Nick Thomas - Battle Earth VI

After a few minutes of watching the battle, Taylor and Jones sat down against the barricades and propped their rifles up beside them, resting their weary legs. It was a strange experience for them, to be able to rest while the battle raged all around them. So often they had been the frontline in battles, and now they were several lines back from it. They didn't envy those down in the trenches before them. The thick concrete and steel walls that were five metres high provided a solid defence against all but the heaviest weapons.

The hour passed before the infantry below began to engage the enemy with anti-tank weapons and small arms soon after. They knew it meant the aliens were just a hundred or so metres out of their range. Taylor finally got to his feet, and it was a welcome break after sitting on hard concrete for so long. He looked to the east and west. It was much the same sight as was in front of them. Lines of burning tanks were being used as cover from the enemy advance, and thick smoke and dust made the battle seem so much smaller than he knew it to be.

"They're slowing down," said Jones.

"Yeah, can you blame them? Look at the beating they're taking."

"You think this means we have stopped them?"

Taylor looked to Jafar.

"They cannot keep this up for much longer. It would be foolish."

"No, coming back to Earth was foolish. It was the biggest mistake they ever made," Taylor replied.

"It's not over yet," added Charlie.

"2nd Inter-Allied, fire in your own time once in range," Taylor ordered across their comms.

It was clear to him that if the enemy did reach their range, there wouldn't be much fight left in them. Despite that, they continued to drive forward. But he could see the back of their ranks now. No longer were they an endless column of armour and soldiers. They were spreading thin across the plain.

"They're thinning out."

"Or they've held back the next waves," replied Jones.

"Either way, this is the turning point."

He lifted his rifle onto the rampart and could see they were so close now to being within range. His finger wrapped around the trigger as he took aim at the Mech who was going to enter his sights first. Just another few metres and he could fire, but the creature was killed by a burst from the soldiers below. He was about to swear at the pleasure of the kill being taken from him, but he knew there would be so many more opportunities.

"Almost there!" yelled Jones.

A huge mass of Mechs took to a running pace, trying to rush for the trench positions. It brought them immediately into range. Taylor smiled as he shouted.

"Fire!"

He had already given them the ‘fire at will’ command, but he could not resist crying out. Volley upon volley poured from the walls into the Mech advance. It was a new layer of defences the enemy had not yet encountered, and it was devastating. In just three minutes, their lines were crippled, and they began to falter.

"Go on, run you bastards!" Jones screamed.

Just as he shouted it, many did turn and run. Cries of excitement rang out from the trenches below, followed by shouts that seemingly called for an advance. Hundreds of IDF troops then climbed out of their trenches and rushed forward to pursue the fleeing enemy.

"No! Stay in the trenches!"

None of them heard Taylor over the distance and noise.

"What the hell are they doing?"

They watched as the success overcame the troops, causing them to forget the dangers posed by the enemy. Screams rang from all around them, and they could tell a similar practice was taking place along the line. Taylor could do nothing but stand and watch.

"Idiots."

"Dead idiots," Jones added.

The enemy had retreated a kilometre from the wall when they stopped and stood their ground. From that distance, they could just make out the lines of pulses smashing into troops who had given pursuit. They watched silently as they were slaughtered in the open ground and joined the mounds of enemy dead.

"What a waste," said Jones.

It was a sign of things to come. The day passed with occasional barrages from the larger guns, but no movement from either side. Taylor and his troops slept on the wall that night. There hadn't been any suggestion of billets for them, and there seemed nobody keen to replace them. A supply of ration packs handed out in the evening was the only luxury they enjoyed.

Taylor slept well that night. The great defences provided some comfort and sense of security. He was so exhausted that he doubted he could have stayed awake even if he'd wanted to. He had seen no need to set watches. The platoon commanders were already on it themselves.

An hour after first light, the sun lifted the temperature at a rapid rate, enough to wake Taylor from his deep sleep. The shining rays of sunlight blurred his vision and stunned him slightly as he got up. As he propped himself against the wall, Jones thrust an almost fresh cup of tea into his hands. He took it gladly but still wished it were coffee.

"Thanks."

It was surprisingly quiet, almost eerily so. Only a few footsteps broke the silence. His eyes began to adjust, and he peered out to the south as he took a sip. The bodies from the trenches had been cleared, and fresh troops now occupied them. The barren space from then onwards was still littered with bodies though. He cast his gaze across to the enemy side to see they too had dug in. Trench works largely hid their numbers, and he could see for kilometres each side now that the enemy positions extended as far as the eye could see.

"They're using trenches," stated Jafar.

Taylor turned in surprise to see the alien wide-awake and standing at his side.

"What of it?"

"I told you this. When they begin to dig in, it is because their tactics are failing. The Krycenaean armies never stop attacking unless they cannot succeed."

"So they are beaten?"

"For now. Until they can reinforce or find a different way to breach this line."

"Why don't they go round us?" asked Jones.

Taylor grunted in agreement.

"Yeah, they have ships, so why fight us in open combat?"

"Because it is their way, and if they cannot beat us in open combat, it is failure for them."

"So we just slug it out here until one side is done for?" asked Jones.

"Yes."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'd like to see this ended sooner rather than later. Another army could come through that Gateway anytime and reinforce these bastards."

"Not likely."

"No? And why is that, Jafar?"

"Because Demiran has committed everything he has, and none of the other Lords would want to help him succeed."

"But they all want Earth, do they not?"

"Yes, but if Demiran wins, even with the support of another Lord, he will claim the planet his own."

Taylor laughed.

"What is so funny?" asked Jafar.

"These Lords, if they'd rallied together, they could have ended us all years ago."

Jafar shrugged his shoulders.

"So, through their own vanity and individual desire for power, they'd see nobody succeed rather than share a success? That's fucking brilliant," replied Charlie.

"I have to say I'm glad to hear it. Otherwise, we'd be in deep shit," added Taylor.

"And what if one day these Lords manage some kind of joint military pact? We'd be annihilated."

"Then pray they don't, Jones."

The enemy artillery and tanks opened fire with a fresh barrage, forcing them to duck down for cover. Taylor watched through the gaps in the rampart. The enemy was again advancing towards their walls.

"It's a God damn siege," he whispered to himself.

Their guns began to return fire, and everyone knew the next attack was coming. Within two hours of the sun rising, the enemy were once more being broken at their defensive line, but the casualties were mounting on both sides. Just as it appeared they would end the attack, as they had the previous day on Earth, a shattering explosion erupted to the west. The walls shook in their foundations and rumbled beneath their feet.