"Alita isn't gone. She can't be gone. There has to be some way to get her back."
He was close to weeping.
"There is a chance. There is always a chance. But the only way to have a shot at that is to end Bolormaa. You know this. You've always known it. Your death would serve no purpose. It would only weaken us all. Bolormaa doesn't care for promises or her word. She cares whether she can win or not, and that is all that matters now. She thought she could finish you today, and humiliate you all at the same time," said Rogers.
"She failed at both," added Jones.
"That's right. She failed, but I promised you I would do everything in my power to get Alita back, and that is a promise I will keep, like all others," said Rogers.
"So what now?"
Taylor began to come around to their way of thinking. He knew he would. He had just been manipulated in the worst of ways. He couldn't believe he had tried to take his own life, but in that brief, desperate moment, it seemed there was no other way to go forward.
"I was a fool."
"Yes, you were, but we have all been fools. That was an impossible situation that you should never have been put in," said Rogers.
"She is getting desperate, can't you see that?"
"How can you know that, Jones?"
"The same way you have known so many things. Intuition. We judge it on everything we see and do. Bolormaa wants you dead, but she isn't strong enough to do it herself, or not without substantial risk to her own life. That is what she always wanted, to defeat you on a stage that the whole Universe could witness. She wanted to revel in it for all eternity. Yet now she will settle for you dying by whatever means necessary. That is not the Bolormaa we have seen before. She is scared of you. It's why she sent Alita. She knows she can't get to you anymore. You aren't scared of her."
Taylor was starting to be won over, more than anything returning to his normal self. His mind and his heart had been spun around and hit hard, but the more time passed that was wearing off. It was replaced by the hatred he felt for Bolormaa. He knew it wasn't wise to get so emotional, but he couldn't help it, and it fired his will to succeed.
"So what do we do now?"
"Stick to the plan. The fleet is still assembling. It won't be long. Your plan was simple, and likely to be effective. Wherever she goes, we go. We hit her with everything we have, and keep hitting her until we have ground her into dust," replied Rogers.
* * *
Eight days later
Taylor jabbed forward and caught Jones neatly. He staggered back, but Taylor didn't let up. They wore pads as they fought on the mats of the gym. He launched an uppercut, but Jones dodged it, delivering a sharp sidekick into his flank and sweeping his lead leg out from under him. He went down onto his back, and Jones circled him, smiling.
"It’s not that I don't enjoy this, but we can't waste time forever."
Jones backed off and let him get back up.
"Crazy, isn't it? Finally we have a strike force ready to move, and she is nowhere to be seen. Not one attack in more than a week. Not even a sighting. It’s as if the war just ended like that, poof!" Jones gestured with his hands like a magician springing a trick.
"Maybe she knows what we are planning, and doesn't want to risk showing herself?"
"Maybe, I hope so, and I don't at the same time. We need to hit her while she is weak. This is the strongest we'll be for a long time."
They could see through the glass screens that Rogers was approaching. That had to mean news, or they both hoped so.
"What news?" Jones asked impatiently as he entered.
"The Temuujin is refitted and ready to operate our craft."
"The what?"
"The carrier that we took."
He shrugged. It was the first time he had ever heard the name.
"Well, that name won't do at all," said Jones.
Taylor was nodding in agreement. "We aren't keeping her mark on that vessel."
"All right, what would you call her?"
He didn't have to think for long.
"Freedom."
"I've heard worse," said Rogers.
"Obvious, a little cheesy, but very you. I like it," said Jones.
The Mappad on Rogers’ arm lit up, and it was clearly important.
"What is it?" Taylor asked.
"Bolormaa, her scouts have been spotted at a Krys outpost."
"And?"
"It looks as though a full attack will be underway soon."
"Well, what are we waiting for?"
"So she puts a fleet there, but that’s no guarantee the creature herself will be there."
"She doesn't have to be, Jones. We crush her armies and her fleets wherever we find them. Grind them down until we do find her."
Jones still wasn't convinced. Nor had he been the first time he’d heard this plan, although there was no time to argue about it now.
"You know what to do. Have the fleet prepped to jump. Don't wait, jump as soon as we’re ready."
Taylor wiped the sweat from his brow, threw the towel away, and headed for the door.
"That's it? Catch a scent and go after her?"
Jones ran after the Colonel, and Rogers headed for the bridge, continuing to pass orders over the comms and Mappad.
"Sometimes things can be that simple, don't you think?"
"I wish they could be, I really do. Are you feeling okay?"
"Sure."
He knew Jones had every reason to be concerned, but he still didn't like the questioning.
"You are completely immobilised by her, you know that? Alita?"
"Not again, I won’t be."
"So the next time you see her, you will do everything in your power to end her? It will be the best thing for her and us. That isn't her anymore. It might just about still look like the woman you knew, but she is not her. She is a weapon of the enemy."
"I know."
"So, you'll do it?"
"I'll do what needs to be done."
It wasn't what Jones wanted to hear, but it would have to do.
Taylor reached his quarters and stepped inside. He leapt into his armour and grabbed his rifle. He never checked it into stores. He didn't like people messing with his kit, and he was particularly attached to this new rifle. The previous owner's initials were there to stay. That was his way of honouring the man. His way of making peace with the fact he’d never gotten to know him while he was alive. He was back out of his cabin in no time. Jones was right behind as they made their way to the bridge. He looked down at his watch.
"We should have jumped by now, what the hell is going on?"
"We've been inactive for over a week," Jones explained.
"And on alert ready for immediate deployment the entire time. We definitely should have jumped by now." He opened a channel to Rogers.
"Captain Rogers, come in."
There was no response.
"Captain Rogers, come in. This is Taylor, over."
Still nothing. That gave him cause for concern. Rogers was the most prompt and by the book officer he knew. There was no logical explanation for him not to reply.
"What the hell is going on?"
"I don't like it." Jones lifted his rifle to the ready, and they pressed on. They reached the passageway before the bridge and found ten guards before them.
"Hold it right there, Colonel!" the Sergeant at their head called out.
"What the hell is this?"
"Sir, you are under arrest. Lay down your weapons."
"Arrest?" Jones gasped.
They both knew something was wrong, but they could never have imagined this.
"Admiral Vega has been relieved of his command, and I have orders to place you under arrest, Sir," replied the officer.
"On whose authority?" Jones asked.
They didn't seem eager to reply. Taylor was furious. He didn't have time for this. He knew they could cut their way through the guards, who were lightly equipped compared to them.
"Remember
, these are our people," whispered Jones.
"Maybe."
"No killing where we don't have to. There are already too few of us."
Taylor let his rifle drop to his side. The guards looked relieved, as if he was surrendering to them. But a moment later he activated his shield and sprinted at them with a surprising turn of speed. He struck the Sergeant first, and he was barrelled back into three of the others who all collapsed in a heap. They hadn't been expecting a fight. He grabbed the muzzle of a rifle and back fisted the user in the face to break his nose, launching him down the corridor towards Jones. He landed in Jones’ hands, and he punched him once more to knock him out.
Jones was beside Taylor in no time at all. They punched and kicked their way through the guards as if they were fighting children. Finally, they lay on the ground wincing in pain, those that were not unconscious. The bridge door was sealed. Taylor pulled out his access card and held it before the scanner, but it was declined. He reached down for the one on the Sergeant, ripped it from his belt, and placed it on the scanner. The doors slid open, and Taylor stepped onto the bridge. Two guns were trained on the Admiral's head, and Santiago was calling the shots. Taylor sighed in despair. A dozen of the ship’s marines were awaiting them, fully equipped and ready for a fight.
"What have you done?" Jones asked.
"You and your band of misfits are leading us down a path of destruction. We will not stand by and take it any longer. The human race must survive. We will not follow your ridiculous schemes anymore," said Santiago.
"Don't do this. We have a chance. We are so close. Bolormaa is almost within our grasp."
It was surprisingly sincere for Taylor. Jones could barely believe it, but he knew it was an act, a very good act.
"You have promised that so many times, but you do not deliver. Not only that, but you act like a dictator, Colonel. That is not what the Alliance was built on. There must be control. There must be democracy. The chain of command adhered to, or we are nothing but wild animals."
"Wild animals? A wild animal would have torn your arms off and beaten you to death with them."
"You just don't get it, Colonel. There must be order. Lay down your weapons, and be judged for your crimes."
"Crimes?" Jones asked in disgust.
"This war is going to be fought by men with clearer heads, not by one old dog who thinks he knows best."
"This old dog is the reason you are all still alive," snapped Jones.
"Or the reason things are so bad. Chaos cannot be allowed to continue. This is the best thing for all of us, for the fleet, the Alliance, and humanity. Lay down your weapons, and be judged for your actions. You swore an oath to the Alliance!"
"So did you," replied Taylor.
"And I will keep mine. I will defend it against all threats. Arrest him!"
Taylor primed a flash grenade and tossed it into the centre of the room. Most there ducked for cover, not knowing whether it was explosive or not. Taylor and Jones were out the door and off the bridge before it blew. They heard the dull echo of the charge igniting.
"We can't leave the Admiral like that," Jones said as they ran.
"We don't have a choice. We start a gunfight in there, and he and plenty of others will die. Men and women that we will need soon enough."
They ran on down a stairway and froze, finding themselves facing a firing squad of ten marines. They wore a lighter pattern of armour and exo-suit that Taylor and his people did, and carried a lower calibre of the same rifle. It was enough to finish them if the squad wished.
"Put down your weapons, and come with us!" one of them yelled.
Taylor couldn't believe it had come to this.
"How widespread do you think this is?" Taylor whispered.
"Santiago was in charge of the ship’s security. He has probably infected all who protect this ship with his ideas," replied Jones.
"And I suppose many will be too afraid to oppose him."
He looked down at his watch. Time was getting on.
"The window to catch Bolormaa," he said.
"Closing with every minute that passes, but frankly I think we've got problems of our own right now."
"Lay down your weapons. You are under arrest!" yelled a woman.
"This is madness. You know it is! We cannot afford to be divided at a time like this!"
"No, we cannot, Colonel, and that is why you are going to surrender to us. You will not be harmed!"
Jones was shaking his head in disbelief. He didn't understand how they could have gotten to this place.
"This is Colonel Mitch Taylor you are talking to. Without this man, you would already all be dead. Without him this Alliance would be dead," he insisted.
"There is not a one among us who does not appreciate the service that you have both put in to protect the Alliance. But you have lost your way. You are leading us on a path to our destruction."
Her voice was quivering as if she really didn't want to be doing this, but felt she had no choice. That was more terrifying than anything. These men and women now followed Santiago, and they actually believed in his words wholeheartedly. Taylor had heard enough. It was making him sick to know the enemy were going to go free.
"Every moment that you delay us, our chances of finding and defeating the enemy fleet decrease."
"There will be no jump. We are not leaving Earth. Not without clearer heads making that decision."
"Let's be clear about what this is. This is an act of Mutiny. You are not noble fighters fighting the good fight. You are overthrowing one of the finest Commanders I have ever worked with," said Taylor.
"And turning on the one man who has brought hope to us all," added Jones.
"You have not brought hope. You have brought pain and suffering. Look at our world," she wept, "This was your doing!"
Taylor felt sickened by the prospect. But worst of all, it compounded the feeling he already had. That he had failed, and had allowed all these terrible things to happen. He did feel guilty, even though he kept telling himself that he shouldn't. He had let Alita down. He’d let Earth down, and now he was going to pay the price for it.
"You're wrong, and God save you if you go through with this! Nobody who stands against Taylor ever wins in the end," declared Jones.
"We don't want to win. We want to survive, and to be led by leaders who care about us. We want some stability!"
Taylor had no answers for her. Their minds had been corrupted by Santiago, but at the same time, they weren't entirely wrong.
"This is your last chance. Come with us peacefully, or we will fire."
Taylor actually looked like he was considering it. He was tired of it all.
"We can't let this happen. If Santiago takes over, then it is finished. It's all over. Bolormaa will walk all over what is left of the Alliance and find you, and kill you," said Jones.
"How is that any different to what is already happening?" he replied solemnly.
"Nonsense. That is not the Taylor I know. We are going to fight, and we are going to win."
"Last chance! Lay down your weapons!"
A roar rang out from behind them, and the woman turned around. Turan and two of his Krys stormed into them like a horde of elephants. They were tossed about like bowling pins. The Krys were not even armed, but they didn't need to be. Turan punched and kicked his way through them, until he stood over the woman who was leading them. Her rifle had been thrown from her hands. He grabbed her by the throat and lifted her into the air.
"Wait!" Jones yelled.
He and Taylor quickly reached them.
"Put her down," Taylor ordered.
Turan didn't look happy about it, but he did oblige. The woman was gasping for air and could barely stand as she was released.
"Your time is finished, Colonel. It is time someone else took us forward."
"Plenty of people were trying and failing before I came along. Those in power brought me back and trusted me with this task."
"That is democracy
in action, or is your democracy better? You have been fooled by a naive boy," said Jones.
"At least he will not lead us to our deaths."
"Yes, he will. It is easy to take the moral high ground when you've never had to make the hard decisions."
She ignored Jones and was looking to Taylor for answers.
"I have never risked a life that wasn't necessary. I have given everything to protect the people I care for. Not just those I know by name, but everyone. I have been fighting for humanity almost my entire life."
"Maybe it's time to pass that torch."
"Maybe it is; but not like this, and not to someone like Santiago. He will lead you all to your deaths, or worse."
"What can be worse than this?"
"To live as Bolormaa's slave, and have to do the terrible things she will have you do," he replied sincerely as he thought of Alita.
"You've never had to actually fight a battle, have you?" Jones asked.
"Uhh, uhh…." she muttered.
"That's what I thought. Santiago is an idealist. He has wooed you with his fantastical ideals, but you know what, life isn't that nice, and the grass is rarely greener on the other side. Taylor may be a mean son of a bitch and have little tolerance for anything, but he is the right man for the job. The only man."
She looked a little conflicted, but still not convinced.
"What is your name?" Taylor asked.
"Corporal Sipas."
"Well, Corporal Sipas, let me put it like this. The strongest will survive. If your Santiago can't stop me, then he will never stop Bolormaa, do you get that? Do you understand what I am saying?"
She was silenced as she tried to make sense of it in her head.
"That is the way this universe works, and it is all that Bolormaa and her kind understand. Strength. If Santiago is strong enough to stop me, then maybe he will have a chance. So, Corporal, what chance do you think he has of stopping me taking back control of this vessel?"
Still she was silent.
"He took advantage like the worm that he is. He is no great saviour. He is no combat leader, nor leader of men at all. You think he respects the chain of command? Admiral Vega is one of the toughest bastards I’ve ever met, and he has given me the power to do the things I have done. That's right, given it. I have not taken that from him. The only traitor here, the only mutineer, is Santiago, and God help him when I get my hands on him."
Battle Beyond Earth - Box Set (Books 6-9) Page 76