Battle Earth II (16 page)

* * *

Major Chandra’s beleaguered column had been rolling east for hours in full retreat. She’d reported the loss of Amiens, but it had come as no surprise to Phillips, who had little advice to give her. She’d decided to do the only thing that seemed to make sense, to head for Ramstein. She knew the Major was making some headway on something which could help. She thought, by god we need it.

As the column drew up to the entrance to the base, they were surprised to see just two soldiers on guard and little sign of any further security. The men didn’t even ask for identification, simply opening the gate for their approach. She got the impression that they had seen many more fleeing troops pass through their gate.

“Bring us to a halt by the guards, Captain.”

Becker’s lead vehicle rocked to a halt next to the two men. Their faces were distraught and bodies lax. She could tell they too had seen combat and had likely been posted there as a resting deployment.

“Major Chandra of the 2
^nd
Inter-Allied Company.”

“What battalion, Ma’am?”One of them mumbled.

She looked back to her comrades. She no longer knew how they could even be identified. The Company was a mix of many troops from several battalions and without an army to belong to. It was yet another painful reminder of what they had lost. She turned back to the guards.

“We, we have no battalion, this is it.”

The two guards look across the faces of the beleaguered troops. They righted themselves as they realised that their own hardships and losses were belittled. They could see a mix of uniforms, instantly telling them that these were the few survivors of many units. They shook their heads in disbelief and horror.

“What can we do for you, Ma’am?”

“You can guide us to Major Mitch Taylor.”

“I am sorry, Ma’am, but I have not heard of the Major.”

“I was told he was here conducting tests on new equipment that could give us a fighting chance. He arrived a couple of days ago.”

The other guard stepped forward and blurted out.

“Professor Reiter. If your Major was testing anything on this base, Reiter would have something to do with it.”

“How can I find this Reiter?”

“Follow the signs to Unit 108, but you’ll need security clearance to get in. I’ve no idea what goes on behind those doors.”

Chandra nodded in gratitude. She waved for Becker to move out. The column rode steadily through the base, passing many abandoned buildings. Some fields had lines of aircraft that had been left to rot for decades. Ramstein appeared to be a graveyard for the Air Force. She only prayed they hadn’t gone there to die also.

* * *

“Major Taylor!” shouted a guard.

He was stood in front of the new weapon he’d been testing, admiring its construction. Taylor was deep in thought, so the guard shouted again, and he quickly turned to the man.

“Sir, I’ve got a Major Chandra asking for you outside. She’s not cleared, but she is quite adamant that she had the right place.”

“Put the security feed on screen!”

The large display monitor the Major had been using for video feeds to General White and other officials flashed. It brought up the camera overlooking the main entrance to their building. He instantly recognised Chandra stood arguing with the guards. She was becoming more and more aggravated. One of the guards quickly reached for his sidearm as the tension increased.

Before he could raise the weapon the Major had taken hold of it, elbowed the man to the face and twisted the pistol from his hands. Taylor watched in amazement as she took the two men to pieces. She kicked to the other’s lead leg, knocking him down onto one knee. She then struck him in the jaw with the grip of the other man’s pistol. In just a few seconds she had incapacitated both men.

Chandra threw down the guard’s pistol in spite and looked up into the camera.

“I am Major Chandra of the 2
^nd
Inter-Allied Company. Major Taylor is under my command, and I demand to enter immediately!”

Mitch smiled at the dry tone of the woman and her devastating ability. It never ceased to amaze him how the feisty woman managed to be so strong and aggressive. She truly deserved her command, he thought. He turned back to the guard.

“Let her in.”

“But, Sir, she’s just assaulted two of our men!”

“They drew on her, and she has not shown any signs of being a threat. I suggest you give your men better hand-to-hand combat training.”

“Sir, I must protest.”

Taylor turned his full body to stand off against the man. He was a corporal in the USAF. It was clear that he’d never fought in the air or on the land.

“Corporal, I couldn’t give a god damn for your opinion. You let her in, or I’ll throw you out to her.”

Sergeants Silva and Parker, who stood just a couple of metres away from the Major, smiled wickedly to each other. They were both greatly entertained by Taylor’s handling of the snivelling base guard. The two went up to Taylor as the three watched the corridor and awaited their friends. The Corporal re-appeared, leading Chandra, Friday and Becker. Taylor rushed forward and threw his arms around the Major, lifting her off her feet. She was about to protest when she was overwhelmed with the re-union.

“Damn it’s good to see you, Major!” shouted Taylor.

“Likewise.”

Taylor released her and turned to Becker, giving him an inquisitive look. He turned back to Chandra.

“Where is Charlie?”

She closed her eyes in sadness.

“Dead? Not a chance!”

“We have no idea,” said Friday.

“What? How?”

Chandra sighed and blurted out in anger.

“Fucking locals in Amiens locked him up, along with Private Walker. They didn’t want us there, and before we could get him back, the Mechs launched a new offensive. He’s behind enemy lines. That’s all we know.”

“And still locked up?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. The whole situations a total mess.”

Taylor shook his head in disbelief, and he could not believe that the Captain was dead. He would not allow himself to believe it. Charlie Jones had become one of his closest friends, and he had lost too much already to believe the Captain had gone. Before he could dwell on it any longer, Becker stepped forward.

“I am sorry for your loss, Major. I worked with the Captain, and he was a fine man.”

Taylor nodded in agreement, the best, he thought. He peered into Becker’s eyes, trying to identify him.

“I am Captain Becker. My armoured section has been attached to your company.”

“Where is the rest of your division now, Captain?”

“I don’t know, Major. Me and my men are part of this Company now. You are our new family.”

Taylor smiled. He liked the Captain already, but he didn’t replace Jones.

“Armour? We could have done with you last week.”

“We could have done with more of everything last week,” said Chandra.

With that in mind, the Major turned and looked around at the vast research facility and some of the hardware displayed behind Taylor.

“I see you really are working on new equipment.”

“Commander Phillips sent you here to assist?” asked Taylor.

“I don’t even know where the Commander is. What I can tell you is that if we hold anything in France anymore, it can’t be much more than a few kilometres. The enemy is approaching at a rapid speed. New defences are being set up all the time.”

“I am told that the Russians are sending fresh divisions west to assist, as is Poland, the united Yugoslavian nations and several other countries,” stated Taylor.

“It’ll help bolster the defences for sure, but we can’t throw troops at this forever while we lose ground on an almost daily rate. So what is this new equipment you are trialling?” snapped Chandra.

“Sorry, Major, but can you come with me so we can talk privately?” he interrupted.

Chandra initially thought to snap back at him, but then she remembered all that they had gone through together. She nodded and he led her to the excluded conference room. As soon as they were out of sight of the others, Taylor snapped around and blurted out his question.

“What the hell are we doing about getting Jones back?”

“There’s nothing we can do at this stage. Our forces are taking a beating, and even if the Captain is still alive, he’s a long way behind their lines.”

Taylor slammed his fist down on the conference table beside them.

“Damn it, that’s not good enough, Major!”

“If you think for a moment that I wouldn’t give everything to get him back, then you are very much mistaken. Jones is one of finest soldiers I have ever known, but there’s nothing more we can do for him now. The best thing we can do is give our all to fight back their offensive, and give our whole planet some chance of survival!”

Taylor groaned as he turned and paced around the room. The frustration made him want to hit something, but he knew he must restrain himself.

“We’re going to lose many more friends before this is over, and we may not even live to see its outcome. I repeat, all we can do is, give our all,” Chandra said quietly.

“And if our all is not enough?”

“Then we die trying but with honour and pride. We will die as brothers among our comrades.”

“That’s not much of a relief, Major.”

“No, but I’m giving it to you straight. We have a job to do, so let’s do it.”

A light flashed on the intercom on the desk, followed by a buzzer. Taylor stepped forward and smashed down on it hard with his fist.

“What is it?”

“Sir, I have General White for you.”

“Put him through!”

The wall beside them flickered and lit up with a video feed from the General’s command centre. He stood in the centre of a room surrounded with personnel and screens.

“General, this is Major Chandra. She commands the combined company we have here.”

“I know who the Major is. Good to finally meet you.”

He turned his gaze to Taylor.

“Major. Enemy forces have struck along much of the eastern seaboard. We had a lot more time to prepare the defences than you did in France. We’ve repulsed many of their best efforts, but they have still gained a foothold in several locations.”

“Think you can fight them off, Sir?”

“We’re giving them hell, Major. Canadian forces are re-enforcing us from the north, but the South Americans are still struggling and losing territory down south. We do not have the resources to assist them. National Guard and regular forces are already amassing on the Mexican border, but I pray to God they are not needed.”

“What can I do for you, General?”

“The equipment that you have been testing is starting to be produced in domestic factories, but it has still not been combat tested. I want reports as to its combat effectiveness. Following that, production will be out of your hands, but we need continuous development.”

“I am a combat officer, Sir, not a scientist.”

“You’ll be whatever we need you to be, Major. I want that equipment tested under fire! I’ll expect your report by the end of tomorrow.”

The transmission cut off and Taylor turned to Chandra.

“Easy for him to say.”

“We’re fighting and dying every day, so what more is another fight?”

“True.”

“So this equipment you have, ready to fill me in?”

Taylor nodded as he contemplated the General’s words.

“Is it really that big a deal?”

“See for yourself.”

Taylor led the British Major back out into the main research facility where Becker was closely studying the test hardware. They turned to see that Reiter was approaching with a broad grin across his face.

“Major, I have twenty-five suits ready for further evaluation.”

“Have them brought outside. I have some new test pilots!”

“Assuming this stuff even works, can we get it made in time?” asked Chandra.

“Production is already getting up and running, so I hope so.”

Taylor stepped forward and led them out of the facility to greet the rest of the troops. The Major stepped out to a cry of excitement from a few of them. Others joined in as they realised who he was, but he didn’t recognise them. He held up his hand to quieten them down. The Major looked across at their faces, and he knew only half of them.

“Welcome to Ramstein! For those of you that are new to the Company, I am Major Taylor. I was sent here to test equipment that will hopefully radically increase the combat effectiveness of the individual soldier many times over.”

A large shutter door in the facility opened behind him to reveal a storage and manufacturing plant area. A number of lab scientists wheeled out cradles carrying the equipment that Chandra had only gotten a brief glimpse of moments before. The troops watched as he strapped himself into one of the sets and lifted up the hulking weapon which looked as if it could only be vehicle mounted.

“This equipment will make you stronger and faster. It will provide protection from enemy small arms to your most vital areas. You will have greater firepower and more ammunition.”

“Sir, why haven’t we had this kind of equipment before?” shouted Yorath.

Taylor sighed as he thought, damn right, why haven’t we?

“The fact is that one set of this equipment will cost more than your salary for a few years. No government on Earth has been willing to develop and pay for this equipment for combat roles when we had not been at war for generations. The exoskeleton has seen some non-combat usage, but its cost has been prohibitive to mainstream purchase.”

“And what, governments are suddenly able to pay for it all!” fumed Yorath.

Taylor looked across at the blank faces of the troops, all wanting to know why they had been left underequipped.

“If you want peace, prepare for war. An age old truth that is long forgotten, in lieu of subsidising areas that will increase politicians’ votes. That was the reality of the world we used to live in. Today the world has changed, and humanity has changed. The resources required will go where they are most needed, and right now the war effort is all that matters.”

“And if this equipment had been developed and issued decades ago, perhaps we would not have lost France,” shouted Suarez.

“True, but that time has been and gone. Let’s not waste valuable time on wondering what could have been, and focus on what we can achieve! You say we have taken a beating in this war, I say the enemy gravely underestimated our resolve and capabilities.”

Several of the men looked confused and unsure of what the Major meant. They looked around at the blood and dirt covered troops and thought of the great losses and sacrifices they had endured. Yorath spoke up, clearly being one to speak his mind at all times.

“How on earth do you figure that, Major?”

Taylor smiled, glad that the Lieutenant had played into his plan.

“This enemy is a technologically advanced race. And yet, they haven’t completely driven our forces to the wind. They’ve not rolled over our armies like ants. We have stopped them, and we continue to cause significant damage to their forces. We’re down, but we’re not out! We know we can kill those bastards, and we know we can stop them!”

Several nodded and grunted in response. They thought back to the first triumph in Paris when they drove back the Mechs from the city. They were not an invincible foe.

“We have a chance here. A chance to be better soldiers than we could ever be. The first production equipment here desperately needs testing. Are you willing to take the fight to the enemy? Do you want to give them a damn good ass-whooping?”