lifting off aboard the copter. The rest lay in their trenches and waited. There was no sign of the enemy that night, only the sound of the odd trade of fire between the armour ahead of them.
“Tomorrow we’ll be ordered south to take on Demiran’s main forces around the K’til.”
“And you intend to speed up that process, Mitch?” Charlie asked.
Parker had been sitting with them for a while, and she joined the conversation.
“And an opportunity to end Demiran’s life. When we killed Karadag, they were beaten,” Taylor said.
“I didn’t say he didn’t need to die. If I thought it were that easy, I’d be all for it. But we are one Battalion. Even if we could get the rest of the Brigade aboard, it’ll be crazy odds.”
“The rest of the Brigade will follow, Charlie. They will follow because it’s us. Our reputation means to a lot to them, and I bet it means a lot to Demiran too.”
“What do you mean?” asked Parker. “Oh, no, no, no, no. You want to draw him out. You want to bait him with the great champions who killed his kin. You’re more crazy than I thought.”
“And why not? He wants a piece of me. I want a piece of him. Can’t we settle this properly?”
“If he could, he’d order you killed in a heartbeat.”
“No he won’t. He won’t because he has too much pride for that. He came to destroy this world through bitter hatred. The only thing he hates just as much is me. He knows who I am.”
“Wait, this isn’t what I signed up for,” replied Parker.
“No, you signed up to the Marine Corps, to do your duty,” snapped Taylor.
“And what if you’re wrong?” she asked.
“Then we fight on no matter. Our armies are heading for the K’til. All this can do is accelerate that path. Who knows what they could be planning? A lightning attack to bring this to a close is exactly what we need.”
“And what do you believe will happen to the hundreds of thousands of Mechs if and when you do kill Demiran?” asked Jones.
“I bet their number isn’t what it was when they got here. Without him, they’d scatter. Those who could will probably leave Earth on any ships still operational. Though they probably won’t make it past our grid and Navy. The rest will scatter across the continent and be mopped up in time.”
“Are you that confident that the death of their leader is enough to finish them?”
“I saw it in Jafar and Tsengal, Eli. Demiran died to them the minute he showed his true self and they had a way out.”
“I sure hope you’re right.”
She knew there was no good arguing with him any longer.
Nothing more was said on the subject until Jafar returned, but the first they knew of it was the sight of him and Rains traipsing across the tops of the trenches towards them.
“They’re back,” said Parker.
“They survived,” added Jones.
“But have they got what we need?”
“I tell you what, this is the last time I fly under this crazy bastard’s command!” yelled Eddie.
“Did you get the information? Do you know where Demiran is?”
Mitch could already tell they did.
“Yes, and it was easier than expected,” replied Jafar.
“What d’you mean?”
“Son of a bitch is in his quarters aboard the K’til, right where he was when this all began,” added Eddie.
“This for real?”
Jafar nodded.
“But why?”
“Unfinished business,” added Jones.
Taylor turned in surprise to see Charlie was really onto something.
“He’s been waiting for you. This is personal.”
“So why don’t we just bomb the crap out of him now?” asked Parker.
“No, I want to know this scumbag is dead. I want visual confirmation, confirmation with my own eyes. Even if we could succeed with a bombing of the target, we’d have to obliterate the area beyond all recognition. I want to see Demiran dead, and then I want the whole World so see him that way, both races.”
“Isn’t this getting a little too personal?” asked Parker.
“You’re damn right it is,” added Rains.
Taylor was surprised to see the pilot so vocal and determined.
“I lost one of my best friends because of this bastard, one in a long line of losses since they invaded Earth. I’m with you.”
It was just a few hours to sunrise, but before they could make a decision, new orders came in to Taylor’s Mappad. He lifted it up to carefully study the map and information given.
“We’re heading southeast, just as we thought. The K’til is a few hundred kilometres south of Tripoli.”
Nobody spoke for a moment as they considered the possibilities of what Taylor’s plan could involve. He looked around to each of their faces. One by one they slowly nodded in agreement.
“Allright, then let’s do this. Let’s kill this bastard and be done with it!”
He lifted his comm.
“5th Brigade form at my position and prepare for immediate pickup.”
It was close to lunchtime when their copters were reaching the frontline. Rains looked to Taylor, uncertain of their orders.
“Put us down here as ordered.”
“I thought we were going for Demiran?”
“We are, but not like this. We’ll never make it to the K’til. She may be a wreck, but she’s still death trap. I want Demiran to come to us.”
“Whatever you say, Boss.”
Jones seemed to recover his faith in Taylor with these words.
“I thought you were leading them right for us,” he whispered.
“I said I wanted to go kill him, not on his terms though.”
Jones could see Taylor was being deliberately vague. What concerned him was he wasn't sure if Taylor had a great idea or was making it up as he went along. They heard the roar of engines and dozens of copters flew into view.
'Your boys?' Jones asked Eddie Rains.
'Hell, yeah, I knew the Colonel wouldn't be staying put.'
'If we do this, we do it together, and we do not stop until Demiran lies dead before us,' Taylor said.
'Exactly what I had in mind,' Rains laughed.
'5th Brigade, load up, we're outta here,' Taylor ordered.
When Jones and Taylor finally sat down in the copter, with at least a little privacy behind the cockpit, Taylor brought up his Mappad.
'Friendly units have moved a hundred kilometres south through the night.'
'A hundred kilometres? They'd have to be going all out.'
'From what I can see the enemy forces were amassed in three places. The K'til, with their leader, the far north of Tunisia and Algeria where they would have expected our assault, and at the walls of Jerusalem.'
'So we've pushed through an opening, but what happens when they begin to close in around us?'
'With the taking of southern Tunisia, it was guaranteed there would be a drive north to stop the enemy from regrouping with those at the K'til. This is the reason we were no longer needed in Gabes. And I have no doubt the armies in Jerusalem will show no mercy in pursuing the enemy at their walls, should they try and run. The enemy is spread thin and weak.'
'But we both know Demiran could still be dangerous.'
Just after sunrise they put down in the Libyan Desert. It was a flat and barren landscape with little cover of
