Battle Earth 1 be-1

by Nick S. Thomas

  He stood alone in the vast room. Dozens of Mechs lay dead and destroyed before his position. For a moment he thought he had been left alone on the alien hulk. His hearing began to recover and he could make out the familiar sound of rifles firing. It was a relief to know that his forces were still in the vicinity. He attempted to walk but swayed slightly, still disorientated and off balance.

  Making his way through the dead marines and aliens, he headed for the gunfire. Far into the distance he could see as many as a hundred marines fighting, but taking a bend there was action far closer. Down a vast corridor he could see his own company frantically defending a wall of piled dead Mechs. He could just make out Captain Friday’s voice bellowing orders to the men.

  Between him and the troops lay five more dead marines. It had been a bloody struggle to make just a few hundred metres into Tartaros. He lifted his rifle and saw that the magazine was nearly empty. He changed it as he staggered forward and began to regain his composure. As he closed in on his company’s position he could see that it led to an opening in a huge room the size of a football stadium. Two other companies were dug in and fighting hundreds of Mechs advancing from the far end.

  Captain Friday turned abruptly as he caught sight of movement behind him. Realising that it was the Major he ran up to Taylor hauling him down into the defences.

  “We thought you were a goner, Major!”

  “Give me an update, Captain!”

  “It’s as it looks, Sir! You must have been out for some time. We’re hitting them hard but they just keep coming at us!”

  “Any command signals yet?”

  “No, Sir!”

  “This is fucked, Captain!”

  “Yes, Sir!

  “Have the engineers set the charges!”

  “Already done, Major!”

  Taylor nodded in appreciation. Friday always knew when to anticipate orders, but never overstepped his command. Over the sound of the gunfire and explosions they could just make out the piercing sound of a siren coming from their original location.

  “That’s it, Captain, signal for full retreat!”

  Having their communications jammed meant that they had reverted to using audio signals as commands. The Air Force had launched audio beacons into the breaches just moments before to signal the retreat. Taylor knew it would be a tough battle, but nothing like the onslaught he was seeing.

  “That’s it! Fall back!”

  The marines looked in surprise at hearing their leader’s voice once more. Seconds later they got to their feet and rushed with every energy to escape the bloodthirsty scene. Taylor took a few paces back into the entrance of the corridor and watched as the survivors of the company rushed past him.

  He turned to look back at the defences just the second as an energy pulse smashed into Parker’s flank slamming her to the ground. Her armour was smouldering from the heat and she was lifeless.

  “Eli!” he shouted.

  Taylor rushed back into the open ground to her body.

  “Major! Come on!” shouted Friday.

  The Captain’s words were utterly ignored as Taylor reached his fallen Sergeant and the only woman he’d truly loved. He threw his rifle around to his back and hauled her onto his shoulder. He had no idea if she was even alive but he would not risk leaving her even if there was no chance of her being saved.

  Light pulses smashed into the wall behind the Major as Captain Friday returned fire with his rifle, doing his best to cover him. The shock of seeing Eleanor hit had sent such adrenaline pulsing through Mitch’s body that he had found a second wind. He stormed across the floor and into the corridor.

  The entire company ran with all the energy they could muster. They reached the room where they had originally breached and found the Air Force pilots had smashed new holes in the hull allowing them to land at their level. They clambered aboard gratefully. Taylor laid Parker down in the seat next to him. He was oblivious to anything as he checked to see if she was breathing.

  Captain Friday was the last aboard and barked at the pilot to get in the air the second he had a foot in the door. The pilot lifted off and immediately spun the craft around speeding off westerly. Captain Friday watched as many of the other ships desperately tried to escape, many were destroyed in the process.

  Pulling out his datapad, Taylor quickly checked a few details before running up to the cockpit.

  “Glad you made it, Major!” shouted the pilot.

  “Lieutenant, you have new orders, I want you to take us to these co-ordinates!”

  He thrust the datapad forward for the pilot to see, but the man looked confused and uneasy.

  “Sir, I have orders to evac you immediately back to base.”

  “I have a Sergeant in there who is dying, there’s a British destroyer north of here that you can reach in half the time!”

  “Sir, I have my orders.”

  Taylor snatched his pistol from its holster and placed it up against the pilot’s head. He froze in shock.

  “Lieutenant, this is not optional!”

  Captain Friday stepped up also in shock.

  “Sir, what are you doing?”

  “Stay out of this, Friday!”

  The Captain knew better than to interfere with Mitch. His superior had also become his friend over the years. No matter how crazy an idea was, he’d learnt to trust Taylor under any circumstances.

  “Lieutenant, get us there, now!”

  “Alright, alright!”

  It was a relatively short journey to the British destroyer HMS Battleaxe. Everyone aboard knew that Taylor was directly contravening the orders of their command, but not one of them had the heart to stop him. The other craft carrying his company were quick to follow suit, having every confidence in their leader even without knowing his intentions.

  The surviving marines of D Company dropped onto the deck of the carrier. Their pilots refused to land with them, returning as ordered to base. Of the one hundred and nine of the company who had got off the enemy island, they carried only eight wounded. They had left seventy-one marines dead in the hellish alien hulk. ‘Leave no man behind’ was an ideal they could no longer afford to adhere to.

  The British Navy and Marine crew were shocked to see their American counterparts, but eager to assist. Some rushed to help the few wounded, though most stood in shock at the distressed state in which the soldiers were. Taylor carried Parker immediately to the medical bay as Captain Friday reported to the ship’s Captain who came out to greet them. The Royal Naval Captain gasped upon news that they were a company upon seeing their numbers.

  Taylor burst into the doctor’s medical bay. The Doctor reeled at the sight of the fully armoured and armed marine crashing unto his impeccably clean and kept room.

  “Doc, this marine needs your help right now!”

  Chapter 10

  Charlie looked out through the windows at the French scenery below. He’d become well accustomed to recognising it from the air. He could see enemy Mechs and tanks rolling down the roads. They were approaching the base at Rennes, though they were not slowing or dropping altitude. He watched as the base came into sight. It was nearly empty, with the last few vehicles rolling out and heading east.

  Getting up out of his seat the Captain strode forward to the pilot’s cockpit, as much to talk to them as to see easterly.

  “Thought we were heading for Rennes?”

  “No, Sir! The enemy are closing in fast. They are closing in on Le Mans from the south as well. All forces are being directed to Paris!”

  “My, God, it’s come to this already?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Jones staggered back to his seat, he could not believe what he was hearing. Now he was beginning to understand why they had been left to defend Brest. The situation had been far worse than they had realised. Their defence likely delayed the enemy by many hours, perhaps even a day.

  The transports that had made it out of Brest finally put down in a public park not far from the centre of Paris.
They were not greeted by a crowd or even ground crews. As Jones jumped out he saw that Brigadier Dupont and Commander Phillips were waiting for them with no more than a dozen soldiers. Buses were waiting to take the wounded to a nearby hospital. The survivors of Brest left the craft but had little idea what to do with themselves until finally the Brigadier climbed onto the back of a small truck and got onto a loudhailer.

  “Welcome back, all of you! I would like to personally extend my gratitude to all of you that have made it, as well as the many more who were not so lucky. A lot was asked of you over the last few days, and I am sorry for your losses. However, I cannot be sorry for the task you did. You have saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people!”

  No one responded to the Brigadier, they were too stunned and traumatised from their experiences.

  “As much as I would wish you all to have adequate rest and leave, we are in a state of war. The enemy approaches Paris in vast numbers. We will need your courage and strength once again in the coming days. For now I ask that you rest easy here. I will see to it that everything you need is brought to you. Please rest and await further orders, that’s all.”

  Saunders turned to his Captain, angry at the speech they had just heard.

  “Wow, we go through hell and that’s the thanks we get!”

  “If you wanted thanks you shouldn’t have joined the army, we did what we had to.”

  Jones was relieved to see trucks arrive with food and water. There was little that could help them feel better at that moment, but that was it.

  “Captain! Come with me!” shouted Chandra.

  The Captain sighed, he was just about to sit down. He stretched his body as he walked, aching from the days of fighting. He walked up to a meeting of the surviving officers with Commander Phillips, the Brigadier was already leaving the scene on his personal truck.

  “Any ideas on numbers?” asked Phillips.

  “Not exactly. However, I estimate about three thousand troops entered Brest, I think little more than three hundred made it out.”

  “Christ, we can’t afford those losses!”

  “Yes, Sir. How is the rest of the division doing?”

  Most fell back after the defeat at the coast. We fought running battles all the way to Rennes where we finally made some headway. Casualties average maybe thirty percent of the division, a damn sight better off than your para boys.”

  “Sir, I think we have enough to amalgamate into a single company.”

  The Commander shook his head.

  “Do it! Paris is becoming the number one priority. Infantry and Armoured Divisions are setting up on the west and southern perimeter. We’ve got maybe a day until they hit us. Emergency shelters are en route, I suggest you all get some kip.”

  “Major?” asked the Doc.

  Taylor was hunched in a chair outside the medical room with his head in his hands. He shot up in hope of hearing some good news.

  “She’s alive and stable for now.”

  “But?”

  “But she needs surgery, work I cannot do here. We’re en route to Portsmouth right now, she can get the care she needs there.”

  “Will she last that long?”

  “We’re on emergency conditions right now and therefore travelling at maximum velocity to our destination to assist the rest of the Fleet, her condition should remain stable until we reach the port.”

  Taylor nodded and sighed in relief.

  “I am not promising anything, Major. She’d sustained massive injuries, but she has a chance.”

  “Thank you.”

  He stood up and continued up through the decks until he reached the open air. Many of his marines sat about the deck with their kit strewn about. The Navy crew had never seen the deck in such a state of disarray, but nobody had the heart to tell them to sort it out. Taylor walked up to a railing overlooking the waves as they crashed below. They were indeed travelling at an immense speed for the size of vessel.

  “How is she?” asked Friday.

  Taylor turned to see the Captain stroll up to him and rest against the railing bulkhead.

  “She’s got a chance once we get to Portsmouth.”

  The General’s gonna have your ass for this, you know that don’t you?”

  “Under normal conditions, yes. Look around us. The rules have gone out the window. White needs me and needs us, he’ll just have to accept it.”

  “What about the assault on Tartaros? It wasn’t exactly all we hoped for.”

  “No, but it was something. We had to take action no matter what.”

  “What do you think the brass will do next?”

  Taylor lowered his head and stared out at the waves. He’d been so focused and single minded after Parker had fallen that he’d given no further thought to the situation.

  “They’ve accepted that we have to keep up the fight. If attacking Tartaros directly isn’t realistic, they’ll look to fighting on the ground. My guess is they’ll be organising combat in North Africa and Spain as we speak.”

  “And us?”

  “I have nothing left to help the brass with. We are no more experienced than thousands of others now. We’ll fight wherever we are needed. Once we reach Portsmouth I intend to request that we join the EUA forces in France.”

  Friday nodded. He knew what the Major was saying was that he wanted to help their friends, just as he had saved Parker. He was aware that there was far more than a professional relationship between Parker and the Major, but also it was best not to interfere. The Major was letting his emotions drive him. Many would say it made him unpredictable, but Friday knew it made him a good leader.

  “Major! I have General White on the line for you!” shouted the ship’s Captain.

  “Looks like the devil has found you.”

  Taylor smiled at Friday’s sharp wit. On any other occasion he would dread the call from the General after disobeying orders. However, after everything he had given, he feared nothing. He stepped up to the bridge and pulled on the headset as he sat down.

  “Taylor here.”

  “Major, I know why you did what you did. I have also been informed of what you and your men sacrificed today. You care about those under your command like family. I can respect that. How is your company?”

  “Down, but not out, Sir.”

  “Good to hear, because I have a new task for you.”

  “Sir?”

  “The EUA are rallying around Paris and making a stand there. They’re calling in all the help they can get. We are working on a new strategy for a ground attack. However, seeing as you’re already there, I want you to rally with British para battalion under Major Chandra.”

  “Chandra? What happened to the senior officers there?”

  “Dead, as are most of the battalion as I understand it. You are to join them under her command.”

  “Sir, I have a marine in critical condition here in need of urgent attention.”

  “I am aware of the situation, Major. I have already dispatched transports from our UK bases to get her to the facilities she needs and to get you to Paris. They’ll arrive within the hour.”

  “Sir, I fully apologise for breaching orders.”

  “Understood, Major. We all do what we have to do. The attack on Tartaros was brutal, but we gave as good as we got, it has to have hit them where it hurts. You have your orders, good luck and give them hell.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Taylor pulled off the headset with a wide grin on his face. He was glad to be wrong about the General. White had given him hope and a chance to be exactly where he needed to be. The Captain tried to speak to him but the words fell on deaf ears as he dashed off the bridge. He leapt down the ladders to the deck where his marines were waiting. There morale was as much affected by his mood as anything else. He could already see the fire in their eyes grow as he approached them with his shoulders held high once more.

  “D Company! Gather round!”

  The troops eagerly assembled to hear the news. Comb
at deployment was a given, it was no longer to be feared. More than anything, they wanted payback against the brutal enemy that had mauled them so heavily just hours before.

  “Today we struck at the enemy on their own turf for the first time! We never expected to hold ground. Yes, we hit heavier resistance than expected, but we did it. The brass is already planning their next attack. Right now our biggest concern is that our allies in Europe are taking a beating!”

  “Was it worth it, Sir?” asked Price.

  Taylor looked up at the faces of his marines, still shocked at the losses of their friends.

  “As marines we chose to put ourselves in harm’s way. In Europe the alien bastards are gunning down civilians and the EUA forces are doing everything they can do to fight back. We fight and die so civilians don’t have to. There are people’s families being murdered every minute.”

  “What are we going to do about it, Sir?” asked Silva.

  “Paris is has become the stronghold of France. General White has ordered us to head there and lend a hand. We are to rendezvous with the 2 ^ nd Parachute Battalion and do what we can.”

  “What is their status?” asked Friday.

  “From what I hear they have had it a lot worse than us. We are to combine with them under the command of Major Chandra, who I suspect will be a Colonel by the time we arrive.”

  Sighs rang out across the marines at the idea of anyone having a worse time of it than their experiences.

  “That’ll be all, gentleman. Wheels up in under an hour, be ready!”

  It was late at night when Taylor’s company set foot in the public park where they had been deployed. Pop-up tents had already been erected ready for them to rest out the night. In the distance they could hear the rumble of tanks and the construction of defences as fresh troops continued to toil away.

  There was no sign of the British parachute battalion, though he imagined that after the mauling they’d received they were catching up on some much needed rest. The camp guards showed them to their tents and they gratefully lay to rest for the night.

  Taylor woke naturally as the sun beat down on his tent. The light and heat were enough to awake him from even the deepest sleep. Having no further equipment and clothing he went out of his tent with stubble on his face and the previous day’s blood and grime. He was surprised to see that the British troops were already formed up for inspection as his marines were scrambling out of bed. Their discipline never ceased to amaze him.