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

by Nick S. Thomas

  Nilsson paused to think about his answer.

  "No I don't, but it doesn't matter, does it, so long as it gives people hope? Knowing you are always out there fighting for the Alliance, and cannot be killed, gives them that hope. If a prophecy is what does it, well so be it. I have no problem with that."

  "But I can be killed, and we both know that."

  "I have no doubt about that, but there is something that makes you different and you know it. You have made it through more than any human being could ever hope of doing, and that cannot be luck."

  "Then what is it?"

  "I wish I knew. I really do. As much as your discipline and respect for authority is reprehensible, an army of fighters like you could defeat any threat we have ever known."

  Taylor laughed.

  "I think you grossly overestimate what I can do. The Alliance might like to use me as their poster boy, but I'm just another cog in the machine."

  Nilsson smiled and nodded along.

  "How long do you think we have?"

  The Admiral looked surprised to have been asked.

  "Not long, I shouldn't think. This is the obvious place to come looking for you. There is no element of surprise, not for either party. This is a fight that has been a long time coming. I just hoped it hadn't come to me. There are a hundred different places this confrontation could have taken place, and yet it falls on us here."

  "It's as good a place as any. Better maybe."

  "Yes, it is,” replied Nilsson.

  They both fell silent as they watched in awe the vast fleet assembling before them. Both knew it might well not be enough.

  “This new tech you have, you think you can beat Bolormaa with it?”

  “I think only a fool would make such an assumption.”

  “But you think you have a chance, right?”

  Taylor nodded along.

  “There is always a chance in any fight, and the odds are better than they ever have been before. Well, Admiral, I guess that’ll have to do.”

  “We sure could have done with CJ. As much as you don’t like him, and neither do I, he has achieved great things for the Alliance. Especially in your absence.”

  “I wasn’t absent. I was a ghost.”

  “Yes, of course, but CJ has proven himself. Personally, I would never have released him and set him free, but then neither would I ever have agreed to bring you back either. I am happy to admit that I was wrong on both cases. I don’t agree with either of your methods, but I do respect them.”

  “Respect them? He’s running like the coward he is. Sure he is up for a fight when he knows he can win, but with Bolormaa on the war path, he has high-tailed it right out of here,” snarled Taylor.

  “You really think he is running from a fight. It doesn’t seem like him.”

  “None of us really understand his motives, but what else could they be at this late in the day? He knows a fight is coming, and he just ran from it.”

  “How do you think she’ll do it, when she comes?”

  “She won’t come immediately. She’ll want to soften us up first, to make sure she has a clear run at me. A senseless waste of lives on both sides.”

  “You…you could prevent that.”

  “How, how the hell could I do that?”

  “Call her out. Challenge her.”

  Taylor’s jaw dropped in disbelief at the prospect. Even with their newest technology, he still had little faith in his abilities to defeat the seemingly invincible Queen.

  “No, because then I would have to fight on her terms, and there is no chance of a fair fight. But if we can draw her in, if she can see an opportunity and seize it, that is when I will strike.”

  He knew it was a good plan, but he wasn’t sure about his motivations for choosing it. Whether he genuinely thought it was best, or if he just didn’t have the balls to call her out.

  “I actually think that is wise,” added the Admiral.

  “Oh?” Taylor was surprised.

  “It is no secret that we are all terrified of her, even you. Especially you, considering you’ve actually had to fight her with your own two hands.”

  “And?”

  “And if you called her out now, what would that tell her?”

  Taylor waited for the punch line.

  “That you are pretty damn confident of a victory. There’s no need to play that hand yet, or she could use it against us.”

  Taylor nodded along, he was just glad that someone agreed with his plan. Any delay he could put on the confrontation with the enemy Queen was appreciated.

  “When she comes for us, it isn’t going to be subtle. She’ll hit us like a hammer,” he replied.

  “Yes, and that is why we are going to have to be smart about this. A tiered defence of the station, as well as two separate strike forces that can flank the enemy fleet or plug holes where they need to. We have already established extensive medical facilities on the surface below, as well as plenty of space for any vessel or escape pods to land which might need to.”

  “And if we lose it up here, how will they ever make it out alive, if they are stuck down there?”

  “A dozen unmanned vessels are on the ground, waiting to take survivors away if it comes to that.”

  “You’ve really thought this through, Admiral.”

  “That’s my job. We have seen too many of our own left to the mercy of the enemy in this war. Men and women are going to die in this battle, and we will all have to live with that. But the wounded and those who survive need not perish, too.”

  Taylor was in agreement with that.

  “Battles still rage on, and yet it could be here that it is all decided.”

  “I’ve got to say, I’d rather have solid ground beneath me for this.”

  “That’s right. You aren’t a fan of space, a rather amusing trait in this day and age.”

  “Human beings were never made to leave Earth,” replied Taylor with a smile.

  “We weren’t made to fly or to drive cars either, and yet here we are today. I think this is exactly what humans were built for. We always strive to go further and push harder, and we won’t be stopped.”

  “If we could have stopped ourselves, we’d never have gotten ourselves into this mess.”

  “Or we would have, and we just wouldn’t have been tough enough to survive it. Let’s face it. Contact with the Krys and Aranui has launched humanity into what we know today. What if Bolormaa had gotten to Earth before all of that, how do you think it would have gone?”

  “We’ll never know, will we?”

  “No, and I think that it probably a good thing.”

  Taylor fell silent for a moment.

  “We probably haven’t got long now. Whatever preparations you need to make, you should go about them with all haste,” said Nilsson, “Where will you make your stand?” he asked solemnly.

  Taylor hadn’t even given it any thought, but he looked out into space, and one ship stood out to him above all else, the huge hulk that was the Resolution. It looked like it had been through ten years of combat without a refit, but it meant a lot to him.

  “Where else?” he asked, staring at the battle-scarred veteran.

  He turned back to address the Admiral to find he had his hand outstretched in friendship. Taylor was surprised, but he took it anyway.

  “We haven’t always seen eye to eye, Admiral, but it has still been an honour to serve with you, and I wish you every luck.”

  “And to you, Colonel. I pray you make it through. Don’t let any more be sacrificed than need be.”

  He nodded in agreement before Taylor finally left. Jones and Rogers were soon at his side as he stormed through the corridors.

  “Looks like you and the Admiral finally made your peace?”

  Taylor smiled at Rogers.

  “It’s kind of hard and more than a little stupid to hang onto a grudge when we are this close to a fight. We both know what we have to do.”

  “You talk like you always do the logica
l thing,” joked Jones.

  Taylor smiled and was glad to hear his friend talk as though he had never been gone. That gave him hope for Alita, but at the same time it was dawning on him that he might never get her back.

  “I have already forwarded our intentions to Admiral Vega,” declared Rogers.

  “I’m sure he’ll be pleased to know that the final battle will be fought on his watch,” replied Jones.

  “Overjoyed I am sure,” said Rogers.

  “Vega is an old warhorse, and that’s why I chose him. He’ll keep his nerve, and that is what we need right now. The last thing we need is any uncertainty. We have a real chance here, a chance to end Bolormaa. I never thought I’d say it again.”

  “You really believe your new toys can make the difference?” Jones asked.

  “You saw them at work with your own eyes, did you not?” Rogers replied.

  “Sure, but not against Bolormaa.”

  “They are up to it. All we have to do is set up the scenario right for the fight. If that bitch sees what we really have, she’ll come down on us like a tonne of bricks.”

  “You don’t think she’d fight you if she knew what you had?”

  “Damn right, she wouldn’t. She wants to prove herself to the world, but she doesn’t want to lose, or even risk the possibility of such a thing happening. We humiliated her once and came very close to taking her head. She would be a fool not to be more cautious the second time around.”

  “But it’s different this time. We had Zaya last time, didn’t we?”

  “We don’t need him anymore. We have what it takes to do this ourselves.”

  Jones ignored him, looking to Taylor for confirmation of the fact, and he could see the Colonel held no such confidence.

  “You don’t agree with him, do you?”

  “I’m not one hundred per cent confident, but how could I be? When have we ever had such a luxury as that?”

  “I’m not asking you to guarantee a win, only confirm that we have a solid chance.”

  “Sure, you’re damn right we do.”

  “More than usual, I mean, more than the fraction of a percent we have seen against her so far.”

  “More than that by a long shot.”

  Jones breathed a sigh of relief, and to Taylor’s surprise, he felt as much, too.

  We really can beat her. Maybe this is where it ends.

  That seemed like a distant dream that he had clung to since the very beginning of it all.

  They reached the docking bay and climbed aboard Dart’s tiny vessel that was awaiting them. Blood stains still covered the floor. Some from their enemy, but much of it was where Babacan had lain.

  “Any word about him?”

  “He’s doing just fine, Colonel. He’s conscious and talking, as much as he ever does,” replied Dart.

  “Where is he now?”

  “The Admiral had the Lieutenant transferred to the surface below with the temporary medical centres. Don’t worry. He will be safe however this goes,” said Rogers.

  “Nobody will be safe if we fail here,” added Jones.

  “This is one battle. It isn’t the end of the war.”

  Both look to Taylor to support their views.

  “The deciding factor of whether this war is a win or a lose comes down to me winning or losing a battle, is that what it has really come down to?”

  “You know it has,” replied Jones.

  They looked to Rogers to play devil’s advocate, but even he was having a hard time of doing so.

  “The war wouldn’t end with your loss, Colonel, but the honest truth is, we don’t know what would happen. But I can tell you it wouldn’t be good. Plenty of the Alliance worlds are ready to split from the Alliance and declare themselves neutral.”

  “And they think Bolormaa will stop attacking them?”

  “It doesn’t matter what she will do, only what the desperate people on those worlds think and are willing to do to protect their own.”

  “You got any good news?”

  “If it’s good news you want, maybe you are in the wrong job,” he replied dryly.

  Jones laughed in response, and Taylor soon joined in. Rogers didn’t seem to see the humorous side.

  “Where did you find this one?” Jones asked, as their craft lifted off.

  “I didn’t, rather he found me. People say they found God. Well, this Chaplain came to me. I’m not sure what that says about all of this.”

  “A Chaplain?” asked Jones in surprise.

  “Not anymore,” replied Rogers wearily.

  “Why not? Lost your faith?”

  “Far from it. God gives us the tools to defend ourselves, but it is us that has to go forward and fight evil.”

  “Evil, you think that is what we are fighting?”

  “What else would you call Bolormaa?”

  “He’s got a point,” added Taylor.

  “I had a duty to help people when they lived in peace, and in war, I have a duty to protect those I served in peace.”

  “You’re an idealist,” joked Jones.

  “Shouldn’t we all be?”

  “Enough now, we aren’t all as perfect as you are.”

  “None of us are perfect, Colonel, but that doesn’t mean we should stop trying to be.”

  Taylor smiled.

  “What? You think that is naive, don’t you?”

  “No, not at all. I think it’s admirable, just amusing at the same time.”

  “I’m glad I amuse you.”

  Their craft passed into the shadow of the Resolution as they made their final run towards the landing bay. Several more transports of their own troops were going in beside them. Suddenly, lights flashed on Dart’s console.

  “Oh, shit, we’ve got a problem.”

  “What is it?” Taylor demanded.

  “I’m getting engine signature readings. Someone has jumped in within the last minute or so, and they are not Alliance.”

  “They aren’t hanging about,” said Jones.

  “How many are there?”

  “I…ah…give me a second.”

  His displays were flashing as if getting interference.

  “Dammit, I thought we had gotten past this jamming,” said Taylor.

  “Just as soon as we find ways to bypass it, they develop more to counter us. That is the way of war, isn’t it?”

  “I can’t say for sure on numbers, but it’s a fleet all right, and they’re heading our way,” said Dart.

  “How long do we have?” Rogers asked.

  “About fifteen minutes, if we’re lucky.”

  “Bolormaa sure didn’t waste any time, did she?” asked Jones.

  “She wants the Colonel, and nothing and nobody will stand in her way, or at least that is the way she will see it, I am sure.”

  “I’d be just the same,” admitted Taylor.

  “Get us onto the Resolution, now!” Rogers shouted.

  “Already on it, believe me. Last place I want to be is floating around space when that arrives,” he said, glancing at his scanner.

  They hit the ground a little harder than usual as Dart brought them in for a sharp combat landing, knowing how speed was a priority. Taylor hit the ground running with the other two close behind.

  “What about your suits?” Jones asked.

  “We can’t afford to use them until Bolormaa presents herself.”

  “What, why not?”

  “Because as powerful as they are, they can only be used over short periods of time,” replied Rogers.

  “How short?”

  “About thirty minutes.”

  “Thirty, that’s a bit of a problem, don’t you think so, Colonel?”

  Taylor smiled.

  “Tell me about it.”

  “Well, can’t something be done about it?”

  “We are doing everything we can, but don’t expect experimental technology to be perfect right from the start.”

  “I wouldn’t expect it to be, but thirty minutes? That
’s a sure way to get yourself into trouble real quick, without the ability to dig yourself back out.”

  “Not if they are used smartly.”

  “And how often do you think battles ever go quite the way you want them to? I know you’ve achieved some great things in your little raids. Both of you have, but this is an entirely different animal. The timing just never fits as neatly as you want it to.”

  “We get it, and believe me, I am as concerned about the shortcomings of the equipment as you are, but we can only do the best we can with what we got,” replied Taylor.

  “Fair enough, but when what you have isn’t much at all, that doesn’t exactly bring much comfort.”

  Jones gave up as they stepped aboard the bridge.

  The bridge was quiet and calm, Vega standing with his hands behind his back. He was looking out as if admiring the view and deep in thought.

  “What can we do, Sir?”

  “Right now, Colonel, nothing. For now this work is ours.” He sounded relaxed and confident.

  “It’s no secret that the Colonel is here, and they will come for him, you know that right?” Jones asked.

  Vega nodded.

  “And that doesn’t concern you?”

  “No more than anything else. All I need know is that the enemy is upon us, and I will do everything in my power to destroy them.”

  “Well, I’m glad somebody is worried.”

  “Don’t mistake this for a lack of worry. Only a fool wouldn’t be worried, but we must all remain calm if we are to navigate through what is about to hit us. You know precisely what I mean, don’t you, Colonel?”

  “Calm as we can be, considering the circumstances,” Taylor agreed with the Admiral.

  “So you chose us to be in the place where you do this? I am not sure whether to be honoured or insulted,” said Jones.

  “I needed someone who could keep cool when we are knee deep in shit, and keep on fighting no matter what.”

  “I can promise you that much, Colonel.” Vega finally turned to face them and stepped up to Taylor to talk more privately.

  “So this is it? This is where you make your stand?”

  “It looks that way, doesn’t it?”

  “If she comes for you, that thing that calls herself a Queen, she’ll tear apart everything standing in her way, won’t she?”

  “No doubt.”

  “Then you just have to ask yourself, how much are you willing to give to stop her. How much are you willing to sacrifice, and who?”