Battle Earth IV (7 page)

“We’ve got work to do, let’s move out!”

* * *

Taylor peered out of the window as their craft banked to encircle the centre of Paris. There was no need to still be in the air for any reason but to gain an aerial view of the devastation and work that went on below. Many of the high-ranking officers around them gasped at the sight below. Taylor had no physical response at all.

Inside, he felt pain soar through his body. The sight of the obliterated city was a constant reminder of old wounds, injuries that had for all intensive purposes had time to recover.

“I never thought we’d make it to this day,” whispered Chandra.

“To see a beautiful city in ruin?” replied Taylor.

“No, to see it reborn. Only a few months ago we couldn’t bring a halt to their advances, and now look where we are.”

“With a bunch of desk jockey assholes going to revel in their glorious victory.”

Chandra smiled. Dupont had been listening in from the row behind them, but they hadn’t noticed his presence. The General’s face was of hate and scorn, but he dared not take the fight to Taylor at that time. He plotted and schemed while better men and women fought and died.

From the window, it was clear that resources had been poured into Paris. They could see thousands of construction vehicles at work. Two cranes were already put to work on the Eiffel Tower, rebuilding the iconic symbol of France.

“So this is why we aren’t getting any help.”

As he said the words, they saw two large transport craft land in the centre of the city.

“Paris was a bastion of hope for us all. To rebuild it is the ultimate act of defiance to the enemy.”

“I thought that was going to the Moon and kicking their asses?”

“All in good time.”

A few minutes later, their craft put down on a landing zone with the wing of fighters that were attached as a protection detail. As they stepped out onto the tarmac, they were greeted by a host of officers and politicians in all manner of uniforms and insignia. The French President and Prime Minister were at the centre of the party which Schulz and Dupont headed to.

“Major Taylor.”

Mitch turned at the stern manner in which is name was called. General White stood to his flank with several other US officers. A broad smile stretched across his face as he looked down at Taylor’s scruffy uniform that had only received the quickest of brush downs.

“Your presentation seems to have gone rather downhill since coming this side of the pond,” he jested.

Taylor reached out and shook White’s hand.

“Damn good to see you again, Sir.”

“I have to say you were sorely missed during the last few months.”

“You seemed to manage just fine, Sir.”

“Please follow this way!” called Schulz.

The General led the French leaders towards the monstrous enemy structures which Taylor and Chandra were all too familiar with.

“So this is where you killed the bastard?” asked White.

“Not alone, Sir. The Company under the command of Major Chandra here excelled themselves.”

White shook her hand and nodded in gratitude.

“I believe we have met in previous years.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Taylor under your command? Times have changed!”

They were led to the site where they had previously seen humans incubated for as far as the eye could see. As they stepped from the corridor out into the vast hall, they gasped at the sight of the equipment once again. The humans, or what appeared to be humans, had long gone, but the chambers remained. Schulz stopped the column and addressed them before the alien technology.

“From the reports of Major Chandra and her Company, we know that these chambers were occupied up until the enemy retreat. Our best experts so far believe that the humans within them were being used either as some power or food source, or potentially for experimental purposes. We certainly know that they were keen to establish creative ways to end our race.”

Chandra looked down at the bulkheads and walls that still bore the scorch marks from their battle. It still didn’t feel real that they had won.

“How did we ever do it?” she asked Taylor.

“What?”

“Win. In the opening months of the war, we faced extinction. How did we ever turn it around?”

“We aren’t the only soldiers to have turned the tide in great battles and wars.”

“If it had been you that had landed here on foreign soil and been forced out with such losses, would you let it go? Would you return to your home world and forget?”

Taylor contemplated the question for a moment before realizing that he only had one answer.

“I’d want payback.”

“Even as the aggressor?”

“Sure. Only a coward would turn tail and run.”

She nodded in agreement. “Then this war isn’t over. Maybe it can never be over.”

Schulz’s voice echoed around the hall as he led on the party through the enemy facility. Taylor and Chandra remained silent as they both pondered her realization. Then Mitch looked up and his eyes grew wider and mouth drier as he recognized where they were heading.

“This is where we took down Karadag.”

“You know I have been dying to see this spot,” muttered White. “Where mere humans killed a titan.”

The General patted Mitch on the back.

“He was a formidable opponent. I never thought I’d see the day when a war could be decided in single combat.”

“It wasn’t, Sir. Sergeant Parker was by my side. No one soldier could have beaten that bastard. I can still barely believe that we managed it.”

“You did your country and the world the greatest service here. No one should forget that. You will be honoured appropriately in time.”

“Honoured?”

The General looked puzzled.

“The only honour I would ask is to go home, or somewhere I could call home.”

White smiled but was also surprised at his words. The group came to a standstill as Schulz turned and stood triumphantly at the place where Karadag fell. His blood still stained the metal floor, but his body was long gone; whisked away by the enemy as they fled from the planet.

“This is where it all happened, where the creature known as Karadag met his end at the hands of the 2
^nd
Inter-Allied under the command of these two fine officers!” shouted Schulz as he beckoned towards the two of them.

Cheers and fierce clapping rang out as all attention was on Chandra and Taylor. Mitch noticed neither of them was mentioned by name, but he didn’t let it bother him. As far as he was concerned, the victory belonged to all who contributed to the war effort. Attention soon focused on the German General, and White turned back to Taylor.

“I hear they’re still keeping you busy here, Major.”

“Clean up work,” he replied.

“And a little more than that. You nearly got yourself killed earlier today,” Chandra added.

“Go on,” continued White.

“Found a few stragglers in Reims, nothing we couldn’t handle.”

“Yes, I have been hearing more about pockets of enemy forces. There is chatter about assembling a few hunting teams to sort them out. Your names have been floating about as you’re more than suited to the task.”

Taylor’s eyes lit up. He was all for helping the civilian population, but their lives had ground to a monotonous halt. The near death experience earlier now felt like a spark of excitement in their tedious lives.

“Sounds like our kind of work.”

“Good. Now, those cells, or chambers we saw just now. What the hell do you propose they were doing there?”

Taylor sighed at the thought of it as Chandra stepped in.

“We’ve thought and talked it over almost every day since, Sir, but it’s only speculation.”

“Well, go on then, speculate.”

“I believe they were being readied as an army against us. I wouldn’t like to say if they were captured humans, or some kind of cloned or genetically created beings. It’s clear we have given the enemy a much harder fight that they could have imagined.”

White nodded in agreement. He wasn’t shocked at all by the theory as she continued on.

“We outnumbered them in every major engagement, and once we had started to modify their own technology, they were overwhelmed. Despite everything we had developed, they were still better soldier for soldier. What they needed more than anything was manpower.”

“Based on the number of incubation chambers, if they had gotten those people into combat, the war could have gone very differently,” whispered White. “I won’t lie to you, we were having a rough time of it back home. Germany would have quickly fallen, and the joint armies that fought across France and over the Rhine would have been encircled within weeks. It’s a damn miracle what you pulled off.”

“How many of those incubation cells are there?” Taylor asked.

“From what I understand, five hundred thousand or more. That’s a lot of manpower.”

“We need to know what they were planning,” mused Taylor.

“Can’t we just be happy we won?” asked Chandra.

“To lower our guard so soon after a narrow victory would be foolish indeed,” replied White.

The next hour was filled with questions for the two Majors that neither could answer. They were quizzed as if they were intelligence officers, when all they did was fight. After an exhausting grilling by the Command staff, they were finally allowed to leave aboard another plane. The two of them slumped into the comfortable seats of a luxury civilian transport, sighing in relief as they finally laid to rest.

The plane could seat fifty, but only five were aboard. Few would choose to leave the recovering capitol for the ruins of Reims.

“What was the point of it all?” asked Taylor.

“We’ve got to do our best to understand our enemy,” she replied.

“I understand that, but they have experts for that. Our job is to fight.”

“Schulz wanted to revel in his victory. Word is spreading of your defeat of Karadag, but many still do not believe it. There’s no body as proof, no video footage, just the word of one gung ho marine who is hated by Command, and claims to have slain a monster with only the aid and confirmation of his girlfriend. Would you believe it?”

Taylor smiled.

“You should have been there. I still can’t believe we managed it.”

The two went silent as the craft lifted off and headed back to the only home they knew.

“You heard White. Taskforces are being created to hunt down the remaining forces, and we’re right at the top of the list.”

“Because of our reputation, or because certain individuals are still hoping they can get me killed before this is over?”

“Both I should think. The Company is restless. They need something to occupy their minds. We aren’t talking about a meat grinder here. Hunting a handful of Mechs with the numbers and firepower we have should be exactly what we need.”

“Agreed.”

“Captain Jones.”

“What of him?”

“I wasn’t there when you all took on Karadag as you have just mentioned, and your report did not reflect it, but I know Jones went wild. He has had a death wish. Do you believe he is over it?”

“Back then I would have said no, but you saw him with Dubois. He’s a changed man, and back to his old self.”

“You believe it could all change overnight?”

“You’d be amazed what the love of a good woman can do.”

“I’ll take your word for it. I agree, though. I thought we’d lost him for good. On that note, we’ll be getting our orders regarding this new matter tomorrow, and I’m sure that Command will be keen to get us in the field ASAP. I’ve seen enough drunken exploits to last a lifetime. Take it easy tonight, and rest up for the morning.”

Taylor trundled back to his billet. He felt like a week had been crammed into the day, and he was once again left in the lurch, awaiting some news of what they were to do. He opened the door on the popup shelter to find Eli comfortably asleep inside. It wasn’t quite the coming home to his own house experience but was an appealing sight, nonetheless.