Chapter 3
Taylor had arrived back at their staging ground for just a few seconds when a jeep roared into view as if an urgent message was to be delivered. It was a sight they had gotten used to under the enemy jamming systems. He paced up beside Chandra who had also turned to find the meaning of such urgency.
“What do you think they need us for now? Another heap of shit I’m sure,” whispered Taylor.
She turned and looked at the filthy Major. “You met some resistance, I hear?”
Taylor turned with a puzzled expression. “You don’t seem surprised?”
“It was bound to happen soon enough. The real question is were those Mechs stranded here, or were they stationed here?”
The jeep slid to a halt, and the driver leapt out to address them.
“I guess we’re about to find out,” replied Taylor.
The German Sergeant quickly saluted and immediately blurted out his message.
“Ma’am, your presence is urgently requested.”
“By whom?” she calmly responded.
“General Schulz. He wants Major Taylor also.”
Taylor’s eyes widened at the prospect. He couldn’t imagine any reason why Schulz would want to see him, other than incarcerating him once more. Schulz had tried to ease the conflict between them, but Taylor firmly believed it was only to ensure the morale of the troops stayed high.
She nodded in agreement and turned to Captain Jones.
“Get a party together to start work the other side of this blockade, but I want you to personally scour the buildings. Be prepared for ambush. Take Yorath’s platoon with you, but be certain to leave protection at both sites.”
“You expect more trouble?” he asked.
“Most certainly. We’ve got lazy since we drove their forces back. Let’s keep everyone safe. This country has a chance to rebuild, so let’s not allow anything to get in the way of that, not least our own negligence.”
She turned back to the driver. “You ready?”
The man nodded and ushered them quickly into his vehicle.
The two Majors sat in the back of the jeep as they tore through the streets. There was little traffic going east. As the wind rushed through the open topped vehicle and they hit the open road, the two of them were able to speak without their driver listening in.
“I don’t like this at all. Schulz has fucked us before, what makes you think he’s honourable enough to trust?” asked Taylor.
“He isn’t. He may be a bastard, but he isn’t stupid. Now that the fighting is over, he’ll have the whole of your Marine Corps on his arse if he dares touch you. Think what your President would have to say if he learnt that one of its greatest heroes was being arrested?”
“It didn’t stop the bastard before.”
“We were at war. Times have changed,” she replied.
“You told me the war wasn’t over.”
She smiled. “True, it’s merely on hold.”
They arrived at a temporary air base on the eastern edge of France that had been established since the war had ended. It was a hive of activity as vehicles came and went between the multitude of fighters and transport craft lined across the strip. They pulled up beside a concrete structure that had only the letters ‘HQ’ upon it. Outside were military police guards who wore impeccable white webbing over their perfectly pressed uniforms.
Taylor and Chandra leapt off the vehicle under the gaze of the guards who looked at their filthy uniforms with disgust. Taylor glared back at them and could not resist a taunt.
“Those rifles look as clean as a whistle, ever fired them?”
The two men stared back, and he could see they were desperate to confront him. One of them who wore sergeant’s stripes moved a single pace forward and saw the Major’s rank crowns hidden beneath the black soot that still coated him. The Sergeant hesitated and stepped back into position. Taylor grinned in satisfaction.
“Enough taunting them, we’ve got real work to do.”
She knew her comments would only infuriate the MPs further, which served to entertain Taylor.
“Please, follow me!” shouted the driver as he rushed into the HQ building.
They followed him through and into a room with a large planning table and a dozen high-ranking officers sat about it. They all wore their service dress and were belittled by the two filthy officers in their bulky armour and exoskeletons.
“How dare you step into our presence in such a state!” declared Dupont.
Taylor shot a wicked glance back at the General and stood defiantly before him.
“You’ll excuse our attire, for we were informed we were to get to you with all haste. Nor do we currently possess any uniforms besides these. As combat troops, we only carry what we need,” explained Chandra.
Dupont was infuriated by what she was insinuating but knew it was worded in such a way that he could do nothing in return. He spun around to address Schulz who was sat calmly at the head of the table.
“Will you suffer these filthy soldiers here?” he asked.
Schulz launched his chair backwards as he shot up to his feet.
“Will you shut up!” he yelled.
Taylor smiled as he saw the shock in Dupont’s face, and the man’s shoulders slump as he was humiliated before them all.
That’s right, you son of a bitch, thought Taylor.
Dupont went silent and lay back with a smirk. Schulz sighed as he sat back down and pulled his chair into the table. He took look around the room and took one last deep breath before he addressed them all.
“Tensions have been high. There have been some hot headed actions and enough scorn and bitterness to last a lifetime. This is war, so let us not forget that all of us here are on the same side.”
He paused for a moment for his words to settle in. Taylor, for the first time since he had met the General, began to understand his position. Schulz wasn’t an inherently bad person, far from it. He was a plotter and a thinker, and a man who saw the big picture; and had no time to fret over one soldier’s single death. Taylor sometimes wished he could have commanded some of the battles in the war but also saw the toll it took.
“Soldiers and civilians alike are slaving every day to try and clear roads, and get this country back on its feet. Major Chandra, you are probably not aware that we have had substantial resources put into Paris. The capital is an important symbol for this world, and it must be operational as quickly as possible.”
“Is there much left of it?” muttered Taylor.
Schulz heard his quiet words and stopped to address the question.
“Enough that it is, and always will be, Paris. The two of you are more than aware of what the enemy were doing with the former capital.”
“Actually, Sir, we may have seen a lot, but we understood little of it.”
“Exactly so. The city has been deemed safe, and what is left of the government is already being re-instated there. The leaders of many of the key armies of the world are assembling there to witness first hand the sights which you yourselves uncovered.”
“To what end, Sir?” she asked.
Taylor could see that Dupont was desperate to leap to his feet and shoot them down in flames, but he held his tongue in the knowledge he would only receive a second ridiculing.
“What your reports described was deeply disturbing. Experts from around the world have been let into the site in the last few weeks, and we all hope they have some answers. I would like both of you to join us on this journey. Perhaps you can shed more light on whatever was going on there.”
Taylor turned to Chandra, and she could see in his eyes that he didn’t want to go. She also knew that Schulz was making a determined effort to repair the relationship with her Company, and specifically with Mitch.
“What about our unit, Sir?”
“Captain Jones will be more than capable of managing. I am sending an infantry company with a detachment of engineers to assist them. They’ll be arriving this evening.”