Battle Beyond Earth: Deception

by Thomas, Nick S.

  “Always the idealist, Taylor.”

  “If that’s what you want to call it, sure.”

  Taylor appeared happy to say anything CJ wanted to hear in order to keep him on board. The Captain strode up and stopped a half metre from him. It was the closest they had been without trading blows.

  “And one more thing, when this is all through, we are going to settle this, you and I, permanently.”

  “When we’re through with what?”

  “This mission. You might be able to pretend to Bolormaa that you are too sick to fight, but not to me, and I want satisfaction. I am going to help you on this, but afterwards we are going to finish this.”

  “If that’s what you really want.”

  CJ looked surprised that Taylor wasn’t more enthusiastic about such a possibility.

  “Isn’t that what you have wanted to do all this time?”

  “Honestly, I really don’t care anymore. I hated you for so long, but I am not the same man you once knew, and neither are you. You aren’t the monster I thought you were, and you probably don’t even know it. You play the role, but you aren’t like that now.”

  “How can you possibly know that?”

  “Look around. Look at your crew. They would follow you to hell and back, and nobody would do that for the man I know you used to be. You were programmed to hate me and to fight for Erdogan, but the more that time passes by, the more that just doesn’t matter. The reality is that you are more human as every day goes by. You just don’t want to admit it.”

  CJ laughed, but even he wasn’t able to hide the fact Taylor’s words had sunk deep into his mind, and somehow he just couldn’t find the hate for Taylor that he once had.

  “This is Kaner and Boron,” he said as he pointed to the two Krys officers beside them, “And that over there is Mirov,” he said, indicating to one of the human officers. “You know King already.”

  It was a courtesy Taylor never expected to see or hear from the clone. He returned the favour regarding his team.

  “You’ve already met Captain Rogers. That is Dart, Babacan, Maloney, and Pitt.”

  “A lot of new faces for you.”

  “All good operators and more than capable.”

  “As are mine, even if they are the criminals and the rejects, the sort of people the Alliance wouldn’t even let see the light of day had they not been needed to fight this war.”

  “Can the same not be said for the both of us?” Taylor retorted calmly.

  “Exactly, and yet here we are, thriving as we never have before!” CJ yelled excitedly.

  “Why do you even fight for the Alliance? You don’t owe them anything. You don’t even seem to like it.”

  CJ shrugged.

  “In a war like this, we get everything we could want given to us for free, and all we have to do is fight. What is there not to like?”

  “And if there were no war left to fight?”

  “Don’t be silly, Colonel. For men like us there is only war, and there will always be a war to fight. If it is not with some distant enemy, it is with one another. If Bolormaa wasn’t out there, would we not be at war with one another in this moment?”

  “Aren’t we?”

  “No, I’ve let things rest, for now. Quite frankly, I am having too much fun to bother myself with you.”

  “And you know that if you end me you’ll have to deal with Bolormaa yourself.”

  Taylor noticed a slight glimmer in his eyes as he looked away and tried to hide it.

  “It’s true, isn’t it? You don’t want to kill me because you are terrified of her?”

  “I am terrified of no one, but I am not stupid enough to think I can beat a god like Bolormaa. You couldn’t even defeat Erdogan without help and sacrificing your own life, so how can any of us beat her?”

  Taylor was surprised at how riled up he had become. There was genuine fear in his eyes, but he didn’t blame him for it, as he felt just the same way. It was in that moment both men realised they were more alike than either of them would ever like to admit.

  “This band of criminals, you know when the war ends, the Alliance will want you right back where you came from?”

  “Then perhaps we better not see it ended too quickly, for you might well be in the same boat.”

  “The Alliance would never forget its heroes,” replied Rogers as he had been listening in.

  But CJ just laughed.

  “Don’t be a fool. It’s easy to get what you want when you are needed. Warriors like Taylor and me, we are necessary, and we have to be given what we want. We have to be tolerated, but when it’s all over, we’ll not be welcome.”

  Taylor dropped his head in despair at how true those words were. He thought of the many charges he’d likely face for the crimes he had committed. Nobody would dare act on them now because he was a weapon that they needed. It felt like he was running a fine line between death by Bolormaa and imprisonment by his own people. He’d never really thought about it that way, but CJ was right. He had seen it all happen before.

  “That wouldn’t happen, you know that right?” Taylor nodded along in agreement, but he didn’t really believe what Rogers was saying, “Let’s just focus on getting through this mission alive, let alone the war.”

  “You’re saying that people would not have to deal with the gritty realities of what war does to people? No, in this case I am sad to say that he is right,” replied Taylor.

  “If we make it through this, I promise you it won’t be like that. I’ll personally make sure that the veterans of this war are treated properly.”

  “And how much power do you think you will have when we no longer have to fight? We take what we want, and we get our results with the tip of a sword, so to speak. But when you can no longer fight, it gets a damn sight harder.”

  “For once we agree on something,” added CJ, “When this war is over, I am out of here. I intend to go on living the life I want to lead, not what anyone tells me to!”

  “And you can.”

  “You really think so? Law and order will soon ruin his fun.”

  “Well, damn, I just think you might have met your equal, in cynicism, Colonel.”

  Taylor didn’t look too pleased. He didn’t much like being compared to CJ, who didn’t seem to approve either.

  “Anyway, on to more important matters,” said Rogers, “The most important thing on this mission, beyond making it back alive, is that nobody can know that Taylor is there, and not one of the enemy can see these suits. That goes for you, too,” he said to CJ as he pawed over the suit he had been given, “You keep that in case of emergency. Besides that, you never let anyone see it in public. Do you hear me? That, or the deal is off.”

  “Yeah, yeah I hear you.”

  Rogers didn’t look at all confident that he would keep up his end of the bargain, and he scowled at Taylor for having made the deal to give away their equipment.

  “I really mean it. If the enemy discover the true origins of this equipment, and that Taylor is behind one of the masks, we are all in a world of trouble. You talk about life after the war, that life may not exist if she discovers the truth.”

  “I heard you the first time,” CJ sneered.

  “So what is the plan here, or are we just making it up as we go along, the way you usually do?” Rogers asked Taylor.

  “Honestly, I’d like to tell you there was some great plan, but seeing as you can’t get me any more intel on Usata, we are just gonna have to go along and ride this one out.”

  “Genius,” replied CJ.

  “Like you ever do it any other way. You and I definitely have one thing in common, and that’s we jump in head first and then learn to swim along the way.” CJ couldn’t disagree with Taylor, “All I know is that there is pretty solid intel that POWs are being held on that colony, and knowing what I know about Bolormaa, I can guarantee they are not having a good time. Either she has some great plan for them, or they’re merely there as her playthings, the sicko that she is. E
ither way, it isn’t good for our people, and I will not let this slide. How do you think the fighting men and women in the Alliance will feel if they found their beloved Alliance was doing sweet fuck all to rescue those taken by the enemy?”

  “That’s not fair, and you know it. If there was anything that could be done, it would be, but we help them by keeping up the fight.”

  “Bullshit, I know you don’t believe that,” snapped Taylor, “The Alliance may be spread thin, but it prides itself on supporting one another. If it can’t do that, then what the hell are we fighting for?”

  “And you wonder why I don’t give a damn for your pretty little Alliance,” muttered CJ.

  “It isn’t perfect, no system ever is, but compared to the alternatives, the Alliance is a beacon of hope and civilisation,” said Rogers.

  “You live in a dream world. That is a complete fantasy,” said CJ.

  “No, that is what I believe the Alliance to be, and that is what I ensure it is every single day by the work and contributions I can make.”

  “Yeah, well right now those contributions are to save POWs,” said Taylor.

  “And I am here, aren’t I?”

  Taylor nodded in agreement.

  “A man who actually acts upon his words, that puts you a point up in my book,” said CJ.

  “The truth is that if fighting personnel are being taken by the enemy, we need them back,” replied Taylor, “This isn’t wholly unselfish. These are fighting men and women that have been struck off as dead or presumed dead, but what if we have a chance to get them back? And how many other facilities are there like this? Are we just going to let Bolormaa take our people to do with as she wills? I’d like to think if I was taken, that some mean and nasty son of a bitch was willing to come and find me with all guns blazing. I am lucky enough to have friends with both the means and the talent to do so, but that cannot be said for plenty that the Alliance has left for dead, and Hajander is a prime example.”

  “You can’t blame the Alliance as they are now for Hajander. Not a single human alive today was around when that happened,” said Rogers.

  “No, but it should act as a lesson to those in power now. Don’t leave your own behind.”

  “That might as well be our motto around here,” replied CJ with pride, “You won’t find much care around here for the Alliance, but every single one of us would put it all on the line for one another.”

  “And wouldn’t you like to think there were others out there that would do the same for you?”

  “Maybe, but there’s a fat chance of that.”

  “No, I’d never leave you at the mercy of Bolormaa and her creatures.”

  “Bullshit!”

  “That is the damned truth. I hate you for what you are and the things you have done in the past, but that doesn’t mean I’d condemn you to that existence. If anyone is going to bring you pain and suffering, it will be me.”

  CJ smiled as if he were entertained. “Well, I am touched, Colonel, and let it be said here and now, that I too would also save your arse so that I could be the one to end you in my own time.”

  “It’s a deal, then?”

  Rogers was just shaking his head in disbelief.

  “You two are as crazy as each other. We are fighting to survive the next apocalyptic event, and you are planning a duel some far away time down the line? What is wrong with you?”

  “Some things just need to be done, as a matter of honour,” said Taylor.

  “And some feelings will never go away, not with any length of time,” added CJ.

  “Madness. You both hate each other for basically the same reason. Hell, you are basically the same person, is that why you hate each other so much?”

  Neither of them would answer that.

  “Can we lighten up the damn tone?” Dart joined in, “There’ll be plenty enough assholes to vent your anger with soon enough. There’s no need to start a pissing contest before the action has started.”

  Taylor and CJ both groaned almost simultaneously, before turning away from one another. CJ took it as an opportunity to try on his new suit, and as it clamped around his body, he paced up and down the deck, openly marvelling at how it made him feel.

  “This is one hell of a piece of kit. I have to give you that.”

  “You should know though, Captain, that beyond needing to keep it a secret, the operational time of the AR2 suit is just thirty minutes.”

  “And then what?”

  “It shuts down, and you better be somewhere safe when that happens,” said Taylor.

  “Thirty minutes? What genius thought that up?”

  “It’s experimental, but for now, just keep it under wraps, please,” replied Rogers.

  “So what are we waiting for?”

  “For you idiots to stop playing with your toys and load up. I’m good to go,” replied Dart.

  “I’d like to say we are ready for this, but the reality is we don’t even know what to be ready for.”

  “You know me, Colonel, always looking for new experiences,” Dart answered happily.

  Taylor didn’t understand how it seemed as though nothing could ever get him down. He went at every mission with the adrenaline junkie enthusiasm that Rains did, his pilot all those years ago.

  “There’s something in the blood with you pilots.”

  “We train to enjoy fear. It’s not healthy, I’ll admit, but it is one hell of a lot of fun.”

  “All right, then, I guess we are as ready for this as we are going to be. Load up, and let’s get ready to move on out.”

  He turned to CJ who was still admiring his suit.

  “You better come when we call for you.”

  “I said I’ll be there, and so I will.”

  Taylor had nothing more to say as they climbed aboard the Lynx. The door shut, and he soon stepped out of his suit and plugged it in to charge from the ship’s power source, as did the others. Maloney looked most put out having had to give his up to CJ.

  “Don’t worry. These aren’t going to be much use where we are going anyway.”

  Taylor opened the locker unit and pulled out the regular armour and suits that he had gotten so accustomed to.

  “Feels like a bit of a step back, doesn’t it?” Rogers asked.

  Taylor shook his head. “We use whatever we have to, and we find wherever we are needed. All that matters is that we succeed, and that we survive.”

  The others didn’t look at all confident, and he could tell they hadn’t seen much combat but for the little the previous day when they had the power of the AR2s.

  “You’ve not ever fought a real battle before, have you?”

  “We have fought, Sir, but not with so few numbers, and with so little uncertainty for our surroundings,” replied Maloney.

  “We fought to defend our homes with thousands of others like us,” added Pitt.

  “And you think safety in numbers makes you strong?”

  “It sure feels better.”

  “Maybe so, Maloney, but it doesn’t make you any more likely to survive. You fight in numbers on your own soil, then you are fighting on the enemy’s terms. Well, fuck the enemy’s terms. I take a fight to them, when and where I want to. When I have the advantage.”

  “And you think that is what we have right now? Even with CJ we have what, a few hundred troops?”

  “You know what I have achieved with a few hundred troops where they can be focused and used to the best of their ability? A few hundred of the best can change the outcome of a war.”

  “You really believe that?” Rogers asked.

  “You know I do. You have studied me more than probably any other being alive, even Bolormaa. You must know that about me.”

  “I guess reading it and living it just aren’t the same thing.”

  “Well, ain’t that the truth? I bet you thought war was going to be all noble and exciting, didn’t you?”

  “If I’m honest, I thought it would be a whole lot better than it is.”

&
nbsp; “Huh, that’s one hell of an understatement.”

  “But I’d not be anywhere else, not for the world,” added Rogers.

  Chapter 12

  “Ready to jump in five, four, three, two, one, and jumping,” Dart said rather casually. In a flash they were through and on the other side.

  “Oh, shit!”

  They smashed into rock debris and bounced off one before striking another. They all held on for dear life, sealing their helmets in fear of the ship breaking apart as they felt several more impacts. They finally settled. Dart breathed a sigh of relief, as did they all.

  “Hell of a place to come in, Dart!” Taylor yelled.

  “Yeah, well, you try plotting a course to a system that is barely charted!”

  “Hey, we’re alive, and that is all that matters. Is there any chance we were spotted in all of that?” Rogers asked.

  “Not a chance, in amongst all this. We just look like another rock being bashed about, which is pretty much how I feel right about now,” snapped Dart.

  They all took a deep breath and calmed themselves. Taylor released the seal of his helmet, safe in the knowledge that they were okay.

  “This world, why haven’t I heard of it before?”

  “Come on, Colonel, after the death of Erdogan and peace with the Krys, humanity stretched out into the stars. We colonised, or attempted to, hundreds, if not thousands of planets. With the terraforming techniques developed in the post war years, even the most uninhabitable planets gave people a real shot at a new existence.”

  “But why would you bother? Why, when we have probably the most beautiful world I have ever seen, why would you leave that?”

  “That is one part of history that I was glad to have not lived through, and neither did you,” replied Rogers.

  “What do you mean?”

  “There weren’t exactly any winners or losers at the end of that war. There was peace, but it wasn’t an easy ride. Krys colonists claimed plenty of land on Earth, and cities and towns on most continents were shattered from the endless fighting.”

  “Yeah, I get that, but why not rebuild?”

  “I guess for some people the permanent reminder of all they had lost was just too much to bear. A lot of people wanted to leave Earth for good. Hell, you had done it before.”