Battle Earth IX

Chapter 9

Taylor rushed back into Dupont’s bunker.

"I need to talk to General Heath in Pittsburgh. You can make that happen, can't you?" he demanded.

"Probably, but I don't know what good it will do you, Colonel."

"You let me worry about that. You haven't got the resources to give me, fine. But you need to help me get them elsewhere."

Dupont turned to his comms officer and nodded in agreement to carry out Taylor's request. They stood waiting for several minutes before they finally got a response from Pittsburgh.

"I'm sorry, but General Heath is not available at this time," a voice replied.

"Taylor rushed across the room, stopped the comms operator from speaking, and did so himself.

"This Colonel Mitch Taylor. Get the General on the line immediately," he commanded.

The line went quiet, and they waited for thirty seconds before a response finally came through.

"Taylor, where the hell are you?" Heath asked.

"Sir, I'm here with General Dupont in Northern France, but that doesn't matter. What matters is we have an opportunity to..."

"Opportunity!" screamed Heath, "Goddamn it, Taylor, you left your post and left this fight! Get your ass back here now!"

"Can't do that, Sir. What I'm doing here is too important."

"I'll tell you what is important, Colonel, the survival of the United States and its people. We need every goddamn fighting man and woman in this country on side and with a rifle in hand. You need to get some perspective here."

"Yes, Sir, perspective is exactly what I have. If I can have just a few moments of your time."

Heath gave a long and drawn out sigh and finally answered, "You've got one minute to explain yourself, and if I'm not convinced, I want you on a ship back here, got it?"

Taylor ignored the question because he could not rightfully accept the deal when he knew he might well have to break it.

"Sir, we have a chance to end this with one precision strike."

"What are you talking about?"

Taylor turned to Dupont. "Is this line definitely secure? I mean, beyond all doubt."

Dupont nodded, and Taylor had to gamble on the fact he was right.

"Sir, I know where Erdogan is. I want to take a shot at taking him out, but I need help."

"That it?" Heath asked.

Taylor looked to Dupont and shrugged in surprise.

"I have no time for your wild ideas, Taylor. We've got a war on our hands, like nothing we've ever seen before. We need you. Your people need you. Get back here and do your duty."

"Negative, Sir. I will do my duty, but if that conflicts with your orders, then so be it."

"You will obey my command, Colonel."

"No, Sir, I won't. I fought alongside you because our paths coincided, but I am not under your command."

"You can't just pick and choose which orders you follow, Colonel. You are an officer in the United States Marine Corps!"

Taylor hit the end transmission button, and it instantly cut off before the General could condemn him further.

"Any other day, I'd say you should follow the orders of your command chain. But now I know why you do what you do. Your passion burns deep, and you always do what you believe is best. You're not always right, but I respect your motivation," Dupont said.

"Thanks, I guess," he replied.

"I am under no illusions that the mission I am asking you to undertake is a suicidal one, but you need to know I have no agenda in doing so, except what we all share; a will to win and survive as a species. I wish you every luck, Taylor, and I have every confidence in you."

Taylor looked over at Jones. He still had his head buried in a screen and had been oblivious to his presence and discussion throughout. He knew his friend was useless to him while the chance of getting Dubois back remained a possibility.

* * *

Two hours later Taylor stood before a small civilian craft as Rains made a few last patches to it. He stood in a simple pair of cargo trousers and leather jacket now. The only weapon he carried was his sidearm, and that was concealed in a shoulder holster he had acquired from Dupont's stores. The others had done likewise, though Rains had the smallest changes to make to blend in as a civilian.

"Stow all our armour and weapons aboard. We will surely need them," he said to Lewis.

"We’re really flying into enemy territory like this, in that thing?" Robinson asked.

"Hey!" Rains shouted, "She's my girl, and I won't hear a word against her!"

"Where did you even find her?"

"She was one of the base officer’s personal transports until she was laid up last year. She's done some distance. Well run in."

It was a small copter, just large enough for eight people and a little cargo. Its dark navy paintwork had faded from years in the sun, and it displayed no markings of any kind.

"She really flies?" Taylor asked.

"Oh, sure. By all accounts she's solid. She just got replaced by a newer model, from what I hear."

"She looks twenty years old," Lewis joked.

"Twenty-two, I believe," replied Eddie, as he turned to face Lewis and smiled.

"You think this is a good idea, Sir?"

"I can't see a problem with her, Robinson. Looks solid to me."

"I meant overall, Sir. I wouldn't mind crossing the Channel in this bird, but going into enemy territory. She has no weapon systems, no counter-measures, no armour, and she can probably be outrun by everything out there."

"But she'll get us there," Eddie added.

"Yeah, we aren't blundering through the border, Corporal. We're slipping past unnoticed. Can you think of a better ship to do that in?"

"We're about good to go," stated Rains.

They climbed aboard, but none of them could quite believe they were really going ahead with it.

"I hope you've got a good plan, Sir."

"I've got a plan for sure, Robinson, but how good it is only time will tell."

Taylor hit the door button, but nothing happened at all.

"Yeah...the uh, hydraulics are out on a few non-essential items!" Eddie called from his cockpit.

"Good start," muttered Taylor, as he grabbed the door and wrenched it shut. He slid down the manual door lock and sat down with the other two. It was such a small craft; he was just half a metre behind the pilot’s chair when he took a seat.

As they lifted off, Eddie looked back and asked, "All right, it's just us now, so what's the plan?"

"We need manpower and support. We can't get it from our side, so we'll have to get it inside Germany."

Rains shook his head. "You ain't got no friends over there no more, have you?"

"That's where you're wrong Rains. After the Moon was finally abandoned, the US donated the remains of the Ramstein base as a new home for them."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, why would I?"

"Okay, so you reckon Kelly will help?"

"He’d better. He owes us both, big time."

Rains turned back to the controls and had them on their way in no time. It took them just thirty minutes to reach the border. They could see lines of military vehicles, both alien and UEN, but more than anything were civilians.

"Look at them, passing the enemy by as if it's just another day."

Taylor got up to stand beside Rains and look out for himself.

"What else would you have them do? Not like they can fight back."

Most of the civilian movement was heading into Germany.

"But the Krys, they are letting them live?"

"Yes, Erdogan is keeping us fighting each other. He realised we are too strong when unified. He's probably promised the UEN leaders everything under the sun."

"None of which he will deliver."

Taylor nodded in agreement.

"I can't believe they are falling for that shit. Have they forgotten the wars we fought across these countries so recently?"

"Most people don't want to remember. They just want to be left to live in peace. They're only siding with whoever they think will bring an end to their suffering."

"And what do you think, Sir? Should we keep on fighting?" Robinson asked yet another question.

He turned around to see the other two peering over his shoulder.

"Damn right we should. Day we give up is the end of us all. The moment Erdogan can seize power globally, he would have us killed in our sleep."

"You sure?" Lewis asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure," he snapped.

"And if we kill this Erdogan, you think it would bring an end to the fighting, Sir?"

Taylor shook his head. "No, Lewis, but I think it would be a start."

"A start?" asked Robinson, "We've been fighting these wars for years, have we not even achieved a start yet?"

Taylor looked at them and could see the desperation in their faces.

"We won those wars and won them well, don't you forget it. This is a new war, and what we did before it counts for shit if we can't win this one."

"We're about half a klick from the border now," Rains interrupted him.

Taylor turned his attention to the view ahead of them. They could see anti-aircraft emplacements on the ground, and a number of UEN ships patrolling the border above them.

"You better hope they don't know who we are now, as running ain't an option," Eddie added.

"We'll be fine."

"Yeah, why’s that?"

"Because we always are, because we've done everything right, and because it's our destiny."

"Destiny? Holy shit I never took you for a religious man."

"I'm not. But we both know, when all is said and done, I have to face Erdogan. It will happen. It has to happen."

"And that helps us here, because?"

"Because this isn't our end, not even close. We have too much left to do."

Rains shook his head at the logic.

"Here it is."

He held his breath as they cruised on over the border amongst a line of other ships of all sizes.

"They don't even seem to care," said Eddie.

"Why would they? What have they got to worry about?" Robinson asked.

"Yeah, Mechs are doing the fighting for them. As far as they're concerned, they can just sit back with the popcorn and enjoy the show," replied Taylor.

"If a little light genocide is your kind of thing, yeah," joked Rains.

Taylor smiled just a little until he realised how sad but true Rains was. A UEN fighter suddenly soared into view and matched their speed to inspect them visually. Taylor quickly ducked back from the cockpit.

"This ain't good, Eddie," he said, as he sat back down and hoped.

"Take it easy. It's just a fly by."

Taylor could feel the sweat dripping down his face. A shame after he'd washed off the dirt and grime before changing into civilian attire, but he knew he wouldn't stay clean for long.

"What are they doing?" he asked.

"Just checking us out. Seeing if I look legit."

"Legit what?"

He looked over to the pilot in the fighter who was just fifteen metres beside them and smiled.

"Checking out if I'm a civi or not."

Rains gave him the thumbs up and waved to play the fool.

"I don't think you were ever at risk of looking like you have ever worn a uniform."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

He went silent as they continued on their path and hoped.

"You know how hot it is in here? Goddamn sauna," Taylor complained.

"Yeah, can't say the compressors work too well. We got air, but that's about it."

"You really did find a piece of junk this time."

An uncomfortable silence crept in once more, and Taylor could see even Rains was starting to worry a little.

This is going on too long, Taylor thought.

"If he tries to contact us, you ignore him, you hear? Pretend our comms unit is down."

"Well, it is," replied Eddie.

Taylor grimaced. "That figures."

"What's wrong with talking to them?" Robinson asked.

"Two Brits and two Americans trying to cross over the border into Germany, the key member of the UEN, how d'you think that would go down?" responded Taylor.

"It's okay. He's moving on!" Eddie yelled jubilantly.

Taylor signed in relief.

"All right, then you know where to go. Keep a steady pace, and don't draw any more attention than we need to."

"How many men does Kelly have, Sir?"

"Not entirely sure, Robinson."

"And their loyalties?"

Taylor shook his head. "Officially, Ramstein was still US soil, despite it being allocated to the Moon colonists, but I can guarantee it will have been annexed by Germany early on in this war."

"So, who knows what state we'll find them in?"

"Kelly is our only hope now, so I'm willing to take that chance."

The sun was going down, a fact Taylor was glad of as they approached Ramstein.

"That's it," Rains said, pointing to a set of landing lights and marked landing zones. The lights of a main street were also lit up, as well as several other residential roads nearby. "What do you want me to do?"

"Put down as if it were any other day. We aren't trying to hide anything."

"Aside from our weapons, our intentions, or our mission?" he asked.

"Just do it."

"They're not even in blackout, Sir," Robinson said.

"Why would they be? They've got nothing to fear."

The area was quiet, and they could see no sign of a military presence. Rains brought the copter down to a perfect and smooth landing.

"What now?"

"We roll into town. We're just civilian refugees from France who aren't looking for any trouble.

"We don't exactly sound very French," Lewis replied.

"No, we are reporters working out of Paris. At least Eddie looks the part."

"Yeah thanks," he replied.

Taylor once more heaved the door with his own body. He'd gotten so used to living in the Reitech suit that it felt bizarre to have to use so much of his own bodily strength for common actions.

"Going into hostile lands without our gear, without intel, and without backup, I don't like this."

Taylor nodded. "I know, just follow my lead, Robinson."

There was no one there to greet them at the landing port. Fifty metres away, they could see a guard station and a few local officers hanging out inside, but they paid them little attention.

"You see," said Taylor, "We're just a few guys rolling into town."

"Whatever you say, boss."

Taylor led them on towards the main street. Everything around them was new, not a building more than three years old. The structures were simple and mostly concrete. Bright colourful lights scattered about every building made a poor attempt at livening the place up. There was no grass, no trees. It was a concrete hell.

"Hell of a place to live," whispered Lewis.

"Walk in the park after living on the Moon," Rains joined in.

"It's true. Those colonists who established the Lunar colony, and their children after them, are people with simple tastes. They wanted to pioneer a new simpler way of life after all the complexities of Earth. Or that's how Kelly once explained it to me," added Taylor.

"And here they are, slap bang on Earth in the middle of it all," Rains said.

In a hundred metres to the main street, they only saw two people who were on the far side of the road. Taylor put it down to the weather, as it was certainly chilled.

"Got a plan here?"

"Kelly invited me here many times between the wars, Eddie. Every time I was too busy or working, or that's what I told him. Now here I am wishing I had come visiting. Then we'd know where the hell he was. As it is, we'll find the most popular bar in town. I'd bet good money we'll find him there."

"Can't be many bars round here. Population’s probably no more than a thousand or two."

The road branched out into a thoroughfare, and groups of teenagers were scattered about drinking and talking amongst themselves. Taylor and the others stopped and could not help but staring. It was as if life was going on like nothing had ever happened. Taylor surveyed the rest of the scene. There were three bars about the centre of the town.

"All right, so which is it?" Rains asked.

"We'll hit the nearest one and work from there."

They strode into an establishment called The Moon Dweller.

"Subtle," muttered Rains.

"More than you are," Taylor grinned.

They stepped in to find it half full, and utterly alien to them. The concrete theme of the street continued into the establishment itself. Even the bar was cast from concrete and part of the structure itself. Stools and tables were made of minimalist metal design, and a lack of decor hardly made for a welcome appearance. The light was fairly low and casting long shadows.

Most patrons turned to face the newcomers with suspicion, all but a pair of soldiers sitting at the bar. It did not go unnoticed by Taylor. It was clear to him the soldiers were not locals, for they could not recognise residents over strangers. A tune played in the background that sounded like artificial electronically created garbage to Taylor, and it made his brain hurt.

"What can I get you?"

Taylor looked to the bar, and a middle-aged man behind it greeted them with a smile, though he did not recognise him.

"I'll take four of whatever you recommend."

"Hey, we ain't got time for this," whispered Rains.

"We don't have a choice. You see those two soldiers over there. Look a little closer. They're UEN."

Rains shot a quick glance over and was shocked he hadn't noticed before.

"Right then, so what do we do?"

"Play it cool, Eddie."

He looked back to the others. You call me John, okay?"

They nodded in agreement as they reached the bar, and the barman began passing over the first two drinks. They were served in tall thin glasses and were a vibrant blood red, almost metallic. A metal stone of some kind sat in the bottom of the glass, and the beverage was warm to the touch.

"Redrock. Invented and brewed by the first of the Moon colonists, and popular ever since," added the barman with a smile. He passed over the other two drinks, and then put a credit chip scanner on the top beside them with their bill. Taylor reached into his pocket to pay but stopped, realising he could not use his name for anything. He looked to Eddie.

"Your time to pay, my friend."

Eddie sighed, and it was not at all put on. He pulled out his card and held it up before the scanner.

"I thank you kindly... Edmund Rains, how do I know that name?"

"Eddie Rains?" a voice called out.

Oh shit, Taylor thought.

They turned around. A man with a smile on his face was approaching. Taylor instantly recognised him as Doyle, one of the MDF soldiers he had fought alongside years earlier. He turned away and tried to hide his face.

"Rains, you're the man who flew food and ammo to us in our darkest days. I never got to meet you in person. You did good by us!"

He reached out his hand and shook it but stopped when he noticed Taylor trying to hide his face behind Lewis. Doyle stopped and had to make a second take. "Taylor?" he whispered. He leaned in closer, "What the hell are you doing here? You can't be here."

Taylor turned and faced the man, knowing he could no longer hide.

"Good to see you, too, Doyle."

"I don't think you understand, Sir..."

Taylor interrupted him before he could continue.

"I get it. I'm in UEN territory. I know. But are you not neutral?"

Doyle shook his head. "MDF signed up with the UEN when all this began, but once the EA broke away, Kelly told them where to stick it, and we've been disbanded."

"So you're being kept prisoner in your own town?"

Doyle nodded. "Pretty much."

"And Kelly?"

"Under house arrest. He caused some trouble early on, and now he's under constant watch."

"I knew it was a waste of time coming here," Rains muttered.

"Excuse me!" an authoritative voice called out in a German accent.

Their conversation immediately halted, and they turned to see the two UEN soldiers standing a few metres away in a clear attempt to confront the newcomers.

"They're with us, old friends," said Doyle.

The man who had spoken was a corporal; he stood tall and proud, with a square jaw and a formidably strong build.

"We'll be the judge of that," he replied, "Let's see your ID cards."

"We're just passing through. We aren't here to cause any trouble."

"ID cards now!" yelled the Corporal.

Taylor could already see there was no chance of talking their way out of it. He looked around the room at the antipathy and hatred towards the soldiers from most of those in the room. He recognised a few faces, and he could tell as he presented his face to them, many recognised him, too. He smiled, seeing he had the support of the room.

"Well, no problem, Corporal," he replied.

He was deliberately over friendly as to try and have the Corporal relax. He took a few paces closer, drew out his card from his pocket, and handed it to the Corporal. The man pulled out an e-reader from his chest pocket but stopped just before he scanned the card, looking at the name on it. He looked up just in time to see Taylor's fist connect with his nose.

To Taylor's horror the impact barely moved the Corporal’s face, and he quickly returned a punch of his own that felt like a freight train. Taylor was knocked back, and he sprawled over against the counter of the bar. He got back up and shook it off.

Damn!

The giant German rushed towards him in an opposing fashion. He stood a good bit taller than Taylor and looked more like a bodybuilder than a soldier. The exact moment he reached Taylor, a bar stool seemed to come out of nowhere in the hands of Robinson. It smashed into the man and broke his nose. He stumbled back unceremoniously. As he did, Lewis jumped towards him, kicked his kneecap out, and then struck down on his collarbone to drive him down further.

Despite the pain, the German got back up and drove a heavy uppercut into Lewis' stomach and another to his face that forced him back towards Taylor. He had now righted himself. The German Corporal reached for his sidearm, and that was all the indication Taylor needed. He ripped his pistol from his holster and fired a quick shot that struck almost dead centre between the man's eyes. The Reitech round went right through and hit a wall the far side of the room.

The man dropped dead like a stone, and Taylor quickly took aim at the second as he reached for his pistol. He stopped and froze.

"Don't even think about it!" Taylor shouted.

Rains was quick to slip past the man and grab his pistol from him. They looked around. At first the crowd in the bar ground didn't appear to know what to think until Doyle finally began to clap and cheer. The rest then joined in. He looked over to the two Brits who had leapt to his aid.

“You boys fight dirty,” he told them.

They smiled and nodded in response.

Taylor lifted his hand to call for silence, and he quickly got it.

“Listen up. You know who I am and what I’m about. The enemy leader is on Earth and in this very country. I intend to seek him out and end his life, but I need help.”

“What can we do?” Doyle quickly asked.

Taylor was glad to see everyone in the room seemed as eager as Doyle was.

“First we remove any enemy presence from the town. That includes freeing Commander Kelly ASAP. Second, we reform the MDF, and third, we take the fight to Erdogan. Are you with me?”

There was universal agreement around the room. He could see they were a people that had given up and accepted their occupiers for good. He had given them a glimmer of hope, but he wasn’t sure how fair it was. Though the way he saw it, they either risked their lives with him, or they accepted the end of them if they carried on as they were.

Discussion suddenly filled the room, as more than a dozen people started asking questions and double their number began speculating as to answers.

“Please listen to me!” Taylor boomed.

His voice carried throughout the bar, and all were silenced.

“Firstly, I can’t listen to every voice here, and we have to act quickly. So, Doyle, you’re going to answer my questions. If anyone has anything to add, put your hand up, and I’ll get to you.”

He looked to Doyle, and the man shrunk before him with shyness as all eyes turned to him.

“How many UEN soldiers are in town?”

“Uhhh…”

“Keep your answers simple, accurate, and as quick as you can,” added Taylor.

“Twelve,” he finally replied.

“Twelve, is that all? Are you sure? You didn’t sound sure.”

He looked around the room, and several nodded in agreement.

“Twelve, Sir, I’m sure. Commander Kelly had me keep constant watch and count all occupying forces. He was very clear about that when this began.”

“Okay, so what are their standing orders here, and what sort of rotation do they work?”

“They just guard Commander Kelly’s home and stand guard at the landing zone. That’s it.”

“And what sort of hours?”

“Uhh…eight hour rotation, and only four of them on duty at any time. Two at Commander Kelly’s home and two at the landing zone.”

“That’s it? Twelve soldiers, only four ever on duty, and that is what is keeping you all in your place?”

Another man beside Doyle stepped forward. Taylor didn’t recognise him. He was at least ten years older than Doyle and was confident in his posture.

“Colonel Taylor, you have to understand; we aren’t kept under control by twelve soldiers. We’re kept under control of the threat surrounding us. When the Krys first came here, Commander Kelly tried to fight. We lost twenty-seven of the MDF in that battle and had many more wounded. The twelve soldiers that watch us do just that. How are we supposed to fight against whatever comes at us, should we lift a finger against them?”

Taylor was shocked. He had considered the strife they might have experienced since it had begun.

“Twenty seven?” he asked.

“Yes, Sir, including Major Martinez, and Captain Morris is currently being held in the town prison, but he only tried to bring an end to the bloodshed.”

“All good men,” Taylor said softly.

He nodded as he thought about it and finally looked up at them all.

“The threat before you is that if you turn against these twelve soldiers, you fear what comes next; the day after, the week after, the month after. What if I told you, there is no month after? When Erdogan has control of the planet, you are finished. You were systematic in bringing about the defeat of his relatives and peers. So forget a week from now, a month from now. We have a small window of opportunity to act, are you with me?”

“Of course,” Doyle replied quickly and without doubt.

He looked around to the others who were quickly coming round to Taylor. He took his opportunity to strike a home run.

“So we’re gonna take down the fuckers who prey on this town, and then we’re going after their leader, you got it?”

He knew he was taking a chance trying to take charge of them, but it was worth a shot, so he continued as if they had already agreed.

“So here’s what we’re gonna do. These two fine gentlemen, Private Lewis and Corporal Robinson are going to handle the two at the landing zone. Doyle, you will accompany me to Commander Kelly’s home where we will get him the hell out of there.”

“Take care of? What are we talking about here?” a voice yelled from the back of the room.

Taylor looked for the source but couldn’t find it, but he decided to respond quickly either way. He stepped over to the body of the German Corporal he had so recently shot dead.

“The enemy is the enemy, no matter what form they take. This is war, and we will fight it as warriors. Any man or woman without the stomach for this may leave now and go home. Though I would highly recommend you either join the fight, or flee for your lives.”

There was silence and nobody moved. They hung on to his every word, and he knew he had them hooked.

“So you have half of the plan. There are six enemy combatants currently off duty. I want volunteers to deal with them. That is, to kill or capture them.”