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!”
The Lieutenant knew he had been unprofessional and unhelpful and so felt uneasy, but Taylor could still see the hatred in his eyes.
“Right, let’s get on with what’s at hand.”
He quickly studied the map of the station and could see that it was a vast area to have to cover.
“We’re gonna be spread a little thin. If they were going to set charges to blow this place, you can bet your ass it’ll be either at the energy and grav generators here, or the central engineering quarters here. Those will be our focus points, as well as the command centre and guarding of the prisoners.”
“Is it wise to leave so much of the station unguarded?”
Taylor looked to the Asian man but couldn’t identify his rank from an insignia that he did not recognise.
“Sorry, but I do not believe we have met.”
“Colonel Chen.”
“You fought with the MDF?”
“A hard struggle.”
Taylor could see the Colonel had no qualms about being under the orders of a less ranked officer. Mitch’s reputation still gained him immense respect from most in the military fraternity.
“The incoming forces must have departed the Moon within minutes of our attack, meaning they probably have some idea of our strength. With that in mind, I can guarantee they’ll be hitting us hard. If we split our numbers, this station could be overrun, and we’d have nowhere to run.”
Mitch studied the map once again before pointing out a number of points.
“I want these corridors sealed off, anyway you can. That’ll close off all ancillary districts of the station, leaving us with only a third of the floor space to cover.”
“Nothing we do will keep them contained for long,” replied Perera.
“No, but time is not on their side. General Schulz is on his way. We only have to hold until he gets here.”
“We’ve got four access points to cover, Colonel Chen. I’d like you here, at hall 14B. The MDF will take the crossroads at the end of hall 86E. Captain Nichols and the Royal Greens will take the engineering levels. 112 ^th Mechanised, under Major Achen, will cover the corridors leading to the command centre here, and the prisoners themselves.
“Where will you be?” asked Chen.
“We have to be ready for anything. 2 ^nd Inter-Allied will remain fluid for rapid deployment to any breaches, and to provide assistance to any and all locations needing it.”
“Trying to be the hero again, everywhere at once?” asked Perera.
Taylor righted himself and took a few quick steps up to the Lieutenant. Perera stood tall in defiance, taunting the Major. Taylor without warning struck the man with a hard punch to the jaw, knocking him to the ground. Mitch had been careful not to use all the power his suit afforded him, which would have been enough to break the man’s neck.
“This is not a pissing contest. It’s not a game, and I don’t have time for it. You don’t like me because of what has already happened and I cannot change. Well here’s some news for you. You didn’t have it worse than everyone else. Man the fuck up, and start acting like god damn soldier!”
Mitch loomed over the Lieutenant, whose nose was bleeding and jaw clearly sore. The man was still stunned and humbled before him.
“There is no room for fighting each other. It will hinder our forces and is an uncertainty none of us can afford. The next insubordinate comment will earn you a place in the brig, where you will sit out this fight and hope there is still someone standing to deal with you after. Now, do I have your allegiance?”
Taylor was sick of trying to pander to some of the MDF troops. He knew he had no other option but to no longer give them a choice. The man begrudgingly nodded in agreement. Mitch offered out his hand to both help the man up and in a gesture of good will. Perera accepted, knowing he had little other choice. He could see in Taylor’s eyes that the Major would just as soon shoot him in the head if he continued on his current path. Mitch wrenched the man to his feet and quickly turned back to the others who were still shocked at the sudden violent outburst.
“You know where you are to be. We have to assume that our communications will be jammed. Tap into the station’s cabled comms so that we can maintain contact at all times. I also want all platoons to assign a runner to pass on messages, should we lose all contact due to power outage or damage to the station’s systems.”
He looked at the map one last time.
“You haven’t got long. Get those access points sealed up and build what defences you can, that’ll be all.”
The officers scattered to go about their business. Kelly strode back into the room with a paler face than usual, looking in surprise at Perera’s bloody face as the Lieutenant passed him. He didn’t interfere or ask after the man. He knew he must leave Taylor to resolve any issues between them. Mitch was the only one left at the table awaiting the Commander.
“Schulz is going to make all haste, but the best we can hope for is six hours until they arrive. For now we’re on our own.”
Taylor nodded, but he had already accepted their predicament. He outlined the plans to Kelly in just a few minutes, and they both stood silently staring at the projected map and lost in thought.
“It’s a simple plan, as good as can be made,” Kelly finally stated.
“Thank you, Sir. I’d like you to stay in overall command here. You’ll be able to direct everything from this position through the hard lines and runners.”
“Alright, thank you, Major. Please go on and continue with the preparations.”
Mitch picked up his rifle and quickly jogged out of the command centre to find several of his troops waiting for him. Ninety minutes later, they were as prepared as they could hope to be. Taylor and Chandra were side by side in a corridor junction. The Battalion had been spread out across three floors and multiple points in order to act as intended.
“Sure it was wise to split our own and spread them so thin?” asked Chandra.
“We need rapid response teams, and we have the most capable troops for the job.”
She nodded in agreement, but she didn’t dislike the idea any less.
The loudhailers fitted throughout every room and corridor crackled as Kelly came on to give his last few words to them all before the battle would begin.
“This is Commander Kelly. Within the next ten minutes, we will face whatever the enemy can throw at us. All we have to do is hold. We have nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. This station is absolutely essential to winning this war and driving the invaders from our solar system. It must be defended at all costs.”
He took a deep breath as he realised he may well be asking them all to fight to their last dying breath.
“A lot is of expected of us all here today. The human race is depending on us to get the job done. Most of you here have lived your whole lives on Earth. I very much appreciate the efforts and sacrifices you are making. But let us not forget, this is not about taking the Moon Colony back. It is about driving this enemy away for good. It is about ensuring they no longer threaten any of our homes ever again!”
The intercom went silent for a moment.
“I have just received word that the enemy craft are entering firing range in three minutes. Be ready for anything. Stand your ground, and remember what we are all fighting for. Any breaches or enemy engagements are to be immediately reported. Let’s keep a tight lid on this, good luck to you all!”
