Battle Earth II (10 page)

* * *

Taylor and Silva strolled onto the landing zone towards the transport that had been marked out for their journey. They stopped as a familiar face appeared on the loading ramp.

“Captain Reyes, you’re the last man I expected to see.”

“I’d have to say the same if I hadn’t already been briefed.”

Taylor stood back and looked at the transport craft.

“Bit of a step down from the Deveron?”

“She’ll be back, Major. Laid up until we need her again. Right now it’s too dangerous for her up there and too much of a target down here.”

Taylor nodded, but it was good to see a familiar face.

“I’ve got to be frank with you, Major. I’m amazed you’re even still alive. We were lucky to get off the Moon, but your luck seems to run on.”

“So far, Captain. Have you been briefed on our mission?”

“Yes, Sir. I am to act as your liaison officer at Ramstein. You’re stuck with me, Major.”

Taylor turned back to look at the camp. He felt awful for leaving almost all the friends he had in a city under siege, but there was nothing he could do about it. He turned back to the Captain.

“This better be worth it.”

They strolled up the ramp into the ship and were lifting off with a minute of taking a seat. They watched the city from the portholes one last time. The artillery continued to rain down through the vast metropolis. There was no sign of an enemy assault, but they all knew it was imminent.

* * *

Chandra walked along the lines of trenches that had already been set up. They had less than a quarter of the men they needed to fill them. She only prayed that the troops the Commander had promised them would materialise.

She stopped as a familiar and soothing smell wafted past her face. She sniffed again to be sure she wasn’t imagining it. She turned to see Captain Jones sat in the bottom of one of the trenches beside a military issue stove. Steam arose from it as tea brewed, Earl Grey.

“You want one, Major?” shouted Jones.

She smiled. She could not think of anything she’d rather have than a one-way ticket out of the city. She jumped down into the trench with the Captain and sat down on the firing ledge above him.

“Where on earth did you get that? All I could get at the camp was coffee.”

“Personal supplies, got enough to keep us going another few days. Dubois sourced it for me.”

“From where?”

“Those are the sort of questions you don’t ask, Major.”

She had visions of them being poached from the Commander’s own cabin. She hoped that was nothing more than her wild imagination, but sadly she knew it was likely a possibility. She didn’t care. Chandra knew there was a good chance the bridge would be the last place they ever saw on earth.

“Sergeant Dubois, you seem quite taken with her?”

Jones looked up with a quizzical and innocent expression.

“I won’t hold it against you, Captain. In this age, a little care could do us all some good.”

“Even if it compromises our integrity and professionalism?”

The Major knew that Jones was talking about Taylor’s insubordination to save Parker. They both knew it went against everything they had ever been taught, and yet they could fully understand.

“Mitch did what he thought was necessary. Sometimes life isn’t as rigid as the rules we are expected to work with. Tell me you wouldn’t have done the same?”

“That’s what worries me.”

“What, that we care for one another? That we are human? What are we fighting for, if it is not that?”

Jones nodded as he poured out the steaming hot tea into two mugs and passed her one. It had not rained that day, but the ground was still soaked from the previous day’s downpour. The smell of fresh rain at least hid much of the smell of death and destruction that filled the city. Chandra took a sip from the mug as a shout echoed around them.

“Incoming!”  Captain Friday called.

Chandra threw down the mug and jumped up to look over the trench to the other side of the bridge. She could hear Becker shouting commands to his crew as they battened down their hatches. She lifted her rifle onto the ledge and used the scope to try and identify the threat. She squinted as she tried to make out what she was seeing.

“What the fuck are those?” asked Jones.

“Looks like some kind of hover platforms, sure aren’t ours?”

Light pulsed from one of the incoming targets, almost blinding Chandra through her scope. A second later the blast smashed into the ground just a few metres from their position, throwing chunks of concrete all over the two officers. Chandra shook off the dust and turned over.

“Fire!”

Captain Becker was ahead of her, his tank firing before the word had left her mouth. The cannon fire was deafening, but it was also greatly appreciated by the troops. Chandra peered through her scope to see the results of their work. The enemy objects hovered a metre off the ground, and they were little more than the size of a motorbike. They had high-speed downwards facing rotors in each corner, and nothing but a fixed gun up top. She ducked quickly back down as fire rained down on their position.

The ground around them shook as the tanks continued to pound the incoming enemy, their machine guns opening fire now as well. She knew it was the signal that they had come into range. She turned to Jones who had a launcher in hand and was ready to go.

“Fire at will!”

She leapt up to a firing position on the trench shelf and quickly acquired a target. She figured there must be two dozen of the things. Cannon fire ripped many apart as their shots landed. Grenade fire hit a few dead on, the troops getting deadly accurate with them now. Just a few seconds later, the guns went silent as they looked on at the carnage.

The putrid smell of sulphur filled the air, clinging to their throats. Despite its foul taste, it was the residue of victory. The Major climbed out of the trench and stood up to survey the scene. The Mech devices were littered along the street across the bridge. They were little more than smouldering wrecks.

“You think those were manned?” asked Jones.

She lifted her rifle and peered at the wrecks through her scope.

“I guess not, they must be drones.”

She turned and looked all around. The entire area was mostly silent. She wondered for a moment what the purpose of the enemy drones was, a preliminary attack or a scouting party. Seconds later they heard artillery rounds whistling towards them.

“Cover!” she shouted.

She fell into the trench as the first pulses smashed into their positions. Chandra and Jones were huddled at the very bottom of the trench with their heads down to protect their faces. The ground around them shook violently as the fire landed everywhere. One of the buildings was struck dead on and blasted out across their positions. Rubble smashed against the tank turrets and rolled into their trench.

They could just make out the muffled sound of footsteps approaching them hard and fast. They lifted their weapons and aimed at the top of the trench. Seconds later a dozen soldiers jumped and rolled into the cover with them, ducking low into the trench. Explosions continued to erupt all around their positions. One of the troops looked up with a smile. He was a Lieutenant in the Royal Welsh.

“Lieutenant Yorath, reporting for duty, Ma’am!”

“You picked a hell of a time to turn up, Lieutenant!” she shouted.

“How many are you?” Jones asked.

“Eighty-five, plus a few dozen stragglers from other units!”

Chandra nodded in appreciation. She’d been promised re-enforcements, but she wouldn’t believe it until she’d seen them.

“You the officer in charge?” asked Jones.

“I’m the only officer, Sir.”

Jones gasped as he remembered the Commander briefing him on their losses. An artillery pulse landed just a few metres from them, shaking the ground so violently that it sent several of them tumbling from their kneeling position. As Chandra got back up, her ears were aching and her hearing numbed, but she realised the bombardment was over.

They looked around, checking that everyone was still in one piece. Chandra turned to Yorath who had a broad grin about his face.

“Is it always this rough round here?” he asked.

“You were in Nantes, were you not Lieutenant?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Then you already know the answer.”

His smile vanished as the memories of the brutal battle came back to him once more. Chandra found Yorath’s light tone to be rather unsettling in their present situation, but she knew that it was his way of coping with the carnage and losses.

“We’re in for a rough afternoon,” said Jones.

“Just had it, didn’t we?” asked Yorath.

“Drones and then artillery, it’s the preliminary stages to an assault.”

The Major staggered to her feet, still a little disorientated. Clambering out of the trench she looked on at the devastation. One of Becker’s tanks was belching smoke and was utterly destroyed. Two others had received lesser damage. One of the hatches prized open and the Captain climbed out. He looked on at the damage to the vehicles as if he had been personally offended. His crews were already climbing out to get to work on what repairs they could.

Several of the buildings had been smashed by the enemy fire. One was almost completely destroyed, and others had walls and roofs missing. The road was filled with vast craters.

“They missed the bridge,” said Yorath.

“Deliberately, I should think. They’ll be rolling over it before long,” said Jones.

“We could blow it.”

“They’d only replace it,” said Chandra. “And we may yet need it. There may be hostiles to the north, but they aren’t the only threat.”

She turned back to the two officers as Friday and Suarez approached to investigate the new arrivals. It was more troops than she’d had at her disposal since the fighting had begun.

“Listen up, we have some organising to do. I’ll command the paras as Platoon Alpha. Captain Friday, your marines will be Bravo. Jones, Suarez and Yorath, I want you to divide the Royal Welsh and the rest of the stragglers between you in Charlie, Delta and Echo.”

The officers nodded in agreement. They were glad to be getting back to some kind of structure and with respectable numbers. She looked around at the battle scarred district. The Major spotted a bank on one corner that overlooked the bridge with balcony sections above.

“I’ll take up position above the bank there. It’s probably one of the strongest buildings here. I doubt we have a lot of time, so get to it, Gentlemen.”

She shouted to the paras to join her as she strode towards the bank. The doors were ajar from where an artillery shell handed landed beside them and blown the frame apart. As she suspected, the building was extremely robust with better foundations and supports than most.

“Take up positions anywhere you can that overlooks the bridge!”

The bank was five storeys high with mostly offices higher up. She went two floors up and out onto a large balcony set up as an open air cafe. It gave a great position above the bridge, and the thick walls provided a relatively safe defence. As she walked towards the far wall, she grabbed a chair and placed it down next to the outer wall. She sat down with a grunt, for her leg was still far from fully healed.

Chandra could hear her platoon setting up around her and on the floors above and below. The road between them and the opposing buildings spanned fifty metres or more. The tanks and trenches formed a solid line of defences from edge to edge. She was happy with their position, but they were spread thin. She let her head rest back and her muscles relax. Chandra would gladly have fallen into a much needed sleep, but she would not have such luck.

The sound of tracks roared in the distance along with a hive of activity that was getting nearer. She shot up, and pain surged through her leg, causing her to wince. From her position, she couldn’t see down the long length of the road, only just past the bridge. She tapped her intercom but realised it was being jammed once again. Chandra turned and stepped to the edge, shouting down at Jones who was getting his recently formed platoon into a trench.

“Give me an update, Captain!”

“We’ve got incoming!”

“In what strength?”

“At least a half dozen tanks and plenty more on the way!”

“Everyone into position! Fire in your own time!”

The Captain nodded and jumped into the trench after his troops. Lieutenant Yorath was in the other trench on the opposite side of the street, with Friday’s marines between them. Lieutenant Suarez was positioned in the brick building opposite the Major’s bank. The armoured crews scrambled to get inside and batten down the hatches. She turned back to her platoon.

“Fire when ready!”

Taylor glanced out of the side window as they passed over Ramstein. Line after line of abandoned buildings and roads were left to decay.

“A sad thing to see, isn’t it? Over fifty thousand air force personnel used to serve here, now little over two thousand,” said Reyes.

The Major turned back to the Captain with a grim look on his face.

“Perhaps if our governments hadn’t cut the military budgets so greatly, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“I hardly think they could have predicted an invasion by a highly advanced alien race.”

“If you want peace, prepare for war, Captain. The basic principles never change.”

Taylor sat back in his seat feeling utterly lost. Reyes knew that it was a lot to ask to have him pulled away from his comrades at such a time of need, but there was nothing more he could do to relieve that concern. The tail of the craft dipped as they came into land at a brisk rate. The two men walked down the ramp to find there was no one there to greet them.

The runways and landing strips were vast but had little more than a dozen craft in total insight. If it were not for them, and the two guards they could see at the facility ahead, it would look abandoned.

“Not the warmest welcome ever,” exclaimed Taylor.

“We’re here to work, Major, not be tourists.”

Reyes led the way towards the guards. He held his identification card. The two guards barely turned to look, instantly recognising the Captain. Ramstein had been a US Air Force base for hundreds of years, and he suspected that Reyes was more than a little familiar with it and those who served there. They strolled on down several empty corridors.

“What exactly are we going to see here, Captain?”

“The facility here is under the control of a scientist and developed called Reiter. He’s been working for us for years, but never given any major money to develop his ideas.”

“Why?”

“Because most of his ideas are related to combat roles, of which there has been little interest in for a long time.”

They reached an opening with vast security doors. Reyes scanned his card through the reader and then stood for retina recognition. Green lights flashed around the doorway as access was granted, and the huge blast doors separated.

“Welcome, Major!”

A man in his sixties in a white lab coat approached with open arms and a broad grin. He paced right up to the Major and hugged him as a greeting. Taylor turned to Reyes with a puzzled expression.

“You’re not in America anymore, Major.”

The man let him go and took a step back.

“I am Marcus Reiter, as I am sure the Captain here has already told you.”

“What is it you are working on here?” asked Taylor.

“Anything and everything that can give our troops an edge in combat.”

“Well it’s sorely needed, I can tell you.”

 Reiter looked down at the Major’s battered and worn armour, and he nodded as he realised that the Major had come from the front lines.

“Here, come this way.”

He led them around a corner where the room opened up to a vast laboratory the size of a football pitch and with over a hundred personnel at work.

“As you can see, our budget has increased rather in this past week.”

“Has it done any good?” the Major asked sceptically.

Reiter stopped and turned back to him. He was at first offended by Taylor’s doubt and cynicism, but he could not blame the battle weary officer.

“We have been working all out to try and understand much of the alien technology, which is fascinating, I must add. What I can firmly say, is that the power of their weapons make developing useable personal body armour a major issue.”

“So what can you do for us?”

The scientist smiled.

“The fact is that man for man, or whatever they are, they are outgunning our troops.”

“I am well aware of that.”

“The rifles you are using are largely ineffective. The grenade launchers have a fairly short range, and you can’t carry a lot of ammunition. Therefore, what you need is more strength, more power.”

“Go on.”

Reiter nodded. He was glad that he had captured the Major’s curiosity. He led the two men to the centre of the room where they had a peculiar looking device resembling a human body in shape and proportions.

“The powered exoskeleton is not a new concept, Major. More than two hundred years ago they were being tested and put into limited usage, but cost and power were always a problem. Since then we have gained cheaper productions methods and better power packs, but there has been little interest in developing such devices.”

Taylor stepped in closer, studying the device carefully.

“This device allows a soldier to carry twice his bodyweight without even noticing it. It will allow for larger weapons, more ammunition and some better armour options. It’ll make you stronger, faster...”

The Major spun around with a gleam in his eye.

“And you have tried this? It is operational?”

“Yes, many times.”

He walked around the device, behind a small divider and beckoned for them to follow him. They stepped around to see the same suit made up onto a manikin with armour and weapons.

“I thought you said armour would be a problem?” asked Taylor.

“Largely, yes. The weight of armour that will protect you against the enemy weapons is quite honestly, substantial, to say the least. Front and back torso plates weigh upwards of fifty kilos alone, so that’ll be all you’ll get.”

Taylor stepped up to the manikin and tapped the armour. It was thick plate, more like vehicle armour than anything he’d seen on personal equipment.

“Your boosters you use for low altitude descents. We have attached far more powerful devices to this suit which will allow you to make vertical leaps of approximately five metres and horizontal up to ten or fifteen. They’ll also allow safe descents from a thousand metres.”

Taylor ignored his words. His attention was wholly placed on a large weapon hung up beside the manikin. It had a large box magazine slung underneath. The barrel was larger than any rifle although half the size of their launchers.

“Ah yes, I thought that might get your attention, Major. We have the enemy weapons and have begun to understand the propulsion of their energy pulses, but not how the round or energy itself is created. Using their propulsion method, we have been able to create a grenade launcher that uses caseless ammunition. This increases weapon capacity as well as vastly the amount of ammunition a soldier can carry.”

“And the range?”

“Greatly improved. The rounds can maintain a flat trajectory for two hundred metres.”

Taylor nodded, it sounded good.

“And if this all works, how quickly can you put it into production?”

“This equipment only got to its operational state as of the early hours of this morning. Further testing is required, and we need experienced combat veterans such as yourself to put it through its paces. After that...”

“How long?” shouted Taylor.

“We could be in full production within a few days, with an output of several thousand sets a day. If we can get foreign factories to compliment production, then much faster.”

“What about the cost, won’t all this stuff cost a fortune?” Reyes asked.

“Cost is not important, Captain. We are fighting for the survival of our planet. I only care that it can be done.”

Taylor turned to Reiter. “I want to test it, now!”

“Don’t you want to look over the project a little more first, Sir?”

“No, Reyes. All I care about is if it does the job, or not. Give me a half hour in it, and I’ll have your answer.”