Sam nodded, his finger moving to the trigger of the sniper rifle. The weapon cracked as Captain Dugachard stared back through the binoculars, the spark in the distance as the round ricocheted off the armour plate.
She turned, heading for the door to the balcony, ‘Aim at any of the crews…forget the infantry!’ She disappeared through the doorway as Sam looked round, his helmet visor beginning to glow at the edges.
Riaz stared in awe at the machines in the distance, Shino raising her rifle in expectation next to him. The hover tank fired its two front guns, the turret shuddering at the recoil, the sound of the firing sweeping across them.
The explosion hit the rocks behind the walker, debris bouncing against the armoured hull, the front jet black machine stepping forward again.
The armoured brigade commander ran from one of the buildings, raising his binoculars to his eyes as he came to a stop at the edge of the square. He blinked hard, swearing under his breath, his eyes staring into the lenses as two more walkers emerged behind the first machines.
Captain Dugachard approached him at a jog, her eyes wide, ‘Can the tanks take them out?’
The commander shook his head, ‘Not that many if they get close…we only have two now.’ He glanced round frantically, ‘Have you any missile launchers?’
The captain shook her head, ‘We were not expecting this much trouble…we are mostly a reserve unit.’
The commander glared, ‘I will get one of my men to check the stores, but I am sure we only have a couple.’ He turned to face her, ‘It will not be enough…there are too many of them!’
The whoosh above them made him freeze, the explosion at the back of the village throwing debris and fire into the air. He shook his head, the realisation the Morgons had moved up heavier weaponry into the valley dawning on him, ‘Mortars!’ He stared at her as two more explosions occurred behind her near the southern exit from the village, ‘Captain…we have no chance here now…it is time to leave before they overrun us!’ He moved towards the jeep next to the headquarters, distant shrieks filling their ears as gunfire erupted along the north and western perimeters. Picking up his assault rifle from the back seat, he turned to her placing his helmet on his head, ‘Pull your soldiers back through the village then past the airfield!’
The tank fired again, the turret shuddering as the shells flew across the terrain, the first walker being engulfed in explosions. Gradually, the fire and smoke cleared, the metal legs buckling as the machine collapsed onto the dirt.
A hoarse cheer echoed across the front line, then cut short as lasers flew outwards from the cannons on the second walker, the blasts sweeping past them and exploding in one of the buildings in the square. The soldiers ducked down, dust and stones flying across the area from the explosion. Riaz spun round, his head low as dust clouds billowed over them, the cracking and loud thunder as the building collapsed inwards, the tower above crumbling and falling downwards. Riaz opened his mouth to shout his friend’s name, his terror rising as he started coughing, the dust sweeping into his throat.
Several whooshes above them, the deadly mortar shells exploding nearer, more towards the centre of the village.
Captain Dugachard pushed herself upwards from the ground, her hands dropping from her helmet and reaching out for her rifle. Rising to her knees, she shouted across the square to her soldiers, the distant shrieks of the enemy infantry getting nearer as she shouted at the top of her voice, ‘Pull back past the airfield!’
The commander next to her shouted at two of his officers, ‘Get in the jeeps…one to the next defensive position, hold the troops there as they arrive and dig in! The other jeep…find the Sixteenth Division and the Red Leopard Battalion…tell them we need support now or the enemy will overwhelm us…we can’t stop them!’
The two soldiers snapped to attention as two more mortar rounds whipped overhead, the explosions throwing flame and dust into the air. They clicked their heels, their fists rising to their chest as they sprinted to the vehicles, the jeeps surging forward as the waiting drivers engaged gear.
Soldiers ran across the square in confusion, flames and smoke pouring from the damaged buildings. Dust billowed across the square at the many boots ran from the front positions in terror, the high pitched screams of the laser cannons getting nearer as the walkers approached slowly.
The tank jolted again as it fired, a second walker disintegrating as the shells pierced the main body of the Morgon fighting vehicle. Gunfire broke out along the sides of the village as many Silakian and Morgon infantry rose up and ran towards the outer buildings, firing as they came. The defenders backed away in terror at the sheer numbers advancing, then ran from the barricaded buildings out onto the light towards the square.
Riaz and Shino turned and ran from the barricade as they saw the others around them rise to flee. Riaz stopped briefly next to the pile of rubble where the tower had stood, the flames licking upwards between the broken masonry and wood from the balcony.
Debra grasped his shoulder as she ran into him, shouting in his ear as Riaz bowed his head, his emotions beginning to crack, oblivious to her screamed words. Her voice loud, he tensed as more shells whisked overhead, the ammunition bunker at the edge of the town exploding as the shells landed. Debra shouted again, Riaz seeming to just stare at her, his expression blank, ‘Come on Riaz…snap out of it…we need to move now…or die!’
Riaz’s eyes brightened slightly, his mind beginning to focus once more as she dragged at his shoulder, Shino shouting desperately at him from further along the square. He stared at the rubble once more, the billowing smoke rising from further across the village as ignited cannon shells exploded in the now destroyed warehouse.
The two carriers full of the wounded lurched forward as running marines and militia passed him on either side, Debra half dragging him. The tank’s engine burbled as it started reversing, the guns firing again into the distance.
His mind cleared, his body surging with adrenalin, his aches and bruises sharpening his consciousness as he slowly moved. The sounds around him became clear and sharp, the shouting and running as soldiers sprinted towards the south. Debra’s face shouting into his, her spittle hitting his face and visor as she screamed at him. He nodded, then grabbed her shoulder in return as he lunged forward, running with her to the south.
Mortar shells exploded behind them as the Morgon guns targeted the forward positions in the village. Flames and broken defences rose into the air as acrid smoke billowed across the fleeing soldiers from the burning buildings, the screams of soldiers caught in the blasts spurring the others on in terror.
Shino sprinted alongside Debra and Riaz as they fled, the laser blasts behind them and explosions spurring them on. Chasing the rear of the last carrier, the turret above them spinning round, they heard the tank guns behind them blasting at the oncoming enemy forces, the continuous chatter of the machine guns. A muffled shout of ‘Acid Shells!’ The lines of green vapour heading across the sky towards the burning buildings. The cracks of firing as the second tank engaged the advancing walkers, buying time for the first tank to retreat.
They ran through the southern defences of the village…along the dusty track as marines and militia ran in front and behind them…leaving the burning village of Contax behind them to the enemy, tears in their eyes as they gasped for air.
Chapter Thirty: Aftermath
The bright flash from the massive explosion in space lit up the darkening sky across Europe. Fragments of the destroyed Morgon ship hurtling across space as the laser turrets on the Trevakian battleship fired at the larger objects. Several satellites orbiting earth were destroyed, blanking movie channels and music stations on television screens across some of the planet. The blast wave blew several transmitters in space out of their individual orbits, rendering satellite phones and transmission devices useless.
The scientist looked up, the glow extending across the sky complimented by a dazzling display of shooting lights as further debris burnt up on the earth�
�s atmosphere. Startled from his current task, he glanced back down through the thick window of his hazmat suit, the Geiger counter static rising in his ears as he stepped through a doorway, the radiation level getting higher.
Inspecting the area slowly, the cumbersome yellow suit restricting his movement, he carefully stepped through the next doorway, the corridor leading further into the administration building he had been instructed to sweep and replace malfunctioning radiation sensors in.
Advancing down the corridor cautiously, he gingerly stepped over plaster and debris that had fallen from the ceiling, the roof open to the elements in places. He grimaced as he saw large rats moving through the broken bricks in the distance, the lights from his helmet causing them to scuttle away in fear. Approaching the broken wall, he glanced out carefully, the cold dark air from the courtyard below enveloping his thick suit as he stood in silence for a moment, his breath heavy as the Geiger counter surged in his ears.
The radio crackled in his ears, startling him. The receiver not having worked in the last couple of days. He listened as his colleague tested the device, asking for a response. Slowly, he raised his thickly covered hand to his ear, pressing the suit against the side of his head as he spoke, confirming he received the test message.
The talking continued in his ear, advising him that the immediate threat from above was gone and celebrating the news, a grin forming on his face within the suit as he listened to the slurred rant of his colleague, the scientist celebrating with vodka and inviting him back to drink with him twenty miles to the south.
He shrugged, thinking it would be alright to leave this irritatingly lonely job for the night, tempted by the warm bunker they resided in, the taste of his favourite vodka. Turning slowly, he looked back down the corridor he had been trudging along, mentally deciding where to step in caution of the weakened floor. As he stepped forward, he glanced out through the broken wall once more, his foot placed carefully before him as the shattered interior wall filled his view. He shook his head, a jab of adrenalin shooting up his spine as he froze. His eyes widening in surprise, he stepped back, staring out across the courtyard towards the broken building opposite, the shattered walls and debris just visible in the darkening light, trying to identify what he thought he had seen.
Shrugging again, he dismissed his brief thoughts, slowly stepping forward down the corridor and back into the darkness, the narrow beams from his helmet lighting up the debris on the floor in front of him. He smiled to himself, he had just seen the beams from his suit lights reflecting against something, his nerves taut from the alarm on his Geiger counter buzzing in his ears. His smile widened to a grin, the urge for a night of drinking filling is thoughts, the celebration of the safety of his planet high on his mind.
As the darkness seemed to get thicker, the yellow suited figure slowly walked into the distance across the overgrown park before the administration building. The scientist glancing upwards at the fantastic light display across the heavens as he approached his armoured vehicle.
A lone figure rose under the cover of darkness to stare out after the man. The broken wall around the figure providing perfect concealment from prying eyes, the one weakness hidden from each successive walkthrough by the strangely clad figures.
As the figure ran quickly from the building, the crack of wood beneath his footing, the worn sign splintering from the weight, the figure scuttling behind a broken wall in shaken response to the sharp sound. The sign that had greeted scientists and workers for years long ago. The sign that had announced in crooked black lettering, ‘Chernobyl Nuclear Plant. Administration Block 1. Authorised Personnel Only.’
In the darkness, two red eyes glowed behind the brick, the black armoured helmet shining momentarily in the moonlight as the figure swept forward through the broken machine shop. His scouting mission for the evening now over, the armoured figure moved swiftly back towards his concealed unit. A reconnaissance unit hidden deep beneath the foundations of the complex they resided in as they observed their new enemy. Waiting.
The small transport craft shot across the sky, the vessel losing altitude as it descended across the wide dark expanse of water, the pilot and figure next to him tensing their bodies as they saw the white land mass in the distance.
As the craft swept on, the vessel slowly losing speed and altitude, they held their breaths, the white land extending as far as the eye could see as they shot over the coast. The two figures in the cockpit turned to each other, nodding and swallowing hard as the craft descended further, the landing very dangerous.
The pilots arm rose as he pointed to a flat expanse of snow in the distance, the passenger nodding as the small craft buffeted on the air beneath them. Holding their breaths, the small vessel bounced on the frozen snow, rising and falling again to the iced surface. It bounced along for some distance, beginning to swerve as the pilot miscalculated, flicking his foot off the right rudder as the craft slewed across the ice.
The darkened vessel, it’s sides scorched from atmospheric heat spun on the ice, the frozen snow engulfing it as it piled into a bank, the pilot and front passenger thrown forward in the cockpit as the craft came to an abrupt halt.
The vessel sat there for some time, half covered in snow, steam rising from the hull as the temperature lowered rapidly from the entry to the atmosphere. The ice and snow around the craft melted as the craft cooled, then began to freeze again in the severe temperature.
Slowly the silence returned to the iced terrain, the vast expanse of ice and land virtually deserted apart from a few strange wildlife and predators, able to survive the cold.
A loud crack suddenly echoed across the ice as the frost around the side hatch split, steam and condensation pouring from the opening as the door was slowly pulled back, swinging inside the hull. The occupants remained inside, sensing if the air was breathable, if they could survive without additions to their helmets. The silence returning to the frozen landscape once more.
The iced snow crunched as a figure stepped out, the boots pressing into the frozen ground as it stepped from the craft, a rifle held tightly in front.
Moving forward, the figure dropped into the snow, raising the rifle in defence as another figure glanced out of the craft cautiously.
The prone sniper looked up, across the snow, the red eyes in his black helmet glowing as they scoured the vicinity, the iced terrain of Antarctica around the small transport.
Several tall darkened figures ran from the craft suddenly, spreading out across the ice carrying a variety of weapons. Their black armour glinting in the light from the stars, their voices clicking softly to each other as they formed a defensive ring around the crippled escape craft. The last remaining vessel from their destroyed mother ship.
David Bland sat in the cockpit with his head in his hands, his helmet discarded to the side in despair. The pilot next to him swept his hands across his face and unbuckled his seatbelt, rising from his chair and opening the rear door to the cargo bay behind. Passing through the opening, he began to rummage through some of the boxes lying in disarray across the metal floor.
David slowly looked up, his eyes strained, ‘What are you doing? Who is flying this thing?’ He stared out into the darkness through the cockpit windows, the distant stars glinting towards him, the endless black space seeming to engulf his thoughts, his mind blank with emotional exhaustion.
The harsh voice came from the cargo hold, ‘In case you had not noticed…we are not flying! We are speeding through deep space in one direction…the controls don’t work…we will continue in this direction until we hit something or both die!’
The Operations Manager shook his head in disbelief, letting out a groan, ‘Where are we?’
The pilot thrust his head back through the opening, his frustration evident as his voice rose, ‘Where are we? We are in deep space!’ He leant forward, stabbing at the panel in front of the controls with his finger, the lights flickering as the craft configured the map on the screen. He glanced across it, sm
iling ironically, ‘Well…we are here!’ He pointed to the small flashing light on the screen before them.
David gritted his teeth in irritation, ‘So…where is here?’
The pilot turned to him grinning, ‘We have been travelling at maximum speed through space for over two hours…we are now…’ His eyes narrowing in slight intrigue as he looked at the map, flicking a switch to project it into the cabin around them, the virtual images flickering slightly as David’s eyes widened in surprise. The pilot’s grin widened, ‘We have just passed into the next galaxy!’ He turned to look at the Operations Manager slowly, his tone sarcastic, ‘My friend…what an honour…you are the very first human ever to enter this space…the first and perhaps last marine in the Pastarian System!’
Thank you for reading this book, I hope you enjoyed the experience as much as I did writing it.
Please investigate the following adventures currently available or in production from the author:
World War Two:
Bloody Iced Bullet Bloody Rattenkrieg Bloody Kessel Bloody Stalingrad (Trilogy)
Science Fiction:
The Last Marine in the Galaxy The Red Leopards of Zaxon B Galaxies Collide: First Contact
Planet Genocide I Zaxon B: The Final Struggle Planet Genocide II
Fantasy:
Army of the Skeletal Prince Blades of the Undead
Crime Drama (Dark Humour):
Bloodied Hunger Bloodied Insurgents Bloodied London I
The Hong Kong Scotsman
Historical Drama:
The Last Highlanders
Contributors:
I would like to thank four of my colleagues for their voluntary assistance with this project.
David Axell has also volunteered some considerable time assisting me with this, the previous books and future projects, talking over additional ideas and potential sub plots. He has also provided valuable input on some of the wording used to assist me in the endeavour to create as close as possible account to reality.
The Last Marine in the Galaxy (Galaxies Collide Book 1) Page 28