"Sure this is a good idea? We've taken out one of theirs. Doesn't seem like a good idea to hang about."
"As far as they know, one of their ships has gone down, and even if they radioed in what they saw, it will just be my truck, a civilian vehicle. They'll send another to investigate before deploying anything too heavy."
"You sure about that?"
"Yes, I'm sure, Berlin. You don't commit an army to investigate a single loss. This is our chance to expand on our work here today. Then we leave. A second ambush can work in our favour, but they won't fall for a third. Now listen up and be ready."
They sat and waited in their dugout for twenty minutes without seeing a sign of movement. Finally, Becker asked, "Why didn't you leave?"
Kelly looked surprised.
"What do you mean?"
"You're a civilian, or you were. You and your people could have gotten off the planet. Particularly if you pulled a few strings with Taylor. Why did you stay?"
"Why did you?"
"We're soldiers. We were there to defend our country."
"Yeah, so were we."
"And this country means that much to you?"
"Damn right it does. You truly learn to appreciate your own home ground once it's gone. I couldn't leave it again."
"But you know we're all gonna die down here. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but soon enough."
"Yeah, probably," he replied casually.
"So why?"
Kelly shook his head.
"I don't know how many more ways I can explain it. We're here. You're here. There's only one thing left for us to do, and we're doing it."
"You sound like Taylor," he replied.
Kelly laughed.
"Well, that can't be a bad thing. That crazy son of a bitch can survive anything."
They could faintly hear an engine in the sky.
"Everyone down. Get ready!"
It was almost half a minute until the ship came into view. It was the exact same model as the one they had destroyed and lay a crumbled wreck before them. The ship hovered above and circled the position, clearly investigating from the air.
"Come on, you alien bastard, land already," whispered Becker.
It slowly came in to a smooth landing, and as before, six Mechs stepped out to investigate. Kelly smiled.
"Predictable. They're like machines."
He raised his rifle to the shoulder and took careful aim at the nearest, squeezing the trigger so that a three-shot burst struck the creature and killed it instantly. Before it had even hit the dirt, another two-dozen rifles opened fire. The creatures were gunned down before they could loose off a shot. The ship's engines began to gain power to lift off and make a run for it.
"Bring it down!" Becker hollered.
The ship got a metre off the ground when a rocket streamed towards it. It hit one of the engines dead on and blew it off the side of the craft. The loss of one of the two engines caused the ship to go into a spin and crash back down into the wreckage of the first. Kelly jumped out of his trench and rushed to the wreckage. He pulled a grenade from his armour and threw it in through the breach in the hull, rushing back as it blew. Becker and the others ducked for cover when the explosion rang out, but as it settled, they got up and found Kelly was standing in front of the wrecked ship as calm as could be.
"Woohoo!" Becker shouted, "Nailed them!"
Chapter 10
Taylor stepped into Huber's private quarters and saluted.
"Come in and sit down, Colonel."
"Yes, Sir."
"I have reviewed your report. Your conclusion is that the fleet is now free of all enemy presence?"
"I have been as thorough as is humanly possible, Sir."
"A number of the ships’ Captains are asking for a guarantee that we are free of them. Can you give it?"
"No, Sir, but I can ensure you that we have done, and continue to do, everything in our power to ensure the safety of the fleet."
Huber took a deep breath.
"That's what I told them. I told them there are no guarantees in war, but still they ask."
"Then give them the guarantee, Sir."
"But you said you cannot give it."
"No, I can't, but that doesn't mean you can't say it. Sometimes people just want to be told what they want to hear. And sometimes it is best to do so."
Huber shook his head as he poured himself a whisky and then another for Taylor.
"You've had to play the politician for too long."
"Not of my choosing, Sir. But if it takes one slight exaggeration to calm the Captains of the fleet, so be it. What we need more than anything else right now is calm and clear thinking."
Huber nodded.
"You said you wanted to scout this system?" Huber asked as a rather open ended question that he was looking for an expanded answer.
"Yes, Sir. It’s all very well that the fleet continues onwards, but we have many vessels in the fleet far faster than our average. Ships that could travel far and wide as we carry on our course."
"And you think it is safe to do so, to send out smaller scouting parties? Parties who will likely be too weak to take on any serious threat alone. Still too slow to outrun it, and all at the same time weakening our defence of the fleet?"
"Everything we do is a risk, Sir, and not making use of all our resources could mean us never finding new worlds and new mineable areas. To do this would spread our forces, but there is no safe option."
"Okay."
Taylor looked surprised. "Okay? You'll do it, Sir?"
Huber nodded.
"What the hell? Seems as good an idea as any. It's certainly true we need to know what we're dealing with wherever we are. I'll organise six frigates to send out in all directions, along with support fighters and such."
"Might I recommend a solid Marine detachment aboard each of the vessels, Sir?"
"Yes, but you will not be with them. Your place is here, Taylor. You are a good fighter, but out in the field that is all you can be. One man."
"Excuse me, Sir, but I believe my value in combat amounts to more than the sum of a single marine."
"Yes, yes. I don't mean to insult you, Colonel. However, your leadership skills and command are far more valuable to me than your individual fighting skills. Better still, I like to know I have my best man at my side on my ship when the shit hits the fan. So there it is. I'll organise the ships. You see to it that their Marine detachments are well equipped and of good number. But you may not allocate your own people, or any of the marines aboard this ship to this endeavour, do you hear?"
"Aye, aye, Sir."
"Then drink up, Colonel, you have work to do. I have already assembled the frigate Captains via commlink in operations room B. They await your arrival."
It was then Taylor realised he wasn't being asked his opinion on anything. He had been brought there to be given his orders. It had just been disguised as a pleasant chat and a drink with an inquest into his thoughts.
"Yes, Sir," he replied.
He got up, left, and went straight to the operations room as ordered where he found the projections of the Captains displayed at modules placed on the table in front of six of the seats. He did not recognise a single one of them, but he could see Huber had selected them from various different navies.
Wise move, he thought, after seeing how close they came to fighting each other so recently.
"I assume Admiral Huber has already briefed you on your missions?"
They all nodded in agreement.
"And you have designated areas plotted already?"
They agreed again.
"Then I am here merely to arrange Marine detachments for all of your vessels."
"We already have marines aboard," one of them said.