Chapter 62: Chapter 61: The Death of Commander Rooney

The Death of Commander Rooney hit the entire colony of Vesta like a sledgehammer. It was a pivotal moment in their history, quite like when the bears first started attacking. It suddenly forced everyone to realize that their control of the planet was more tenuous than previously believed.

After all, if the bears could get someone like the commander of the entire VDF, who could possibly be safe from their reprisals?

The funeral for Rooney was held the following day in traditional Vestan fashion. Since the bears had absconded with the body, there was nothing to bury apart from an empty casket. And since Rooney was considered part of the leadership despite not being on the Council, his funeral was held in the open quad in the center of the city so that everyone could attend.

For Alex, it was a weird place to be. He was the one that conducted the initial investigation into Rooney’s death, finding that the attack that killed him occurred much like other, earlier attacks. Rooney had been riding a rover on his way back from the mining biosphere. There was only one other person in that rover, the driver, and they’d slowed down to come out of the foothills and onto the plain.

That was when the bear struck. The force of the blow overturned the rover completely and injured the driver enough to give him a concussion. There was a rover following just behind Rooney’s who saw the whole thing, watching as Rooney was carried off by the ferocious bear.

With Rooney being gone, the entire VDF suddenly looked to Alex for their leadership, being second-in-command of the force. Though Alex was used to having a command role, it was still strange for him to fill Rooney’s shoes, even if the VDF was smaller than the Bastard’s Battalion.

What made it even worse was knowing that it was still temporary.

In fact, that was the reason why an impromptu Council meeting had been called that evening, the day after the funeral, to discuss the future leadership of the VDF. As was usual, Alex and Annette walked to the meeting together, and she seemed to think the meeting was more of a farce than anything.

“It’s a complete waste of time,” she explained. “Rooney chose you to be his second-in-command. Why do we need a meeting to decide his successor when it’s already so clear-cut?”

“Because Belladonna likes to be a pain in our ass,” joked Alex. “Why else would she do it?”

Annette scowled. “One of these days, I swear to god, Alex. I’m going to kick her . . . right in the vagina.”

The imagery alone made Alex start to laugh. “Kick her . . . in the vagina?”

“That’s assuming she has one and it’s not some kind of black hole that sucks in men and all life itself,” grumbled Annette.

“You really have a way with words, Annette. I can see why you decided on politics.”

“My mother always said I had a potty mouth.”

“I can’t imagine how she got that idea.”

Annette poked him as they entered the Council room, finding that Belladonna and Cassara were already in their seats. As was quickly becoming tradition, neither woman acknowledged their presence unless they absolutely had to (usually during a meeting). Alex and Annette took their seats in the quiet room and waited for a few minutes for Serrano to show up. At least he got a greeting.

“Councilor Serrano, good to see you,” said Belladonna warmly. She stood up to hug him before returning to her seat.

“Why does she feel the need to be so formal with him?” whispered Alex to Annette.

“It’s like she doesn’t realize that we know she’s fucking him,” replied Annette.

They both snickered to themselves as the meeting was called in order.

Belladonna started off the meeting by standing up again. “Very well, Councilors, we have the gravest of occasions that brings us together today. Our great Vestan Defense Force has lost its commander, a man who was like a father to the force. Commander Rooney was a tireless, selfless, and strategic leader the likes of which we won’t easily replace. And yet, that’s what we need to do today. We need to find a worthy successor, one that will carry the torch that Rooney did so effortlessly.”

Annette yawned audibly, earning the attention of the rest of Council (as well as Belladonna’s scowl).

“Could you be any more disrespectful, Annette?” snapped Belladonna. “Our great commander is dead.”

“I’m well aware of that, Belladonna,” replied Annette. “I was just confused on who’s obituary you were giving—Commander Rooney’s or Allen Vesta’s.”

“Are you saying that Rooney wasn’t an exemplary leader?” asked Cassara. “He led the VDF for over seven years.”

“Seven years of turmoil with near constant bear attacks,” interrupted Annette. “Listen, I’m not here to debate Rooney’s qualities. He was a good commander but he wasn’t perfect. I think if we had better defenses, we might not have had so many bear attacks. Someone has to be responsible for that.”

“Someone was responsible for that, Annette,” scowled Belladonna. “But unfortunately for us, you let her get off scot-free.”

Annette smiled. “I believe that was a unanimous decision of the Council but I digress. I’d like to get on with the naming of the new commander of the VDF.”

“That won’t be easy,” said Belladonna. “We’re going to need to vet potential new commanders and that’s going to take a lot of time. I’m committed to continuing this until we know we have the best person in the colony running the VDF.”

“At least we can agree on that,” replied Annette. “I happen to know the best person to command the VDF.”

Belladonna smiled cruelly. “And just who might that be, Annette?”

“I’m sitting next to him,” said Annette while pointing to Alex. “The current second-in-command and captain of the VDF—Alex Hawthorne.”

The reactions from the other three people in the room varied as soon as Alex’s name was announced. Serrano had no visible reaction, which Alex found most confusing. Just what was he up to? Cassara rolled her eyes but said nothing out loud.

It was Belladonna who started foaming at the mouth at the mere mention of his name.

“I think we deserve to find a more qualified leader than Councilor Hawthorne,” said Belladonna condescendingly. “Especially someone who isn’t so new to Vesta. These things tend to require an experienced hand, and I don’t think that someone who’s been in Vesta for less than a month is a great option.”

Almost as an afterthought, Belladonna looked at him. “No offense to you.”

Alex smirked. Her version of “no offense” was the same way he would tell someone else to “eat shit.”

Annette had no problem telling Belladonna exactly what she thought about her opinion.

“Like usual, you’re completely misguided and off base,” said Annette with a simple shrug.

Belladonna slapped her hand on the table. “You would do well to remember who is the chairwoman of this Council, Annette!”

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“Believe me, it’s impossible for us to forget, Belladonna. You remind us every chance you get.”

“Is there a point to all of this?” asked Serrano, speaking up for the first time in the meeting. “As entertaining as it is to watch you two go at it, I’d rather we get to the point so I can go back to what I was doing.”

The statement was remarkable if only because it was the first time Serrano had said something that didn’t make Alex want to punch his lights out.

“Councilor Serrano brings up an excellent point,” said Annette before turning to Alex. “Alex, how many years did you serve with your battalion during the Orbital Wars?”

“Fifteen years in total,” he answered.

Annette smiled. “And how many of those years were spent in some form of leadership capacity?”

“Ten of them. I was one of the deputies for our commanding officer, one that helped with the planning and execution of our operations.”

“And Alex, remind me again, how many men were in the battalion in total?” she asked sweetly.

“At any one time? Approximately three hundred. Sometimes more or less depending on attrition.”

“Three hundred is much more than the current size of the VDF,” noted Annette. “One last question, Alex, and thank you for putting up with this. How many bears have you killed now?”

“How is that the least bit relevant?” shrieked Belladonna.

Alex smirked. “I’ve killed three bears now.”

“Ah, that’s right,” said Annette with a flare of theatricality. “That makes you the only man in Vesta who’s done so.”

“Okay, Annette, I think you’ve made your point,” said Cassara after a deep sigh. She looked directly at Alex. “Do you want the job? Are you ready to be the commander of the VDF?”

“It’s not your position to offer him that job,” Belladonna said to Cassara. “We have to vote on it!”

Cassara held up her hand. “I see where this is going and like Councilor Serrano mentioned, we all have places to be. So, I’m going to ask again. Councilor Hawthorne, are you prepared to take over the VDF?”

“I am,” said Alex. “I think I can do a lot of good in that role. And at very least, bring down the number of bear attacks.”

Belladonna snorted. “If a man like Rooney couldn’t do it, I fail to see how someone like you could.”

Alex gave her a friendly smile. “I look forward to proving you wrong then.”

Annette let out a small laugh. “All in favor then of Alex taking over as commander? Who is voting yes?”

Not surprisingly, Alex and Annette both raised their hands. They were joined by Cassara, who looked utterly uninterested in the meeting by this point and just wanted it to be over. To Alex’s surprise though, Serrano joined her in confirming him as well.

Seeing the numbers against her, Belladonna started to mumble obscenities. She ran out of the room in the huff, still muttering about the “travesty of justice” she’d just witnessed before she was gone.

Annette grinned and turned toward Alex. “I think the yes’s have it then. Congratulations on your promotion, Commander Hawthorne.”

Before the meeting could end, Cassara had to try one more time to spoil the mood. She gave Alex a sharp look.

“I hope you know how much responsibility is riding on your shoulders now,” she said. “You’re charged with the protection of the entire colony. There’s no room for mistakes now. If it turns out that your actions aren’t as impressive as your resume, you’ll be removed or worse. I hope you realize that.”

She didn’t give him a chance to respond before leaving the room with Serrano right behind her. Once they were gone, Annette slid her chair closer until she bumped into him.

“I really like having you on the Council,” she said with a grin. “I’ve never had this much fun pushing Belladonna’s buttons.”

Alex chuckled. “I’m glad I can be part of your fun. Quick question for you though. Does Belladonna ever end a Council meeting without storming off first?”

Annette let out a giggle. “It wouldn’t appear that way, would it?”

“How did a woman like that ever wind up in leadership? She seems completely ill-suited for it.”

“It’s the power of politics, Alex. And last names. Belladonna’s family has been in Vesta since the beginning. The Worthingtons were powerful allies of the Vestas at one time. It’s only this generation that’s seen such a wide gulf between them.”

“That’s hard to believe,” replied Alex. “I can’t imagine Ellie and Belladonna ever getting along.”

“No, it’s much more fun to piss off Belladonna,” said Annette. “By the way, congratulations are in order. Belladonna did have a point about one thing. You haven’t been here long and you’re already on the Council and in control of the VDF. Some might say that makes you the most powerful man in Vesta.”

“Who would say that, Annette?”

She reached over with her foot and gently caressed his shin. “Oh, just any girl that digs powerful men.”

“Not you too,” groaned Alex as he started to think of Ellie. He had enough female attention right now that he didn’t need Annette coming onto him as well.

Annette giggled again. “I’m just teasing you. Maybe. I don’t really know anymore. But what I do know is that you still haven’t given me my swimming lesson. And I’m beginning to wonder whether you really want to learn how to play Slogger at all.”

“I know, I know. I haven’t forgotten,” said Alex, rubbing his chin. “Maybe we could do it tomorrow morning? I should be free.”

Annette grinned. “It’s a date.”

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