Authors: Nick S. Thomas
He immediately recognised it as Eli, and his shoulders relaxed as he laid the rifle back down over his thighs. She moved up and sat down beside him. He put his arm over her shoulders but could feel little of her through the armour she wore. It didn’t matter.
“How much sleep have you had?” she asked.
“Enough.”
“I doubt that.”
“Did I hear that straight? You’re concerned for my health?”
He laughed at the idea even though he felt just the same way about her.
“How much longer do you think this can go on?”
“What?”
“The war, the aliens, when’s it all gonna end?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure it ever will.”
“What, how can you think that?”
He took in a deep breath, preparing to explain to her the realisation he’d come to in the time of peace they had enjoyed before recent events.
“Look at our own history. Every time one culture has met another, they have fought wars until one is totally defeated or assimilated. There will be no peace between such powers. We aren’t strong enough to end them, so they will simply keep coming.”
“And they can’t seem to take Earth, so what, we just keep fighting?”
Taylor shrugged his shoulders.
“No, I can’t believe that. This has to end someday. We keep fighting the way we have, and our luck can’t hold forever.”
“No,” he replied solemnly.
She could see the acceptance in his face for the situation he had just outlined.
“You have accepted it, haven’t you? That we’re all gonna die?”
“We are all gonna die. We’re only human. Only when and where are the questions.”
“You know what I mean. We should have years ahead of us.”
“And maybe we will. We have made it this far.”
“I don’t like the way you’re talking.”
He shrugged his shoulders again.
“I don’t want you to throw your life away because you think it’s the only way.”
“Mmm,” he grunted.
With that last sound, the weary Taylor fell asleep with his arm still around Parker. She was deeply dissatisfied with the opinions he had stated, but more than anything she wanted him to rest and recover his full self.
* * *
Taylor awoke to the shouting of Sergeant Major Silva strolling down the lines, drawing the 2
nd
Inter-Allied from the uneasy sleep they were getting. For many, it was a sharp reminder of the conditions they had faced in France during the first war.
It always amazed Mitch that no matter their location, conditions, or morale, Silva was always the first awake and invigorated, as if powered by some superhuman force. It was exactly the reason he held the position he did, and a reminder that he had chosen the right man.
The air was fresh and clean. The blood and strife of war was behind and in front of them. Now they were stationed in a beautiful land untouched by either war. But it was not to last. He remembered Parker coming to him in the night, but she was nowhere to be seen. He reached for the trunk of the tree he had slept against pulled himself to his feet.
“Damn,” he whispered to himself.
It was the best sleep he had gotten since the aliens had come back to their Solar System. He wiped his face and tried to come to his senses. He looked over to the spot where he and Harney had first looked at the enemy positions the night before, just twenty metres along the treeline. Officers of both their units had already gathered, and he could see Jones ensuring they had a sensible representative among them.
Taylor stumbled over towards the officers assembled, and with every step he began to regain his composure until halfway when he finally woke up. He had been fixated on the enemy position for half of the night, and yet slept through the rest like he was back in his own bed.
I wonder if it was a result of Eli being at my side.
When he reached the gathering, he soon realised everything was in hand. He looked to Jones for confirmation. Jones nodded to show things were going to plan.
“Colonel Taylor, I hope you slept well?” Harney asked.
Taylor initially felt a little ashamed to be one of the last officers up, but that feeling quickly receded as he remembered the previous day’s events. He turned to look at the enemy crash site in the distance for one last time before joining them. It was still as dead as it was in the night. When he turned back, Jafar was standing there and made him recoil in surprise. He had not heard a sound a second before.
“That ship is empty,” he stated.
“Why would you think that?” Taylor asked him.
“Because if they still occupied it, they would be coming at us by now.”
Taylor nodded in agreement. It was indeed a strange occurrence for the enemy.
“Walk with me,” he said to Jafar.
They continued on to the grouping of officers.
“Colonel, you’re gonna want to see this. We have a strike incoming in two minutes,” someone shouted.
Why has nobody notified me of this?
He first thought, but it didn’t matter any longer.
“Looks like we got the best seat in the house,” said Harney.
He turned to look on down the valley at the huge vessel. There was still no movement in sight and that made Taylor uncomfortable.
"Why haven't they come at us?"
"Because we have the high ground and numerical superiority," replied Harney.
"No, that would not stop them."
"Then maybe they're just scared."
Taylor smiled.
"No chance. Any sign of our satellite imaging coming back?"
"I've been promised it before noon."
Taylor looked through his binoculars one last time at the tranquil scene. The countryside was beautiful, and there was no sign of the war. The crashed vessel was the only evidence the enemy had been there.
"They've gone. Think about it. Everything up to this point has been to facilitate their retreat back to their main force across the sea."
Harney did not respond, as the possibility would ruin his plan. He checked his watch one last time, and as he did so, he heard the roar of engines approaching rapidly from the north. Before they even had time to look up, missiles were soaring through the sky, and the two aircraft were banking out of sight. Then large missiles hit the hull of the ship and exploded on impact, sending fire and sparks high into the sky. The ship rocked in its position and came to a rest in the same hole it had made for itself.
Troops all along the kilometre line shouted and whistled in joy as they saw black smoke bellow from the enemy ship. There was no doubt it would never fly again. Harney turned to Taylor and stepped up to speak to him personally.
"Whether there were any enemy aboard doesn't matter, but if they were then good. If they weren't, we ensured the ship cannot be repaired, and look what it does for morale."
Taylor could not deny it.
"And if they have run, which I believe they have, it is proof they fear us."
"Do we have any other sightings of enemy in the area?"
"No, in which case you might be right. Our leaders want to buy us time to regroup and gather our strength, which may be exactly what they are doing."
"All the reason we should hit them now."
"That's not for us to decide."
"No, more’s the pity."
"Taylor, we got off on the wrong foot, and I am sorry about that. You really saved our asses yesterday, and it won't be forgotten."
"That's my job."
"The 5th are going to continue on south on foot to sweep and clear. I want to be certain none of the alien bastards remain. There must be stragglers about. I want you to perform aerial sweeps of the whole area and destroy any enemy presence you find. I want to hear about any and all enemy sightings and engagements."
"Got it."
Taylor lifted his comms unit.
"Yorath, I need air lift from our the nearest available area north of our position immediately."
"Yes, Sir."
He turned to leave when a new commotion began to his flank.
"Taylor! You need to see this!" Harney called him.
He raced over to the Colonel and his command staff as they laid down a map projector. The device was no bigger than a water bottle but would project a two metres square operations screen for use in the field.
"I've just received reports of massive enemy activity on the Israeli border."
"How big are we talking?"
"We know the wall has been breached. It didn't last more than twenty minutes. Looks like they're trying to break out from Egypt."
"Why? What is their endgame now?" asked one of Harney's officers.
"They probably realise exactly what we do, that time is on our side. They have to strike hard now, or risk ever-increasing forces as Earth’s armies gather. We need to cut off this advance before it can spread. They must be contained," replied Taylor.
"Agreed, and that's exactly what we're going to do."
"What about our task here?" Jones asked.
"A German armoured regiment has already crossed over into the north of the country and are en route to take over here. We have to haul ass. Whatever this enemy advance is, it's moving quick."
He pointed to the map.
"You are to get to the southern outskirts of Hebron immediately. We'll be close behind."
"Looks like a big city."
"Yes, and much of the population has taken up arms and refuses to leave. If the enemy advance reaches the city, the casualties will be substantial."
Taylor lifted his comms unit.
"Inter-Allied assemble immediately, and make your way to the landing zone north of here. Captain Jackson, get your company down here as well, we're moving out fast!"
He gave no information away, but he knew it wasn't necessary. He and Jones turned and quickly got to a running pace. On both sides he could see their units joining them.
"You wanted to get out there and strike at them. Looks like you got your wish, Mitch!”
"They reached the edge of the treeline, and the three companies swarmed out onto the open plain. The copters swooped in with perfect timing. Taylor barely had to break stride as the ramps of the copters were lowering when they reached them. He rushed aboard to a jovial greeting from Rains as always.
"’Morning, Colonel!"
"You know where we're going?"
"We received our orders from Commander Phillips en route. He's with Captain Jackson now. So we're heading for the holy land?"
"Something like that."
"All aboard!" called Jones.
"Get us in the air, Eddie."
They lifted off after having been on the ground for only a minute.
"Haven't several armies already got forces in the area we're heading?" asked Eddie.
"Yeah, but what is there has taken a beating. Further local troops are on the way with reinforcements coming in from neighbouring countries, but this is big. It's gonna take a lot to hold 'em back."
In just a few short minutes, Italy had gone from view, and they were over Greece. They could make out the silhouettes of dozens of warships off to their starboard side.
"Why don't we just nuke 'em?”
"I'm sure we'll try soon enough, Eddie, but with the countermeasures we have seen them use before, I doubt it'll work. No, this going to have to be fought with conventional forces, the way we always have."
It was just over an hour when they saw the coastline of Israel. Eddie was about to announce it when they were rocked by an impact, which he only just managed to brush off.
"We got incoming!"
Pulses rushed up between the copters. Taylor grasped one of the handles at the back of the cockpit to brace himself.