Battle Beyond Earth Box Set

by Nick S. Thomas

  "Why? I thought he united the Krys?"

  Jafar shrugged.

  "Mostly. But some beasts cannot be tamed. Few have risked it, for were they to try, they could well seize power over all."

  "Do they want it?"

  Jafar shrugged once again.

  "They do not seek it, but given the chance, I believe they might try. They are a savage and untrustworthy people. We would do well to stay clear of them."

  Taylor shook his head.

  "Unacceptable. We need all the help we can get, and you are going to find a way to get them on board."

  "You have no authority or right to ask me for this. You may be a friend, by I am the leader of my people."

  "Clearly not all of them," Taylor snapped.

  Jafar was insulted but also shamed by the statement to the extent he did not reply.

  "You will find a way because we can't do this alone. I'll handle the Cholans, but you better have the biggest and best army ever seen in our lifetimes, or we're finished before we even had time to get started."

  "He's right," Isaacs said, "If there is a sizeable force that can help in the war with the Morohta, we need them."

  Jafar begrudgingly agreed with them.

  "Then I will go to them, the Barbarlars. But do not be surprised if I do not survive the experience."

  Taylor could see he wasn't joking, but it was too important not to take the risk.

  "Not that is matters, Bolormaa cannot be stopped," he muttered.

  But Taylor would not let such a statement pass without clarification.

  "What do you mean?"

  Jafar looked to Irala, and Taylor could see something else going on that he wasn't aware of.

  "Come on, cut the bullshit. There is something you aren't telling me."

  Jafar shrugged and finally confessed.

  "We do not know how much truth there is, for none of us can say for sure. Bolormaa is a myth."

  "You said she existed."

  "Yes, but to what extent? The myth says she cannot be killed, nor her sons."

  "What the hell are you talking about?"

  Taylor looked to Irala as if expecting some explanation, but it didn’t come.

  "Lord Jafar speaks the truth, as far as we know it."

  "So what, she is invincible?"

  Jafar nodded. "The stories say her skin is impenetrable by any weapon known, and that her sons have the same armoured skin that makes them unkillable."

  "Yeah, we'll see about that."

  "You do not understand me, Colonel. You think Erdogan was a formidable foe? He would have been terrified to have to fight Bolormaa or her spawn."

  That shocked Taylor and silenced him.

  "Unkillable?" he asked.

  "There may be a way, but that is a story for another day," replied Irala.

  "That's all I need to know. All right, back to the matter at hand, the Cholans. Those greasy little bastards have slipped between our fingers. We have to put a stop to their meddling. Better still, we need them back on board."

  "You would trust them again?"

  "I didn't say that, Jafar. I don't care what they do. Enslave them and put them to work, for all I care, but we need manpower. However pathetic they might be individually, they have shown themselves to be formidable in more ways than one. So what will it be, Mr President?"

  "I don't know what you want from me, Colonel."

  "I want a fleet. I want to take this fight to the Cholans and end it."

  The President pressed a few keys, and a large screen projected before them. It showed the fleet in orbit and the wrecks still floating amongst them.

  "That is the fleet, what do you expect me to do? I cannot give you what I don't have."

  "There are still enough serviceable ships here to get the job done."

  "And leave us unprotected? Leave Earth unprotected, too?"

  Taylor paced back in forth in frustration, for he knew what had to be done.

  "Okay, give me the Guam, and two other vessels. That's all I ask."

  "And what would you do with them? Fly to your certain death?"

  "Just give me the goddamn ships. It's not much to risk, and you know my history well enough that the odds aren't all that bad."

  The President looked to Jafar and Irala for assistance, but they did not come to his aid.

  "All right, the Guam and two frigates. That is all, but you are crazy if you think you can succeed. You'll be back here riddled with bullets in no time, if you make it back at all."

  "You let me worry about that."

  He stormed out. Glad to have been given something, but angry that it wasn't enough.

  Irala was the only one to follow him.

  "You believe you can do this?" he asked as they left the room.

  His whole team was waiting outside amongst the army of soldiers acting as security, and followed him without a word.

  "If you can do one thing for me, then yes."

  Irala simply waited for a response.

  "Get me there. I need a gateway created on the doorstep of the Cholan homeworld."

  "That will be suicide."

  "Can you do it for me or not?"

  "I can give you a ship, but not a pilot. I will not risk our own in such a fool’s errand."

  "That's what you think this is?"

  "I think you might not be thinking clearly."

  Taylor laughed and then stopped; turning to face the alien he had come to call a friend, even if he was forever cold and almost emotionless.

  "Just give me the goddamn ship!"

  "Okay, but no pilot. I will have a Guardian at the helm, who will follow your orders only."

  "Thanks," he sighed, "Why does everything have to be so much hard work?" he muttered to himself, as he strode off with his team following and waiting for some news.

  Chapter 3

  "Three ships to take on the whole Empire, are you crazy?"

  Alita paced back and forth in a fury. It was clear she was mad at him, but it was so cute it made Mitch smile. He lay back in his quarters aboard the ship that had become his de facto home. His little smirk only made her more infuriated. She sighed and continued pacing. He simply rested and enjoyed watching her.

  "Surely you have a plan that has some chance of working? Because to me this is sounding like suicide, and as much as life sucks right now, I rather enjoy being alive."

  He got to his feet and stopped her in her tracks by locking his arms around her. He kissed her lips, and she instantly melted in his arms and forgot all her worries. She took a deep breath and looked up into his eyes.

  "Of course I have a plan. You don't think I am in this life to lose, do you?"

  She shook her head.

  "That's right. We're born winners. I couldn't have made it this far if it weren't the case."

  "But you don't believe in fate."

  He shrugged. "No, but it seems to believe in me."

  "When do we leave?"

  "Twenty minutes."

  She recoiled and thought to question his intentions, but he pulled her in close and she relaxed once again, knowing she had to trust him. She yawned and realised how exhausted she was.

  "A little sleep wouldn't go amiss," she said, reaching for the stim container beside the bed. She took two, and her eyes widened as she was instantly brought back to a full awakeness. Though she knew she was on borrowed time.

  "Gonna be a hell of a come down after all this."

  "Just be glad to be alive when you do," he replied.

  She offered him the stims, but he waved them off.

  "We all need to be on top form for this."

  "Yeah, and I will be," he replied confidently.

  He kissed her one last time, then let go and reached for his equipment. They headed out into the corridor and passed through several sectors. Everywhere they went they found crews patching up damage from the battle. It was going to be touch and go. They reached the docking bay to find a hundred marines assembled and his team with them. A shutt
le had just put down, and a welcome party from the bridge awaited its occupants. An officer stepped out and was greeted by the second-in-command before pacing right up to Taylor. She was a small woman; more than a head shorter than Taylor and petite build. She was clearly from the Far East and looked young to be taking on command of a major warship.

  "Colonel Taylor, I am Captain Song, formerly Captain of the Chungmu," she said as she saluted and then shook his hand.

  "Formerly?"

  "The Chungmu is very badly damaged from the recent battle, and it is unlikely she will ever see service again. I have been given permanent command of the Guam. I pray you keep us alive long enough for me to get acquainted with the crew."

  "Will do, Captain."

  "I would address the crew, but I know time is not a luxury we have, so please, continue," she said and pointed for him to take up a position on a raised podium. Several screens projected above them showed the Captains of the other two vessels assigned to them. He recognised neither, but their names were displayed beside them. Captain Pollard of the Curlew and Captain Massri of the Taba. Taylor began to address the modest fleet he had been given.

  "In just a few minutes we are going to make a jump into Cholan space. But we aren't going to fight the enemy fleet or their armies. We have neither the time nor the resources. No, we are going to strike at the heart of the Cholan Empire. We are jumping into orbit of Yaxha, right over the Imperial Palace. We aren't going to fight a battle. We are going to overthrow a king."

  It sounded crazy, but the marines couldn't help but feel some excitement at the absurd and daring mission he was outlining.

  "This is a bold mission, no doubt, but all I ask is that you follow me. We jump in five minutes, be ready. That'll be all."

  Jones dismissed the marines and strode up to him with wide eyes. Taylor couldn't tell if it was from the shock of the plan or the stims.

  "Well..." he said.

  "What?"

  "A coup? We are really going to lead a coup? Against the leader of not just a nation, but an entire race?"

  Taylor nodded as if it was nothing at all.

  "Well, I can at least say they won't be expecting it."

  "Exactly. Fortune favours the bold."

  "But only fools rush in," replied Jones.

  Taylor smiled.

  "Indeed."

  Jones looked around and could see only two shuttles and a single other transport.

  "How are we even getting onto the ground? We're going to need a lot more craft."

  "We don't need any at all."

  Jones squinted and frowned, trying to work it out, and then he realised what he was saying.

  "No way, even you can't be that crazy?"

  But he didn't wait for a response. He already knew the answer.

  "Get ready!" Taylor shouted. He then stepped over to a line of ammo crates and began filling his webbing with magazines and grenades.

  "How many times have you been here before?"

  Taylor looked up at the Lieutenant in surprise as he tried to work out what he meant.

  "How many times have you lived through this calm before the storm? The final moments prior to embarking on a mission nobody would dream could work, or that you could ever come back from?"

  "More than I care to remember."

  "And yet here you stand, defiant and ready to do it all over again."

  "It's not like I enjoy it."

  "Yes, you do."

  Taylor thought about it for a moment. He could feel his pulse rising, and it was true. It was not fear lurking in the depths of his mind, but excitement.

  Do I really enjoy war that much?

  He thought about it deeply.

  I know it’s a dreadful thing to believe, but it’s also carried me through such terrible times. If I did not get some enjoyment out of it, then I would have gone crazy by now.

  Song's voice soon came over the speakers.

  "Jumping in sixty seconds. Good luck to you all."

  A counter appeared over the main docking bay doors, and the last of the ship’s crew were rushing to clear the area. All access doors had been cleared of craft.

  "Ever done this before?" Alita asked.

  "Not quite like this," replied Taylor.

  "That's reassuring," she added sarcastically.

  "Jump in five, four, three, two, one."

  Taylor's stomach turned as it always did when they passed through a gateway. Moments later they felt the ship jolt heavily as it came into contact with the pull of the Cholan world’s atmosphere, which they quickly passed through. They could feel the g-force as they made a rapid descent towards the surface. Within seconds a heavy impact, and then several smaller ones, rocked the ship. They knew it was incoming fire and could hear the guns of the Guam returning fire. All power was being put down now to reduce velocity, and Taylor just prayed the ship could handle it. He had visions of them plummeting into the surface or breaking up at any time. The structure of the vessel groaned under the strain.

  "Come on, you old girl, you can do it," he whispered.

  "So this is what dropping out of the sky feels like!" Jones called out.

  He was smiling, but it was forced, for he was also trembling.

  They could feel their stomachs go light, and the extreme deceleration and pressure change made a few throw up onto the deck. Then the docking bay doors began to open as they swept in closer to the surface and finally floated to a standstill.

  "Go!" Taylor shouted.

  They could already see tracer fire flashing by, and the Curlew relentlessly smashed by dozens of missiles and other gunfire, but she was continuing to lay down fire as the marines aboard leapt from the docking bay doors. Taylor didn't even stop to check the distance on reaching one of the broad doorways. He fired up his shield, took a running jump, and soared out into the open sky. It was a beautiful bright sunny afternoon, blue skies and not a cloud in sight, only overshadowed by the vicious battle that had only just begun.

  As he began to freefall, he could see they were fifty metres from the surface. Captain Song had brought them in just as he had asked, and he knew it had been a tall order. The boosters of his armour kicked in, and his descent slowed. A gunshot struck his armour and ricocheted off, narrowly missing his face. He looked down for the source of the fire. A Cholan soldier was in plain view and shooting up at them frantically. He took aim and fired a short burst that killed the alien instantly. A second later he hit the ground and dropped to one knee to survey the scene.

  They were on a long and broad stone promenade that led up to a vast palace six floors high. Fifteen-metre columns ran the length of either side of the walkway, each one of them lavishly adorned with gold and jewels. There was a statue atop every single one. Up ahead a dozen Cholan soldiers were rushing to engage them, with almost as many lying dead in between.

  The Cholan soldiers wore ceremonial attire, bronze looking breastplates and spiked helmets that made them look anachronistic even to Taylor. He took aim at one of them and fired. As he suspected, the bullets passed right through their armour. It provided no protection at all. He noticed a light flashing on his console. It was an incoming called from the Guam. He hit enter as he fired at another target, and Captain Song's voice came through. Her voice was surprisingly calm, but there was still a sense of urgency in it.

  "Colonel, the Cholan fleet is on an intercept course, more than twenty vessels. To the North and East troops are already on course."

  "What are you saying, Captain?"

  "That we can hold right now, but you've got maybe ten minutes at most before we'll be unable to fend off the incoming tide."

  "Got it. Good luck, Captain."

  "And to you, Colonel."

  As the call ended, he fired another burst and forced several of the enemy to go to ground or duck back behind the cover of the columns. They were still several hundred metres from the Palace entrance. Beyond the rooftop he could see the Taba unloading troops to cut off any escape. The marines were going from
column to column and gunning down all they came across. He strode forward down the centre of the walkway, his Immortals at his side.

  "Ever been here before, Jones?"

  "Nope, always wanted to, but I didn't think it would be in this fashion."

  "Yeah, well, not much in life ever pans out how you expect it to."

  Jones nodded.

  They were striding forward at a steady pace now, and it looked like nothing could stop them. The Cholan rifles barely penetrated any part of their armour, and there were so few of them to stand in their way. But just as Taylor thought they would have an easy time of it, the central section of the palace retracted. They all froze, watching with anticipation and concern.

  For a moment Taylor thought it was going to be some kind of escape craft about to zoom out from the palace, but it was not to be.

  "Oh, fuck," he said.

  A vast twenty metre-wide domed turret raised out from it. A huge double barrel cannon protruded from the crown of the structure, and several lighter weapons were mounted in ball joint swivels. It looked indestructible to their small arms and began to pan and track.

  "Run!" Taylor hollered.

  They scattered in all directions as the main guns opened fire, and two fiery balls of energy smashed into the ground where they had been standing. They blew several metre wide craters into the surface. Taylor jumped and rolled behind one of the columns as sustained gunfire landed all around him. Two marines from the Guam lay dead from the opening salvo, and another was wounded and trying to crawl for cover. Taylor went to step out to go and help, but a dozen impacts hit the column near him and forced him back into cover. He could only stay and watch helplessly as the wounded woman was riddled with gunfire and finally killed.

  The big guns fired again and struck two of the columns. They burst from the impact and instantly killed the three marines huddled behind them. Stone fragments peppered Taylor, and the leg of one of the men landed near him. He looked up above them to see missiles impact on the hull of the Guam as she returned fire at the ground defences. Taylor opened a channel to the bridge. Song was in a far more flustered state than he had last found her.