part0009

“Though all Kaimahs have a brain not dissimilar to yours, memories and principles are programmed so that we are born into adulthood. Our brains are able to adapt and learn in time, and so we are ultimately a product of our leaders.”

“Crazy,” said Taylor as he shook his head, but Nunes got it.

“Is it?” she asked. “Nature versus nature, it’s an even split here. We’re all products of our environment to one degree or another.”

Taylor had to think about it for a moment, but it made some sort of sense. “How long until we reach Earth?”

“In Alliance time, about eight hours.”

“That’s good, right?” Nunes asked hopefully.

“How long has it been since the Audacious went down, do you even know?”

She shook her head, as she wasn’t even sure. Between their injuries and incarceration, they had both lost their sense of time.

Taylor looked back to A91 for answers.

“You say your people are looking to cleanse the universe and make it in their image, is that about right?”

“Then how long until they go for our homeworld?”

“It would be a priority. If they attacked you, a famous warrior, then the plan is already set in motion.”

Taylor sighed again. “That’s what I was worried of.”

“Why would you worry? You are Mitch Taylor.”

Taylor looked surprised to hear he was held in such high esteem. He couldn’t get his head around the way the alien revered him so much.

“What does that mean to you? What does my name mean to you?”

“It means everything. The Aranui, our makers, they told us about you and the history you shared. You are a great hero, not just to your people, but many others, too. Atua is strong, but if there is anyone that can beat him, it is you.”

“How do you figure that?”

“You defeated Bolormaa. The most powerful being anyone had ever known, and you defeated her.”

The terrifying flashbacks of the alien Queen came flooding back to him. She had almost been the death of him and had been to many people he cared for.

“Not by myself, I had help.”

“Of course, but you were still instrumental in that success.”

“And you think I can do the same again?”

“Yes, you can. So long as you stay strong, and you have the support of those around you. That is what the Aranui took from your exploits, that together we are strong. It was the reason they made my people.”

“Yeah? And look how that worked out.”

“The Kaimahs were exactly what they were supposed to be, but they were corrupted by one of our own.”

Taylor lay back and relaxed, as he realised they were in for a long wait and had gotten quite comfortable with their new friend. He had earned Taylor’s respect, and that was not easy.

“That is my designation.”

“And you want to fight with us?”

“You want to be a Marine in the Alliance and fight beside me?”

“Yes, more than anything.”

“A Marine that serves beside me does not just have a number. They have a name.”

The alien looked surprised and a little uncomfortable as if uncertain as to his intention.

“The Aranui made you to be like us, then embrace it. The numbers we carry does not define us. They identify us in our service, but they are not who we are. So, what do you want to be called?”

The alien looked confused but also intrigued.

“I would not know a name to use.”

“But you studied our history, so you must know plenty.”

“But I would not presume to take one of those names from someone.”

“That’s the thing about names, they aren’t unique,” replied Nunes.

“What would you call me?” he asked Taylor.

“Hell, I don’t know, something that starts with an A?” Taylor was out of his depth.

“Anzo,” said Nunes confidently.

“How’d you come to that so easy?” Taylor asked.

My dad had this dog he got when he was working in Europe. It was called Anzo, a massive beast of a thing, but loyal.”

“You want to name him after a dog?” Taylor was amazed by the concept.

“Anzo,” replied A91 with pride.

Taylor looked confused, but it was clear his mind was made up, and he looked quite content with it.

“Anzo it is, then,” replied Taylor with a smile.

A ramp lowered down in front of Newman, and he was the first to take in the sweet fresh air of Earth. Something they had come to treasure more than anything since restoring the atmosphere after the devastating war. But there was no time to enjoy it, as those at his back pushed him forward. As he rushed down the ramp, he heard an explosion in the sky, and he looked up. A lifeboat had exploded as enemy fighters soared past.

“To the guns, come on!” Sommer yelled as she pointed to an anti-aircraft tower.

Newman could see that the vast battleship had put down on an old airfield amongst lines of mothballed older vessels. Grass grew up in the cracks of the strip all around. It was the sort of place ships went to die, while officially being in reserve. It looked like they were back in North America, but he had no idea where.

“Come on!” Sommer yelled again.

Another explosion rang out overhead.

“Why are we leaving the ship, Sir?”

He couldn’t understand why they were leaving the refuge of the thickly armoured warship.

“We’re sitting ducks if we stay in there!” Sommer shouted back at him.

Gunfire strafed their position as marines and crewmembers scattered, but not the Major. She ran on for the tower, and Newman was compelled to follow her. Mai and Weber were close behind. The tower was ten metres tall and looked old, and yet not ruined.

“Is this even going to work and have ammunition?” Newman asked as Sommer ripped the door open.

“This site was a designated landing zone for a reason. It might not look like much, but that’s the idea. Unmanned, but kept operational and maintained!”

She rushed up the spiral staircase that led up to the weapons platform. A single seat platform lay at the top on a gimbal with four cannons surrounding it.

“Load ‘em up!”

She grabbed an ammunition box from a rack and dropped it into one of the guns. Mai and Weber followed with two others, but Sommer was on the fourth before Newman could reach it.

“Not you, sit down!”

He looked uneasy as he looked at the firing seat, but she pushed him into it as she went to the other box of ammunition. Each barrel was three metres long, and large enough to engage any ground attack craft.

“You ready?” She was locking in the fourth ammo box.

He wasn’t and didn’t say anything as he looked at the controls. The pedals controlled the rotation of the turret, while the gun handling was all done by a joystick.

“I’ve only done this in simulation!”

“You’ll do just fine!”

Sommer hit a big red button. The dome over their heads retracted to reveal the open air. A trail of fire and smoke ran across the sky where a crippled lifeboat tried to escape the enemy fire. Two enemy aircraft were tearing up the landing ground as others pursued more of the lifeboats.

Sommer pointed to one banking hard to come around for another pass at the crew of the Collingwood. He depressed the right footplate, and the whole platform of the tower rotated around. The three others huddled down for the cover of the domed roof that now acted as shielding to the gun position, while Newman was protected by a thick gun shield. It had a view screen projected onto it so that the enemy had no direct line of sight to him. He swivelled the gun position around and traversed the guns but overshot the mark as he clumsily used the controls.

“I can’t use this stupid thing!” he protested.

“You can. Just take a deep breath and take these assholes down!” Sommer shouted at him.

“You wanted a fight, you found one. Time to dig yourself out of it!” Mai added, as she alluded to the drunken brawls be perpetually brought upon himself.

He slowed his breathing and relaxed his muscles, refocusing his efforts on the fighter. It was lined up to attack the crews still pouring out from the Collingwood. He went back to the controls with a softer touch and lined them up.

“Lead your target,” said Weber with his serious German accent.

“I’ve got it, I’ve got it,” insisted Newman.

He had a good look at the fighter now. It looked like two rectangular boxes in parallel, separated by a metre. A wing ran through the entire thing, and he could hardly believe it could even fly. It was square edged and ugly, looking more like an industrial construct than anything military.

“Shoot!” Sommer could see the fighter was about to fire.

The fighter lit up as it fired its first shots, and it was all the cue he needed. He squeezed down on the trigger, and the weapons around him fired into life. The slow thud of the heavy barrelled platform rang out, shaking the ground below them. The first few shots flew right past it. He had led his target too far ahead, but he simply adjusted with the joystick as he kept the trigger down. Two shots struck the fighter and blew it apart. It erupted into a fireball.

“Yes!” Mai leapt into the air with excitement, but gunfire landed all around them as they celebrated. They dropped down for cover as one shot hit the shield in front of Newman. Another hit part of the frame of the dome shielding, sending violent vibrations throughout the structure. They heard the roar of an engine as their attacker raced past overhead.

“Everyone okay?”

As Sommer looked about to check on them, she heard the motors whirl beside her, and the gun platform began to turn. She got to one knee and could see Newman tracking the enemy fighter that had shot them up. There was a hole in the gun shield and one of the guns next to Newman was smouldering. Half of it had been blown away. Newman’s face was bloody and a little scorched from the blast, but he looked focused as he found his target. The fighter had completed its turn and was coming right for them.

“Do it,” said Sommer angrily.

He squeezed the trigger, and the remaining three guns opened up. The fighter was hit in the central wing area and blown in two, each half dropping to the ground and igniting into fireballs as they crashed. She patted him on the shoulder.

But he winced in pain. She went to look closer and could see three metal shards embedded in the side of his neck. He reached up to feel them with his own hands.

“Damn it, Newman, that’s how you get shit done.” Mai got up to see the wreckage, but as she looked back to him, her expression turned to concern as well.

“Are you all right?”

“I’ll be fine,” he snarled.

Sommer didn’t look so sure about that.

“Come on, we’ve got to move.”

“To where?” Weber asked.

“We need to rendezvous and regroup. This landing zone was chosen as much to give us a safe place to land as it was to keep the rest of the country safe in the event of an attack.”

“We’re just going to leave the Collingwood there?” Holm asked.

“Yes. Right now, she’s no good to anyone. Maybe if we can figure out how the enemy is knocking out our power she’ll fly again. But for now, we’ve got a lot of work to do. Come on.”

Sommer stretched out her hand to help Newman up. She hauled him out of the seat while he still seemed stunned. She took the opportunity to get a better look at his neck. It looked bloody but didn’t seem as bad as she had first feared.

“Where are we, Sir?”

Holm knew full well he could check on his own datapad, but he was looking out at the landscape with curiosity. Rolling hills and greenery was all around.

“Not far from home. We’re not far out of Stewartsville.”

“Where?” Mai asked in puzzlement.

“New Jersey,” she replied.

“Okay? What now?”

“We have to get back to base. Get the wounded patched up and liaise with General Allard. We need to know what the hell is going on.”

“We know what’s going on. It’s an invasion,” said Newman solemnly as he looked out across the fields behind. Dozens of lifeboats scattered the land. Many of which had been blown out of the sky, and some survivors were still being pulled out from those that had crash-landed.

The others look as stunned, and Sommer knew she needed to do something to try and lift their spirits, as morale was in tatters. The rest of their unit had gathered at the base of the anti-aircraft tower, with many of the ship’s crew, too. The Admiral was among them and looked to be at a loss. She leant out over the edge beside Newman as so many now looked to her for answers, and hope. She drew in a deep breath as she tried to conjure up some words. Some way to make a complete disaster seem a little less serious than it was.

“We’ve been through this before, you know. Not us, but those who came before us, and Taylor did. I know you’re scared, and you have every right to be. This is a bitter moment for all of us. Not just for those in the service, but for our entire world, and everyone who calls it home. I don’t know who this enemy is, and right now it doesn’t matter. They’ve come for us and made their intentions quite clear. Many a time I have talked with Taylor about his first encounter with an invading alien force. However bad you think this is it will not be as bad as that fateful day. We have moved on, and we have advanced. Alien races now work and fight beside us. If Taylor were here, he would tell you to keep moving forward, and he’d be right. We’re not quitters. We took a major setback here today, but because of the swift actions of the ship’s officers and all aboard, we made it. We’re going to go on fighting, and ultimately, we will have victory. Camp Lejeune is eight hundred klicks out. I will try and get us transport, but let’s get moving. Commandeer any transport you can find, and let’s get back in this fight!”

There was little relief to be taken from her words, but they at least looked livelier now.

“Come on, we’ve dawdled too long already.”

She tapped Newman on the shoulder and pulled him away from the edge. They went back down the steps and found to their horror that a huge hole had been blown through the tower, taking ten steps with it. It had passed through and through. None of them said anything, but it was a vivid reminder of their mortality. They knew if that shot had come a little higher it would have killed all who were up top. Sommer went first and leapt over the gap, continuing on as if nothing had happened, and she wasn’t fazed. But it had wobbled her. She stepped outside to find the marines dividing to provide a path for her. She stormed on, presenting a confident and calm image. When she got past them to lead the way, she looked down to her datapad and opened a channel to Camp Lejeune, but a warning flashed on her screen.

‘Communications error.’

She tried again for the same result.

“Comms are down.”

“What the hell?” Mai replied.

“Whatever they used to power down the fleet, they must have sent to the surface as well, or maybe hit our satellites.”

“You think they can just turn our power off?”

“That’s exactly what they did. But they had to get into physical contact with that power source. The missiles they fired at us; it was only after contact that the Collingwood suffered power losses. You could see it in all the ships around us.”

“That is some powerful tech,” replied Weber.

“Very, and until we understand how it works, we can’t fight them in the air. Even transporting people off the surface could be a major risk if they can do that whenever they please.”

“If they hit our power grid, they could knock out whole cities.”

“For anything that isn’t self-sufficient, yes. Seems like whatever they hit, if it’s connected up or in physical contact, the whole thing goes down.”

“You don’t think they needed to get to the ship’s engines to do that?” Mai asked.

“It looked like we didn’t suffer a single breach, so I think so.”

“How are we supposed to counter that?”

“I don’t know, Weber. We need smarter minds than any of us have. We’ll leave that to others. We just have to stay in the fight.”

“I get that, Sir, but how are we supposed to use the kit we have against that?”

“A Marine with a rifle is still a Marine with a rifle, as capable as you ever have been.”

They walked on in a long column for what felt like hours until finally reaching the outskirts of a town. It looked like a peaceful little place, and they were surprised to see life going on as normal. There was no panic or hysteria, though some of the locals stopped in amazement at the long line of marines. One old truck took a bend and came up to crawl beside them. The window slid town, and an old farmer greeted them with a smile.

“Where you boys headed?”

“Camp Lejeune, we’re looking for transport,” replied Sommer.

“Transport? What, you down on your budget?”

“Do you not know what’s going on?”

It was clear the old man had no idea.

“All our comms are down, haven’t heard a thing.”

“We’re under attack,” she replied.

“From who?” asked the man incredulously.

“Right now, we don’t know. Please get the word out to the people of this town. This is a national emergency. Go to your local law enforcement officials and follow what they have to say.”

“Oh, okay,” he said shakily.

“Hey!” The Major rushed after his vehicle for a few steps as she banged on the side. He slowed back down.

“We need some transport. I’ve got a few hundred personnel that need to get back to base. Do you have anything in town that could provide that for us?”

“A few coaches are in town, but they won’t take that many.”

“That could help.”

“Just head straight on, and you’ll come right to them. But you’d better be quick, they’ll be leaving soon.”

“All right, thank you, and stay safe.”

“Sure thing,” he replied as the truck rattled off into the distance.

“All right, let’s move it!”

They picked up the pace as they rushed into the sleepy town. Several people in the street stopped and watched them in surprise. Some clapped as if enjoying the whole experience. Sommer felt awful for them, as they would surely soon learn the truth. They soon spotted the buses. Two fifty-seaters that were limited to two hundred metres altitudes.

“This’ll have to do,” she said.

“No way we can get everyone on those.”

“No, but we can get one hundred of us back to base and send help for the rest,” she replied as she rushed up to the door as the last passengers were loading,

“I’m sorry, but we must commandeer these vehicles for emergency military duties.”

The driver looked stunned. He then smiled as if it were all some practical joke.

“You’re kidding, right? I’ve got a run to make, and I’m already running behind schedule.”

“This is no joke. Earth is facing invasion.”

“That fleet they keep talking about? Come on. The Navy won’t let that happen.”

“We are that Navy,” declared the Admiral as he stepped up beside Sommer.

The driver was stumped.

“The fleet defending Earth has fallen. It is essential that you now seek shelter, and that we get our people back to base so we can get back in this fight. Do you understand?”

“Yes, yes, Sir,” he replied as Sommer stepped up on to the bus.

“This is a worldwide emergency. Please vacate the vehicle and report to the local authorities for further advice!”

Several groans rang out, and they didn’t even begin to move.

“People who fight for your safety have died today doing just that. So, get off your asses, and get off this damn bus!”

They didn’t need to be told again as they hurried to grab their possessions and streamed off the vehicle.

“How do you want to do this?” the Admiral asked Sommer, knowing this was her wheelhouse.

“I want to get your crew back to safety, but they also need protection. Two squads of marines per bus, the rest your people. When they get to the base, they send transports back as quickly as possible. I want you on the first run, Sir.”

“No, you are the priority right now, Major. You get back to base, and I will hold up here.”

She didn’t much like the idea, but she could see the merit in it, and she at least knew she was leaving capable marines to defend the Admiral and his crew.

“Go on, Major, let’s get this moving,” insisted the Admiral.

She looked back to Turan, knowing she could rely on him to stay calm and handle the situation.

“Stay put and keep them safe.”

He simply nodded in agreement as she went about assigning those to board the buses. She was concerned to get Newman some proper medical attention as quickly as possible, and he didn’t argue. He climbed onto the nearest vehicle as others began to pour on board. Both vehicles were filled in no time, and they watched those they were leaving behind as they lifted off from the surface.