“Taylor really doing what you say? Looking for super weapons that could change this war?”
She didn’t much like the Sergeant’s tone, nor her lack of respect, but she sympathised with Eli.
“That is what I have been told, Sergeant.”
Chandra took a step closer so that she could speak more quietly, and the other troops could not hear.
“Taylor is going to be fine. He’ll be in a safer place than any of us. Right now you need to focus on keeping yourself and the rest of us alive.”
Parker nodded as she grit her teeth. She knew she was letting her emotions get in the way of her job and acting in an unprofessional manner. After all that she had been through, it was difficult not to have Taylor at the centre of her thoughts.
“We’ll make it through this, Eli. I just need you to do your job,” whispered Chandra.
Eli smiled as she lifted her shoulders a little higher and regained her composure.
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“That’ll be all, Sergeant.”
It was not long before they reached the bridge they had fought over just a day before. The wreckage of the Mechs was still on the site, though it had been hauled out of the vehicular route by the armoured units in the area. It was as desolate and quiet as when they had arrived the first time. It was clear to Chandra that they had few troops to divert to the defence of the northern districts.
“I want trenches either side of the bridge! Fortify the buildings this side!”
She beckoned for the two Captains to assemble at her side as the others got to work.
“You think we can hold here?” asked Jones.
“Your guess is as good as mine, Captain. We have our orders, and we’ll do our utmost to fulfil them.”
They looked across the bridge to the wreckage of the Mechs and down the long empty road before them.
“What kind of strength do we anticipate them to come in?” asked Friday.
Chandra shook her head.
“No idea, Captain. Dupont believes that an attack will come. The resistance Taylor faced yesterday would support that.”
“And if we can’t hold?” asked Jones.
“We’ll do what we can. Worst case, we move further in towards the city. If we can’t hold onto Paris, it does not bode well for the rest of Europe.”
“Perhaps you should have returned home. The channel has saved you many times throughout history,” said Friday.
“We stand together or not at all, Captain. No one nation can stand against the invaders. I can’t deny I’d gladly return to England, but it would only delay our fight a little longer.”
“And when the fight goes to America, what will you do Friday?” asked Jones.
“I’ll fight wherever I am ordered, or wherever I may be. We don’t fight as nations any longer. We are a world united.”
Chandra agreed as she stared back down the bridge in deep thought.
“To think this is what it took to finally bring us together, an apocalyptic war which could end our race.”
“It won’t last,” said Jones. “Everyone always wants more, and the Mechs want what we’ve got. If we ever win here, we’ll only want to take what is theirs.”
“War is in our blood, Jones, in the fibre of our species.”
Chandra dipped her head, overcome by the realisation that there was no end in sight. Was this to be her life, to fight until her last breath? She was alerted to the sound of tracks that wiped all the troubling thoughts from her mind. She turned to see a dust cloud emanating from between the buildings they had recently passed.
The three officers stood and stared at the sight as twelve tanks rolled into view, and the rest of the company cheered them on.
“Looks like the Commander came through,” said Jones.
The vehicles had German crosses painted onto their bodies and showed significant wear and repair from recent combat. The lead tank rumbled up and stopped just a few metres ahead of them. The roof hatch opened in the broad and flat turret. A sharply dressed officer in a black tanker’s suit stood up before them. His clean and well cut uniform was in stark contrast to his dusty and scarred tank.
“Major Chandra?”
He spoke in a coarse and distinctly German accent. He stood upright and proud, and with his arm resting on the holster about his waist. She could make out his rank.
“You’re in the right place, Captain.”
“Captain Becker, at your service.”
The German had a friendly grin spanning across his face and showing off his gleaming white teeth. He was a man who cared for his appearance more than most soldiers. It was obvious they had been involved in plenty of action in the previous week, but he looked as if he could have been on the parade ground.
“Good to have you, Captain.”
“Your orders, Major.”
“We are to hold this bridge until told otherwise, Captain. I suggest you go hull down.”
Chandra could just see the faintest of emotion in the man’s eyes. The prospect of standing against the Mechs once again was a fearsome one, but he did everything to hide it. He turned to the vehicles in his column and was already barking orders into his mic.
Taylor and Silva strolled onto the landing zone towards the transport that had been marked out for their journey. They stopped as a familiar face appeared on the loading ramp.
“Captain Reyes, you’re the last man I expected to see.”
“I’d have to say the same if I hadn’t already been briefed.”
Taylor stood back and looked at the transport craft.
“Bit of a step down from the Deveron?”
“She’ll be back, Major. Laid up until we need her again. Right now it’s too dangerous for her up there and too much of a target down here.”
Taylor nodded, but it was good to see a familiar face.
“I’ve got to be frank with you, Major. I’m amazed you’re even still alive. We were lucky to get off the Moon, but your luck seems to run on.”
“So far, Captain. Have you been briefed on our mission?”
“Yes, Sir. I am to act as your liaison officer at Ramstein. You’re stuck with me, Major.”
Taylor turned back to look at the camp. He felt awful for leaving almost all the friends he had in a city under siege, but there was nothing he could do about it. He turned back to the Captain.
“This better be worth it.”
They strolled up the ramp into the ship and were lifting off with a minute of taking a seat. They watched the city from the portholes one last time. The artillery continued to rain down through the vast metropolis. There was no sign of an enemy assault, but they all knew it was imminent.
Chandra walked along the lines of trenches that had already been set up. They had less than a quarter of the men they needed to fill them. She only prayed that the troops the Commander had promised them would materialise.
She stopped as a familiar and soothing smell wafted past her face. She sniffed again to be sure she wasn’t imagining it. She turned to see Captain Jones sat in the bottom of one of the trenches beside a military issue stove. Steam arose from it as tea brewed, Earl Grey.
“You want one, Major?” shouted Jones.
She smiled. She could not think of anything she’d rather have than a one-way ticket out of the city. She jumped down into the trench with the Captain and sat down on the firing ledge above him.
“Where on earth did you get that? All I could get at the camp was coffee.”
“Personal supplies, got enough to keep us going another few days. Dubois sourced it for me.”
“From where?”
“Those are the sort of questions you don’t ask, Major.”
She had visions of them being poached from the Commander’s own cabin. She hoped that was nothing more than her wild imagination, but sadly she knew it was likely a possibility. She didn’t care. Chandra knew there was a good chance the bridge would be the last place they ever saw on earth.
“Sergeant Dubois,
you seem quite taken with her?”
Jones looked up with a quizzical and innocent expression.
“I won’t hold it against you, Captain. In this age, a little care could do us all some good.”
“Even if it compromises our integrity and professionalism?”
The Major knew that Jones was talking about Taylor’s insubordination to save Parker. They both knew it went against everything they had ever been taught, and yet they could fully understand.
“Mitch did what he thought was necessary. Sometimes life isn’t as rigid as the rules we are expected to work with. Tell me you wouldn’t have done the same?”
“That’s what worries me.”
“What, that we care for one another? That we are human? What are we fighting for, if it is not that?”
Jones nodded as he poured out the steaming hot tea into two mugs and passed her one. It had not rained that day, but the ground was still soaked from the previous day’s downpour. The smell of fresh rain at least hid much of the smell of death and destruction that filled the city. Chandra took a sip from the mug as a shout echoed around them.
“Incoming!” Captain Friday called.
Chandra threw down the mug and jumped up to look over the trench to the other side of the bridge. She could hear Becker shouting commands to his crew as they battened down their hatches. She lifted her rifle onto the ledge and used the scope to try and identify the threat. She squinted as she tried to make out what she was seeing.
“What the fuck are those?” asked Jones.
“Looks like some kind of hover platforms, sure aren’t ours?”
Light pulsed from one of the incoming targets, almost blinding Chandra through her scope. A second later the blast smashed into the ground just a few metres from their position, throwing chunks of concrete all over the two officers. Chandra shook off the dust and turned over.
“Fire!”
Captain Becker was ahead of her, his tank firing before the word had left her mouth. The cannon fire was deafening, but it was also greatly appreciated by the troops. Chandra peered through her scope to see the results of their work. The enemy objects hovered a metre off the ground, and they were little more than the size of a motorbike. They had high-speed downwards facing rotors in each corner, and nothing but a fixed gun up top. She ducked quickly back down as fire rained down on their position.
The ground around them shook as the tanks continued to pound the incoming enemy, their machine guns opening fire now as well. She knew it was the signal that they had come into range. She turned to Jones who had a launcher in hand and was ready to go.
“Fire at will!”
She leapt up to a firing position on the trench shelf and quickly acquired a target. She figured there must be two dozen of the things. Cannon fire ripped many apart as their shots landed. Grenade fire hit a few dead on, the troops getting deadly accurate with them now. Just a few seconds later, the guns went silent as they looked on at the carnage.
The putrid smell of sulphur filled the air, clinging to their throats. Despite its foul taste, it was the residue of victory. The Major climbed out of the trench and stood up to survey the scene. The Mech devices were littered along the street across the bridge. They were little more than smouldering wrecks.
“You think those were manned?” asked Jones.
She lifted her rifle and peered at the wrecks through her scope.
“I guess not, they must be drones.”
She turned and looked all around. The entire area was mostly silent. She wondered for a moment what the purpose of the enemy drones was, a preliminary attack or a scouting party. Seconds later they heard artillery rounds whistling towards them.
“Cover!” she shouted.
She fell into the trench as the first pulses smashed into their positions. Chandra and Jones were huddled at the very bottom of the trench with their heads down to protect their faces. The ground around them shook violently as the fire landed everywhere. One of the buildings was struck dead on and blasted out across their positions. Rubble smashed against the tank turrets and rolled into their trench.
They could just make out the muffled sound of footsteps approaching them hard and fast. They lifted their weapons and aimed at the top of the trench. Seconds later a dozen soldiers jumped and rolled into the cover with them, ducking low into the trench. Explosions continued to erupt all around their positions. One of the troops looked up with a smile. He was a Lieutenant in the Royal Welsh.
“Lieutenant Yorath, reporting for duty, Ma’am!”
“You picked a hell of a time to turn up, Lieutenant!” she shouted.
“How many are you?” Jones asked.
“Eighty-five, plus a few dozen stragglers from other units!”
Chandra nodded in appreciation. She’d been promised re-enforcements, but she wouldn’t believe it until she’d seen them.
“You the officer in charge?” asked Jones.
“I’m the only officer, Sir.”
Jones gasped as he remembered the Commander briefing him on their losses. An artillery pulse landed just a few metres from them, shaking the ground so violently that it sent several of them tumbling from their kneeling position. As Chandra got back up, her ears were aching and her hearing numbed, but she realised the bombardment was over.
They looked around, checking that everyone was still in one piece. Chandra turned to Yorath who had a broad grin about his face.
“Is it always this rough round here?” he asked.
“You were in Nantes, were you not Lieutenant?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Then you already know the answer.”
His smile vanished as the memories of the brutal battle came back to him once more. Chandra found Yorath’s light tone to be rather unsettling in their present situation, but she knew that it was his way of coping with the carnage and losses.
“We’re in for a rough afternoon,” said Jones.
“Just had it, didn’t we?” asked Yorath.
“Drones and then artillery, it’s the preliminary stages to an assault.”
The Major staggered to her feet, still a little disorientated. Clambering out of the trench she looked on at the devastation. One of Becker’s tanks was belching smoke and was utterly destroyed. Two others had received lesser damage. One of the hatches prized open and the Captain climbed out. He looked on at the damage to the vehicles as if he had been personally offended. His crews were already climbing out to get to work on what repairs they could.
Several of the buildings had been smashed by the enemy fire. One was almost completely destroyed, and others had walls and roofs missing. The road was filled with vast craters.
“They missed the bridge,” said Yorath.
“Deliberately, I should think. They’ll be rolling over it before long,” said Jones.
“We could blow it.”
“They’d only replace it,” said Chandra. “And we may yet need it. There may be hostiles to the north, but they aren’t the only threat.”
She turned back to the two officers as Friday and Suarez approached to investigate the new arrivals. It was more troops than she’d had at her disposal since the fighting had begun.
“Listen up, we have some organising to do. I’ll command the paras as Platoon Alpha. Captain Friday, your marines will be Bravo. Jones, Suarez and Yorath, I want you to divide the Royal Welsh and the rest of the stragglers between you in Charlie, Delta and Echo.”
The officers nodded in agreement. They were glad to be getting back to some kind of structure and with respectable numbers. She looked around at the battle scarred district. The Major spotted a bank on one corner that overlooked the bridge with balcony sections above.
“I’ll take up position above the bank there. It’s probably one of the strongest buildings here. I doubt we have a lot of time, so get to it, Gentlemen.”
She shouted to the paras to join her as she strode towards the bank. The doors were ajar from where an artillery shell handed landed bes
ide them and blown the frame apart. As she suspected, the building was extremely robust with better foundations and supports than most.
“Take up positions anywhere you can that overlooks the bridge!”
The bank was five storeys high with mostly offices higher up. She went two floors up and out onto a large balcony set up as an open air cafe. It gave a great position above the bridge, and the thick walls provided a relatively safe defence. As she walked towards the far wall, she grabbed a chair and placed it down next to the outer wall. She sat down with a grunt, for her leg was still far from fully healed.
Chandra could hear her platoon setting up around her and on the floors above and below. The road between them and the opposing buildings spanned fifty metres or more. The tanks and trenches formed a solid line of defences from edge to edge. She was happy with their position, but they were spread thin. She let her head rest back and her muscles relax. Chandra would gladly have fallen into a much needed sleep, but she would not have such luck.
The sound of tracks roared in the distance along with a hive of activity that was getting nearer. She shot up, and pain surged through her leg, causing her to wince. From her position, she couldn’t see down the long length of the road, only just past the bridge. She tapped her intercom but realised it was being jammed once again. Chandra turned and stepped to the edge, shouting down at Jones who was getting his recently formed platoon into a trench.
“Give me an update, Captain!”
“We’ve got incoming!”
“In what strength?”
“At least a half dozen tanks and plenty more on the way!”
“Everyone into position! Fire in your own time!”
The Captain nodded and jumped into the trench after his troops. Lieutenant Yorath was in the other trench on the opposite side of the street, with Friday’s marines between them. Lieutenant Suarez was positioned in the brick building opposite the Major’s bank. The armoured crews scrambled to get inside and batten down the hatches. She turned back to her platoon.
“Fire when ready!”
Chapter 5
Taylor glanced out of the side window as they passed over Ramstein. Line after line of abandoned buildings and roads were left to decay.
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