“I thought that would be a good thing. You saw what those things are capable of,” said Wallis.
Taylor nodded in agreement. “It is and it isn’t, all at the same time.”
“I am not with you, Sir. I don’t understand.”
“No, don’t worry about it. Sweep the hangar bays and make sure they are clear. I don’t want any unexpected surprises."
“Yes, Sir,” he replied before relaying the orders and carrying on. Taylor turned back to see Babacan and Bailey had been listening in.
“Why is it such a problem we lost that one?” Bailey asked, “We still have the damn spear. We still got what we came for.”
They could both tell from the look on Taylor’s face that it wasn’t the case.
“Oh, shit,” said Bailey.
“You gave that creature the spear? The Pauri thing that is so important?”
“I didn’t have a choice, Babacan. The other Prince would have torn this ship apart, and we’d all be dead by now.”
“I hate to say it, Sir, but I am guessing the brass aren’t gonna see it that way,” Bailey said quietly.
“No, but it doesn’t matter now. It is what it is.”
Jones appeared at the entrance, and he could see by the look in Taylor’s eyes that they were in big trouble. Irala soon followed him and stepped onto the deck in horror.
“Where is my ship?”
Taylor had nothing to say.
“I said where is my ship, Colonel?”
He knew he had to respond. “Zaya,” It was all he said.
“I told you that you should never have left that creature alive. They are an abomination.”
He seemed calm in voice and yet angrier than Taylor had ever heard an Aranui sound.
“That’s not all,” added Taylor, “The Pauri Tau, it’s gone.”
“Gone, what do you mean it’s gone?”
“Zaya took it when I freed him.”
“And you let him walk away with it?”
“Can’t say I had much of a choice.”
Irala just shook his head in despair. “Perhaps I was wrong to put my faith in humanity.”
That angered Taylor. He couldn’t help but feel that their work and sacrifice meant nothing to their allies.
“Yep, well, it was humanity that found you that damn spear, and I nearly died getting it for you. I don’t ever see your people doing much.”
Irala turned to leave, but Taylor didn't stop.
"Hey, your Guardians and their ship, where the fuck are they?"
It was clear that he didn't know. "If that creature could take control of my ship, then perhaps he took them, too."
"He could do that?"
But Irala ignored him as he went on.
"All is lost, and the enemy didn't even have to take it, for it was given to them," he said as he walked away.
Taylor wasn't impressed. They had survived, and that was the most important factor.
"He loves you," Jones said sarcastically.
"Come on," replied Taylor.
They went on to the bridge, and as Taylor stepped aboard, the crew began to clap and cheer him on.
"All right, all right, pipe down," he said as he walked up to Wilcox.
"What are they so excited about?" he asked the Captain.
"You saved us all, Colonel. I know you had to make some tough calls, but you did what you had to so that we could all get home. They are just showing their appreciation for it."
"Yeah, it’s too bad not everyone gets it."
He looked out at the fleet to see they were at Earth. The primary fleet still orbited the planet, and he was pleased to see there had been no sign of war having encroached on his homeworld.
"So what the hell happened while we were gone?"
"Nothing at all. There were attacks on three border colonies, like the one on Kapteyn."
"So it was all just for us, then."
"What do you mean, Colonel?"
Jones stepped up beside him. He knew exactly what he meant.
"The Colonel means it was all staged for us to draw out the location of the spear, and we played along just like they wanted us to."
"Well, almost," added Taylor.
Jones looked confused.
"There is still Zaya, a wild card."
"He could have been part of their plan all along."
Taylor was shaking his head.
"No, I don't think so. I saw the hatred in him. He may not be fighting for us, but he sure isn't fighting for her."
"I do hope you are right. Because you are pinning all your hopes on him now."
Taylor thought about that for a moment before replying, "Maybe not."
Jones wasn't sure what he meant.
"Where is Irala?"
"I don't think he's too keen to see you right now."
But even as Jones spoke, the door to the bridge opened, and the Councillor stepped aboard. Taylor turned to him and could see they were thinking the exact same thing.
"Your shuttle, you have a way of tracking it, don't you?" he asked.
Irala nodded.
"Okay, so what are we waiting for?"
Chapter 13
"Colonel Taylor, do you really believe that committing more of our forces to this endeavour is a wise move?" Vega asked.
He was projected in a seat opposite Taylor in the briefing room of the Independence. The only crewmember was the Captain, and he was letting Taylor do all the talking. Irala was with them, too, and Jones.
"I do believe it, Sir. If Zaya has gone after Bolormaa, then that has to be our best, maybe even our only opportunity to strike at her."
"He's one man, alien, one!"
"You wouldn't say that if you had ever met a Morohtan Prince and seen them with your own eyes, or crossed blades with them. He is without a doubt one of the best of them. If he wants to cause Bolormaa trouble, for whatever reason, I am inclined to help."
"So that we can help one monster overthrow another, then where would we be?"
"Well, if he did turn on us, then we'd have an enemy in charge who wasn't near immortal for a start."
The Admiral groaned as he thought it over.
"I don't like it, putting our trust in one of them."
"Admiral, I don't see it that way. I am not saying we make friends with this Prince, just that we help him achieve the goal which we share, killing Bolormaa."
He sighed as he thought on it a little more.
"You really think this Zaya has a chance of killing Bolormaa?"
"Yes, yes I do, but I think he's suicidal enough to throw that chance away. We can't afford to."
"How so, Colonel?"
"He only has his own life to risk, but we have billions of lives. If we let him die, it is on us. It is us who squandered the opportunity. An opportunity that we never could have imagined or hoped for, and will likely never get again."
"You are putting a lot of faith in a creature you know nothing about," said Irala.
"You're right. I am. But you know how bad our situation is. You know it better than most. Tell me this isn't worth the risk? Because without it, we are gonna sink before long. You see those fleets out there. They all look impressive, but you tell me how long they will stand when Bolormaa gets here?"
"Councillor, are you confident that you can accurately track the location of your shuttle?"
"Yes, I am."
Once again the Admiral fell silent as he thought it all over. "You know this isn't my call to make?"
"And every moment that goes by increases the chance that Zaya will ditch that shuttle or be killed, and we'll have nothing," replied Taylor.
"So what is it you want to take in pursuit of this mission?"
"Everything, the whole fleet."
"I'd ask you for some guarantee, but I know it would be useless."
"Yep, we either come back or we don't."
"If I put this to the President, he will not approve it. This fleet was intended as a rapid response to help those in need, not to go chasing anyon
e or anything."
"Yeah, and that's why we're not gonna tell him. Time is not on our side, Sir. I am taking this ship, either way."
Wilcox sat up and looked surprised, but he didn't argue the point.
"So will you come with us?"
The Admiral was clearly conflicted.
"Come on, Admiral. This is the big shot we have been waiting and hoping for. The kind of shot that won't ever come round again."
"All right, but you'll need to give us thirty minutes to unload the civilians and wounded, as well as load ammunition. Really, we shouldn't be going anywhere without more repairs and re-supply, but if this is as urgent as you say it is, we will have to make do."
"It is, Sir. I can't state that any more strongly."
"Oh, and one last thing, Colonel. Lieutenant Alita Hariz that you asked about."
"Yes?" he said anxiously.
"She'll be just fine. She is on her way to the surface for further treatment. I will forward the full details to you."
"Thank you, Sir."
"Then time is now of the essence, Gentlemen, so let's get to it."
He vanished before them. Taylor noted Irala still didn't look happy.
"This could be a big deal for us," stated Taylor.
Irala just glared at him.
"You were thinking the very same thing. Don't tell me you weren't."
"Only because you gave me no choice. You should never have let Zaya free, nor given him the Pauri Tau."
"Maybe not, and maybe we wouldn't still be alive to have this conversation right now if I hadn't."
Irala didn't look convinced.
"And don't tell me it isn't damn useful that he took off in a ship we can track."
"Providing it isn't a trap," added Jones.
The thought had crossed Taylor's mind.
"It would be a pretty elaborate rouse, but I wouldn't put it past Bolormaa and her Princes. They are barbaric, not simple."
Taylor nodded along in agreement with Jones.
"I don't know what else to tell you other than we have to give it a shot, and that is what I am gonna do. I’ve never asked anyone to go and do what I wasn't willing to do myself."
"Difference is you somehow always make it through."
Taylor accepted that sentiment and felt awful for it. He looked back to Wilcox who waited for his orders.
"Make sure the ship is ready this time. No excuses."
"Yes, Sir," he answered and rushed out of the room.
"You shouldn't have to micromanage this ship, you can't," said Jones.
"Nope, and yet it needs it."
"Colonel, I think your trust extends too far and too often," said Irala.
"Yeah, so I should never have trusted you that day we first met?"
"No, you shouldn't have," he replied as he got up and left.
Taylor only groaned as he lay back in his chair. Only Jones was left beside him.
“What is it?”
“Look at us, Jones, barely holding together, and trying to tear each other apart. I never understood it. The number of treaties and alliances I have seen ripped apart because people can’t just agree to a few basic fucking details that are right for all of us.”
“Well, it seems that whoever or whatever looks over you in this life has a different idea.”
Taylor nodded in agreement. “Come on, we’d better get ready.”
“For what.”
“For whatever we find on the other side.”
Time seemed to pass quickly as he thought about Alita. He tried to imagine where she would be. He hoped she could smell fresh air and blue skies, and he wished he could be there to share it with her. He fell into a daydream, imagining what could be, but he soon snapped out of it when he heard the command. ‘Initialise jump sequence…’
His eyes snapped open, and he found himself on the bridge. He didn’t even remember going there.
“All okay, Colonel?” Wilcox asked.
He was still a bit stunned and subdued. Jones gave him a sharp nudge in the flank, and that woke him up.
“Yes, I’m fine, continue,” he replied.
Irala was there, too. He had nowhere to go since his ship was stolen.
“Any last words before we go down this road?” Taylor asked him.
“Sometimes I wish we had never met, and other times I couldn’t wish for a better friend.”
That brought a smile to Taylor’s face as he realised Irala was finally on side.
“You knew it was always going to come to this, didn’t you? You would have to face Bolormaa and bring an end to it all?”
“Every story must have an ending,” he replied.
Taylor only shook his head at how vague his old friend was.
“So let’s make it a good ending,” added Taylor.
“Maybe it is not for us to decide.”
“Oh, don’t hit me with that prophecy shit again. I’ve had enough of that from Jafar.”
Irala seemed to think he was onto something and would not let it go.
“Bolormaa let us live all those years ago. Maybe she was waiting for something.”
“Like what, Irala?”
There was a pause as if he wasn’t sure, and then Taylor could see a look of enlightenment in his face.
“You,” he replied.
Taylor laughed it off. “Come on, if that space age bitch of the universe wanted a piece of me, she could have come over and taken it a few hundred years ago in my own time.”
“But you weren’t what you are today.”
Taylor knew what he meant. None of it had ever been this big. He had spent so many years running and hiding, and now he stood at the head of the greatest alliance of peoples the universe had ever known. It made him uncomfortable. He didn’t want to be that man, that figurehead.
“Jump in five, four…”
“Shit me, why do you chose a time like this to throw that on me.”
“I didn’t choose it. Life did.”
“Two, one…jump!”
Lights flashed before them, and they arrived in a nebula much like where they had been before.
“Come on, not again. Did you take us right back where we were?”
“Ye…yes,” replied Wilcox, “That’s where the signal led us, Colonel.”
“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” replied Taylor.
He hadn’t even thought to ask where they might be going. He assumed it would be some remote location that he had never clapped eyes on.
“She’s here? Why? Why didn’t we know?”
“How could we have?” Jones asked.
“She was keeping a keen eye on the proceedings all the way,” added Irala.
“If that were the case, why didn’t she get in on the action? She could have come to us and given us a good whipping.”
“Because she’s scared,” said Jones, having a moment of realisation, “She’s terrified of that damn spear.”
Taylor began to laugh.
“I don’t see what is funny,” stated Irala.
“It’s funny because she is a pussy. The rest of us, we fight and work, and die in the harshest of conditions that we never expect to come back from. But her, she won’t take the slightest risk. She is a coward.”
“I’m not sure I see it that way,” said Irala.
Taylor saw that Jones did, and the rest of the crew took some heart from that.
“So what have we got?” he finally asked.
Nobody seemed keen to respond. He could see they were as confused by their surroundings as they had been before.
“All right, all right, so we can’t see shit. Let’s use this to our advantage.”
“I am not with you, Colonel?”
Taylor ignored Wilcox and turned to Irala.
“You can still track your ship, right?”
“Of course,” replied the Councillor confidently.
“The fleet is with us wherever we go, so please share,” replied Wilcox.
Irala pressed a few keys,
and soon lights flashed on the consoles as he took command of the ship.
“Wait, wait, you can’t do that,” protested Wilcox as he approached Irala.
Taylor stepped in his way and brought him to a standstill.
“He can do whatever the hell he wants. Now let the man work, Captain.”
Wilcox stepped aside as they all watched and waited with anticipation. Their scanners were useless, so they were now completely dependant on visuals. Soon enough they came across an enemy vessel, but it was a floating wreck.
“What? How?” Wilcox asked.
“If Zaya had Bolormaa in his sights, I am sure he had more weapons in his arsenal than a sword, a shield, and a stolen ship,” said Taylor.
They passed through what was a graveyard of ships, one after the other a complete wreck. All had been recently destroyed. Bodies floated through space, and fires still raged on a few of the ships.
"Someone sure got carried away," said Jones, "I'm not certain we want to be involved with whatever is taking place here."
"You kidding? Bolormaa is getting her ass kicked. It's exactly where I want to be. I want to see it with my own eyes, and give a helping hand if I can," said Taylor.
"You're expecting an awful lot from a creature who owes us nothing, and we know very little about."
"Call it a leap of faith."
"Faith? You want me to have faith in an alien Prince who ran off with the most powerful weapon in the universe, a weapon that you almost died for trying to find. Many of our friends did die retrieving it."
Taylor felt contrite at that remark. It was a bitter reality that he didn't want to dwell on too much. He carried on quietly just for Jones to hear.
"All I know is this is the best chance we have had of getting anywhere near Bolormaa again since all this began."
Lights flashed in the hazy smoke ahead of them as if two ships were battling it out.
"That's not Irala's ship," said Jones.
Taylor agreed with him as they continued to soar towards the epic battle that was unfolding.
"Take us in slow. Let's not get in the middle of that just yet," ordered Taylor.
Wilcox relayed the orders that the rest of the fleet followed. It was clear that the Admiral was giving him complete control over the operation. They passed slowly through the haze until the two warships were in full view. Bolormaa's vessel that Taylor had seen before, and another ship, which none of them had. It was an almost identical vessel to Bolormaa’s, but painted white, as if in a deliberate attempt to stand apart.
Battle Beyond Earth - Box Set (Books 1-5) Page 78
