“I can’t say. But they’re being programmed.”
“For what?”
“To live on Earth, but with programmed triggers and purposes.”
“What?”
Her face turned to fear when it was beginning to make sense.
“They’re infiltrating our society. Fighting us from within.”
“It would appear so. It has not been the Krycenaean way to my knowledge, but no race has presented such a threat in our history as the humans.”
“We need to get word to the fleet. They must know this information!”
Tsengal nodded. Warren had been listening in, just as almost all around had been. He stood up and paced towards them.
“How on Earth can we get a message out now?”
“We have to. The lives of all of us mean nothing compared to the value of this information.”
She looked past the Major to see the grim faces of those beyond. They all knew they were reaching their end.
“I agree, but how?”
She looked up to the roof in despair and then to all those around them. She stopped as her eyes met Tsengal. He stood out above them all.
“You could do it. You are the only one among us who has a chance of getting out of here. Leave behind all trace of your association with us and rejoin your people. Find a way to get this information to Taylor.”
“Colonel, I cannot leave you.”
“You can. I am ordering you. Your death here will mean nothing. Worse still, our deaths will mean nothing if you do not do this. Promise me you will reach Taylor with this information.”
She could see the loss in his eyes, and it warmed her heart to see such human emotion within him. He looked to the others he had fought so hard beside. Many nodded in agreement for him to do as she asked. It hurt him deeply to live on and leave them, but he could see they wanted nothing else.
“I promise you I will do so.”
Chapter 12
“We’ve got visual, Sir!”
Huber spun around.
“How many?”
There was a silence as they all waiting with baited breath. Taylor strode up to the console of the man who had notified them. He had not left the bridge of the Washington since returning from their successful but deeply saddening mission.
“I’ve got twelve confirmed, no, more, many more.”
The officer brought up a video feed display of the incoming forces. They were spreading out rapidly, and he could count fifty ships already and many more advancing.
“Christ!”
He turned back to Taylor.
“This is why we stayed at the damn gateway!”
It wasn’t much of a consolation to the Major, so he just nodded in agreement.
“How long until they are in range?” Huber asked.
“At their speed, ten minutes or less, Sir.”
“Ready all weapons! Launch fighters!”
“Here we go again,” muttered Taylor.
Huber stepped back and grabbed him by his breastplate and onto his feet.
“You better get your head in the game, Major. There’s a war to fight.”
Taylor took in a deep breath and regained his composure. Despite the vast enemy descending on them, he couldn’t help but think of Chandra. The enemy horde closed the distance quickly and was firing in no time at all. Taylor had become so desensitised to the brutal enemy assaults that he simply stood and watched, as if he were sat at the movies.
They’re never going to give up, are they? Taylor whispered to himself.
The Washington’s guns opened fire as their fighters soared towards the enemy fleet. The aliens were closing the distance as quickly as they could, as they had in every previous engagement. Only thing this time, the human fleet did not have the firepower to stop them in their tracks. One of the destroyers to their starboard side burst open as a heavy pulse smashed through its bow and down the length of the hull.
Six of the enemy ships were destroyed as they advanced and many more damaged, but it was not enough. Huber could see the enemy was about to burst through their frontline and cut in between the fleet.
“Major, prepare your marines to repel borders.”
They all knew that a boarding action was now inevitable.
“Sir, we can’t hold against these numbers,” Taylor whispered in response.
“We don’t know that, Major. Now man your stations and defend this ship!”
A few seconds later, their communication links with the rest of the fleet blacked out once again, in what was becoming an annoyingly familiar situation for the Navy crews. The bridge was reduced to fixed video feeds on the hull of the ship only. Huber watched in horror as several of the frigates ahead of them were smashed by continuous enemy fire and reduced to derelict hulks, with no life on board. Taylor rushed to the door where Eli’s platoon was waiting for him.
“Pass the word. We’ve got incoming.”
“We’ve got a breach!”
Taylor heard the cry from the bridge, and it was shortly followed by Huber’s booming voice.
“Major!”
He rushed back inside.
“Floor five, sector E, breach.”
“Any idea on their strength?”
Huber looked to his crew.
“All I can say is it’s twice the size of the ship that breached us at the gateway, Sir.”
“Christ,” replied Huber.
“Sir, this is only going to get worse. We can’t hold like this. We risk losing the entire fleet.”
“You just deal with the breach, Major, and make sure all your units stay near to comms stations. This is only the beginning.”
“Jackson’s Company is nearest, have him informed immediately!”
Taylor rushed out of the door, without a word to Jafar and Parker. The platoon rushed after him, Parker at their head.
“Shouldn’t you be staying on the bridge?” she asked.
“Probably, but we need to make sure this attack is stopped quickly before it has time to spread. Jackson will be heading from the stern. We’ll head them off from the other side and make sure they cannot spread through the ship.”
They rushed to the nearest elevators and poured in. Taylor already knew the battle was lost. They couldn’t withstand such a brutal and overwhelming assault. Eli looked to his face and could already read it in his eyes.
“What are we still doing here?” she asked him.
“What do you mean?”
“You know we’re fucked. Does the Admiral want to kill us all?”
“We came here to make a stand with the largest fleet in human history. Think what it would do to morale if we ran at first sight of an enemy fleet. We can’t leave unless it is clear we can’t win.”
“So we’ll throw lives away to prove a point?”
