Fight Better? Mitch thought, if only the brass had to face the enemy in combat, it was all just statistics to them.
“Our troops are fighting the best they can, but this new hardware would go some way to even the odds. Right now we only stand a chance when we substantially outnumber the Mech soldiers and armour.”
“That brings us to our next problem,” exclaimed White.
“Sir?”
“I’d like you to take a look at these surveillance images, Major.”
A screen below the General’s transmission lit up displaying overhead video surveillance. Taylor studied it intently for a few moments. It looked alien and was a vast structure on land with hundreds of creatures moving about between it.
“What do you think that is, Major?”
“Looks like some kind of construction, Sir.”
“Indeed. That video was taken this morning from the south of France. Our experts believe that the aliens are building manufacturing plants.”
“Or a weapon.”
White nodded. “Indeed. So far it would seem the enemy’s endgame is the extinction of the human race.”
“Then why wouldn’t they use something more substantial, something planet destroying?”
“All the weapons we have ever developed that can kill on such a vast scale also cause unspeakable damage to our habitat. We can only imagine that they want this planet as their own. Over the past day our troops on the ground have begun to come up against an increasing number of drones, which we believe are being manufactured on Earth soil.”
“Sir, if I wanted to take a planet as my own from billions of creatures, I’d find a more efficient way to do the job.”
“You think they are developing some sort of weapon of mass destruction?”
“I would. They must need time and resources to build it, so I don’t think you’re wrong about the factory, General. I just believe they’ll be pursuing both strategies.”
The General sighed. It was not the answer he was hoping for, but he knew it was likely to be true.
“Right now our armies are slowing their progress, but it’s a rough ride as I am sure you are aware, Major. Even with this new tech in full scale production, we still have a real battle on our hands, and it’s one for our very existence. If they can either build a weapon that can kill on a mass scale, or increase production of drones and equipment, we may well become utterly overwhelmed.”
Chandra watched the beautiful countryside as they rumbled past in their battle scarred tanks. They’d fled a hundred kilometres east to the city of Reims. It was yet another French city that had been abandoned by its population who had fled as refugees to the east. She peered around at the soldiers that lay shoulder to shoulder around her. Their faces were blank with the recent horrors they had lived.
Despite them having fled the warzone, the Major could still smell a pungent burning scent that seemed to follow them wherever they went. Her uniform was thick with brick dust, and her throat was dry. She wondered if it would ever end and wished she could make it all stop. Chandra didn’t want any more lives on her hands.
As they entered the town, the Major could see Phillips’ vehicle draw up outside a large old stone building with the European nations’ flags flying overhead. She beckoned to the vehicle captain to bring them to a halt by the Commander’s vehicle.
“Commander Phillips!” she bellowed.
The vehicle jerked to a halt as she stood up, almost launching her off her feet.
“Glad to see you made it, Major!”
She jumped down the ground and made a half-hearted salute. Her arm felt heavy, and it was a chore to even lift it to her head.
“What are your orders, Sir?” she asked.
“We are setting up major defensive lines here. I expect this city will take the brunt of the next attack. Another beautiful town to go up in smoke.”
He shook his head as he looked around at the historic city, knowing that he would be one of the last people to ever see it.
“I want you to head north to Amiens, Major. You’ll protect our flank there and ensure the safety of the supply lines to Calais.”
She pulled out her mappad device, not being familiar enough with the geography of the area to know the town’s location. Her face turned to a frown as she identified its position.
“Sir, that’s a long way from your position.”
He stepped in closer and leaned towards her, so he could speak more quietly.
“Look at the progress of this war, Major. We’ve been driven back across the whole of France, and who knows how much longer we’ll even have a foothold in the country. Every time we lose a city, we fall back further to the east. What happens when these bastards head for England? Where do our people flee?”
She knew he was right. The British Isles did not have enough ships and boats to flee even with months of notice.
“You are lining us up for a withdrawal across the channel?” she whispered.
He leaned back and sighed.
“I just want to make sure it remains a possibility, Major. The Russians continue to send troops west, and they will hopefully allow us to hold here for some time. Our breakout of Paris has at least saved a sizeable amount of our armies.”
Chandra turned to stride back to her vehicle.
“Major.”
She turned back to him with a quizzical expression.
“Word has it that Major Taylor is working on something big in Ramstein. Something that could turn this war around. All he needs is time.”
“We can buy it for him, Commander, with our lives.”
He nodded in agreement and appreciation of her work. She turned to the tank and was helped by Monty to climb aboard. Captain Becker sat in the top of the turret watching her, dutifully awaiting his orders.
“This armoured section can remain attached to your company, Major.”
She sat down beside the Captain, smiling in the knowledge that they would continue to fight together.
“You heard the Commander, roll out.”
Another hundred kilometres sat on bare metal, it’s better than being in Paris, she thought. Maybe she could raise the troops spirits with the knowledge of how many civilian lives they were saving, but she realised they didn’t care. In that time and moment, all they cared for were each other.
She watched as hundreds of troops and vehicles rolled into the old city of Reims, more lambs to the slaughter. She pondered. Taylor had better have something good. Chandra nodded to the tank commander to role on. The troops on the other vehicles had not heard their orders, but they didn’t seem to notice.
The sound of wheels, tracks and boots rang out across the town. It was a stark contrast to the picturesque image that the Major had always imagined of northern France. The vehicles rolled on and out of the city, on the road once again. Captain Becker sat up in the turret with the Major.
“Much more of this and we’ll be in your home country,” said Chandra. “Do you have family there?”
“Yes, a wife and two daughters.”
“Are they safe?”
“Are any of us?”
She nodded. They couldn’t retreat forever. She turned and looked at the proud German. He did his best to put on a brave and confident face, just as he did when they first met. They had both lost many of the troops under their command, but it didn’t seem to matter any longer. They fought for the living still fighting beside them.
The drive to Amiens was a relaxed one. The bombardment of Paris had finished as the enemy occupied the city. Chandra was almost able to slip into a much needed sleep, but the thought of the devastation was still keeping her from such luxury.
Half way to their new posting, they met a convoy of Russian armour approaching from the road that led to Amiens. The sign identified the town as Saint-Quentin. The Major stood up on the vehicle to greet them, the Captain pre-empting her and bringing the small column to a halt. The commander of the lead vehicle was sat up on the rooftop of the turret with his legs t
angling in through the hatch. They had clearly seen combat. Several of their vehicles were badly scarred, and they didn’t have the look of fresh troops.
“Major Chandra,” she stated.
“Vukovi, you’re heading the wrong way, Major.”
“Has Amiens been taken?”
“No, but the people there have no desire to leave, and the enemy is almost on us.”
The man shook his head in disbelief as he sighed. “You’re welcome to join us. We’re heading east.”
Chandra ignored his advice and shot back a surprised and sharp question.
“The civilian population still inhabits the town? Have they not evacuated yet?”
“They don’t want to go, not our problem.”
“So that’s it, you’ll put your tail between your legs and run?”
The man glared at her with a distraught and angry expression. “You’ve faced those bastards, what hope is there?”
Chandra shook her head. “Not so long ago in your country, you’d be shot for turning your back.”
“But this is now, Major, the world has changed.”
Got that right, she thought.
She stared at him, waiting for the man to change his mind and realise his mistake, but he lowered his head and shouted for his driver to continue. The armoured column rolled on past as the four tank crews and troops watched on in horror.
“What happened to the Russian resolve?” asked Chandra.
“They’ve been through hell, Major. There may come a time yet when we follow suit.”
She turned and watched as the last vehicles passed and continued on into the distance. She looked back towards Amiens. She knew that they were curling back around Paris, and it was a safer position than Reims, but only just. She turned to the Captain. He had a quizzical face, waiting to see if her orders had changed.
“Carry on, Captain.”
It wasn’t long until they reached the town. Like Reims, it had yet to be ravaged by the war. If it was not for the black smoke rising from Paris, you would not know that war plagued the country. As they approached the town, they were confronted by the most peculiar sight. Many of the residents were sat out in their gardens beside the roads. They were travelling on a three lane flyover taking them directly to the central business district.
“What the hell are they doing?” asked Monty.
“Got me, bunch of fucking idiots,” replied Blinker.
The Major stared at the civilians as they rolled on to the centre. At first she could not believe her eyes, but she quickly came to realise the significance of the people’s homes. They had seen towns and cities left in ruin, and their populaces displaced as little more than refugees.
“I don’t like this at all. We can’t defend a city.”
“I appreciate that, Captain. Let’s get some more information before we come to any conclusions.”
It wasn’t long before they reached the city centre. The cafes and restaurants were full. The populace lay about socialising while the war raged around them. They approached a large police station where a number of officers sat outside drinking coffee. Among them was the Mayor, recognisable by the chain around his shoulders. The troops looked on in disbelief. They had expected to find another abandoned city, but instead they found a vibrant and trendy locale that continued on as if nothing had happened.
“Bring us up to the station, Captain,” said Chandra.
She observed that a number of people turned to look at their tanks rolling down the street but cared little for them, and they were not at all surprised. The six vehicles rolled up to the Mayor and came to an abrupt halt. The man turned to glare at them in offense. Chandra could see that he was about to speak, but she cut him off as she stood up on the vehicle and bellowed.
“I am Major Chandra, and you are?”
The group of officers turned to face Chandra as the Mayor stared as if he was surprised by her presence.
“Legrant, the elected Mayor of the city of Amiens.”
She looked back at the combined troops of her company in astonishment. It was as if the population were living on a different planet. She could not wait to hear an explanation any longer.
“Mr Mayor, are you aware that a war rages across your country, and that it is rapidly approaching your city?”
She expected a shocked or concerned response from all who had stopped to hear her out, but they merely stared back as if they were waiting for something else.
“If you stay here, you will die, all of you!” she balled.
The street went silent, but they seemed more offended by her presence than the threat looming over them.
“Major, we are not leaving our city. The cities before you have been destroyed because you chose to fight over them. We will not fight.”
“Then you will die.”
“Towns, cities and countries have been conquered throughout history. They survive and go on. We will not follow the same fate as Paris.”
Chandra shook her head in disbelief as her comrades gasped and laughed at what they were hearing.
“This enemy, they don’t want to capture or enslave our people. They want to end us. They want this planet for their own and all of us all removed from it!”
“You don’t know how these creatures think, Major! You assume! You have seen troops with guns and assumed they were hostile. We could just have well thought the same about your presence here.”
Chandra turned back to look at her troops as Captain Jones climbed aboard to see what the commotion was about.
“Major, what the hell’s going on here?” he asked.
“The people don’t want to go,” said Becker.
“What? But the Mechs will be heading this way.”
“They know that, Captain. They feel that if they don’t show resistance then they will not suffer under the invaders.”
“Do you believe that?” asked Jones.
“Not for a second. This enemy will stop at nothing to eradicate us.”
“Then why have they not done so on a larger scale with more catastrophic weapons?” asked Becker.
Chandra thought for a moment, never having given the idea a moment’s notice.
“Maybe they will yet, Captain. All we know right now is that they will destroy anything in their path, and we could be looking at tens of thousands of deaths here, maybe even hundreds of thousands.”
“You are sure they cannot be convinced to leave?” asked Jones.
“I believe that until they have witnessed the brutality of the enemy first hand, they will not be convinced.”
“We cannot force them to leave, not with a hundred troops and six tanks,” said Becker.
The three officers went silent, deep in thought, until they all came to the same realisation.
“We must stay.”
The Major turned and jumped from her vehicle. She confidently strode up to the Mayor with her rifle slung casually across her back.
“Mr Mayor. We have been tasked with the defence of France and the protection of all within it. We will not, and cannot, leave you here to die. If you refuse to leave, then we have no choice but to stay here to defend you.”
“That is utterly unacceptable, Major! We have chosen to stay out of this war, and we will not have you drawing us into it!”
Chandra paced quickly up to the Mayor until she was up in his face and beyond his comfort zone.
“You’ve not seen the horrors befall those who cross paths with these bastards. You have no god damn idea. If you stay here, you will die. By staying, you force us to stay and likely die with you. Are you that naive and bloody stupid?”
Legrant said nothing, turning his gaze away from the Major. She climbed back up onto the tank and stood up to address the hundreds of civilians who were watching.
“In the coming hours or days an invading force will reach this city and leave no one alive! If you do not leave, you will almost certainly die here!”
The crowds mumbled between themselves but appeared to pay
little attention to her statement. She turned and looked back down at the Mayor. She was disgusted by the man, and she knew that he was responsible for blinding the city’s people to the threat that bore down upon them.
“I can’t force you to leave. But know this, the death of every man, woman and child here will be on your hands. My Company will give their lives to defend you, but I beg you to do the right thing. We’re taking up position on the main bypass to the city. I pray you change your minds before morning.”
She turned to Becker. The soldiers still could not believe what they were hearing. They had been posted to Amiens as a safer location, but they all knew that the enemy would reach it soon enough. Chandra watched the ignorant mob and thought, what a bunch of fucking idiots.
The Major could see that her troops wanted nothing more than to head east to the safety of the bases in Germany. She could no longer even keep count of the men and women that had been killed under her command. The vehicles circled around and headed out towards the south perimeter and the main road into the city.
“Are we really doing this, Major? You would die for that bastard?” Becker asked.
“He is a bastard, Captain, but we aren’t fighting for him. Hopefully, when the populace see firsthand the horrors that await them, they will soon turn tail and run.”
“So we get our arses shot off in the hope of that event?” Jones asked.
“Possibly. The Commander sent us up here, and he won’t forget us. We’ll likely either await re-enforcements, or retreat further west when the time comes.”
“And the people of the town?”
“We’ll follow our orders, and that’s all there is to it, Captain Jones.”
“So all of that was just for show?” asked Becker.
Chandra looked across at the Captain, studying his face. She could see the relief in his eyes that he did not have to call the shots.
“I’ve done what I can to reason with them, as I am sure other authorities have. Ultimately, we cannot force them to leave. However, I will not put the Company in jeopardy because of their idiotic decisions.”
Becker nodded. None of them liked the idea of leaving civilians to die, but neither did they want to be held to ransom by them. It wasn’t long before they reached an ideal choke point on the dual lane road. It was a sharp bend where they could deploy under the cover of tall trees and brick buildings.
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