Authors: Nick S. Thomas
"And back on your feet."
"Just about."
"You'll be back in the fight in no time."
"Not quite, Colonel. Our job here is done."
"How so?"
"Local forces are taking over, now that they have halted the enemy advance. The Battalion is to return to Naples for some R&R, followed by preparation for the next operation."
Taylor smiled and was utterly relieved, which took Phillips by surprise.
"You're happy about this? I thought you'd be pissed that someone else would be stepping in after you'd done the hard work."
"Hell, no, you think I like fighting those bastards? We're good to go."
Phillips smiled back in return, wincing in pain.
"They got you some pain meds?"
"Basic stuff yeah, anything stronger, and I won't be fit to command. Get the Battalion up and moving to the coordinates that are being sent to your Mappad presently. It's a few clicks north of here, and there aren't any vehicles spare."
"We don't mind walking."
In truth, he did in the sweltering heat, but not so much when it was to return to a safe and relaxing environment where he could kick back for a while.
"Are we waiting to be relieved?"
"No, there are more than enough troops here to fill your place. Get moving now."
He passed on the order through his comms, and within seconds, the troops were clambering down the ramps. They didn't know yet where they were heading, but it seemed unfair to their allies to celebrate the end of the fight for them when the enemy wasstill very much at their door. Jones was first down from the defences and as surprised to see Phillips as Taylor was.
"On your feet already, Sir?" he asked.
"Near enough. I'll be hitching a ride to join you presently. One of the Generals has kindly offered his personal vehicle to get me there. I don't think I'll be walking any distance for some time."
He hobbled aside as the troops began to back up behind Taylor and waved for them to pass. Taylor led the way through the encampment. They hadn't travelled north beyond the wall before, and only seen it from their position. Line after line of trenches had been dug to give some shelter from the aerial and artillery bombardments. Armour had been dug into hull-up positions in multiple tiered defences spanning two kilometres north.
"You think we really did it, stopped them?" asked Jones.
"Looks that way. They aren't getting anywhere coming this way."
"They could just go east."
"No," replied Jafar. "They will want to prove they can win here."
"Then that'll be their undoing."
"So where we heading?"
"Back to Italy, Charlie, rest up and prepare for the eventual counteroffensive."
"You’re bullshitting us, right?"
Taylor shook his head.
"Thank God for that. Let some other bastards to the hard work for once."
"We were only called in as an emergency measure, after all."
"Yeah, and that usually entails us up to our necks in shit for a year."
"Well, it ain't over yet."
"Come on, Mitch, enjoy what we're getting."
"Mmm," he mumbled.
They continued walking past the lines of armour, and he knew everyone in the Battalion would be curious to know where they were going, though he suspected those who had eavesdropped on their conversation would have spread the rumours like wild fire along the column.
"What'll happen here now, do you think?"
"Meat grinder, Charlie. If Jafar is right, and they keep throwing themselves at the defenders, and those defenders are unwilling to give up the city, it could go on for some time. The casualties will be horrific. They have to be."
"Could buy us some time though."
"Yep, that's what General White was talking about. Gather our forces before we hit them and finish 'em for good."
"I bet there’s more than a few who think now we've stopped them, we should just leave them there."
"No doubt, luckily those idiots aren't in charge. Last time we thought we could just let 'em be, we paid a dear price. We should have continued under wartime conditions this time last year. At least the Navy construction did."
"Yep, saved our arses."
"But the idea this battle could have been won in space was foolish. They were always coming for Earth."
Jones turned to Jafar.
"You really believe if we can destroy Demiran and this army he has here that Earth will be safe?"
"Not safe, but safe from an invasion force."
"What else could we have to fear?"
"Demiran has always fought with only brute strength, the same as his kin, Karadag. But the other Lords should not be underestimated."
"We just maintain strong forces here, and we'll be fine," replied Taylor.
"If we crush this army, what's stopping us going back to Tau Ceti and crushing the rest of these Lords?" asked Jones.
Taylor shook his head as he thought about their first expedition to the enemy system.
"Didn't we lose enough the first time around?"
"And that is a reason not to try?"
"Demiran's armies were the most powerful, but threatening their homeworlds you could force the Lords to unite."
"Just like our armies have here," added Jones.
"Then why did we ever go there in the first place?"
"I warned you all of the dangers of Tau Ceti.”
Taylor nodded and remembered.
"Let's just enjoy what we do have. Let's crush this Demiran scumbag and his armies, and then we may just stand a chance of living in peace."
"And that is what you want?"
Taylor seemed surprised at Jafar’s question.
"What else would I want?"
"You are a fighter, one of the best. Why stop doing what you are so good at?"
"We fight because we have to, not because we like to."
Taylor could see it was a concept that was still taking time to settle in with his alien friend. Tsengal and Jafar seemed to do nothing but train in the time between the wars.
"Back when you served Demiran, what did you do when there was no war to fight?" asked Jones.
"We protected Demiran and trained to be better fighters."
"And the idea of being able to rest, relax, and do your own thing never appealed to you?"
"It was never an option I could ever have thought of."
Taylor was glad to see Gallo waiting for them when they landed at the Major's base. A broad grin span across his face, and he had organised a welcoming party for the Battalion, including the Mayor of Naples. Taylor would have welcomed a rest, but appreciated the effort that had been made. He stepped out first from the copter to a round of applause from the several hundred-strong crowd, waving Italian, American, and British flags at them.
"This is Mayor Manciolino of Napoli."
Taylor shook his hand and put on a smile, but he felt more than a little awkward. They had secured victory over the enemy, for now.
"It is an honour to have such a distinguished officer here, thank you," said the Mayor.
Taylor nodded and couldn't think of anything to say.
"You must be hungry. The Mayor has prepared a meal for you and your troops here this evening."
That's the first good thing I've heard,
he thought.
He couldn't see any way of continuing on. The crowd blocked them in against the copters.
"Mayor, your welcome is much appreciated, but you must excuse us. The men and women of this Battalion have fought hard and lost friends. What they need right now is some peace and quiet to recover. My apologies."
"No, Colonel, my apologies for keeping you. We welcome you back to our city and look forward to seeing you all this evening."
He turned around and shouted with a booming voice for the crowd to clear. They parted in seconds and let the troops through. Gallo leapt to Taylor's side to walk with him.
"Good to see you made it."
"Thanks, have you had any enemy contact since we've been gone?"
"Little, a couple of encounters. Colonel Harney left a company here to deal with them."
"So did you see any action?"
"I saw the enemy, called it in, and the Colonel's marines dealt with it."
Taylor could hear the sound of disappointment in his voice.
"Trust me, you didn't miss anything. Your time will come to face those things, and you won't long for it a second time."
He could see Gallo didn't believe him, but there was only one way to convince him otherwise, and that would be the hard way.
"How many did you kill?" asked Gallo.
"I don't know, not enough."
"You are here to help train us now. We couldn't hope for better mentors."
"Really? Are those our orders?" he asked.
"I believe so. We have been told to expect this equipment you use by the end of the week, and we are to follow a training regime as organised by yourself to see we are fit for combat."
"Mmm," Taylor muttered.
He'd looked forward to taking it easy for a while, not training near raw recruits, but it was hard to put down the Major who spoke with such fire and enthusiasm.
"You must need time to prepare for the grand meal which has been planned for you."
The idea of scrubbing up and having to look presentable for the Mayor doesn't seem all that rewarding for the work we’ve done, but who am I to refuse?
"We'll be there, Major."
Gallo responded with a smile before splitting off a happy spring in his feet.
"God save us," whispered Taylor sarcastically.
They reached their billets to find they were exactly as they had left them, though beyond their positions more accommodation had been assembled for whoever was to join them. Jones strode up to him.
"All this talk of amassing forces for a big push over the water. I only hope they understand quite what it will take to make any headway, and not get driven back into the sea."
"I think the World leaders will understand after they see what is going on at Jerusalem. We'll need hundreds of thousands of soldiers to win this war, let alone all the logistics and support staff that goes with it."
"Support staff, fucking MPs then."
"Inevitably."
"That's all we bloody need."
"A necessary evil."
"Sometimes, and just sons of bitches the rest."
Taylor had to laugh.
* * *
A grand marquee had been assembled for their evening celebration, and it was lit up as the sun went down. Taylor stepped out of his billet wearing a clean set of BDUs. It was a long way from appropriate for such a function, but the best he could muster. Parker joined him andthey walked towards the festivities.
"Feels good, doesn't it, to be able to enjoy an evening once more? You take it for granted until war comes around again," she said.
"Can't say I'm having much fun yet."
"You will."
He turned to see she was utterly confident of the fact, and that did boost his spirits a little. They walked hand in hand through the darkness until they came into the floodlights of the marquee and quickly let go.
Guards from Gallo’s unit stood at the entrance in their finest uniforms. They looked more like model soldiers than real ones, which he knew they pretty much were. They saluted across their chests with rifles held on the other arms. He was being given an excessive amount of attention and respect that was starting to bore him, but Mitch couldn’t see anyway to stop it.