Battle Earth X (7 page)

Bletchley had led the conversation so far and barely let another person get a word in. He carried on.

“The fact remains, we must establish a workable government for us to continue operating as a society. In time we will have elections, but we need a government now. We need…”

“We get what you are saying Deputy Prime Minister,” Huber interrupted, “We got it the first, second, and third time. You want to establish a civilian government then do so. But understand, that while you remain under the protection of the fleet, you will submit to the authority of the Navy. I will not have military decisions compromised by a civilian authority.”

“Is that what you will have, Admiral, a military regime with a puppet civilian one? Is this the sort of democracy we fought for?”

“I’m not aware you fought for anything, Mr Bletchley.”

“I played my part throughout this conflict, the same as you.”

“Sat behind a desk while my people…”

“Enough!” Dupont shouted.

The room was silenced and all looked to the Frenchman.

“We aren’t making any progress here, and we’re not going to if we go on. We have bigger things to worry about than this petty infighting.”

“Then what do you suggest we do? We need some resolution to this before there is chaos amongst our people,” replied Bletchley.

“What I suggest is irrelevant because you will not like it. And what you propose is unacceptable to those of us who have the safety of the fleet in mind.”

“That is not an answer, General.”

Taylor could see Dupont had to use all his willpower to refrain himself from launching a verbal assault against Bletchley, but somehow he managed it.

“Well?” Bletchley asked.

Dupont took a deep breath and finally spoke.

“Everyone around this table holds a substantial position of power. They did on Earth, and they continue to do so now. We each have concerns over our own little bit of power, whether we like it or not. None of us wants to compromise, and every one of us has some grand idea of how we should proceed. So we are at a crossroads. We need to try something different.”

Nobody said a word and waited to hear the magical solution to their problems.

“There is only one man in this room who can speak without bias or concern over his stake in a parliament or a fleet; one man who will put humanity first, and say and act without any hidden agenda. Colonel Mitch Taylor. A man I grew to hate and then love. I say we ask him to moderate, to decide what we should do. How better to act than ask a man of principle to decide for us?”

Taylor was shocked as discussions broke out through the room.

“Silence!” Huber ordered.

He got it.

“I agree with General Dupont. I have no idea what Colonel Taylor’s opinions are on these matters, but I trust in his judgement. Let’s hear him out. And if we can all agree with his take on this, perhaps there is a chance of getting this sorted yet, agreed?”

There was general agreement to at least hear Taylor out. Huber looked to Taylor to get started, but he didn’t know where to begin. He had not planned a single word for the meeting, nor thought about anything as monumentally important as this. He coughed and cleared his throat, slowly looking around.

“I…I am not of this world, but I will give you my opinion. We are at war, and this a military fleet under wartime conditions. All decisions regarding fleet movements and activity must fall under military authority. However, the military cannot govern civilians. I thought all of this was clear to everyone. The civilians must manage and govern civilian life, while working within the framework of a military operation. These are wartime conditions, and you all have your part to play.”

No one spoke as they waited for him to continue.

“We must have a civilian government for the human race, but that government must respect the knowledge and experiences of those who protect this fleet and have enabled humanity to go on. So form a government. Have military representatives within it to advise but not command the government. But activity regarding fleet management, manoeuvres, and strategy must remain within the hands of capable military leaders.”

Huber looked to Bletchley, who was at least a little appeased by his proposal.

“But you will still have a Naval Admiral holding supreme power among us?” he asked.

“While you remain under the protection of the Navy, yes. When we return to Earth, or establish a colony elsewhere, that can change. But right now, you are refugees under the protection of the Navy and other armed forces. They cannot protect you to the best of their abilities unless they are able to do so in the best manner they know how.”

Bletchley looked around for support, but he wasn’t getting it. Most of the other representatives were happy with what they had heard.

“Finally, some progress,” replied Huber, “It’s as simple as this. I want a vote. A majority agreement with Taylor’s proposals will see it pass, and we will jointly establish the representatives to make it happen. So now, a show of hands, all in favour.”

Fifteen hands went up, and it brought a smile to Huber and a sigh of relief.

“Thank you, Gentlemen. We will resume this meeting at 0800 hours tomorrow.”

Taylor was quickly out of his seat and heading for the door. Huber followed him. As they got to the corridor outside, the Admiral reached for his shoulder and stopped him dead.

“Thank you, Colonel. Thank you for standing with us.”

“I didn’t,” he replied, “I stood for what I believe is best for us all.”

“First question we have to ask ourselves, and we should have dealt with this much sooner, where are we, and what the hell is the significance of this place?” Huber asked.

Taylor found himself sitting at a different table now, one with just military officials and civilian experts.

“Let me welcome Mr Reiter, who some of you have met, and all are familiar with his technology.”

Reiter stepped into the room with his arm in a brace and a bandage around his forehead.

“Mr Reiter was lucky enough to make it off Earth with only minor injuries.”

Taylor stepped up to Reiter and shook his good arm.

“Glad you made it, Doc. We need you.”

“I know,” he replied modestly.

“Okay, so I want some answers. This system we’re in, what’s here? Are there living inhabitants? What the hell is that gateway, and whom does it belong to? Do the Krys know of our location? What planets do we have here, what resources do they hold, and are any of them habitable to any degree? These are the questions that need answers as quickly as can be done. You have been allocated into research teams to make this happen. Get moving and do your jobs.”

Taylor didn’t even know what he was doing there, as he could do little to help with what they needed, but he kept his mouth shut and waited.

“Sir, I’ve got Admiral Huang on the line. He has requested to talk with you immediately,” said one of his staff nearby.

Huber shook his head.

“All right, I’ll take it in my quarters,” he looked to Taylor, “Come with me.”

Taylor couldn’t help but feel he was being paraded around as a blunt instrument in Huber’s toolbox, but there was nothing he could do about it. He followed the Admiral and took a seat opposite his desk, outside of the view of the transmission about to come through. The Chinese Admiral was displayed for Huber a few seconds later. Taylor had never seen the man before and that surprised him.

Why was he not at the meeting with Bletchley?
Taylor asked himself.

“Admiral Huber. I hear you have assumed command of this fleet and are instating a government to rule it. We have not authorised this decision, and we do not accept your self imposed position as our leader.”

Here comes trouble,
Taylor thought.

“As the most senior and longest serving officer of this fleet, it is both my right and duty to take the reins and see this thing through,” Huber responded.

“I will not…”

Huber interrupted with a stronger tone.

“Let me make myself clear, Rear Admiral. I have seniority, and I am the leader of this fleet. Should you have a problem with that, you are most welcome to depart this fleet and go your own way. But I cannot advise more strongly against it.”

Huang was speechless.

“So you will shut me and my people out? You consider that acceptable?”

“No, as a leader of your people, I fully welcome your input on all military matters, and advise you to put forward representatives for whatever government may be formed in the coming days.”

“You are going to far with this, Admiral. You have not heard the last on this matter.”

The transmission ended. Huber simply reached for the bottle of whisky on his desk and poured it out into two glasses before passing one to Taylor. He would never have accepted it under normal circumstances in the past, but these were not normal circumstances. He took the glass and sipped it to find it was a smooth oak flavoured vintage that sparked all his senses and brought a lovely warmth.

“Yep, when a day sucks this bad, it helps,” said Huber, watching Taylor’s response.

“You know I’m not a politician, Admiral?”

Huber sighed. “Son, we all have to be and do things we never wanted or expected for ourselves. You are whatever we need you to be, just as I am. You don’t have to like it, you only have to give it your all.”

“But I suck at it. I’m just as likely to cause as much trouble as I resolve.”

“We’ll see about that. You’ve done just fine this far.”

“Huang is gonna come after you. He won’t let this go.”

Huber sighed. “I know, but we will deal with him in due course. We’re an almost random cross section of Earth’s population thrown together on a whim. We have to accept that it isn’t going to be plain sailing.”

Huber’s communicator flashed before him, and he accepted the call.

“Sir, I have a Captain Morris requesting an audience with you.”

Huber looked surprised and then to Taylor.

“He’s one of mine.”

“See him in,” Huber replied.

The door to his quarters opened and Morris entered. Taylor could immediately see the distress in his face.

“What’s up?” Taylor quickly asked before the Admiral could get a word in.

“I just heard my people didn’t make it off Earth.”

Huber looked to Taylor in surprise.

“You said he was one of yours?”

“He is, via the Moon Defence Force.”

“Admiral, did any of my people make it?”

“I do not have that information, Captain, but I can make some enquiries.”

“Please do so, Sir. They are my people. My family.”

Huber got to his feet, seeing the distress in Morris’ face.

“You have my word, Captain. I will do everything in my power to discover the fate of your people. They inhabited an area of Germany, if I remember correctly?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Then please leave this with me, and I will liaise with the contacts I have to find out whatever I can.”

Taylor got up and went to his friend. He placed a hand on his shoulder for comfort.

“You know Kelly. He either made it out or he’s fighting like hell.”

“Yes, that’s what worries me.”

“Trust me, and trust the Admiral. We’ll do what we can.”

Morris accepted his promise and stepped outside the quarters. Taylor took a seat once again before the Admiral.

“This is gonna get a lot worse, you know that?” Taylor asked.

“Yeah, I know.”

“What we need more than anything else right now is to stick together, work together, and fight together. Without that we are finished.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do, Colonel. Just not everyone sees it that way. I think we’re done here. I want you to make sure your people are on the top line and ready for anything. You defended this ship admirably. Please be ready to give such service at a moment’s notice whenever we need it.”

“You got it, Sir.”

Taylor got up and left. He’d only been awake a few hours, and he felt like he’d endured a few days of combat. He could sense the tension throughout the ship and could only imagine how much worse it was across the rest of the fleet. As he left the Admiral’s quarters, he finally looked at his watch and realised it was time to get dinner. He was hopeful he would catch a few of his unit still there.

He reached the canteen and found Parker waiting for him. There was nothing on the table before her except a glass of water. Silva sat opposite her. As he approached, they perked up. He could tell they had been waiting there for some time.

“Thought you’d vanished for good,” Parker said.

“You can’t get rid of me that easy.”

Taylor smiled as he passed them and queued up with a dozen others to get his meal. It was slumming it for an officer of his status, but he didn’t care.

“Colonel Taylor, isn’t it?” a man in the line up asked.

“Yes,” Taylor replied, looking over for the source of the question. As he did so, a fist struck his jaw and snapped his neck back. He staggered back a pace before getting his footing. He looked back in surprise to see a tall, well built Captain had struck him, and his eyes were full of hate and fury, yet Taylor could not understand why. The man wore a Naval uniform, but he was not American. As he turned slightly, Taylor could see a Spanish flag on his shoulder.

Parker and Silva leapt to their feet and came to Taylor’s aid, but he held up his hand to stop them in their tracks.

“That’s right, you son of a bitch, about time you fought your own battles!” the Captain sneered.

“Man, who the fuck are you?”

“Captain Rodrigo Cordero.”

Taylor spat out blood.

“And what the hell is your beef? You just took a cheap shot like a cheap bitch. So what is it?

“You’re a traitor, Taylor. You changed sides like the wind. You just pick and choose as suits you each day, and expect everyone to rally around you and treat you as some great fucking hero.”

“He is a fucking hero, you low life asshole!” Parker shouted.

She tried to rush forward in a frenzy, but Silva took hold of her and held her back.

“That’s right. You need a woman to fight for you because you’re too pussy to fight for real. Sure, you’ll fight on TV. You’ll fight some bullshit theatre for all your audience to applaud, but when the real fight comes, you can’t handle it.”

Taylor was astonished by what he was hearing. He could only imagine the man had bought into the propaganda spun by the UEN and the Krys agents working within it.

“You don’t know me. You’ve not seen what I’ve seen. What gives you the right to spill this kind of crap about me? What have you done through these wars? I’ve bled and fought, and suffered, and endured. I won’t justify myself to any one, let alone some low life sailor boy like you.”

The Spaniard picked up a nearby chair and swung it at Taylor, but he caught the legs and pulled hard so that the man was launched off his feet and over onto another table. The Captain sprawled rather unceremoniously over the table and landed the far side on the deck.

“Whatever hate you’ve built, it’s all bullshit,” Taylor said, watching the man haul himself to his feet.

He could see the bitter anger was burning ever greater in the Captain’s eyes. He wanted to kill, and there was no doubt about it. He rushed at Taylor in a frenzy and swung a hook with all his force. It was a powerful strike, but it was off balance and telegraphed. Taylor ducked under and delivered a sharp uppercut to his stomach, causing the man’s legs to lift off the ground slightly.

Taylor did not let up. He grabbed Cordero’s hair with his left hand and punched him with three heavy rights until blood gushed from his face, finally throwing him down onto the floor.

Cordero’s friends went to help him to his feet, but Taylor launched towards him. As he did so, one of the man’s friends swung for him, and it was all the cue Silva needed to join the affray, and Parker with him.

A few minutes’ later six men lay on the deck unconscious or crying in pain. Taylor, Silva, and Parker remained standing, and the ship’s marines rushed in with the master-at-arms in tow. They instantly recognised Taylor and hesitated, to which he responded.

“What are you waiting for? Do your jobs!”

Ten minutes later he found himself on a bench in the brig, with Parker and Silva in adjoining cells. After a few minutes of taking it all in Parker began to laugh. Her white teeth were coated in her own blood.

“What is so funny?” Silva asked.

“You know how good that felt? To not be fighting some giant monster, but to have a good old fashioned tussle? Makes me feel alive, more than I have done in a while.”

Silva shrugged. He understood what she meant but was hesitant to agree.

“What the hell was that guy’s problem?” he asked.

Finally, Taylor responded.

“He wasn’t wrong. Back before all this shit went down, I did change sides, and you know it. So did a lot of people. It was civil war on Earth. Only reason he picked on me is because I was on the news, and people made a big deal about it.”

“But you only ever did what you thought was right,” Silva replied.

“Yeah, and look where that’s gotten us.”

“It’s got us here alive.”

Taylor sat back against the wall and sighed. He couldn’t believe how many times he had been behind bars now, and somehow, he knew it was far from the last time. He knew the only way he could ever break the cycle was to become top brass, and that was the last thing he ever wanted to do.