Cheers rang out as the Admiral stepped down from the podium, and the music started back up, but Taylor was one of the very few who wasn't delighted by the news. He pushed through the ranks of partying troops to reach the Admiral. Lasure's people let him through, and he carried on walking beside the Admiral.
"Colonel Taylor, quite the accomplishment you achieved."
"We did all right, but why are we stopping?" Taylor asked abruptly.
"Because we're working our people into the ground. They aren't machines. You may be single minded in this matter, and I think that is at the expense of those under your command sometimes, Colonel. I will not send exhausted personnel into combat when it is not necessary,"
"Necessary?" replied Taylor sternly, "We aren't talking about a small task here, Admiral. We have to take our home back, and that won't be achieved by sitting around drinking beer and sleeping."
The Admiral stopped and turned to face Taylor head on and make eye contact.
"How many men and women under your command have you lost since we left Earth?"
"Too many."
"And how many of those losses have you replaced?"
Taylor sighed. "Not enough."
Lasure reached out and rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Look to your people, Colonel. See their spirits remain high and that recruits are brought in as quickly as you can. No good can come of running yourselves into the ground. We need you until the end of this."
He turned and left Taylor alone. He knew Lasure was talking sense, but he still didn't like it. On top of all that, he knew that time off would only allow him to dwell on the guilt he was feeling regarding Coco and the responsibility she had placed on him. Captain King pushed through part of the crowd and appeared before him with a drink in hand that he thrust towards Taylor. He had the same infectious grin that had spread across all who were there.
"Come on, Colonel, enjoy yourself!"
It was clear the Captain had gotten more than his fair share of drinks, but he was still standing, and his enthusiasm and joy were hard to avoid. Taylor finally smiled in response and took the drink. King led him over to a table where a number of their officers and senior NCOs had gathered. Silva raised his cup in recognition as they approached, but Taylor felt a tingle run up his spine when he saw Kelly sitting amongst them. The former MDF Commander leapt out of his seat when he saw Taylor. He knew Kelly must be nearing seventy years old now, but he looked fitter than ever and sprung up like anyone of Taylor's own unit.
He froze and thought of backing off, but Kelly continued onwards anyway and stopped right in front of him.
"I know what you have been through. Morris has filled me in. Words can't express how sorry I am."
"It wasn't you who did it," although his voice was vague and unconvincing.
"But it might as well have been. I failed by allowing my people and myself to be captured by the enemy. I cannot change any of that now. All I can do is give you my promise that I am with you until the end. I have already discussed it with my people, mostly former MDF and Becker and his people. We want to volunteer for service in the Inter-Allied. I know it's a big ask. But every single one of us is trained and with combat experience expected of one of the Immortals. I want to give back what you have done for us. Let us join you and stand beside one another in the coming weeks and months."
Becker strode into view to join them.
"You want in on this?" Taylor asked him.
"We owe it to you, and we want payback same as you," he replied.
Taylor looked over to King and Morris who had been listening in throughout. Both nodded in approval.
"How long until you can be at full combat capacity?" Taylor asked.
"Arm us tomorrow and we're good to go."
Taylor thought about it carefully and back to Lasure's comments about their losses. He knew this was a valuable opportunity to gain hundreds of trained fighters for his Regiment.
"Just give us a chance, Taylor. You know we've got what it takes. We survived a long time down there. Even more significantly, we fought. We didn't hide and run. We fought back. We gave them everything we had to give, and it cost us dearly. Now we've got a chance to hit them harder than ever. We just need you to say yes."
"And you'd submit to my command?"
Kelly nodded. "Without question. Equip us and feed us, and I promise you will not be disappointed. We will earn the reputation your Regiment has established."
Taylor tried to think back further than the clone of Kelly and remember the man he really was. He had never had anything but the utmost respect for the man. He was the oldest combat officer he knew, and yet his age never seemed to hinder him, and the weight he had gained through working at a desk for so many years was long gone. All that was left was a hardened fighter and combat officer offering his assistance.
"Come on, Colonel, do it for all of us," whispered Kelly.
Taylor finally stretched out his hand in friendship, and Kelly quickly took it with a huge smile across his face.
"We'll take you in, Kelly."
"Tom," he replied.
Taylor looked confused, eventually realising that in all the years he had known Kelly, he'd never asked him his full name.
"Thomas Kelly," he added.
In hearing his name, it suddenly humanised Kelly over the clone Taylor had witnessed kill his friends, and he felt a great weight lifted from his heart and shoulders. He took a step back and raised his voice for all around them to hear.
"Thomas Kelly, I hereby give you a field commission in the Inter-Allied Regiment. From now on, you'll be a Captain in this Regiment, and you'll lead Charlie Company, who you will raise from those who fought alongside you on Earth.”
Kelly couldn't believe what he was hearing. He looked up into the night sky in relief before finally looking back down to Taylor.
"You won't be disappointed," he replied, "Thank you."
"To Captain Kelly!" Silva barked.
His voice carried far, despite the music and cheering that shortly followed. The celebrations continued as they took a seat together to discuss the details.
"Kelly, being newly established, you'll be a support Company to get going. You'll also command the largest Company in the Regiment. I want you to choose your staff and platoon leaders personally. I'll keep Captain Morris with me as my second and liaison to your Company."
Kelly nodded in agreement.
"You've almost doubled our numbers!" King said.
"MDF forces in the Inter-Allied, though, Sir?" asked Lieutenant Matthews.
"Why not? We're already a bastard mix of everything else, US Marines, British Paras, and Rangers. We've got Welsh Fusiliers, and a few others from British Regiments I can't even remember anymore. We've even got German Marines now. Doesn't matter where you came from. We maintain a high standard, and if you can keep to that standard and follow my orders, then you're welcome among us."
"Yeah, and let's face it, we need the numbers," Silva said.
Two days passed where they seemed to do little but rest and lay about on the safe surface of Ony. The war seemed so far away when they couldn't hear or smell what war meant to them all. But on the third day Taylor awoke to find Irala waiting outside the door to his quarters.
Taylor stretched as he stepped outside and buttoned up the collar of his uniform.
"What can I do for you?" he asked.
"We have vital information on a build up of enemy forces," Irala replied calmly.
"What? Have you informed our commanders?"
"Yes, they are awaiting your arrival."
Fuck, Taylor thought.
He jumped forward into a stride towards headquarters.
King, Morris, and Kelly were all standing outside the building when he got there. They looked anxious and as if they hadn't been waiting long.
"Any idea what's going on?"
"No, but it can't be anything good, Sir," replied King.
He rushed inside to see everyone was waiting for h
im, and stern expressions filled the room. The three officers of his Regiment had followed him in, but he was surprised to see that Jafar was already inside and standing with White.
"Taylor, good, come on in," said the General.
He took a few paces forward and could see they were looking at some kind of blueprint projected on the table between them.
"What is this?"
"These are images provided by our Aranui allies."
Taylor looked carefully and could see that whatever he was looking at was of Krys construction. It appeared to be part of the surface of a planet that was not Earth.
"Where is this?
White pointed to Jafar to continue.
"This is the planet my people call 'Bursa'. It is the largest industrial world in the Tau Ceti system."
Tau Ceti?
The name cut deeply as he remembered their withdrawal from the fateful expedition there that cost the life of Chandra and so many others.
"What are we looking there for? I thought Tau Ceti was cut off since we destroyed the gateways?"
"Yes, unless you have access to my people’s technology," Irala added, "After Erdogan's assault on this planet failed, we attempted to pursue his ship the Fatihi; the only vessel in his fleet capable of initiating a jump gateway, utilising technology stolen from us as you know."
"Attempted?"
"Yes, we pursued the Fatihi, but it moved beyond our grasp into the safety of this world, Bursa, and the large defences and fleet that protect it."
"So what are you telling me? That huge fucking monstrosity could open up a gateway here with a whole fleet anytime she likes?"
Irala shook his head. "The Fatihi was severely damaged after our last engagement and took refuge on the surface of Bursa."
Taylor sighed in relief, but that relief was short lived.
"This is where we get down to it," stated White.
"All right, let's hear it," he replied.
"What you are looking at, Colonel, is the remains of that ship, the Fatihi," said Irala.
Taylor looked more closely, but it appeared more like some giant city built onto the surface.
"The enemy has spent much time and work getting to understand and repair the jump engines that were fitted onto that vessel, technologically antiquated compared to what we possess today. The engines we used for such jumps used to require vast power and ships the size of the Fatihi, but what they achieved was no less impressive."
"Okay, okay, I get it. But what does this all mean?"
"Colonel," said White, "they're turning the planet into a jump gateway that can be activated and allow access to anywhere, anytime."
Taylor's jaw dropped as he realised what they were facing. Kelly pressed a few keys, and the blue print map zoomed out until they could see the world it occupied and hundreds of ships in its orbit.
"So this is what Erdogan has been doing all this time?" he asked rhetorically, "No wonder we're seeing such success on Earth. He's not getting any reinforcements. Every time we hit him, he gets weaker, and he knows it doesn't matter. Why hasn't this fleet come through yet?"
"More ships join this fleet every day," Irala said, "but we do not believe they are waiting for numbers. We believe the jump gate is not yet working."
"How did you come to that conclusion?"
"We witnessed a trial run a few hours ago. They have come a long way in understanding our technology, but they're journey is not complete."
"So we're safe for now?" Kelly asked.
Kelly had imposed himself as far more than just an officer on Taylor's staff, but he was glad of his presence and knowledge.
"How long?" Kelly asked again.
"We believe they will be operational within two weeks."
Taylor's face turned to stone.
"Two weeks!" King shouted.
The room descended into chaos until White finally slammed his fist down on the table and pointed for Lasure to continue.
"Gentlemen, it seems we have just two options. Our mission up until now has been to kill Erdogan and seize control of his forces. That achievement has eluded us thus far. The choice we have is to continue that task, with the intention of completing it within two weeks, or, we focus our efforts on disabling this jump gate."
"It's no choice at all," said Taylor.
Everyone looked to him.
"Even if we can find and kill Erdogan in that time, are any of you happy with having all those bastards one jump away from being on our doorstep? So what if we take Erdogan down, and they don't like or accept what we do from there?"
"I have to agree with Taylor," said Lasure, "This threat cannot be left unchecked."
"Things a damn fortress, though," added Kelly.
"The simple fact is," said Taylor, "man for man, soldier for soldier, marine for marine, we are better than they are. But they have such vastly superior numbers that we cannot hope to win if we have to fight them all at once. If that gateway becomes operational, then Erdogan will have all the resources, armies, and fleets he will ever need to secure Earth for good, and our opportunity will be lost forever. And when he's content that Earth is rock solid, where do you think he will go next? No, we cannot let this stand. We must try and destroy that gateway before it becomes operational."
"I agree," said Lasure.
Everyone agreed, despite the fact nobody wanted to try and take on the monumental task of trying to achieve it.
"Irala, you say this could be operational in two weeks, could it be sooner?"
"Yes, it could be tomorrow, or a month from now."
"Then, Gentlemen, I'd love to tell you we can come back to this tomorrow after some serious consideration, but I am sorry to say that leave is cancelled, and we do not leave this room until we have found a way to make this happen. "
Chapter 9
Over twenty officers and other staff and allies had been sitting about the table for two hours now. Everyone looked weary except Irala and Jafar, whose expressions rarely seemed to change.
"So what do we do?" Lasure asked, "Which plan do we follow?"
"Can't we just open a gateway right on top of the target and throw a nuke through?" Taylor asked.
"Works for me," said White.
They all looked to Irala for a response.
"Sending ordnance through a gateway has led to catastrophic effect. We will never do so again. Any large weaponry that passes through a gateway must be manned by a conscious operator."
"Okay. It was a sound idea. So what do we do?" Lasure asked again.
"Hit them with everything," replied White, as he looked at the images displayed before them, "A diversionary force to draw as much of that fleet away as possible, followed by an aerial bombardment. Nuke the surface, and have ground troops on standby for assault should that fail or the device not be disabled."
"Ground attack? Who would be crazy enough to do it?"
"We would, Admiral," Taylor said without hesitation, "Give us two nukes, and we'll deliver 'em by hand if need be."
"It's not a very subtle plan, Colonel."
Taylor shrugged.
"We will provide vessels for the diversionary force, as well as a secondary force for ground bombardment, and Guardians to operate in support of Colonel Taylor," added Irala.
"You know that a force large enough to create a diversion is gonna have to be vast?"
"Two hundred vessels," said Irala.
"We can spare a hundred between us. Any more than that and we leave this world unprotected."
"We only need to appear to have two hundred. We have a way."
Irala didn't seem keen to expand on that, so Lasure simply nodded and took him at his word.
"Taylor, what do you need?"
"Get me those nukes and fast transport for two hundred men, and we'll get the job done."
"Colonel, prepare your people. We set off as 1300 hours. I'll ensure you have enough support on the ground to give you the time you should need, if it comes to that. With any luck, this can be achieved
with aerial bombardment, and we can return to our work on Earth. All further information will be forwarded to you."
Taylor nodded and casually walked out at a relaxed pace as he thought it all over in his head.
"Seems a simple enough plan," said King.
"Too simple," replied Taylor, taking a deep breath and trying to make sense of it all.
"You think it's a trap?" Kelly asked.
"How can it be?" asked Morris, "The enemy probably thinks they have a nice little secret there in their home system. Why would they ever think we'd be looking there?"
"Because Erdogan knows us," said Taylor, "He knows how we think. Let's not forget these are the people who defeated our race and the Aranui, and currently inhabit and own both of our homeworlds. Give them some credit where it’s due. There's something we're not seeing."
"Well why didn't you say so in there?" asked King.
"Because I don't know what it is, but this is just too easy."
"Easy? It's gonna be an absolute nightmare."
"The stakes are too high for Erdogan to risk losing this thing. He knows the war on Earth hands in the balance. This is his lifeline. This one target is what guarantees him victory. How far would you go to defend it if you were him?" Taylor asked.
"Few hundred ships in orbit and a substantial ground defence network seems about right," added King.
"I hope you're right."
"My Company will be taking this mission. King, I want you to lead two platoons in support."
"And us?"
"Get yourselves geared up, Kelly; you'll be deployed aboard the Baron for the duration of this mission. You will defend her borders and be ready to assist us if need be. That okay?"
"Anything we can do to help."
It was a bizarre experience to have Kelly under his command, and he didn't know why he was asking if his orders were acceptable, but he couldn't help but still see Kelly as an authority.
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