Battle Earth IX Read Online Free

jump and leapt up into the doorway with the Captain.
    "What are your orders, Colonel?" he asked.
    He looked overhead to see three huge enemy craft looming over them and heading west for the east coast of the United States. He looked back across the open ocean to the east and thought of the friends they had left there, but he knew what he had to do.
    "Too long have we fought on foreign soil; good old US of A needs us, whether she knows it or not. Set a course for Quantico. We're heading home."
    "Quantico?" King asked.
    "Last I knew it's where General White was. We ain't exactly on best terms, but he's as good as any place to start. Contact them once we're en route to alert them of our arrival."
    "Comms are jammed. We've got a few klicks range and that's about all."
    "Well that's fucking great. Nice to know some things never change."
    As Sergeant Lang came aboard, King looked out at the other crew of the Nassau still lying stranded at sea in life pods and various other pieces of debris.
    "What about them? We can't take many more."
    Taylor looked out and could see a ship's silhouette in the distance.
    "Make a fly past of whatever that vessel is, and alert them to the crewmembers that need recovering."
    "And if they don't want to get involved? Can't even see if it's one of ours from here, could just as well be civilian."
    "I don't give a shit who it is. There are people in the water who need help, and they're gonna give it."
    Two hours later the coast of America was in sight. Taylor knew he should be glad to see it, but he wasn't. In the distance to the south, he could see enemy vessels over Norfolk and a similar sight over New Jersey to the north.
    "What do we do?" asked King.
    They were standing in the cockpit with the pilot and co-pilot, astonished by what they were seeing and looking for direction.
    "Continue as planned. There'll be whole divisions slugging it out down there. We've done enough for now."
    "Enough?" King asked, "Hardly looks like it."
    "Today the war became an entirely different animal, one we are all familiar with though. We need to get back to whoever is in command around here, and work out what the hell is going on and what we can do."
    As they approached Quantico, a warning light flashed, and the pilot quickly piped up.
    "We've just been locked by local air defences."
    A transmission came in as they closed in to comms distance.
    "Identify yourselves immediately, or you will be fired upon."
    The pilot gave his credentials, and the line went silent.
    "Hold position and await further communication. Do not enter Quantico air space until advised."
    Taylor tapped the pilot's shoulder as he went to respond and stepped up to take over.
    "Negative. This is Colonel Mitch Taylor of the Inter-Allied Regiment. We need immediate permission to land, do you hear me?"
    There was silence once again for a moment and then a response.
    "Negative, hold position and await instructions."
    "We're coming in whether you like it or not. We have hundreds of US troops and allies aboard, and we ARE coming in."
    Taylor gestured for the pilot to do as such, but he was frozen solid.
    "Take us in," Taylor clarified.
    The officer shook his head. "They'll shoot us out of the sky."
    "Not a chance, trust me. Now do it."
    He did as ordered, but his hands were shaking a little at the prospect of being blasted out of the sky by their own side. They began to surge forward, and the base was in sight now. They could see gun towers tracking their movement and missile silos with doors wide open.
    "Sure about this?" King asked him.
    "Not really," he whispered, "but we either go forward and risk being shot down, or go back where we'll definitely be fired upon."
    "Rock and a hard place, then."
    "Alter course immediately, or you will be fired upon!"
    Nobody responded, so Taylor had to.
    "This is Colonel Mitch Taylor. Get me General White immediately. The General will clear us to land."
    "Hold your current position to confirm."
    "That's a negative. We're