“The first wave has been held off. Casualties are as minimal as could be hoped for.”
There was a small sigh of relief that was barely audible from several inside.
“Have you got any news on their numbers and the state of their fleet?” she continued.
“We still have a few camera feeds open. About half of the enemy ships continued on for the jump gate. The others have remained in orbit over our position.”
“Then they must be readying themselves for a proper assault. They tested our defences today. I would not be surprised if the next wave comes before the day is over.”
No one responded. They didn’t want to speculate at what horrors they might face next.
“Have we got any means of contacting the fleet at all?” she asked.
“The only possibility is to send a physical message aboard a ship or something similar, like one of the delivery drones.”
Delivery drones. It’s time we put drones back into action, she thought.
“Do you believe such a message would get through?”
Bradley shrugged his shoulders.
“We have no idea what’s out there now, or what capabilities they have for stopping whatever we send out.”
“That’s reassuring.”
“Sorry, Colonel.”
“It’s alright, there’s nothing worth saying yet, anyhow.”
She turned, leaving the room in silence once again. Tsengal was the first thing she saw as she stepped outside.
“They will not stop,” he stated.
“We will break their armies over this colony.”
“I have no doubt, but they will never give it up.”
“Then let’s make them pay a bitter price for it.”
She carried on to Warren’s position, as it was where she felt most at home. Chandra didn’t like having to fight a battle without the 2 ^nd Inter-Allied soldiers she had become so close to. Several wounded were being carted through to designated rooms with sealable environments. The breaches in the colony walls were causing oxygen shortages through much of the complex.
Chandra reached the commandos’ position and stepped up again to their defensive line. Dozens of the marines were busy rebuilding and improving the walls. Many others waited with their rifles at the ready for the next assault. Major Warren paced up to talk her privately.
“Do you think the General will send any help?”
“It’ll be sometime before he could organise and get troops here. I fear they will be a long time short of reaching us in our time of need.”
“So we’re fucked. Left out here alone?”
“Pretty much. But we have a chance to make a difference. We have the opportunity to make those bastards pay a dear price.”
She looked out to the carnage. There had been no attempt to clear the enemy dead. They provided obstacles to the next assault, if nothing else. Despite wearing a fully enclosed suit with her own oxygen supply, she could smell the burning bodies and armour. The taste and putrid smell was something she could never forget, and despite her suit protecting her from it, her mind projected it for her.
“They’ll come in much greater number next time. Make sure you keep plenty of ammunition handy. If we can keep them bottlenecked in these hallways, we have a chance.”
“A chance for what?” asked Warren.
“For victory.”
He appeared surprised and looked into eyes to see if she truly meant it. He could tell she believed her own words. He just wasn’t sure what she defined as victory.
“We’ll nail those bastards. This planet will run in blue rivers of blood.”
Chapter 9
Looking out to space, Taylor could see nothing but their own fleet and the deep abyss beyond. He waited to see an enemy ship every moment and fully expected it, but nothing came. He sat on a viewing deck close to the outer skin of the Washington’s hull with a real view out to space. It always felt different seeing it with one’s own eyes than on a projected display. The window was just a metre wide and had a large blast door slung over it, ready to shut at a moment’s notice.
Where Mitch stood was one of the few luxuries of the ship. It was quiet and relaxing, and the view out to space made it feel so much less claustrophobic than the rest of the vessel. He imagined the feeling was much like that of working aboard a submarine in their oceans; a job he never envied. Living at sea was something he always enjoyed, but the notion of the environment outside being fatal made Taylor feel sick at times.
A hand reached onto his shoulder and even though he wore his armour, he could feel it was a light touch. It could only be one person in the world. He felt his shoulders relax from the highly-strung state he had been in and turned with a smile to see Eli.
“You need some rest,” she whispered.
“Don’t we all?”
Her weary face tightened into an even broader smile.
How can she remain so positive? He wondered.
“I’ll sleep when I’m in the grave,” Taylor added.
Her smile quickly vanished, and she responded quickly.
“Many men have said the same, and it has come sooner than they would have liked. Don’t think just because you have made it this far, you are invincible. You can be killed just the same as us all.”
“No, not me.”
She shook her head, but she could not quite tell if he was joking or not.
“Please get some sleep,” she pleaded.
“Will you join me?” he asked with a smirk.
“No chance, rest is the only thing you’re good for.”
He knew she was right, and there was nothing more to be said about it. He slipped away from her hand and carried on to his quarters without another word. By the time he had reached his door, he knew just how exhausted he was, and it was a wonder he was still on his feet.
Seconds after stripping his exo suit off, Mitch had collapsed onto his bed with his boots still on. He fell into a deep sleep that was void of all the horrors he had fretted over the past days. Before he knew it, a buzzer was ringing beside him with a call coming through. He looked to his watch, and it showed three hours had passed. The last thing he remembered was propping his rifle in the corner of his quarters. He coughed to clear his throat and sat up in a daze. Despite that, he already felt ten times better than before his rest. He smashed his hand down on the comms channel.
“Taylor,” he said in a croaky voice.
“Sir, your presence is requested on the bridge, immediately.”
“Roger that.”
He stood up and quickly stretched out to feel his body was remarkably rested after the few short but good hours of sleep he had gotten. He’d have killed for a shower, but more urgent matters were at hand. Within a few minutes, he was out the door and making a quick dash to the bridge. The doors opened, and it was clear Huber had been waiting for him.
“News from Red 1, Major.”
He rushed to the side of the table in hope of some good word of Chandra’s progress.
“The Colonel continued to transmit data until their signal was jammed.”
“Are they holding out?” he asked briskly.
“Certainly up till that point, yes. It seems much of the enemy fleet passed them by and are heading for us. This means we cannot risk sending any support to the planet.”
“Nothing? We’re just going to leave them there?”
“They’re going to have to slug it out, as are we. Now, I suggest you look to our own situation.”
Taylor quickly understood there was much more to the story than Huber had passed on.
“You have received confirmed reports they are heading this way?”
The Admiral nodded and sighed deeply.
“They’re coming for us with, well, maybe not everything they have, but a lot. We have gotten this far by taking the enemy by surprise, but now we will see what it is truly like to face an organised enemy.”
“Sorry, Sir, but I have already seen it enough times, and it ain’t pretty.”
“Mmm,” mumbled the Admiral.
“How long do we have?”
“Hard to say exactly, but best estimate is about five hours.”