off from one section of the enemy vessel, obscured by their scenery blending camouflage.
“Enemy ships, Sir, just as attacked the Moon colony,” said Taylor.
“What are they doing, Major?” asked White.
“I’d assume they are intercepting our nukes.”
White twisted around quickly and looked at the Major with a piercing glance.
“What? You think they intend to shoot our weapons down?”
“Of course, Sir. You think we are the only ones with scanners? Everything we have seen so far shows us that these aliens are significantly more advanced than us. What is maybe more of a concern is, if we have nukes, what have they got?”
The room went quiet again as they all stared intently at the screens. The missiles were just minutes away from impact. The officers could almost feel the sense of victory they so desperately wanted, but knew it was beyond their grasp. They’d all come to realise that the mission was already a failure, but they still held onto the hope that it would succeed.
The Generals watched in despair and horror as energy pulses were fired from the vessels, striking the nuclear missiles as they were fifty kilometres from the alien island. A number of the enemy craft were obliterated by the huge nuclear blasts, but it was a small loss for them. Many of the camera feeds went blank as the blasts destroyed the source of the signals.
General White shook his head, his face pale and distraught. The others watched the blank screens which displayed only static. The satellite signals showed Tartaros, it was unscathed by the incident.
“My, God,” said Richards.
“We only sent twelve, maybe with a larger spread they wouldn’t be able to catch them all?” asked Smith.
General White looked up, he was struggling to speak, and for the first time in his career, Taylor saw fear in the great leader’s eyes.
“Let’s see this for what it is. Those bastards have the defensive technology to stop a missile strike. Let’s move past it and see what we can do.”
Taylor still stared at the display screen of the world, wondering what they could do against such an enemy. His gaze panned to Europe and he began to wonder if his friend Charlie was still alive.
“Fall back! Go, go, go!” shouted Jones.
Light pulses zipped past their heads as the metal clad beasts and their monstrous armoured vehicles rolled through the streets. The defences to the south of Brest had fallen into disarray as the invaders were punching huge holes in their line. The French armour still remained in the city but were fighting a brutal battle of attrition.
Captain Jones looked around to see the survivors of their battalion running for their lives, he could just make out the fearful outline of the Mech soldiers stomping towards them in the distance and firing unrelentingly into the fleeing troops. Major Chandra rushed up to Jones with blood hardened on her face, it wasn’t clear if it was hers, but Jones was glad she was still in command.
“What are you orders, Major?” shouted Jones.
“We can’t hold this area, get to the vehicles and mount up, we’re heading for Brest! If we can rendezvous with the 2 ^ nd Armoured and make use of the cover of the city, we might just have a chance!”
Jones nodded and turned to relay the commands to his men. Every instinct made the Captain wish they were heading east towards the rest of their forces at Rennes. Despite this, he realised both the importance of protecting the civilian population and also of holding ground. If the invaders could get a hold on the mainland they would gain a major advantage.
None of the men wanted to accept the fact that they were at war, but it was the new reality of their lives. Jones sent the command out across the radios and they began to run for the vehicles. They left many dead soldiers in their wake, carrying all the wounded they could.
Arriving at the vehicles, Jones could see that half of his company was already loaded up, many were wounded, there were not many left to load up. At a quick glance he estimated the losses to be thirty percent of the company, with many others being walking wounded. He stood up on his RDV and looked back towards the beaches now out of view. Smoke still bellowed from the wrecks there. They were joined with a number of fires on trees and foliage that had ignited from the high heat energy pulses of the enemy.
“Get a fucking shift on!” he shouted.
The last men were being pulled aboard the trucks. He could see that the company was mentally exhausted. Their resolve and morale had taken a heavy blow and they were already moving like defeated men. Overcoming this would be Jones’ next big task, but for now, survival was the only priority.
“Move out!”
His vehicle moved forward as his batman enthusiastically raced ahead. No one among them desired to stay in that spot for a second longer. As the battalion sped north towards the city, energy pulses were fired amongst the column. Jones watched as one of the trucks was hit, the engine bay and front axle obliterated as it flipped onto its side.
Jones wanted nothing more to go back and help the soldiers, but being in full retreat he couldn’t risk slowing anyone else down. The Captain could see that Chandra had seen the incident and was already on the comms to the survivors, instructing them to make their way north through the cover of the forest. He prayed that they would make it but knew their chances were slim. Realising that their first battle was over, Jones slumped down in the seat of the RDV with a sigh. They were fighting such a fearful and advanced force.
Minutes later they were out of the range of the invaders and Jones turned his attention to their destination. Up ahead they could hear the thunderous echo of the tank guns of the French Armoured Division. Machine guns rattled off in the distance as the battle raged on. He could make out the continuous trail of civilian vehicles pouring out of the easterly flyover heading for Morlaix. All Jones could think was that it wasn’t far enough.
Their column was rolling towards an absolute war zone, and the Captain knew exactly how on edge his troops were at that moment. They were one of the best trained fighting forces in the world, but the prospect of going from one defeat into a second battle in the same day was morale crushing. Sadly, he knew that there was no choice. Troops would be amassing in Rennes, but it would take time, for now, they were it.
Dust and smoke poured from locations across the old coastal city as they rolled into the urban outskirts. All around them were civilians desperately trying to load their vehicles and leave. Many asked for help, but the only help they could provide was to fight the invading enemy. The call came out on the radio for A and B Companies to halt at the southern inner city district and take up positions.
Jones’ company followed on with Major Chandra to the city centre and the western district where the fighting raged on. The inner city was completely abandoned, few vehicles remained and no people in sight. People’s possessions and businesses’ stock were scattered across the roads. The population had run in fear of their lives, which was the sad reality of their situation. The convoy came to a halt and the Captain stepped out of the vehicle looking around the desolate city, before issuing his orders.
“Company dismount, take up defensive positions around the convoy. Command section with me.”
Lieutenant Green now commanded the Captain’s platoon. Every man in their force was trained and instructed on how to fulfil the tasks of those above them, should the need ever arise. No one had ever expected such a responsibility to fall upon them. Jones continued forwards along the line of the convoy with the few men of his command section at his side.
Up ahead they could see a number of light armoured vehicles parked up at a crossroads. The French Lieutenant Colonel Girard, leader of the 2 ^ nd Armoured Division was looking at a map projection of the city that was set up on the bonnet of one of their scout vehicles. Beside him was Major Chandra. They were in a heated discussion, but Jones could not merely stand by and watch.
“Ah, Captain, step up please. Colonel Girard, this is Captain Jones, recently promoted to Company Commander.”
“Captain. Let us get back to the battle. I brought a little under two hundred and fifty tanks to Brest. Now I command only one hundred and eighty. Our infantry battalions are having difficulty holding back the enemy, we cannot hold out for much longer.”
“What do you suggest, Colonel?” Chandra asked.
“What is the situation of the rest of the British Division?”
