Battle Beyond Earth: Resurrection (25 page)

"If I can make you bleed, many more will follow in my stead."

The creature paced slowly towards him as if savouring every moment before the kill. It was clear from the look on its face that it was in pain, and that pleased Jones. It stopped as it loomed over him and raised its sword in the air to take his head.

"You are not an Immortal!" it said bitterly.

"That's where you're wrong!" a voice roared beside them.

Out of the dark, Taylor swung the hammer before the creature could react and hit it square in the chest with all the force he could muster, as if he were trying to fell a tree. There was a flash as the explosive charge ignited, and the combined power of the strike and the charge smashed Ganbaatar over the railings. Jones watched speechless as he tumbled over the edge, shrieking as he fell into darkness and out of view. He turned back to Taylor and shook his head.

"Why did you come back for me?"

"Because I'd like to think that you would do the same for me."

Taylor grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet.

"Have we still got time to make it?" Jones asked breathlessly as they ran towards the elevator.

"We can only try."

They leapt into the elevator, and Taylor quickly hit the control to get them moving, but he did not relax yet. He held his hammer in two hands at the entrance and waited for the first sign of movement. He half expected to be attacked once again as they had done before, but to his relief, they lifted up above the opening and began soaring to the surface.

"We have to leave now. We cannot wait for Taylor any longer!" Nichols shouted.

Jafar said nothing, for he didn't want to condemn his friend.

"He knew the risks of this mission like everyone else. If he has placed the device, then the mission is a success, and we should leave while we still can!"

Jafar looked to Cohen to see she was nodding in agreement. He then looked to Irala, whose projection was still before them. The bridge lit up with a flash as one of the Aranui vessels erupted on screen.

"Do we go? Do we leave the man who got us this far?" Jafar asked them all.

"He of all people would never have us sacrifice all our lives in some vain attempt at rescue," replied Irala.

Jafar was about to make the call when Taylor came over the comms.

"We're on our way!" he shouted, "Don't go without us!"

Jafar signed with relief, and Cohen leapt in to assist.

"Get a fighter squadron down there to support them. Let's bring our people home!"

Taylor rushed out of the elevator with Jones at his side. There was no sign of life in sight, but they could hear the roar of engines overhead and saw a Sky King descending. Bailey and Antos were at the door, and Taylor could see Alita through the cockpit window.

"Come on!" Antos called out.

They leapt to a sprinting pace as gunfire hit the ground around them. Taylor looked up to see three Morohta warriors firing down on them, but they could do nothing except rush on and hope their shields would cover them. Antos leaned out of the side door and took aim at them, laying down fire from the cover of the craft. Finally, they reached the door and jumped inside. They quickly lifted off the ground as Antos passed a rifle each to Taylor and Jones.

The Sky King rotated, bringing their attackers in full view, and they opened up with a volley of fire as they began to gain height. Two of the Morohta warriors were cut down until finally they accelerated beyond view and range. Antos hit the ramp door shut, and Jones slumped back in relief. Taylor went to the cockpit and slid into the co-pilot's seat.

"I told you to get out of here," he said to Alita.

"And do you always follow your orders to the letter, Colonel?" she asked coyly.

He reached across and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you," he said sincerely.

They soared up into the atmosphere as a fighter darted past them. He checked, and they had three minutes left. He glanced back to Jones who could see what he was looking at.

"How long?"

"Three minutes."

Jones shook his head. "Does your luck never run out, Colonel?"

Taylor shrugged.

I sure hope not.

They soon broke atmosphere, and Taylor's smiled was quickly removed by the devastation they found. More than half the fleet was destroyed, and it looked like a graveyard of ships. There were many of the Morohta vessels as badly mauled as their own, but not in such number.

Alita ducked and weaved the ship around debris and gunfire as they made their final approach. Just as they were about to reach the docking bay entrance, they felt an impact hit their tail and knock them out of line with the bay entrance. The tail smashed into the frame and was cut clean off, as the rest of the craft tumbled through the opening and crashed into the docking bay floor. They kept spinning and sliding and felt a violent drop. The undercarriage was torn off, and they held on for their lives. They hit the far wall and came to a violent stop.

"Everyone okay?" Alita asked.

She had been the only one that was strapped in. The others had been tossed around the ship and lay scattered across the floor.

"Perfect," Taylor replied sarcastically.

He looked down at his counter. One minute and thirty seconds left.

"This is the Commander speaking. All vessels prepare to jump," said Cohen's voice over the comms.

"No!" Taylor yelled.

He tapped the console on his arm and got a direct feed to the bridge.

"Commander, we can't jump until we know they can't. We cannot afford their fleet following us back home!"

"If we wait any longer, we'll be dead, anyway, Colonel!"

"And if we don't it could all have been for nothing. If we take their fleet back to the Solar System, who will be left to stop it?"

They watched through the hole in their own ship as dozens of fighters made combat landings all around them. Many of them were as damaged as they were. Taylor got to his feet and stepped out with his hammer still in hand. He watched through one of the shielded fighter bay entrances so that he could have a view down to the planet like a window into space.

"Come on, you bastards," he said to himself.

Jones stepped up beside him to watch for the culmination of all their work. As he did, they both noticed a crippled Sky King trying to make her way to the landing bays. Hot on her tail was a Mech fighter relentlessly strafing her tail, but Taylor knew there was nothing he could do for them. But a second later one of the Guam's gun systems clipped the enemy ship, and the Sky King tumbled through into the landing bays, but the enemy craft continued on after her and rushed inside the Guam's bays. It hit the deck hard and slid to a halt.

The second it stopped moving a volley of gunfire erupted, and Taylor watched his unit lined up like a firing squad. They poured fire into the craft. The cockpit was riddled with fire, and he could see the pilot spasm as he was hit by multiple shots. A ramp on the side of the craft was blown off like some emergency release, and out poured ten Morohta warriors.

Taylor drew out his Assegai and tossed it to Jones. They all drew weapons and rushed at the enemy with shields forward as a wall. Taylor got to them first and smashed the front of the hammer into a creature, raising it over his head and crushing it with one explosive strike.

Jones hadn't slowed at all. He struck a creature with the edge of his shield and drove the Assegai deep into its chest, moving onto the next without any hesitation at all. It was then that Taylor stopped and watched in amazement as his new Immortals took the enemy apart. It brought back a flood of emotion for him, and he could only smile as he accepted he had found a new home and a new family. Antos got the last one with an Assegai thrust into the stomach, driving it vertically through the body, and tossing it to the ground in disgust.

As it came to an end, the bridge flashed with light, and they turned to the view down on the planet. Beams of light were bursting from holes in the surface, and the atmosphere was darkening as lightning-like flashes burst across the sky. The entire world began to dim as the skies were overcome with a thick black fog.

"So that is what it's like to destroy a world?" Jones asked.

Taylor shrugged. "New experience for me as well."

They were relieved to hear Cohen's voice come over the comms once again.

"All ships prepare to jump in five...four...three...two...one, jump!"

They stared at the crippled world as they rushed into the gateway. Many of the Morohta vessels were still shooting at them as they passed inside, and three of the frigates managed to enter the gateway with them. Just a few moments later, they burst back out of the gateway to where it had all begun - Ares 4. The enemy vessels fired a few more shots, but within ten seconds, the Ares defence grid joined the fray and bombarded their attackers. They were smashed by the sheer weight of fire.

All fell silent then. It was as if someone just flicked a switch. No more gunfire, explosions. No dogfights. Fires still burned on several of the vessels in the distance. Taylor was mesmerised by it all. He snapped out of it as he felt an arm wrap around his. He looked over to see that it was Alita. The red grime of his uniform smeared over her uniform as she nestled into him, but she didn't seem to care.

"This is the Commander speaking. Mission successful, welcome back home!"

Cheers rang out across the fighter bays where they stood, and Alita reached in and kissed Taylor. He could not resist turning and embracing her the same.

"We did it, you did it," she said as she leaned back in his arms.

"We shall overcome all adversity. We always do," he replied and kissed her once again. The triumphant feeling was overwhelming, and something he remembered well. This life was starting to feel so much more like his old one that he found his mind was being put at ease, even if his memories could not be.

"So what now?" she asked.

"It's not over, but it sure is a time to celebrate."

* * *

Taylor strode into the conference room of the Ares 4 colony as he had done before. He still wore the filthy and bloody uniform he had fought in, and Jones and Jafar were at his back. As they stepped inside, President Isaacs began to clap, and he was soon joined by every representative and official inside. But it was when Taylor noticed the empty seats of the Cholan people that he felt a raging anger inside. The round of applause seemed to go on for several minutes when Isaacs finally lifted his hand to call for silence and went on.

"Colonel Taylor, let me be the first to thank you on behalf of the Alliance of nations. I will be the first to admit I had my doubts that you had any place in our society today, but I was wrong. And I am glad to say I was wrong. Your achievements here have been truly beyond amazement, and we all thank you."

He fell silent as if expecting Taylor to provide some response.

"Will you now prepare for war?"

The tone in the room changed completely.

"Colonel, is this not a time to celebrate?"

"For the survivors of this battle, because they earned it, yes. For the rest of the Alliance, there is no time to rest. There is no room for error, no space for weakness or indecision. From tomorrow, until the day we see the Morohta again, there must not be a day when the shipyards are not building, the factories not running, and the recruits not training. We didn't win the war today. We barely won the battle. What we did win was an opportunity. An opportunity that if squandered we will likely never have again."

Isaacs was stunned for a moment, for it seemed the last response he expected to get.

"Do you really believe things are that dire, Colonel?"

"I know they are. Ask anyone who went to Khar Els, or rather anyone that lived to tell the tale. They are more powerful than any other race, and at a time when we are not prepared for war. Things need to change, and I intend to make sure they do. I don't know if you are a wartime leader or not, Mr President, but every change that is necessary to prepare us for this battle must be undertaken. Councillor Irala believes we might have won ourselves a year at the very most. That is not long to make the changes that will be necessary."

"And you agree with this analysis of our situation, Lord Jafar?"

"I do, and I intend to rally the independent factions of the Krys people before that time comes. Together we may be strong, but alone and separated, we cannot win this."

Isaacs looked downtrodden and depressed as he slumped back down in his seat. It was clearly not the celebrations and news he had been hoping for.

"Break this news however you want," added Taylor, "Tell the colonies of our success and let people celebrate it, but do not tell them we have won anything. The people need to know the seriousness of this situation. They have to know what they must do, and what is expected of them if they are to survive."

"You are talking conscription now? Your work and efforts have been greatly appreciated, Colonel, but that goes against our entire culture. Do you know the last time anyone was conscripted to fight?"

"Time to change, then, Mr President. Now, if you don't mind, we have dead to mourn, wounded to care for, and comrades to celebrate with; because the people that went with me to Khar Els, they earned it."

"Colonel Taylor, we have already arranged a grand banquet in honour of all those who undertook this mission. This is our way of saying thank you and supporting all those who sacrificed so much. At 1500 hours there will be a conference and remembrance for all those that were sadly lost, and a celebration will follow the likes of which you have never seen."

Fucking great!

"Will that be all?"