“I’d bet good money on it. They underestimated the human resolve and ability to adapt and overcome. I think they expected a much easier time of it on this planet.”
“Still, this is going to cause us more than a few problems. We can’t keep moving forward while they threaten us to the east.”
As the droning engines faded into the distance, their attention was drawn to a jeep tearing along the craggy road towards them from the east. Only the driver was aboard, and there were no weapons or supplies visible. The two officers stood and waited for the vehicle. They both knew that its driver must certainly be coming to find one of them. A few minutes later, it skidded into view as the wheels locked, and it glided across the slick mud. The driver shouted out from behind the wheel.
“General Schulz requests both of your presence, immediately!” he yelled.
“You here to give us a lift?” asked Chandra.
“Sure thing, the General was quite adamant about the urgency of the matter.”
She turned and paced back to where the Company was awaiting the advance west which was clearly on hold. The re-taking of Ramstein with minimal casualties had done a lot to boost morale, and she could tell they were eager to push forward but now knew it would not happen.
“Captain Jones!” she shouted.
The Major couldn’t identify him among the troops until she could make out the outline of his back facing her. He had the look of a man that had lost all will to continue, but she refused to repeat the call she knew he had heard. He finally turned and got to his feet slowly and wearily. His face was bitter and cold. It was not a hatred of the enemy he expressed, but a lack of care for life.
“Captain, you’re in charge until we return!”
Jones didn’t even acknowledge her words, but she knew he had heard as well as the rest of the troops nearby. Sergeant Silva leapt to her side for a quiet word as she turned to leave. It was clear he shared some of her concerns.
“Major, are you sure Captain Jones is fit for this?” he whispered.
Taylor overhead the comments and interrupted her before she could reply.
“Jones is one of the finest soldiers I have ever known. He’ll handle it.”
Chandra sighed. It was an uncomfortable position she was being put in.
“There’s no doubt that Charlie should have been given more time to recover before returning to his duties, but we cannot afford such luxuries these days. We need every capable soldier we can get. He’s still the same man, after all. Remember that.”
“Ma’am, with all due respect, I am not sure he is,” replied Silva.
She stopped and turned back to look at the Captain who she had come to know as such a good friend. Perhaps he isn’t the same man we used to know, she thought. Reluctantly, she nodded in agreement that Silva might be talking some hard truths.
“Captain Jones is the ranking officer while we are away, but keep an eye on him. If he shows any signs of being unfit for duty, then as a platoon leader, you have a responsibility to the wellbeing of these troops. You must do what is best for the Company. I pray that day never comes. Let’s not forget the horrors the Captain has been through. He has been deceived and abandoned by allies before, so let’s not allow him lose all hope.”
A few moments later, the two Majors were aboard the jeep and on their way east to Headquarters. They passed over the crater-ridden muddy battlefield that had seen days of bombardment and fighting. Mech bodies still littered the terrain. The human dead were recovered periodically, but nobody had the care nor will to treat their fallen enemies with any respect. The occasional pyre burned in the distance where troops had gathered some bodies together in an attempt to cleanse the area.
Chandra and Taylor stood awaiting the General as he poured over maps and enemy locations. He finally looked up at the two but with a pale face. They could both see the fear in his eyes. The war was not going the way he wanted it to.
“Major Chandra, please come forward,” he called.
She paced up to the General’s table with Taylor close behind. Schulz scowled at Mitch, but he ignored the look.
“Major Taylor, let us set aside any reservations we have towards each other. We need all the help we have got, and we are on a tight schedule.”
Mitch nodded in agreement. He still hated Schulz and blamed him for much of their hardships in the previous few months, but he also knew there was little to be done about it.
“I am here to fight as always, Sir,” he replied.
Schulz begrudgingly accepted the Major’s words while he knew full well that he was stubbornly refusing to accept any wrongdoing.
“You surely must have seen new enemy forces enter our atmosphere. They’ve recently put down just west of Berlin, and we predict that fighting will be underway within the next few hours. You know how thinly we are spread. What you achieved yesterday was impressive, and I thank you both for it. But this presents a great problem for us.”
“Not enough troops to fight on another front?” asked Chandra.
“Precisely. The armies of Earth are fighting all over, and few as hard and often as yourselves. Berlin is lightly defended and to provide assistance would mean weakening our presence here. Splitting our forces could lead to the utter destruction of our armies here in Germany.”
“What are you thinking?” asked Taylor.
General Dupont strode into the room and came to a sudden halt as he glared at Mitch.
“What the hell is he doing here?” demanded Dupont.
Schulz turned quickly and snapped at the Frenchman.
“We need the Major for this.”
“We can’t trust him anymore!” insisted Dupont.
“That’s enough!” yelled Schulz. “Whilst I remain in charge of the armies here, I will decide who and how we use our resources. Major Taylor has more experience in fighting this enemy than any man alive.”
Mitch smiled. He was amused by the obvious way Dupont was being disciplined by Schulz, a man who hated him almost as much as Dupont himself. Dupont was silenced, and Chandra turned back to the others.
“The truth is I am not convinced we can gain success on this continent, considering this new threat. It is true that Field Marshall Copley’s army has moved into the north of France, but their progress is slow at best. With an enemy army at the gates of Berlin, we risk being divided and destroyed.”
“So what have you got in mind?” asked Taylor.
“Your attack on the enemy weapon depot in Poitiers caused quite a stir. There is no doubt that it slowed the enemy massively and sent them into disarray, but a situation we were simply unable to exploit at that time. Our intelligence and surveillance suggest that it was not the destruction of the facility that had such an effect, but the harm done to their leader, who goes by the name of Karadag. Your mission reports state that you have already met this creature?”
Taylor’s mind shot back to the brutal beating he took at the hands of the enemy Commander. It was not an experience he was ever inclined to repeat.
“Our reports show that this leader survived the nuclear device.”
Schulz looked curiously to see that Taylor was not at all surprised by the information.
“You knew this? How?” he asked.
“I saw him in the Metz prison, during our rescue mission.”
“And you never thought to report this vital information?” spat Dupont.
Taylor turned slowly and looked with utter despair and hatred towards the Frenchman.
“It was a little difficult to assist in this war from a prison cell,” fumed Taylor.
“Gentlemen, that is enough! What has gone before us must be set aside. There may come a time when we must all answer for our actions, but now there are bigger issues at stake,” interrupted Schulz.
Taylor took a deep breath to calm him, and the room went silent. Finally, Chandra spoke up.
“You think this Karadag is essential to the enemy? That they will fold without him?” she asked.