Chapter 4

Lights flickered as power fluctuated throughout the Washington. Engineering and medical crews rushed about their duties. Taylor and Chandra fought through the chaos with Jones’ Company in tow. They now wore their full helmets with independent oxygen supply, so they could be ready for anything. The Colonel stopped at a junction and looked down two of the corridors feeding onto it.

“God damn, it all looks the same,” she whispered.

“This one,” replied Taylor.

“You sure?”

“No, but we have to keep moving.”

“Alright, go!”

They rushed forward down yet another corridor they’d never seen before. Taylor held is Mappad forward and tried to make some sense of their location. It shook about in his hand. He reached over, clipped it to his left forearm, and continued. It looked like they were heading the right way, but in the desperate rush and in a maze of corridors, it was difficult to know.

“I think we’re about a hundred metres away!”

As he said it, an explosion ripped through the corridor only ten metres from their position. The massive impact threw them off their feet, and the hull of a smaller enemy vessel smashed through into their corridor and passed right through into the next. Even before Taylor could get to his feet, he was sucked through a hole in the breach and out into space. He looked back to see the corridor had been shut off and its atmosphere normalised. He could see Chandra stood looking in horror as he floated away. The blast skin closed up around the hull of the enemy vessel, instantly sealing the breach.

“Fuck sake!” he shouted.

He’d never been tossed out into space before, and it was an oddly frightful, as well as fascinating, experience. He knew his suit and its integrity were all that was keeping him alive. But he turned and could see the whole battle before him. Several of their fleet had been hit by boarding actions, but the fight continued to rage. Enemy and friendly fighters soared about between the larger vessels, and pulses of light zipped across the sky. It was a fascinating light display, like watching fireworks.

Realising he needed to get back to the fight, he hit his boosters which instantly brought him to a halt and put him back on course for the Washington. He stared up and down for some way in. The nearest airlock was fifty metres from where he had exited. Within a minute, he was up to speed and descending towards the door at speed. He landed and saw they were thick blast doors that he’d never get open. There was no lock and entry system in sight, but he could see a small camera monitoring the door. Taylor manoeuvred his head in front of the camera.

“This is Major Taylor. Open the doors!”

He got no response.

“Open the fucking doors!”

Still no response, and fear began to set in. He knew his air supply would not last forever. He turned back to the enemy ship and thought about his options. He could see it was already damaged from various pulses on its way in.

“Alright you bastards, I’m coming for you.”

He leapt off from the Washington and hit his boosters once again. As he soared towards the ruined hulk, he fired in rapid succession at one of the damaged parts within its hull. He got off just ten shots and hoped for the best. He tucked his legs under and forwards so that he was going feet first. Mitch hit the structure hard, but he burst through and tumbled into the interior of the enemy vessel.

There was no obvious sign of life. He staggered to his feet and looked around. The interior had the same utilitarian and sterile feel that he had become accustomed to seeing. Then something caught his attention — a display screen with two routes from their current position and to the CIC.

“My, God. They’re going for the bridge!”

Footsteps broke the silence, and he quickly lifted his rifle so see a Mech in light armour step into view. Its weapon was slung low, as if seeing a human was the last thing it expected. Taylor did not hesitate to take advantage of his position and fired four shots into its chest. The armour penetrating Reitech rounds punched right through its thin armour and out the back of the creature’s body. It tumbled to the ground, and Taylor made a quick sweep of the room and its two exits. The dead alien had little equipment or heavy weaponry. He quickly came to the conclusion that it must have been the pilot.

Then he remembered the map he had seen and rushed over to take another quick glance.

“Christ,” he blasphemed once again.

Mitch leapt into action and rushed out of one of the exits, heading in the rough direction of where he thought the breach into the Washington could be found. He finally found it and rushed out into the carrier, to be met by two shocked soldiers of Ota’s Company. They lifted their rifles rapidly when they saw his figure tumble out of the enemy vessel.

“Sir, what the fuck is going on?”

“They’re going for the CIC. Where is the Colonel?”

“Some way down this corridor, we believe.”

“Alright, find Ota or Jackson and tell them to get as many of your Company back to the CIC immediately. You must protect Huber and the bridge!”

“What are you gonna do, Sir?”

“Try and hunt the bastards down from the other side. The Mechs that came from this ship are going for the heart of the Washington. Now go!”

They turned and ran, as did Taylor in the opposite direction. He could hear gunfire intensifying up ahead and knew he must be in the right place. A few minutes later, he reached a junction where Chandra and Jones were huddled, trying to defend from a stream of Mechs. Jafar and Tsengal were fighting at their side.

“Colonel!” he shouted.

She fired a few more shots before realising who it was. She turned in surprise and relief that he was alive.

“How on Earth did you get back?”

“Doesn’t matter. The Mechs are going for the CIC.”

“What? How do you know?”

“That doesn’t matter either. If they can take control of the bridge, we’ll lose the command of this fleet, and they’ll turn the guns on the rest. Control of the guns of this ship could end us all!”

“Fuck! Do you know where they are now?”

“I’ve got an idea, yeah.”

She spun around. “Jones, I need a platoon, and you two.”

She point to the aliens. Taylor was surprised she was so keen to have them at her side, but they all knew what an asset they could be. The Captain shouted for the nearest unit to follow the Colonel.

“Lead the way!” she yelled to Taylor.

They passed down two corridors and could hear fighting throughout multiple sectors, but they could spare little time to assist anyone.

“You really believe they are going for control of the ship?” Chandra asked.

“Outnumbered and facing superior firepower, wouldn’t you? They aren’t fighting to the death, they are fighting to protect the gateway!”

They came to an abrupt halt as half a dozen Mechs turned a bend up ahead and continued, not having noticed them. Taylor quickly took advantage of the situation and lifted his rifle, pouring fire into their backs. The broad corridor allowed six more of the platoon to join in. The creatures were riddled with bullets but still managed to turn and fire a few pulses. One rushed over Chandra’s head, the other skimmed the hip of one of the privates, causing him to squirm in pain as he collapsed to the ground.

Another volley of fire finished the creatures for good as Chandra knelt down to the wounded man. She took a quick look at his wound and grasped his shoulders, peering into his eyes.

“You’ll be fine! We cannot stay here or be slowed down. You keep your rifle at the ready, you hear?”

The Private was still stunned, but he nodded in agreement. Chandra hated leaving one of their own behind, but she knew there were bigger things at stake.

“Let’s move!”

She leapt forward and led the platoon right over the bodies of the Mechs. Wisps of smoke still rose from their thick armour where the Reitech rounds had drilled right through. As they passed along more corridors, they found the bodies of several of the ship’s crew and no sign of life.

Shit, we need to get a move on. Chandra thought to herself.

She upped the pace and within a few minutes, they could hear gunfire once again. It was a welcome sound, as it meant someone had stood their ground against the incoming enemy.

“How do you want to do this?” Taylor asked.

“No subtleties, we just keep going forward.”

They passed several corridors that they recognised and realised just how close they were to the bridge now. Taylor was thankful it had been placed at the core of the vessel. He was certain the carrier would have fallen to the enemy if it had not been. They took a turn up ahead and were met face-to-face with several creatures at the back of their column. Chandra and Taylor fired a quick few bursts and ducked back as pulses smashed into the wall where they had just stood.

“Guess we found them!”

“Best thing we can do from here is to keep up the heat,” replied Taylor. “The more trouble we cause, and the more of those bastards we can take down, the better chance we give Huber.”

Chandra dropped to one knee and edged around the corner, and Taylor stood over her. They fired two bursts each and quickly ducked back. They hoped they’d taken one of the creatures down but didn’t have enough time to confirm it. Just as they were about to repeat the process, they heard panicked shouts echo from the back of their platoon, followed by gunshots.

“Incoming!” they heard down the line.

“Stay here and keep firing!” shouted Chandra.

She jumped to her feet and rushed down the corridor to find four of the platoon firing down a side corridor from either side of its entrance. One of the women leapt back to reload, and Chandra ducked in beside her.

“How many?”

“I saw a dozen, but there must have been many more with them.”

“They’re going for the CIC, and we’re blocking their path,” she replied.

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“We cannot retreat, and we’re fighting both ends. Whatever happens, do not let them pass!”

The Private nodded in horror. The Mechs were still advancing relentlessly, no matter how many they cut down. The Colonel got to her feet and retreated to her previous position where she found Jafar joining in the action.

“Something’s got to give,” stated Taylor.

“When you were out there, Mitch, how many breaches did you see?”

“Three for definite, maybe four.”

“Then we must have now encountered three of those assaults. We must hope Grey got to the other.”

“This was a grave underestimation of the enemy strength. Somebody made a big God damn mistake,” Taylor shouted.

“You got that right, but we’re giving harder than we’re getting. As long as we can stop the bastards getting into the CIC, we will still pull through on top.”

She pulled a grenade off her armour and placed her hand over the arming cap.

“You think we should be using those here?” asked Taylor.

“It’s far from ideal, but the alternative is far worse. I’ll take the chance.”

She twisted the cap and launched it rigorously down the corridor, ducking quickly back around next to Taylor.

“Fire in the hole!” she yelled.

They hunkered down and counted the two remaining seconds before an ear splitting explosion rang out down the corridor. The walls at their backs shuddered violently. If it weren’t for their enclosed suits, they’d already be deaf. For a moment, Chandra sat motionless in shock at how the enclosed corridor had intensified the grenades impact. She didn’t want to look around and see what damage she might have caused to the fleet’s prize vessel. Taylor laughed at her shocked face.

“Right on, Colonel!”

He stepped past her and peered down the corridor to see four Mechs lying dead from the blast. Several others were badly wounded or incapacitated. Chandra leaned in to see the result and breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Pass the word. Use the grenades.”

Taylor rushed off down the line and continued to relay her orders until he reached the other end of the platoon, where the troops were still firing frequent bursts in an attempt to stop the Mechs. He peered around to see that they had gained another ten metres on them. He pulled out a grenade, primed it, and tossed it down the corridor.

“Christ!” one of the soldiers shouted out, and they ducked back.

The explosion sent vibrations through the walls again, and Taylor just prayed that any collateral damage was worth the result. The enemy corridor went silent for a moment, but it was then filled by another grenade exploding further down and punctuated by a hail of Reitech rifle fire. Taylor looked back down the troops alongside him.

“Hold your fire, lads. That’s friendlies coming in.”

He peered around the corner to see the last of the creatures cut down by dozens of rounds. Several rushed past and hit the wall close to the Major. A few moments later, he could make out the silhouettes of Exoskeleton clad troops jogging down the passage towards him. Lieutenant Grey was at the forefront.

“That’s some damn good timing, Lieutenant!”

“Thank you, Sir. We’ve dealt with one of the other assaults already, but we believe there is still at least one in the wind.”

Taylor pointed down the corridor.

“At the other end of here, trying to fight their way to the CIC.”

“Shall we…”

“Damn right.”

Taylor stepped confidently down the corridor to the Colonel with Grey’s Company close behind. She turned and marvelled at the reinforcements and the realisation of where they had come from.

“Alright, lads. Let’s cut these bastards down!”

She lifted her rifle and stepped out in the corridor in plain view of the enemy. The broad corridor allowed many more of the troops to flood in and open fire in a brutal onslaught. They walked towards the enemy, cutting down all before them. In just thirty seconds, they had killed twenty of the beasts and were still advancing forward as most of them changed their magazines. A bend up ahead concealed the rest of the enemy force who were engaged in a brutal battle with the defenders at the entrance to the bridge.

“We need to watch the crossfire,” Taylor whispered.

“I know, got any grenades left?” replied Chandra.

“Just one.”

He looked across to the others and could see three others still had some high explosive.

“Anyone with grenades. Be ready to use them!” Chandra ordered.

Taylor turned and walked backwards, so he could address them.

“Friendlies on the other side, beware of their fire and of your own!”

As they reached the corner, one Mech turned the bend, trying to either fix or reload his cannon. Chandra fired six shots into its chest without hesitation, and Jafar let off a single bullet into its head.

“Grenades!” Chandra roared.

Taylor led the way, pulled out his grenade, waiting with his other hand on the firing cap. Four others joined him.

“On three. Three, two, one.”

They twisted the caps and launched them all around the corner. Chandra knew it was a risky strategy, even more than the first few they had used. The massive explosion rumbled the corridors, sending shards of metal into the air that embedded in the corridor wall in front of them. The heat was enough to feel even through their suits.

Taylor immediately drew out his Assegai and leapt around to finish off any that were left alive. Just five creatures remained standing, two of which appeared stunned or hurt. He rushed the first one. It was disorientated, and he drove his weapon into its stomach and high up through its body. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Chandra leaping forward in a similar manner.

One of the creatures swung its weapon around, but it was too slow and clumsy. Taylor ducked under with a nimble roll and drove the Assegai into the armour at its thigh. The Mech tumbled over, almost crushing him. He ripped the weapon from the beast’s leg and blood gushed out across the deck. He reversed the Assegai and drove it down into its faceplate.

He stood up and turned to see that the enemy were done for, and all attention had turned to his personal combat. The thick dark blue blood he had become so familiar with poured down his gloves and armour, though he could not feel it.

“All clear?” called Chandra.

The silence was broken by footsteps and the troops parted. Taylor stood up and took Chandra’s side as he saw Huber step through to greet them. He wore a pistol on his side but was as steadfast as ever. He stopped for a moment and looked around at the carnage the battle had created. Several of his staff rushed in with extinguishers to put out the small fires the grenades had ignited. Huber shook his head at the wreck the flagship had become.

“Sir, all known enemy assault craft have been accounted for, but there could yet be more,” stated Chandra.

“Thank you, Colonel. The battle is over. We have destroyed or disabled all enemy craft. Our comms are still being repaired, but we know the Endurance, Chicago and Helena are gone. Many others have received severe damage. The Washington is still under her own power, but we will need weeks of repairs before we can get back into service.”

“It’s a bitter price for victory,” whispered Taylor.

Huber just about heard the Major and looked up to see he was genuinely sorrowful for the losses of many he had never met.

“Indeed, Major, but we came here for a fight. We will mourn our losses, but we must now look to the future. I want you and Colonel Chandra to join us on the bridge, and keep a dozen marines with you. Have the rest of your Battalion run sweeps of the vessel. I want to know for certain we are not carrying anymore unwanted guests.”

“Not all here are marines, Sir,” replied Chandra.

“You are now,” replied Taylor with a smile.

She turned to Lieutenant Grey.

“I want you to take the upper ten decks. Send runners to find Jones, Ota and Jackson that they are sweep the remaining sectors, thoroughly.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

The former Staff Sergeant shouted out his commands as if he were trying to deafen the Colonel before turning and barking further orders to his Company. They rushed on to carry out their new duties.

“We need to get communications back online ASAP, Sir.”

“Agreed, Colonel, we’re already doing all that we can. The jamming they ran is a God damn nightmare.”

“Yes, Sir,” Taylor replied with the voice of experience.

Huber nodded and sighed at the same time.

“I know you are no stranger to this, Taylor. All the experts we have back home have been working round the clock on a way to block their jamming signal, but quite frankly, we still aren’t sure how it works.”

Within seconds of him speaking, the ship’s comms officer turned around and broke the news they were back in contact with the fleet. Huber leapt into action.

“Alright, send word to Command that we have located and secured the area surrounding the space gateway. We have sustained damage and losses in doing so and will maintain positions to allow time to repair and refit.”

The three hundred and sixty degree display of their surroundings fired back up to life, and he stood open mouthed as he experienced the results of their battle. Two of the ships they had lost were now floating hulks. The other two had been blown into multiple parts and were now nothing more than debris. Half of the remaining ships in the fleet showed major battle damage.

“There must be survivors out there. Send out any shuttles and transports we have and get the rest of the fleet to do the same.”

“But, Sir, we can’t spare the personnel. We’re having trouble enough handling the repairs,” replied Vega.

“I don’t give a damn. There are personnel out there who may have precious little time left.”

Huber turned back to their operations table where Chandra and Taylor awaited him. Taylor already liked the fleet’s leader, but he prayed Huber would be able to maintain his control over the fleet in the face of such devastation. He tapped a few buttons on the table display, and it turned to the gateway.

“Just look at it, a marvel of technology, and yet used for such evil.”

“It must be destroyed,” replied Taylor.

“I wouldn’t be so hasty to burn all our bridges. That gate could be humanity’s great leap out into the universe, which it has so desperately pursued.”

“You surely can’t want to go through it?” asked Taylor in shock.

“You’re damn right I do. Sure we could destroy it and forget this all happened, but if they could build the gate once, they’ll do it again.”

“But that could buy us decades or even centuries of time.”

“Living in fear that they will one day come back, no thanks. We’ve started a job, so let’s finish it.”

Taylor could understand her position, but he knew what it would mean — the deaths of hundreds of thousands or even millions in a more bloody war than the last.

“Right now we can’t do anything,” replied Huber. “But I want to know we have that gateway secure. Clearly it has landing bays, and it must be crewed. I want you, Colonel, to organise an assault to capture the gateway. You have two hours to complete your sweeps of the Washington, and then you will carry out these orders.”

“Sir, the gate could open up anytime, and God knows what’s on the other side. We should destroy it now when we still have a chance,” pleaded Taylor.

“We all have our orders, Major. There is to be no attempt made to sabotage the gateway unless such orders are received to do so.”

The room went silent for a moment before Taylor finally remembered his brief moments aboard the enemy craft during the battle. He leaned in close so that only Huber and Chandra could hear.

“During the boarding action, I got a glimpse aboard one of the enemy vessels, and it is likely still there now, embedded in the hull of the Washington. They had a precise and accurate layout of this vessel and a well-planned path directly to the bridge here. I fully believe they intended to gain control of this ship and turn its guns on the rest of the fleet.”

“What? How could they have such information?” asked Chandra.

Huber shook his head in astonishment.

“The plans of the Washington were carefully guarded from the moment the conversion began,” said Huber.

“We have no idea how their technology work,” replied Chandra. “Maybe they have some kind of surveying equipment which mapped out the ship as we arrived.”

“Maybe, or maybe someone is providing the enemy with information,” replied Taylor.

“What?” Huber asked. “Why? Who would do such a thing?”

“It’s a serious allegation,” mused Chandra.

“I don’t know why and wouldn’t like to imagine we had people working with the enemy, but it’s happened in all other wars.”

“Right now, we have no proof or even leads to go on. This isn’t over, but let’s look to the task at hand. Good luck to you.”


Taylor and Chandra sat opposite each other aboard Rains’ Eagle HV as they cautiously approached the space gateway with another eight such craft.

“You really think this thing can fold space?” Eddie asked.

Neither of them answered him for a moment. They stared at each other, trying to make sense of the other’s perspective. Both were curious about the gateway, but they had vastly differing perspectives on what they believed should be done with it. It was the first time they had ever come to a disagreement about the way forward, but there was no ill feeling.

“Guys? What’s the deal?” continued Rains.

“You know as much as us, Eddie!” Taylor answered.

“I doubt that,” he muttered in response.

Chandra looked sympathetically towards Taylor. She could completely understand his desire to end it all there and then, but she also knew they had a responsibility to the future of humanity.

“I don’t want to go on fighting, you know,” she said quietly.

Taylor barely heard what she said, but the few words he caught and the look on her face tallied up.

“I know. Who knows what the right answer is here? When we look back on this in years to come with hindsight, then we’ll know,” he replied.

“Those bastards came close to bringing humanity to extinction. If we let off now and let them come back stronger, do you really believe we could survive? Maybe we’d never see another war in our lifetime, but in another fifty, hundred or two hundred years, that would be the end. Could you go home and back to your old life, knowing we have forsaken the next generations?”

Taylor shook his head. He no longer knew what was the right course of action, but at least he was among friends. He simply smiled in response, and he thought deeper about their conundrum.

We’re still speculating without all the facts, he thought.

“How come they ain’t shooting at us?” asked Rains.

Taylor and Chandra leaned forward to look out of his cockpit. In the depths of their conversation, they had forgotten they were approaching the enemy gateway. Lights still faded in and out around the device, but there was no sign of any opposition to their landing.

“Landing in two!”

They watched as he took them in to what was clearly some sort of a landing bay. It was easily large enough for all of their craft to dock, but only five of Eagles swooped in on the initial wave. None of them could believe they had not yet been fired upon. They passed through the vast cavernous entrance and were beginning to get an understanding of just how vast the structure was.

From a distance, the landing bay looked tiny, but now they could see it was the scale of the gateway that had made it appear so small. The gateway was the size of a substantial moon. As they put down, they noticed the landing bay was completely empty.

“Looks like there’s nobody home,” said Taylor.

“I don’t like it,” replied Chandra.

She turned to Jafar who was sat just a few seats away.

“Where is everyone? Could this vast structure be unmanned?”

“Could be. I have never seen inside one of the gateways, but certainly it is a possibility.”

The craft touched down, and Chandra was quickly out of the door before anyone else. She peered around at the aliens’ docking bay. It appeared uncannily similar to one of their own bays. Most of the structure was made of slab sided metal, and it could only be described as spartan in design and layout.

“I don’t like this at all,” whispered Taylor.

“It’s more than a little creepy. Do you think it’s possible this thing runs itself?” she asked.

“Why not? We have more and more unmanned machines and facilities on Earth. This is probably just a bay for maintenance crews.”

“I’d like to know for certain that we are alone.”

Taylor looked around, remembering quite how much the structure dwarfed them. He peered around for any ways out of the docking facility.

“It could take weeks or even months to search this thing.”

She sighed as she realised he was right.

“Alright, we’ll have to maintain a presence here, though.”

“Agreed.”

Taylor shook his head as he panned around the area.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Just that I was expecting a fight.”

“Sorry to disappoint you.”

She turned to Captain Jackson.

“I want you to continue to investigate what you can, and keep a constant watch here. Make sure to keep an eye on your oxygen tanks, and refill them from the ‘copters at regular intervals. You’ll be relieved in six hours.”

“Yes, Ma’am!”

Taylor and the Colonel climbed back aboard with Rains and slumped back into their seats. It should have been a relief to them not having to fire a shot, but none of their questions had been answered.

“Back to the Washington, Lieutenant!” Chandra ordered.

“Damn quick visit!” he replied.

“Fleeting certainly.”

“We could have stayed and investigated further,” mused Taylor.

“That’s not our job. We came here to secure the landing area and deal with any hostile forces. We will maintain guard for now, but it’s time for the appropriate experts to take over. What the hell do we know about such things?”

“A damn sight more than most,” he retorted.

Chandra thought about it for a moment and then looked around the docking area again. She shook her head.

“No, experts like Reiter and his people were brought on this mission for a reason. We need to leave it in their hands to make some sense of this… thing.”

There was a brief silence as Taylor tried to understand whether she was marvelling at the technology or disdainful of it.

“To use it or destroy it?” he asked.

“That’s not a decision we can make anymore. We can send in our recommendations, but ultimately, we are here to follow orders.”

“And that’s okay with you?”

“Okay? When have we ever had to like our orders? We will do whatever is decided for us. Now, this appears to be in hand. We can leave it to Jackson. World leaders will want our reports on this without any further delay.”

It was not long before they both sat in Huber’s quarters. The first transmission would still not reach earth for several days, leaving them in an anxious position.

“Acceptable losses and the enemy gateway in our hands. This was as successful as the mission could have hoped to be,” Huber said, but he sounded tired.

Acceptable losses? Taylor thought. He hated the term, but he could see that so did the Admiral.

“What now, Sir?” asked Chandra.

In a few days, Earth will learn of our success here, but we cannot wait for the endless back and forth messages which we must endure this far out. I am sending representatives back to report in person, and that will be you two.”

The two of them were stunned. They were both combat officers. The immediate understanding of the pressure that would be placed on them set in.

“Surely there are other officers rather more suited to this liaison task?” she asked.

“With a better way with words, yes, but you were there in the thick of it. You both have more experience facing this enemy and their technology than anyone in the fleet. We’re quite literally in uncharted waters here. I want the reports to be made by those it affects most. As frontline veterans, you will be asked to fight should we step through that gate. I cannot think of a more honest pair to analyse this situation.”

They accepted his assessment and argued no further.

“We will maintain position here until further orders. In the meantime, we have a lot of repairs to undertake and that will give our scientists and engineers time to give this gateway a good look over. I will hang on to your Battalion for the defence of the Washington, if I may. They have proven invaluable.”

“Of course, Sir,” she replied.

“Take the Deveron and two platoons for protection, and get back to Earth with all haste. We will continue to transmit all news and information to the Deveron as we get it while you travel. Lay this story out straight. There is still a lot to learn here, but we already have some major decisions to make.”

“Understood, Sir.”

“That’ll be all. Get underway as soon as possible, Colonel.”

They stood up and silently left the Admiral’s quarters, pondering the new responsibility they had been given. They reached the end of the corridor at the elevator when Taylor finally spoke.

“We’re both being sent to make this report, but we do not agree on the correct way forward.”

“Do you not think that is a good thing? We are being asked to report and advise, and in that duty we have a responsibility to give both sides of the coin. Do not change your opinion just because I am in command of the Battalion. I believe I am right, but I am sure you think just the same of your own strategy. We can’t honestly know who is right at this stage. Let’s not fight over it.”

Taylor nodded in appreciation of her understanding. Chandra tapped her comms unit and was glad to find it working once more.

“Captain Jones, be at the Deveron with two platoons in the next ten minutes. Have them fully geared and ready to travel.”

After a few seconds of silence, Charlie came on the line with a surprised tone to his voice. “Uhh…yes, Ma’am.”

“We travelled all this way and now going we’re going all the way back,” whispered Taylor.

“I have no doubt we will be back shortly.”

Taylor hoped not. He was fully intending to recommend destroying the gateway and the enemy’s access point to the Solar System. He imagined he was going back to Earth for good, but the possibility of other paths was quite frightening.

“You know we fought and won on our own soil, who is to say what lies beyond that gateway?” he asked.

She nodded in agreement.

“Have Jafar join us. Have Tsengal join Captain Jackson aboard the gateway. They might be able to help at both ends.”

They arrived in the docking bay where the Deveron still lay to find Captain Ryan with his feet up, playing a game of cards with his bridge crew in the vast docking area. They had stacked up some crates to make a table and used others for seats. Ryan looked genuinely surprised to see them approaching.

“Every time I see the two of you, it always means we’re heading for trouble,” he jested.

“Not this time. We’re heading home to report on everything we have seen, and you’re our chauffeur,” Chandra answered.

Jones briskly rushed into the room with his troops in tow. He held his rifle at the ready as if he expected a fight. Chandra was glad to see he was naturally as cautious and ready as ever. He relaxed as he approached and saw their casual conversation.

“We’re heading back to Earth, Charlie. I am leaving you in charge of our forces on the Washington. Captain Jackson will be your second and preside over any duties aboard the gateway.”

Jones looked confused by the news.

“The fleet is staying here. We’re reporting back, and we’ll see where this goes. Have your men get aboard the Deveron and prepare for departure. We will return in a month’s time, perhaps more.”

She could see he had many more questions, but he didn’t waste time asking them. He turned and sent the troops forward into the Deveron before making his goodbyes. She didn’t like leaving almost everyone she knew at the enemy gateway, knowing that at anytime a fleet may come through it.

“Good luck,” he said.

She turned to Ryan.

Have your crew square away. We’re heading for Earth.”

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