Nick Thomas - Battle Earth IV

“What the hell’s in it?” asked Rains.

Taylor shrugged his shoulders.

“Let’s find out,” replied Chandra.

“Should we not leave it sealed and notify our commanders?” asked Fournier.

“Yes, after we’ve got an idea of what we’re dealing with,” she said.

Chandra stepped forward to what were clearly the entrance doors and studied the locking mechanism for just a moment. It had two levers to release the catches but no security device of any kind. She lifted each lever, and the door seal burst open. The doors themselves only opened a few centimetres. She squeezed her finger through the gaps and heaved them open.

“My God,” said Taylor.

They stood before twenty incubation chambers like those they had seen in Paris, during the raid. But these containers were not empty, as they had found the others after the war. The humans, or what appeared to be humans, were still inside. A power source in the centre of the container was connected to them all. Two of the chambers were damaged and had clearly lost power, but the rest were completely intact.

“What is this?” asked Fournier.

“A piece of the puzzle which could be vital to our future,” replied Chandra.

She turned to Silva. “Sergeant, contact Commander Phillips. I want an immediate evac of this freighter to Ramstein.”

“Yes, Ma’am, what shall I say are the contents?”

“You don’t tell them anything. All they need to know is the weight and size for transport. Nobody knows about this until it’s in safe hands. She turned to Taylor.

“Get hold of Captain Reyes. He’s still working as a liaison officer in Ramstein. We can trust him with this, so he can liaise with Phillips to sort this out.”

“Why the secrecy?” asked Jones.

“Because we have no idea what we are dealing with here. Back in Paris, we saw hundreds of thousands of these chambers. We need to know what their purpose is, and what is inside. We have no idea if these are human prisoners, clones, or re-education and indoctrination modules. We only trust those we know with this for now.”

She turned back to the rest of the troops in the room.

“You are all sworn to secrecy in what you see here today. It is not to be discussed again, even amongst yourselves. This could be a major breakthrough for humanity in our struggle against the enemy. Let’s make sure it gets to Ramstein safely.”

The troops of Inter-Allied sat in a temporary dining shelter enjoying their evening meal. Through the windows of the solid structure they could see the snow growing ever thicker, but the warm heaters kept them grateful they were not out in it. Taylor sat with Chandra and Parker either side of him and the rest the officers and senior NCOs of the Company.

“I hear we’re being reinforced soon,” said Silva.

Chandra smiled. “And where would you hear such a thing, Sergeant?”

“You know, here and there.”

“More scuttlebutt?”

“I’d say by your reaction that the Sergeant is on the ball,” Taylor grinned.

She nodded in agreement.

“That’s certainly the plan, and God knows we need it.”

The table fell quiet as they all thought about what that might mean.

“Surely it’s time our tour of duty was over and someone else took over our job?” asked Taylor.

“Well, I’d say France is clearing up of any remaining insurgency pretty quickly, thanks to our efforts. Construction and building is already well underway, and this country is starting to get back on its feet.”

“Then why do we need reinforcing at this stage?”

“The next phase of the war is coming. We all knew it would. While the Krycenaeans occupy the Moon, or any territory in this solar system, there can be no peace.”

The table went quiet once again. Chandra had accepted long ago that the war was not over, but the others had hoped for it. Jones finally spoke up.

“This war has almost killed me many times over. I have been through hell and given everything I have. That isn’t to diminish the rest of your service and devotion. But I, for one, am finished. Is there not a point where a man has simply done enough? Have we not all done enough for a lifetime?”

The others remained silent. They were stunned by the Captain’s words. He was as respected in the Company as much as the two Majors, and they all knew his word had both merit and influence. Chandra didn’t agree, but she found it hard to speak up against him. She finally tried to speak but was interrupted by Taylor.

“I agree. Are we to continue until every last one of us is dead? What purpose would that serve? How can we ask the men and women of this Company to go on, knowing that there is no light at the end of the tunnel, and nothing to work towards, nothing to go home to?”

“It isn’t an ideal situation, or one I would ever have wished on any of us. But simply put, we are an essential part of the line that holds the defences of this world together. If it were not us out here, enduring such hardships, who would it be? Would you leave civilians to their deaths, rather than face the enemy yourselves?”

“But when do you draw the line?” asked Jones. “Historically wars go on and on. New reasons, new enemies, and the same soldiers can’t keep fighting them day after day, year after year.”

Chandra took a deep breath, sighing as she realised the morale of the Company was being sapped away. None of the others spoke. She could see they were all thinking hard about Jones’ words, and there wasn’t one among them who didn’t agree with him.

“These past few months we have fought over ground which saw some of the greatest and most bloodthirsty battles the world’s ever known. You all know your history. Look back to the twentieth century when a relentless enemy sought to conquer the world.”

She took a deep breath again as they thought back to their military history.

“When Hitler took hold of Europe, Britain was all that stood against the Nazi regime. Surrounded on all sides, it was a state of total war. Negotiation and diplomacy was at its end. That war would end when one side was utterly vanquished. Our troops did not get leave. Their leave would be when victory was won, and the war was over.”

She could see they thought about her lesson in history, but it had not yet changed their minds.

“Did the allies stop when France was re-taken, with an enemy still on the doorstep? No. They knew that peace could only be won through absolute victory. Make no mistake. This war is not over. You can go back to your homes and try and enjoy a normal life until the next invasion, or you can take the fight to the enemy with me.”

Taylor looked up and began to realise what her initial words had meant.

“We’re going to the Moon, aren’t we? It’s the only reason we’d be reinforced so quickly after the war was over. We’re invading the Moon.”

She shook her head, knowing that her privileged information was out.

“Keep your voice down,” she said.

Jones sighed in disbelief as she continued on at a whisper.

“Yes. The Moon must be re-taken. This unit has more experience against the enemy than any other. It has proven its worth, and Taylor’s marines have already fought there before. We’re going to the Moon, and we’re ridding ourselves of this invading force for good!”

The rest of the evening was a quiet and sombre affair as all who had sat at that table thought of the perils that were to come. They watched the rest of the Company joyfully party, but they could think of nothing else. Taylor and Parker went to bed that night and lay beside each other in silence. It was a sadness they had wished they’d never feel again.

“Major Taylor! Major Taylor!”