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

by Nick S. Thomas

  "He's got plenty of support all right, and he was sure to have anyone who might support us detained quickly. Turan is still on the loose, and Razor is helping us, but it’s hard to say on anyone else."

  "We need a plan. Where are the rest of our company?" Rogers asked.

  "Scattered. They'll have to fend for themselves, and so will we."

  "Can't we send out an appeal to the rest of the fleet?"

  "We don't know how widespread the support for this upstart is. It seems as though he is holding all the cards, though."

  "How the hell did this happen?"

  "We were so busy looking at the problems in front of us we didn't see the others all around. We knew the attack on Earth would have effects that we couldn't begin to imagine, but none of us ever imagined this. Morale must be at an all time low, and can you blame them for it?" Jones asked.

  "Blame them for feeling like shit? No, but I certainly can blame them for turning against us," replied Taylor.

  "Most people will go with whoever seems to be strong enough to take charge, and others will be too scared to buck against it. His support may not be as strong as you think," said Rogers.

  "And?”

  "Well, for now he is the only face of this new regime. If he were to fall, the whole thing would come crashing down."

  "We could have Razor take him out. She is more than up to the task."

  Rogers didn't look happy with that plan at all.

  "No. This cannot be done in such a covert way. Whoever crushes this rebellion needs to be the one that takes over afterwards."

  "I don't want to lead this thing. I never did."

  "Then what do you think you have been doing? You have been a leader in this Alliance in all but name. The most powerful politicians and military leaders look to you to lead, and they listen to you. Reinstate Vega by all means, but we both know who is calling the shots now."

  "I never wanted this."

  "No, I could say exactly the same thing about my job, this war, and the life we now have. Sometimes it isn't about a choice you can make. Life chooses you."

  "No more with that religious crap."

  "Call it what you will. But it is you that has led us through these dark times. You who showed the universe that Bolormaa can bleed, and that she can be beaten. You did those things, not this punk kid who thinks he can play at being King."

  "King Taylor? Has a certain ring to it," replied Jones.

  Taylor grimaced, hating the prospect.

  "If Santiago is allowed to go on leading this fleet, it will be the end of the Alliance; the end of freedom for us all, and perhaps life, too. He has not just supplanted the Admiral, but he has supplanted you, and so it is you that must confront him."

  "Yeah, and how the hell do you think we can do that? Between him and us are hundred of marines and other crew under orders to arrest or shoot to kill."

  "What do we know about Santiago's plans?"

  "Only that within twelve hours he is calling the other captains together to decide who will run this fleet," said Jones.

  Rogers' eyes lit up.

  "Perfect."

  "How do you come to that conclusion?"

  "Colonel, what better show of force than to take back power before the faces of the captains of the fleet? He'll have them come here, and you will be ready for him."

  "He won't call that meeting while Taylor is loose on this ship."

  "No, then he must be gone, or as far as anyone knows. If Santiago made that promise, he will have to stick to it, so long as you are out of the picture."

  "Okay, and how do you figure to manage that?"

  Rogers picked up a rifle from one of the guards.

  "Come on, follow me."

  Taylor groaned. He didn't appreciate being led anywhere without knowing the plan.

  "You said the surveillance feeds are down?"

  "Razor was put to the task, can you imagine a scenario where she didn't manage it?"

  "Good."

  They soon reached a shuttle docking bay with a single transport. They were looking into it from a glass balcony overhead. One guard was on duty.

  "Rogers, just tell us what the hell is going on here?" Taylor grabbed the Captain and turned him around. He held him firm, expecting an answer.

  "You are going to steel that shuttle and hightail it out of here. Or rather, I am in your place. That should give Santiago the peace of mine he needs to call the captains in, and when he does, you will be waiting for him."

  "That's it?"

  "Sometimes the most simple plans are the best, Colonel. Now, let's make sure we have a witness to corroborate this story. That guard, go and introduce yourself, make sure he gets a good look at your face, but whatever you do, do not kill him."

  Taylor shook his head.

  "This is insane, all of it. We are supposed to be fighting a war, not hiding from our own goddamn people."

  "And we will, but we need to get back on track. It is as much our own fault for not seeing this coming, as it is for people like Santiago for exploiting it. We can fix this. Now go. Sooner they believe that you have fled, the sooner the ball will start rolling."

  Taylor begrudgingly agreed. He went down the steps beside them and passed through the doors into the docking bay. The guard was looking out into space as if lost in a daydream, overcome by the solitude.

  "Hey, what's up?"

  The guard turned casually as if expecting a friend, and this time Taylor made no attempt to hide his identity.

  "Colonel Taylor?"

  There was fear in his voice as he stumbled to draw his pistol. Taylor quickened the pace and delivered a brutal punch to the man's face. He was launched onto his back and out for the count. Taylor didn't feel good about it, but at least the man would survive. Rogers and Jones stepped through moments later. Rogers took his gun and headed straight or the shuttle. He hit the door release, ready to leave without a word.

  "Where will you go?"

  "To the Attila, Colonel. If there is one Captain and one crew out there that is guaranteed to not betray you, it is them."

  "Good choice."

  "What's stopping Santiago from blowing you to hell once you get out there? Jones asked.

  "Nothing. We just have to have a little faith. I'll have Roworth jump out if need be. You know how to reach me."

  Without another word, he leapt inside and sealed the door. The engines fired up, and the craft soared out.

  "Come on, we can't stay here," said Jones.

  "If Santiago is welcoming the captains aboard, there is one place he will do it."

  Taylor led the way. He knew the bay they would use, the largest one. Santiago would be keen to show off and was a stickler for protocol; that much was clear.

  "All right, what now? It's not as if the place won't be protected."

  "I've got a plan."

  * * *

  Seven hours later

  "This is it," said Jones as they watched the shuttles approach the Resolution on a number of large screens. The surveillance systems had long since been restored, but they hid in one of the few places they would not be seen. In the corner of the small room were two men, their hands tied and mouths taped over. They were the last two duty officers at a security station overlooking the docking bay. Taylor sat on the floor opposite them, and Jones maintained the controls. The two men looked terrified, and one had a badly swollen black eye where he had been hit hard.

  "I never wanted any of this, you get that, right?"

  They didn't know how to respond, but finally nodded along out of sheer terror.

  "I never wanted to have to lead this way, for people to fear me, " said Taylor.

  "I don't care what they think of you, only that they follow you, and stop trying to kill or imprison us."

  Taylor nodded along. He didn't want to do what he had to do, but there was no other way out of it.

  "There he is," said Jones.

  Taylor shot to his feet. Santiago stepped up to a greeting area with a numb
er of others and guards. There was no one above the rank of Lieutenant among them, and that spoke volumes. It certainly made them both feel better about the whole situation. Santiago didn't have as widespread support as he implied.

  Almost twenty transport craft were coming in to land, one after the other; one from each of the larger warships in the fleet.

  "Better hope none of them is too hungry for power."

  "You kidding me? Who the hell would want Vega's job right now?"

  The ramps went down, and they knew it was their time.

  "You sure you want to do this?" Jones asked.

  "Sure."

  "In front of all those guns? We could control this much better in a tighter space."

  "But with half the impact. Come on."

  He opened a small door that led out onto a gangway overlooking the dock. The captains were assembling to make their way to Santiago.

  "Cover me, but don't kill anyone you don't have to."

  "I won't."

  Taylor drew his pistol, took a deep breath, and leapt from the balcony, descending to the ground below. His back was to a wall, the crowd entirely fixated on what was happening before them. Amongst the sound of the engines powering down nobody heard his landing and were oblivious to his presence. He was up in no time and striding forward. His pistol in his left, his Assegai in his right, still powered down. He activated his shield as he reached the first. They were unarmed naval crew, and he barged them out of the way, smashing his way through the ground. He had forced his way through four ranks when finally Santiago was drawn to the commotion, and turned to spot him.

  "Guards!" he cried.

  Jones' rifle rang out before any of them could make a move. The closest marine to Santiago went down with a shot through his thigh, and another beside him took a hit to the shoulder, dropping his weapon as he cried in agony.

  Taylor reached the nearest marine and clocked him across the mouth with his Assegai. Several others activated shields, crowding around Santiago to protect him. Taylor went forward and engaged the first, but five more surged towards him from his left flank. He beat the first one’s rifle aside and thrust under to strike the chest. He had done it a hundred times, but not with an unpowered blade, which stopped dead. It shocked the man as it had no flex, but did no damage. Taylor lifted his right foot and kicked him away.

  A moment later he took a stun baton to the back, and he felt the energy surge through his body. He struck back with his Assegai and knocked two of his attackers’ teeth out as they crashed down to the deck. The others had rifles trained on him. His shield was in front to protect him, but he struggled to defeat them, knowing he did not want to hurt them.

  "It's over Taylor. You are finished!" Santiago yelled.

  But a single shot rang out, and blood sprayed out over the guards protecting the traitorous Lieutenant. The shot had come from behind, and as he dropped, they could see a ship's captain with a pistol in his hand. Santiago was dead.

  CHAPTER 10

  Nobody knew what to do. Not even Taylor could move. He couldn't believe what he had seen. There were camera crews around them filming, and they had captured every moment. Everything he said and did was being shared to the fleet. He had gone in with one intention, to kill Santiago. The consequences could be grave, and yet he had accepted that. Not for a moment had he considered that someone else would do the job for him.

  Jones leapt down onto the deck and strode forward to join him. Nobody knew who to direct their anger at.

  "Arrest him!" a voice cried out.

  Taylor didn't recognise the man who had said it, but when he got no response, he drew a pistol from one of the marines. He raised it to take aim at the Captain who’d killed Santiago. Taylor didn't hesitate. He took aim and fired three shots into the centre body mass. He was on his feet in no time and rushing towards the Captain who didn't even seem bothered to protect himself. Jones rushed in as well, and both stood around the ship's Captain with shields activated and weapons in hand.

  "Enough of this!" Taylor roared.

  All cameras were on him now. It was just as Rogers had said it would be. Whether he like it or not, people looked to him as a leader.

  "Lower your weapons, everybody!"

  Nobody was keen to oblige, so he did so himself.

  "This fight is over. There should never have been a fight at all. As of this moment, this is over! Anyone who has been detained on either side is to be released immediately! Do you hear me, a complete amnesty for everyone who has survived this? Santiago believed he was doing the right thing, and I firmly believe those that followed him believed they were, too. There is no good or bad side here. He thought what he was doing was right, but he was inadvertently leading us all to our end. There is one leader of this fleet, and that is Admiral Vega. He was appointed this command by the Alliance, and that is both his right and his duty."

  Jones nodded along in support.

  "Before this dark day, we were readying ourselves to take the enemy head on. She has never been weaker than she is now, and this is the strongest we will ever be. I underestimated the strain all of this was putting on us, and I am sorry for that. I have never wanted anything but the best of outcomes for us all. But let me say this in no uncertain terms, there will be no more dissent! We cannot afford it as a race. We are facing the worst days of our people. All of our peoples! Vega leads this fleet, and I...I will lead our ground forces to victory. Have faith, and give it your all. Now please, let's move forward, together!"

  Nobody moved, and there was no celebration of what he had to say. He had no idea how to get past this horrendous day.

  "Back to your ships, go!" he yelled to the Captain who killed Santiago, and the rest that had arrived with him. He didn't even know his name, but it didn't matter. He was relieved that he didn't have to pull the trigger himself. He knew killing Santiago would ruin his reputation, but he was still willing to do it. The cameras recorded the shuttles leaving just as Vega arrived. He looked down at the body of Santiago and despaired. He dropped down to one knee and wept.

  "What have you done?"

  "No, You will not put the blame on us, and not on yourself either."

  "We are falling apart, aren't we?"

  "Not while we stay strong, come on." Taylor helped him up, and they left the scene.

  Those who had followed Santiago carried his body away as a martyr, and Taylor could imagine a scenario where that would come back to bite him in the ass later.

  "What now?"

  "Get some rest, Colonel. We all need it."

  "We still have a job to do."

  "Whatever chance we had of carrying out that operation is long gone. The Krys outpost has been completely destroyed. There were no survivors."

  "How do you know?"

  "Because after the fleet refused to move, Lord Jafar jumped there himself."

  "That's why he wasn't here to take a stand?"

  "Yes, he'd never have allowed Santiago to do what he did, but by the time he had gotten back, things were already moving too quickly. Santiago expelled him from the Alliance, and threatened to fire on their fleet if they made any attempt to come for us."

  "Then it's worse than we thought."

  "Santiago was an idiot, but he also inspired a lot of people. We must not forget that. We must not repeat the same mistakes."

  "This isn't on us," insisted Taylor.

  "Of course it is. We should have seen it coming. We should have ensured things never got this bad. Bolormaa may be the enemy, but we created an environment where people no longer trusted us."

  "How could we have done it differently?"

  "Honestly, I am still trying to figure that out. There are always those who resent the ones in power, no matter what they do."

  "How will that ever change?"

  "It doesn't. It's just a sliding scale. While Bolormaa is out there we live in constant terror, and the risk of another Santiago looms over us all the time. He could have succeeded. He came close. The next time we may n
ot be so lucky."

  "So the answer is to kill Bolormaa? That's it?"

  "Yes. People living in fear do silly things."

  "Well, shit."

  "We must all get some rest, Colonel."

  "Aren't you concerned what will happen if you are not there to maintain control?"

  "No. Captain Rogers has the bridge, and Jafar is boarding soon. We are safe for now, even from our own kind."

  "But there is so much to do."

  "Rest, Colonel, that is an order, and you, too," he said, looking back to Jones who was following them.

  The Admiral parted ways, with four marines escorting him.

  "Well, that could have gone a lot worse," said Jones as they headed for their quarters.

  "Could have gone a damn sight better, too. What the hell are we doing? Fighting one another? This is insane."

  "But it's over now. Bolormaa will show up again. We will have our chance."

  "Any idea what the casualties were from this bloody tragedy?"

  "Hard to say, but some initial reports coming in suggest around eighty fatalities across the fleet, and many more wounded."

  "It won't be forgotten anytime soon. This will cut deeply for a long time."

  "Then give people something else to think about."

  "I intend to."

  Taylor reached his door, and Jones was a few metres away.

  "Good work today."

  "It didn't feel like it, shooting humans. There’s nothing good about that."

  "No, but it’s what it is, all part of the job on a dark day like this."

  "Let's just pray that it is the last of its kind."

  Taylor nodded in agreement and stepped into his quarters. It was then he realised how exhausted he was. He'd been awake for a very long time, over many stressful hours. He collapsed onto his bed and felt relieved, but he could not sleep immediately. So much weighed on his mind, but most of all, Alita. He couldn't accept that she was lost, and that she could be a weapon of the enemy. He knew a time might come when he would have to end her, but he didn't know if he could find the inner strength to go through with it.

  Fatigue finally set in. He set an alarm for five hours ahead. It was all the time he could spare. He may be exhausted, but there was so much to do. He trusted Vega to keep a handle on things, but after Santiago and everything they had been through, he couldn't help but feel anxious. Never before had he felt so vulnerable amongst his own people. It felt as though there were plenty lining up to stab him in the back. He shut his eyes, and was out for the count in no time at all.