Battle Earth VIII (Book 8) (23 page)

“Did you do it? Did you disable the weapons?”

“Sure did, Eli.”

He looked over to one flank where German soldiers battling from a corridor had stood up with their weapons lowered.

“It’s over!” Taylor shouted.

“What now?”

“Get to the bridge, Parker, and let the World and this fleet know the deal.”

Jafar strode up and joined the group.

“Still alive as well, you ugly bastard?” asked Taylor.

He seemed confused, not understanding the humour.

“Met a few of your sort aboard that thing. When I could have done with you most, you were not there.”

“On your orders,” he replied sternly.

Taylor could not disagree.

“Come on, let’s end this for good.”

He headed for the bridge. Ten of his unit, including Jones and Parker followed, while the rest stayed and took care of the wounded. As they strode through the ship, not a single one of the crew dared intervene. They were covered in dirt and blood, theirs, other humans, and alien. They looked liked death itself rolling through the battleship.

They finally reached the bridge and found two guards on duty in pristine uniforms. They reached for their weapons, but Taylor hollered in a booming voice, “Don’t even think about it!”

It was enough to make them stop at the terrifying sight. Jafar standing at Taylor’s side was what topped it off and make them think twice.

“Stop him!” A voice shouted from inside the bridge.

Taylor stepped aboard. A German Admiral was frantically looking around the room and expecting someone to act on his order. He wanted to say something but could not find the words.

“I am commandeering this vessel in the name of the European Alliance. I am Colonel Taylor, and you will consider me Captain of this vessel and Commander of the fleet. The Admiral is to be detained immediately!”

Herbert stepped forward and obliged. Nobody said a word as Taylor stepped up to the communications officer.

“Get me a direct line to here,” he said, showing the man the codes on his Mappad. The officer looked fearful but did as ordered. A few moments later, General Dupont appeared to them in his own quarters. His head was lowered into his hands, and it was clear he had been waiting for a call for sometime. He looked up in surprise at the bloody Taylor and his comrades who stood before him.

“Taylor? What the hell is going on up there? I am told you destroyed the Earth Defence Grid?”

“Long story, General. Short one, it had to be done.”

Dupont shook his head, knowing there was nothing that could be done now.

“I have taken command of the Nassau and ordered its crew to stand down. The fleet should do the same shortly.”

Dupont opened his mouth to speak, but the signal cut out and went to static.

“Where the hell did he go?” asked Taylor.

“I’m getting interference, Sir.”

“Well sort it!”

The room went silent for a moment before the XO piped up.

“Colonel, we’ve got incoming. Lots of them!”

Taylor rushed to his side. There were dozens and dozens of artefacts on the scanner, and not far from Earth.

“What are those?”

“Ships, and not ours.”

“We’ve got an incoming transmission!” the comms officer said.

“From who?”

“Unverified, no idea, Sir.”

He was abruptly interrupted by a hologram appearing in the middle of the bridge, and Taylor’s heart sank. It was Erdogan.

“I am Lord Erdogan. I am here to claim Earth in the name of the Krycenaean people. Lay down your weapons, and you will not be harmed. Fight, and you will die.”

The transmission ended. Taylor knew a war was upon them at the weakest point humanity had been in a hundred years.

How on Earth can we win now when we are divided and weak?

“That’s it, Mitch?” asked Parker. “No deals? No negotiations?”

“Hey, at least he’s honest,” replied Taylor.

“More than we got from his predecessors,” added Herrera.

The room went quiet, everyone speculating as to what it could mean.

“Can you get me an open message to the fleet? This one and the EA?” he asked.

The comms officer nodded. “What’s left of this fleet, yes, Sir.”

“Do it!”

“You’re on,” he replied.

Taylor coughed, not expecting it to happen quite so quickly as it did.

“You all know who I am,” he began. “Recently, we have fought one another; the reasons of which no longer matter. You heard what Erdogan had to say. He wants Earth for himself. Will you stand by and let that happen, or will you fight for what is rightfully ours? Stand with me. Let our fleets stand together and end this while we can. Erdogan is the greatest among them, so this can be the end of these wars forever!”

He took a deep breath, thinking about his next words.

“Those who would fight form up beside the Nassau and fight alongside us. Those who would not, leave now and take no further part in this.”

He gestured for the officer to end the transmission and hoped for the best. Parker leaned in close and whispered to him. “What do you know about ship combat?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know what to do other than fight.”

“Weapon systems, what have we got?”

“Still trying to restore power, Sir. Systems are minimal at best.”

“Fighters?”

“At a quarter capacity.”

“Launch everything we’ve got.”

Taylor knew they were already facing a losing battle.

“Let’s see what we’re facing. Put it on screen.”

A projection flashed up, and they could see a vessel several kilometres wide that was ten times that in length. It was an ugly vessel, with the aerodynamics of a brick, and yet more intimidating than most of what any of them had ever seen. It reminded Taylor of the K’til that he had fought so hard to destroy. More warships than he could count surrounded it.

“What can we do against this but lay down and die?” asked the comms officer.

Taylor resented his negativity but understood where he was coming from. The distance was closing rapidly now, and all Taylor could do was pray for a miracle. He turned to Jones for some snippet of advice, but he could see the look of loss in the Captain’s eyes. It was hopeless, and they all knew it.

Fighters swarmed out in front of them as a number of vessels joined them, and the EA fleet approached their flank.

It's not enough, not near enough.

He thought back to the first time Erdogan had appeared to him and Herbert and wondered if it had all been for nothing with this new enemy.

If we barely survived the previous wars, how can we win against the greatest of the alien Lords?

They were questions he had no answers to.

Lights flashed on the screen, and two of the smaller vessels ahead were blown apart. The crew watched as the enemy vessels hammered the fleet with beam weapons and pulses, and without any noticeable return from their own side. A pulse from the capitol ship soared towards them, and a few of the crew screamed for someone to do something, but there was nothing they could do. It ripped into the hull of the Nassau and was followed by three more impacts. A siren sounded out as emergency lighting flashed.

“We’ve got breaches on twelve floors, and we’re losing power!”

He saw several other lights zoom towards them at a slower velocity and crash into the hull.

“What the hell was that?”

“Boarding craft,” Jafar said calmly.

“We’ve got enemy combatants on board. Alert all marines to sweep and clear!”

He picked up his shield and rushed to the door. He stopped beside one of the marines standing guard as they passed by and tore his rifle away from him.

“Give me that!”

The man barely put up a fight as Taylor took it from him and carried on down the corridor.

“Do you even know where you’re going?” asked Parker.

“One of those breaches hit forward of here about two floors up, and we’re gonna do what we do best.”

He stopped and put his hand up to her chest to stop her in her tracks.

“You’re wounded. I’m not gonna stop you coming, but you stay at the back, you hear?”

She grunted.

“Did you hear me, Sergeant?” he bellowed, desperately.

The breach was just one of the many problems facing them, but at least it was one he could deal with. They rushed down a ramp to a level where they could already hear gunfire. They found two of the crew carrying one of their wounded. They pointed back in the direction they were coming from. Taylor carried on with his weapons held at the ready. He’d been fighting humans and their Mech allies for so long, he was looking forward to getting stuck into the real deal.

Pulses flashed up ahead, and Taylor rushed right for them. Jafar and Jones were beside him. One of the pulses struck his shield, and he was relieved to feel it be absorbed as they were intended to do, and he carried on without noticing the blast. He fired on full auto, emptying twenty or more shots into the first Mech in utter overkill. He didn’t even release the trigger and simply panned the weapon across to turn it on the next.

The magazine ran dry, and Taylor quickly let go of the rifle and drew out his Assegai. It was still coated in dry blue blood that began melting as the weapon quickly heated up. He approached the first Mech, dropped down, and slid on his knees until he reached it. His shield drove high into the Mech’s weapon and his Assegai drove into its groin.

He pulled out the weapon, spun around at a tremendous speed, and drove it into the next; and then smashed the other off its feet with his shield. Taylor felt like he was back in the last war. It felt good, remembering what he was fighting for, but as he drove his Assegai into the last Mech soldier still standing, he was overwhelmed at how empty he now felt.

The enemy he had always been warned about was upon them, and it was beginning to feel like the first day of the first invasion all over again. He cast his eyes around to see that between them they had cut down twelve Mechs for the loss of one of their unit.

“You okay, Mitch?” Jones asked.

He didn’t even notice the question.

“You okay?” screamed Jones.

He wasn’t. His confidence and cool-headedness was gone. His head was spinning like it would after a few dozen beers, and he was feeling just as sick. Jones shook him and finally punched him on the nose. It was a shock enough to make him snap out of it.

“You need to get back to the bridge. We need you there!” he pleaded.

Jones turned to Jafar.

“Take him back to the bridge, and Parker, you go with him!”

There was no more debate to be had, and Taylor obliged. Jafar grabbed his shoulder and hauled him off like a little school kid, with Parker following close behind.

“Erdogan, he came to me as a hologram before.”

“What did he say to you?” asked Jafar.

“Does it matter? We know why he’s here. He’s here to take this world, and we’re powerless to stop him. We’re a crippled race just waiting to be mopped up.”

“What about the defence grid?”

“Nothing left of it, Eli. We destroyed it.”

“You what!”

He understood now. Erdogan was not the egocentric power hungry fool he had faced before, but a very smart and calculating one. He never had a choice between his friends and his planet. He had but one choice, and Erdogan had made it for him.

“Goddamn it,” he muttered to himself.

They stepped back onto the bridge, and all attention was now turned to him. Despite being his enemy until moments before, they now looked to him as the miracle worker and saviour he had a reputation of being. He strolled onto the bridge in a stunned state with blue blood still trickling from his weapon.