Battle Earth II

Chapter 8

“Let’s move! Go, go, go!” shouted Chandra.

With little over five hundred troops, the Major led them at a jogging pace to the western edge of the base while Becker’s tanks rolled on up ahead. Still not even a complete battalion and that’s all that could be mustered, she thought. Taylor rushed up to her in one of the exoskeleton suits. She could see that the Major had distributed all of the twenty-five suits.

“Guess you’ll get to put that stuff through its paces after all!” she shouted.

“It’ll make the General happy, I am sure.”

She looked at the hulking weapon Taylor carried as if it weighed little more than a sidearm. The new equipment looked impressive, but she could only hope it performed as well. Chandra was suddenly startled as Friday rushed up at an inhuman speed. She turned back to the Major.

“Are your boys familiar enough with that equipment to use it effectively in combat?”

Taylor nodded. “Nothing to it.”

They reached an embankment and roadway which led up to the western entrance to the base. Becker’s tanks had already begun to dig into positions overlooking the valley. Chandra rushed between the vehicles to the edge to look beyond. She could already make out the silhouettes of Mechs approaching.

“Damn they didn’t hang around!”

“Must have been hot on our tails from Amiens,” growled Friday.

She looked around. They were mostly flanked by thick forestry that was almost impassable, leaving only a hundred metre strip of land for them to defend.

“This’ll do us well. We should be able to hold them here.”

“Should, Major?”

She snapped her head around to investigate why Taylor was questioning her to find he had a big grin on his face. She smiled briefly then looked out at the line of troops gathering behind them. Most were battle weary stragglers or inexperienced base personnel. They were waiting her command.

“I want trenches along the whole ridge here alongside Captain Becker’s armour! We’ve got half an hour, if we’re lucky!”

They looked exhausted and defeated already.

“An army is coming up that road which will destroy everything in its path! Help is on the way, but right now, we are all that stands in its way! You should know that the invasion of the United States has begun!”

Several gasped. For most of them it was their homeland, and the thought of enemy on their soil was something they could never have imagined.

“The United Kingdom will surely face the same within days! We are here because it is our job, and our duty, to do everything in our power to stop this enemy! It doesn’t matter where we fight. It doesn’t matter on what soil or country we fight and die on. We are as one now. Not Americans, not British, not German, but human! Now let’s give them what for!”

The troops roared with the first real excitement and enthusiasm she had heard in days as they rushed to unload the trench diggers from Becker’s vehicles. She knew their morale would not last long under a prolonged assault of the enemy. Many had never seen the devastation the invaders brought, and those that had knew to fear it.

Chandra looked down on the advancing enemy. She could make out only a few vehicles, but dozens of soldiers were approaching. She pulled out her binoculars to take a closer look as Taylor strode up beside her.

“Where’s their air power?” he asked.

“I guess they’re busy fighting the main armies.”

Just as she had said it, they heard the thundering engines of the enemy aircraft low across the treetops. Three fighters burst into view and were approaching them at a tremendous speed.

“Incoming! Take cover! God damn it, Major, you tempted fate!” she shouted.

The troops scattered. She rushed to the rear of Becker’s vehicle and ducked down as the craft soared overhead. Pulses smashed the ground. One struck twenty metres to the Major’s side where she saw it catapult several soldiers into the air. She knew that few of them would have survived.

“Where’s our damn air support?” shouted Yorath.

She looked up to see the young officer had taken refuge behind the vehicle alongside her.

“Taking as much as a beating as the rest of us!” Taylor replied.

She turned around to see the Major the other side of her. The ground shook as dozens of energy pulses crashed into the ground and tore up the road. Dirt and tarmac was thrown in every direction. The last few blasts rang out as the enemy craft zoomed overhead and banked sharply for another pass.

“God damn it, those bastards are pissing me off!” Taylor shouted.

The Major lifted himself up and casually took a few paces out into the open as the fighters turned sharply to make their second run. He stood defiantly before them.

“Taylor! What the hell are you doing!” shouted Chandra.

He ignored her and lifted up his new weapon as the three craft levelled off for their attack. As they soared towards the cowering troops, their weapons opened up and light pulses smashed into the ground. One of the blasts struck a tank and its armour was ripped open. The Major stood calmly as he targeted the centre craft.

He took a deep breath as they came into range and fired five shots from the launcher in quick succession. The rounds flew with a flat trajectory, just as Reiter had said. The troops watched in amazement as the alien craft burst into flames and veered out of control. The guns of the other two stopped firing as they pulled up and increased speed to escape from the scene.

Chandra got up from the cover to stand by the Major and watched the flaming craft smash through the canopy of the nearby forest, bursting into flames. A roar rang out from the men as they celebrated the Major’s victory. She turned to look at him. He’d acted with blatant disregard for his own life, and in doing so had won them a sizeable victory.

“Hell of a gun,” she said.

That was just the boost the troops needed, maybe we can win this fight, she thought. She saw that their casualties were minimal, but the tank that had been struck was immobile. A hatch on the stricken vehicle opened and the crew staggered out. She looked back to the troops who were still celebrating Taylor’s victory.

“Medics, see to the wounded! Everyone else get to work!”

Her troops hauled the trench devices from the vehicles with a new sense of enthusiasm and confidence. Within minutes the defences were being carved out into the landscape, and the vehicles were being dug down into a hull down position. The defensive line ran around the western road and the embankment that ran up it. The enemy would be bottle necked by the road and have no choice but to attack uphill to their positions. She stepped up to Taylor where only he could hear.

“That was a damn risky thing to do, and yet you may have just made the difference in this fight, Major.”

He smiled in response. He hadn’t wanted to be a hero or risk his own life. He had acted out of instinct and the hatred of the enemy. Chandra looked once again through her binoculars. She could see dozens of Mechs pouring out of from the wooded road into the open valley. She walked over to the smouldering tank where Becker was supervising the crew checking it over.

“She won’t move again, but we can keep the gun working while we stay here.”

“Right now our only concern is surviving where we stand, Captain, so that’ll do.”

The Captain nodded, it was yet another loss which he could not easily replace.

“How long until they come into range, Captain?”

“We can hit them from here, but I’d not be confident about armour penetration at this range. We don’t have enough spare to risk it. How long until those re-enforcements get here, Major? We aren’t going to last long.”

She shook her head as she could not answer that question. He nodded in acceptance, turning back to help his crew. She could see Taylor looking out at the incoming enemy with a smile.

“What’s making you so happy, Major?”

“This hardware. It’ll make every soldier who wears it twice the man he was.”

She sighed. “Then I hope we all live to see the day we are issued it.”

Fifteen minutes later the trenches were in place and the tanks were dug in. There was nothing left to do but wait. Captain Becker sat on the turret of his tank with a mug of coffee awaiting the opportunity to engage the first targets. He kept a keen eye on their advances. Chandra knew that, just as before, his calm and confident nature was very much a well practiced technique. Becker was as scared as the rest of them, but his demeanour did wonders for his crews.

“I never thought we’d end up fighting in my homeland. At least not this quickly.”

“The thought of a major war on European soil has long been considered to be a thing of the past,” said Chandra.

“Clearly our experts didn’t tell those bastards that,” snapped Taylor, pointing to the approaching force.

They knew that they were just minutes away from battle, but they were savouring their moment of peace for as long as they could.

“Major,” asked Becker.

“What is it, Captain?”

“Would you do the courtesy of telling us your first name?”

The Major looked at him inquisitively. Her fellow British officers were well accustomed with it in their life together. She noticed that Taylor turned and also awaited her answer.

“We aren’t going to die here, you know,” she replied.

“Major, you have me all wrong. I don’t want to know who I am going to die beside, but who I am going to fight beside.”

Taylor nodded in agreement. Chandra was touched by the statement, never having felt closer to those around her, but one. It was another sore reminder of the loss of Captain Jones, the only one among them who did know her name.

“Anna,” she whispered.

“What was that?” asked Taylor.

She knew he had heard her and only smiled in response.

“Nice to make your acquaintance, I am Lukas Becker,” stated the Captain formerly.

The three officers fell silent as they stared at each other, each praying that they would live to see the next day. The Captain peered around towards their advancing foe.

“Well, Anna, it’s about time we got to work.”

“Good luck to you, Lukas. Fire when ready.”

Becker gave a casual and friendly salute as he climbed into the turret and bolted the hatch down. The Major stood up on the embankment above the trenches where the troops had started to get comfortable in.

“Fire in your own time. I repeat, fire in your own time!”

The words echoed along the line as officers and NCOs relayed the order. They had trained without communication equipment before, but never expected to have to use it. In the frenzy of battle, it was clear to Chandra they needed better means of passing commands. She watched as the troops readied themselves at the trench shelves before jumping back into hers.

She looked along the line of troops. To her left was her own platoon, and to her right Taylor and his. The Major had taken half of Friday’s marines and they were all outfitted with Reiter’s new equipment. She peered over the embankment to see that the enemy were closing to five hundred metres. There were more than a hundred Mechs approaching up the hill with many more taking the road behind their tanks.

An energy pulse smashed down just in front of them as Becker’s tanks opened fire. The combined blasts rocked the ground. Chandra felt a little dizzy as she was almost thrown from her feet. She rested against the edge of the trench with her rifle at the ready. She looked down at the weapon and back at Taylor’s.

“Feeling a little inadequate, Major?” he jested.

She smiled in return and looked back at the incoming troops. Many of them with weapons effective at longer ranges had already opened fire. She could see Ortiz and Campbell firing as quickly as they could with their anti-materiel rifles, but she could not hear the shots. Taylor turned to Parker standing with him. He thought, I love you, but he didn’t say it. He gave a small nod and his eyes spoke pages. She smiled back, appreciating his sincerity.

“Let’s give these bastards a taste of the new age!” he shouted.

The exosuit marines slung their weapons over the edge of the trench and readied to fire. Chandra watched with baited breath. Their survival that day was important, but she knew the new technology could make all the difference in the war.

“Fire!”

A volley of loud cracks rang out as small flickers of light gushed from the barrels and small embers puffed out. She was so fascinated by the weapons that she was still fixated on them after the first shots. They stopped firing to investigate their results. Chandra turned just in time to see several of the Mechs drop to the ground with several others badly damaged.

“Alright, open it up, boys, give them everything you’ve got!” Taylor ordered.

“Oorah!” shouted Friday.

Light pulsed from the line of marines. The blinding light pulses from the enemy weapons had become something to fear. Chandra smiled as she realised that they were getting a taste of their own technology. She opened fire with her rifle. It was pretty ineffective compared to the others, but they had to maintain the pressure.

“It’s a god damn turkey shoot!” shouted Silva.

Enemy fire dropped all around them but caused little damage to the troops who were well concealed within their deep trenches. Chandra looked down the line and could see that the new equipment had given rise to a new enthusiasm amongst the troops. My God it’s working, she thought. The trench position just a couple of metres from Taylor erupted and two of his marines were thrown back against the rear wall.

He rushed to their aid. Silva had been hit by debris and was coughing as he stood up. A private had been hit in the chest by one of the pulses and the skin of his chin was burnt, but he was still breathing.

“You okay, Private?”

The man looked to him with glazed eyes and stared into the eyes of the Major. He shook his head to try and wake himself up before looking down at the impact. Smoke arose from the deep gash in the chest plate.

“It works,” said the elated Private.

Taylor saw the damage and hit it with his fist. The plate was burning hot but was still solid. He smiled as he reached out his hand and hauled the Private to his feet.

“I could have just died.”

“Damn straight, but you didn’t. Now get back up there and keep shooting!”

He looked over to Silva who nodded to him. They both knew how close they’d come to losing yet more marines.

“We owe Reiter a few beers.”

“More than a few!” shouted Taylor.

The Major jumped back onto the firing ledge of the trench and quickly got a target in sight. Sparks flew from the barrel of his launcher as two shells blasted towards one of the creatures. The rounds punched right through its thick chest armour, causing it to stagger and drop down onto one leg. It tried to regain its composure, but Mitch put a third round through its mirrored head plate.

Energy pulses continued to smash their positions, but most did little damage to their defences or personnel. Becker’s tanks were getting it the worst. Several were smouldering, and one had flames roaring from its hull. He lowered his weapon and looked down the hill to see that the Mech bodies were piling up in their dozens. Their advance had slowed, and a number were starting to take cover behind verges and the crumpled heaps of metal that used to be their comrades.

“They’re starting to feel the heat!” Chandra called out.

“Damn right!” shouted Taylor. “It’s only going to get worse for them!”

They both knew that it was a small victory in a truly epic scale war, but it was a victory nonetheless. Chandra looked up and down the lines of troops. All she could see in either direction were dozens of guns blazing. The Mechs’ advance had halted completely, but another force was advancing to support the assault in greater numbers. She turned to Taylor with a look of horror.

“Those re-enforcements better get their arses here fast!”

Taylor nodded in agreement. They were expending ammunition at a rapid rate, and their new weapons were still too few to fight any major battles. A mass of energy pulses soared towards them from the advancing tanks, forcing many of them to duck down in their trenches. Two of Becker’s tanks exploded on impact. Their crews had no time to escape.

Chandra ducked down and covered her ears from the ferocious onslaught. Then over the noise of the explosions they heard the soaring sounds of engines approaching from the east. The Major’s heart almost stopped at the thought of incoming enemy aircraft. Then through the smoke clouds five friendly jets burst into view, racing over their positions.

The two Majors leapt up to the ledge to follow the line of sight of these new aircraft. As the planes raced across the enemy lines, they released large tanks which quickly struck the ground and burst into flames. The scattering of bombs engulfed the enemy advance with thick fire rising fifty metres into the air. It almost reached the planes as they darted overhead.

Chandra’s men gave out cries of excitement as they thrust their weapons into the air, shouting in ecstasy. They watched as the flames lowered and they could see the shapes of dozens of Mechs lashing about in the fire until they finally went still. Many of the vehicles belched thick smoke and were utterly destroyed.

Chandra looked down over the battlefield and could see that the remaining Mechs were beating a hasty retreat across the open plain. Most of the troops were stood on top of the trenches in defiance of the enemy, enjoying the sight of the aliens’ downfall. The Major looked out across their own lines at the losses they had taken. She climbed up onto the wreckage of one of the tanks that had stopped burning for a better view.

Most of Becker’s armour was destroyed or badly beaten up. She could see the lifeless bodies of at least a few dozen soldiers and a similar number of wounded that the medics were already attending to. She looked back across the plain at the fleeing troops. It was one of the most beautiful sights she had seen since the war had begun. Her own troops who were in the highest spirits she’d seen since their victory in Paris.

“You see how they run?” she cried. “They run from us! Will you let the bastards live to fight another day? Kill them all!”

She jumped off of the vehicle and took flight into a quick run down the hill. Those around her cheered as they clambered out onto the embankment and rushed after her. Within seconds, Taylor and his marines had caught up. They fired their fearsome weapons from the hip with ease and accuracy as the suits they wore allowed them to.

A number of the Mechs turned to return fire, but most continued to run. The guns of Becker’s remaining tanks thundered at their backs, explosions erupting in a creeping barrage as they went. Gunfire rang out from all around as they picked off the stragglers. They finally reached the line of smouldering tanks and the littering of dead Mechs around them.

The smell was awful, a mix of burnt flesh and scorched metal. The ground around them was black and charred. Chandra stopped as the last of the Mechs were hunted down by Taylor’s marines who were able to keep up a great pace over the distance. Taylor stepped up behind her and stared at the carnage.

“It’s never pretty, but at least it ain’t our own.”

Chandra nodded. They could count their combat service in days, and yet she’d seen quite enough for a lifetime. There was little left of the fallen enemy soldiers but burnt metal and twisted debris.

“Guess our air cover isn’t dead after all?” replied Chandra.

“Didn’t you see those markings? Those were Russian planes.”

“Well, their timing couldn’t have been better.”

“Dupont has clearly made this base a priority. If he wants air cover, he gets it.”

The last of the gunfire settled as the troops mopped up. Friday and Suarez approached them with grins on their faces. They were right to celebrate. We need a few more battles like this, thought Taylor. He turned to Chandra, suddenly realising that they were missing a friend.

“Jones, he’s still out there.”

“Maybe, Major.”

“We’ve pushed back this advance, and we’ve probably got a free run back to Amiens.”

Chandra turned away. She wanted Jones back more than any of them, but she knew how crazy it was to go looking for him. She looked back up the hill towards their emplacements. Becker’s tank was trundling down towards them. It was scarred and beaten, but still active.

“Major, we have a chance to get him back!” shouted Friday.

She faced the two marine officers.

“We’ve won this battle, but don’t be under any illusions. This was a skirmish, and there are armies of those bastards out there.”

“And so we just give up on him?” asked Taylor.

“Even if I let you go, how would you even make that distance in any kind of time?”

Taylor’s eyes panned up to Captain Becker who had climbed out and stood on top of the hull of his tank. Chandra turned around to stare at the man. She could see the sadness in his face from the losses he had received. He’d lost far more of his unit than the infantry who’d gotten off lightly. She spoke to Taylor.

“You can’t ask that of them. Those crews have given everything to keep us alive.”

“And you think they wouldn’t want to save our people if there was any remote chance?”

“Even if Becker would go for it, you’ll be travelling for hours in hostile territory.”

Taylor ignored the Major and looked past to the tank commander.

“How about it, Captain, you willing to help us get our people back?”

“I’d be more than happy to assist, Major, but I doubt we’d make it. If we don’t get some repairs done on these vehicles within the next few kilometres…”

Taylor sighed. He knew it was too much to ask and far from sensible. He couldn’t believe that he wasn’t there when Jones needed him most.

“How the hell did this even happen?” snapped Taylor. “You let two of our men get kidnapped from under you!”

Chandra glared at Mitch. Her cheeks reddened as she was about to burst into a furious rage. She coughed and forced herself to calm down. The truth was she did blame herself for the loss of the two men, but she didn’t like being reminded of it.

“I regret all lost under my command, but do not think I have not done, and will continue to do everything in my power to keep our troops safe.”

Taylor was taken aback by her restrained response and already regretted his words. He took a few steps closer to her and whispered.

“Forgive me. I just can’t believe there is nothing we can do.”

“I get you, Major. If I thought there was any chance of you making it there, I’d let you go.”

The officers were quickly drawn to the sound of a single aircraft approaching at speed. They turned to see an Eagle FV assault copter rush overhead at an astonishing speed. It banked heavily before lifting its nose to reversing its thrust to come down beside them at speeds no normal pilot would dare.

They turned in intrigue to see who was aboard and why they were putting down on what was a bloody battlefield. The ramp opened and the pilot appeared at the door. He staggered down with the sort of undisciplined walk of what could only be one pilot they knew.

“Eddie!” shouted Taylor. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Taylor rushed forward and grabbed the Lieutenant off his feet, forgetting that he was still wearing the exosuit that provided him immense strength. He hoisted the man off his feet as if he weighed no more than a child. As he dropped Eddie down, the pilot staggered back as he stared at the suit and armour.

“I see you’ve had some upgrades.”

Taylor looked up at the copter which he had become so familiar with in his time of service. Atop the fuselage was a large and unfamiliar engine which looked as if it had literally been bolted on as a custom job.

“I’m not the only one,” he stated as he gestured towards the craft.

Eddie looked around at the copter and turned back with a smile on his face.

“Old Bessie here has been given a new turn of speed.”

“That how you made it across the channel?”

“Damn straight, no bastard in this universe could catch this bird!”

Taylor looked into the pilot’s face to see that his eyes were swollen and his face was pale. It was clear that the only thing keeping him on his feet were stimulants.

“I thought you were working the Moon supply runs. You gone AWOL, Lieutenant?”

“No, Sir! Moon supply is still ongoing with new pilots. I was ordered to report to you with all urgency.”

“By who?”

“General White himself.”

“On what task? I need soldiers, not pilots.”

“Glad to know I’m appreciated, Major,” laughed Rains. “Honestly, I have no clue. He said I’d know when you did.”

“Great, that helps,” mused Taylor.

Taylor looked beyond the Major to the other officers watching the conversation. He recognised most of them.

“Ma’am,” he greeted Chandra with a nod.

He looked back to Taylor with a quizzical expression.

“Where is Captain Jones?”

They all went silent.

“Dead? Can’t be.”

“We simply don’t know. He was detained by locals in a town that has since been overrun by the enemy.”

“What the fuck? Detained?”

“It’s bullshit, Eddie, we all know it. We were just discussing how we could get back to the town to attempt to find the Captain and Private Walker who was with him. But we can’t cover the ground fast enough, and these tanks need work.”

“Well, hell, I can get you there, no problem.”

Taylor turned to Chandra who was still in charge. He didn’t actually ask her permission, but she knew that’s what he wanted. She thought for a moment and then looked to Eddie.

“You sure you’re ready for this, Lieutenant? You’ll be going over a hundred kilometres into enemy territory.”

“Damn straight, Ma’am, I can get you there in no time at all, and get you out of trouble just as fast.”

She nodded several times as she thought it over. She didn’t want to risk further troops in her command, but she knew how important the Captain was to them all. To not search for him, when they had the opportunity, could severely hit the morale of the Company. She wanted to believe that she was thinking as Jones’ friend, but she no longer had that luxury. She had to think like a leader first and foremost.

“Taylor, the Company has been ordered to hold this position, and as the commanding officer I must do so. However, I am authorising you and the Lieutenant here for a search party. Take ten of your marines and be as quick as you can.”

A broad grin widened across Taylor’s face as he turned to bellow his orders.

“And, Major. Stay safe.”

“Sergeant Silva, gather your section, we move out immediately!”