Nick Thomas - Battle Earth IV

“Corporal, there was a turn twenty metres back. You and your platoon are on mine now!”

Taylor leapt out from the cover and made a break for it. He heard Eli and her troops open up with covering fire, and it was just enough to pave the way for his retreat. He took the bend quickly and without hesitating to check what was down there. Mitch stopped Hall and the others as soon as they were safe. He took a deep breath and looked down the corridor to see a comms access point.

“Come on, we need a new route through.”

He rushed down to the unit that lay at an entrance to a dining hall that was still impeccably laid out as if it had completely passed the war by.

“Lewis, we need a new route through. We’re in a large mess hall half way towards our original co-ordinates.”

“I’ve got you, Major, and I’ve got that intel you asked for.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

“We’ve got enemy craft in two docking bays. One is on the other side of the station, and the other is not too far from your current position.”

“How do we get there?”

“Get through that hall, and when you come out the other side, take your first left. You’ll come into a main access route, larger than the other corridors. From there, you’ll have signs to Docking Bay Bravo.”

“Good work.”

“Good luck, Sir.”

Taylor turned back to the others. He had just twenty-five men at his command in a station overrun with enemy forces, and they were against the clock.

“Listen up, we’ve got no time to spare. We are making a dash for the docking bay. We do not stop. We do not hesitate. Anyone who falls gets left behind. I don’t care if that’s me or Hall, you keep moving. Someone has to get to that docking bay and stop Demiran. Whatever happens, he must not get off this station, you hear me?”

They nodded solemnly. Taylor quickly turned and jumped to a running pace across the hall. He knew they could come under fire at any moment. All elements of his training would have him check every corner and corridor, but now he had to just keep running and hope for the best.

They reached the far door to the hallway, and Taylor barged through, smashing the doors from their frame. He didn’t even break stride as the doors flew into the next hallway and crashed to the ground.

“Come on!” he bellowed.

He didn’t look back. He had to rely on them to follow him to hell and back. He took the bend as instructed and was quickly out into the main access hall. He could see the sign up ahead for the docking bay and sprinted past it.

“Almost there!”

He took a bend at a large sign, and the doors slid open as the motion sensors detected his position and opened quickly before he could barge through. He stood in the entrance and looked down at the vast docking area for movement. His heart raced as he saw a glimmer of movement near a small enemy ship.

“That’s it!”

Before the others could respond, a hail of enemy pulses rushed down the hallway before them. Taylor and Corporal Hall leapt into the cover of the doorway as two of their platoon were struck down, and the others dug in to return fire. Taylor looked back in horror at the realisation that the rest of the troops were stuck where they were. He turned to Hall.

“This is on us, Corporal.”

Taylor jumped out and rushed towards the enemy craft. He noticed some activity and turned to see Perera and several of the MDF soldiers closing in on the enemy vessel from another entrance off to his left side.

“Take out the engines!” Taylor shouted.

He saw one of Demiran’s guards rush up the access ramp as it quickly clamped up into the craft. The docking doors were already open, and they could see the pulsating of the engines increase as the craft began to lift from the deck. Taylor took quick aim and kept firing until his magazine was empty. They poured fire into the engines until smoke belched from the craft, but it still had forward momentum. He turned to Hall who was changing his magazine.

“Get those doors shut!”

The Corporal sprang into action and rushed for the access panel. Taylor slammed in another magazine and continued to fire rapidly. The small alien fighter was ripped apart by their fire, but they seemed unable to stop it in its tracks.

“If they get into space, we’re fucked!” Taylor barked.

Hall ripped open the cover to the panel of controls. He smashed down the large red emergency lockdown button. He turned to see the doors in front of the fighter quickly slam shut, and the locking mechanisms activate. The stricken enemy craft smashed into the doors but crumpled against them without making a dent. The engines powered down as the vehicle rocked back and came to a standstill. The Corporal lifted his rifle back up and loaded in a fresh magazine, following the Major down to the crash site.

Perera and his two comrades closed on the vessel also with their weapons at the ready. Finally, the two groups came together beside it. For the moment, their personal feud was set aside in the presence of a greater threat. The five soldiers stopped with their weapons at the ready and hesitated for a moment, no one wanted the approach the door.

“Oh, fuck this,” said Hall.

He paced forward and reached around the corners of the door that jutted out from where their gunfire had torn apart the rear of the ship. Just as he was about to apply some pressure, it was blasted open and crushed him down to the floor. The three creatures rushed from the doorway and fired as they did so. The two soldiers with Perera were struck and killed in a hail of gunfire. Taylor was thrown off his feet by one of the bodyguards that launched him off his feet with a vicious barge. He landed hard and lost consciousness.

A few moments later, Taylor came to his senses and looked up to see the barrel of Perera’s gun pointed at him. Flat out on the deck, and still stunned, he was unable to defend himself.

“I knew this day would come, when I could end you. You left our people to die, and now you’ll pay the price.”

Taylor ignored his comments and replied with a question.

“Where’s Demiran?”

“He’s gone. It’s just you and me now.”

Taylor sighed in disbelief. He didn’t care for himself, and he only thought of the fate of them all if Demiran had indeed gone.

“Goodbye, Major.”

Taylor stared his would be killer in the eyes as the man squeezed the trigger, but as he did so, he was lifted from the ground, and his neck snapped. His body was tossed aside like a ragdoll, and Taylor looked up in fear as one of Demiran’s bodyguards stood towering over him. He knew he was at the mercy of the creature, but to his shock it held out its hand as if to help him to his feet.

Confused as to the creature’s intentions, Taylor had little choice but to go along with it. He offered up his, and the creature hauled him to his feet with no effort at all. As Taylor landed on his feet, he drew his Assegai and pressed the tip against the rim of the creature’s faceplate. Something stayed his hand though, and he held it to threaten but did not strike. The creature had saved his life, and curiosity made him wonder why he had been allowed to live.

The alien before him did not respond to his weapon. Its faceplate quickly retracted and uncovered its face to the Major. Their faces were just twenty centimetres apart, and neither made a move. He took a pace back and slid the Assegai back into its sheath. He was confused by the situation and shocked to still be alive. The other bodyguard walked casually into view, stood beside the other, and likewise revealed its face.

“What are your intentions?” asked Taylor.

The first creature that had helped him finally spoke.

“You saved our lives from your own people, despite all the death and destruction we have brought to your people, why?”