BATTLE BEYOND EARTH: SURVIVAL
By Nick S. Thomas
April 2016
SMASHWORDS EDITION
Copyright © 2016 by Nick S. Thomas
Published by Swordworks Books
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
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Prologue
War had come to the Alliance territories, even sooner than the enemy Queen Bolormaa had promised it. But it was not in some distant land that Colonel Taylor had not heard of. This time it was on a personal level he had hoped to never face again. A war on Earth itself.
Zaya, the banished son of Queen Bolormaa, had taken his shot. He seemed to have only one desire in life, one ambition - to end his mother's life. Colonel Taylor had seen that opportunity for what it was and was all too eager to join the fight, even if Zaya wanted nothing to do with humanity. Taylor looked for an ally, but that attempt was going to cost the Alliance more than they could have imagined. Zaya's attempt not only failed, but the price had been the invasion that they now faced.
Power and responsibility are once again placed in Taylor's hands, and he cannot resist assembling everything in an attempt to attack the enemies who have invaded his homeworld. It soon became apparent that Isaacs, the President of the Alliance, had become entangled in the battle raging in Earth's orbit. The loss of the President was not something they could afford, and it fell to Taylor to rescue him before it was too late.
A desperate rescue mission recovered the President, but not before he had become mortally wounded, and at the cost of many other lives. Taylor found himself in the loneliest of situations, in charge of a banished fleet without a leader. He was all out of ideas, and there seemed just one thing left. The war still raged on the surface. It was time to go back and join the battle.
Enemy invasion forces were striking across every continent, and Earth's forces were divided. General Greer seemed to be taking some of the worst of the blow on the eastern seaboard of the United States. She had been a useful ally to Taylor and a competent commander, so it seemed a logical place to start. By some miracle, that decision led Taylor to the location of the next in line to the Presidency of the Alliance, Lisa Caron. That was one rescue mission Taylor was determined would not fail.
Caron was the most unlikely of leaders, but when the time came, she stepped up and seemed to be just what the Alliance needed. Taylor's success led him to news of the survival of another VIP who might yet be saved, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His rescue could be vital to the war effort, and Taylor leapt at the chance. It soon became apparent that it was no rescue attempt, but an enemy trap.
Taylor had not seen it coming; so caught up in trying to help, he had forgotten what a target and a prize he himself was to the enemy. He and the few who had gone with him were trapped, and it seemed death or capture were the only options left, but Alita Hariz was not going to let that happen. She could not afford to lose Taylor, and she would do anything she must. Even if that involved taking risks that he would never have approved of.
In Taylor's time of need, Alita did the unthinkable. She made a deal with the devil and set him free; an uneasy alliance with Zaya, and the promise of freedom if he would help save Taylor's life. It was a dangerous gamble. Zaya had no reason to fulfil his side of the bargain, and yet even he could see reason in the end.
Once again an alien saved Taylor's life, and those of his friends, but this wasn't any alien, it was a Morohtan Prince. Could this be the turning point in the war? The Alliance seemed to be turning a new page as it found the powerful ally in Zaya that Taylor always hoped they would. But tragedy struck, and Bolormaa attacked them with her own hands. A brutal boarding action saw many casualties, and among them Irala, one of Taylor's oldest and wisest friends. The Aranui Councillor and leader killed by Bolormaa herself.
Once more Taylor stood before the alien Queen, but where he saw a chance for victory, Bolormaa snatched it away from him in a cruel turn of events. She drew Zaya back onto her side. Not only that, she escaped with two prisoners. Alita and Jones. Would Taylor have had time it would have destroyed him from within, but Bolormaa would not let him off that easily, and he stood with just one old friend by his side, Jafar, against a new wave enemy soldiers.
In that time of need, it was the most unlikely of people who came to his aid. Charlie Jones, but he was not the friend that Taylor had known. Not the ancestor of William, but the Krys clone who wreaked death and destruction upon them in his last lifetime. It seemed like one final betrayal, and yet the imposter was loyal to Jafar.
Taylor was saved, but he now felt that he stood alone. Bolormaa had everything. She had Zaya, Jones, Alita, and the spear that could bring about her doom, the Pauri Tao, or Tamir as it was also known. All seemed lost. All that remained was his will to go on to save those he loved. The Battle for Earth raged on, but can Taylor be the hero the Alliance needs him to be?
Chapter 1
"You get back up that hill and take that goddamn position!" Taylor barked.
He turned back just in time to see an explosion burst out on the road ten metres ahead of him. Had it found its target, nothing would have survived the blast. Several around him ducked down for shelter amongst the wreckages of cars and trucks, but not Taylor. He didn't even flinch at the sight and sound of the blast. Blood seeped down the side of his face from a light wound near his hairline under the rim of his helmet, and his face was as dirty as the rest of his armour.
"We can't keep this up. There are too many of them!" a voice cried.
A young Lieutenant was hunkered down below him, his name Cruz, Taylor only knowing that because it said as such on his uniform. He had no sympathy for the man at all. It was as if his heart was now made of stone. A cruel transition had overcome him since he lost his closest friends. He cared for no one, not if it meant a chance of getting them back.
"Colonel, we must fall back!" pleaded the officer.
Taylor reached down and backhanded him in the face as he tried to protest once more.
"Grow some balls, Lieutenant. Fighting isn't a choice in this war."
He looked over the defences, the fire was incoming all around them. Hordes of Amitads rushed down the hill towards them. They swarmed amongst heaps of rubble and abandoned and destroyed vehicles. Two main battle tanks lay shattered halfway up the hill, still smouldering from the aerial bombardment of ten minutes earlier. A shot bounced off his shield, but he didn't seem bothered by that either, as he dropped the magazine from his rifle and slammed in a new one.
"Colonel, pl
ease, you must take cover."
Taylor ignored him, and no one that knew him well would dare speak out. Sommer was not far from his side and Babacan the other side of her. He had come to rely on the fresh-faced woman that Sommer was, and she hung on his every word as if he were an infallible mentor. Taylor stared across at their lines. They were just fifteen strong, and he looked back to the hill to marvel at the seemingly unending horde of creatures soaring towards them.
"Enough of this, let's give them some cold steel!" Taylor yelled.
It was a bizarre and antiquated term even for his time, but everyone understood what he meant. They knew how crazy and suicidal it was, yet every one of them would follow him to hell and back, every one but Cruz.
"If we do this, we'll die," he insisted.
Taylor shook his head.
"There are worse things than dying," he snarled.
He was about to step forward and lead the charge when they heard the roar of engines at their backs. A friendly assault craft drew to a hover over them. Moments later Turan leapt from an open door and landed beside him, and his whole platoon descended to support them.
"Nice of you to finally turn up," snapped Taylor.
The Krys officer didn't appear to notice the sarcasm.
"What can we do?" he asked bluntly.
Taylor pointed up the road. "You see that hill?"
Turan nodded.
"That's what I want."
Turan didn’t say another word to either Taylor or the platoon of Krys standing at his back. He activated his shield and leapt over the barricade. He didn’t slow down and rushed towards the enemy, firing as he went. The rest of the Krys platoon stormed through the ranks of the shocked troops who had fought with Taylor, and they stared in amazement. The street lit up into a raging battle as they advanced relentlessly towards the enemy. Turan finally reached one of the Amitads. He grabbed his head with one hand and snapped the creature’s neck. As the body dropped, so did the magazine of Turan’s rifle, and he slammed in a new one and carried on.
“That’s more like it!” Taylor yelled.
He leapt over the defences, but only Babacan was with him.
“What are you all waiting for? Let’s take this fucking hill!”
Sommer jumped over to join them, and that was enough. The survivors followed suit, spurred on by Turan’s platoon and their bravery. Taylor had seen it so many times before. He knew what the Krys were like. They cared for nothing but accomplishing their own mission, but the others didn’t need to know that. Taylor rushed forward at such speed he was passing the Krys marines and driving forward to reach Turan. Gunfire struck all around them, but the shield wall that was their advance stopped almost all of it. He stepped through trails of dead bodies now before finally he got to Turan. The Krys officer held one of the barbaric Amitad weapons in his hand and proceeded to cleave through the enemy with it. He was taking on eight of them at once.
Taylor lifted the muzzle of his rifle and fired, instantly killing two of Turan’s attackers. Another of the Krys barrelled over the other, and Turan cut down two more in one single stroke. They were cutting through the Amitad lines like butter. Taylor kept firing as he advanced with them, but his magazine was empty once again. He reached down for another, but he was out. All he had left was his pistol, and he knew the ammunition for that wouldn’t go far.
“To hell with it,” he said as he drew out his Assegai and joined Turan’s charge. The gradient was becoming steeper now as Taylor reached his fellow officer. He smashed his shield into one of the attackers, thrusting his Assegai deep into its stomach and throwing it off to the ground. He glanced back. They were halfway up the hill and had left hundreds of enemy dead at their feet. The rest of his platoon was trying to keep up, but Babacan and Sommer were right by his side.
Gunfire rained down from above as the gunship that delivered Turan continued to strafe the enemy positions. Hydra cannons roared on the flanks, mowing the enemy down. Those at the centre kept pushing. Back up the hill the Amitad ranks were splitting at the centre as something passed through them, and then it came into a view.
“Gurv!” Sommer shouted.
The humans leapt for the cover of nearby building entrances and wrecked vehicles, but the Krys stood their ground, and so did Taylor, right beside Turan.
“You know what that thing can do?”
Turan didn’t say a word and held the large Amitad blade up ready, as if he was going to engage the creature in personal combat.
“I sure hope you know what you’re doing,” said Taylor. He holstered his Assegai and drew out the Bilgunn’s hammer from his back.
The creature was on them in seconds. It was coming right for Turan with a speed and power that could flatten anything before it, but at the last moment Turan leapt aside and slashed low at its legs. The four-legged beast nosedived into the tarmac. Its body twisted and toppled over its head as it crashed to a halt. It was back on its feet, but badly hurt and brought to a halt. Taylor took one big swing with the hammer and struck it in the side of the head. The hammer blade flashed on impact, and the creature’s head snapped to one side so far that it lost its balance and collapsed onto its side.
Turan didn’t give the foul creature any time to get back up. He leapt onto its flank and drove the blade into its body with all his weight until finally it died. Taylor looked impressed.
“Strong, but stupid,” snarled Turan.
Taylor nodded in agreement as they both turned back to the top of the hill. The taking down of the Gurv had rattled the hordes of Amitads in front of them. Some had stopped; others had turned back and begun to run.
“Their spirit is broken!” Taylor shouted.
It was all the motivation they needed. Sommer was shaking her head in amazement. Even Cruz had joined them but was still keeping well behind the Krys and letting them lead the way. Taylor slipped the hammer back onto his back and picked up one of the Gurv blades nearby. It was twice the length of his Assegai and lighter than it looked. It appeared as a primitive sabre made by a blacksmith, not a swordsmith, and yet was light in the hand and razor sharp. Perfect for the job they had in hand. The others waited for his command.
“That hill is rightfully ours. Will you take it back?”
They roared with excitement as he rushed towards the enemy. They were close on his heels, and Turan managed to stay beside him. Few of the Amitads fired back as they fled in panic. Taylor hacked with the blade from side to side, rushing among them as though they were cavalry pursuing fleeing infantry.
It feels good.
Blood was spilling in every direction, and Taylor loved every minute of it. He was able to let out his anger and aggression. They weren’t the targets he wanted, but they would suffice for now.
Taylor advanced so quickly he was ahead of many of the enemy, but he trusted in those with him to watch his back. He slashed one after the other and barged others with his shield so that they crashed to the ground to be finished by the next marine. They were twenty metres from the top of the hill now. A Morohtan officer stood at the top where he had been directing their forces, but Taylor did not slow one bit. He pointed the blade at the officer as though he was calling him out, and only increased his pace. He pushed several Amitads out of the way, kicking others over as gunfire still soared past and struck around him.
The enemy officer carried a large energy shield like they did, and a partisan like weapon in its other hand. Taylor was on it in seconds. He brushed the partisan blade off with his sword and closed the distance, striking at one of its front legs by the joint. He severed the lower limb with a powerful cut, but he didn’t stop there. He spun around and cut against its other lead leg without a moment of hesitation. The Morohtan collapsed forward.
Taylor didn’t wait to finish the job. He had nothing to say to the creature, needing nothing it but its death. He brought the blade up around his head and took it in both hands before cutting down and decapitating the creature in one huge swing. Blood spurted out as the head rolle
d down the hill amongst his allies, and the body collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Krys and humans rushed past him as they pursued the enemy, but he merely looked out to admire the view and what they had accomplished. He took a sigh of relief and gasped to get some air in. In the heat of the battle he hadn’t realised how much he had exerted himself. As his breathing began to settle, he once again could not stop his mind wandering to all those he had lost. He was transported back to the fateful time when Bolormaa took Alita and Charlie from him, and the death of Irala.
“Dirty business, isn’t it?”
He snapped out of it, finding Sommer standing before him. He was covered in the enemy’s blood, and he hadn’t even noticed. As he watched the blood drop from his hands and armour, he realised just how good it felt. It was the blood lust that he never understood. He didn’t want to feel it and wasn’t proud of the fact, but he also knew how vital it was to his success. The loss of his friends had brought it back as strong as ever.
“That was the most amazing thing I have seen since this war began,” said Turan as he joined them.
He had a smile on his face and had clearly enjoyed the reckless charge that they had undertaken.
“Then you haven’t seen much,” added Babacan.
Taylor cringed. He could only imagine the fight such rivalry could cause, and yet Turan didn’t take offense, and that surprised Taylor.
“I am starting to believe all the stories about you, Colonel. Perhaps they are true, after all. I never imagined a human could do all that you have done.”
“Yeah, well I don’t do it alone. Your timing couldn’t have been better.”
Turan seemed to appreciate the sentiment as they all strode over to the other side of the hill and looked out at the battle. For as far as they eye could see, it raged in both directions. It was a great vantage point, and a valuable objective, but it seemed to matter little to the vast scale of the fight around them.
Battle Beyond Earth: Survival Page 1
