“So much of what is here we have never seen before,” replied Jafar. “It looks like a testing ground for new technology.”
“An experimental base?” asked White.
“If this had been a primary colony, we would not have taken it with ten thousand men,” replied Tsengal.
That’s reassuring, thought Taylor. We survived because of the luck of the draw.
“We’ve had a couple of years of reverse engineering and development under our belt. Clearly, they haven’t been sat idly by either,” stated White.
“This monster, this Goliath, could very nearly have been the end of our entire Battalion. Just like that,” replied Taylor, clicking his fingers.
It was a frightful thought, and he still could not believe he’d survived the ordeal.
“What do we do now, Sir?”
“We aren’t setting up home here, Major, that’s for sure. But we are going to hold here for a while. I want to know everything we can about this place, and if we can justify pushing on into the system.”
“That would not be advisable, Sir,” replied Jafar quickly.
White snapped around and stared into the eyes of the towering alien.
“Explain it to me.”
“The Krycenaean people are strong. We are too few.”
“We?” White asked in surprise.
He looked down at the creature’s uniform, not unlike his own, at least in insignia and colour.
“You believe we need a lot more soldiers to continue this war?”
Jafar nodded quickly in return.
“I agree, but convincing the appropriate authorities is no easy task. They will need to hear as such from someone they will believe.”
“They need to hear it from you, Sir,” Taylor added.
The General sighed and shook his head. He knew it to be true. He stepped past Taylor and stood before Chandra. She was still in pain.
“Colonel Chandra, I am leaving you in command of all operations on Red 1. I need troops who can fight, and yet I must go and plead for them with ignorant politicians.”
“We all have our battles to fight,” she answered.
“Indeed. I will return in four weeks. With any luck, at the head of the army we need.”
“Did we not muster every ship we could for this fleet?” asked Taylor.
“There are still plenty of civilian transports that could carry tens or hundreds of thousands of troops into combat. I want to take this war to their soil and spill their blood over it.”
“And if we are attacked in your absence?”
“You are to hold as long as is realistic, Colonel. Should the fleet be endangered, Admiral Huber has been ordered to return home.
The General turned and rushed away to his shuttle. Taylor was still curious as to how surprised Jafar and Tsengal were to behold one of their own planets.
“Experimental planet?” asked Taylor. “I bet Reiter could have a few things to say and learn about this place. I want him and his team down here asap.”
Chandra nodded in agreement.
“Make it happen.”
They’d been on the enemy planet for less than half a day, and the General was already departing for Earth. Taylor was well aware of the bureaucracy and still hated it as much as ever. He turned to see that Chandra had laid down flat on her back. She was both exhausted and physically weak.
“You’re gonna have to handle things for a day or two,” she said as he stood over her.
“No problem.”
It took several days before they fully understood how the docking hangar worked and allowed the Deveron and many other ships to land on Red 1. The ships were a welcome home for the troops stationed there. Reiter was clearly fascinated by so much of what he saw, but it was clear to Taylor that anything learned would not assist them anytime soon. On the third day of their occupation, Chandra returned to full duty.
The bridge of the Deveron had become their office and command post. The enemy had only a few thousand troops on Red 1 that had fallen within a day. Taylor could not help but feel what power the enemy might hold if they brought their population to bare against the humans. No matter how he asked Jafar and Tsengal about the aliens’ population, they seemed to have little idea on numbers.
For the troops of Inter-Allied, their time on Red 1 was nothing more than another posting. They had seen enough of the enemy for a lifetime, and anything that could be learned there was not for them. On the morning of the fourth day, Taylor strolled out onto the surface in gear to marvel at the alien planet.
It was an ugly place with no redeeming features. He wondered how life could ever have been supported there, or why anyone would choose to live there. Yet he thought back to Commander Kelly and his love of his homeland, despite similarly inhospitable characteristics. Huber’s fleet still waited in orbit, and it was a reassuring sight. Taylor thought he was alone and went into a daze as he stared out across the barren surface.
Time seemed a glide by as he fell into a dream. A hand grasped his shoulder, and he turned quickly to see Parker standing with him.
“What do you see in it?” she asked.
“I’m not sure I see anything. Look at it, what’s to like?”
He wanted nothing more than to kiss her, but their suits made it impossible. He settled for grasping her hand and looking out to the fleet. Their engines suddenly fired up, and they began to move off from the planet.
“What the hell?”
Taylor turned and rushed back inside. He tried to contact the Deveron, but their channel was busy. He rushed on board to find Chandra awaiting him.
“Huber’s leaving?”
“We have picked up readings of enemy ships in the area and even a few sightings by recon parties. The Admiral is returning to the gateway to ensure its safety.”
“And us? What about our safety?”
They had just over two thousand troops on the now desolate enemy colony.
“We can look after ourselves. Follow me.”
Taylor was surprised she shrugged off the situation so lightly but did as she asked. The Colonel led him deeper into the colony to a floor he’d never been to. They came to huge blast doors.
“What are we doing?”
She tapped a few buttons, and a section of wall became transparent. He looked in with horror to see over a hundred Mechs in various states of injury.
“The survivors from our assault.”
“Survivors?” asked Taylor.
Chandra nodded.
“They always seem to take their wounded away, but here they had nowhere to run. We believe that many committed suicide when they had nowhere left to go, mostly by charging our guns. These are what’s left.”
Most of the creatures were in various degrees of armour and lay on the metal floor. Blood stained much of the visible surface in the room. It reminded him of the human bodies stacked high in the prison where they had rescued Jones so long ago. The feeling made him sick to his stomach.
“What are we to do with them? Reiter thinks we could learn a lot,” she asked.
“Learn a lot?” Taylor asked in disgust.
“We don’t keep prisoners in this war,” she replied.
“Is that what we have become? Is it genocide we want, just as they did?”
Taylor turned away at the horrific sight.
“We must make a decision. We have little idea what to do with them. We can’t send them packing.”
Taylor remained silent for a moment, and then whispered.
“Put them out of their misery.”
“What was that?”
