Battle Earth V by Nick S. Thomas

silence. Walters was a tall but thin and wiry man and in his early seventies. His hair was a shiny white, but he still had a full head of it. He was a staunch republican, and a man who had clearly lived a hard but successful life; his face heavily wrinkled and rough. He stood tall and proud; a man who was strong in the head even if his body no longer was. His suit was of a cut not seen in fifty years. This man was as a relic of a bygone era.
    “You have all heard the facts. The United States is committed to the safety of this planet and that of the Lunar Colony. And to that end, we will do whatever is necessary to protect them. In four weeks, we will send a fleet through the space gateway, with the intention of taking the fight to the enemy. We need all the support we can get. I ask you all to dig deep into your conscience and appreciate how vital this mission is to us all. Now I ask you, a show of hands. Who will join us in this enterprise?”
      The British Prime Minister and German President were first to raise their hands and voice their support. A number followed until the final divide was set. A third of the leaders in attendance remained silent, still including Moreau.
    “Then it is decided,” stated White. “We have a majority support for action. I thank you all for your support in this undertaking and would ask you to have your Generals liaise with myself immediately. I hereby call this conference to an end!”
    Taylor could see the disappointment in Walters’ face. They had enough support, but he had clearly hoped to rally world leaders as one. Those who had not voiced their support quickly stood and left the room. Most of the others broke out into conversation with the people around them.
    “This divide will not end here,” said Chandra. “Many have shown their true colours. If they falter at such a time, then we would do well to keep a keen eye on them.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I mean, Mitch, that we should not assume that all mankind is on our side. I do not say they would ally with the enemy, but they would certainly act in hindrance of us.”
    Taylor nodded in agreement. He had seen such during the war. After they had given everything, it amazed and disgusted him that politicians walked away as if they had the moral high ground.
    “Ignorant bastard!”
    He said it loud enough that several around them heard, but he didn’t care. General White paced up to the two of them with a sigh.
    “It is done then.”
    “Nothing is done, Sir. This is the beginning of a long road,” replied Taylor.
    “Has any progress been made on improving Earth’s orbital defences?” asked Chandra.
    White nodded hesitantly.
    “Yes, but I am not sure anything we can do would withstand the overwhelming power of their first assault. That is the nature of static defence. The best thing we can do is to develop our fleets. With another few months of all-out construction, as we are doing, I believe we could have enough Navy power to fight them out there and away from our colonies.”
    “Then the Marines’ role will be more important than ever. This enemy pursues ruthless and fearless boarding actions that are devastating. Maybe just a hundred or two got aboard the Washington, and we came close to losing her, and perhaps the rest of the fleet.”
    White looked at them in shock.
    “Taylor is right. It was no plain sailing.”
    “And yet you still support the decision to go through the gate?”
    “I don’t see that we have an option anymore,” replied Taylor.
    It was clear to them both the General was genuinely surprised to hear that they were not convinced by their chances of success, yet they wanted to go anyway.
    “We’ve got three weeks. Soldiers are not a problem, veterans and recruits alike. Since the war ended, a continuous recruitment campaign has boosted the Marine Corps to numbers none of us have ever known. But what we now need so urgently is ships. The dockyards of the world are working around the clock,