As Mitch walked towards his finely presented unit, a jeep rode into view. Before he could get out a word to the company he recognised the stars below the windshield of the vehicle. It was the General’s car. Suarez ordered the men to attention as the vehicle stopped beside them and the General leapt out in an enthusiastic manner. They’d never seen a General move so fast.
“Taylor, with me, now!”
The General had not even broken his stride. He led Mitch around the corner of the assembly building of the drill square, out of sight and hearing of all who were formed up.
“Sir, what can I do for you?” asked Taylor.
The General turned and took a good look around the area to be sure they were alone.
“This is privileged information, you hear?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“The vessels that were dispatched to the Ares colony have been receiving readings of something heading for us. Now we don’t know what it is, but it’s big. Some experts are saying it’s coincidental, but I don’t believe in that crap. Official word is that the Ares colony is experiencing communication faults and assistance is en route.”
“Sir, that is not at all what we were led to believe.”
“Agreed. Whatever is heading our way will be passing the Moon colony first. Now, it’s a big colony but has limited military deployment. No order has gone out for us yet, that means my hands are tied. However, that does not stop normal procedure. I am despatching your company to the Moon colony for a training exercise.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Let me be clear, officially this is a training mission. Unofficially, we just don’t know what to expect. Be sure to take a full armament of live ammunition and all the gear you’ll need. I pray that this is all just a misunderstanding, but let us make sure we are ready for anything!”
“Yes, Sir, I’ll get on it!”
“I have already cleared you for departure and the stores have been ordered to give all that you ask, they are aware that this is a live fire exercise. You report only
to me directly on this, get going ASAP!”
The General nodded in gratitude, he was glad to have officers who he could rely on. He strode off leaving Taylor stood considering his situation. He understood the General would only ask it of him if there were serious danger to the colony. On the other hand he knew that a single company was a meagre force to defend anything.
Walking back to the drill square he stopped in front of his company, the men eagerly awaiting some news. The General’s vehicle was already coasting into the distance. He looked around, nobody but his unit in sight.
“Stand easy and come forward!”
The men looked surprised not to be dismissed as per regulations and norm. They huddled around in a circle around the Major. He turned, looking at all their faces.
“We are deploying immediately to the Moon colony. That much is no secret. However, officially we are on a live fire training exercise. Unofficially, I want every one of you on guard and ready to fight. The General has entrusted us with a mission and we will get it done. I want you formed up in one hour, full kit, including counter pressure suits, masks, the lot. Ammunition is on its way. That will be all. Get to it!”
The men initially looked a little dazed, but they quickly snapped out of it as the Sergeants began barking their orders to get the men moving. Suarez moved up to the Major with a puzzled expression on his face.
“What the hell’s going on? A few days ago it was high alert, now officially a training mission?”
“Top brass hasn’t got a clue what is going on and nobody is keen to give them answers. The General is concerned that we don’t sit idle if a threat exists.”
“Fine, but one company? If there is any major military threat, what could we even do?”
Taylor turned to him, more than irritated by his constant questions and petty nature.
“A damn sight more than scientists and civilians, that’s for sure. Now, kit up, we’ve got a job to do, Lieutenant!”
Suarez straightened himself realising how foolish he was being. Not only that, he was questioning the orders of his superiors. He saluted quickly before rushing off to gather his equipment. Taylor stood and watched as his company scattered to fulfil their tasks. He was not at all comfortable with their orders.
Through the minor combat and policing actions which the Major had participated, they had always done so with substantial intel. He had little idea what to expect on the Moon colony and that concerned him. Training for immediate deployment was a regular part of their training, so Taylor was glad to see that the entire company was formed up with its gear in thirty-five minutes. They were ready before their transport had even arrived.
The Major paced up and down the square, looking out at his company. They sat about with their equipment stacked in lines, impatiently waiting for the vehicles. Taylor turned to see Sergeant Eleanor Parker walking up to him. He stopped pacing in surprise. He’d always found it difficult to be her superior when they had slept together after more than one operation. Not only that, but she was supposed to be recovering from a broken arm sustained in training.
Parker was shorter and slighter than any marine in the company, but she carried herself tall and proud. Her brunette hair was tied back perfectly and out of sight, her uniform immaculate and with no sign of the arm brace she’d been wearing until the day before. Her blue-grey eyes were piercing, and it was quite clear what she wanted. She quickly saluted and jumped into her request.
“Sir, requesting permission to rejoin the unit for operational duty!”
“Sergeant, you are not cleared from medical leave for another seven days.”
“Sir, that’s Doctor’s recommendations, not orders. I am ready to get back to it. If you have a mission to do you’ll need me back.”
Taylor looked around the lines of marines. He knew that Parker wasn’t fully recovered yet, neither did he want to see any harm come to her. Despite this, he hated the idea of leaving a fellow marine behind. He also knew that she was a useful asset to her platoon.
“Sergeant, no bullshit, can you do your job?”
“Yes, Sir!”
“Alright, fall in, your platoon leader will fill you in on the mission details.”
She could not help herself from grinning. She was so happy she could have leapt up and kissed him. For a moment Taylor thought she might even do so.
“That’ll be all, Sergeant!”
Parker saluted the Major and immediately heaved her equipment onto her shoulder and joined the rest of the unit. Taylor looked again across the platoons under his command, they were visibly uneasy. No one was being straight about what was expected of them. There was little he could do to remedy that, he knew nothing more himself. Before he could think of any words to calm his troops their buses pulled into view.
“Load up! Let’s go!” Taylor shouted.
He watched as his men poured into the vehicles in an efficient and an enthusiastic manner. He commanded five platoons. Four of them were infantry units compromising of forty-one men, and his own sixteen-man command platoon. A Lieutenant led each platoon, with additional officers in his HQ unit. They’d seen more action than any other serving unit in the U.S. military, but that was still nothing compared to the wartime experience of veterans of bygone wars.
The buses coasted on through the base until they could see the assembly area in view. He knew that it would soon be needed for major operational duties, and yet the area was almost empty. A few copters and transports lay unattended and work crews went on leisurely about their jobs. An Achilles transport craft was being loaded and was the only sign of serious work in sight. Taylor could already make out the unmistakeable figure of Eddie Rains guiding in his fellow copter pilots as they loaded up the Falcon shuttles in the cargo bay. The Achilles class transports were the military’s main means of transport into space. They could carry up to two hundred and fifty men, and five shuttles.
Thirty minutes later their kit was stowed and t
hey were lifting off. UEN forces did regular training exercises on the Moon, but only a hundred regular troops were stationed there at any time. A further six hundred civilians were part of a colony defence force, citizen soldiers. Taylor knew that his force would effectively double the strength of their numbers, but it was still a fraction of what would be needed against a sizeable enemy force.
Taylor stood on the bridge with his command platoon as they made their break into orbit. The ship was crewed by twenty-four Navy personnel. He grinned as he watched Eddie look in astonishment at their operating procedures. He had no love of their disciplined and machine-like way of working. Captain Reyes commanded the vessel, the Deveron.
“It’s an eight hour run, Major, you’re welcome to make full use of all the facilities we have to offer.”
“Thank you, Captain. I only ask one thing of you. It’s important that we discuss our operation en route to the colony. The details of our mission remain top secret. Anything that your crew hear or see must not be repeated to anyone.”
“Understood, Sir, those are our standard operating procedures. Loose lips sink ships and all that.”
Taylor nodded in agreement and gratitude. He turned to his command staff and signalled for them to follow. He stepped briskly off the deck and straight to the briefing room where all his officers and NCOs were gathered. He was immediately drawn to the sight of Eleanor. He’d not seen her in weeks due to her medical leave, and he could do nothing but admire her, even in her BDUs.
“Quite honestly, we have no idea what to expect. What I can tell you is that it is vital that we remain on guard and armed at all times. That will mean being armed and armoured during all hours that you aren’t sleeping.”
“Won’t that raise some eyebrows with the civilians?” asked Silva.
“It will indeed, Sergeant. Over half a million people live on the moon and they’re not used to seeing soldiers in full battle attire. Therefore, officially we are on a training exercise. Our mission entails the practice of colony-wide security and urban navigation and planning.”
“It’s a bit of a flimsy argument,” said Parker.
“It is, but it’s the best we have. The government has been ordered to comply so there’ll be little in our way other than strange looks and the odd probing question. Stick to the story. All that matters is that we stay on duty and on guard.”
“Sir, I have to ask what everyone is thinking. Around a week ago you were called to an emergency meeting, which clearly involved the threat we are now facing. We are being asked to take up defensive measures when we don’t know what we’re defending against,” said Lieutenant Wilson.
Taylor looked at the officer. Wilson led Alpha platoon, a capable leader, one of his best.
“You’re right. I will tell you what little I know, because it is of vital nature to this operation. The meeting regarded a message received from an Ares colony shuttle. It alleged that the colony had been attacked by an unidentified and well-armed enemy force.”
“What are we talking about here? Aliens?” asked Wilson.
“We simply don’t know. What little description we have describes an enemy with technology superior to what we are accustomed to. Top brass isn’t willing to jump to any conclusions, and few are willing to entertain the idea of other intelligent life.”
“So what, a Chinese force trying to muscle in on the colony? They’ve been working against the UEN for long enough,” said Suarez.
“Possibly, but at this stage we don’t know. We have little information to work on and we cannot risk panic by informing the colony of any impending danger.”
“What danger, Sir? Why is an attack on Mars relevant to our Moon?”
Taylor dropped his head. He couldn’t beat around the bush any longer. He had been tasked on a highly secretive mission, but he could not ask his marines to step into danger without giving them a heads up. He looked back up, staring at each and everyone in the room.
“Okay, Wilson, this is why. Ships were despatched immediately to the Ares colony. As you know it will be months before they can arrive and begin to make sense of what has happened. However, they have picked up signals that something big is heading for Earth.”
“What the fuck does that mean, Sir?” Silva asked.
“Some are saying it’s a coincidence, an asteroid that’ll pass us by. The General does not believe in coincidences and believes we may have trouble. Nobody is sure of anything at this stage and troops cannot and will not be deployed anywhere until there are some rigid facts.”
There were so many questions that the officers and NCOs wanted answers to, but clearly no one was able to enlighten them any further.
“I know this puts us in the shit, but we’re marines, it’s what we’re paid for. Our job remains the same. We are to remain on active duty on a permanent rotational basis. All personnel when on duty are to maintain combat attire, as well as full pressure suits and breathing tanks. Keep a full load out of ammo and be ready for anything. When we face the unexpected, we can never have enough ammo. That’s all I have to say and the only intel we have to go on.”
“One last thing, Sir, the colony is a sizeable city, we are one company, we’ll be spread a bit thin?” asked Wilson.
“We’ll focus our efforts on the economic centre of the colony only, which includes the government buildings, police headquarters and all key officials. Shuttles will be kept on hand to allow us fast deployment as and when needed. Now, that’ll be all. We’ve got hours to kill, no mission to plan and no training to be done. Your time is your own.”
It was a long and boring journey to the Moon. After the start of their first trip the excitement of being in space and the views from the ship died down. The Major sat on the bridge as they made their descent to the Moon Spaceport. With none of the problems that the Earth’s gravity and atmosphere presented, vessels came and went at ease. Mitch had in some ways been hiding from his men. They wanted more answers than he could give, and he was sick of repeating the same story.
It would be a lie for Taylor to say he wasn’t scared. Through his intense training and multiple missions on Earth, nothing worried him more than the unknown. In their age of communication and technology, he’d never had to go into a situation as blind as this. Whatever worries he had he couldn’t express them, it was his duty above all else to maintain his composure for the benefit of his marines.
“This is it, Major, final descent, you’ll be on the ground in three minutes,” said Reyes.
“Thank you, Captain, what are your following orders?”
Reyes turned to look at Taylor as if shocked at the question.
“We’ve been ordered to stay for your duration, Sir.”
That bothered Taylor, but said nothing in response. The only reason that the Deveron would be tied up was if the General wanted to be sure they could be evacuated at short notice. It was becoming ever more clear how dangerous the General thought their situation could be. With this in mind, it was more worrying than ever that nobody else appeared to be acting on the information.
“Thank you, Captain, I’ll be down below.”
Taylor leapt to his feet. He didn’t want the crew to see his concern and confusion in the situation. His training was now kicking in, they were about to hit the ground and the only thing he needed to concern himself with was being ready for action. A minute later he was pulling his armour over his compression suit beside his command staff and making final preparations.
“Remember, those are civilians down there, we are there as an emergency measure only, I don’t want to cause any more concern than we’re already doing. Stay sharp, stay calm, and be ready for anything!”
The Major pulled on his webbing with spare ammunition and the oxygen tank to his back. The magnetic gravity generators first used on the Moon, as well as the oxygen processors, had done wonders in developing the potential for the community. However, as soldiers, they had to be ready for anything. A serious breach in the colony could require them to need both air
and their suits.
“Let’s move!” shouted Taylor.
He slipped his pistol into its thigh holster, picked up his rifle and strode for the doors of ship. The broad ramp down to the docking bay allowed them to disembark five men wide. The Major was surprised to see that not a single official was present to meet them. For a moment this concerned him, until he had to remind himself that as far as the colony was concerned their presence was only in a benign training capacity. He turned back to his men, who looked just as shocked to find a relatively empty docking bay, the only presence being crews and mechanics.
“Get the birds out, were heading for the LZ immediately!”
The Moon colony was an ugly one, an almost endless expansion of grey structures. There were few windows on the buildings, for without a substantial atmosphere they were always at risk of being struck by space debris. The few small windows that existed were so thick that they distorted any view.
“God, why would you come here by choice?” asked Silva.
“Not our problem, Sergeant.”
The fifteen-minute wait for their shuttles was an anticlimactic start to their arrival. For all the mystery of the danger they had been discussing, they half expected to be walking into a battle. It seemed that life went on as usual about the colony. Aside from the stations built on two of the LaGrange Points, the Moon had been the first and only real colony set up outside of Earth. Mars would likely soon follow, as well as many other moons of the Solar System, but not for a few decades.
Travelling across the Moon city was at least a stress free and easy experience. Most people utilised the solar powered tram network to navigate and commute the area. There was no traffic, no congestion. Having no roads kept things simple and with so little air traffic they had very basic operating procedures for transport.
It was just a ten-minute ride to reach the Civic Centre of the city and the government’s own parking facility. No one wore compression suits or oxygen tanks on the colony, unless travelling out of the structures or craft for a specific purpose. They relied on living within atmospherically controlled buildings. Vehicles docked only with sealed dual entry gates and few people ever went outside their artificial environment.
Battle Earth 1 be-1 Page 4