"Right now, we can save maybe a hundred thousand lives at best. We don't have the firepower on the ground to do any more. Any time that you can give us expands that number. You told the fleet that they have hope, and they certainly need hope. Well, I am offering you a chance to backup that promise."
Taylor smirked. He was being played, and yet deep down knew he was going to do it anyway. He just didn't like it.
"What is it the enemy are doing down there, what is their goal?"
"Hard to say, but the destruction is spreading widely."
"Are they taking people, too?"
"No idea, but they could well be."
"Without the jammer, they could take what they can and be out of here with God knows how many prisoners."
"Prisoners, do they have that capability?"
"They have enough ships on the surface to take plenty of our people, Colonel," replied Vega.
That was the clinch for Taylor. He thought of what Alita had been through, and what it would mean for any human taken back to Bolormaa. It meant death, or worse, to become one who does her bidding.
"Time is not on our side, Colonel."
"Ready our ships. We're going in. Just be ready for when this all starts to get a little too much. We are going to need help."
"What kind of help?"
"Once we have saved as many as we can, I want you to hit the surface. Bombard it. Leave nothing alive."
"And if are our own people are still down there?"
"Once all our vessels are clear, that is it. They are as good as dead. It will be a small mercy for them to die at our hands. None of her ships get off the surface, you hear me? Not one single human is being taken back to her."
It was a bleak prospect that Vega had not considered, but Taylor was right.
"Do I have your word? If we are going to do this, then this is the only way."
"I understand."
Taylor stormed off with Jones and Rogers close behind.
"The Colonel oversteps his mark," whispered Santiago.
"You step over the mark, Lieutenant. I hired you because frankly the best men for the job are now dead, and don't you ever forget it. You do your job, and that means doing what I tell you. And it means doing what Colonel Taylor tells you to do as well. The man is a bloody hero, and he deserves your respect."
"I respect what he has achieved, but that doesn't mean he is always right. No man should be followed absolutely, that is how a tyrant is born. It is probably how Bolormaa is the way she is..."
"Stop it. Stop right there. I will not have another bad word spoken about Taylor. Not only are you wrong, but you are way out of line. You wouldn't even be alive if it were not for him, none of us would. No, he doesn't respect the chain of command, and yes, he is a little wild at times, but he gets results. This is war, and things aren't black and white. Taylor is just the right kind of crazy for this time. Do not test me on this. I am sure I can find someone quite capable to fill your shoes if you cannot fulfil your duty."
"Sir, it is only my duty I think of. I am here to look after the safety and security of this vessel, and all aboard. It is my duty to protect against threats, no matter what their origin."
"And I am telling you that Taylor is not one of them. I am sure you have plenty of work to do, as do I. Get to it."
* * *
Taylor was loading up with all the ammunition he could get. They all knew what was expected of them.
"A blind jump into unknown enemy numbers, direct onto the target?"
"They are running amok amongst civilians, you have a better idea, Jones?"
"No," he replied with a smile.
"It's a shit situation, but it's our shit situation, so let's make it work."
"They may have the numbers, but we have the skills, the training, and the will to succeed," said Rogers.
"Nobody dies today, none of our own. We have lost enough."
"I wish I could make that promise, Colonel," Rogers said quietly.
"A promise mostly kept is better than not at all."
Rogers got his meaning.
"Listen up!" Taylor’s team gathered around him. Little over a hundred marines was all he had.
"We're heading to the Moon, Earth's Moon that is. The colony is under attack. The Admiral has despatched ships and personnel to get as many civilians out as possible, but they need time. We don't know what the enemy strength is, only other than that it is in the thousands."
There were no gasps or surprise reactions. They expected Taylor to ask the impossible now, and they felt they could achieve it, too.
"We are fighting for the survival of our race. Never before has a human life been worth so much to the existence of our race. We can't save them all, but every minute we can hold the enemy back, more will make it. It is a lot to ask, especially after all that you have been through lately. There are a lot of children down there, the next generation of marines, pilots, scientists, and fighters. It falls to us to protect them. That is our task. Hold them back, kill as many as possible, and get back out alive. Those are your orders. We stick together in this. We have too few numbers to separate. The colony is a strip at one end, the port and evacuation site, and at the other, the enemy. That narrow strip can work in our favour. We have a half kilometre area to hold. If we can close off a few areas, we might reduce that further. Any questions?"
"Sir, what the hell do they want with the Moon?" Pitt asked.
"To eradicate humanity. When she struck Earth, her armies were still fighting there. She had no care for them. She aims to destroy us, no matter the cost. The one thing she will not risk is her own life. Everything and everyone else is expendable. She is on a bitter path to obliterate humanity from this universe. She is an arrogant Queen, one who fancied herself a God. She will be keen to erase these pages from the history books. That is what she would have. Humanity, and Krys alike, removed from this universe, along with all evidence of the trouble we ever caused her. Will you let that happen?"
"Hell, no," replied Pitt.
"We have fought for so long to try and kill Bolormaa, and soon enough we will be back to that task. But we cannot forget the reason we are fighting. It is for everything, those who can fight, and those who can't. Right now they need our help. Let's give it to them. Gather as much ammo as you can. Use HE conservatively. We may be able to survive a breach, but plenty can't. Good luck."
They gave out a cheer in support, but it was restrained and short, before going about their business.
"This must bring back memories," said Jones.
Taylor nodded in agreement. It wasn't lost on him. Jones and Rogers were both familiar with his history and how the Krys war began. Taylor took a deep breath as he let his mind wander back to that time. It felt like many lifetimes ago. One moment he was living in a world free of large-scale war, and the next, facing a seemingly unstoppable enemy. He pointed to Turan.
"You see him. He was what I faced the first time I went into action. Real action, I mean. It took twenty of us throwing everything we had at a single Krys warrior to take them down. They were unstoppable war machines, and now a human can match one without question. Hell, any man or woman in this room could take on twenty of them now with this hardware. How things change, and yet, still remains the same. Once more we are heading to the Moon to rescue civilians. What has changed?"
"You always said that wars will never end. So maybe history just keeps on repeating?" Jones asked.
"No, I don't accept that," replied Rogers. “What you went through back then was horrific, as these days are for us now. But don't let that blur your vision. Look at what has been achieved. When you were growing up, man had barely reached Mars, and look how far we have gotten now."
"Maybe we'd have been better off never reaching out to the stars? All it has done has brought us pain and suffering. Bloodthirsty warlords who would take our world for themselves, or destroy it."
"Humanity has been through exactly the same, and we overcame it all."
"The
re will be an end to all this, and it isn't far away now."
"Good or bad, though, Jones?" Taylor asked.
"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that we did our best, and we gave it our best shot. If we fail, we won't be around to know anyway, and if we succeed, well, we can have a life that you always dreamed of."
Taylor smiled. It was a nice thought, although he wanted someone to spend that time with if it ever came to it. But for now he had to focus once more. He thought back to the Moon.
"You know I once knew a man from this moon. Kelly he was called. Over the hill and out of shape when all this began, he fought like a lion. He gave everything to protect his people, and you know what he accepted? That after it all, it wasn't the Moon that they cared about, it wasn't the colony they fought for, it was the people."
"Damn right," replied Jones.
"How long now?"
"A matter of minutes."
"So soon? Vega already got us there?"
"He knew you wouldn't say no. He headed here the moment we first got news that something was wrong.”
"Slippery son of a bitch." Taylor smiled, "Load up. We've got work to do!"
They rushed into the assault craft and strapped in. Within a minute, they were lifting off, and soared out from the bays of the Resolution. They had a quick glimpse of the Attila that was flying in support.
"How on Earth did she survive, and take all that she did?" asked Jones.
"You think it’s my destiny to kill Bolormaa, don't you?"
"I'm starting to think it is the only thing that makes sense."
"Then you have your answer."
"But you don't believe it, do you?"
"It doesn't matter, only that you do," Rogers added.
They were descending at a rapid rate. The Colony looked peaceful from above, for it was fully enclosed. A number of large transport vessels were taking off from the port, and many more coming in to land.
"A million people, you know how long it could take to get them out?"
"The evacuation has been underway for hours already, Jones. The forces on the ground held pretty well, while they could, and they are still resisting now," replied Rogers.
"Brave people."
"They always were. You'd have to be, to live on that rock and not go crazy. The Lunar colonists were some of the most hardy of survivors I have ever known. Without them, I wouldn't be alive today."
It was tragic to see the Colony in such a state once more, but that spurred him on further, to honour the memories of Commander Kelly and his comrades. They came in to land on one of the rooftops where only a small craft could fit. They sealed their masks, and the ramps opened. Taylor led the way out onto the surface as the other transports landed on rooftops nearby. His boots clamped to the rooftop as he covered the open ground. He always hated the feeling of zero gravity. It wasn't the weightlessness that bothered him, but the knowledge that if his air ever ran out, there was no way out. That was a fear that he perpetually had, and the reason he always hated going into space. Sadly, that was his life now, and it had been for a long time.
They reached the elevator doors and stepped inside. Just half his platoon could fit in the first wave; the rest would have to wait with Rogers. The doors shut, and they began to descend into the colony. Nobody said a word, but they were all anxious. They readied their weapons and checked, and doubled checked. They had no idea what they would face when the doors opened, and they were in such small numbers. They prayed they were not walking into a death trap, knowing it was a strong possibility.
"You know this wasn't the smartest move, don't you?"
"It's not going to be a fun ride, Jones, but it doesn't mean it was a bad move."
The doors slid open, and gunfire echoed out nearby, but it wasn’t aimed at them. A battle was going on.
"Come on." Taylor rushed out and headed right for the source of it. They only had to go thirty metres when they reached a dining hall. Lunar defence volunteers were holed up behind a makeshift barricade. Five lay dead and several more wounded, but eight were still in the fight. It was a miracle any of them were still alive, but that gave Taylor hope that there were more resisting the enemy advance. He rushed to the barricade and immediately began firing over it to suppress the enemy before he could even see them.
"Gurvs," he said with disgust.
It was also a relief. They were savages, but they were also the weakest of Bolormaa's troops. He gunned down two and ducked back into cover.
"Who the hell are you?" A woman was reloading her rifle behind the barricade. She looked like she was in charge, but she wore the low rank of Corporal.
"Colonel Taylor."
"It's not the time for humour," she snapped.
He smiled back, watching as she took a closer look and realised it was actually him.
"What are you doing here?"
"Saving your ass."
"It's about damn time. What took you so long?"
"We got here as soon as we could. How many more of you are there?"
"I'm not sure how many are left, maybe a hundred, maybe less, scattered right the way across the width of the Colony. Some have fallen back to help get people out. There are still people out there that need our help. Now you are here..."
"Negative, we are too few. We hold while we can, but anyone ahead of this position is finished. Gurvs don't leave any alive, and if they did, they'll be on their way back to the Morohtan vessels."
"You have to help them."
"Trust me, we will in the best way we can."
He didn't want to explain that to her, but it was clear she had some sense of what he meant. His team were laying down a wall of fire, giving a welcome break for the Corporal and her people to help the wounded.
"What's your name, Corporal?"
"Ricci," she said as she applied a spray bandage to a wound on a man lying nearby.
"You know the Colony is finished, and we have to get everyone off we can, right?"
"Yeah, I know that," she almost shouted at him.
"It's not the first time I've had to see the people here leave, and I know it sucks. If you are anything like I remember, you are stubborn sons of bitches."
"Yes, Sir."
"But now survival is what matters, you know what has happened to Earth, right?"
"It's gone. Everyone is dead."
"It's bad, but it's not that bad. There are survivors, millions down there."
She was shocked at what he had said.
"We can save them, too, if we work together."
"Lead the way, Colonel. My people have always trusted you, and so will I."
That was all he needed to hear.
"Then listen to me real good. Send your wounded back to the boats, and anyone who isn’t needed to carry them."
"But we can fight."
"Yes, you can, and any of you not needed to help the wounded will keep on fighting. We are going to fight until the last moment that we can, but when that time comes, we cannot be held back. We'll be running like the wind."
She gestured towards three of her people.
"Take the wounded. Get them out of here!"
"And after we have done that?"
"Get the hell out of here. Don't even think about coming back," added Taylor.
"You heard the Colonel. Move!"
They quickly complied with the order and helped the wounded away. They were glad to be away from it all, but they would have stayed put until the end if necessary.
"You're a hero to the people here, you know that, Colonel?"
"Maybe one time, but that was a long time ago, stories get inflated."
She smiled in response as they rose up, lay their guns over the barricade, and opened fire. Fifty bodies lay in the cafeteria ahead, and the enemy numbers were increasing. The hordes of Gurvs rushed at them, but they laid down a volley of fire. There were so many targets that Taylor's first magazine was empty in no time. He ducked down to reload when Rogers arrived with the other half of their pl
atoon.
That’s when he realised how bad their situation was. They had three officers for one platoon, a sad state of affairs indeed. Rogers and Jones were competent platoon or company leaders, but he was also glad to have them by his side.
"Sommer, this is Taylor, report."
"We've got multiple enemy contacts."
There was loud and repetitive gunfire over the sound of her voice.
"Turan?"
"Same."
"Can you hold?"
"Yes," replied Turan firmly.
"We can hold, but it's getting pretty hot over here!" Sommer added.
Taylor got back in the fight. The horde seemed unending, and it was fortunate that they were bottlenecked in the claustrophobic colony. He never understood how anybody could live there, let alone like it. Another magazine ran empty, and one of Ricci's people was hit as he ducked back down. Taylor slammed a new magazine in and went back to the fight without even checking on them. He couldn't afford to. The place stank now. It smelt like sewage and death. The disgusting creatures attacking them smelt even worse dying than they did when they were alive. Sweat was dripping down their faces. The heat from the battle was sweltering.
The fight went on for twenty minutes, wave after wave of Gurvs. It seemed so pointless, but their ammunition was running dry. The wild fire of the savage creatures wounded three from his platoon, and he slammed another magazine in. The floor was littered with empties where they had thrown them aside to allow for quick changes. He took aim at a Gurv like he had done so many times before, and fired. The shot struck the creature’s head dead centre, one shot, one kill. He felt good about it, but only for a moment, because in the next, his heart almost stopped.
The battle had brought down several dividing walls ahead, giving them a clear view for a couple of hundred metres. Two Juggernauts were approaching, and behind them Morohtan warriors, led by three Princes.
"Oh, my god," said Jones.
"They didn't come here to kill colonists. They came to kill us. It's a trap!" Rogers yelled.
CHAPTER 5
“Cover!”
A Juggernaut struck the barricade and barrelled through it. All but one of the marines got out of the way, but one was thrown through the air, and his spine snapped as he hit the corner of a wall several metres away. Taylor launched a flash grenade towards the Princes. Rogers and four others encircled the Juggernaut and went at it with blades in hand. He ducked into cover as the flash erupted. He was on his feet again in no time and laying down fire. Many of the Gurvs were dazed, and he took his opportunity to finish them off. But the Princes were still advancing.
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