“We can’t survive in open battle!” shouted Vella.
Kelly shook his head, asking himself, what the fuck does she know?
“We cannot survive down here anyway, Senator. We have to try and hit them hard and try to make a difference.”
“And what difference can we make?” asked Allard.
“If the armies of Earth cannot hold these invaders back, what chances do we have?” asked Yang, the police commander of the city.
“So you would do what, lie down and die?” asked Kelly.
“We must do the best we can to survive down here until Earth forces can come to our assistance!” Vella yelled.
“But they are already beaten!” shouted Yang.
Kelly slammed his fist down on the table.
“God damn you and your infighting. This isn’t a time for petty squabbling. The Earth armies have had it hard, no doubt. But they are still fighting. It’s clear that our people down there are already adapting the enemy technology and are still firmly in the fight.”
“Our people?” asked Allard. “Earth folk don’t give a hoot about us.”
“And you could say the same for the relations of many Earth nations, and now look at them. They stand together as one,” snapped Kelly.
He stood up from his chair with a sigh and walked slowly around the table. The air was thick and far from fresh. The colonists had little time or resources to wash their clothes and bodies. He could feel his flesh was thick with dried sweat and clammy on top of it. He scratched what little hair was left on his itchy head. It can’t have come to this, thought Kelly.
“I refuse to die down here. I thought we had pride in the colony we have worked to establish here. Did our forefathers reach this moon for us to simply give up on it? I’d rather fight and die up there than wait to be butchered down here.”
He continued around the room as they all thought about the choice before them.
“And if you fail, and we are forced back down here with fewer people and resources than we started?” asked Allard.
“Then we will have done our best. From what we can tell, the alien forces have set up base on Earth. Their numbers and resources here are not endless. Every one of theirs we can kill will improve our situation.”
“I cannot agree with this course of action, Commander,” said Vella.
“And I am not asking you to. As the military leader of the colony, I alone will make the tactical decisions that I feel best serve our people. I consult you out of courtesy and to advise.”
“Then let us advise you, Commander,” snapped Vella.
Kelly sighed. He had no respect for the woman. He didn’t like her last month when things were as they used to be. He liked her even less now that she was trying to dictate military tactics.
“You would have us wait here to die, Senator. That may be the easy option for you. It involves no risk, no responsibility. Start thinking less like a politician and more like a human being. If we take the fight to the enemy and lose, we are no worse off. We will have lost people who will die when they reach us anyway.”
“I know what you’re saying, Commander, but I cannot justify sending our people to their deaths.”
“And that is why you are the Senator for Industry, and I am in charge of the defence of this great colony,” fumed Kelly.
Vella’s face scrunched up as she glared at the Commander with a bitter hatred. She knew there was nothing further she could do. More than anything, she was angry about the way he treated her, a fact that gave Kelly even less respect for the Senator.
“I am doing what is best for our colony. For our morale, for our people, and for our humanity. We may well all die in this war, but let us at least do so on our own terms.”
He strode out of the room to leave the rest of them sitting in silence. Many of the remaining leaders gathered knew that he was making the right decision, but they could not bring themselves to admit it. Kelly went up to Lewis.
“Put out the order for all senior officers to come to me immediately.”
“This it, Sir? Are we finally taking the fight to them?”
“Damn right, it’s time we stopped skulking down here and kicked some ass.”
Chandra walked along the line of trenches where they’d so recently fought from. Many of the men were making repairs to them with their e-tools, others sat quietly with a mug of tea or coffee. She continued on towards what was the makeshift aid station. There were twenty soldiers in various states of care. Only one was seriously wounded. The base doctor and his aides were administering to them.
“Doctor, I am Major Chandra.”
He continued on his work of injecting a healing serum into one of the soldiers as he talked.
“Matthew Wright.”
“This the first combat medicine you have administered, Doctor?”
“Yes, Ma’am, I was expecting more wounded.”
She looked across at the injuries. They were mostly minor glancing strikes or shrapnel.
“They don’t leave many. A good hit from their energy weapons will kill any man.”
The doctor nodded. After studying the scenes of field hospitals in war from archive footage, he’d expected a far more blood thirsty and gruesome sight. There were no screams of agony. The burning hot energy weapons cauterised many of the wounds.
“I was still expecting a lot more casualties, Major. The reports we have been getting have indicated far heavier losses.”
“It’s true. This has been our most successful skirmish yet.”
The doctor looked up and across at the casualties. He could see the mix of uniforms and had already realised they were an amalgamation of several units that had been decimated.
“God save us all.”
“God won’t save us from this enemy, Doctor. It’s up to us.”
The Major turned and strolled away before the doctor could argue. She stopped, noticing Captain Becker stood in her path. His face looked more exhausted and distraught than ever. His previously impeccable uniform was now unzipped and dirtied. He either no longer cared for his appearance or was too distressed to realise it was in such a state.
“What’s the status of your unit, Captain?”
He didn’t respond immediately, staring blankly past her at the wounded.
“Captain?”
His eyes turned and gazed at her, though he still did not speak.
“Becker, give me an update.”
The Captain coughed to clear his throat and finally answered in a coarse voice.
“Only two of my tanks are still operational, and even those are getting some urgent maintenance as we speak.”
“And your crews?”
He shook his head as he was reminded of the horror of it.
“Eight still active, two wounded.”
“Is that all that made it?
He nodded. “The rest perished in their vehicles.”
She looked out across the line to see the hulks of the vehicles still smouldering. The enemy had been quick to target what they must see as the greatest threat.
“I am sorry for your losses, Captain, but you should know that your people have made all the difference in the past few days. Without you, we would all be lost.”
The Captain nodded as he looked out across the plain at the twisted wrecks of the enemy vehicles and went into a daze. She knew there was nothing more she could say to consol the officer. Nothing would bring back his comrades.
