“Glad to see you made it, Captain, I hear you had a rough time of it.”
“And yet here we are, still on our feet!”
He looked back to his men and shouted for them to fall out. He beckoned for the Major to follow him a few steps out of the hearing of his troops.
“Mitch. I put on a brave face for them, but it’s been frightful. I was made acting company commander in Brest, my company can now only amass one platoon, which is what I have had to amalgamate them into.”
“Christ, how about the rest of the battalion?”
“It’s now at company strength. How many marines did you bring with you?”
“I have one hundred and one, all that is still fit for duty in my company.”
“Glad to have you with us, but we could do with a hell of a lot more.”
“Agreed.”
Major Chandra approached with a smile. They had always had a good working relationship with Taylor’s unit.
“Major, glad to have you here. However, there is no time for pleasantries. The enemy’s an hour or two from our perimeter. I am merging your company with ours. Henceforth we shall be known as the 2 ^ nd Inter-Allied Battalion. Full gear and ready to march in ten.”
Taylor nodded and gave a quick salute before running back to his marines who were still rising from their beds.
“Everyone up! Fall in! Full gear!”
He rushed back into his tent and pulled on his body armour that was still covered in dust and debris. Starting the day in filthy clothing and without a wash was never something the Major would wish on anybody, but needs must. He stepped out from his tent to find the platoon assembling.
“Where’s Baker?” he asked.
Suarez looked at him with a gaunt expression, conveying everything in his eyes.
“He was killed shortly after we thought we had lost you, Sir,” answered Friday.
In his frenzy to save Parker, Mitch had failed to investigate the survivors to see who was left. As he looked down the lines of his company he began to notice the many gaps. Dozens of men that he’d known, each by name, most for several years.
“Very well.”
He looked out to the troops who went silent and waited. He didn’t call them to attention not seeing the necessity for formality. He looked to Captain Friday.
“Are we ready for action, Captain?”
“Sir, we could use some ammo, otherwise we’re good to go.”
“It’s already in hand!” shouted Chandra.
Mitch turned to see the woman striding towards them.
“Major.”
“It’s Colonel today, I have been given a field promotion in order to take official command of our battalion, even if it is at less than half strength. Your report on urgent weapon requirements made quite an impact Major. The EUA has already been distributed its stocks. We can’t spare any weapons for you, but we can give you ammo for what you have.”
“Much appreciated, Colonel.”
“When you are assembled, you will find the ammunition stores near our camp.”
Thirty minutes later the combined Marine and Para battalion was on the march with a full load. There was not a single vehicle spare to ferry them to the front line. Every transport vehicle that could be mustered in France was either taking troops to Paris or civilians away from it. However it was only thirty minutes on foot to the defensive lines.
The troops looked in horror at the largest deployment they had seen in their lives. Divisions of armour lined the perimeter, many having been put into hull down position. Lines of self-propelled artillery and batteries were assembled along their route. ABD, Automatic Barrier Defence structures, had been set up in almost continuous lines in the streets and crossroads. Paris had become a fortress.
The 2 ^ nd Inter-Allied Battalion took up position in a well-prepared defensive position that the fresh infantry units had prepared for them in the night. Deep trenches with tank traps a hundred metres ahead. There were so many troops deployed to the city that their space allocation was so small they were shoulder to shoulder. Clambering into the trenches they could not help but think of the photos of the gruesome combat of the First World War.
“Back into the fire,” said Friday.
Taylor grinned. “True, but at least this time we have some real numbers.”
“Incoming!”
They didn’t know where the call came from but it was enough to make all the troops duck down into the trenches. A huge energy pulse soared overhead and crashed into a building behind them. Glass and concrete burst out onto the street below. They looked up at the damage but another five similar devices landed in quick succession around their position. Dirt and tarmac fragments were thrown up and over them as they hunkered down.
“What the fuck is that!” shouted Kwori.
“I’d say their artillery has arrived!” Jones shouted.
The soldier looked at him with a grim expression.
“You thought we’d seen everything?”
“I’d hoped so, Sir!”
Alien craft zoomed over their heads as further fire rained down all around them. Their dug in positions gave them cover from the worst of it, but the outer limits of the city where they were positioned were quickly being reduced to rubble.
“Where’s the fucking Air Force when you need them!” Suarez called out.
Taylor looked over to Chandra who was already barking orders into a handset. Anticipating the radio jamming which always accompanied the enemy, spindles of hard lines had been run out to all positions. It was a stone age way of operating for the troops, but a vast improvement over the blackout they’d previously experienced.
Lifting himself slightly above the trench, the Major looked out west from where the main enemy forces were advancing. The sky was filled with hundreds of the enemy craft using their familiar chameleon camouflage technology. In the skies above he heard the rattling of cannons and snapped his head around to see wedge formations of friendly fighters soaring towards the enemy gunning down the first of their targets.
The men in the trenches let out a cry of excitement as they saw the aerial combat unfold. Artillery fire continued to rain down on their position, but the ground attack from the aircraft had all but stopped. The lines of artillery behind their defences began to fire in a deafening barrage against the enemy targets.
Looking over the edge of the trench, Taylor could not yet make out the enemy positions, though their artillery had certainly received enough information to begin their attack. He glanced over to Captain Jones who looked confident and ready for everything they were about to face. Taylor had heard of the British troops flirt with death, he wondered if anything could wither their resolve.
The sound of a plane dropping towards the earth at high speed caused both of the men to look quickly to see a friendly fighter plunge into the road just twenty metres from them. They ducked down at the last moment as the plane erupted on impact and rumbled the ground beneath them. The battle in the skies raged for another thirty minutes as the artillery continued to rage thunder down upon either side.
Finally the enemy bombardment ceased. Far from the relief which some might expect, the troops knew it was the signal for a ground assault to begin. In the war torn skies above the fighters continued to battle it out. The humans were losing four fighters for every one of the enemy’s, but they continued to slug it out.
An immense sound of tracks could be heard in the distance even over the drone of the battle overhead. Jones imagined the alien invaders had underestimated the resistance that the inhabitants of Earth would put up, but they were quickly upping their game. Up ahead they could see nothing but shops and housing blocks. The broad roads were completely empty. In the distance they could see the very first of the alien vehicles rolling towards them.
The artillery at their backs continued to roar. Taylor only hoped they’d brought enough ammunition to keep up the fight. Explosions littered the roadway leading to their position. They could just make out the sound of the enemy tanks as they came nearer to their defences.