“Where’s Baker?” he asked.
Suarez looked at him with a gaunt expression, conveying everything in his eyes.
“He was killed shortly after we thought we had lost you, Sir,” answered Friday.
In his frenzy to save Parker, Mitch had failed to investigate the survivors to see who was left. As he looked down the lines of his company he began to notice the many gaps. Dozens of men that he’d known, each by name, most for several years.
“Very well.”
He looked out to the troops who went silent and waited. He didn’t call them to attention not seeing the necessity for formality. He looked to Captain Friday.
“Are we ready for action, Captain?”
“Sir, we could use some ammo, otherwise we’re good to go.”
“It’s already in hand!” shouted Chandra.
Mitch turned to see the woman striding towards them.
“Major.”
“It’s Colonel today, I have been given a field promotion in order to take official command of our battalion, even if it is at less than half strength. Your report on urgent weapon requirements made quite an impact Major. The EUA has already been distributed its stocks. We can’t spare any weapons for you, but we can give you ammo for what you have.”
“Much appreciated, Colonel.”
“When you are assembled, you will find the ammunition stores near our camp.”
Thirty minutes later the combined Marine and Para battalion was on the march with a full load. There was not a single vehicle spare to ferry them to the front line. Every transport vehicle that could be mustered in France was either taking troops to Paris or civilians away from it. However it was only thirty minutes on foot to the defensive lines.
The troops looked in horror at the largest deployment they had seen in their lives. Divisions of armour lined the perimeter, many having been put into hull down position. Lines of self-propelled artillery and batteries were assembled along their route. ABD, Automatic Barrier Defence structures, had been set up in almost continuous lines in the streets and crossroads. Paris had become a fortress.
The 2
nd
Inter-Allied Battalion took up position in a well-prepared defensive position that the fresh infantry units had prepared for them in the night. Deep trenches with tank traps a hundred metres ahead. There were so many troops deployed to the city that their space allocation was so small they were shoulder to shoulder. Clambering into the trenches they could not help but think of the photos of the gruesome combat of the First World War.
“Back into the fire,” said Friday.
Taylor grinned. “True, but at least this time we have some real numbers.”
“Incoming!”
They didn’t know where the call came from but it was enough to make all the troops duck down into the trenches. A huge energy pulse soared overhead and crashed into a building behind them. Glass and concrete burst out onto the street below. They looked up at the damage but another five similar devices landed in quick succession around their position. Dirt and tarmac fragments were thrown up and over them as they hunkered down.
“What the fuck is that!” shouted Kwori.
“I’d say their artillery has arrived!” Jones shouted.
The soldier looked at him with a grim expression.
“You thought we’d seen everything?”
“I’d hoped so, Sir!”
Alien craft zoomed over their heads as further fire rained down all around them. Their dug in positions gave them cover from the worst of it, but the outer limits of the city where they were positioned were quickly being reduced to rubble.
“Where’s the fucking Air Force when you need them!” Suarez called out.
Taylor looked over to Chandra who was already barking orders into a handset. Anticipating the radio jamming which always accompanied the enemy, spindles of hard lines had been run out to all positions. It was a stone age way of operating for the troops, but a vast improvement over the blackout they’d previously experienced.
Lifting himself slightly above the trench, the Major looked out west from where the main enemy forces were advancing. The sky was filled with hundreds of the enemy craft using their familiar chameleon camouflage technology. In the skies above he heard the rattling of cannons and snapped his head around to see wedge formations of friendly fighters soaring towards the enemy gunning down the first of their targets.
The men in the trenches let out a cry of excitement as they saw the aerial combat unfold. Artillery fire continued to rain down on their position, but the ground attack from the aircraft had all but stopped. The lines of artillery behind their defences began to fire in a deafening barrage against the enemy targets.
Looking over the edge of the trench, Taylor could not yet make out the enemy positions, though their artillery had certainly received enough information to begin their attack. He glanced over to Captain Jones who looked confident and ready for everything they were about to face. Taylor had heard of the British troops flirt with death, he wondered if anything could wither their resolve.
The sound of a plane dropping towards the earth at high speed caused both of the men to look quickly to see a friendly fighter plunge into the road just twenty metres from them. They ducked down at the last moment as the plane erupted on impact and rumbled the ground beneath them. The battle in the skies raged for another thirty minutes as the artillery continued to rage thunder down upon either side.
Finally the enemy bombardment ceased. Far from the relief which some might expect, the troops knew it was the signal for a ground assault to begin. In the war torn skies above the fighters continued to battle it out. The humans were losing four fighters for every one of the enemy’s, but they continued to slug it out.
An immense sound of tracks could be heard in the distance even over the drone of the battle overhead. Jones imagined the alien invaders had underestimated the resistance that the inhabitants of Earth would put up, but they were quickly upping their game. Up ahead they could see nothing but shops and housing blocks. The broad roads were completely empty. In the distance they could see the very first of the alien vehicles rolling towards them.
The artillery at their backs continued to roar. Taylor only hoped they’d brought enough ammunition to keep up the fight. Explosions littered the roadway leading to their position. They could just make out the sound of the enemy tanks as they came nearer to their defences.
“Nobody fires until they reach three hundred metres! Choose your targets carefully!” shouted Chandra.
Either side of their position were heavy tanks dug in and adjusting their elevation in readiness. Seconds later the ground shook as the vehicles recoiled at the firing of their main guns. Of the first two shells, one landed short of the enemy column, the second hit but did not slow them down. An apartment block in the distance collapsed as a vast enemy tank ploughed through it, shortly followed by more at its flanks.
Now at only a thousand metres the enemy forces were expanding into a broad front. The guns of their tanks opened up and began pounding the human positions. An artillery battery behind the lines was vaporised by the first volley. Several men were hit in a nearby infantry trench, though most of the fire had little effect. The defensive positions were so far providing excellent cover.
The intensity of the fire increased as all guns came into range and the EUA armour opened up with everything it had. Ahead of their position were five tanks and a hundred Mechs approaching in a fearless fashion. The first bombardment smashed an enemy vehicle and it burst into flames and thick black smoke.
Three of the Mechs were tossed aside like ragdolls by a shell from the heavy tanks. One scrambled back to its feet but the other two were done for. The return fire smashed into their positions and badly damaged one of the tanks at their flank. Screams of pain rang out from the trench the other side of the crippled vehicle.
“Six hundred metres! Be ready!” shouted Taylor.
The Mechs opened fire with their huge handheld energy weapons. Light pulses soared above their heads as the troops peered over the positions at their unrelenting enemy. One of the rounds slammed into the helmet of one of Green’s platoon, taking his head clean off.
“Four hundred! Ready!” barked Chandra.
The half strength battalion rested its weapons along the embankment of the trench that was dug into the tarmac and concrete of the road. Three of their troopers lay dead from the artillery and gunfire before they had yet managed to fire a round. The Aardvark launchers and anti-materiel rifles were carefully aimed and waiting for the go ahead. Every one of the troops was eager to rain down hell on their attackers.
“Fire!”
The trench erupted into a continuous volley of fire. Two rockets from the Aardvarks knocked one of the tanks out. The rifles and BRUNs were slowing the Mechs’ progress but rarely finding the weak points they needed to cause injury. M97 launchers fired off high explosive rounds with relative inaccuracy igniting all around the alien positions. A few ignited near the feet of some of the Mechs, blowing their legs off and rendering them useless as they fell to the ground.
Taylor laid his rifle down, pulling the grenade launcher from his back that he’d taken from one of the wounded on the British destroyer the day before. He fired off the high explosive rounds at the advancing Mechs. The first two hit the ground showering them with debris. The third struck one of the metal monsters dead in the chest and it exploded on impact. The beast was lifted off its feet and tumbled back in a twisted wreck.
Smiling at his efforts, Taylor was reminded of the grim reality of quite how little ammunition he had for the weapon compared to the growing number of enemy. Half of the enemy tanks in their sector had been knocked out, but their own armour was doing little better. The Mechs and surviving tanks continued to advance through the eternal rain of bullets and explosions.
“Get the ARMALs!” Jones ordered.
The men pulled the handheld devices off their backs and readied them. They knew how effective they could be at close range. The enemy were now just two hundred metres away. A pulse of energy smashed into the trench beside the Captain and Saunders, and another two of his platoon were killed instantly. For a second he looked in despair at their bodies, but quickly took up the ARMAL launcher they had been preparing.
The Captain didn’t have to give out any further commands. The men around him had already begun firing with the devices and everything else that they had to hand. As he armed the device he could see Major Taylor loading the AP rounds into his launcher. He nodded at his friend before taking aim. The ground the enemy had covered surprised him, it was far closer than he had anticipated.
Hoping to fire at one of the approaching tanks, Jones caught sight of a Mech turning quickly to fire at him. He snapped the weapon around and fired right at the beast. The round landed lower than expected, at the hips of the metal suit. The explosion caused the suit to scissor as if it was hinged, crumpling into a twisted mess.
The enemy tanks had reached the traps the EUA forces had hoped would stop them. However as they drew near, huge curved blades as broad as the vehicles themselves and slung low on the hulls began to spin. They met the traps with a deafening grinding as sparks flew in every direction. The vehicles were slowed, but were cutting their way quickly through the devices.
“Hit them now!” shouted Chandra.
Every soldier in the company with an ARMAL or Aardvark stood up and took aim with no regard for their own lives. They could only imagine the horrors they would face if the enemy armour got among them. The surviving crew of the crippled tank beside them continued to fire despite the smoke bellowing from its turret.
The company fired in a frenzy with everything they had. The tanks erupted with such heat that they could feel it inside the trenches. They watched as the Mechs began to step back. They continued firing but were in withdrawal. The troops continued to fire and the snipers took down another two as they clambered out of range.
Jones climbed up on top of the tank with the least damage on their flank. He stood with no fear for his life. Taylor leapt up beside him with his launcher. He reloaded as he stepped up top, not wanting to be caught with it empty.
The two officers looked out across the width of the battlefront. Burning wrecks littered the battlefield along with hundreds of lifeless Mechs.
“Have you ever seen anything so pretty in your life?” asked Jones.
Taylor smiled. It was the first time in the war that they had seen the enemy retreat or be defeated in any number. The continuous losses they had faced made them all wonder if they would ever stop the alien hordes in their tracks. Taylor turned to see Chandra standing at the vehicle next to him.