Nick Thomas - Battle Earth V

“Then you are in the right place. The Corps looks after its own. Load up, we head out shortly.”

Eddie Rains stepped into view.

“All squared away?” asked Taylor.

“Bet your ass, Sir. I see you won through in the end,” he replied, gesturing towards the two aliens.”

“Yes, but their arrest was not without benefit. We’ve learnt a lot from the questions asked of them. In fact, this whole operation revolves around it.”

“Then let’s just hope they truly are on our side.”

Eddie turned and strode aboard the craft. Taylor gritted his teeth. He trusted Jafar and Tsengal, but he knew the pressure was mounting on them all, to the degree that a tingle ran down his spine. He knew in the back of his mind there was still a chance they could be working for the enemy, but everything he had seen and heard told him there was good in them.

“Load up, we lift off in ten minutes.”

They passed him and a few seconds later, Parker approached in a line with her kit on her back. Her eyes avoided contact. He grabbed her, pulled her from the line, and whispered in her ear.

“Whatever is between us, do not forget who is in charge.”

“And do not forget who your friends are,” she replied.

He sighed as he let her go, and she continued on to the ramp.

What will it take to get rid of such bitter hatred? He muttered to himself.

Within a few minutes, he was aboard the bridge, and they lifted off. He never liked leaving Earth and still despised doing so. He turned to Ryan.

“The enemy, they believe this to be a paradise world. Maybe they’re right.”

The notion took Ryan back for a moment, but as a well-travelled Navy pilot, it quickly made sense.

“Of all the inhospitable places in space I have seen, I think they’re onto something.”

With the rapid speed of the Deveron, it was a matter of hours before they reached L2. As they approached, they could see the twenty ships of the Battlegroup orbiting the station. Ryan gasped as he saw the Washington. It was the first time any of them had seen the latest flagship of the US Navy. It looked just as it was, a hybrid of human and alien technologies.

“What a beauty,” Taylor said.

Every ship of the Battlegroup dwarfed the Deveron. Every one of them was newly manufactured or extensively re-fitted.

“It used to take three years to construct some of those ships.”

“War can be a rapid catalyst for change, Captain,” replied Taylor.

“One day I will command a ship like that, but I do not begrudge Admiral Huber’s task here.”

As they approached the dock, a signal came into the bridge. The Admiral was projected before them all.

“Welcome to the fleet. You will all know that there is no time to waste. The fleet is ready to embark, are you clear and ready to join us?”

“This is Major Taylor. That is affirmative, Sir.”

“Good, then have your captain dock with the Washington as we depart. Huber out.”

The projection disappeared, and once again they could see out to the vast Battle Group.

“Dock? With that?” asked Taylor.

“I am informed the Washington carries three of this craft and has further docking facilities for two more.”

Taylor shook his head in astonishment at the vast carrier. He could make out a dozen fighter bay doors on three levels of the port side that they were approaching.

“Then take us in, Captain.”

The vast engines of the carrier roared to life, and it soared forward with the rest of the fleet surrounding it as they approached. Their pilot took them in on the landing procedure to dock with a bay that would half conceal the Deveron with the superstructure of the Washington.

Ten minutes later, the Major stepped out to be greeted by the XO, Captain Vega. He led Taylor to the bridge while other staff established the companies on board the vast carrier.

As he passed through the Washington, Taylor was astonished at quite how utilitarian it was. The armour plating was thick, and there were no windows in sight. Much of the interior was bare metal and had yet to see a coat of paint or other finish. There was not a hint of luxury. The Washington was a ship built in haste to serve only one purpose — war.

“Not quite the luxuries of home, Major?” asked Captain Vega.

“Actually a reassuring sight. Our armies and navies had become soft over generations of peace.”

The bridge lay deep within the bowels of the carrier, far from the gun batteries and aircraft hangars. From approaching the ship, he had expected to find a luxurious and lavish bridge, but what he discovered was as utilitarian as everything else he had seen. The XO introduced him as he entered. In the centre lay an operations table where the Admiral stood. The bridge was manned by just fifteen crewmembers and was a far cry from anything he’d been accustomed to in the Corps. Colonel Chandra and four other officers stood next to the Admiral.

“Welcome aboard, Major!” Huber said enthusiastically.

Taylor saluted and approached with a smile. It was good to see Chandra again, and he already liked Huber’s approach to running his vessel. Mitch and the XO joined the others at the operations table.

“I am sorry to say there isn’t much to tell at this stage. We have plotted a course to the destination that our experts have been given, based on the intelligence you gathered. It’ll be a two-week journey at the very least, assuming we hit on it first time. A space gateway, I hear this thing called. A year ago, I would have called the whole thing nonsense, but we have all learned to be a little more open minded.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“I have already arranged to have your Battalion billeted here on the Washington. Make it your home.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“It’s an honour to have you aboard, but news of the two aliens among your ranks has already spread like wildfire throughout the ship. The fact you trust them goes a long way with me, but let’s not be in any doubt, we still understand little about this alien race. They must prove themselves to me before I will place my trust in them. Many of the crew will be uneasy with their presence. It is a fact we will all have to weather.”

“Understood, Sir.”

“Good, square your kit away, and see to your marines. Tonight, after you dine, you will all join me for a drink in my quarters. That’ll be all.”

Chandra and Taylor stepped off the bridge together.

“You’ve been causing quite a stir,” she said.

“Nothing new, then.”

She smiled.

“And you get to continue the war you wanted,” he added.

She stopped him in his tracks.

“I never wanted a war. I never wanted to continue fighting. I only knew it wasn’t over. I wasn’t willing to lay down my weapons, knowing that there was more to come. I will rest easy when I know we have truly won and made our homes safe.”

“And when will that be?”

“When the enemy can no longer present a danger.”

Taylor shook his head. It was hard to believe now that it could ever be a possibility.

“This space gateway, or whatever it is. If we can destroy it, we may cut off their route to Earth for hundreds if not thousands of years.”

Taylor nodded in agreement. It was an appealing idea.

“Let’s not speculate just yet. I’d like to know exactly what we’re dealing with before coming to any conclusions.”

That evening the Marine and Army officers gathered at Huber’s quarters for the drink he’d invited them for. The only other Navy officer was Captain Vega. He welcomed them in and sat down at a dining table, barely large enough for them all to fit. His quarters were spacious but hastily prepared. In the corner was his private office. It was decorated with naval weapons and particulars from hundreds of years gone by.