Nick Thomas - Battle Earth V

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Now, these creatures are not human, and therefore are not necessarily bound by our law, unless we choose to treat them as enemy combatants. For now, they will remain in holding for their own protection and to assist us in our research. As a result, you may visit them anytime you like. You, as their acting CO may be present during any and all questioning that takes places, and I suggest you are.”

“It just seems wrong, Sir. These two have proven themselves to us more than a few times already. They are as much marines as you and I. They deserve better.”

“I never said it was fair, Mitch. We need information. We cannot fret about upsetting a few individuals as a result of that. You above all should understand that.”

Taylor nodded in agreement.

“Got it, Sir.”

“And for God’s sake, stop getting into fights. I can only get you out of so much shit. The only reason you have got away with it all so far is based on your war record. The further we get from your glory days, the less leeway you’ll get.”

“Those MPs are total assholes, Sir. When will the day come when we don’t have to put up with such shit?”

“When you die or retire.”

Taylor smiled as he turned and walked to the door.

“The questioning of your two friends is being undertaken by Major Weller. He has strict orders to inform you before any and all contact.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

He stepped out of the room and looked down to see a few specs of blood on the floor where Ames had rushed off. The thought brought a smile to his face, and he quickly set off to find his two imprisoned friends.

Jones stepped into the officers’ mess and was immediately greeted pleasantly by many that knew of his reputation. He passed through them and exchanged a few greetings, as he made his way to the bar where he hoped to find Chandra. She was sat alone there, exactly as he had expected. She was savouring a whiskey that had clearly been stood for a while. She was never one to drink to excess, but he could tell she was far from at ease.

As he approached, she turned and acknowledged him but said nothing. He took a seat and asked for a drink. He looked once more and could see she was not ready to start a conversation.

“You don’t exactly seem ecstatic to be home. Isn’t this what we’ve been fighting for all this time?”

She took a small sip from her drink before answering him. Her voice was croaky. He didn’t know whether it was as a result of sitting in silence for a few hours, or for shouting for most of the day.

“Everyone is slacking off, as if they can return to the easy lives they had before the war.”

“Haven’t we all earned that?”

“In theory, yes. But the war should have taught us a valuable lesson. That we weren’t ready.”

“How could we be?”

“You prepare for the next war, not the previous one.”

“But we could never have had an idea of what was to come.”

“True, but now we do.”

Jones sighed. “I am not sure whether you want war or peace.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’d never want war, but that should not be a reason not to be ready for it.”

“Do you know something I don’t?”

She turned and smiled with a smug but friendly expression.

“Many things.”

Her face turned serious once again.

“Commander Phillips tells me that we have intel of enemy positions not far from the Mars colony. He is in talks to get an operation launched to investigate.”

“Mars? Not again?”

“Keep your voice down,” she whispered.

He looked around to see if anyone else had noticed his shock, but they were too busy enjoying their drinks and conversation. She continued.

“Not an attacking force from what we can see. Phillips believes they have been there from the very start. Perhaps some kind of logistical troops.”

“You don’t sound convinced.”

“It was our point of contact. They have maintained a presence throughout, and we still don’t know how they reached our Solar System.”

“What do you mean?”

“Where do they come from, do you think? They cannot have originated in our Solar System, or we’d have crossed paths long ago. It begs the question, how they got here? Their ships are fast, but it would take hundreds or thousands of years to reach a habitable planet, or wherever they came from.”

“And you think whatever they have left here will give us the answers?”

She nodded.

“I know you’re enjoying this new found peace, but it would be foolish and short sighted to forget what dangers still loom over us.”

Jones turned and sat back against the bar. He panned across the room and took in the atmosphere. There was a level of excitement and comfort amongst all there he had not seen before. Surviving the war had given them all a new perspective on their lives. And yet, here he was, having his hopes and dreams shot down by the Colonel.

“You’re going to volunteer for this investigative mission, aren’t you?” he asked.

She didn’t answer, but he knew what it meant.

“This why you’re pushing the troops so hard?”

“I’m keeping them in shape and ready to fight because that is what is needed of them. If we go on this mission, it should come as no surprise.”

“Can’t we let someone else do the dirty work for once? Seems no matter where we are, we always get the shit.”

“Plenty of soldiers had it hard in the war, just as hard as we did.”

“I doubt that,” he muttered.

She said nothing, and they both knew the world had suffered during the war, but it was hard to think of anything worse than their own experiences.

“After all that they did to you, don’t you want to take it to them?” she asked.

Jones twitched at the reminder of his experiences but peered into her eyes in surprise.

“Where does this bitterness come from?”

She didn’t respond, as they both knew no good could come of it.

“We’re going to Mars, the only question is when? Few will volunteer for it, so I can guarantee we’ll be involved.”

Jones stared at her for a moment. He wondered what she even wanted in life anymore. She seemed to live to fight.

Is this what we have become? He asked himself.

Taylor stepped into the holding cells where his two friends were being kept. Despite the General’s speech about them assisting the allies in questioning, it still looked as much as a prison as it always had. Every time he saw the bars of a cell, or the guards around them, it left a foul taste in his mouth. He forever linked his incarceration with the far more horrific and mortifying ordeal Jones had endured. He could tell that most of the guards knew of his reputation and were watching him with both a careful and untrustworthy eye.

Good, let them fear me.

He was led to the cell at the end of the corridor, but there were no bars, they had been covered over with a one-way thick glass. He could see the two of them talking to each other, but the sound was completely deadened by the walls of the cell. Then the silence was broken by footsteps approaching; the walk of a confident and arrogant man. He already knew it would be their interrogator.

“Major Taylor, I presume?”

Mitch turned to see that the man was clearly well aware of who he was, but didn’t want to admit it and risk stroking Taylor’s ego. Mitch nodded. He saw no need to open his mouth just yet.

“I am Major Weller, Corps of Offworld Intelligence and Research.”

“That’s a mouthful,” Taylor said quietly.

Weller smiled and tapped Taylor on the shoulder in a gesture of friendship.

“So you’re not with this lot?” Taylor gestured towards the MPs.

“No, formally Naval Intelligence.”