“They will be in range in twenty seconds, Sir!” a worried voice called out.
“Nobody fires until fired upon, you hear me?”
Everyone knew it was a futile attempt to try and avoid a battle, and yet nobody blamed him for trying. There was flash of light from one of the enemy ships, and a beam stretched out from its long nosed prow. It struck one of the frigates to their starboard side and inflicted wicked damage.
“Fire!” Vega ordered.
The guns of the Resolution roared. Full salvos poured towards Bolormaa’s vessel. Another of her craft passed into the firing solution and took the worst of the salvo. It even stayed in one piece. The next burst smashed the enemy craft that had shielded Bolormaa’s ship, a ship they didn’t even know the name.
“What do you call it?”
“Leviathan, it’s fitting, don’t you think, Jones?” Rogers asked.
The sky before them lit up as the two sides pummelled each other. There seemed no order and no tactics to any of it. Taylor knew there had to be at least some attempt to carry out a plan, although it didn’t look like it. Both sides laid into one another, as if determined the only thing that would end the battle was the complete destruction of the other side.
Taylor could do nothing but watch the horrific battle unfold before him, as he had done at Ares 4. He knew he could go nowhere and do nothing. He hated that feeling. That someone else was doing the fighting, that they were risking their lives and taking on the enemy when he was not.
Fighter wings darted back and forth, and as before, the Resolution took very little fire from the enemy. Bolormaa was staying clear of their battle cruiser because she believed Taylor was on board. He was happy for her to continue in that knowledge and be proven right. As though she could feel she had achieved something and was somehow a step ahead, all the while he was really reeling her in.
An almighty beam of light struck a ship off their port side. It blew apart into a dozen unrecognisable pieces. Two enemy ships were knocked out soon after, and they watched as a bomber ran down the hull of one of the largest enemy vessels; the same ship that had obliterated the Alliance vessel moments before. Half as many fighters supported a dozen bombers. Gun turrets opened fire on them, and three of the bombers were obliterated in a flash. Enemy fighters closed in on them, too. The enemy vessel kept firing and even struck one of their own fighters, but didn’t stop the onslaught as the bomber wing was cut apart.
“Poor buggers,” said Jones.
“And what is it even for? All this death, and all because of one being,” replied Rogers.
“If it was always going to come down to a one-on-one fight, why couldn’t all this have been avoided?”
“Because neither side wants to lose, and both will go to any length to win. If both sides were willing to play fair, maybe it could have been avoided. But if we played fair, we would lose.”
For a full hour the fighting raged on, but it felt far longer. Both sides were decimated by the battle, and one couldn’t help but wonder if Rogers was right. Was this all she had left to give? It kept going round in all their minds, but they could never know for sure, and even if it were true, they were still losing. Lifeboats soared past them, as well as other shuttles and damaged vessels, making their way to through to Earth’s orbit.
“It’s hard to know if they are the lucky ones or not,” said Rogers.
“How so?”
“Going down onto the surface of Earth, there are as many hostile forces there as there are friendly.”
“I’d rather take my chances down there than up here. At least she isn’t down there.”
Rogers nodded in agreement.
Bolormaa!
He had openly and enthusiastically volunteered to face her, but now the opportunity was so close, it was a terrifying prospect.
“I can still wear the suit, you know.” Jones had noticed him deep in thought.
“I know, and you have my deepest respect and gratitude for that. Had we a third suit, I would not want anyone else to fight alongside us other than you.”
“I don’t hate you, you know.” Jones was trying to finally reconcile their differences, now that they may be coming to an end.
“I know.”
“I…”
“It doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t. I get it.”
Jones reached out his hand, and Rogers gladly shook it.
“You look after Taylor. The universe might think he is the toughest son of a bitch around, but they would only be half right. He needs help. He needs his friends.”
“Trust me, I know. And I never envied you for fulfilling that role. I never thought for a moment that I would have to play it, at least for a while.”
They were rocked as something heavy impacted against the ship.
“Collision with one of our own, Sir. We have breaches on three levels, and two fires reported.”
“Get crews down there now. Seal the decks if you have to. I do not want to risk a breach. This situation needs to be contained and controlled,” replied Vega.
He looked back just in time to see a Krys vessel blown nose first into one of the enemy vessels. It cut the ship in half, and fires raged on the Alliance vessel as its power faded, and it was blown apart. Moments later it exploded with a bright flash, causing everyone to look away. Looking back, there was nothing left of either vessel, nothing but debris.
It seemed as though every single ship in the Alliance fleet was now destroyed, crippled, or soon to follow them. The Leviathan remained intact, and less than a dozen of the Morohtan vessels were still in good shape. It had been a close fight, but the end was in sight now, and it was little relief to see what damage they had done. The enemy was still winning.
Ship after ship fell. Those Allied ships that could were making their way down to Earth’s surface, unable to stay in the fight any longer, and with too little power to maintain life support. The Resolution was the only ship of the fleet that looked like it would even be able to make a jump. The Phoenix floated by not far off their starboard side. It had no power and looked battered, if still intact. The Leviathan was approaching, and no amount of fire that they poured into it seemed to slow the beast down, or even damage her much at all. The other enemy vessels moved in to flank the solitary vessel. Fighters still zipped back and forth, but they were not able to do anything to halt the enemy advance.
Shots lit up the space around them as the remaining enemy vessels poured fire into them. But they were not trying to destroy them. They were targeting and precise. They were rocked by the impacts, but nothing as bad as it could have been, had the enemy so wished it. The Leviathan never fired a shot, but it was slowing as it drew near. The fire pouring into the enemy ship suddenly stopped completely.
“Sir, we have lost primary engine power. Weapon systems are down!”
“Get them back online!”
“I…I can’t, Sir. The most I can do is maintain life support, and keep us from being drawn into the atmo.”
“This is it,” said Rogers.
The enemy vessels encircled the Resolution. A few more shots were fired, and finally they came to a halt.
“What are they doing?” asked one of the crew.
“Making sure we can’t run, and we can’t fight back,” replied Rogers.
“The time has finally come, hasn’t it?”
Taylor nodded in agreement to the Admiral. He hadn’t spoken a word in a long time. He looked stunned by it all, but the truth was he had switched off. He had entered his own little world, psyching himself up for the inevitable epic confrontation that was soon to come.
‘What do we do, Sir?” asked one of the panicked crew.
“There is nothing we can do. Our work is done. Now this rests in others hands.”
The Admiral looked to Taylor, but the Colonel did not take his eyes off of the Leviathan.
“Come on. Let’s do this. Let’s finish this,” whispered Taylor.
Nobody was under any illusion about what was to ha
ppen. The plan to lure Bolormaa aboard had not been shared with the rest of the crew, but they could tell it was the case. Ever since they tried it the first time it was clear to them all. The guns stopped firing now. It was peaceful, but the debris of dozens of warships littered the scene all around them. Some of the wreckage was breaking up as it entered Earth’s orbit.
“Will she do it, will she come?” Jones asked.
“Of course she will,” said Rogers.
Even as he said it, they noticed several craft set out from the Leviathan.
“This is it. We are a go!” Rogers yelled with excitement.
Taylor approached Vega first.
“This may well be it, the end, the end of either her or us. But one way or another, it ends here today. You know what that means. Whatever it takes to see this through, are you still prepared to do it?”
“You have my word. I know what has to be done, and I won’t hesitate to do it. I promise you that, Colonel.”
“It has been an honour to serve with you, Sir. I can honestly say that there have been few who I would hold in such high regard. If we make it through this, I will be sure to make it a priority that your efforts are recognised in full.”
“The death of that creature is all the reward I need.”
Taylor could see there was sadness on the faces around the bridge. They were aware of what he was about to do, and what he was about to face. There was still little faith that anyone could defeat Bolormaa. Some of them had heard rumours of the AR2 suit, but it seemed a distant dream to imagine it was really capable of securing a victory over a seemingly invincible enemy.
“By now you must all know what is about to happen here. I am going to meet Bolormaa in battle, and one of us is going to die. I want to thank all of you for your commitment to the Alliance. Good luck to you all.”
The Admiral saluted him and held the salute, and everybody aboard the bridge soon joined him. Taylor smiled in appreciation, hesitated briefly, and then led his two friends off the bridge.
“So she took the bait,” said Jones.
“One wonders if we are really the bait now. Who has set the trap, us or her?” Taylor said quietly.
“Well, that remains to be seen, doesn’t it?”
“The plan is sound. We know what we are dealing with here. Stick to the plan, and we have every chance of pulling this off,” replied Rogers.
“And if it doesn’t go to plan. What if you can’t take her down?”
“You stay away, Jones. I don’t care what happens. You stay away. What is needed here is way beyond anything you can affect now.”
“You faced her before, wearing nothing more than I am now.”
“Yes, and it nearly killed me, and I didn’t do it without help. Stick to plan, please. That is not just an order, but I am asking you as a friend.”
Jones begrudgingly nodded his agreement as they stormed through the ship to get to the suits that were waiting for them.
“Remember, you guide her through, and you make sure she sees you, but do not get yourself killed. No need for any heroics, just do the job right,” said Taylor.
“And if you do fail?”
“You get on the boats and get out of here. My ship is still there if you need it, but it can’t hold more than a few. Dart is waiting pretty much with the engines running, so if it comes to it, you get your ass out of Dodge, you hear?”
“Yes…I hear,” he groaned.
They reached the armoury doors where they had checked the suits before. They found Turan and Sommer waiting for them. Sommer’s face was like stone as if she was about to attend a funeral.
“Does it really have to go down like this, Sir?” she asked.
“It does. I’ve had enough of her stupid games. She goes down, today.”
“And if you cannot defeat her, what then?”
“If both of us fall, Turan, and you will know if we have, you get the hell off this ship. And I mean fast. If it comes to that, you’ll have no time at all.”
“Is there any hope of victory, Sir?”
Taylor gave her a disgruntled look as if insulted by the question.
“You know how many dangers have overshadowed Earth since the dawn of time?”
She shook her head.
“Well, neither do I, but I’ve seen enough to know that it takes more than one sadistic bitch to get the job done. Of course there is hope.”
He put in the security code and used the retina scanner. The door swung open to reveal the two suits exactly as they had left them. Taylor took a deep breath, realising it was all coming to an end now, but he looked back to the others who just marvelled at the equipment gormlessly.
“You’ve got work to do. Come on, move it!” Taylor yelled.
They quickly turned and left, all but Jones. He would not leave without a few more words.
“What is it?”
“You told me about my ancestor, Charlie Jones.”
“Yes, what of him?”
“You told me he died to save you and so many others.”
“That’s right. You’d not be here if it wasn’t for his sacrifice.”
“So he died for something worthy?”
“You’re damn right he did.”
“If you are going to fall here today, be sure it is for something worthy, too. Don’t throw your life away needlessly.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Things might seem bad…”
“No shit.”
“Yes, okay, they are bad. In fact, I have never known of a worse time, and yet there is always hope. Don’t die here today because you feel it is all you have left to give.”
“Don’t you worry; I’m pissed off, not suicidal.”
“Good. Oh, and one last thing.”
“What?”
“Give that bitch hell.”
“You got it.”
Jones patted him on the shoulder and finally left.
“You mean everything to him, you know?” Rogers asked.
“He’s been reading too many war stories.”
“Can you blame him? He’s got a lot to live up to, and having you around can’t make that easy. Yet he certainly has risen to the occasion.”
“If I could have one wish come true today, beyond the death of Bolormaa obviously, it would be that he makes it out alive. His family truly have given everything to keep humanity safe and free.”
“If we can’t defeat her, it won’t matter whether he makes it through today, because it’s all over anyway.”
“Maybe. Humanity has gotten through this before. Life doesn’t end if we lose this.”
“You sure about that?”
“Of course, I have to be. I can’t think that the future of human existence rests solely on the two of us.”
“Are you not used to it by now?”
“No, forget the legend and what you may have read about me. I never did anything noteworthy by myself or with only one man to help.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
Taylor was eyeing up his AR2 suit now, wondering if it truly had what it took to get the job done.
Is this the last time I will wear it? Is this my last day? So many horrible questions that I would wish on no man.
His comms light flashed, and he quickly accepted it.
“Colonel, we’ve got five enemy vessels on approach. Two minutes, and they’ll be on the deck,” said Vega.
“Thank you, Admiral.”
“Good luck to you, Colonel.”
“And you, Sir.”
The signal cut out, and Taylor looked to Rogers.
“No backing out now,” said the Captain.
“Let’s do this,” said Taylor confidently.
He stepped into the suit and felt it clamp around his body. He felt the power surge as he stood upright, felt the immense strength flow through his body as if he and the suit were one.
“Now or never, this bitch dies, today!”
CHAPTER 10
Jones rushed
onto the docking bay floor with Turan to meet the rest of their unit that was assembled and ready to face whatever came at them. They knew they couldn’t win. Knowing it was going to cost them lives, the determination was stronger than ever. They could see the enemy craft make their final approach, and nothing opposed them. Emergency lighting was on, and all weapon systems that might have hindered their approach were now out of action.
“You see that there!” Jones shouted, “That is Bolormaa, come here to destroy everything we have, and everything we know! Will you let her?”
They roared with excitement, even though they all knew what was coming. They all knew that their job wasn’t to fight and win, only to play a part in a greater scheme.
“You think the Colonel can do this?”
“Of course he can,” replied Turan without doubt.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because to not be sure would help nobody.”
Jones smiled. He had a point, but it wasn’t particularly comforting.
“I always knew we would face her, but I never thought it would be like this.”
“This is exactly the way I thought we would face her,” replied Turan.
“What, unprepared, ill-equipped, and with a plan almost certain to fail?”
“Yes.”
Jones couldn’t help but laugh, even as the enemy ships touched down. Bolormaa’s personal shuttle was at the forefront, but after she had landed down, the ramp didn’t come down. The others soon followed. They were large assault craft, capable of carrying far more than Jones’ comrades. The ramps went down, and Morohtan warriors poured out. Jones didn’t need to say a word as everyone around him opened fire. It was a brutal salvo that cut down a dozen of the enemy before they could barely get off the ramps, but more soon poured out after them.
They weren’t any normal warriors. Each was equipped and decorated like the officers who led the enemy warriors. Their armour was thicker. They were taller and stronger than any normal Morohtan, and more of them filled the enemy ranks. Jones’ first magazine was out in no time at all. He ducked down into the cover of a boundary wall and slammed in a fresh one, but as he lifted up to carry on firing, a shot glanced his shoulder armour.
Battle Beyond Earth - Box Set (Books 6-9) Page 57