Section 5:
Calm Before the Storm
The next few months were very exciting to live through, but would be very repetitious to describe. We would spend a week capturing bases and killing aliens, and then we would go home and spend a week resting and healing while training new pilots. Six pilots were killed (five in battle and one in a stupid traffic accident,) and eight others were injured badly enough to take them out of the program, and another seven transferred to other units (five as company leaders.) I learned to expect two to five pilots to be out for injuries, illness or whatever at the start of each battle and ten to twelve to be out by the end.
I was lucky, as I didn’t lose any of my squad, and in fact, added another member. Lynette joined our squad on a permanent basis because I never knew when I would be needed for something else. Sureshot was promoted to squad leader to free up more of my time for command duties. It was a wild ride and just as it seemed that there was no way that we could lose, all of the remaining Taurian bases disappeared. It was like, poof, and they were gone.
Everything seemed to be at a standstill, until we lost the Reagan. It was sailing from Pearl Harbor on route to Yokosuka, Japan when it was attacked by a swarm of Kraken and Leviathan coming up from below. By the time the attackers were killed or driven off by depth charges and the like, the Old Man was riddled with holes and sinking fast. The loss of such a powerful warship and 516 of its crew was bad enough by itself but the message it sent was far worse: Humanity had lost control of the seas.
* * *
I heard my front door open, and since the clock read 7:05 AM, I said, “Good morning, Sylvia.”
“Have you eaten yet Allen?”
“I was going to have some cereal earlier, but I never got around to it.”
“Then we’re going to the Main Cafeteria to get you a decent hot breakfast.”
As I gathered up my things I decided to take a jab, “I still haven’t found any research on the nutritional value of heat.”
She smacked me in the shoulder and said; “Will you be serious. This is a big meeting with some of the most important people in the company.”
“Yes, and I’ve snored along with most of them through meetings before.”
“Why do you have to have a smart-alec comment for everything I say?”
“Two reasons, really. First, it lets you know that I’m listening to what you’re saying and second, because I occasionally make you crack a smile.”
“You’re cracked enough for both of us. Do you even know what this meeting’s about?”
‘I thought you did.”
“I was just told to have you there at 9:00 sharp.”
“I just hope it’s not another dang promotion. I’m still getting used to people calling me Major.”
“Allen Spencer, don’t you dare even THINK of turning down a promotion for a stupid reason like that.”
I gave her my best mischievous smile, “OK, I’ll be sure to come up with a better one.”
* * *
We arrived after a long drive in an area deep inside the mountain that I had never been to before. It looked to me like our weapons bay, but most of the room had been curtained off, and a large table had been set up for the meeting. The Director and Angelia we already there, and he had a big grin, which meant he was up to something. “Good morning Allen and Sylvia, I trust you two are well.”
“We’re good.”
“Excellent, how is your battlesuit company?”
“At full strength and starting to get bored.”
“Well, we shouldn’t have to worry about that for too much longer.” Definitely up to something. Other people started filing in before I could ask any questions. After everyone else had settled in, Dr Royce was escorted into the meeting from behind the curtains by his counselor. The Director stood up; “As everyone should know by now, the war has entered a new phase and the enemy I coming at us from an new and unexpected direction. They have begun sending their marine bio-soldiers against large ships at sea and have so far sunk one aircraft carrier, twenty-two cargo container ships and a tanker. We need new weapons to counter this new threat, and Herman and his people have been working hard and came up with something brilliant, as usual. Herman.”
“Ever since we got our hands on examples of alien technology, we have been trying to add this into our own systems to give us an advantage over the enemy. While this pursuit has taken us down many false paths, OW!” (Heather looked excessively innocent.) “Getting back to the subject at hand, one of our greatest achievements has been the hybrid technology battlesuit. It is not, however the pinnacle of this technology. We have to take the knowledge and experience from the hybrid battlesuit project and moved it to its next logical step. This journey required many changes to be made and there were many technical obstacles to overcome which my people worked…Ow. Without any further delays, I want to present to you the next level of battle technology: The Type IV Knight Medium Hybrid Battlesuit!”
The curtain opened and there it stood; A thirty foot tall giant; Armed and ready to take on anything that the enemy could throw at us. Part of me wanted to go over it specs so that I could see how it would integrate into our formations. The other part of me was filled with more desire than a frat-boy at a nudist colony. I just sat there with my mouth hanging open, entranced by it until Sylvia kicked me under the table and I realized that my name had been called a couple of times.
The director had an amused smile as he said, “Well, Mister Spencer, does it meet with your approval?”
“It looks awesome, but I need to run it through some trials before I can make any sort of a judgment.”
“I would have thought you had made up your mind by the expression you had.”
“I may be in love, but I think I should get to know her before I propose.” Sylvia kicked me under the table again for that one, but I thought it was funny.
As I had hoped, the prototypes were transferred to my company. We were still first and foremost, test pilots. We gained access to a third bay that housed the Knights, which I allowed everyone to visit, but no one got to pilot one until I felt that they were qualified in the simulators. These suits worked like nothing that had ever been made before, which sounds good until you realize that there are plenty of problems that no one has ever encountered before. The regular way to make something like this was to put some sort of cockpit in the thing and train new pilots from scratch, but that would have been too easy. Instead, they actually had a set of clamps that installed the Warrior battlesuits in the chest and let it control the Knight. Sounds pretty simple as we had already worked out a lot of the bugs from the Warriors, Right? It was chaos!
One of the first pilots to qualify on the Knights was Lena. She had the grace and balance to make a battlesuit do nearly anything, but after three days of trying to pilot the medium battlesuits, she earned a new nickname that stuck with her: The Demolisher! She broke four Knights in three days trying to put them through their paces. It wasn’t that she made any mistakes; it was just that the big suits couldn’t keep up with her. Considering that there were only ten prototypes total and there was a limit on how fast our repair crews could fix them, I ended up having to restrict how often she was allowed to pilot one.
With some of the spectacular falls, crashes and assorted malfunctions those early tests, the only reason that no one got killed was the decision to put a Warrior battlesuit inside the Knights to protect the pilot. I would later learn that the only reason that it had been done that way was because the designers didn’t have time to build a proper cockpit, but I wasn’t complaining. We got into a routine where we would test the Knights until three or more of them broke down and then we would go back and practice in the simulators until the research team fixed them all. It didn’t help anything that both of the Type V scout Knights had catastrophic breakdowns in the first week and were pulled by research for a full redesign.
It was total pandemonium in our unit for about a month and a half until we got the big guys stabilized enough to take them out on the weapons range. We wasted so much ammo! We were having so much fun that Sylvia had to threaten to call security on me one night to get me to send everyone home for the night. I had almost completely forgotten about the war, but that was about to change.
* * *
I was just about to go to bed when my vid-phone began singing Dare to Be Stupid. I answered it expecting it to be Sylvia making sure I was going to bed, but I was greeted by the Director. “Allen, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?”
“Sure thing. What do you need me to do sir?”
“I’m sending you some intelligence reports. Look them over and see if you can see a pattern for me.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll let you know if and when I find something.” I knew that he was up to something, but I was getting used to that. I started looking through the war reports. The Taurians had settled down quite a bit, but they would still make an attack from time to time. A ship here or there, the occasional small harbor or remote beach, but there seemed to be no real pattern, but that couldn’t be true. These were organic robots; they didn’t do things for no particular reason. I called up more and more reports until I became oblivious to anything except this problem. When my vid-phone began singing Another One Rides the Bus, I about jumped out of my skin.
“Well, Allen, what are they doing?”
“Getting ready to invade.”
“Where?”
“Tasmania, Kyushu, Cuba, Newfoundland, Madagascar, and Ireland.”
“All at once?”
“No, they’ll attack Kyushu first.”
“How do you know?”
“Body bounties.”
“Body bounties?”
“If you correct for the currents, that’s where the bodies are washing up that we are paying bounties for, and that’s where they’re massing. We need to get everything we can to Japan before they attack.”
“Why didn’t I see that before? Get some rest, son. You’ve earned it!”
The screen went blank, so I got up and stretched…and my alarm went off in my bedroom. “That didn’t take long.”
Sylvia found me a bit later as I was pouring orange juice into my cereal. “Why did you do that, you goof-ball?”
“I’m not really sure.” She took it away from me. “Hey! I might want to eat that.”
“That’s it. You are not going to work today.”
“That’s probably a good idea. Could you spread the word that everyone in the unit should take the day off? Support staff and all.”
“Why?”
“They should get everything in order. We’re leaving for Japan tomorrow.”
“I haven’t heard anything about that.”
“You’re the third one to know after me and the Director.”
* * *
I took a nap for a few hours and then I called up Tony Moore. “Hello there Major, what can I do for you?”
“Has the Director informed you about moving assets to Japan?”
“We’re in a meeting about that right now. We were planning on calling as soon as you woke up.”
“All right, what did I miss?”
The vid-phone switched to a full room view so that I could see everyone. I had never seen the Director looking so tired. “Well, my boy, we were just going over the situation that you brought to my attention and starting to brainstorm ideas.”
“We are debating where to place our assets and what to tell the world, but we hadn’t come to any conclusions yet. You were the one who saw this problem. What are you thinking?”
“I wish I had had the time to draw up maps to show you the patterns I saw last night, but I’ll try to explain it instead. I was plotting where and how frequently the Taurian bodies were washing on shore, and the bodies are definitely concentrating toward six points. The largest of these concentrations is moving toward southern Japan, and it is the closest to having all the forces in place. All of them should be in position around Kyushu in as little as two weeks, but not more than five. None of the others will be in place for at least eight weeks.”
“Is that why you think Kyushu will be first?”
“That, and it’s the force that started moving first. If we move on this quickly, we can get enough forces in position to defeat their largest attack.”
“Why Kyushu then?”
“I’m not really sure. Their strategy seems clear enough. Go for a large island near a continental landmass, If it were up to me I would have picked Hunan or Taiwan or even Borneo, but the Taurs are heading for Kyushu instead.”
“OK, let my try that a different way. How sure are you that the target is Kyushu and not something else?”
“Last night when I was immersed in the data, I would have staked my life on it. This morning, I’m less sure, but even if it’s not Kyushu, it will be close enough that Kyushu will be a good staging ground anyway.”
“I’ve been going over the data since I signed off with Allen. I think he’s right. Besides, our biggest facility in Japan is in Kyushu and it’s where we would stage anyway for anything in that region. Tony, who could we count on to stand with us there?”
“The Japanese Military have really bulked themselves up since the Troubles. They are well motivated, well equipped and well trained. The only thing that they lack is experience. We can also count on the US forces in the area and most likely the South Koreans as well. The Russians and the Chinese will have forces that can be called on for a price, but I would wait to see how much help we need before calling them.”
“Do you think that’s enough Allen?”
“The number of forces available is fine, but I really think we need to move every combat ready unit Prometheus has there. They have good numbers, but we have the experience. Plus, sending everything will let people know just how serious this is.”
“Tony?”
“I don’t know. Putting all your eggs in one basket is always risky.”
“Then you get together with your commanders and decide whose going. I’ll start things rolling on the diplomatic side.”
“Sir, May ask a question?”
“Of course.”
“Do you have someone else who can do that for you?”
“Well, I guess so.”
“Then I am going to push my luck and make a suggestion for all of us here. I just gave all of my people the day to get all of their things in order and get some rest and relaxation before everything starts tomorrow. I may be out of line, but you look exhausted, and this may be that last time that any of us get a chance like this for quite some time. With respect, I suggest that you, and all of your key people take this day to take it easy and get prepared, and tomorrow We’ll start the all out push.”
“He’s got you there.” said Angelia with a big smile, “If you get some rest now, you be able to work better and longer in the long run.”
“But…but…”
“Don’t ‘but’ me mister. You’re the one who created the monster. Now, you have to live with the consequences.”
“Very well, I see I’m outvoted here. Angelia, you spread the word to the appropriate people and counselors. We’ll all get some rest and start everything bright and early tomorrow. Allen, I expect you here in my conference room at 7 AM tomorrow morning.”
* * *
After everyone else has left Angelia turned to the Director, “You gave in way too easily on that one. What are you up to?”
“You, my dear, were right on target. I have created the monster. Since the first time I faced him in a video game, I had a hunch that he was the one. He thinks like I do and can see patterns like I can. I have been trying to figure out what the alien’s next move will be for weeks and come up with nothing. I gave him the problem out of desperation, hoping he might be able to give me some leads. He solved the problem in less than ten hours. If he’s seeing the pattern well enough to say that this is the last chance for a good rest, then I damn well better listen.”
“Are you jealous?”
“No…well, yes, a little bit. Part of me is incredibly relieved. I thought I would never find someone else who could see the big patterns like I can. Another part of me is a bit jealous that he beat me at my own game.”
“And you’re sending him right into the jaws of the enemy?”
“I know that you don’t approve, Angel, but that’s exactly where we need him to be.”
“And if he dies?”
“Then we go on as best we can. His responsibilities will take him out of direct combat eventually. We just have to trust in Providence to keep him safe until then.”
* * *
I went and checked on Sylvia at my office at the simulator bay. She was talking to several people as I arrived, so I checked to see who else was in instead of taking the day off like they were supposed to. I heard someone in my office and walked in expecting it to be Sniper. “Rusty, what are you doing here, sir?”
“Just helping out the Doc, and since when do I rate a ‘sir’ from you?”
“Because you’re an older, more experienced warrior who I respect. Besides, calling you ‘dude’ just doesn’t seem right. Anyway, could you let the Doc know I want to talk to her as soon as possible?”
“Sure thing, kid.”
“Thanks pops.” I started going through my ‘in’ box as Rusty left. It was a relief to see that nothing was so urgent that it couldn’t wait for tomorrow. I started packing up everything I thought I would need for our extended stay in Japan. Somewhere in that, Sylvia walked in and started going through the things I had set aside. “Sylvia, I have a question for you.”
“Yes?” She said without looking up.
“An important one.”
She whirled around with wide eyes. “What?”
“This isn’t going to be like any of our other deployments. Those were raids, but this is war. I don’t know how long we will be there, so I would like to ask if you would go with me?”
“To Japan?”
“Yes, I’m asking you to go into a war zone, with all its inherent risks, but I’m going to need a lot of help, and having you at my side will make things a lot easier.” I guess the idea really scared her because she was breathing really heavy.
“Let me think about that some. I mean, I would have to find someone to take over my other duties and such.”
“Let me know as soon as you decide. Can you call Angelia and ask her about bringing other counselors as well?”
“I’ll do that,” and she left the room in a rush.
Doc Simmons came in next, “You wanted to see me?”
“I take it you’ve heard about our expedition?”
“Just rumors so far.”
“The Taurians are gearing up for a big push in Southern Japan. I would like for you to round up the people and equipment for a field hospital there. I’m sure the Japanese have plenty of fine hospitals, but I’m not sure how many are out of the danger zone. This is going into an active combat zone, so I want this to be on a strictly voluntary basis, yourself included.”
“Wow, you don’t do things half-way. Can I have Rusty for the rest of the day?”
“You can have him for as long as you need him ma’am.” I met her eyes to make sure she understood the implications of what I said. She nodded and left without another word.
I punched up Tony Moore on the vid-link. “How are things on your end, sir?”
“Well, everyone I’ve talked to is ready to go fight. I just need to figure out what kind of reserve to leave here. Do you have any ideas?”
“I definitely don’t want to take any units who haven’t passed all of their certifications. I also don’t want to take any of the experimentals except for the Knights.”
“Why them?”
“Frankly, because they’re impressive looking. They will give everyone a morale boost and will make good press coverage, but the truth is that we don’t have enough of them to make a strategic difference.”
“As long as you and the other pilots understand the risks and limitations.”
“What does that leave us with?”
“36 companies of hybrid armored infantry and 53 tuskers.”
“Wow, I had no idea we had so many tanks.”
“The number includes new units in the warehouse and those that were scheduled to be delivered to customers, but are being put on hold for the time being. Do you think that’s enough?”
“Not by ourselves. They will make a powerful force, but with the number of aliens that are coming, we wouldn’t stand a prayer by ourselves.”
“Good, you’re keeping things in perspective. The Japanese and US forces will provide the bulk of the troops. We’ll go over the details in the meeting tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll be there sir.”
“Good, now go get some of that rest that you wanted for all of us.”
Previous Chapter of The Taurian Invasion
Next Chapter of The Taurian Invasion
All comments and corrections are greatly appreciated. Feel free to introduce yourself in the comments. I love finding out about and connecting with my readers.
The Taurian Invasion 
