Battle Earth: 12

by Nick S. Thomas

  “What can I do for you, Colonel?”

  “Get us those transports, and plenty of them!”

  “Yes, Sir!”

  The gunfire stopped, and they kept advancing to the gates and passed through a section that had been flattened by aerial bombardment. Not one of them slowed down as they ran inside the first vast warehouse like building. It resembled a low roofed hangar.

  Silva and Herrera were first through the entrance and were cautious, but Taylor merely strode through after them with the three arena fighters by his side. There was no resistance left. They came to a standstill. A line of human prisoners met them. They were all pressed up against a clear glass entrance. They were in near darkness until Jafar reached a console beside the door. He pressed a few keys, and the doors slid open and lights flashed on.

  Taylor gasped as the room lit up. All they could see for hundreds of metres were human beings crammed in. Improvised bunks that were eight high had been built in narrow corridors through much of the building. There were thousands of people there.

  “My God,” said Silva.

  “We’ve done it,” said Herrera.

  “Colonel, this is King, come in,” he said over the comms channel.

  “This is Taylor,” he replied still in shock.

  “We’re in Building C. I don’t think you’re gonna believe this.”

  “I think I might.”

  If only Eli could be here to see it, he thought.

  Dozens of the prisoners flooded out and swamped them. They couldn’t stop thanking them. Taylor paced over to the console where Jafar still stood.

  “This place got a tannoy system of some kind?”

  He nodded in return.

  “Put me on it, all buildings if you can.”

  He pressed a few keys and then casually nodded to say it was on.

  “This is Colonel Taylor of the free human fleet. We’re here to get you out, and to tell you that we’re still in this war. We’re on the road to victory, but first, we must get you to safety. Transport ships are arriving as we speak. Please be patient. We have thirty minutes to get you all to safety, so make your way in an orderly fashion to the western fences which you will find have now been destroyed. Welcome back to civilisation.”

  Cheers rang out that reverberated through the entire building. Silva patted him on the shoulder.

  “I never thought I’d see the day that we’d get people back, not in this number. Look at them. You’ve given them hope.”

  “No, we have.”

  Chapter 8

  Taylor stood outside the prison entrance as the thousands of free prisoners passed over the downed fences. He could see a number of them were starting to ask where the transports were, and that only brought a smile to his face.

  A flash of light erupted above them. One second there was nothing but a bleak open sky, and the next there were dozens of transport ships. He could see the look of utter confusion on many of their faces, and some even started to question if it was all a trick, but they were too desperate to not risk giving it the benefit of the doubt. Rains’ copter came in to land nearby, and he rushed to the door. His mouth was wide open with shock.

  “Jackpot,” he shouted as Taylor approached.

  “How much time do we have, Eddie?”

  “Mmmm….uh….” he muttered, as he looked on at the thousands of people piling aboard the transports.

  “Eddie! How long?’” Taylor raised his voice.

  “I don’t know. I just fly this thing.”

  “What do your scanners say?”

  “Right, got you,” he rushed to the cockpit, and Taylor climbed aboard to look for himself.

  “Our fighters are a little busy to the south. The Baron has come in to orbit to support us from the west. She’s taking a bit of fire but doing fine.”

  “So how long do we have?”

  “Right now, I’d say we’re about holding. Longer we’re here, the more pissed off Erdogan is gonna get.”

  “How long, Eddie?”

  “Notifications from the Diderot say we have incoming in fifteen minutes.”

  “Fifteen?”

  “Hell, we expected a few hundred, maybe a thousand or so; look at what we got! Between all the sites we must have picked up well over fifty thousand souls. That ain’t no lightweight operation.”

  Taylor looked out through the cockpit. The first two transports were full and shutting their doors, but over a dozen more were still loading.”

  “What can we do?”

  “Nothing. Everyone knows what they must do and what the stakes are. We load until we’re full or we run out of time.”

  He watched every second countdown on his watch. When they reached the deadline, they still had more than a thousand people on the ground. Everyone knew they had met the deadline, but their was no sign of the enemy, so nobody mentioned it. As the last few vessels were loaded, Taylor finally gave out a breath of relief.

  “Signal Lasure, and tell him we’re getting the hell out of here. And be sure to let the Baron know, too. I don’t wanna be left here.”

  “You got it,” said Rains.

  Silva was standing just outside the copter alongside Jafar.

  “We got away with it, and still no major response after all this time. You think Erdogan is finished?”

  “No, but he’s spread thin, I should imagine,” replied Taylor.

  “What will he do now?” Silva asked Jafar.

  “Try and rally support with the underlords, those who serve him and used to serve Karadag, Demiran, and the other High Lords of the Krys.”

  “Sure gonna take him some time,” said Silva.

  “The Fatihi, where is it?” Taylor asked, “The only ship we know that has jump capacity, and we haven’t seen it in a long, long time. That makes me nervous.”

  “Will these other Lords support him?” Silva asked.

  “If they believe he can win, yes.”

  “Then what?”

  “Then we’re in deep shit. Let’s focus on the task at hand and worry about that if and when it happens. We just secured our greatest victory since we were driven from this world. Let’s enjoy it while we can,” Taylor said.

  “Taylor,” a deep voice called out. He turned to see Erdogan walking beside the fuselage of the copter towards him. Taylor drew his pistol and fired two shots quickly into the torso, but they went right through. Experience told him it would be a hologram, but he’d never be so naive to assume it was every time. He looked all around for any sign of the enemy, but there was nothing, so he holstered his pistol and squared off against the enemy Lord.

  “You continue to impress me, Colonel.”

  “Yeah, well you don’t impress me at all,” Taylor snapped.

  “That is a shame. Were you to join me, I could give you more than you ever dreamed of.”

  Taylor shook his head.

  “I already had that, and you took it from me. I’m here to take it back, and your head with it.”

  “You have been a formidable opponent. It will be a shame to kill you, but also an honour and a privilege.”

  “I’ll make you a deal. Put a gun to your head now and pull the trigger, and I’ll save you an agonising death.”

  Erdogan laughed. It was the same low tone wicked laugh he had heard in the arena. It was unsettling, but his hatred of the alien ran so deep he remained focused.

  “You’ll never have your Earth back. You and your Aranui friends will die a grim death as you attempt to do so.”

  “You know this tough talk intimidation stuff is really getting old. I’m going to kill you before this is over, and that is a promise.”

  Erdogan laughed once again. “Good bye, Taylor, until we meet again.”

  Taylor rushed into the copter.

  “Have we run checks on all who have gone aboard the transports? Every single one without exception?”

  “You got it, all came up clean.”

  Taylor shook his head.

  “I can’t tell when that ba
stard is bluffing anymore, Eddie. He’s fucked us over so many times I’m just suspicious.”

  “And you’re right to be, Colonel, but I think we did this one right.”

  He nodded in agreement.

  “All right, then, so what are we still doing here?”

  “Good to go on your word.”

  Taylor leaned out of the craft.

  “Let’s load up! Go, go, go!”

  Just a few moments later they were lifting off the surface, and Taylor couldn’t remember a time he was happier to be leaving. He loved Earth, but only the Earth he knew, without Erdogan. They made their landing aboard the Baron and watched as the transports made their jump before finally they could leave themselves.

  “When you’re ready, Captain,” he said to Barclay over the comms.

  He half expected the engines to fail or to be hit by some surprise weapon that would keep them locked within Erdogan’s grasp, but it never came. The countdown reached zero, and they made their jump.

  “Maybe he’s not as powerful as you think?” Silva asked Taylor.

  “No,” added Jafar, “You are right to fear him.”

  The first thing Taylor did now they were aboard the Baron was to find a shower and have his wound sealed. By the time they entered atmosphere of Ony, he was fit for inspection and looking respectable.

  “Look at them,” Rains said, pointing to the lines of high capacity transports that had put down on the surface with the thousands of rescued prisoners, “It’s incredible.”

  “Yeah, question is, how many more are there like it?”

  “Were we wrong to leave Earth, Mitch?”

  “No,” Taylor replied quickly, “We could never have made it there. Best case scenario, is we ended up like those poor bastards in work camps. We had to leave, and it’s the only reason we were able to keep up the fight. If we’d not met Irala and his people, it would all have been over a long time ago.”

  “Then I hope they understand that. Can you imagine being left to the mercy of the Krys when we bugged out?”

  “We did what we had to do.”

  “I’m getting a landing request to put down at new coordinates.”

  “Where?”

  “HQ landing Zone A,” he said in surprise.

  “Well? Do it.”

  As they came in to land, they could see that thousands of the rescued prisoners had gathered around the HQ complex where General White was addressing them from the top of a shipping container buttressed against the landing pad. Rains brought them in for a smooth landing, and they stepped out to a hero’s welcome.

  “It is thanks to Colonel Taylor and so many men and women like him that have made this possible. This operation was Taylor’s idea, this rescue attempt, also his. Let’s hear it for Colonel Taylor!”

  His voice carried for a kilometre over speakers set up all over the camp. Taylor shook his head and sighed as White beckoned for him to come forward. He tried to hold his ground, but Silva pushed him forwards.

  “Welcome all of you!” he said as cheers rang out in response, “If you survived this long under the reign of such cruel hardship, you are truly tough people indeed. We need you to keep being that strong. Over the coming weeks and months I want to see an end to Erdogan, and we will need you to help make that happen.”

  “Just give us a gun and point us in the right direction!” a voice from a nearby crowd yelled. He looked down for the voice but was met by the most surprising of sights. Commander Kelly stood in the crowd about two rows back and was looking up at him in amazement. Taylor didn’t know how to respond. He knew they had been scanned, and that as far as they knew it was really him, but it was a bittersweet sight. A friend had returned, but he would forever be the face that led to Eli Parker’s death.

  “Keep fighting, keep strong!” Taylor shouted to the crowd before jumping down and heading cautiously towards Kelly. He wasn't sure how to react to him yet. He wanted to feel relief that his friend had survived and been rescued, and yet he was still wary. His last encounter with what looked like Kelly was flashing back to his mind, and he felt a spark of pain in his head and neck as he remembered what it cost him. He looked down at his own hands and expected to see Eli's blood on them.

  Slowly, he looked back up. Kelly was advancing quickly now with a huge smile across his face. He rushed to Taylor and wrapped his arms around him in friendship.

  "You really did it. You really came back for us," stated Kelly.

  Taylor was still uneasy and uncomfortable as Kelly let him go. Morris appeared by his side, and Kelly embraced him, too.

  "I can't believe we're out. I can't believe any of this. This place, these things we are seeing. It's like a dream. Where is your fine lady, Parker?" he asked.

  Taylor's face went to stone.

  "You don't know?" Morris asked.

  "Know what?"

  He looked to Taylor and could already see he had struck a nerve.

  "I see," he whispered.

  "No, no you don't," replied Morris in Taylor's defence.

  Morris took Kelly's arm and led him off out of Taylor's sight. Taylor couldn't be more grateful, for he couldn't bring himself to explain Parker's death to the face that he had seen cause it. Despite Taylor's despair, the whole area was alive with discussion. He looked around to people smiling and laughing as if all was well in the world, and that consoled him a little.

  It was not long before the sun had gone down, and Taylor found himself with a drink in hand at the centre of the greatest celebrations that had taken place since they had reached the distant world. He sat alone and was deep in thought when someone took a seat in front of him. He looked up to see that it was Dubois.

  "Sergeant," he said in recognition.

  "I think we're passed such formalities," she replied.

  She wasn't even in uniform but comfortable clothes.

  "Coco," she added.

  She sat and stared at him for a while, and he wasn't sure what she wanted from him, though he knew he owed her.

  "Thanks."

  "For what?"

  "For pushing me in the right direction."

  "Before you lost Eli you would never have hesitated to attempt a rescue of our people, no matter how dangerous. You lost your confidence in yourself."

  He knew she was right.

  "Well, thank you, anyway."

  Her hands reached forward and rested over his on the table between them. Her hands were soft and warm, and it was comforting after feeling alone without Eli. But as he thought more about her and Charlie, he began to feel and overwhelming sensation of guilt and was uncomfortable. He pulled his hands back out from under hers and tried to sit back and pretend he felt nothing.

  "It's okay, you know."

  He shook his head as if to not know what she was talking about.

  "You're as stubborn as Charlie was."

  "What do you want from me?" Taylor asked abruptly.

  "We've both lost the ones we love, do we not deserve some consolation?"

  Taylor shook his head. He could see what she meant now, and it was just too soon for him, but he could see in her eyes how lonely and desperate she was.

  "If you can't be there for me, be there for my son, Jones' son. He will grow up without a father now, and you are the closest thing that he will ever have."

  He shook his head again. He could not bear the responsibility.

  "You owe him, and you owe me. Most of all you owe our son!" she said, raising her voice.

  Taylor was shocked and stunned by the prospect.

  "Will you not do this for all of us?"

  "I can't," Taylor replied softly.

  "Can't? Or won't?"

  "I am no father. Even if I survive this war, what kind of father figure do you think I'd make? All I know is how to fight."

  "And to love," she quickly added, "You loved Charlie as much as I did. You loved Eli, and you love those who fight beside you. Nobody can replace Charlie as a father, but you can honour him and respect him in doing t
his."

  He thought on it for a moment. It was never a subject he had ever given any thought. He knew the child was not far from birth now. He thought back to Jones and what he might want, and as he did so, the more he realised Coco was right. Quietly, he gave his response.

  "If I survive this war, you have my word that I will be there for your son. I can't promise I'll be good at any of it, but I will try."

  Coco wept a little in relief.

  "You don't know how much that means to me," she replied and leaned forward, reaching once again to lay her hand on one of his, "Thank you."

  He still felt uncomfortable with her hand over his. It reminded him of being with Eli, and so he just wanted to reach across and kiss her, and that made him sick to the stomach with guilt. He also couldn't help but feel he was dishonouring Jones' memory by even thinking such of Coco, and she could see that in his face.

  "There's nothing to be ashamed of here," she whispered, "Little Charlie needs you. I need you, and you cannot go on alone."

  He wanted to accept that, but it felt so wrong. He pulled his hand back and stood up.

  "I promise you I will be there for your son," he stated formally, "but I cannot offer you anything else but my friendship."

  He quickly knocked back the last of his drink and headed for the bar. It was a lot to take in. For all the responsibility he had ever taken on board in his life, this hit him harder than much of it. He knew Jones would want him to look after Coco and their son, but he'd been too engaged with the war to give them a second thought.

  The music went quiet and groans rang out from many around him. He turned to face the podium where addresses had often been made to them. Tens of thousands of military personnel were gathered there, and all were silenced now as they could see the Admiral himself had climbed up top to address them personally. He had been given no formal introduction. Few could get close enough to see his expression, but Taylor was just a few rows back. He could see the smile on Lasure's face.

  "Congratulations to all of you!" he began.

  Speakers were set up all around the site and carried his voice to every human on the planet, as well as into the ships stationed there.

  "Because of your efforts, there are now more humans out here on this world and in this fleet than we arrived with. That's right. Our numbers have strengthened because of your efforts. It's been a long and hard struggle since we left our homes, but I want you all to know that we are making progress. We are winning this war, and time is on our side now. I'm here to tell you that all operations to Earth are suspended for seven days for you all to rest and enjoy yourselves. Because when those seven days are up, we go at the enemy stronger than ever. Relax, rest, and be ready!"