“A sad thing to see, isn’t it? Over fifty thousand air force personnel used to serve here, now little over two thousand,” said Reyes.
The Major turned back to the Captain with a grim look on his face.
“Perhaps if our governments hadn’t cut the military budgets so greatly, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“I hardly think they could have predicted an invasion by a highly advanced alien race.”
“If you want peace, prepare for war, Captain. The basic principles never change.”
Taylor sat back in his seat feeling utterly lost. Reyes knew that it was a lot to ask to have him pulled away from his comrades at such a time of need, but there was nothing more he could do to relieve that concern. The tail of the craft dipped as they came into land at a brisk rate. The two men walked down the ramp to find there was no one there to greet them.
The runways and landing strips were vast but had little more than a dozen craft in total insight. If it were not for them, and the two guards they could see at the facility ahead, it would look abandoned.
“Not the warmest welcome ever,” exclaimed Taylor.
“We’re here to work, Major, not be tourists.”
Reyes led the way towards the guards. He held his identification card. The two guards barely turned to look, instantly recognising the Captain. Ramstein had been a US Air Force base for hundreds of years, and he suspected that Reyes was more than a little familiar with it and those who served there. They strolled on down several empty corridors.
“What exactly are we going to see here, Captain?”
“The facility here is under the control of a scientist and developed called Reiter. He’s been working for us for years, but never given any major money to develop his ideas.”
“Why?”
“Because most of his ideas are related to combat roles, of which there has been little interest in for a long time.”
They reached an opening with vast security doors. Reyes scanned his card through the reader and then stood for retina recognition. Green lights flashed around the doorway as access was granted, and the huge blast doors separated.
“Welcome, Major!”
A man in his sixties in a white lab coat approached with open arms and a broad grin. He paced right up to the Major and hugged him as a greeting. Taylor turned to Reyes with a puzzled expression.
“You’re not in America anymore, Major.”
The man let him go and took a step back.
“I am Marcus Reiter, as I am sure the Captain here has already told you.”
“What is it you are working on here?” asked Taylor.
“Anything and everything that can give our troops an edge in combat.”
“Well it’s sorely needed, I can tell you.”
Reiter looked down at the Major’s battered and worn armour, and he nodded as he realised that the Major had come from the front lines.
“Here, come this way.”
He led them around a corner where the room opened up to a vast laboratory the size of a football pitch and with over a hundred personnel at work.
“As you can see, our budget has increased rather in this past week.”
“Has it done any good?” the Major asked sceptically.
Reiter stopped and turned back to him. He was at first offended by Taylor’s doubt and cynicism, but he could not blame the battle weary officer.
“We have been working all out to try and understand much of the alien technology, which is fascinating, I must add. What I can firmly say, is that the power of their weapons make developing useable personal body armour a major issue.”
“So what can you do for us?”
The scientist smiled.
“The fact is that man for man, or whatever they are, they are outgunning our troops.”
“I am well aware of that.”
“The rifles you are using are largely ineffective. The grenade launchers have a fairly short range, and you can’t carry a lot of ammunition. Therefore, what you need is more strength, more power.”
“Go on.”
Reiter nodded. He was glad that he had captured the Major’s curiosity. He led the two men to the centre of the room where they had a peculiar looking device resembling a human body in shape and proportions.
“The powered exoskeleton is not a new concept, Major. More than two hundred years ago they were being tested and put into limited usage, but cost and power were always a problem. Since then we have gained cheaper productions methods and better power packs, but there has been little interest in developing such devices.”
Taylor stepped in closer, studying the device carefully.
“This device allows a soldier to carry twice his bodyweight without even noticing it. It will allow for larger weapons, more ammunition and some better armour options. It’ll make you stronger, faster…”
The Major spun around with a gleam in his eye.
“And you have tried this? It is operational?”
“Yes, many times.”
He walked around the device, behind a small divider and beckoned for them to follow him. They stepped around to see the same suit made up onto a manikin with armour and weapons.
“I thought you said armour would be a problem?” asked Taylor.
“Largely, yes. The weight of armour that will protect you against the enemy weapons is quite honestly, substantial, to say the least. Front and back torso plates weigh upwards of fifty kilos alone, so that’ll be all you’ll get.”
Taylor stepped up to the manikin and tapped the armour. It was thick plate, more like vehicle armour than anything he’d seen on personal equipment.
“Your boosters you use for low altitude descents. We have attached far more powerful devices to this suit which will allow you to make vertical leaps of approximately five metres and horizontal up to ten or fifteen. They’ll also allow safe descents from a thousand metres.”
Taylor ignored his words. His attention was wholly placed on a large weapon hung up beside the manikin. It had a large box magazine slung underneath. The barrel was larger than any rifle although half the size of their launchers.
“Ah yes, I thought that might get your attention, Major. We have the enemy weapons and have begun to understand the propulsion of their energy pulses, but not how the round or energy itself is created. Using their propulsion method, we have been able to create a grenade launcher that uses caseless ammunition. This increases weapon capacity as well as vastly the amount of ammunition a soldier can carry.”
“And the range?”
“Greatly improved. The rounds can maintain a flat trajectory for two hundred metres.”
Taylor nodded, it sounded good.
“And if this all works, how quickly can you put it into production?”
“This equipment only got to its operational state as of the early hours of this morning. Further testing is required, and we need experienced combat veterans such as yourself to put it through its paces. After that…”
“How long?” shouted Taylor.
“We could be in full production within a few days, with an output of several thousand sets a day. If we can get foreign factories to compliment production, then much faster.”
“What about the cost, won’t all this stuff cost a fortune?” Reyes asked.
“Cost is not important, Captain. We are fighting for the survival of our planet. I only care that it can be done.”
Taylor turned to Reiter. “I want to test it, now!”
“Don’t you want to look over the project a little more first, Sir?”
“No, Reyes. All I care about is if it does the job, or not. Give me a half hour in it, and I’ll have your answer.”
Chandra slammed a new magazine into her rifle and leapt up against the sidewall of the balcony. Tracer fire and energy pulses were streaming across the bridge and the open plains either side of the structure. Smoke belched from two of Becker’s tanks, but they’d given as good as they’d got. She took aim at the nearest Mech. She c
ould see that was using the corner of one of their burning tanks as cover. Bullets pinged off the creature’s armour, a few causing it to spasm, but none stopped it. She ducked back down behind cover as pulses smashed into the bank.
“God damn it, we need more firepower!”
Monty was kneeling beside her loading grenades into his launcher. He locked the weapon shut as he turned to the Major.
“This ammunition isn’t going to last forever, Major!”
He leapt up and fired several rounds at the same Mech. The second hit it and exploded on its chest. The creature shattered into hundreds of parts and scattered across the ground.
“Green! We need ammo!” shouted Chandra.
“Incoming!” shouted Blinker.
She turned to see a group of Mechs inbound using their flying packs. Several dropped amongst the troops in the trenches. Monty looked up to see two descending towards their building. He lifted his launcher and fired at one of them. The Mech burst into flames just ten metres above, showering them in hot metal and forcing them to duck for cover.
The floor shook as the surviving Mech landed hard between the group on the cafe terrace. Chandra looked up just in time to see the monster open fire, two of its pulses killing one of the men immediately. Monty hesitated, knowing they couldn’t risk high explosive rounds so close. The Major lifted her rifle and opened up with full automatic fire. She was quickly joined by the other riflemen and gunners.
The Mech twisted and lurched as it was hit by dozens of rounds, unable to bring its weapon to bear. It managed to turn to face them, giving Chandra the opportunity she needed. She stood up and walked towards it as she fired on full auto into its head. The mirror glass section dented and cracked until it was finally punctured.
The Mech collapsed onto its back. The soldiers sighed in relief, but Chandra walked right up to the creature and trained her rifle on the smashed face plate. She opened fire once again; firing a long burst which sent blue blood spewing up onto her rifle and hands and across the deck. She stared down at the lifeless wreck, wondering what the purpose of it all was. Why were they so intent on ending the human race?
Gunfire continued to rage in the street as Chandra snapped out of her daze and rushed to the side of the building. The airborne Mechs that had landed among them had been overwhelmed and were being finished off, but she could see a number of human dead along the lines. She turned back to Green.
“Get us that ammo!”
She looked over the ledge to see a group of Mechs rushing across the bridge. Becker’s tanks roared as they pounded the incoming enemy push. The troops in the trenches had overcome their airborne attackers and were turning their attention to the new threat. A barrage of fire struck the bridge until they could no longer see what they were shooting. Grenades and cannon rounds continued to plough into the smoke cloud engulfing the bridge.
Two Mechs rushed out from the dust and smoke but were quickly cut down by a volley of fire. Seconds later, the bridge let out an almighty creek as its foundations gave out. They couldn’t see the bridge collapsing, but they heard it plunge into the water below. The smoke puffed out into a plume rising into the sky.
The guns went quiet, and they could hear the enemy Mechs shuffling about at the other side of the bridge. The battle was far from over, but they had been given some respite. Chandra turned back to her platoon with a look of sheer relief. She peered down at the lifeless body of the Mech and then to the body of the soldier it had killed.
The man had died instantly, his body torn apart by the viciously powerful energy weapons of the enemy. She speculated for a moment about their casualties, but she knew it would be a figure she wouldn’t like. The Major had seen a number of dead and wounded along the trench lines. Dust filled her nostrils and lungs once again. The constant bombardments and battles meant that she could rarely taste or smell anything but brick dust and throat burning smoke.
“That will have bought us a little time. Blinker, check the hard line. Inform the Commander of the attack and our approximate losses. We need ammunition and re-enforcements.”
An explosion erupted in the sky above them, quickly followed by several others. The combined air forces of Europe continued to battle the enemy in the skies. They fought at such heights that the ground troops could rarely catch a glimpse of them. Every day they’d find wreckage of aircraft, more often than not it was from Earth forces. She stepped to the edge of the building and looked over at the devastation below.
“Captain Jones! Get the dead and wounded back to the aid station! Check your weapons. Get what ammunition you need, and be ready for the next assault!”
It was a grim reality that they could do little more than await the next onslaught. Chandra knew the only reason they had won the skirmish was because they had superior numbers. Soldier for soldier they were still at a huge disadvantage. She turned back to the fallen Mech and walked across to it.
“What do we do with it, Major?” asked Monty.
“Leave it where it fell as a reminder that they are not invincible. They aren’t scary monsters or an unbeatable enemy.”
She knelt down beside the weapon the Mech had dropped. It was almost two metres in length and made entirely of metal component parts. Despite it looking alien in construction, its external design was not so different to some of the heavy machine guns they used on vehicles. She wrapped her arms around it and tried to lift it. She got one end a few centimetres off the ground before realising it was too much for her.
“God damn that’s heavy. You two, give me a hand with this! Monty, you too!”
The four got a solid hold on the cannon and hauled it up to a standing position.
“Onto that wall over there!”
They hauled it onto the ledge of the thick wall overlooking the fallen bridge.
“You think we can get it working, Major?” asked Monty.
“It’s worth a shot. What do you think the recoil is like on one of these things?”
“Probably pretty minimal, considering its weight.”
He and the Major stared at it as the other two men stood back. She turned and looked back at the fallen Mech. They appeared to have two fingers and a thumb on each hand, a configuration which meant they were not so different to humans in their movement. She turned back to the gun.
“This must be the trigger.”
She placed her hand on the grip and found that her index and middle finger naturally came to rest on what felt like a large button. The grip itself was partially hidden inside the rear body of the weapon. The Mechs carried them with their offhand around the barrel like a heavy gunner would haul his weapon about.
“Major, I think…”
Light pulsed as the weapon fire and an energy surge blasted from their position, hitting a burning vehicle the other side of the bridge. The troops below went silent as they peered up to the bank. Several trained their weapons on the position, half expecting to find an enemy among them. Chandra looked at the weapon in amazement before realising what a shock she had caused.
She looked down over the balcony at the troops who quickly went back to work. They understood little about the enemy’s technology, but she’d take any advantage she could get. She turned to look at Monty who stood still surprised that they’d got the weapon working.
“You’ll man this weapon at the next assault, Private.”
“Ma’am, I’ve got no idea how to operate this weapon. Where’s the ammunition?”
“You’ve got as much knowledge as the rest of us. You just keep it firing until it won’t fire anymore.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Taylor stood before a vehicle off-road training course that included all sorts of obstacles intended for tanks. He wore Reiter’s powered suit. He didn’t stand a centimetre taller as it was so slimline. The most noticeable bulk was from the thick armour plates on his torso. He took a deep breath as Reyes watched on with a host of scientists and weapon developers.
The Major held in his hands the new launcher
Reiter had designed. He’d lifted it in the lab and found it weighed twice what he’d been used to, but now he barely noticed the difference. The exoskeleton fitted all along his key skeletal structure, extending from his feet to his hands and up his spine. He could feel the device, but it didn’t seem as if he was carrying any weight or was encumbered in any way.
The Major stepped forward at a walking pace. He felt as if he was in a low gravity environment, as he knew he was carrying a hundred kilos but could barely feel it. He gradually increased his speed to a jog. The equipment fitted like a glove and didn’t shake or rattle. It operated with his body as if it were his own joints and muscles.
“Run, Major!” shouted Reiter.
He followed the advice and broke out into a full sprint. It shocked Mitch as he sprung into a rapid pace almost double what he had ever managed on a track wearing no gear at all. Up ahead was a five metre wall. He kept storming towards it, and hit the booster button on the cuff of the device. It sprung him into the air, easily clearing the obstacle and cushioning his landing with a combination of boost and suspended landing of the joints. He felt no serious discomfort in his wounded leg. Taylor took a sharp turn and charged back towards the group, sliding to a halt before them.
“I like it. This armour, you’re sure it’ll stop their weapons?”
“Absolutely, Major, but only up to two or three shots, and you’ll certainly know you’ve taken a hit.”
“Well, that’s an improvement.”
Their current armour did little to protect them against direct fire from the enemy pulse weapons, but it did at least save many from artillery and shrapnel. A voice boomed out from behind the group.
“Let’s get to the range, Major!”
Taylor instantly recognised the commanding roar of Eli. She stepped through the group to stand in front of him.
“What are you doing here, Sergeant?”
“Sergeant Parker was not fit for active duty, and so she was dispatched here to assist you,” said Reyes.
The Major smiled and couldn’t believe his luck. He could do little to hide his relief that she was safe.
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