“If they wanted us all dead why didn’t they just carpet-bomb the colony?” asked Reyes.
“No idea, Captain. Right now, I don’t care. Put everything to the engines that you’ve got, we need to move!”
“Already done, Major.”
They quickly soared to a height and were well on their way to Earth. It was fortunate that the Deveron was one of the fastest space-going vessels in usage, as no civilian craft could come close to matching its performance.
“Sir, we’ve got four ships closing on us fast!” called the Ensign.
“Have we got gunners in position?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Tell them to fire at will!”
“Captain, whatever you have, mines, bombs, anything, you need to use it,” said Taylor.
“Sir, I’m having problems tracking them, I can barely make them out on screen!”
The Major and the Captain looked at the live feed of the ships closing in on them, barely more than a glimmer in space. The chameleon technology they used was both magnificent and frightening to watch. The rail guns began to fire, the first few hits did little to deter the attackers but moments later one was hit hard and erupted, its chameleon skin flicking off and they watched silently as it scattered into space in a thousand pieces.
A beam of light surged from the lead vessel and struck their hold, violently shaking the ship. An emergency red beacon began to flash as it become apparent that they had a breach.
“Take them out, Captain, now!”
“Deploy mines on a scatter pattern, everything we have!” shouted Reyes.
Seconds later the enemy craft were enveloped by a scattershot of mines which erupted on impact. The craft were obliterated, leaving nothing more than unrecognisable residue. The bridge crew erupted with ecstasy at their victory.
“Seal that breach, get repair crews down there immediately! We’ll need to be patched up for entry into Earth atmosphere in six hours!” Reyes ordered.
“That it? We free and clear?” asked the Major.
“It would appear so, Sir.”
“Good, keep me notified of any contact on the scanners.”
Arriving back on Earth was not quite the victory parade that any of them had imagined, but it was a relief to be back in a hospitable atmosphere and amongst a sizeable military force. They landed outside the Military Hospital where medics were waiting them to help them. They had fourteen killed and nineteen wounded. Major Taylor walked down the ramp to be met by General White as the medical orderlies carried and assisted the injured. The General smiled at seeing the Prime Minister with the Major.
“Good work, Major. As you can imagine we need an immediate debrief, have your men get food, and then re-supply immediately. The base is on Alert One, all combat troops to remain armed at all times.”
“Good work? We’ve come back with our tail between our legs, Sir.”
“You made a tactical withdrawal in the face of superior odds, Major. Now please, follow me, both of you.”
Taylor nodded to Captain Friday to carry out the orders he’d overheard and proceeded to follow the General, climbing aboard his command car with the Prime Minister remaining at his side. Riding through the base the atmosphere was a far cry from what they’d known before departing. There was no larking about, no games being played, no fitness training. A serious tone had swept across the men and women of the base. They all went about cautiously with a weapon close to hand.
General White’s driver pulled up outside the briefing hall where he’d first heard about the troubles just over a week ago. The last thing he expected was to be returning there with news of an alien invasion and a number of his company dead or wounded. Taylor had always hoped he would handle himself well in a combat situation, but this was not a real test of the theory.
Reading combat reports he’d found many accounts of officers freezing under pressure or getting their men pointlessly killed. His first real test had been in far from favourable circumstances, despite carrying out his mission exactly as ordered. It was not what he would call a successful mission. Losing men and women he had trained with weighed heavily on him. He wanted to swear he’d not lose another, but he also knew it was not how a war could be fought.
Security outside the briefing hall was higher than ever, but not just with base personnel. Security from the UEN forces as well as Eastern soldiers and plain clothed security guarded the perimeter.
“What is this, Sir?”
“An emergency gathering. We’ve got all the major key players here.”
Mitch had hoped for something a little more low key, but he knew it was too much to hope for. He stepped off the jeep, still wearing his full armour and with weapon in hand. He’d ordered his men to stay in full battle attire until the end of the mission. They had witnessed enough of the unexpected to be caught with their pants down.
He threw his rifle back into the jeep, content in the knowledge that he was in a safe position. He still maintained a handgun on his body, in keeping with the base security condition now in place. None of the security guards, in uniform or not, made any attempt to question him on entry, knowing rightly not to stand in the way of General White.
The room had been hastily set up in a round table layout. Unlike the crowded briefings he was used to, less than fifty people were in there. They were deep in conversation, but went silent upon his entry. The General led Taylor right up to his own seat and addressed the room.
“This is Major Mitch Taylor, from the mission previously discussed. Major, before you are Presidents, Prime Ministers, Generals and envoys from all the major countries and joint forces in the world. We will take a full briefing later, but please, give us a concise overview of the enemy.”
Taylor looked around the room as they all stared back at him. He had addressed crowds on a regular basis in his career, but faced with the cutting silence and having to address the most powerful men and women of the planet, was daunting. His mouth was dry, but finally he found his words.
“The unidentified enemy made no attempt at communication, nor responded in any way in the attempts we made. They attacked relentlessly. Their smaller ships use a type of chameleon camouflage tech. Their ships, both large and small, are faster than anything we have in space. Their soldiers wear heavily armoured suits which stand over two metres tall and use some kind of energy weapons which burns through the best of our armour at close range.”
He looked again at them all, but there was no response, no questions.
“Our small arms could only damage the enemy in a few number of weak points. Based on what I have seen, they intend to conquer our entire civilisation. I saw no mercy, no intention to enslave our people or take hostages. They are coming for us.”
The room was still eerily silent as everyone tried to digest the difficult information they were being dealt. Finally the President of the United States stood up.
“Thank you, son, you’ve done a fine job. I’d hope we’d not need you for further combat duties, but I am sad to say it is almost certain that we will. Be sure to provide the General with any recommendations on equipment and I will do my best to get it supplied on an emergency basis.”
“Thank you, Mr President.”
“That’ll be all, Major, please see to your wounded and be ready for a full debrief when I am done here,” General White ordered.
Taylor saluted and strolled back out of the room, leaving the Prime Minister with the rest of the delegates from around the world. Stepping out into the daylight he was greeted by a most unexpected sight, Captain Charlie Jones.
“Major, you look like hell!”
Neither man saluted the other. They were beyond the point where either felt it was necessary. Their countries’ regulations did not strictly require it of foreign personnel either. Instead the Major outstretched his hand in friendship. The British Captain studied his burnt armour in surprise.
“What are you doing here, Captain?”
“Additional security detail for Brigadier Dupont of the EUA. So they gave you a hard time I hear?”
“They? Haven’t we got a name for them yet?” asked Taylor.
“Well our intelligence is still lacking. The word ‘aliens’ is floating around the base, but none of the top brass is keen to entertain the notion. Many are still holding onto the idea of it being some terrorist or extreme faction on Earth that is trying to flex its muscles.”
“Not a chance, you should have seen them, Charlie. They resemble nothing that exists on Earth or any of our bases and colonies.”
“Word has it there’s a far larger force en route for us, any idea how long they’ll be?”
“Based on what I’ve seen, we’ve got a few days at most until their main force gets here.”
“Christ, so we could be war before the week is out?”
“Sorry, Charlie, but you’ll have to excuse me, I’ve got a number of wounded that I need to call on before the General starts his debrief.”
“Of course, good to see you made it out.”
Taylor nodded and continued on to the General’s jeep. He climbed aboard, much to the surprise of Sergeant Gibbons.
“Take me back to the hospital, Sergeant.”
The man tried to turn and argue with the Major, but when he made eye contact with Taylor it became clear that it would be folly. If nothing else, the officer looked ready to strike him if he didn’t do as ordered.
Visiting the wounded was a painful experience for Taylor, not only having to see men he considered friends in pain, but to know that many more would follow them when they went back into action. He could see that many officers and politicians still believed that they could avoid war, but he knew already that it was a conflict they could not avoid.
The rest of the day was spent in a briefing room with General White and several other staff. They went over the same events time and time again. The reality was that he did not have much more to say than he’d said hours before to the worldwide delegates. There was nothing he could say to them to convey the spine chilling evil that the enemy invoked. At every opportunity the interrogators tried to find a way to support their theory that they were mere humans with advanced and experimental technology.
Finally Taylor was released to go back to his quarters to rest for the night. The base was still on high alert and that meant guard duties for all units on base, with double security at the entry points. He staggered into the officers’ block. The tall apartment building housed all the officers of his battalion. Their individual homes were a decadent luxury compared to the accommodation of the rank and file. He tapped in his security code to the entry pad and went into his hallway. He stopped abruptly to at the sight of the lights being on. Even if he had left them on, they automatically shut off an hour after leaving the room empty.
The Major’s hand reached quickly to his handgun and drew it into a two-handed grip. Adrenaline flowed through his body and his heart pounded. After the frightful slaughter he’d witnessed on the Moon colony, the thought of his own home being invaded was deadly. He took the bend around the hallway leading to his living room, quickly snapping around the corner with his pistol held ready to fire.
Fearing the worst, he was met by Parker sitting on his sofa with a cold beer in her hand. He sighed as he lowered his pistol, realising that his paranoia would soon lead to a heart attack. The beautiful Sergeant was still wearing her BDU trousers tucked into her bulky combat boots. She wore a tight fitting tank top, hugging her toned body. She looked like she’d come right from a day’s work, but had let her lightly curled hair down over her shoulders. She sipped back on her beer casually and finally spoke as he stood speechless.
“Not here to kill you, Major.”
He lowered his pistol and slipped it into the holster fitted to his leg. He knew that it was as romantic a gesture as he’d ever see from Eleanor. There were no candles, no mood lighting and no fancy music. He didn’t mind though, he simply didn’t have the energy to put up with such complexities.
“You know this is a bad idea, Sergeant?”
“Yes, Sir,” she replied.
“And yet you’re still here?”
“The world’s going to shit, Sir. We’ll probably be in combat within days, may as well make the most of the free time we have.”
Taylor relaxed and felt his shoulders lower slightly as his body accepted there was no longer any danger, at least in the form of an attacker. He went over to the fridge and opened the door, looked at what little it contained. He reached for a beer, but as he did so he felt Parker’s hands on his back, wrapping around his body. He knew it was a mistake to fraternise with anyone he worked with, let alone an NCO, but he was too tired to care about the dangers.