“Would you join me for a drink this evening?” asked Mitch.
“It would be a great honour.”
A warm shower was a welcome end to the day’s work. He stepped out and stood in front of the mirror. His wounds were all but gone from his body. He was still for a moment as he enjoyed the sensation of being both clean and unhurt. After a year in a state of pain and squalor, he had found a new appreciation for a peaceful life. He stepped out to his bedroom, reaching for his clothes when he realised someone else was in the room. Mitch’s heart rate shot up. He knew a weapon was not to hand.
“A chance of a day of peace, and you’re still working.”
He turned to see Eli sat in the corner of the room. She looked far from amused, yet still glad to see him.
“Leave no man behind,” he replied.
She shook her head in disapproval.
“How many times do we have to go through this? They are not humans, and they sure aren’t marines. They are not your responsibility. Only a few months ago, they were probably killing our allies.”
“After all they have done for us, they are my responsibility. We have been at war with many nations in the past, and yet we stood beside them in the last war. Anyway, I will have no more discussion about it. Jafar and Tsengal are members of our unit. We each rely on one another. If you cannot, I suggest you request a transfer.”
Eli sighed in disgust and leapt up from the chair. She charged across the room and ripped the door open, leaving in a furious rage. He shook his head in response. Her overly dramatic response didn’t impress him one bit.
“And to think I looked forward to this shit,” he muttered.
He turned his mind back to the day’s events and remembered he had agreed to meet Major Weller shortly. Mitch walked barefoot across the smooth floor, enjoying the relaxing sensation that was easing his mood. He tapped the button on his wardrobe, and the doors slid apart. Inside was a line of uniforms that were immaculately clean and had been untouched in a long time.
Mitch reached in for his dress uniform and realized quite how long it had been since he had last seen it, let alone worn it. A few minutes later, he was strutting across the base and looking a far cry from his bedraggled appearance from earlier in the day. Meeting Weller had given him a glimmer of hope for his future on the base. Despite being loved by so many of the serving marines, he was ever more hated by so many of his superiors and others in the service.
As he stepped into the mess, he could see Weller had identified him immediately and turned to the barman to order him a beer. He stepped up to the bar and thanked his new acquaintance.
“You sure know how to win friends,” said Mitch.
“I didn’t think I needed to.”
Taylor threw back his beer and took a long relaxed sigh as he slumped down against the bar.
“Just when you thought it was all over, eh?” asked Weller.
“I never thought for a minute that this was over,” he whispered. “We’ve humiliated an enemy which consider themselves infinitely superior to ourselves. Do you think for a minute that they would let it slide? They are down but not out.”
“I have to say, you’re not as I expected at all, Taylor. Your reputation made you appear as a glory seeker.”
“Don’t hold back now,” he replied with a smirk.
Weller held out his arm in friendship.
“The name’s Bryan.”
Taylor accepted his gesture.
“Mitch, and for the record, you’re not the pencil pushing stuck up bastard I would have expected, either. You are no stranger to this war, where were you?”
“New York, from the very beginning. I was liaising with the National Guard there when the invasion of the east coast began. I lost communication with my CO and jumped on the first truck I could find to take me to the front. We thought we could hold them there and then. We were wrong.”
“You saw all of that, and yet you treat Jafar and Tsengal with such respect?”
“You do, don’t you?”
“I have my reasons. You have none.”
Weller raised his eyebrows and turned back to his drink, thinking about Taylor’s observance. Bryan finally looked back to Mitch who was awaiting some answer.
“I guess it’s my job to give these things a little more consideration. The automatic response of a human being now is to want to kill the aliens upon first sight, but isn’t that what human beings have done to each other for thousands of years? We need to be a little more progressive. Somehow, you have managed to find allies among them. If two defected, maybe more could follow?”
Taylor shook his head. Bryan could tell that he was not at all convinced.
“No? So what made those two so special?”
He remained silent for a moment. The moment they became his allies was still something he had not fully explained or shared with anyone, but he knew the time would come when he would have to do so.
“When we captured Lord Demiran on L2, those two lay down their weapons and surrendered to us. During the chaos of the attack on the station, they managed to escape, just as all soldiers have a duty to attempt.”
Weller leaned in closer to hear Taylor’s low voice.
“Go on.”
“During their re-capture, an officer subordinate to me tried to execute them, despite not presenting any threat. Having saved their lives, that same officer attempted to take mine, and very nearly did. Those aliens saved my life. They did the right thing, but I can never go on the record with such information. We saved one another’s lives, and in doing so have eternally earned each other’s trust.”
Weller took in a deep breath and sat up straight on his stool.
“Most interesting,” he replied. “And you have told this to no one else?”
“Not the whole truth, no.”
“And now those around you doubt your belief in our alien friends, and you cannot explain to them why you place your trust?”
Taylor nodded in agreement. He was impressed that the Major was so quick to understand the situation.
“You were right to remain silent. There would be a violent backlash if it became known that they had killed one of our officers, no matter how justified.”
Taylor was still unsure of Weller’s endgame, but he had a good feeling about the man. He surprised himself that he had come out so quickly with that story having never told anyone.
“You were quick to get that out of me, and I commend you. I only hope you use such information wisely.”
“Those two could be vital in the coming years. We need all the help we can get if there is any chance of gaining more foreign support, or even creating dissent among their ranks. It could make all the difference.”
Weller threw back the last of his beer and laid the bottle down on the bar.
“This is it for me. I have further notes to make, and we both need our rest. I will see you at 0900 hours at the cells.”
Taylor nodded in agreement and lifted his bottle in a sign of friendship. As the Major walked away, Mitch thought hard about their newfound friendship. He’d never come to trust anyone so quickly before, and that still made him suspicious, despite not having any reason to doubt Weller.
He returned to his quarters to rest out for the night. The room was silent, and it was clear Parker had not been back. As much as he’d have liked her there when he returned, he hated the fact she was being so unreasonable.
It had been so much easier during the war, he thought.
Climbing into bed alone was lonely, but it was just the tranquillity he needed to rest and recuperate. Mitch was finally feeling that his body was recovered from the brutal year it had endured.
It was 0901 and the two officers were sat at the table, as they had been the day before. Only this time, Taylor’s shorts and sandals were gone and replaced with more suitable attire. Weller read out his name, rank and others present for the records before beginning.
“Your former Lord Demiran and his kind. How did they get to their position of power?”