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

by Nick S. Thomas

  Rogers rushed at the Juggernaut at a sprinting pace. As he neared, he dropped to his knees, sliding under the creature’s swing. He slashed out two of its legs, and it toppled. Jones and the rest were on it in no time, stabbing wildly until it no longer moved. The enemy swarmed forward, dozens of Morohtan warriors advancing as a shield for the Princes.

  "We can't stay here!" Jones shouted.

  "He's right, this isn't about saving colonists anymore. We have to save ourselves!"

  Rogers rushed back to Taylor's side. Taylor ignored him as he loaded in a new magazine and got back up to continue firing, but Rogers grabbed hold of him and hauled him back into cover.

  "Didn't you hear what I said?"

  "Yeah, I heard you, but we came here to save lives, and that is what we are doing!"

  "Save as many lives as possible, and that includes our own. They are going to run over us. We are no use to anyone dead. We have to get the hell out of here!"

  Taylor ignored him and rose up to continue firing, but he froze at the sheer number of enemy before them. It was horrifying. A gunshot glanced across his helmet, and he ducked back down.

  "We have to get out of here, now!"

  Taylor nodded in agreement.

  "All units, back to the boats. I repeat, back to the boats!" he yelled down his mic.

  He drew out two flash grenades, primed them, and launched them over the barricade. Rogers followed them with a smoke grenade. The flashes ignited, and the smoke quickly flooded the shallow roofed structure.

  "Let's go!" Rogers called out.

  Taylor grabbed Ricci and pulled her with him as they ran for their lives. It wasn't how he had imagined the day going, and was kicking himself for not seeing the trap coming.

  "Bolormaa wants you dead. She isn't toying with you anymore!"

  "She's finally accepted that maybe she can't beat you," Jones added as they ran on.

  "That's a relief and horrifying at the same time. I was sent to work with Taylor for precisely that reason, and now what do we have? A genocidal maniac with no boundaries," replied Rogers.

  They reached the elevator and Rogers pushed Ricci and the rest of her people in. As many of their platoon squeezed in as they could, with Jones leading them.

  "Don't stay any longer than you have to," Jones said as the doors shut.

  The rest of them took up defensive positions. Nobody needed to be told to do it. They were boxed into a corner, and just had to hope they could hold the enemy off. They could hear the enemy drawing near. Taylor drew out his last flash grenade and tossed it down the corridor as the first Gurv's head appeared. The shock forced several of them back, and Taylor's first shots killed three.

  "Grenades would sure be nice right about now!"

  But he knew they couldn't risk it even if they’d had them. Rogers threw another smoke, and six of them able to get a view from cover laid down fire. Morohtan warriors burst out through the smoke and came out firing. The first burst from Taylor's rifle bounced from a creature’s armour, but the impacts were enough to cause it to stumble and crash into another. They opened fire on both. One turned and presented its back as it tumbled, riddled with bullets.

  They kept firing, and as Taylor's magazine ran empty, he stepped back to let someone else take his position while he reloaded. As he got the magazine in, the elevator pinged, and the door slid open. It was a welcoming sound.

  "Come on. Let's go!"

  They rushed into the elevator and crammed in tight, just managing to everyone fit in. Rogers was frantically hitting the door button. It seemed to be taking an age to close, but it began to move. The doors were a few centimetres from locking when they stopped dead and were pried apart. A Prince stood before them. Taylor's rifle lifted instinctively and opened fire. He held down the trigger, and automatic fire knocked the creature back. He'd emptied a magazine in no time. It staggered and lost its grip on the doors, which once more began to seal. The Prince lifted a powerful looking pulse weapon. It lit up as if increasing in power. Rogers let out a burst as the enemy’s weapon flashed, and a pulse surged towards them. The doors shut, and the smallest amount of the energy pulse splashed through the door as it sealed.

  It struck Rogers square in the chest. He was thrown back into the others, and the whole elevator rocked. Taylor knelt down beside him. The splash from the pulse weapon had cut deeply into his armour, but had not penetrated. He could barely breathe from the shock.

  "You okay?"

  "Great," he gasped.

  Finally, the elevator began to move. It was a relief, for a moment they thought they were stuck there. They sealed their visors down and waited. The doors opened, but to their horror dozens of Morohtan warriors were storming the craft that was awaiting them. Jones and the others were fighting them off from the ramp of their ship. Nobody said a word. They raised their weapons and rushed forward in a direct assault on the enemy. They all knew they had no time to hang around. Taylor emptied a magazine and dropped his rifle to his side. He drew his Assegai and continued to lead the charge.

  He shield barged one in the back and slashed to decapitate a second. Many of the enemy were turning to face their charge now, but that exposed their backs to Jones and his squad, who cut them down with ease. One kicked Ricci's legs out from under her, and she landed headfirst. The visor of her helmet hit a ridge in the roof of the building and cracked the glass. Rogers thrust his blade deep into her attacker, and Taylor hauled her to her feet. She was losing oxygen at quite a rate and looked pale. He holstered his Assegai, drew his pistol, and hauled her onto his shoulder.

  "Go on, go!" Jones yelled.

  He ran and fired on the move. His pistol could do almost nothing to their front armour, but it was enough to provide some cover. Two of the enemy were all that blocked his way now. Jones fired a burst into the back of one, and Taylor charged at the other, firing until he was out. The bullets didn't penetrate, but did drive the creature back. As he closed, he delivered a swift push kick that launched the stunned creature onto its back. From there he stamped on its head to break its neck.

  "Come on. Move it!" Jones kept shouting.

  He ran on, trusting in Rogers and the others to have his back. He stormed onto the ship and put the Corporal down. He pulled out an emergency air supply mask from above her seat, connecting it to the side of her helmet and then taping the cracks. She began to breathe normally again, but she looked exhausted. The rest were piling on board as Jones and a few others covered them. There was a cry of pain as Jones was hit. Maloney pulled him on board and shut the ramp behind him.

  "Go!" Taylor ordered.

  They lifted off under a flurry of gunfire. As they took their seats, Taylor caught a glimpse of Jones. He was still alive and standing, but cradling his left arm where it had been hit. Taylor nodded in appreciation that he had made it. Rogers was sitting beside him. He'd used the last of his energy in their run and now looked as exhausted as Ricci did. He turned to look out of a porthole. Dozens of ships were still lifting off from the surface, but one was hit by heavy weapons and began to lose power. It was a relief to know that with no atmosphere, they'd keep on going, but moments later the ship broke apart, and thousands of souls were thrown out into space. It was a horrifying sight.

  "We could never save them all, you told me that," Taylor said to console him.

  "We can't wait any longer. Give the signal."

  "Taylor to the Resolution, green light. I repeat, green light."

  He watched out of the window. A dozen or more ships were still on the ground, but the enemy was swarming over the tops of the buildings. A few moments later a volley of missiles and heavy weapon tracers soared past them, and more followed it. The Resolution and several other powerful warships were pounding the Colony relentlessly. The enemy vessels on the surface were knocked out first. Missile after missile plunged into the Colony. Everything on the ground was hit. It was a relentless bombing that went on for fifteen minutes as they made their way back, flying wide to avoid the firing solution o
f the fleet.

  "A sad day, isn't it? A few weeks ago the thought of abandoning a colony this close to home would have been unheard of. The Alliance would have sent in ten thousand marines and got the job done right. Look where we are now, a few squads trying to fight fires. I don't even know if that was intended as a trap, but it nearly ended us," said Taylor.

  "I can't imagine Bolormaa would have left two Princes here except for the express purpose of killing you."

  Taylor shrugged. "Maybe. If there is one thing we know about her, she doesn't care for anyone but herself. That attack could have been little more than a distraction to keep us from going after her. I always thought she cared for her sons, but they’re just another weapon, another tool in her box. She'll throw them away with ease."

  "How many do you think she has?"

  "You're the Intelligence officer, you tell me."

  "If she's been around as long as she says, then who knows, could be hundreds."

  "We've seen quite a few, but nothing like that number."

  "Maybe they don't all follow her?"

  "The thought that there are more out there with their own agenda doesn't bear thinking about."

  "Zaya was one of hers, and he turned out all right."

  "How is he now?"

  "Not good. It's hard to know what to even do with him. We've never had to deal with physiology anything like his, and in our current state of affairs, we don't have the expertise to do much at all."

  "He isn't self healing?"

  "No. I don't know what Bolormaa hit him with, but it’s destroying his body like a plague."

  "It makes sense that she would have the means to destroy her own if they ever turned on her. She might be powerful, but if enough of her sons went at her at once, she'd be in serious trouble."

  "One big happy family," he groaned.

  They had one last view of the Moon Colony being pounded. Even if there were survivors down there, there were no ships left that they could escape on. They came in to land. The hangar bay of the Resolution was a hive of activity. There were thousands of civilians filling it, and more unloading from transports. There were wounded, too, but not many. The ramp went down, and the volume of the crowd was deafening. Screams and cries, some were yelling at the Navy crew.

  "They don't see us as their saviours. They think we betrayed them." Jones winced in pain and looked out in disbelief at the reception they were receiving.

  "How would you feel if you'd just lost your home and most of your neighbours?" Rogers asked.

  "We all have, but we don't take it out on one another."

  "They're angry, and they have every right to be," said Ricci.

  Taylor had no time for it. Their entire society was falling apart at the seams. It felt as though they were heading for an apocalypse, and yet they needn't.

  He pushed his way through the crowd. Many yelled at him, but he ignored them. Finally, he burst out of the hangar. He could barely breathe, as he felt the weight of the world bearing down on him.

  "You better get that looked at," Rogers said to Jones as they found somewhere quiet enough that they could properly hear one another.

  "It's nothing."

  "Just get it done. We've lost enough these past few days. We are needed now more than ever, so you better be fully healed ASAP, do you hear me?" Taylor added.

  Jones begrudgingly agreed and let Lorenzo take him to the sick bay.

  Turan's platoon exited the hangar to join them. They were carrying two of their wounded.

  "See to our people. Get them patched up and ready to fight," Taylor said to the Krys officer.

  Rogers wanted to disagree, but he knew it was a necessity. The two of them carried on towards the bridge.

  "You sure you're okay?" Taylor looked at the wrecked armour the Captain was wearing.

  "Just about. It was a shock more than anything. I was lucky."

  "Much more of that pulse and it would have gone right through you."

  "It's all I've thought about. My own mortality was not something I ever considered. I accepted the risks of the job, but things are different now. We have to think about all our lives if our race is to keep on existing."

  "Yes, but many more will have to die before this is over."

  "I am afraid you are right."

  They reached the bridge to find the bombardment was still ongoing. Huge chunks of buildings were being ripped from the surface, and much of the Colony now reduced to craters. A lone enemy vessel was lifting off, but it was hammered by a wave of fire and crashed into the surface.

  "To think of how many men and women died down there. The ones we couldn't save," said Rogers in horror.

  "They were doomed the moment the enemy got there. It's about the ones we saved, that is important," replied Vega.

  "How many did we save?"

  "Hard to say, but a great many, well done, Colonel."

  "They weren't sent there to kill civilians. They were sent to lure Taylor in," said Rogers.

  "Is it a surprise anymore? You are a figurehead, a symbol of resistance. You have defied the most powerful creature in the universe, and almost led her to her death. How do you think you'd feel if you were her?"

  "I wouldn't think to presume to know how or what she thinks, Admiral. She isn't a logical being. No sane and stable creature could want to do the things she has done. All that power, and intelligence, too, and what has she done with it?"

  "The Princes, are they dead?" Rogers asked the Admiral.

  "I can't imagine a scenario where they are not. We have obliterated the Colony. Nothing can survive there anymore, and there is no way off."

  "So, what now?"

  Taylor shrugged. He had no idea what to do or where to go.

  "You said the people still alive on the surface, that they will need resources?" asked Rogers.

  "Yes," replied Vega.

  "How about we get some transports and escort ships organised and begin those operations. There must be smaller colonies and outposts out there where we can get what they need?"

  "Yes, and stations orbiting Earth are mostly still operational. Much of what they need can be produced there. We need to make contact with the surface and find out how we can get things back and forth."

  "Doesn't sound too bad."

  "In theory, no, Colonel, but we are still at war. Bolormaa is surely going to strike again."

  "She said she was going to leave us to suffer this fate," said Santiago.

  "Biggest mistake you can make is trusting anything that she says. She lies, manipulates, and changes her mind like the wind. Bolormaa does whatever she pleases, whenever she pleases."

  "But this war cannot go on forever, Colonel," he protested.

  "Her destruction will be the only thing that stops it. She cannot be reasoned with, and she will not agree to terms," replied Rogers.

  "Why not?"

  "Because to agree to any kind of peace, even a ceasefire, would be humiliating to her. It would show the whole universe that she doesn't have what it takes to do what she said she would do, destroy us."

  "Things are different now. Maybe she can be reasoned with. A glimpse at her own mortality might have changed things."

  Taylor looked disgusted.

  "Are you blind? Have you not seen the state of Earth? Are you oblivious to the billions of lives lost? There is no compromise with Bolormaa. She dies, or we do, all of us. Those are the options."

  "I refuse to accept that. There is always another way."

  "And you would know this how? What experience do you have of these things?"

  "I know that whenever Colonel Taylor is involved, you can be guaranteed that many people will die. You provoke violence wherever you go."

  "Enough!" Vega snapped.

  "But, Sir."

  "But nothing. I know emotions are running high. We have all lost a lot. Frankly, it is a miracle that any of us can keep moving forward. We are traumatised, all of us, and we have to accept that. But let's not start blaming one anothe
r. Whatever has happened in the past, good or bad, doesn't matter. But the one thing I will tell you with absolute certainty is that without Taylor, you wouldn't be alive today. Think about that before running your mouth off. I know your heart is in the right place, but you are idealistic. We live in the real world, and the real world is grim and ugly.”

  "Sir, I don't believe it has to be."

  "Wonderful, you keep those ideas to yourself, and I'll ask if we want to hear them," replied Taylor.

  Vega glared at him. He was not helping to defuse the situation.

  "Sir, we've got a jump gate opening!" yelled one of the crew.

  Taylor's heart almost stopped. It was Bolormaa. It had to be. She must have come back to finish the job. Or that is what was going through his mind. It was going through all of their minds. She was a nightmare that just kept repeating itself.

  "Put it on screen, how many ships?"

  But before anyone could respond, the gateway opened, and eight warships passed through. To their relief they were Krys vessels. Many appeared to have taken a beating, with gaping breaches in the hulls of several. But the fact that they were able to make a jump had to mean they were solid enough. They looked like they had been through hell.

  "They are hailing us, Sir."

  "Put them through!" Vega said excitedly.

  Jafar and Sarik appeared before them.

  "We could sure have done with your help a little sooner," said Taylor.

  "I am glad to see you are alive, Colonel. We have had troubles of our own."

  "Bolormaa is on the warpath. She is destroying every major populated centre of humans she can find."

  "Not just humans. My world is gone, and most of the worlds that my people have occupied for centuries. We did not come here to assist. We came for help. But I see now, your Earth has succumbed to the same fate. Bolormaa has gone crazy. She wants to wipe out life across the entire Alliance."