Battle Earth III Read Free

this far, and I pray we all make it through this, but we must be prepared for the worst.”
    The Captain agreed, even if he didn’t like the thought of it. The three of them turned and continued on towards Headquarters. Troops from a dozen different nations saluted and greeted them as they passed down the busy roads. Chandra’s Company no longer had any vehicles at their disposal, not even for the Major herself. They scrounged lifts where they could.
    “Rains still in the area?” asked Chandra.
    “Yeah, he’s running high priority jobs for command. I saw him a few hours back.”
    As they reached an intersection, they halted abruptly to avoid being run down by a dozen Russian heavy tanks rolling across the thoroughfare. The three officers could barely hear each other over the constant noise of chatter and vehicles travelling throughout the base. Combat-weary soldiers lay about, getting any rest they could. Fresh recruits sat awaiting deployment, and there was no excitement or enthusiasm in their eyes. They had seen the faces of those who had faced the Mechs and the ever-mounting dead.
    Many of the troops looked at the Reitech suits with amazement and envy. There were still less than two hundred on the base. Production had been marred by delays due to the chaos that had engulfed the planet. Transportation networks were in shambles, and many nations’ workforces were in disarray.
    Few begrudged the Company’s almost exclusive issue of the latest equipment, and anyone who did, was quickly reminded of their heroic actions from the day the war began. Chandra and Taylor were becoming household names among the human armies along with their battalion; the Inter-Allied had become known to many, as the ‘Immortals’.
    Few knew of the horrific losses of the unit. Soldiers had become familiar with the stories of their dare devil escapades and were never informed of the heavy price which they had paid for such antics. They only saw the triumphant returns and celebrated their victories.
    Up ahead, they could see Phillips sat on top of a freight box with a mug of tea in his hand. His uniform was as clean as the newest recruits. There was no dread in his face. He had not met the enemy face to face, and to him the Mechs were nothing more than a statistic. Just as the human dead were a number on a computer.
    “You can bet your ass he took the credit for your mission to Poitiers,” said Friday.
    Taylor was amused by Friday’s vocalisation recently. He had always been a man of few words. Maybe he just never had much that was important enough to voice an opinion, thought Taylor. The war had put many of their troubles into perspective. The petty squabbles in their lives seemed to be exactly that.
    “Undoubtedly,” replied Chandra. “But had it gone wrong, it would have been his balls.”
    “You think that responsibility is equal to the risks we take with our lives?” asked Taylor.
    “No, but we must each play a part.”
    The Commander lifted his mug as a greeting to them when he saw them approach. He had a smile on his freshly washed face, as if they were back home and enjoying a relaxing weekend. Deep down they all knew the pressure upon the Commander, and the work that he put in, but they could not help but feel he hadn’t earned his reputation in combat.
    “Got any news for us, Sir?” shouted Chandra.
    Phillips got to his feet and waved for them to follow him into the building he was sat in front of. They walked through and into a large mirrored elevator that took them fifty metres below the surface where the underground HQ had been established. The doors opened, and Phillips strode out without a word.
    Just as the Commander was about to reach the pair of guards stood either side of the Command centre entrance, he veered off down a side corridor, leading the three officers into a smaller meeting room. He slumped down into a chair in the room as they went in behind him.
    “Shut the door.”
    Friday begrudgingly closed the