Becker rushed out and followed the Private, and the others followed suit. They were led to the medical wing where they found Becker's commander lying on a bed with two medical staff stood over him. Becker went right to the Colonel's side. The Colonel was weak. Kelly didn't recognise him and did not even know his name.
"You're gonna make it, don't worry," he said, looking up at the two medics. They shook their heads.
"Don't give me that. The Colonel has to pull through this. Do something!"
"We're medics, not doctors. We have done everything we can for him."
"So what, that's it?" Becker shouted.
The Colonel reached up and took his hand, and that silenced him.
They all waited for the Colonel to speak, and finally he managed to at barely more than a whisper’s volume.
"It's okay. I'm done. You know I am."
A tear dropped down Becker's face. It was the most emotion they had seen since arriving. He had appeared such a cool and calm officer. Perhaps too calm and carefree Kelly had thought.
"Who's this?" the Colonel asked.
"Kelly, formerly Commander of the MDF."
The Colonel smiled and then looked back to Becker.
"Then you are in good hands. Trust him."
The Colonel took his last few breaths and finally passed. Becker was at a loss for words. Kelly could not help but feel surprised that his last words were in support of himself. He had never met the man, but Kelly could see he meant more to Becker than being his superior officer. Becker looked up to Kelly as more tears streamed down his face.
"How did you know him?" he asked.
Kelly shrugged. "I am sorry, but I have never seen this man before."
"And yet he trusted you."
Kelly shrugged once more. He was not able to explain it.
"He was my brother-in-law. The only family I had left," Becker added.
"Then I am sorry, truly, but he was not the last of your family."
Becker looked up, not understanding him.
"Your brother-in-law, you say?"
Becker nodded.
"So of no blood relation, and yet you called him family?"
"Yes."
"He was family because you chose to consider him as such, did you not?"
"I did. Always hated him for years and look, now I cry over his loss?"
"You made him your family. I am making you my family," added Kelly, "We have all lost the ones we love. We are all in the same boat. We might as well be family now, and we will fight and die as a family. I will call you a brother, Becker. Will you do me the same honour?"
He stretched his hand out in front of Becker and over the body between them. Becker had to think on it for just a few seconds before taking Kelly's hand and embracing him as a friend and brother.
Chapter 8
Taylor sat around a table of key officials just as he had done the day before, and more times than he wanted to count now. He wanted to sleep, or do anything but be where he was now, but it wouldn’t be allowed, not yet. He had to be debriefed and had to be there, according to Huber. He knew it was protocol.
But what the hell is protocol anymore?
“Colonel Taylor, are you with us?” asked a voice.
He looked up and around the room and couldn’t even tell where question had come from, as he’d gotten so close to a moment’s sleep.
“Yeah, I’m with you. What was the question again?”
“You described something called Juggernauts. Tell us more about them,” asked Dupont.
“They’re big, mean bastards. You don’t want to go anywhere near them. Our boys are having a hard time against them, and they were definitely the reason for such high casualties earlier today.”
He could see his straight talking and cursing was not something they were accustomed to at their table, but he wasn’t ready to apologise or change his manner.
“Okay,” said Huber, “Have we got a figure on our losses aboard the barge?”
Dupont was quick to answer.
“Current figures are four thousand three hundred and eight. Mostly civilians. At the moment, it is hard to tell the number of civilian and military losses. It will be several more hours until we have the exact stats.”
Huber shook his head. “As well as however many on the Goeben were actually friendlies. We could have well over five thousand dead. Five thousand!”
The room was still silent.
“Five thousand in the wars on Earth would be unsettling. Uncomfortable, undesirable, but now, it’s a tragedy. Ladies and Gentlemen, there are only so many of us left.”
Nobody said a word as Huber took in a deep breath and wiped his brow. Taylor could see his unease at being the leader of humanity as far as they knew it. It was more weight on anyone’s shoulders than he could ever imagine.
“Five thousand in a single day? We cannot survive at this rate. Things have to change.”
“But how can that happen while we do not have a system of government?” Bletchley asked.
He was one of the few civilian representatives at the table, and they all turned to him with a look of scorn.
“The fleet, these people, they need…” added Bletchley.
“They need to survive!” Huber interrupted loudly.
“And there is more to that than…” Bletchley began to scream.
Huber smashed his hand on the table. It was hard and loud enough that it silenced Bletchley.
“Bletchley, you might have understood the politics of running a government back on Earth, but you have no idea what it is to manage a fleet under such desperate conditions as we face today.”
Huber got up from his chair and paced around the room. He rubbed his chin and grumbled as he carried on pacing around them all. Taylor could see he was contemplating a painfully difficult decision, and everyone waited for him to make it. Finally, he got back to his place at the table and leaned over it.
“I have had enough of this bickering and arguing. I do not want to do what I have to, and never wished or hoped for it. We do not have a government, or any means of establishing an effective one at this stage. I am declaring this a military matter, and therefore the civilian authorities will adhere to military control for the safety of us all. As the ranking officer of this ship and the fleet, I am taking charge under martial rule until such time as the safety of this fleet allows a civilian government to be formed for the benefit of us all.”
“But we have already begun setting up a regime,” Bletchley stuttered.
Taylor could see in the man’s eyes that all he wanted was his slice of power and that made him feel sick, but he said nothing. He could see Huber had the situation well in hand.
“Continue to establish your government, and maybe it will be of use. But it will submit to my authority until such time as it is fit to rule, and we are in a position of safety which permits a civilian government to operate.”
“But…who knows when that could be?”
“Indeed, who knows? That is the very reason for making this decision, Mr Bletchley.”
“Deputy Prime Minister…”
“Mr Bletchley!” Huber balled, “You might have been something special on Earth, but now you are nothing more than a single man who is yet to prove himself or be deserving of any more respect than I have given you. If you hadn’t noticed, Earth is gone; at least for us. Whatever we do now is entirely new and built from the ground up. Our military leaders are decided for us because we are stuck in the jobs we have been doing throughout. As a representative of your government’s parliament, I would expect you to have a key role in establishing a government, but that must be earned. Have I made myself clear?”
“Yes,” he mumbled.