Taylor left the elevator firing repeatedly. Within seconds of them arriving, his half of Alpha platoon brought down a creature. Seconds later they were joined by Charlie who came up from the stairs. Almost a hundred marines fired repeatedly. Five more of them were hit as the metal beasts toppled to the ground.
Looking around at the docking bay area, Taylor was astonished at the hardship they’d faced. Even when outnumbering the invaders substantially they had taken severe fatalities, including many others wounded. He could smell burning and was drawn to the smouldering on his shoulder. One of the enemy shots had skimmed his shoulder and upper arm protection. It had burnt it down to the layer of his compression suit.
“All aboard! Immediate evac!” he shouted.
Taylor took Prime Minister Olsen’s arm personally and pulled him across the docking bay. The marines hauled their fallen and wounded comrades onto their shoulders dragging them through the docking doors of the Deveron. They were met by Captain Reyes who was armoured up and limping from a shot that had skimmed his leg.
“Get us the hell out of here, Captain, and make sure you man the guns, we’ll need everything we’ve got to make it off this rock!”
“All aboard, Major?”
“We can’t wait any longer Captain!”
Reyes hit his intercom as the marines rushed in through the narrow docking corridor.
“Ensign, prepare for lift-off in twenty seconds!”
“Come on, marines! Move your ass!” shouted Taylor.
The last men leapt aboard as the engines fired up and the Captain shut the docking door and released the corridors. Taylor followed the hobbling Captain to the elevators that led them directly to the bridge. He looked out at the colony, a surprisingly peaceful sight considering the slaughter going on within the structures.
“If they wanted us all dead why didn’t they just carpet-bomb the colony?” asked Reyes.
“No idea, Captain. Right now, I don’t care. Put everything to the engines that you’ve got, we need to move!”
“Already done, Major.”
They quickly soared to a height and were well on their way to Earth. It was fortunate that the Deveron was one of the fastest space-going vessels in usage, as no civilian craft could come close to matching its performance.
“Sir, we’ve got four ships closing on us fast!” called the Ensign.
“Have we got gunners in position?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Tell them to fire at will!”
“Captain, whatever you have, mines, bombs, anything, you need to use it,” said Taylor.
“Sir, I’m having problems tracking them, I can barely make them out on screen!”
The Major and the Captain looked at the live feed of the ships closing in on them, barely more than a glimmer in space. The chameleon technology they used was both magnificent and frightening to watch. The rail guns began to fire, the first few hits did little to deter the attackers but moments later one was hit hard and erupted, its chameleon skin flicking off and they watched silently as it scattered into space in a thousand pieces.
A beam of light surged from the lead vessel and struck their hold, violently shaking the ship. An emergency red beacon began to flash as it become apparent that they had a breach.
“Take them out, Captain, now!”
“Deploy mines on a scatter pattern, everything we have!” shouted Reyes.
Seconds later the enemy craft were enveloped by a scattershot of mines which erupted on impact. The craft were obliterated, leaving nothing more than unrecognisable residue. The bridge crew erupted with ecstasy at their victory.
“Seal that breach, get repair crews down there immediately! We’ll need to be patched up for entry into Earth atmosphere in six hours!” Reyes ordered.
“That it? We free and clear?” asked the Major.
“It would appear so, Sir.”
“Good, keep me notified of any contact on the scanners.”
Chapter 4
Arriving back on Earth was not quite the victory parade that any of them had imagined, but it was a relief to be back in a hospitable atmosphere and amongst a sizeable military force. They landed outside the Military Hospital where medics were waiting them to help them. They had fourteen killed and nineteen wounded. Major Taylor walked down the ramp to be met by General White as the medical orderlies carried and assisted the injured. The General smiled at seeing the Prime Minister with the Major.
“Good work, Major. As you can imagine we need an immediate debrief, have your men get food, and then re-supply immediately. The base is on Alert One, all combat troops to remain armed at all times.”
“Good work? We’ve come back with our tail between our legs, Sir.”
“You made a tactical withdrawal in the face of superior odds, Major. Now please, follow me, both of you.”
Taylor nodded to Captain Friday to carry out the orders he’d overheard and proceeded to follow the General, climbing aboard his command car with the Prime Minister remaining at his side. Riding through the base the atmosphere was a far cry from what they’d known before departing. There was no larking about, no games being played, no fitness training. A serious tone had swept across the men and women of the base. They all went about cautiously with a weapon close to hand.
General White’s driver pulled up outside the briefing hall where he’d first heard about the troubles just over a week ago. The last thing he expected was to be returning there with news of an alien invasion and a number of his company dead or wounded. Taylor had always hoped he would handle himself well in a combat situation, but this was not a real test of the theory.
Reading combat reports he’d found many accounts of officers freezing under pressure or getting their men pointlessly killed. His first real test had been in far from favourable circumstances, despite carrying out his mission exactly as ordered. It was not what he would call a successful mission. Losing men and women he had trained with weighed heavily on him. He wanted to swear he’d not lose another, but he also knew it was not how a war could be fought.
Security outside the briefing hall was higher than ever, but not just with base personnel. Security from the UEN forces as well as Eastern soldiers and plain clothed security guarded the perimeter.
“What is this, Sir?”
“An emergency gathering. We’ve got all the major key players here.”
Mitch had hoped for something a little more low key, but he knew it was too much to hope for. He stepped off the jeep, still wearing his full armour and with weapon in hand. He’d ordered his men to stay in full battle attire until the end of the mission. They had witnessed enough of the unexpected to be caught with their pants down.
He threw his rifle back into the jeep, content in the knowledge that he was in a safe position. He still maintained a handgun on his body, in keeping with the base security condition now in place. None of the security guards, in uniform or not, made any attempt to question him on entry, knowing rightly not to stand in the way of General White.
The room had been hastily set up in a round table layout. Unlike the crowded briefings he was used to, less than fifty people were in there. They were deep in conversation, but went silent upon his entry. The General led Taylor right up to his own seat and addressed the room.
“This is Major Mitch Taylor, from the mission previously discussed. Major, before you are Presidents, Prime Ministers, Generals and envoys from all the major countries and joint forces in the world. We will take a full briefing later, but please, give us a concise overview of the enemy.”
Taylor looked around the room as they all stared back at him. He had addressed crowds on a regular basis in his career, but faced with the cutting silence and having to address the most powerful men and women of the planet, was daunting. His mouth was dry, but finally he found his words.