She lifted her glass to an enthusiastic cheer. She turned to Taylor who sat alone with a glass of beer, staring into the distance in a world of his own.
“You asked when this war would be over for us?” she asked.
Taylor snapped out of it and turned to her with a look of curiosity of what wisdom she might impart.
“It’ll be over for us when it’s over for the world.”
He smiled.
“What?” she asked.
“Yesterday, that would have just pissed me off.”
“And now?”
“Now I wonder what any of our lives are really for. Yesterday, I wanted to end this life of soldering, but what would I do? What else are people like us made for?”
“Christ. You’re not going to go all philosophical on me, are you? I’ll go and find the chaplain if this is to continue.”
“You must give it some thought from time to time?”
“Sure, and my conclusion is I am glad I have a purpose in life. I see people wasting away doing nothing, achieving nothing. I never wanted fame or fortune, but to know that I’m doing something good with my life, that’s enough. Look at you, all that and a damn statue!”
Taylor chuckled. “Hey, I never wanted that shit.”
“But it’s there all the same, and not for no good reason.”
She could see she’d got back the officer she had come to admire so much. It warmed her to know she kept his company in such hard times.
* * *
Morning came and the Company formed up at a former playing field of a school that had been allocated to the fresh troops that were arriving. It was almost 0900 hours, and they stood calmly in the cold.
“You really believe anyone is coming?” asked Jones.
“From the hassle Taylor whipped up yesterday, yeah I believe so.”
Seconds later, they heard the roar of engines as copters tore across the sky towards them. Eddie and Kato sat on a wall beside the Company in a relaxed manner. They wanted to see what fresh equipment was coming with their own eyes. The two pilots leapt to their feet as they heard the familiar sound of the modified engines they’d grafted to their own copters. Then they came into view.
“What the fuck is that?” asked Eddie.
“Nothing we’ve seen before.”
Five aircraft burst into view that were bigger than the Eagle copters they had used previously, but they seemed to move with the same speed and nimble manoeuvrability. They descended quickly and landed down on the green in front of them. The fast decent and engines blasted a snowdrift across the fields, splashing the awaiting Company with a spray of white powder.
The ramps slammed down, and troops poured out from the craft, each equipped with Reitech’s finest. As the NCOs formed up the troops, a Captain strode forward to greet them. He saluted as he got with a few metres but continued onwards to shake the hand of Chandra and then the others.
“Captain Jackson, 15
th
Marine Expeditionary Unit.”
Taylor looked at the Captain’s pristine new equipment and those of his troops. Jackson caught a glimpse of Taylor’s surprise at their attire.
“Don’t let the flashy new gear fool you, Major. These boys have been in the fight since day one and the shit hit the fan. Since the war ended, we have been refitting and re-equipping for our next deployment.”
“What are your orders, Captain?” asked Chandra.
“I have three hundred marines at my command. I have been ordered to place these troops and myself under your command in the formation of an Inter-Allied Battalion, Ma’am.”
She smiled in response. “Bloody hell.”
Chandra turned to Taylor in surprise. “You really did it.”
“It’s an honour to be here, Ma’am. You’ve all become legends back home.”
She went to respond when they were interrupted by more aircraft approaching. They turned to see another five of the unique craft roar overhead and bank hard to come in to land beside the others.
“They with you?” she asked.
“No, Ma’am, I was informed there would be British troops joining us at this LZ.”
She turned in surprise to see the craft descend and land behind the formed up marines.”
The ramps slammed down into the snow and British soldiers poured from the doors to form up beside their American counterparts.
“How is this possible?” asked Chandra.
“You asked for your support, you got it,” replied Jackson.
She looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“And when in your time in service have you ever got what you asked for?”
The engines of the craft powered down as the hundreds of British soldiers formed up before them. Chandra and Taylor noticed the sound of a vehicle approaching and turned to see Phillips’ jeep heading for them. She ordered the troops to attention as he jumped from the vehicle as it came to a halt.
“Major Chandra, Major Taylor. Your reinforcements as requested.”
The British officer leading the newly arrived troops strode up to them and saluted.
“Lieutenant Grey, 2
nd
Parachute Regiment.”
Taylor looked up at the man with a puzzled expression. He was twenty years older than Mitch would have expected for a Lieutenant. The man was short but strongly built. He looked like he’d served for decades as a soldier.
“You have what, two Companies there, and you are in charge?”
“My apologies, Sir. Most of our officers were killed when our HQ was hit a few weeks back. I am the senior officer at present.”
“You don’t have to apologise, Lieutenant. Your presence is much appreciated.”
The Commander interrupted before Taylor could speak.
“I am glad to see you have all now met. General Schulz caused quite a stir on both sides of the pond and managed to assemble quite the force for you. General White and Field Marshal Copley discussed this personally and agreed to send you some of the best veteran infantry they had to offer. At last look, you have around three hundred from 15
th
Marine Expeditionary, and four hundred from the Parachute Regiment, including fifty US rangers who fought with them during the war. All have substantial combat experience and will serve you well.
“Sir, if I might add. We saw plenty of combat through this war, as I am sure Lieutenant Grey has, but all the troops under my command have been amazed by what you, The Immortals, have achieved. To join you is a dream they could never have imagined,” Captain Jackson said.
Phillips interrupted once again.
“Excuse me, Gentlemen, but I have pressing matters to attend to. I must relay a few more points before I leave. All that you see here is to be amalgamated into the 2
nd
Inter-Allied Battalion, and will come under the new 7
th
Army under the command of General Schulz. It is a joint taskforce from around the world, with American, British and German troops forming the core. Inter-Allied will come under the command of the newly appointed Colonel Chandra.”
She looked up in shock at the title. She had briefly held the rank as a temporary status, but the thought of the promotion had long since passed.
“I am sorry this promotion could not be done more formally, but there are more pressing matters to deal with. As Battalion Commander, you are to organise the Companies as you see fit, and promote as necessary to make this Battalion fully combat ready. Be sure that you are ready to move out in three days. Good luck, Colonel.”
Phillips reached out his hand to shake Chandra’s. She was left speechless as he turned and left. She peered out at the eight hundred troops she now commanded in astonishment. They all wore a new camouflage pattern that had become an Allied standard and made them look scruffy by comparison. Taylor leant in and whispered to her.
“They are awaiting a speech.”
She nodded as she snapped out of the daze and stepped forward. She coughed and cleared her throat, finally finding her words.
“Welcome to Reims, and the 2
nd
Inter-Allied Battalion! During the last year, we have fought over these lands as if they were our own. The divide between countries and nationalities is over. We stand now as humans, united against a common enemy. I know you have all seen your fair share of combat in this bloody war, but that was just the beginning.”
She stepped forward and walked along the row of troops that were twenty ranks deep.
She bellowed at the top of her voice, so she could just about be heard in all corners.
“We started this war ill prepared. We didn’t have the experience, the weapons. We blundered through until our sheer stubbornness, adaptability, and our heroism got us through. That time is over. We have the equipment, the support, and the knowledge. In the coming days, we will leave this planet to take the fight to the enemy.”
She paused for a second to get her breath back.
“There are no green troops here today, only combat hardened veterans. Today is not for training. Inter-Allied is a family, and we have a bond that makes us unbreakable. Tomorrow we begin training as a battalion, but today your mission is to make that bond with each other. Get your billets in order, settle in, but most importantly, get to know those who will alongside you. Welcome to the Immortals!”
Cheers rang out across the Battalion, sending a shiver down her spine. It was a level of excitement she had not heard in a long time. For so long she had seen their number dwindle, and she never thought she’d see the day that they were once again a formidable force.
“That’ll be all. Fall out!”
Ecstatic cheers rang out once again as the NCOs relayed the command, the columns split apart, and the troops mixed.
“That was quite a speech,” exclaimed Taylor.
“I hope so. I never thought to plan anything. If I am completely honest, I was sceptical that anyone would turn up,” she replied.
“No faith,” he jested.
“In you, yes, but in those who made you promises, not so much.”
Lieutenant Grey signalled for several of his soldiers to carry over crates that they were unloading from the copters. They lugged the boxes as the other officers still stood marvelling on the foray of shiny new equipment.
“Colonel Chandra, I was instructed to deliver this equipment to you. The latest uniforms for the whole of your Company here.”
She looked at the Lieutenant in shock, never before had they been given such priority. She turned to Taylor.
“You really did kick over more than a few stones, Major. Sergeant Silva, I will leave the distribution of this equipment in your hands.”
She looked out at the shabby Company she had led through the worst of it. They wore a ragged mix of overcoats that had been acquired in any way possible from any service or civilian source. Many of their uniforms were ripped and patched over with ingrained blood and dust that was immovable.
“It’ll do the troops a lot of good. We’ve been a ramshackle mix since we were first merged.”
Another officer rushed up to Jackson’s side and stopped to salute the Colonel. The woman was of Asian descent and stood surprisingly tall beside the Captain.
“Colonel Chandra,” stated Jackson. “This is Lieutenant Ota, my second in command.”
“Welcome, Lieutenant.”
“Thank you, Ma’am.”
“I want all senior NCOs and officers to join me at the mess. Follow me,” ordered Chandra.
It wasn’t long before the group were enthralled in conversation around the same table they had sat arguing whether or not to continue fighting, only two days before. Chandra could see that new life had been breathed into the troops. More so than anything, she was grateful to have Taylor back on her side.
“Lieutenant Grey, you said the officers of your Company were killed in one unlucky attack, how did you survive?”
Grey sat up tall. She could tell he was an immensely proud man, but curiosity required her to know his story.
“My CO and all the officers of the Company were in a briefing with the Colonel of our Battalion and many other officers. It was an emergency meeting called in the field. Their command vehicle was struck by enemy artillery, just bad luck I am afraid. As for how I escaped that fate, I was not an officer but CSM at the time. I was promoted in the field after the attack.”