Authors: Nick S. Thomas
He looked back to the Jafar.
“These other races you have encountered, have they been utterly destroyed?”
“That was before our existence.”
“Damn shame.”
Taylor butted in.
“The technology we have seen so far would suggest it could take hundreds or thousands of years for your ships to reach Earth, is that so?”
Weller initially turned to cut Mitch off, but he let the question stand, as he was inevitably about to reach the same one.
“For the first ships, the pioneers, yes. They left our worlds knowing that their future generations would reach their destinations. We now travel on the gateways they produced.”
“Gateways? What do you mean?” asked Taylor.
“I think he means some kind of gateway through space, folding space, black holes...”
“You believe it possible?”
“Technically, yes.”
“We cannot tell you how these work, only that a gateway was established a little over a year ago in your time, enabling the fleet we travelled with to reach Earth.”
“This space gateway, it is still there now?”
“I do not see any reason why not.”
“And you can travel through these instantly?”
“Yes, but they are built many thousands of kilometres from planets, for reasons we have never been told.”
Taylor could not believe what he was hearing, but he knew it meant that the threat of a second invasion hung over them.
“How long would it take for a fleet to go from your homeworld to reach Earth?” he asked with urgency.
“A few days.”
“My, God,” he replied. “This changes everything.”
Taylor stood up and looked to the nearest camera.
“You hear that? An enemy fleet could come through that gateway at any moment? We must destroy it!”
“Major Taylor!” Weller shouted. “You must calm yourself!”
“Calm? We were not prepared for the last war. Should we make the same mistake again, it could cost us our entire civilisation!”
“And nobody is going to let that happen. We will act upon this, and believe me, the appropriate powers will already be preparing a response, but we must not go into the next war blind.”
Taylor took a deep breath and calmed himself as he sat down once more.
“This gateway threatens us all.”
He looked to his two alien comrades.
“Tell us everything you know about it.”
“Form up!” Jones ordered.
Chandra rushed towards them at a brisk pace. They all knew that a battle was coming. She continued on down the line of the two companies until she reached Jones. He saluted as she approached. She stopped quickly and took a deep breath before balling out the news.
“As of 0700 hours I have been informed that an enemy presence remains in the Solar System; a presence that could threaten our existence just as much as this time last year. This enemy will not, and cannot be allowed to remain!”
She stepped along the line as she took another deep breath and looked at the faces of the troops who could not believe that after all they had been through, more was being asked of them.
“The enemy we face is powerful, deadly and not to be underestimated. If they remain in our Solar System, it is only for one reason, to carry out a second attempt to conquer Earth and our other colonies. I’ll be damned if I’ll let those alien bastards loom over us. We’re going to Mars and beyond to finish them for good!”
Cheers rang out along the line. She knew she had stirred just enough energy among them to dig them out of the hole they all felt they were in. Many of those who stood there had been in the war from the opening week, and they all wondered how much more their luck would hold out.
“We’re wheels up in one hour where we will meet the rest of the Battalion at L2. Grab your gear! We’ve got a war to fight!”
She nodded to Captain Jones. He jumped forward and barked his orders.
“Companies, you heard the Colonel. Fall out! Go, go, go!”
The formation of troops scattered to prepare themselves to leave their homeworld once more. Jones turned to Chandra and had to concede she was right. He never wanted to believe that the enemy remained in their Solar System, but in the back of his mind, he had always feared it.
“You knew all along, didn’t you?” he asked.
“Honestly, I had no proof. But I knew the enemy fleet had to have some access point into the system. If their ships could travel at light speed, we’d have known about it. Whatever is out there, it is the answer to how they got to us, and it’s an access point which must be closed.”
“Do we have any more intel regarding what’s up there?”
“Major Taylor knows more than I, and he’ll fill us in when we reach L2, but I think it’s all a little sketchy. With our experience, we will be leading this operation, but we’ll have plenty of support.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
* * *
Taylor sat outside General White’s office. He could hear vigorous discussion taking place within but could not make out the topic. He was finally ushered through. Two officers passed him as he entered. Their faces were red with fury, and Mitch could make out the fatigue in the General’s eyes. He sighed as his head dropped into his hands. It was clear he hadn’t noticed the Major entering the room.
“’Morning, Sir.”
White’s head shot up, and he looked embarrassed for a moment before realising it was Mitch.
“Thank God. I’ve got officers crawling out of the woodwork insisting they must lead this operation.”
“Enthusiasm is a good thing, is it not, Sir?”
“Up to a point, Mitch. You’ve made plenty of enemies, and all of them are most bitter that you’re heading up this operation.”
“But I am not in charge, Sir.”
“No, but you might as well be in their eyes.”
The General tapped a button on his desk, a section slid open, and a drinks tray with a decanter of whiskey and several glasses arose from the opening. Taylor didn’t think lesser of White for taking a drink. He knew the stresses and work the General had fought through. He poured out a drink but didn’t offer Taylor one. They both knew that as a field officer on duty, he could not accept it.
“At L2 you will rendezvous with Admiral Huber of the Liberty Battle Group. He will be in charge of the operation. Due to your experience, your Battalion will be there for the primary reason of commanding the marine forces aboard. Colonel Chandra will lead all infantry forces, with you as her second. Your Battalion will act as protection for the Admiral’s carrier, the Washington.”
“Protection detail, Sir?”
“The Washington is the Navy’s newest and most powerful ship, the first of its kind. It was laid down just a year before the war began. It began production as a new super freighter, but was re-designed as a carrier as the war progressed. It has been given every upgrade possible from what we have learnt in this time. At present, it has a detachment of one hundred marines aboard, but that will not be enough should there come cause to defend it. This is a great honour you are being given.”
Taylor breathed out heavily through his nose. He didn’t like being left behind during operations to babysit the commander of the fleet, but he knew he had no choice. Before the war, the only Navy vessels were small frigates and escort craft, and yet now he was being ordered aboard the first space-based battle group in human history.
“Sir, I have just one request.”
“Well, go on.”
“Jafar and Tsengal, the two aliens under my command, they would be a great asset in this undertaking. We are investigating an alien presence and technology which we have never seen before, so they could be invaluable.”
“As much as you might think of them as marines, they are not, Major.”
“Then make them so, Sir. They have proven themselves as much as any under my command. Induct them into the Marine Corps, and let them continue to assist us in this war.”
White sat back and took another sip of his whiskey as he stared into Taylor’s eyes.
“Fine, but do not make me regret it. I will have them put on paper and assigned to your unit. There are many who will disagree with the decision, and you must mind your manners when they make it known.”
“Affirmative, Sir.”
“Yes,” he replied sarcastically.
They both knew Taylor would never stand by and let an insult go uncontested.
“Reiter will also be joining you as an expert adviser to Admiral Huber aboard the Washington. He has more understanding of the alien technology than any human alive.”
Taylor nodded in acceptance.
“Will that be all, Sir?”
“Tread lightly, Major. We don’t know what you’ll face up there. We need to understand what we are dealing with. I wish you the best of luck.”
Taylor saluted the General and left the room. He rushed out of the building and towards the cellblocks to find his two friends. As he approached the building, he caught sight of something bizarre out of the corner of his eye. A basketball match was in play with marines in exosuits. The hoops had been placed at six metres from the ground.
He stopped and watched as the players leapt great distances in a superhuman fashion. Then as one of them leapt up to one of the hoops and scored, he realised it was Jafar, and that Tsengal was not far behind. He quickly rushed to the game and noticed Weller and several MPs stood on the side watching.
“Quite remarkable, isn’t it?” Weller said as he approached.
Taylor looked back at the match again as play continued, and he was left open mouthed for at least a minute.
“Incredible,” he replied. Taylor snapped out of his daze.
“I am departing Earth within the hour, and those two are coming with me.”
“I’d need orders from General White to free them into your care.”
A bleep rang out from his Mappad, and Weller lifted the device, looking surprised.
“You do have friends in high places, Major. Looks like they’re free to go.”
He lifted up a whistle and blew loudly, calling the match to a halt just after another hoop was scored.
“Jafar, Tsengal, you are hereby inducted in the Marine Corps. You are to report to Major Taylor immediately for operational duty!”
Jeers and cries of celebration rang out from the exoskeleton clad marines. Several patted the two aliens on the back in respect of their achievement. They stood silently, not knowing how to respond. Taylor watched in fascination as the marines passed them by and welcomed them as brothers. He didn’t recognise any of them.
If only Eli could have seen this,
he thought.
The two stepped up to Taylor and saluted in a perfect manner, having copied it from what they had seen others do. He reached forward and shook their hands to congratulate them. They grasped his hand delicately, yet could still feel an immense strength through their hands.
“We set off immediately. Follow me.”
“Good luck, Major,” Weller said.
“I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other,” replied Taylor.
Mitch turned and led his two newly enlisted marines to their landing zone where the two companies under his command had assembled. The Deveron awaited them with the newly promoted Captain Ryan on the ground to greet him.
“Always the first into the frying pan, ey, Sir?” he asked.
“I joined the Corps, remember!” he jested.
He looked around to see his marines loading all their gear aboard. He caught a glimpse of Eli. She noticed his stare and looked back. For a moment she smiled, until she saw the presence of the two aliens behind him. She turned and scuttled off. Taylor turned to his new friends.
“You’re in the Marine Corps now. It’s a great leap in becoming accepted in our community, and in our race as a whole, but there’s a long way to go.”
“You keep worrying about us fitting in. We only care about continuing to work for you.”