Battle Beyond Earth - Box Set (Books 6-9)

by Nick S. Thomas

  “You boys want a hand with whatever you’re doing?”

  “A few pointers would be welcome, Sir,” replied another.

  Taylor smiled and followed on after them, and Jones joined him.

  “You’re a terrible actor,” whispered the Captain.

  “I never said any different.”

  They followed the two marines who led them into a secure gun range and training facility, and into an enclosed firing booth. When the door was shut, the marines retracted their visors. They were the same two men Taylor had watched training before the Admiral.

  “This is it, Sergeant, do you think you are ready?” Jones asked.

  “As ready as I will ever be, Sir.”

  He looked incredibly anxious.

  “Take it easy. You don’t have to go crazy. You shouldn’t have to meet anyone that I actually know. With the right look, the right attitude, and regular appearances, I am sure you can sell this just fine.”

  “Any last advice, Sir?” Bradley asked as he began to take off his armour.

  “Don’t take crap from anyone. Give newbies a hard time. Question authority, and act like you own the place.”

  “Is that what it’s like to be a Colonel?”

  “No, that’s what it’s like to be Mitch Taylor.”

  He smiled.

  “Really, Sir? I can’t imagine quite being like that.”

  “Well, you’d better learn fast. Don’t be arrogant, don’t be an asshole, but never shy away from anything. And most important, never appear fit for duty. You want to get back, but you aren’t ready,” Jones added.

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “And remember, you are a Colonel now,” replied the other man.

  Taylor nodded in agreement, but he realised he didn’t even know the other man, and yet he seemed intimately familiar with him.

  “Captain Rogers, Sir.”

  “And what is it you do, Rogers?”

  “I train agents for espionage operations, counterintelligence work, and special operations.”

  “Not a marine?”

  “I am whatever I need to be, and were I a little closer in stature to you, Sir, I would have taken on this duty myself.”

  “Subterfuge? I shouldn’t imagine there was much work for you before Bolormaa came knocking.”

  “No, it was strictly theoretical, but I have now had more than enough chances to put my skills to the test. This war has been full of lessons, but with a painfully steep learning curve.”

  “No shit, welcome to my world.”

  Bradley stepped away and let Taylor climb into the slim exoskeleton armour that awaited him, before finally passing him the helmet as Rogers put a few magazines down the range to maintain the act.

  “Damn it’s good to be back,” declared Taylor as he sealed the suit shut.

  “Really? You think that is comfortable?”

  “It may not be much, Captain, but it’s home,” replied Taylor with a smile.

  Jones nodded along in agreement. It was good to see his friend back in high spirits, but also a sombre occasion, as this would be the last they would see of each other in a long time.

  “You look after our people, you hear?”

  “Just as you would. I promise.”

  “Then I guess this is it.”

  Taylor shook his hand before putting on the helmet and lowering the visor. Bradley looked more worried than any of them, for this would be his first step into public as the Colonel.

  “Let’s do this,” said Jones.

  They stepped out of the room to find several other marines approaching.

  “Back to basics, hey, Colonel?” one of them asked Bradley.

  “Anything to keep active,” he replied as they carried on past.

  Taylor shook his head. It wasn’t anything he would have said, but it was a start, and it would have to do.

  “Nice shooting in there,” Jones said as they stopped as if to go in opposite directions.

  “Thank you, Sir,” replied Rogers.

  Taylor nodded in agreement.

  “Thanks for your help, Jones, and good luck on your next endeavour,” Taylor said.

  He turned and left without another word. Neither looked back as they parted ways. It was tough, both knowing they needed each other as much as the other. They had come to depend on one another in every situation, and it seemed that just as soon as they had been reunited, they were once again being parted.

  Taylor followed Rogers to a craft at a nearby docking bay. It was a casual affair. No ceremony or party to see them off. But as they climbed aboard, there was an immediate feel of relief as he found Babacan inside, and Dart at the helm. As the ramp closed, he released his visor and pulled off his helmet.

  “I thought I was doing this alone?”

  “We need to sell a story. It doesn’t mean Jones needs all of us to do that. The Captain thought you might like a few familiar faces.”

  Taylor smiled. He certainly did appreciate it.

  “And my work with Sergeant Bradley is now done, and so to a new task I go, and that task is you. I am here to help, Colonel,” added Rogers.

  “What could you possibly do to help me? What I need is an army to defeat Bolormaa, and a bloody good one, not tricks and deception.”

  “What you need, Colonel, remains to be seen, but I think I have a few ideas, and don’t think we haven’t been working on them for a while.” He turned his attention to Dart. “You have your coordinates. Let’s be on our way.”

  Taylor looked surprised.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Please wait and see, Colonel. You need a few surprises in your life.”

  Taylor groaned. “Surprises tend to hurt and give a glimpse into my impending death.”

  Rogers smiled.

  “You do amaze me, Colonel. You have survived the worst the universe has thrown at you. A seemingly unending list of hardships, any one of which would have killed any other man or woman I can think of, and yet here you are, and still you fear death?”

  “I can’t explain how I have made it this far, but I’d be an idiot to assume I am invincible. None of us are.”

  “Not even Bolormaa?”

  He groaned once again. He just wasn’t sure anymore.

  “I’ll tell you one thing I am certain of, Colonel. There is no such thing as a living creature than cannot be killed. That is a thing of fantasy.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure,” he muttered as he looked away.

  “But I would.”

  The Captain’s confidence and sincerity drew his attention back.

  “Really?”

  “Really. Because an enemy hasn’t been defeated yet, it does not mean they cannot be. Bolormaa is a formidable opponent…”

  “You have no idea, Captain.”

  “But I do. I may not have had to face her with my own hands, but I know everything I need to. She is stronger, stronger than anything or anyone we have ever known, but everyone can be killed, and everyone has some weakness.”

  “Yes, she’s stronger, faster, smarter…”

  “I don’t think she is all that smart,” replied Rogers confidently.

  Taylor was taken aback and silenced at his comment.

  “It’s easy to be the biggest bully in the yard when you are also the toughest. That doesn’t take brains.”

  That got Taylor thinking.

  Could he be right? It is certainly true that she didn’t have to exactly try to dominate in the way that she did.

  “Don’t you worry, Colonel, the next time you have to face Bolormaa, we are going to make sure you are truly ready for it.”

  The next time?

  That was the only thing that scared him. He thought about it in every waking moment. He dreamt of it when he slept in the few precious hours he could ever get. Nightmares like he had never known before.

  “It’s not going to be a short trip,” declared Dart.

  Taylor looked surprised.

  “Where we are going is one of the
most closely guarded secrets in the Alliance. Normally, we’d never have allowed your pilot to fly you there, but I knew how important a few familiar faces would be to you.”

  Taylor shook his head as if he didn’t understand what Rogers was talking about.

  “Come on, Colonel. I have studied all there is to know about you. You thrive when you have good people around you, friends, and so do they. If I could, I would have brought your whole Regiment along for this.”

  “But that wouldn’t work for this deception, would it?” he replied wearily.

  Rogers shook his head.

  “I still don’t like it. I am not one to hide and use such tricks.”

  “Well, maybe it’s time to start, because we aren’t winning this war.”

  He groaned as they made their first jump. Hours went by as they navigated a range of different locations. He could see they were being extremely careful to ensure nobody was following them, nor that they would be spotted at any waypoint along the way. After a few hours, he had fallen into a deep sleep. A sleep he had desperately needed for a long time. It was the best he’d had in a long time. This time his dreams were not filled with the nightmare of Bolormaa, but the memories of Alita and the hope of seeing her again.

  He felt something shaking him, and he sprung awake. The seat harness was holding him in place, and Rogers had been trying to awaken him. He was a little dazed, but the most rested he had been in a long time.

  “You sure needed that, Colonel.”

  Taylor nodded slowly and then reached forward to get a view through the cockpit. There was nothing to see, only a thick fog. Dart was navigating entirely by his instrumentation.

  “Where are we?”

  “Almost where we need to be,” replied Rogers.

  Taylor squinted to look at the console beside Dart, and his eyes widened at seeing how low their altitude was, especially considering how fast they were travelling.

  “One hundred metres? Are you kidding me?”

  “He knows what he is doing.”

  “Do I ever question your job?” Dart asked.

  “You’re damn right you have.”

  Dart laughed. “Yeah, well, you do some crazy shit, Colonel.”

  “Where are we, Rogers, really?”

  “If I told you that, I’d have to kill you.”

  He didn’t take the threat seriously at all, and it was corny at best.

  “Honestly, Colonel, you are best off not knowing. You are in close proximity with the enemy often enough that the knowledge of this location could be detrimental to its existence.”

  “You think I’d give it up?”

  “Not by choice, no, but only recently you were made prisoner by the enemy.”

  “And I gave them nothing.”

  “Maybe, but we have no idea what their capabilities are. We already have enhanced interrogation techniques that can get a lot out of a prisoner.”

  “I thought that was illegal?”

  “It’s banned by the Alliance, but don’t think for a moment we don’t use them behind closed doors, and don’t tell me you didn’t know that already. Only a fool would think we wouldn’t do anything and everything to win this war and survive as a species.”

  “I didn’t think the people of the Alliance had it in them.”

  “Maybe not a year ago, but times change, and a war like this can change a man, but you already knew that, didn’t you?”

  “Sure did, and I have seen it all before.”

  “Yes, and that is what you must remember. You were just like the rest of us once, inexperienced in war and living an easy life in a time of peace. You were able to rise up and become all that you are today, so don’t think for a minute that others can’t do the same.”

  “I’ve seen some impressive things in my time, but I haven’t seen anyone who could ever come close to Colonel Taylor,” added Dart.

  “Given enough experience, training, and the right support, they could.”

  “That assumes there are no natural limits, and that we are all born equal,” stated Babacan.

  “Yes?”

  “We are not,” he replied firmly.

  “You don’t think we can all rise to be something exceptional?”

  “No.”

  Taylor laughed.

  “That is a pretty negative outlook,” replied Rogers.

  “He’s not wrong. We can’t all be great at everything. Hell, I can’t dance for shit,” said Taylor.

  “Only because you have not had the right training and experience.”

  “You’re dreaming, Captain. A Utopian dream that everyone is exceptional, but they aren’t.”

  “You don’t think others can far exceed their current level?”

  “Now that is something I do believe. Everyone can progress. Everyone can be better at everything they do than they currently are, but that doesn’t mean they can become a master of whatever that is.”

  “So you think we are born with limits?”

  Taylor shrugged. “I think people are wired a certain way, well suited to some things, and not others. Dart over there was born to fly, and took to it like he had wings. But not me, I can get by if I absolutely have to, but it isn’t pretty, and no amount of training would ever have me match his skill, even on his worst days.”

  “Well, thanks, I guess,” replied Dart.

  “I don’t know if you are right, Colonel, but I will do everything in my power to prove you wrong, because we need the men and women of this Alliance to be the best they can be. Even you. You can’t beat Bolormaa the way you are, and you know it. But I am here to make you better, faster, stronger, and even smarter.”

  Taylor smiled cynically.

  “Ah, the naivety of youth. You are living in a dream world.”

  “It feels like a dream sometimes. More like a nightmare. Do you have nightmares, Colonel?

  That shook him to his very core. He couldn’t find the words to reply, and everyone could already see the answer on his face.

  “Some nightmares are a reality, but I intend to make our dreams a reality, too.”

  The concept certainly captured his imagination, and the fear and terror the suggestion of nightmares had brought up was clear for all to see.

  “We’ve made it…finally,” announced Dart.

  The fog began to part as they passed through the mouth of a cave at the base of a rocky canyon. Dart brought their speed down quickly and took them in to land at the underground docking bay. It was barely big enough for two or three ships.

  “Damn, got to be the longest haul I have done in a long time.” He stretched to soften up his neck and shift his seating position.

  “Not as much fun as being a combat pilot, is it?” Rogers asked.

  “I don’t know. It’s a nice change to not have people shooting at you. I sure could get used to it. No skill, but no worry either.”

  The landing gear touched down, and he landed it as if it was just a walk in the park for him.

  “You see, natural talent. He was born to fly,” said Taylor.

  “A few years of training, and I am sure you’d be able to do just the same, couldn’t he?”

  Dart shook his head.

  “I am with the Colonel. Some are born to fly, some are born to fight, and some are just useless.”

  “There are more skills in life than fighting and flying.”

  “Yes, but that’s not my meaning, and you know it.”

  “Well, Gentlemen, you seem to see limits in life. I don’t, and by the time we are through here, neither will you.”

  The ramp lowered, and Taylor stood up with difficulty. His body was aching. While his doppelganger was pretending to be unfit for service, he was pretending to do precisely the opposite.

  “We only take this as far as you can and are able. I am well aware that you are not yet fully healed.”

  “If I always rested to be in perfect health, I’d rarely leave my bed.”

  “And yet some wounds need time to heal if you are ever to
be at your best.”

  “The Alliance could do with five years to prepare for facing Bolormaa, but that is a luxury we do not have, and neither do I.”

  “Understood, but let’s not do anything stupid that only slows your progress.”

  He stepped out into the docking bay and was surprised that there was little to see. Surprisingly little. Lights hidden in the rock ceiling above illuminated the scene, but if it were not for them, it would look like nothing more than a naturally formed cave. The surface was smooth as if the flow of water had made it that way, or that was the way it was intended to look. There was not a soul in sight, or any sign of manmade technology that they themselves did not bring.

  “What is this place?”

  “We call it Atlantis, Colonel, the few who know it exists.”

  “Atlantis? That’s cute.”

  “It’s fitting.”

  “So what is it that we are really doing here?”

  “Follow me and you’ll find out.”

  Dart powered down their ship and followed on after them. The lights in the ceiling dimmed completely as they passed, leaving the ship in darkness.

  “Pretty closely guarded secret, but you really think you can keep it from her? Bolormaa?”

  “We have managed thus far, Colonel, but bringing all of you here is the largest potential security risk this facility has ever experienced. If I am honest, only you were actually cleared.”

  “Well, that’s just great,” said Dart, “What does that mean for Babacan and I?”

  “You’re here now, so nobody can really do anything about it. That is on me really, and I will stand by my decision. My job is to provide the Colonel with everything he needs to beat the enemy, and he can’t do that alone.”

  “You could lose your job for this, couldn’t you?”

  “Any other time, yes. But you are too important to this, and my superiors know that I am vital to the success of this operation. In essence, short of getting you killed, I can do whatever the hell I want.”

  Taylor grinned. “That’s my kind of attitude.”

  “I know it is. No care for authority, and always thinking you know best.”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Yeah, well, why do you think I got this job? You know you are good at what you do, and so am I, and I don’t take no for an answer.”

  They reached a rock face of the cave, and as before, there was no sign of manmade construction. Not until Rogers stepped up close, and a light showed through a small gap to scan his eyes. He stepped back and waited a few seconds. The rock parted as two doors revealed a well-lit, manmade corridor. It was deadly quite, as the landing zone had been.