Nick Thomas - Battle Earth V

Taylor sipped back on his drink.

It’s all becoming clear now.

“So we are a buffer? Keep them away from our lands as long as possible?”

“That is one of our tasks, and to ensure they appreciate the severity of the situation. When the first war started, our military was ill prepared. They need to know what danger lies around the corner.”

“And you believe we can make that difference?”

“We already have. I can’t say how long we can hold here, but I can say we have already had an impact. Red 1 was clearly a key strategic point for the enemy, as is this gateway. We’ve inflicted substantial losses on them so far and continue to defend the entrance to our Solar System.”

“Then send a messenger through the gateway. Let all on Earth know what we have done here, and that we still hold.”

Huber went silent for a moment as he thought it over. They could both see it would serve to assist their purpose.

“Okay, we will send a single messenger within the hour, but I do not promise anything will come of it.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

Taylor thought about his next question carefully, as it was a delicate matter to put to their leader.

“Sir, you said, if the defence of this gateway becomes unrealistic, we will withdraw. Is that truly your intention?”

The Admiral looked offended for a second before he could see how necessary the question was.

“Of course. I would never throw lives away needlessly. The time may well come when we have to return through that gate. We both still have people out there, friends and comrades. If the time comes, could you leave them behind to save what remains?”

Mitch knew the right answer to the question, but his heart made him want to say no.

“Sir, we could get them back. We could fire up this fleet, head for Red 1, and get our people back.”

“Sure, we could try, but we both know the chances of us returning alive from such a mission would be minimal. The enemy forces have amassed at that planet. We have the strength to remain here in defence, but we do not have what we need to move forward.”

Taylor knew the Admiral was right, but it didn’t make it any easier.

General White had sat at a conference table for two hours discussing the events he had taken part in. He could see that several world leaders there were growing weary and seemed to be losing interest. It disgusted him that they would show as such, even if they did feel it. But he could not speak out against them. He needed the support of those around him. In his moment of need, Field Marshal Copley spoke up. The proud British officer was a man White knew by reputation but had only met briefly.

“It seems clear to me that Admiral Huber’s fleet is in need of assistance. They have made headway in their mission and in assisting them further, we secure the safety of our Solar System.”

White nodded in gratitude for the support. Brigadier Dupont leapt to his feet in a typically dramatic nature they had come to expect of the Frenchman.

“I am sorry, but I am yet to see any progress other than provoking a race which since the war ended have shown no signs of further aggression.”

White could feel his blood boil as he listened to the obnoxious man.

“Are you that naive that you believe the war to be over? You think they will simply give up and forget what happened here?”

“We are, General. We are moving on with our lives in peace.”

White shook his head in astonishment.

“Asshole,” he muttered under his breath.

“General White.”

He turned to see the American President staring at him.

“Yes, Mr President.”

“You are the only one among us who has been to this foreign system, Tau Ceti. You are therefore better informed and qualified than any one of us to recommend a way forward here. What do you believe we, as a united people, should do?”

“Sir, I have seen what this enemy is capable of. They will not stop. They will never stop. They will end us, or we will end them. Our fleets have made a great advance into enemy territory, and I believe with the backing of Earth’s armies, we could remove this threat forever.”

“Remove the threat?” asked President Moreau. “You are talking about genocide? Going to their homes and killing every man, woman and child in their race?”

“Yes, I am,” replied White. “If we dealt with a civilised enemy, we could beat them into submission and end this war with some kind of peace. But we do not face a civilised enemy. They are a race of technologically advanced savages.”

“And is that not what you are recommending that we become? We are taking on advances in our technology every day from what we have learnt from them, and now you want to become as bloodthirsty and murderous as they are?”

The General opened to his mouth to speak but stopped himself and panned around to study the faces of all around him. Most looked down on him as an upstart against the peace they now enjoyed. He laughed for a few seconds, so as not to cry.

“You now live the peaceful lives we all wanted, but do you not see that these perfect lives you now have are in danger yet again? Will you bury your heads in the sand and believe that we have once more seen an end to war? War will never be over, not whilst intelligent beings exist. We have a choice before us. We can sit back and await our destruction, or we can step up and fight for the peace you all so desperately want to secure.”

The United States President sat at the centre and head of the discussion, and it was clear he played more than his equal part in the decision to be made. White had always liked the man. He had voted for him, after all. He could see President Walter wanted to support him, but he faced a vicious opposition.

“General, I think we all need an understanding of quite what you have in mind and the alternatives. As far as I understand it, you want to pursue a full scale campaign into Tau Ceti, and bring the enemy race to an end.”

“Yes, Mr President. I believe the most apt analogy would be — ‘If an injury has to be done to a man, it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.’”

“I don’t think reciting ancient philosophy is appropriate to our situation,” snapped Dupont.

“Far from it, everything we know has been learnt from those who came before us. Would you cast aside their wisdom and re-invent the wheel?”

“Enough,” said Walter sternly.

The President didn’t need to shout. His deep and commanding voice was sufficient to resonate around the room and bring it to silence.

“You do not see another option?” he asked of White.

“Not if the future of the human race is to be persevered, Sir, no.”

“And if, as the combined forces of Earth, we sent all our might to Tau Ceti to crush them, what would be the cost?”

“Probably hundreds of thousands of lives.”

Gasps rang out across the room.

“You are surprised? Surprised that the cost of war is the lives of honourable and courageous men and women? The last war was not won by anyone else. I’d never send a marine to die unless I knew it had to be done. Would you prefer we lost enlisted men and women of our armies, navies and air force, or civilians? The price has to be paid somewhere. I believe we can end this for good, and save the people of this world from any future pain and suffering.”

A cough rang out, and White looked to see Commander Kelly from the Moon Colony. He had been sitting quietly at the far end of the table throughout.

“Commander, I of course refer to humanity as a whole. I would see to the protection of the Moon equally with Earth.”

Kelly nodded in appreciation. They all went silent for a solid minute as every one of them thought of the options before them. Finally, the US President spoke up, as he had led the meeting from the very start.