Battle Earth IV (21 page)

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“I believe these soldiers are surrendering to us.”

“Surrender? And what would you have us do with them?”

Taylor lowered his rifle and paced across the room, so he could talk more privately with the Colonel.

“These are soldiers just like us. Wouldn’t you want your foe to take mercy if you were cornered? We’re better than this, Chandra.”

She looked down and cursed. She knew he was right.

“Alright, alright. Find them somewhere secure, and I mean secure. They are to be kept under guard and watched at all times.”

“Alright,” he replied.

“Looks like we’ve got most of the station under control. They can’t have had more than a hundred or two guarding the whole place.”

“Maybe because it was the last thing they ever expected of us?” replied Taylor.

“Alright. Jones, send runners to find Commander Kelly, and notify him we have taken the HQ. 3
^rd
and 4
^th
platoon are to take up positions here. Jones, rally up with Jackson. You’re on sweep and clear.”

She turned and looked at the three aliens who were still stood waiting to hear of their fortune.

“Taylor, they’re your responsibility.”

Taylor had found a temporary holding cell just a few metres from the command centre and had quickly acquired it for his new prisoners. He sat and watched them through a one way screen. Never before had he been able to so closely study one of the creatures while it was still living. He could tell the one creature was of great importance, and he was more than a little curious to understand how much so. The door beside him opened, and Chandra stepped through with Kelly at her side.

The Commander gasped as he saw the three creatures beyond the screen and just a few metres away. He froze for a moment and was clearly thinking of reaching for a weapon before he calmed himself.

“What the hell are they doing here?”

“They surrendered to me, Sir.”

“Surrendered? There is no surrender in this war, Major.”

Taylor stepped past the Commander and closed the door behind him before stepping back to his previous position.

“If I may, Sir?”

“Go on.”

“This creature is clearly of importance among our enemy. It poses no threat to us, and it makes sense to try and learn what we can while we have the opportunity. We are forever lacking information and understanding of these creatures. Would you not like some information on enemy strength, positions?”

Kelly turned and carefully studied the creature that sat against the wall. Its towering frame made the room look out of scale. The beast appeared humbled for having been captured but still proud.

“What makes you think anything it says will be truthful?”

“No idea, but it costs us nothing to talk.”

Kelly gritted his teeth, and Mitch could see the Commander hated their enemy more than any of them.

“Alright, but you handle this. I want proper security on these creatures at all times. If this goes sour, it’s on you.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

Kelly strode out of the room, leaving Chandra watching the creatures in amazement. She turned to Taylor.

“Don’t take any chances with them. They’d just as soon as rip your head from your body if they had the chance.”

“I know,” he replied.

“I’ll admit I am a little curious. Let me know anything interesting that you discover.”

The two of them stepped out of the room where a dozen soldiers were stood either on guard of the room or awaiting the Colonel as her protection. She quickly left with her entourage, leaving Taylor to the interrogation. It was the first communication they’d ever had with the enemy, but it had seemed of little importance once their intentions were clear.

“Hall, get two others and join me. I want you to have your wits about you at all times.”

“On it, Sir.”

Taylor stepped over to the entrance where Parker and another guarded the entrance.

“Watch your ass in there, Mitch.”

“Don’t worry, I will.”

He opened the security door and stepped inside with the three marines at his back, their weapons raised and ready to fire at a moment’s notice. The three creatures sat at the far end of the cell and didn’t respond to the presence of the troops. He couldn’t tell if they had simply given up and accepted their fate, or if they were biding their time for the right opportunity to strike.

The holding chamber was eight by five metres and allowed them to keep a good distance apart. In the centre of the room was a table with four chairs. Taylor strolled forward and took the nearest seat. The enemy officer looked up and into the eyes of Taylor. He could see some kind of pipe rising around the creature’s head from around the suit and into its nostrils. He imagined they couldn’t breathe air alone.

“My name is Major Taylor, 2
^nd
Inter-Allied Battalion.”

The creature still glared at him but had not moved. It finally opened its mouth and spoke in the same deep and coarse voice that Taylor had heard before.

“The slayer of Karadag.”

The creature was relaxed and confident.

“I was there when he was defeated, yes.”

“How? How could you, weak and small, kill a hero?”

Taylor’s eyes squinted, and his face crunched up in anger.

“Your Karadag was a genocidal maniac. It was an honour to see him to his end.”

The beast went silent as it dipped its head and seemed to reflect on his words. Taylor marvelled at how human the creature seemed. They were so different to humans, yet they seemed to have so much in common. Taylor could read the same body language and interaction as if the beast was human.

“Who are you?” asked Taylor.

“Demiran, leader of the 62
^nd
Group, and honoured to be of Karadag’s kin.”

Taylor’s eyes widened. He wondered why the creature had not yet tried to kill him, knowing what he now did. It made him clench his fists and grow more guarded and ready for anything.

“Why did you surrender to us?”

The creature sat up tall and proud.

“You gave us the chance to live, did you not?”

“We don’t kill those who do not fight against us.”

“Then that is your mistake.”

Taylor smiled. “Need I remind you of who is winning this war?”

Demiran looked away as if shamed. Taylor could tell the leader’s guards were confused by the whole conversation. They could clearly understand what was being said, but not why.

“Can there never be peace between our two races?”

“Yes, when we rule your planet.”

Taylor shook his head. He’d always hoped that peace could be negotiated, but he had not yet seen any evidence that it was a possibility.

“What are your people’s intentions now?”

“Is is not already clear?”

Taylor stood up quickly in frustration at the lack of co-operation.

“How many soldiers do you have on the Moon?”

Demiran glared at him, and it was clear an answer would never come.

Taylor turned in frustration.
I wasn’t born for this shit. We need an interrogator,
he thought.

He paced out of the room and returned to the station HQ to find it was now a hive of activity. Kelly and Chandra were busy chatting over a briefing table with four other officers. The Commander noticed as he entered.

“Major Taylor, join us please.”

Mitch could make out the insignia of the Moon colony forces on two of the officers, and they glared at him as if he were the enemy, but Kelly welcomed him with open arms.

“Did you get anything from the prisoners?” he asked.

“Nothing useful, Sir. He is a relation of Karadag. I don’t think he’ll give me anything.”

Chandra’s eyes widened. “No, you might be able to use that to your advantage.”

Kelly thought about it for a moment and nodded in agreement.

“It’s true. His anger towards you could let certain information slip, so keep at it. Now, we’ve secured the station, and Earth has been notified. So far, we have eight dead and thirty-four wounded. It’s a solid start. We’ve got eight hours until the main fleet arrives. Most of the ships will be civilian and unarmed, so it is vital they have a clear run.”

“Commander!”

Doyle, Kelly’s comms officer spun around in his chair and frantically called out. The Commander turned as the man blurted out the news.

“Sir, we’ve got incoming!”

Kelly rushed over to the man, and the others stood anxiously awaiting more information.

“Several dozen ships are approaching from the Moon.”

“My, God, how long do we have?”

“At the speed they’re travelling, maybe two hours.”

Kelly turned in horror. He quickly snapped out of it and strode back to the table where the other officers were stood in shock.

“What do you reckon they want? To destroy the station or take it back?” he asked.

“They must have occupied it for a reason,” replied Chandra.

“And we have Demiran,” Taylor added.

Kelly looked at the Major with a puzzled expression for a second before he clarified.

“The enemy officer we captured.”

Kelly shook his head. “To hear their names, it almost makes them feel like a human enemy.”

“Sir, we must hold this station, or there is little hope of taking back your homeland. Let alone the fact we cannot let a sizeable enemy force loom over Earth.”

He once again snapped out of his daze and turned to the Colonel.

“Of course we must defend it! Captain Morris. We were hit by a defence grid installed by the enemy on our approach. Figure out where it is and get it working. Chandra, get all combat ships flying, and have them take up defensive positions around the station. Taylor, you’ve successfully faced off against these bastards more than any of us. I want you to liaise with all other officers on organising the defences. I’ll return once I have reported to General Schulz.”

The Commander turned and quickly rushed off to Doyle to organise an urgent transmission he would take in a private room. They all knew what it would entail, a desperate bid for support at all haste. Chandra left the table also to go about her business, and Taylor looked up to several confrontational faces. The Earth officers among them admired him, but the Moon Defence personnel despised him to the core.

“Perera, is it? Can you bring up a map of the station?”

The Lieutenant obliged but remained silent. A few seconds later, a digital 3D model of the station was projected above the table up to chest height.

“We still don’t know the enemy’s intentions. If they mean to destroy this station, then we best hope the Navy boys can do their best. But knowing their tactics, I would expect them to breach with infantry forces, whether they intend to destroy us or merely rescue their officer. Either way, we must prepare for a serious fight.”

“Not our first time,” replied Perera.

Taylor sighed at the man’s insubordinate and snarky comment.

“Let’s get something straight. You barely survived and escaped from your colony with the help of our forces. We aren’t here to survive by the skin of our teeth. We’re here to win. You can either skulk around, and keep bitching like a school boy, or you can join the winners.”

Several of the Earth officers could not conceal their amusement that only served to infuriate the Moon officer further.

“What?” Taylor asked. “You want to hit me? You want to kill me? Good, vent that at the enemy. I don’t give a shit what you feel towards me. I am here to serve a purpose. Fall in line, or get out of my sight!”