would have greatly preferred to have many weeks to get this battalion in order. However, you are all experienced and more than competent soldiers. From now on, we are a family. It doesn’t matter if you were here from the very start or joined yesterday! Today we embark on the only space based military assault in the history of our race, so let’s do it right!”

She stopped as she listened to a message coming through on her intercom.

“This is it. We have been ordered to embark on Operation Phoenix. Load up and move out!”

There was no cheering or excitement amongst them. They all wanted to see an end to the enemy, but few wanted to engage them in combat again. The troops swarmed to the boats in silence. Chandra turned as she caught sight of a soldier approaching at her flank. It was Commander Kelly. His worn old uniform had been replaced by the same new camouflage patterns; something that kept them uniformed even if the pattern served no purpose where they were going. Despite his clean new gear, the same grizzled veteran lay beneath.

“Glad to have you with us, Colonel!” he shouted, approaching with his hand forward to shake hers.

“Sir, it’s an honour to be a part of this enterprise. I know there is still ill will towards some of my Battalion for their service on your colony at the start of this war. I pray that now that can be put to rest when we strive forward together.”

Kelly looked over and nodded to Taylor.

“I think we have put that to rest, Colonel. There’s no time or energy left to worry about what has been. We want our colony back, and anyone who is willing to assist us to that end will be eternally our friend. L2 will be a major stepping stone to getting our homes back. I wish you every luck.”

“And to you, Sir,” replied Chandra.

She turned and followed Taylor to the frigates awaiting them. They boarded the Deveron together, and Taylor felt a tingle run down his spine as he stepped aboard once again. It was a stark reminder of their last visit to the Moon which had been his first experience of the harrowing enemy. He thought back to Reyes and was glad to see the Captain’s ship continue on after his loss. Chandra was last aboard, and she took one last look to be certain they were ready to leave before hitting the door switch. Chandra looked around to see that the corridor was empty of all but Taylor.

“All are aboard and gearing up.”

“Good, let’s join them. There are too many uncertainties in this mission. I want compression suits on before we’ve left the atmosphere and kept on, as well as masks and tanks kept to hand.”

Taylor nodded in agreement as they turned and made their way to the store rooms to gather what they needed. The ship lifted off just seconds later but was so smooth they barely noticed.

Ten minutes later they were ascending from Earth’s atmosphere and felt the gravity reduce in the moments before the gravity generators got to full strength and balance.

“I never thought we’d see the day when we went to war in space,” said Chandra.

“The day was inevitable. I just would have seen it more likely as a fight between humans. The existence of these creatures still seems unreal.”

“I think it’ll be a long time before any of what has happened sinks in,” she replied.

They went silent for a moment as they each reflected on the last year that had seen more bloodshed than they could ever have imagined.

“Do you think they’ll be ready for us? On L2?” asked Taylor.

“No. I would be, but this enemy, they seem arrogant. We have caught them off guard countless times because of their underestimation of the human race, and its ability to adapt and survive. One day they may learn, but I think right now we still have a good chance of getting this station without too much of a fight.”

“I bloody hope so. Without it, we’ll have a hard time ever getting the Moon back. We’re gonna have to use mostly civilian freighters as it is.”

She sat back and sighed.

“Maybe we were stupid to not prepare ourselves for this whole eventuality. Look how many times in history great civilisations have been destroyed by such an invasion by an unknown enemy. What did we ever do to prepare for this? We have few military spacecraft. No defence systems, nothing.”

“I don’t think it’d have made any difference,” replied Taylor. “We barely got by in this war with everything we had. Whatever happened, this was always going to be a war fought on our own soil.”

She looked and smiled. “Not for much longer.”

It felt like a long trip to reach the station when it was in reality just a few hours. Sat in their full gear and with weapons at the ready made them all anxious, but it was necessary the Colonel had said. None of them doubted her after knowing what a danger the enemy could pose. Eventually, Lieutenant Ryan called for the Colonel over the intercom. She was loathed to leave the troops during their journey unless it was necessary. She paced uneasily up to the bridge, knowing the news could only be that the fight was imminent.

Chandra stepped out onto the bridge with Taylor at her side. Before them was a projection of what they were approaching.

“We’re coming up fast on the target, Ma’am.”

“What are your orders?” she asked him to verify.

“To drop you off a mile out and hold to provide support,” he quickly replied.

“Good. Watch out for anyone trying to escape. I don’t want any of those bastards getting free and clear of here.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“How long do we have?”

“We’ll be at the drop off co-ordinates in fifteen minutes.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.”

She lifted her comm. and immediately called out her orders.

“We’re dropping in fifteen. All Inter-Allied are to emplane. All pilots to their craft.”

She turned back to the Lieutenant. The young officer seemed unfazed by the impending danger they faced. It was a confidence that she admired and could already see that he had followed in Reyes’ footsteps.

“Good luck, Lieutenant.”

“And to you, Ma’am, I wish you a quick victory and that you all stay safe.”

“We’re good to go!” yelled Eddie.

His words resounded around the copter of soldiers who sat in silence awaiting the battle which would ensue.

“Let’s get going!”

Taylor and Chandra smiled at the pilot’s easy going nature. He always calmed the situation with his relaxed personality at just the right moment. A second later, their engines fired up, and they raced from the docking bay out into the blackness of space. The only thing visible before them was the lights of the station. She pulled her helmet over her head and replaced the helmet on top.

The mask was close fitting and sealed to her compression suit at the neck line. The face was completely visible through the large transparent faceplate. The others quickly followed suit; the thought of asphyxiation in space was a fearful one for the Earthers who had never had to consider such a natural danger.

The two officers could see through Eddie’s cockpit and onwards as a light flashed up ahead.

“What the hell is that?” asked Taylor.

They could see the light getting closer, and it was joined by another.

“Incoming!” Eddie shouted.

He reacted quickly, and the copter banked heavily and narrowly avoided the pulse that burnt the surface of their fuselage.

“You said L2 had no defences!” Eddie said.

“It didn’t!” shouted Chandra.

“Fuck, this ain’t gonna be a walk in the park,” replied Taylor.

He turned and looked out of a porthole to see dozens of other craft flying in formation with them. A second later, one of the pulses crashed into a copter and blew the engines off its structure, sending it tumbling out of control. Chandra strained herself to watch the stricken ship.

“Looks like they’ll be alright,” stated Taylor. “The support ships will pick ‘em up.”

Chandra slumped back down with a sombre look about her face. Taylor could see that she was beginning to remember what the war had felt like, and she didn’t like it one bit. They banked hard several times as they approached and were soon at the station unharmed. Just as they were about to land on the superstructure a porthole was lit up by an explosion, and one of the copters blew up at their flank. Taylor took just a quick glance to see remains of the craft drift past them and narrowly miss Rains’ cockpit.

“That one of ours?” Chandra asked.

Taylor nodded solemnly.

“One of Jackson’s! Looks like there are survivors.”

She looked out of her window to see several soldiers floating in space as they zoomed past. At least a good number seemed to still be moving, and she took solace in knowing they could survive long enough to get picked up, providing they saw victory that day. Chandra shook her head at the losses before they’d even reached their target.

“If they’ve gone as far as fitting defences, you can be damn sure they’re ready to give us a hard time on the ground,” Taylor said.

“There is no ground anymore, Major. We left the sensibilities of firm ground sometime ago,” she replied.

He smiled in response, but he wasn’t at all amused. The idea of space travel never sat well with him. Fighting in the uncertainties of space was something he’d have avoided at all costs, but that was not for him to decide.

“This is it!” yelled Eddie.

The engines rushed into reverse thrust, and the copter rocked as it landed with a solid clunk, latching itself to the outer structure of the station. Chandra leapt to her feet.

“Breach it!”

Doors opened on the floor of the copter and revealed an access tunnel that had extended from their craft. Corporal Hall manoeuvred a shaped charge on an extended bracket down the corridor until it clamped to the structure of the station. He looked up and nodded to the Colonel that they were ready.

“Do it!”

He pressed the trigger, and the small blast punctured through the outer skin with minimal effort. Hall waited for the dust to settle for just a moment to check the breach.

“We’re in business!”

“Go, go, go!” shouted Chandra.

The two platoons aboard rushed down the joining corridor and into the station. Chandra and Taylor got through after the first dozen troops and stood in surprise in a corridor to see no sign of movement other than themselves.

“This is Alpha1, we have breached and have met no resistance, over.”

She waited just a moment as the rest of the troops took up positions along the ribbed corridor. The large bracing structures allowed a natural defence. She got no response and got no radio traffic at all.

“God damn it, I thought our people had sorted this jamming out?”

Taylor shrugged his shoulders but was not at all surprised. She looked over to him.

“Alright, Taylor you can take them forward from here. Try and link up with the rest Alpha.”

The corridor was five metres wide, and clearly a main access route throughout the structure. Taylor paced forward to lead the two platoons with Chandra close by. They had got just a few metres when they heard rapid gunfire and shouts up ahead. The troops all instinctively dropped down to one knee and took cover.

“Must be Jones.”

“They clearly didn’t get the smooth entry we did. Move forward and provide assistance. I’ll bring up the rear.”

Taylor nodded before getting to his feet and beckoning for the troops to move forward with him. He rushed on at a jogging pace and quickly heard the fighting beyond get louder until he could no longer hear his own footsteps. They took a bend, and his heart raced as they came across twenty Mechs spread out through a large circular trading room. Jones’ troops had only just managed to breach and get a dozen troops a foothold. They were dug in under heavy fire, and one lay dead on the floor up ahead.

Taylor leapt into the cover of a large desk unit as they came out into the opening of the trading area and lifted his hand to draw them all to a halt. He looked back and beckoned for them to move forward with caution. He lifted his rifle and quickly took aim at the first creature that he had a clear view of from its flank.

“Fire!” he ordered.

Mitch immediately fired five rounds into the chest of the creature he could see the most of, and a final one through its faceplate to be certain. The beast dropped lifelessly to the ground as the others joined in. Dozens of rounds tore into the enemy, but they quickly took better cover as five of their comrades were dropped.

“Get those shields up here!”

The three soldiers carrying the Reitech shields rushed forward. They were all that could be taken with the confines of space.

“Grenades!” Taylor shouted.

“You sure?” asked Hall.

“The station can take it. Do it!”

He continued firing as five grenades were launched over their positions and erupted in the centre of the room.

“Forward!”

The shield bearers rushed forward, and Taylor leapt over the desk he was using for cover. A pulse rushed towards him but was caught just in time by one of the shields. The round crashed into the shield and burst into sparks that sprayed over the Major and burnt a few millimetres into his body armour.

A dozen troops followed him and fired as they advanced with the shield bearers at the forefront and joining in. The brutal volley of fire caught two of the creatures as they tried to rise up from cover and return fire. The fire intensified as Jones and several of his troop advanced from their battered positions.

Taylor’s magazine ran dry, and he ducked down behind the next layer of cover and was joined by the others. A few light pulses raged overhead as the pressure was taken off their foes. Taylor slammed in a new magazine and lifted himself, taking a quick aim at a creature. He fired two shots into its head, ducking quickly back down as a pulse flew overhead and skimmed the table where he was taking cover.

He looked back at the next wave of troops who had taken up their old positions; then back to see the first advance he had led were all hunkered down. He gestured to the others to fire over their heads, and it was quickly done. Rifle fire rushed over their heads as they waited their moment to strike. After a few dozen volleys, he lifted his hand to call a halt to their fire.

“Advance!”

He leapt up and jumped onto the table top, affording him a view of several of the Mechs from the vantage point. He stepped confidently forward as he poured fire into their positions. He snapped around as he caught movement, firing on full auto into a creature as it lifted up beside him. It dropped dead before it could even train its weapon on him.

The troops around him poured forward into the enemy positions and finished off the surviving Mechs. Taylor watched and grinned at the defeated foes before them. He turned back to the body lying on the floor in front of the breach. The Major jumped from the table and strolled over to the body of the lifeless soldier who had only gotten a metre from the breach before being struck down.

Jones joined the Major as he knelt down and rolled over the fallen soldier. Smoke still arose from the impact as the body rolled over; it was Blinker. His eyes flicked open, and he stared into the eyes of Mitch.

“Not dead yet, Sir,” he spluttered.

Taylor smiled as he hauled the man to his feet. Blinker coughed and sighed in pain, but his wounds were only minor. Monty rushed to his side and slapped him across the back of his helmet.

“Bloody idiot, getting shot like that!”

“I’ll try not to next time,” he replied.

Taylor turned back, relaxing at the realisation that they were not a man down. He looked to Chandra as she strode down the corridor, scanning the scene of carnage. Then gunfire erupted in far away rooms and echoed down the several corridors which the hall led to.

“Fight isn’t over,” she stated. “Assemble the troops. Jones, you take half the Company down corridor 17B. We’ll take 17A.”

Jones quickly nodded to show he had understood and turned to relay his orders.

“1 ^st and 2 ^nd Platoon, on me!” he yelled.

“3 ^rd and 4 ^th, follow me!” Chandra shouted.

They quickly formed up in the market area as they changed their magazines and prepared to move onwards. Chandra and Taylor waited either side of a two metre corridor. She pulled out a Mappad and quickly studied it.

“We’re about five hundred metres from the command centre, but it’s three floors down. I want command of this station ASAP. There are stairs here and here. You take the first with 3 ^rd Platoon, and I’ll continue on to the next with 4 ^th.”

“Got it.”

She looked back to see that all eyes were on her and awaiting the advance. She nodded and without a word, stepped forward. They hugged either side of the corridor, all keeping their weapons held at the ready as they advanced. The corridor was eerily quiet, but they could still hear gunfire in the distance. There was a bend up ahead, and they crept slowly towards it until Chandra could edge around the corner for a quick look. She leapt back around as automatic fire rang out, and small pulses smashed into the corner where her head had been a second before.

“Christ! Looks like some kind of sentry gun!”

Taylor leapt to her side of the corridor and drew out his Mappad. He pulled out a telescopic camera, twisted a kink into it, and held the edge to the corner. The camera displayed the view beyond onto the device. He got just a few seconds look when a light burst smashed into the camera and wall, tearing the wrecked Mappad from his hands. He quickly ducked back away from the edge.

“Yep, that’s something we haven’t seen before.”

“I guess they weren’t on the defensive before,” she replied.

“We could advance with the cover of the shields?”

“No, I don’t think they’d withstand the output of that thing.”

“Then what do you reckon?”

She took a deep breath, but before she could find an answer, they heard a rush of gunfire emanate from the parallel corridor Jones’ had taken. Chandra took a quick look around the corner to see that the sentry gun was engaged in firing at Jones and the others.

“Taylor, I reckon we’ll have a few seconds opportunity to lay down fire.”

He nodded in return and turned back to the others.

“You three, on the Colonel. When we get round that corner, we give it hell, got it?”

They readied their weapons and grimly agreed, having seen the Colonel almost killed by the fearsome defences.

“Go,” she whispered.

Chandra leapt to the far side of the other corridor, allowing them to get an angle on the device. She quickly opened fire, and the others joined in after she’d fired the first shot. A dozen rounds hit the sentry gun’s flank that got around the thick frontal shields, but it began to turn for them.

“Keep firing!” she screamed.

She continued to pour fire down the corridor in the hope it would be enough. But by the time the gun had rotated and trained on them, she could already see light building in the barrel. Just as the rounds were about to burst from the barrel, an explosion blasted out from behind the shield of the gun and twisted it into a wreck. Chandra breathed out deeply, knowing how close they had come to death.

“Let’s move!” she cried.

The two platoons rushed into the corridor at their backs, and the two officers led from the front at a quick pace. Using their helmet targeting devices, they continued to pour fire down the corridor. They could see Mechs rush to defend against Jones’ attack. Taylor had got to the forefront and burst out of the corridor into what was a bar and restaurant district. Light pulses and muzzle flashes lit up the vast space, and Mech bodies were scattered in front of him. He smiled at the sight and lifted his rifle to join in.

Chandra and the others rushed to his side and joined the firing squad. They outnumbered the Mechs in a vast way, but it didn’t make them feel any sympathy for the creatures. Over the gunfire, they could just about hear Monty and Blinker yelling insults at the tops of their voices as they gunned down the beasts.

Finally, when the gunfire subsided, they turned to see two of their dead amongst Jones’ troops. Chandra shook her head in sadness, but she knew it was only inevitable. She was only thankful they hadn’t lost more.

“We’re not far from the command centre, let’s move!”

They rushed down a corridor at the far side of the sector and reached the stairs as planned. Taylor was descending to the control point and was eager to get there first to deal out some more pain. He reached the semi transparent doors at the base of the stairway and could see that they were sealed shut. Without breaking stride, he fired three shots into the toughened glass and then leapt at it. His body weight ruptured through the fractured plastic, and he tumbled into a roll. Taylor nimbly landed on one knee and was quickly back to his feet.

Three creatures stood before him. One wore ornately inscribed armour that was reminiscent of Karadag’s, and his face was visible. The other two creatures displayed the painted red lines, clearly representing their importance as some form of guard to a senior officer or official. For a moment, the two groups looked at each other in amazement.

“Lower your weapons!” he shouted.

He surprised himself to even say it. He’d never met one of the creatures that he wouldn’t have shot on sight if he could. They hesitated, but he could see they knew there was little other choice beyond death.

“Lower them!”

The two guards looked to their master, who after a few seconds of thought, nodded for them to comply.

“You would let us live?” asked the enemy Commander.

“I’m here to win this war, not eradicate your race.”

Taylor could see the two guards look at each other as if surprised, but he could not see their faces beneath their armour. Gunfire rang out, and plastic shattered as Chandra breached the other entrance and rushed into the room with her rifle at the ready. Taylor held up his hand to stop her. She quickly came to a halt and looked on at the situation in shock.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“I believe these soldiers are surrendering to us.”

“Surrender? And what would you have us do with them?”

Taylor lowered his rifle and paced across the room, so he could talk more privately with the Colonel.

“These are soldiers just like us. Wouldn’t you want your foe to take mercy if you were cornered? We’re better than this, Chandra.”

She looked down and cursed. She knew he was right.

“Alright, alright. Find them somewhere secure, and I mean secure. They are to be kept under guard and watched at all times.”

“Alright,” he replied.

“Looks like we’ve got most of the station under control. They can’t have had more than a hundred or two guarding the whole place.”

“Maybe because it was the last thing they ever expected of us?” replied Taylor.

“Alright. Jones, send runners to find Commander Kelly, and notify him we have taken the HQ. 3 ^rd and 4 ^th platoon are to take up positions here. Jones, rally up with Jackson. You’re on sweep and clear.”

She turned and looked at the three aliens who were still stood waiting to hear of their fortune.

“Taylor, they’re your responsibility.”