“And if it doesn’t?”
“We have to try, gentlemen. If for some reason a nuclear strike has no significant impact, then we’ll change tactics, improvise and overcome.”
“What about ground troops?” asked Taylor.
“At this stage every soldier in the country is on alert and ready to fight. How we use our forces will depend on the outcome of this strike,” White answered.
“What about Europe? It’s taking a beating!” Richards asked him.
“I am told that forces are being drawn from all across the continent to fight in France and Spain, for now they’ll have to manage. Now, launch is in five minutes, with impact approximately fifteen minutes after.”
“Jesus Christ, are we really doing this?” asked Smith.
“You’re damn right we are. People are dying every minute fighting against these bastards, it’s time to give a little back!” shouted White.
The room went silent as they all sat watching the huge screen, captivated by the launch countdowns next to each nuclear depot. The idea of using nuclear weapons was fearful for all of them. There had only been a handful of cases where they had been used previously in Earth’s history, and the results were always terrifying. The President called them a necessary evil but the few Generals who didn’t support his view were starting to come around.
The next twenty minutes were almost silent, with the very least of communication. The high ranking officers shuffled in their chairs, drank water to clear their dry throats and continued to watch the screen as the trails of the missiles sped across the sea. None of them ever thought that they would see the use of such weapons in their lifetimes, let alone to be the ones launching them.
General White pressed a few buttons on his control pad and the huge screen split to show several video feeds of the enemy island. The top left of the monitor continued to project the map showing the progress of the missiles. The group watched with baited breath, knowing that the President and the joint chiefs would be doing the same.
The nuclear weapon was still the most formidable weapon in the arsenal of Earth troops. With no major wars for so long, there had been few significant advancements made in weapons of war. Many believed no one wished to consider the development of a weapon that could destroy more than just a city. Other governments were unable to continue with such massive spending into weapons of mass destruction when they had plenty good enough ones already.
“What the hell is that?” asked Smith.
Taylor squinted to look at what they were seeing, realising quickly what it was. Dozens of aircraft were lifting off from one section of the enemy vessel, obscured by their scenery blending camouflage.
“Enemy ships, Sir, just as attacked the Moon colony,” said Taylor.
“What are they doing, Major?” asked White.
“I’d assume they are intercepting our nukes.”
White twisted around quickly and looked at the Major with a piercing glance.
“What? You think they intend to shoot our weapons down?”
“Of course, Sir. You think we are the only ones with scanners? Everything we have seen so far shows us that these aliens are significantly more advanced than us. What is maybe more of a concern is, if we have nukes, what have they got?”
The room went quiet again as they all stared intently at the screens. The missiles were just minutes away from impact. The officers could almost feel the sense of victory they so desperately wanted, but knew it was beyond their grasp. They’d all come to realise that the mission was already a failure, but they still held onto the hope that it would succeed.
The Generals watched in despair and horror as energy pulses were fired from the vessels, striking the nuclear missiles as they were fifty kilometres from the alien island. A number of the enemy craft were obliterated by the huge nuclear blasts, but it was a small loss for them. Many of the camera feeds went blank as the blasts destroyed the source of the signals.
General White shook his head, his face pale and distraught. The others watched the blank screens which displayed only static. The satellite signals showed Tartaros, it was unscathed by the incident.
“My, God,” said Richards.
“We only sent twelve, maybe with a larger spread they wouldn’t be able to catch them all?” asked Smith.
General White looked up, he was struggling to speak, and for the first time in his career, Taylor saw fear in the great leader’s eyes.
“Let’s see this for what it is. Those bastards have the defensive technology to stop a missile strike. Let’s move past it and see what we can do.”
Taylor still stared at the display screen of the world, wondering what they could do against such an enemy. His gaze panned to Europe and he began to wonder if his friend Charlie was still alive.
“Fall back! Go, go, go!” shouted Jones.
Light pulses zipped past their heads as the metal clad beasts and their monstrous armoured vehicles rolled through the streets. The defences to the south of Brest had fallen into disarray as the invaders were punching huge holes in their line. The French armour still remained in the city but were fighting a brutal battle of attrition.
Captain Jones looked around to see the survivors of their battalion running for their lives, he could just make out the fearful outline of the Mech soldiers stomping towards them in the distance and firing unrelentingly into the fleeing troops. Major Chandra rushed up to Jones with blood hardened on her face, it wasn’t clear if it was hers, but Jones was glad she was still in command.
“What are you orders, Major?” shouted Jones.
“We can’t hold this area, get to the vehicles and mount up, we’re heading for Brest! If we can rendezvous with the 2 ^ nd Armoured and make use of the cover of the city, we might just have a chance!”
Jones nodded and turned to relay the commands to his men. Every instinct made the Captain wish they were heading east towards the rest of their forces at Rennes. Despite this, he realised both the importance of protecting the civilian population and also of holding ground. If the invaders could get a hold on the mainland they would gain a major advantage.
None of the men wanted to accept the fact that they were at war, but it was the new reality of their lives. Jones sent the command out across the radios and they began to run for the vehicles. They left many dead soldiers in their wake, carrying all the wounded they could.
Arriving at the vehicles, Jones could see that half of his company was already loaded up, many were wounded, there were not many left to load up. At a quick glance he estimated the losses to be thirty percent of the company, with many others being walking wounded. He stood up on his RDV and looked back towards the beaches now out of view. Smoke still bellowed from the wrecks there. They were joined with a number of fires on trees and foliage that had ignited from the high heat energy pulses of the enemy.
“Get a fucking shift on!” he shouted.
The last men were being pulled aboard the trucks. He could see that the company was mentally exhausted. Their resolve and morale had taken a heavy blow and they were already moving like defeated men. Overcoming this would be Jones’ next big task, but for now, survival was the only priority.
“Move out!”
His vehicle moved forward as his batman enthusiastically raced ahead. No one among them desired to stay in that spot for a second longer. As the battalion sped north towards the city, energy pulses were fired amongst the column. Jones watched as one of the trucks was hit, the engine bay and front axle obliterated as it flipped onto its side.
Jones wanted nothing more to go back and help the soldiers, but being in full retreat he couldn’t risk slowing anyone else down. The Captain could see that Chandra had seen the incident and was already on the comms to the survivors, instructing them to make their way north through the cover of the forest. He prayed that they would make it but knew their chances were slim. Realising that their first battle was over, Jones slumped down in the seat of the RDV with a sigh. They were fighting such a fearful and advanced force.