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

by Nick S. Thomas

  “What are we going to do?” he asked.

  They hung on to his every word.

  “I’ll tell you what we are going to do. The only thing I know how. We are going to fight!”

  BATTLE BEYOND EARTH: RECKONING

  By Nick S. Thomas

  Copyright © 2017 by Nick S. Thomas

  Published by Swordworks Books

  PROLOGUE

  The deception that had kept Bolormaa at bay was a welcome respite while it lasted. Maintaining the illusion that Mitch Taylor was too weak to fight Bolormaa had brought her to a standstill. But that secret was now out, and Taylor himself was the cause of the leak. He had carried out a daring raid to rescue POWs. Humans not just being held as prisoners; but were being bent and twisted in horrific ways to serve in her armies.

  Nobody could have imagined the horrors they would witness on that mission. But worst of all, it was the last place Taylor expected to find the person he cared for most in life – Alita. He had to kill her to protect his identity, but he could not do it. Bolormaa’s wrath was swift. All hope had seemed lost, but Milo Rivers’ new highly advanced AR2 suits could still make a difference, if Taylor could get a chance to use them.

  The Alliance had one shot to take Bolormaa down, an elaborate plot that boiled down to one of personal combat. If the Alliance could destroy Bolormaa, they may yet have a chance to save Earth and the other free worlds. The trap was set, and Bolormaa rushed right into it. Taylor had his chance, and Bolormaa seemed all but defeated as he dished out the revenge he had sought for so long. It seemed like it was all over, and the celebrations on Earth had already begun.

  Taylor’s worst fears were soon confirmed. Bolormaa was not finished, and he had failed. The celebrations had barely got underway when the Morohtan Queen exacted her wrath upon humanity. She was hell bent on destroying Earth and all upon it. Explosions erupted across the surface of Taylor’s beloved planet, and a cloud exploded into the skies, engulfing and destroying all life. Taylor and his closest friends managed to escape without a moment to spare. Captain Roworth flew them out of danger in his outdated but tough vessel, Attila.

  It seemed all was lost as the planet was evacuated in a desperate attempt to save as many lives as possible. The only option seemed to be to flee, as Taylor had once done in the Krys war. He had abandoned Earth once before, and the prospect of doing so again was sickening. He knew running was the best thing to do, and he ordered it as soon as they were off the surface, but that was one order Roworth could not comply with. Bolormaa was blocking all vessels in the system from opening a jump gate.

  There is one jump gate station in the Solar System for use by vessels that do not possess the ability to create their own gateway, but Bolormaa’s fleet stands in their way. The thousands of vessels that made it off the surface of Earth now look to the few warships still able to put up a fight. The fate of all from Earth is about to be decided. There is no other way out, but through the enemy.

  CHAPTER 1

  “We can’t fight that!” cried a ship’s officer as he pointed at the enemy fleet. They had relied on the assumption that Bolormaa’s forces would flee or scatter after her defeat, but she had not been defeated.

  Taylor didn’t look daunted as the rest of them did. There was a horror in their eyes, as though they had already witnessed their own deaths. It was hardly surprising. The world that many of them had called home was finished. Earth was gone, and billions must surely have perished with her. It was a thought Taylor had expelled from his mind, for he too had been struck by it.

  “How can we take on that?” demanded the same officer.

  The bridge once again fell silent as all looked to him. That was when it struck him that there seemed to be no communication coming their way, as if they were in a complete blackout. He looked back to the viewing screens. Alliance vessels surrounded them.

  “Get me the Admiral!”

  From the look on Roworth’s face that was something he couldn’t do. Taylor had been through this so many times before. Communications jamming, it seemed to be one of the banes of his existence.

  “No, comms, no jump capability, no planet to seek shelter on.” He turned as if looking for options and surveying everything around him. The enemy fleet wasn’t moving, nor was it firing. They were just there, as if waiting for him to make the first move. He tried to think of some way out, or some help he could call on, but they were all out of options.

  “What do you want to do?” Jones asked.

  Rogers was the man with all the ideas, but he had nothing either.

  “We are gonna fight, and we are gonna take the fight to the bitch.”

  “But how? We can’t even communicate with the fleet,” complained the same man who had protested before.

  “We don’t need to.” He turned his attention to Captain Roworth.

  “You have your target. Take us in.”

  “We’ve not got a lot of ammunition left, Colonel, and I don’t know how much help we’ll have.”

  Taylor knew how desperate their situation was, they all did.

  “The only way out is through them. Everyone can see that.”

  “It’s just what she wants, isn’t it?”

  “You got any other ideas?”

  He had no words.

  “If we are going to die today, then we do it facing the enemy, within reach of their throats,” declared Turan.

  “Sounds good,” replied Jones.

  They were all so weary it seemed a relief to at least have a direction to go in. He was kicking himself for not finishing Bolormaa when he had the chance. He’d failed to kill Alita when he knew he should have, and failed to put an end to the enemy Queen when everything was at stake. He seemed to give it his best at the time, but was now replaying those moments over and over in his mind. He let it pass and focused on the task at hand.

  “It’s been an honour to serve with all of you. Now let’s do what we were born to do.”

  He nodded towards Roworth to continue, and he quickly relayed the command. The engines took them forward slowly, but steadily. Taylor wanted to reach out to the rest of the fleet. He had no idea who was even in command, but wished he had some way to spur them on. The Attila advanced alone, and Taylor held his breath, hoping others would follow.

  “In range in two minutes,” said the gunnery officer.

  Nobody said a word, but finally a warship broke formation to follow them, and then another. Six more vessels advanced, and then a flood of ships as anything able to fight followed them into the jaws of death.

  “My God, this is it, everything we have left,” said Rogers.

  “Victory or death,” added Jones.

  He looked almost happy about it, but truthfully it was a relief to them all, to finally be at the end. Taylor pulled on his helmet in readiness. He wore the same armour and powered suit the rest of his marines did. The AR2 suit was in need of repair, and he wasn’t even sure where it was now. It didn’t matter. None of it mattered. All he had was what was on his body, and the men and women willing to follow him.

  “What is our first target?”

  He didn’t have to think about it for long. He pointed at the largest ship in the enemy fleet, a giant among dozens of powerful vessels, and a ship that dwarfed their own.

  “You sure?” Jones asked him.

  “How can the rest of the fleet have the confidence to attack that bastard if we won’t?”

  “Maybe they’re cautious with good reason?”

  “I piss on caution. Take us in,” he snarled.

  “Same old Taylor,” Jones smiled.

  “All weapons, prepare to fire!” Roworth ordered.

  “This is gonna get ugly,” said Jones.

  “Fire!”

  A salvo was released and smashed into the nose of the largest vessel in the enemy fleet, to little effect, but moments later a stream of gunfire and missiles rocketed past them. A dozen vessels at their backs opened fire at the same target. It was a heavy blow that clearly did
damage, but the vessel returned fire, and one of theirs to the rear starboard side flashed, lighting up the scene. It was instantly blown apart.

  “What the hell was that?” Roworth asked.

  It didn’t matter now. All they could do was keep moving forward under a barrage of fire. A salvo from the enemy vessel’s smaller guns smashed over their bow. They were shaken violently by the impact, but the Attila held firm.

  “Tough old girl,” Jones said, as many gasped.

  “Yes, she is, but she can only take so much.”

  “She’ll hold, Captain.”

  “Yeah, and what makes you so sure, Colonel?”

  “Because she has to. Our job isn’t done yet.”

  “I hate to break it to you, but even if we can get near Bolormaa, what makes you think you could end her this time, when you couldn’t before? We haven’t even got the AR suits,” Jones asked quietly, as the gunfire continued to lash the vessel.

  “We don’t need the suits. She’s hurt badly, very badly indeed,” replied Rogers.

  “Just don’t underestimate a wounded animal. They can surprise you.”

  Taylor had nothing to say. He had a one-track mind now. It was all he could do to stay sane. Focus on getting to Bolormaa and ending her. It had gone on too long, and cost far too much. Explosions burst out around them as other ships in the fleet were ripped apart, but Attila’s thick armour held firm. They continued to fire as they closed the distance.

  “You have no idea what’s on board that ship, do you?”

  Taylor shook his head at the Captain.

  “You let us worry about that. On me,” he said and stormed off the bridge.

  The men and women of their company lined the corridors of the vessel. There was a grim and foreboding silence hanging over them. Although the sight of Taylor moving with such purpose brought some slither of hope to their hearts.

  “We are going to fight, who is with me?”

  First there came no response, but he soon repeated it more loudly. His deep voice echoed about the corridors even as the ship was still rocked by enemy gunfire.

  “Who is with me!”

  A roar of enthusiasm came back. They soon reached the docking bay, and he went straight for the armoury at the entrance. He stuffed his armour with magazines and threw a bag over his shoulder with as much ammunition and grenades as he could carry.

  “Anything you can carry, take it. We’re in for a wild ride!”

  Turan picked up an automatic cannon lying nearby. It was intended for ship mounting, and it was so heavy he had to carry it at the hip. There was no chance any of the humans among them would manage it. Taylor didn’t argue with him. They needed all the firepower they could get. Turan connecting an ammo feed to it, slung the looped strap onto the ammo box, and threw it over his back. The guns had gone silent, and they all knew what that meant. They were coming in to land.

  Everyone around Taylor looked terrified, even his closest and strongest friends. Only the Krys remained stoic, for they never seemed to fear anything.

  “Don’t fear death! We’re all already dead! We don’t have long in this lifetime, so let’s use it well. But let me be clear, the last of us does not go down until that bitch Bolormaa is dead and buried!”

  A roar of excitement rang out as they shouted and cheered in support.

  “There will be no unconfirmed kill of the Queen. I want to see the body, and I want to see her head separated from her shoulders. There can be no doubt that she is finished. She just killed billions of our kind. Let that settle in for a moment. For many of you that will mean friends and family lost. Think of them, avenge them!”

  The ship rocked as they came in for a heavy landing, and Taylor rushed towards the docking bay doors. He took one deep breath before nodding to Jones to hit the door release switch.

  “Kill them all!”

  The doors flew open, and a wall of gunfire struck them. Five were killed instantly. One shot grazed Taylor’s helmet and snapped his head back, but he was quick to recover in the face of danger. He didn’t need to aim. He held his rifle at the hip and fired, as did everyone else. There were no tactics, and the two forces fought like old sail ships lashing each other with relentless broadsides. The enemy took no cover, rushing at them fanatically. Morohtan warriors were mixed with Gurvs and humans, too. It was as if Bolormaa had amassed everything she had for this.

  Taylor was pushed aside when Turan shoved him out the way, presenting the barrel of the vast ship-mounted weapon to the enemy. He opened fire, and the recoil nearly ripped it from his hands. The muzzle flash was so large they lost sight of the enemy. The thunderous echo ringing around the hangar was deafening. The volley of fire ripped through the head of the enemy assault as though they wore no armour at all. The heavy rounds punched through multiple ranks. Taylor could see his opportunity. He primed two grenades and launched them into the horde, and the others followed suit. One grenade after another exploded as the gunfire continued to lash them, but less with every grenade.

  The enemy assault had been blunted, and they were starting to take cover wherever they could find it, even amongst the mound of their own dead. Turan's cannon ran empty, and smoke rose from the red-hot barrel.

  "Come on!" Taylor yelled.

  He ran out from the cover of their ship and straight at the enemy. He activated his shield as he got into the open, firing on the move. Five shots smashed into his shield, but the rest of his comrades were soon with him. He had sprinted so fast he was way ahead of them. He gunned down five of the enemy by the time he had closed with them, but he didn't slow down. He smashed into a human enemy full force. The impact almost brought him to a standstill as his shield launched the man into the air. He smashed into a Morohtan warrior, and they both collapsed into a bundle. He turned his attention to a Gurv, emptying a burst of fire into its chest, but he felt something take hold of his shield and wrench him around. Taylor was face-to-face with a Morohtan warrior, but as he turned, his muzzle rose up below the chin of the creature. He pulled the trigger without hesitation. Blood spurted out from the top of its head where the round went right through. It blew out the back of the beast’s head, and it collapsed before him.

  Two shots struck his rear armour, rocking him forward. He turned to face his attacker, another of the foul Gurvs. He opened fire and cut the creature down with ease, when he heard a war cry. A huge Morohtan was storming towards him in a savage charge, with a two-handed axe held above its head. He opened fire from the hip and kept firing. Twenty shots struck the creature, but few penetrated its thick armour, until finally a few found their mark. It collapsed and slid towards his feet as his magazine ran empty.

  He let the weapon drop to his side, drew out his Assegai, and thrust it into the neck of the creature to be certain it was finished.

  "Jesus, Mitch, you can't take on the whole world by yourself." Rogers had caught up with him.

  "I wouldn't take that bet." Jones joined them.

  The enemy was still fighting back, but his company had gained control of the landing area.

  "Come on, we have to keep moving."

  He rushed on and slashed another Gurv as he passed by. His blade cut deep into the creature’s collar, but Taylor didn't slow down. He took a bend that led to an exit from the bay. He ended up looking down the barrel of a gun held in human hands. He froze. He'd faced thousands of opponents before, but for a moment he thought it was Alita. She was of a similar age and not so different to look at. He couldn't move. A shot rang out from over his shoulder, hitting the woman in the forehead. She dropped down dead.

  "They are the enemy," insisted Rogers.

  "They weren't always." Taylor solemnly knelt down beside the body of the woman. It was clear to them all what was going through his head, but it was the last distraction he needed in their current situation.

  "If we find Alita again, you have to do the same, you know that, right?"

  Jones hated Rogers for asking it, and yet he accepted it had to be done.

&
nbsp; "You do get that, right?"

  "I get that I have to do my job," snapped Taylor.

  He nodded, but it didn't inspire either of them with any confidence. They'd never seen him hesitate to kill an enemy, and it was a huge concern to them both. Gunfire still raged on all around them. The Attila took up most of the docking bay. It was never intended to facilitate such a large vessel, and had crushed several enemy ships upon landing, wedging another against the far wall. Captain Roworth was leading a boarding party from his ship, with all of the weapons and armour they could muster. Nobody argued with the gesture; they needed all the help they could get.

  "Sweep and clear. We have the element of surprise, but it won't last long!"

  Taylor then pointed to an exit on the far side of the hangar. "Turan, Sommer, take Roworth with you!"

  He carried on with Jones and Rogers and two platoons at their back. They reached the exit of the hangar, and had just stepped through when a grenade bounced off the walls. It came flying towards them.

  "Cover!"

  They ducked back as a flash of light erupted. Taylor was closest to it. He had turned away to avoid the worst of the flash, but he still staggered back stunned. The only relief was that he’d expected a high explosive charge. The enemy was starting to use their own methods against them. Rogers hauled him back from the doorway and into cover as a wave of soldiers stormed down the corridor towards them. Jones was first to the opening and took aim, but to his horror, all the attackers were human. They wore the same clothing and armour that his unit did, but it had been crudely painted red as if blown over with a spray gun. He hesitated and couldn't fire. He wanted to say something to try and stop them, but he could find no words. They opened fire on the move as two of his platoon stepped up to join him. One was hit in the collar by a hail of bullets, and the man went down.