Battle Earth IV

Chapter 10

A comms unit flashed on the wall opposite where Taylor was huddled.

“Hall! Get that call!”

The Corporal looked at the Major for a second in astonishment. Dust and debris still floated around the corridors, and they were still taking fire. A pulse had hit the wall next to the unit just twenty seconds earlier.

“Get the God damn call, Corporal!”

Hall didn’t hesitate a second time. He leapt across the open corridor, and hit the open channel key.

“This is the CP, we need immediate assistance. I repeat, immediate assistance! We have a breach at 2A, and Achen is tied up!”

Taylor could hear the desperate call, even from the other side of the corridor and over the noise of the battle.

“We’re on our way! Hold on!”

He turned to Chandra, but she responded before he could ask the question.

“We’ve got it here, go!” she shouted.

“3 ^rd platoon, on me!” he cried.

Taylor rushed to the stairwell, knowing none of them could risk using the elevators. He leapt four steps at a time and rushed so quickly through the automatic doors that he buckled them as his exosuit caught the frame either side. As he burst into the corridor, he caught sight of a Mech and quickly fired as he passed to the other side of the corridor, unable to stop himself with the momentum. Mitch saw his round land wide of its target, but it was enough of a distraction to get him safely behind cover.

As he smashed into the far wall, he lifted up his hand to signal for the others to stop as three energy bursts rushed down the corridor between them.

“Jesus Christ!” Hall screamed, and he stopped just in time to save having his head blown off. He backed up against the side of the doorway Taylor had only moments before smashed in passing. He quickly reached for a grenade, but Taylor noticed as he was about to twist the firing cap.

“No grenades!”

Hall looked down at the grenade, looking sheepish for a moment for not remembering. He slipped the grenade back onto his webbing as pulses continued to fly down the gap between the two men. They could tell the enemy were advancing towards them because the pulsating of their weapons was getting louder with each shot.

“What do we do, Sir?” asked Hall.

“Get the rest of the platoon out here, and start fucking shooting! We can’t let them continue!”

The Corporal spun around and barked with the same ferocity as his Major had.

“Move your fucking asses and get up there! The Major is under fire!”

Taylor leaned out and took a few quick shots but was under too much pressure from enemy pulses to make any targeted fire. Hall leapt from the doors and rushed a few metres forward with his head hunkered down until he could leap into cover behind the next rib of the corridor. Just as he got to the cover, a pulse smashed the rim of the rib and blew a football-sized chunk from the side. Hall gasped as the debris burst past, realising how close he had come to death.

Another six soldiers got into the corridor and started laying down fire. It finally freed Taylor up to take some aimed shots. His next two rounds went directly through the faceplate of one of the Mechs and killed it instantly.

“How many do you count?” Taylor shouted to Hall.

“I guess about another six!”

“We need this dealt with! If we don’t get to the CP soon, this could all be over!”

He turned to the other troops still huddled in the doorway.

“I want you to get out here and lay down concentrated fire on my go!”

The two at the front nodded in agreement. There was no fear in their eyes, and he was glad to see that they trusted him completely.

“Now!”

Three of the soldiers leapt out from the corridor, and Taylor immediately jumped up from his cover and began firing rapidly. They were quickly joined by others as the corridor was flooded with fire. The enemy before them disappeared into a cloud of sparks and smoke. A few last flashes burst from their weapons, and Taylor felt the burn as they rushed past nearby, but he kept on firing. At last, he could tell the opposition had stopped.

“Hold your fire!”

He rushed forward as the dust settled to find that the Mechs were all but finished. One struggled about on the ground, trying to get to its feet but was clearly mortally wounded. Taylor lifted his rifle and put a single shot into its faceplate. The creature dropped to the deck with a heavy crash, and once more the corridor was silent. Taylor turned to see one of their own was on the ground with another giving assistance. He rushed back to the position to see that the man was still conscious.

The man had been struck by a pulse that had clipped his hip just beneath his torso armour. He grimaced in pain but remained silent. It was clear he was in a lot of pain.

“You’ll be okay, but we cannot stop for anything.”

“Go, I’ll be fine,” he replied.

The field medic at his side nodded in agreement and lifted up the man’s rifle from the floor, thrusting it into his hands.

“You make sure you nail any alien bastard that comes this way, you hear?” insisted Taylor.

“You got it, Sir,” he replied, hoisting the rifle up into both hands.

Taylor looked to the others around him and could see they were appalled at having to leave one of their own behind. He hated himself doing it, but he diverted that hatred to their enemy for forcing his hand.

“Let’s move!”

They quickly got up to pace and were well on their way to the CP when they heard a hail of gunfire beneath them on the next level down. Taylor stopped for a moment, knowing it would be their friends and comrades in action. He knew they could not assist, but for a second he considered it. The looks on the faces of the troops around him showed they all shared the same concern.

“They can handle themselves, just as we can,” he mused quietly to those closest. He continued onwards and quickly came upon a fight close to the CP. In the corridor were four bodies of Perera’s troops, and clearly the rest had beaten a hasty retreat against overwhelming numbers. Only two Mechs lay dead around them.

“Fuck, this must have been bad.”

“God damn idiot, I told him to stand his ground,” Taylor caught a glimpse of movement up ahead and looked up to see a Mech stroll past at the end of the corridor, firing as it did.

“Christ this is a total cluster fuck. Let’s clean this up!”

He strode forward with his rifle held low and forwards, ready to blast the nearest foe he could find. They got within just fifty metres of the CP when they came up on the flank of an enemy force that was besieging the dug in MDF soldiers. Taylor lifted his hand to call them to a halt.

“They’ve not noticed us yet, so fortune is on our side if we move quickly. We do not stop until we are on top of them, you hear?”

Hall nodded and turned to see the nearest of them had too. It was enough to keep the momentum going. Taylor nodded to confirm to go ahead and was first in line heading to towards the enemy at a quick jogging pace. A few moments later, he opened fire and kept it up without slowing.

The five men at the head of the platoon fired relentlessly as they continued forward at a quick pace. Three of the creatures were killed by the time Mitch had emptied his magazine. Without slowing his pace, he hit the release catch, and slammed in a fresh magazine. He was back on the trigger within a second of the first round being chambered.

They had caught the unit of Mechs utterly by surprise, and it was clear the friendly troops they had been assaulting had seized the opportunity to brutalise their attackers. The Mech position was hit by a barrage of fire. Still Taylor did not slow his pace and ran right up to the last creature, firing repeatedly at it. Finally, he dropped his rifle so that it slung to his side and drew out his Assegai. He leapt up onto the beast and thrust the weapon down through its armour into its head. The beast collapsed down with him still holding on.

The fire had stopped and all had frozen in amazement at the brutality and unwavering determination of Taylor. He stood up and drew his weapon from the beast. Upon seeing the thick dark blood dripping from the blade, he spat on the body of the creature in disgust.

He looked up just in time to see Perera turn and rush back towards the CP. Some of his men followed, but the others were still in shock and staring at the Major.

“Where the fuck’s he going?”

They looked at him in silence.

“Where?”

“He’s gone for those alien bastards we caught.”

“Why? What’s he gonna do?”

The soldier shrugged his shoulders, but it was clear Perera was going to do what they wanted to.

“For fuck sake, with me, now!”

Taylor barged through the MDF soldiers and continued on in an angry stride that no one dared confront. He passed through a line of Kelly’s guards and rushed on through to the holding chamber. He burst through the door to find eight MDF soldiers inside. Perera had a handgun pointed at Demiran’s head and was yelling at him.

“Tell your fucking soldiers to fall back! Tell them now!”

The alien sat confidently on the bench where Taylor had last seen him. He had a defiant look upon his face, in spite of the weapon pointed between his eyes.

“Lieutenant!” Taylor shouted.

The man flinched and turned his head quickly at the voice of the man he had come to fear, but he kept the weapon raised.

“Put the gun down!”

The Lieutenant mumbled as he tried to respond, but Taylor just shouted again which made shudder.

“Stand down, Lieutenant! Demiran’s survival could be why we’re still standing!”

Perera looked conflicted, and in that moment, one of Demiran’s guards leapt forward and struck the Lieutenant, causing the gun to fly across the room. He took another step to continue the onslaught, but Taylor leapt in amongst them. He drove a heavy kick into the creature’s flank. It crumpled just enough for him to throw it off balance with a heavier barge.

The two other creatures were already on their feet, but with so many rifles trained on them, they didn’t dare move. Perera got to his feet and spat out blood. His nose was broken but not so much as his pride. He stumbled over and snatched up his pistol from the floor. He quickly trained it on the fallen creature as Demiran and the other guard watched.

Taylor turned, saw what was happening, and roared out.

“Perera!”

The man turned as Taylor’s fist connected with his face. With his other hand, Mitch took hold of the weapon and drove a knee into the Lieutenant’s stomach before shoving him down onto his back.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

The MDF soldiers quickly raised their rifles against Taylor, and the Major’s own men were quick to respond in the same fashion. Perera coughed and spluttered before shouting out in rage.

“You’d take their side over ours! Whose side are you on? You left us to die once, and now you defend these things?”

Taylor looked down in disgust. For a moment, he couldn’t even find any words to respond to the man. He couldn’t tell which of them hated the other more. The whole scenario struck him as bizarre, when the real enemy stood beside them both and were besieging them as they fought each other.

“I will not have any soldier butchered like some wild animal,” Taylor said calmly.

Perera struggled to his feet and glared at Mitch.

“Have you lost your mind? Look at them! Look! What do you think they are?”

Taylor dipped his head and sighed in disbelief. He didn’t even think to reach for his rifle which still dangled at his side. He could not bring himself to aim a weapon at his own.

“You can kill as many of the enemy as you like when you face them in battle. If you want blood, then get out and join the fight. There are enough of the bastards out there. But I will not have you executing anyone. I will not have you destroying assets, and I will certainly not have you questioning my authority!”

“You know this war can’t be over until every one of them is dead?” he spat back.

“Look back into our history, Lieutenant. Genocide is not the answer. It’s not even possible on such a large scale, and God knows plenty have tried. We can win this war, but there may well come a day when we must talk to these creatures or see the annihilation of both our races.”

“You’ve lost your mind, Major. You are not fit to serve, and I am hereby relieving you of your position in this taskforce until you can face an appropriate tribunal.”

Taylor laughed in response.

“I’ll never spend another day behind bars because of assholes like you.”

Mitch stood tall and looked at the man with disgust. He couldn’t believe that in such a dire time of need, he was being so selfish and foolish. But before any of them could speak another word, an explosion erupted at their feet, and the floor around them collapsed. They smashed down to the next level and were stunned by the impact. Taylor’s vision and hearing were blurred, but from his back, he could just make out the two enemy bodyguards holding Demiran back from charging at him like a raging bull.

Mitch tried to lift himself up, but he was dizzy and disorientated. His hearing was still shot even with the defence his helmet had given. He tripped, falling back to the ground, and looked up again to see that the three enemies were gone. He faded out into unconsciousness but awoke violently a minute later as Parker slapped him in the face.

“Jesus, Mitch, what the hell happened?”

He shook his head as he tried to regain composure, and she slapped him again a little harder.

“Demiran, where is he?”

“Gone! Jesus, Mitch, we really are in the shit.”

“Christ,” he replied.

She held out her arm and hoisted him to his feet. He looked around to see Hall was just about on his feet, but one of the MDF soldiers lay dead where part of the floor had crushed his mask and fractured his skull.

“Perera?”

“Was pursuing the prisoners, last I saw.”

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“We were en route to assist at 82A when we heard the blast.”

“I have to get back to the CP. This place is going to shit. We need to work out what the hell is going on and rein it all in.”

“Alright, I’ll go with you.”

“No, you were en route to somewhere that needed your help. We’re fine, get back to the fight.”

It was the last thing he wanted to say to her, but he knew he was right to have faith and put her where she could help most. She leaned in and kissed him before turning and quickly leading her platoon off down a nearby corridor. He watched her leave and prayed it would not be the last time he would see her alive.

“Fall back! Fall back!” Jones ordered.

Silva was by his side and firing frantically.

“Sir, we haven’t got much room left to run,” replied Silva.

“I know. Maybe if we can rendezvous with Chen, we might stand a chance, but we can’t hold here!”

He looked down the corridor to see five of their unit running back towards him for cover. Light pulses were rushing between them. One of the soldiers was hit in the back. The first round hit his back plate and sent him tumbling to his knees; the second took his head clean off. Jones could see an endless swarm of Mechs advancing through the broad corridor, and it was a fearsome sight.

Silva grabbed the Captain and hauled him from his position as a pulse landed. They felt the hot sparks burn into the armour at their backs, but they didn’t stop to check the damage. The two platoons were in full flight. Jones could not help but feel the misery of having to run from an enemy once again; an enemy that only recently they thought they had beaten.

Jones stopped around a corner and let the rest of the troops pass. He and Silva brought up the rear, firing a last few bursts before taking to almost a sprinted speed to reach friendly lines. Up ahead, they could see some of Chen’s troops, and they were engaged in a battle in an adjacent corridor.

“We’re running out of God damn space to run!” called Silva.

They continued on the Chinese soldiers’ positions where Jones finally drew them to a halt.

“Take up positions! Give ‘em hell!”

Taylor rushed into the CP to find it was packed with more than fifty wounded and had become the only safe med centre on the station. Kelly was busy helping a medic seal a wound and seemed all but to have given up on managing the defence.

“Commander Kelly!”

He didn’t respond, and Taylor had no time to waste. He grabbed the Commander by his shoulder and violently tore him from his patient.

“Sir, Demiran has escaped!”

“What? How?”

“Your boy, Perera, God damn amateur. If we don’t locate Demiran and stop him from leaving this station, we may as well just lay down and die.”

“What are you waiting for? Find him!”

“Sir, we need intel. The station’s a complete mess. Nobody knows where enemy and friendly lines are. We need to know where Demiran is, and how we can reach him in the shortest time possible.”

Kelly snapped back into action and rushed across to where Lewis stood watching the remaining video feeds in horror. Half of the corridors and rooms were filled with the dead and dying of both races.

“The prisoners have escaped. Find them, now!”

Lewis leapt into action. He flipped through screens at a rapid rate, and within ten seconds he had got a sighting.

“There!”

“Have they found any of their kind yet?”

“Doesn’t look like it, Sir. They’re somewhere on Level 3, around corridor 12C.”

Taylor turned back to find Parker standing beside him.

“I want both platoons ready to move with me. We’re going hunting.”

He turned back to Lewis.

“We’ve got no wireless comms, but we’ll need information as it changes when we near the escaped prisoners. We’ll work from intercom to intercom, track our movements in relation to theirs at all times, and so update us at every opportunity.”

“Sir, it’s insane. There are Mechs everywhere,” he replied.

“If I wanted to do this, yes, it would be insane. But we have no choice.”

Taylor lifted his rifle and rushed out of the room. He passed Parker and the others awaiting him without a word, but he knew they’d follow wherever he asked. He had a location to aim for and drove towards it with all determination. Down two of the corridors in the crossroads before the CP he could see the battle still raging. Parker rushed up to his side.

“You really think you can catch them?” she asked quietly.

“We don’t have a choice. It’s all that matters, right now.”

“Then if I was them, I’d be heading for one of the docking bays and getting off this station in the shortest time possible. I’m sure they’d have no problem blowing it to hell once their Demiran is gone. They seem to have no care for their own soldiers.”

Taylor stopped near a comms unit and quickly hit the open channel switch.

“Lewis, can you find out where the nearest docking bays are, and if they have enemy craft aboard?”

“Yes, Sir, just give me a moment.”

“We’re continuing on as planned, so have that info ready for us when we reach our destination.”

They continued on down the corridor, but Taylor came to an abrupt halt as two Mechs rushed into the far end of the corridor.

“Shit!”

He leapt aside and called out to the others, giving them just enough time to duck for cover. He peered around the edge of his cover to see that more of the enemy troops were flooding into the corridor.

“Mitch, you need to go on. We’ll hold them here!” called Parker.

It was the last thing he wanted to do, and it made him feel sick to have to do it, but he knew she was right. He looked back to Hall who was returning fire down the hallway.

“Corporal, there was a turn twenty metres back. You and your platoon are on mine now!”

Taylor leapt out from the cover and made a break for it. He heard Eli and her troops open up with covering fire, and it was just enough to pave the way for his retreat. He took the bend quickly and without hesitating to check what was down there. Mitch stopped Hall and the others as soon as they were safe. He took a deep breath and looked down the corridor to see a comms access point.

“Come on, we need a new route through.”

He rushed down to the unit that lay at an entrance to a dining hall that was still impeccably laid out as if it had completely passed the war by.

“Lewis, we need a new route through. We’re in a large mess hall half way towards our original co-ordinates.”

“I’ve got you, Major, and I’ve got that intel you asked for.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

“We’ve got enemy craft in two docking bays. One is on the other side of the station, and the other is not too far from your current position.”

“How do we get there?”

“Get through that hall, and when you come out the other side, take your first left. You’ll come into a main access route, larger than the other corridors. From there, you’ll have signs to Docking Bay Bravo.”

“Good work.”

“Good luck, Sir.”

Taylor turned back to the others. He had just twenty-five men at his command in a station overrun with enemy forces, and they were against the clock.

“Listen up, we’ve got no time to spare. We are making a dash for the docking bay. We do not stop. We do not hesitate. Anyone who falls gets left behind. I don’t care if that’s me or Hall, you keep moving. Someone has to get to that docking bay and stop Demiran. Whatever happens, he must not get off this station, you hear me?”

They nodded solemnly. Taylor quickly turned and jumped to a running pace across the hall. He knew they could come under fire at any moment. All elements of his training would have him check every corner and corridor, but now he had to just keep running and hope for the best.

They reached the far door to the hallway, and Taylor barged through, smashing the doors from their frame. He didn’t even break stride as the doors flew into the next hallway and crashed to the ground.

“Come on!” he bellowed.

He didn’t look back. He had to rely on them to follow him to hell and back. He took the bend as instructed and was quickly out into the main access hall. He could see the sign up ahead for the docking bay and sprinted past it.

“Almost there!”

He took a bend at a large sign, and the doors slid open as the motion sensors detected his position and opened quickly before he could barge through. He stood in the entrance and looked down at the vast docking area for movement. His heart raced as he saw a glimmer of movement near a small enemy ship.

“That’s it!”

Before the others could respond, a hail of enemy pulses rushed down the hallway before them. Taylor and Corporal Hall leapt into the cover of the doorway as two of their platoon were struck down, and the others dug in to return fire. Taylor looked back in horror at the realisation that the rest of the troops were stuck where they were. He turned to Hall.

“This is on us, Corporal.”

Taylor jumped out and rushed towards the enemy craft. He noticed some activity and turned to see Perera and several of the MDF soldiers closing in on the enemy vessel from another entrance off to his left side.

“Take out the engines!” Taylor shouted.

He saw one of Demiran’s guards rush up the access ramp as it quickly clamped up into the craft. The docking doors were already open, and they could see the pulsating of the engines increase as the craft began to lift from the deck. Taylor took quick aim and kept firing until his magazine was empty. They poured fire into the engines until smoke belched from the craft, but it still had forward momentum. He turned to Hall who was changing his magazine.

“Get those doors shut!”

The Corporal sprang into action and rushed for the access panel. Taylor slammed in another magazine and continued to fire rapidly. The small alien fighter was ripped apart by their fire, but they seemed unable to stop it in its tracks.

“If they get into space, we’re fucked!” Taylor barked.

Hall ripped open the cover to the panel of controls. He smashed down the large red emergency lockdown button. He turned to see the doors in front of the fighter quickly slam shut, and the locking mechanisms activate. The stricken enemy craft smashed into the doors but crumpled against them without making a dent. The engines powered down as the vehicle rocked back and came to a standstill. The Corporal lifted his rifle back up and loaded in a fresh magazine, following the Major down to the crash site.

Perera and his two comrades closed on the vessel also with their weapons at the ready. Finally, the two groups came together beside it. For the moment, their personal feud was set aside in the presence of a greater threat. The five soldiers stopped with their weapons at the ready and hesitated for a moment, no one wanted the approach the door.

“Oh, fuck this,” said Hall.

He paced forward and reached around the corners of the door that jutted out from where their gunfire had torn apart the rear of the ship. Just as he was about to apply some pressure, it was blasted open and crushed him down to the floor. The three creatures rushed from the doorway and fired as they did so. The two soldiers with Perera were struck and killed in a hail of gunfire. Taylor was thrown off his feet by one of the bodyguards that launched him off his feet with a vicious barge. He landed hard and lost consciousness.

A few moments later, Taylor came to his senses and looked up to see the barrel of Perera’s gun pointed at him. Flat out on the deck, and still stunned, he was unable to defend himself.

“I knew this day would come, when I could end you. You left our people to die, and now you’ll pay the price.”

Taylor ignored his comments and replied with a question.

“Where’s Demiran?”

“He’s gone. It’s just you and me now.”

Taylor sighed in disbelief. He didn’t care for himself, and he only thought of the fate of them all if Demiran had indeed gone.

“Goodbye, Major.”

Taylor stared his would be killer in the eyes as the man squeezed the trigger, but as he did so, he was lifted from the ground, and his neck snapped. His body was tossed aside like a ragdoll, and Taylor looked up in fear as one of Demiran’s bodyguards stood towering over him. He knew he was at the mercy of the creature, but to his shock it held out its hand as if to help him to his feet.

Confused as to the creature’s intentions, Taylor had little choice but to go along with it. He offered up his, and the creature hauled him to his feet with no effort at all. As Taylor landed on his feet, he drew his Assegai and pressed the tip against the rim of the creature’s faceplate. Something stayed his hand though, and he held it to threaten but did not strike. The creature had saved his life, and curiosity made him wonder why he had been allowed to live.

The alien before him did not respond to his weapon. Its faceplate quickly retracted and uncovered its face to the Major. Their faces were just twenty centimetres apart, and neither made a move. He took a pace back and slid the Assegai back into its sheath. He was confused by the situation and shocked to still be alive. The other bodyguard walked casually into view, stood beside the other, and likewise revealed its face.

“What are your intentions?” asked Taylor.

The first creature that had helped him finally spoke.

“You saved our lives from your own people, despite all the death and destruction we have brought to your people, why?”

“Because we are all soldiers in this war, and we didn’t start the war. And I’d like to think if I were captured, I would be treated in the way in which I would do to others.”

The two aliens looked at him, as if utterly confused by what he had said.

“Lord Demiran has escaped. He left us to die here, and yet you let us live. We would serve a master who values our lives like he does his own.”

“What are you saying?” asked Taylor.

“That you have our allegiance. You fight beside your soldiers like brothers.”

“And you would fight against your own race because of this?”

The creatures nodded in agreement.

Mitch studied them intently. He was desperately trying to decide what the best course of action was. It was already clear to him that they were the only reason he was still alive. A cough echoed around the room, and Taylor turned to see that Hall had awoken but was still trapped beneath the ramp of the craft. Taylor looked back to the two creatures, and in that moment decided he needed their help, and that ruled out any other reservations he might have.

“Help me!””

He rushed over to the Corporal and tried to lift the ramp that was crushed down onto Hall’s chest. His body armour was all that had stopped his body from being flattened. Taylor tried with all his strength, but the exosuit was not enough. The ramp had fixed solid on its mountings to the wrecked enemy fighter. Without another word, the two creatures stepped up, and one gently pushed Taylor aside. Hall could only watch in amazement as they took hold of the wreckage, hauled it from his body and out the way, before dropping it with a heavy crash to the deck.

Footsteps hammered into the docking bay, and Parker was at the head of her platoon. Taylor leapt up to stand in front of the creatures.

“Wait!” he shouted.

Eli stopped in shock, but none of them dared defy the Major’s orders.

“Demiran’s gone, but these two are with us!”

“What you mean ‘with us’? They’re the enemy!”

“I don’t have time to explain. All you need know is that these two soldiers just saved my life and that of Corporal Hall.”

“They’re the reason you’re down here and nearly died in the first place!”

“Sergeant! This is not up for discussion!”

He turned back to the two creatures. They were helping Hall get to his feet in a scene that touched them all. They were not sure whether to believe the sincerity of the creatures or not, but they were all amazed to have found Taylor alive, that they were willing to entertain the idea while it lasted.

“The station is overrun, and we have to get back to our command centre. Have you got weapons, and are you willing to use them to fight alongside us?”

The two creatures both nodded in agreement.

“Mitch, if Demiran is gone, what hope do we have?”

“Not much, but I will not sit back and wait to die. Let’s get back to Kelly, and make sure we give the Commander every chance he has to hold onto this God damn station!”