Battle Earth V Read Free

the Company in such a time?”
    “No, but they aren’t one of us, are they?”
    “People have said the same about female soldiers and black soldiers not so long ago. They stand with us, and that’s enough for me.”
    “For Christ’s sake, will we never get a break?” she complained.
    “Do what you like, but I’ll not leave them behind.”
    He pulled on his shirt and buttoned it quickly as he rushed to the vehicle. Eli watched him leap aboard in a furious manner, speeding away from the tranquil paradise she had so recently been enjoying.
    “You fool,” she whispered.
    Taylor was already travelling well over the speed limit by the time he passed the gates to the road, and dust and sand swept in through the open sides of the jeep. His shirt was only half buttoned, and he was still wearing sandals. It was far from the well-kept image he maintained on base, but there was no time to change.
    “God damn fucking bastards,” he yelled to himself as he hit the wheel of the car.
    “I go for two God damn minutes, and they try to fuck us in the ass.”
    Taylor had no love of the MPs, few did, but he genuinely had more than enough reasons to want to shoot some of them. Many despised him because of his combat record and all the glory they felt it brought. It was an envy he had to deal with on a regular basis.
    Mitch could feel his head pounding as his anger and rage built. He reached the base gates in half the time it had taken the two of them to get to the beach. The dusty jeep came to a halt at the guard post, and a Corporal stepped forward to check his ID. The man looked suspicious of Taylor’s rough appearance, as he rightfully should be.
    The Corporal desperately wanted to say something about his ill disciplined attire but looked to the rank on his shoulders, and knew he could not risk insult if Taylor really was what he was claiming.
    “Identification, Sir?”
    “For Christ’s sake,” he muttered.
    Taylor reached into his pocket and fumbled around for his card that had seen so little use. He’d long forgotten what life was like at home.
    “Here,” he snapped, passing the man a bent identify card. It was heavily worn and slightly burnt in one corner. The guard looked in shock at the card and took it suspiciously from his hands. Taylor sat impatiently.
    “Well, come on, I haven’t got all day,” insisted Taylor.
    “Uhh, yes, Sir.”
    The man lifted his scanner, twisting the bent card to make it read properly and stood surprised as Mitch’s name and identity was displayed. There wasn’t a marine on base that didn’t know the name.
    “Major Taylor, sorry for the delay, Sir.”
    Mitch snatched the card from the Corporal’s hands and put his foot to the floor. The jeep raced forward and narrowly made it through the gates. They were only half open when he squeezed through. The Corporal shook his head in astonishment.
    “Crazy bastard.”
    Taylor’s jeep slid around the first corner, and he was quickly able to open up the throttle and tear across an open road towards Rains’ hangar. He slammed the brakes on and slid to a halt at the open doors where the pilot sat with his feet up as if it were any other day.
    “Where are they, Eddie?”
    The Lieutenant took another sip from his mug, not affected at all by the Major’s flustered state. He sighed and turned to Taylor, signalling over his shoulder with his eyes and a nod. Taylor turned to see three military police vehicles approaching. He snapped back around.
    “We can’t keep them hidden forever,” mused Eddie.
    Taylor shook his head. He knew his old friend was right, but it weighed heavily on his conscience that he would have to give up his own men, without them committing an offence. He turned back and stood confidently upright, glaring at the approaching vehicles. His right hand instinctively reached down to his thigh to rest on the pistol that had lived there for the last year, but it was nowhere to be found. He looked down in shock at the realisation