Battle Earth VI (Book 6)

by Nick S. Thomas

  "What about our orders to defend this area?"

  "We can do both, Jones. Captain Jackson, I want you to join Major Gallo's defensive lines, a platoon per position at each kilometre as Gallo setup. The rest of us are heading to Muro Lucano."

  He looked up to see Eddie Rains had just woken and was stretching as he came out of his billet.

  "Rains!"

  The Lieutenant jumped at the bellowing of his name.

  "Are the copters ready to go?"

  He paced up casually and confidently.

  "Unloaded last night, Sir. We've been good to go since we hit this country."

  "Good, then fire 'em up. There are marines who need our help."

  Captain Ryan spoke up from where he had been standing by the ops table.

  "What do you want us to do?"

  "Right now, your priority should be to get your weapon systems online. With those active, you'll be able to provide some valuable air cover."

  "That could take a couple of days, easy."

  "It'll take what it'll take, and see to getting any weapons you can installed on the other two ships."

  "They're just civilian transports."

  "Not anymore. I'm not expecting miracles, but anything you can get on them to give them a fighting chance will help."

  "I'll do what I can."

  "That's all I ask."

  He turned back to Jones.

  "Get the other three companies assembled, I want to be in the air in fifteen minutes!"

  He acknowledged as his lifted him comms unit and began barking his orders. Taylor was already carrying everything he needed. When so close to the enemy, he only removed his armour when sleeping, and even then kept it close to hand. He looked back at the map to study the location.

  "They went headlong into this. Harney wants to make his name."

  "He want's to be a great hero like you," replied Gallo.

  Taylor looked up into the eyes of the Major. He didn't like being called a hero. It was an honour he found hard to accept when he had lost so many friends.

  "I may have made some kind of name, but it wasn't by carelessly throwing myself at the enemy. I have survived this long by using my head."

  Gallo clung to his every word, and Mitch could tell he was being treated as the officer’s personal hero and role model.

  "What are my orders?"

  "You are to carry on as you have been, only with the support of one of my companies. They'll provide valuable support to your defences."

  "And will you coordinate the operation from here?"

  "No, I do not leave others to do the fighting."

  "But is it not right to have somebody to coordinate remotely?"

  "Yes, but that is not for me to do. Commander Phillips is en route to handle that."

  "Let us join you. We're ready."

  Taylor took a deep breath as he thought it over. He was deeply divided on the subject.

  The support would be welcome, but they'll prove little worth in their present state.

  "I like you, Gallo, and it will be an honour to fight beside you. But I will not throw you to the wolves. I know what it’s like to face the enemy with the equipment you are using, and it is an experience I would not wish for any man. Hold your positions and bide your time. There will plenty of opportunity for you to get a hand in this war yet."

  Gallo accepted his orders and his advice without hesitation.

  "One last thing. You may be the second highest rank within our two forces, but my troops answer to me. This is not a personal matter. My officers have more combat experience than anyone I know. Trust them and work with them."

  The young officer agreed quickly, and Taylor could see he was glad to have some of the responsibility lifted from his shoulders. "I'm outta here, Major."

  "Good luck."

  "Thanks."

  He took one last look at the map, checked his Mappad device was working and updated, and grabbed his rifle. He shook his head as he thought more about Harney's blunder. On the one hand he wanted to smack the Colonel in the face, and on the other he just wanted to get his fellow marines out alive.

  He reached the landing pads that had been cleared. It was little more than a dusty plain with the copters lined up and a few instant shelters beside them. Their engines were already fired up, and the three companies were clambering aboard the dozen birds. Eddie was back to his old self, wearing his ragged clothing and shunning the body armour and suit he had been provided.

  "Damn it feels good to be fighting in the fresh air again!" he yelled as Taylor approached.

  "Can't argue with that."

  Though the air wasn't especially fresh. The copter engines were kicking up dust and debris that was filling his nostrils and throat, but he'd still prefer it to the full helmets. He looked at his watch, just eight minutes had passed, and the last few marines were climbing aboard. He was the last to step up onto Rains’ copter. He lifted his comms unit.

  "All aboard, let's move out!"

  Rains was quick to respond, and the dust cloud seemed to explode beneath them as the power was increased and they lifted off. Taylor stood at the open side door to watch their departure. Gallo was watching them for the ground. Taylor knew he had made the right decision to leave the Italian soldiers behind.

  They would be like lambs to the slaughter.

  He stepped up to cockpit to see the view ahead.

  "Colonel Taylor, meet Luke Wiseman, my new co-pilot."

  "It's an honour, Sir."

  "Yeah, well you serve with us for a few weeks and see if you still think as much. We get the shit missions, and there ain't no payoff or bonuses."

  Rains burst out into laughter. It took just ten minutes for them to reach the outskirts of Muro Lucano.

  "That's their landing zone, we reckon!" Taylor pointed.

  "Aren't we going to assist the 5th?"

  "We have to neutralise all enemy targets to the north before jumping in and making the same mistake they do. Take us in close. I want to come down right on their heads. With any luck, we'll be sweeping south in no time."

  "You think that's a good idea? We don't have any idea what's down there."

  "They must have committed most of their forces to drive south, so there can't be a lot. Time is not a luxury we have right now."

  The copters came in low and skimmed the treetops before roaring out over the area of collapsed trees. Within it lay an enemy frigate in seemingly perfect condition. Jafar leaned out over the side for a good look.

  "They landed her deliberately!"

  Taylor knew there was no more time to waste analysing the situation.

  "All companies move in!"

  He reached the door and leapt out between the gap Jafar had left. His alien comrade was quick to jump after him. Their boosters activated and brought them to a quick and safe landing on the ground just fifty metres from the enemy vessel. Only two Mechs stood guard at the entrance ramp to the ship, and they were overwhelmed by gunfire before they could get more than a couple of shots off.

  Taylor was moving towards the ramp the second he hit the ground. Six more of the soldiers rushed out from the doorway and were hit by automatic fire by thirty of Jones' troops. They didn't stand a chance against the overwhelming odds. He reached the ramp and could see no sign of further movement. He looked up at the vast space ship that was four times the size of the Deveron. He doubted there were many enemy left inside.

  "All units, deploy charges by sector at ten metres intervals, two minute timers. Rendezvous at the clearing one click south for immediate recovery."

  The platoon he was with moved up and placed the magnetic charges onto the hull. Individually, they could only do minimal damage, but with two-dozen or more, he calculated it would be enough to cripple the vessel and likely kill anyone onboard.

  "Taylor to Yorath, we have confirmed enemy presence at Muro Lucano. Call in a strike on our coordinates in fifteen minutes."

  "Affirmative, Sir."

  "You think that'l
l be necessary?" asked Jones.

  "This will disable them for now, but I don't want anyone surviving or them having equipment they can recover. It's the only way to be sure."

  Jones wasn't going to argue with that. He would happily see all evidence of the enemy obliterated beyond recognition.

  "Let's move it, haul ass!"

  They rushed from the clearing at a quick pace into the nearby trees and beyond until they reached the edge, bursting out into open ground where the copters were awaiting them. As Taylor reached Rains’ position, the explosion erupted at their backs. A loud boom echoed for kilometres all around. Jones nodded in satisfaction.

  "Another one bites the dust," he whispered to himself.

  "We need to move fast. That can't have gone unnoticed by whatever forces headed south!" Taylor called out.

  "It's always nice to make an entrance," replied Jones.

  They leapt aboard and were in the air within a few minutes. Their feet had barely touched the ground. They were just ten kilometres north of the Fighting Fifth now; Taylor only prayed they were in time to help. He watched with bated breath as they passed over one hill to the next. They kept low to hide their position, but it also meant they had little visibility on what was ahead. As they passed a crest, it opened up into a broad valley, and they were hit with what resembled a fireworks display. Pulses and tracer fire were going in all directions.

  "My, God," said Rains.

  Mech forces were on both sides of the valley, with troops of the 5th Marine Regiment in the basin fighting for their lives. They could already make out lines of dead from both sides scattered throughout the valley where each side had fought desperately to gain ground.

  "Put us down, now!" Taylor shouted.

  "Right here?"

  "Now!"

  He turned to Jones.

  "We have to take on this northern assault now, or they aren't gonna make it!"

  The copters came to an abrupt halt.

  "Why the hell didn't we know about this?"

  "Either they were too proud to call it in, or couldn't!" yelled Taylor.

  I know Harney wants his glory, but I doubt the Colonel would compromise so many lives for it. That begs the question, has the enemy found new ways to jam communications?

  It was a disheartening thought whatever the answer, but there was no more time to think about it."

  "Go!" he ordered the troops closest to the door. He rushed after them and leapt out. He quickly found himself descending onto a burst of gunfire from a Mech weapon and pushed his shield down enough to take the impact and land safely on his feet. He already knew the tactics sucked, but they had no time to plan and conduct a better strategy.

  He and Jones' platoon landed amongst ten Mechs who had been advancing over the crest of the valley edge and were caught completely by surprise. He fired quickly with his rifle, killing one just a second after hitting the ground. Another pulse smashed into his shield, twisting it on his arm and almost breaking the joint. The support of his exosuit was all that saved him. He spun around and threw the shield at his attacker with all his strength.

  "Son of a bitch!"

  The weighty metal shield smashed into the Mech and launched it off its feet. Seizing the opportunity,he rushed at the beast and jumped onto it. He held the barrel of his gun to its faceplate and fired a burst before it could recover. He turned to see the troops of Inter-Allied dropping all around. Many fired as they made their descent. The first Mechs they landed amongst were completely overwhelmed. He reached for his shield which had blue blood splattered over it from the burst he had just fired.

  "God damn disgusting," he said as he spat out on the grass.

  His mouth was full of sweat and dirt, mixed with the foul iron taste of their blood.

  "Ota move west, Grey to the east, Jones' Company with me. We're going forward!"

  He looked down into the valley to see hundreds of Mechs. The rearmost ranks had realised what was bearing down on them, but it would do them little good. They turned to fire on Taylor's troops but were already being hit by the crossfire of the Fighting Fifth in the base of the valley.

  "Let's take these bastards down quick!"

  They paced forward steadily with their shields held out front and their weapons firing at every target they could find. Taylor threw two grenades as he approached the nearest Mech position and kept up his fire. Another two pulses struck his shield, and he was starting to feel the heat. It was beginning to fail under the continued blasts. He got to a sprint and rushed at the nearest creature, firing on full auto as he did. It took six shots to the chest before he crashed into it with his full weight. His weakened shield buckled under the pressure of the impact and cracked at its core.

  As the alien tumbled to the ground, he saw another two behind it ready to fire on him, but Jones' Company cut them down where they stood. He used the opportunity to rush past them. The next line of creatures was fighting from a tall stonewall and firing down on the marines. Many still had their backs to the top of the valley, unaware of the new human force.

  Taylor rushed at the wall and sprayed a burst across the back of one, drew his Assegai and thrust it up through the base of the spine armour of another. He spun and raised his rifle, killing another beside them. The wall of enemy succumbed to a barrage of fire from the incoming company who completely overwhelmed them.

  Jones reached him, and they looked out to their flanks to see Ota and Grey were pushing forward almost as quickly. Two hundred Mechs lay dead on the hillside in just five minutes of fighting. He peered out over the wall to see the last few Mechs were being taken down by the marinesadvancing up the hill towards them. He lifted his hand to call a ceasefire and let them finish the job.

  He watched as two-dozen marines made their way up the hill, and it wasn't long before he recognised Harney among them. He jumped over the wall to greet them, signalling the company to follow him. Harney's marines looked like they had been through hell. They had badly burnt and damaged armour, and many had been struck by debris and tree bursts. Harney appeared in absolute shock, but Taylor didn't know if that was from the fight or the sight of reinforcements.

  "Taylor!" We have been calling for assistance for the last two hours but can't seem to get a signal through. What the hell happened here?"

  "My best guess is they jammed your signal somehow. Evidently, our counter-jamming equipment isn't perfect."

  "How did you know about this northern assault?"

  "We discovered the possibility looking at the surveillance images."

  "I saw those same images and saw nothing."

  "It wasn't easy to spot."

  Harney smiled in appreciation. He knew he had made a huge mistake, but Taylor was not rubbing his nose in it.

  "There's still a lot of opposition on the southern ridge. We sure could do with your assistance.”

  Taylor noted from that moment on, Harney was seeing him in a whole new light.

  "Couldn't you get evac from here?"

  "We tried, but our birds are waiting a few clicks to the west. I'm not sure if they're still okay. I sent a runner to them an hour ago but have heard nothing. Was this a targeted ambush?"

  "Of a sort. The vessel south of here is a crash site. We believe their support ships landed further north to prevent any of us overrunning them while they make their retreat."

  "Retreat?"

  "They're amassing in North Africa. I don't believe they ever intended to put down here."

  "Then they can't be that strong."

  Engines roared as their copters approached from the north and put down over in the field near them among the enemy dead. Taylor knew they'd just leapt into a dangerous situation and was thankful it had paid off. He turned back to Harney.

  "No, they aren't. It's prime time to bring them down. Let's move up and cut these bastards down!"

  Chapter 8

  It took the combined forces of 2nd Inter-Allied and 5th Marine Regiment the rest of the day to sweep the enemy off the hilltops and
back to their ship. When they finally caught sight of the stricken heavy cruiser, the sun was going down, and Taylor knew it was time to stop. Harney was by his side as they looked on at the hulking vessel which hull was part sunken below the surface.

  “What now?” he asked.

  “Nothing left to do until morning. We set up defences here and get what rest we can. We should arrange an aerial strike for first light.”

  “Why not now?”

  “Well, for a start, I don’t reckon it’ll even be achievable, but I also want to see the result of our work and mop up any survivors before they can disperse into these hills and woods.”

  Taylor could see Harney didn’t fully agree with his assessment and plan, but he wasn’t going to argue with him after the day they had experienced. Taylor turned to Jones who had been standing close behind.

  “Make it happen.”

  Harney nodded for his support staff to do likewise. He was happy for some responsibly to be taken off him after the near disastrous day.

  “Our communications, they were down for just a few hours and then back again, what do you think is happening?”

  “I guess they have a more narrow focussed and powerful machine. I doubt they’d be able to jam any larger areas, or they would have done so already.”

  “Seems a pretty big assumption,” replied Harney.

  “Only going on the intel I have and previous experience. It’s been a long day. I suggest you bed down and be ready for the morning.”

  “Long day? Hell of a day, more like!”

  Hell? You haven’t seen even a bit of it yet, Taylor thought.

  They spread out across a kilometre wide defence north of the ship that night, with patrols running far and wide to be safe. Taylor sat up against a tree for most of the night, watching the enemy ship. There was not a single light working on it, but the moonlight glinted off the metallic hull. Every half an hour he would look at the site with his night vision equipment just to study it and observe for movement, but there was none.

  He heard a branch crack at his side and reacted by reaching for his rifle and twisting around ready to defend himself.

  “You should be getting some rest,” a calm voice spoke.