2.45.
Diego stood in the hangar bay of the Yonohoan flagship, watching as Eolai prepared for a journey. He had been invited to Earth for a variety of purposes, and would be occupied for a week. This planned excursion had been in the planning stages for some time, and after the attack Eolai had finally managed to get the Earthlings to agree to it.
“Are you certain that this is the right time for you to be leaving orbit?” Diego asked his sworn-brother as the man monitored the Topokans who were in the process of loading the shuttle which would take him to the airport in New York City.
“With the surrender of the Yukopans, it is the best time. I will need to explain to your government how they must be handled. It is a very complex matter and will take up all of my time for the near future. The future of Earth may depend on the alliance with the Yukopans, and I will do my best as an intermediary between your two people,” Eolai explained. He smiled and patted Diego on the shoulder. “Besides, I am leaving my ship in very capable hands. Bob, transfer my full authority over this ship to my Brother, Diego Cruz.”
“Transfer complete,” the AI buzzed.
“Wait, you’re putting me in charge?” Diego asked. “I have no idea how to fly this thing.”
“Neither do I,” Eolai admitted. “I just tell Bob what to do and he does the hard work for me. You will be fine. And you have Bob to whisper advice in your ear. You will be defending your home world, Diego, and as long as you act with valor and honor, this ship will serve as a bulwark for the land upon which your family still lives.”
Diego sighed in frustration, but also understanding. “I accept command,” he said reluctantly. “Although I would still feel better if this burden did not rest on my shoulders.”
“If a burden like this is easy to bear, then you are not taking it seriously enough,” Eolai informed him. He smiled. “I have spent the last several months attempting to educate you on the role of a Son of Eodar. It is time to see if my teaching skills have improved at all since the last time I tried educating someone.”
“Yeah? I sense a story behind that remark,” Diego said.
“Indeed there is. However, ‘a gentleman does not kiss and tell,’” Eolai deflected.
“Now I want to hear it even more,” Diego objected.
Eolai laughed. “Perhaps sometime, when the danger is less and we have time for reminiscing about youthful dalliances.”
They embraced, both men having grown close to each other in the weeks that they had spent together aboard this ship, and they parted. Eolai got aboard his shuttle, the airlock opened, and was gone.
Diego returned to the bridge, watching with amusement as the Topokans reluctantly followed him. They were still afraid of him despite the time he had spent around them, but he thought that they were beginning to warm up a little bit. When he reached the bridge, he sat in the central chair and began pulling up the news feeds to monitor the intergalactic response to the conflict between Earth and the Rosantean empire.
~~~~~
“Hello John. How are you feeling today?” Olivia asked the boy.
Eodar sighed. “Very very bored.”
“That’s certainly understandable. How have you been filling in the time since we spoke last,” she asked.
“I enjoy spending my exercise times playing with the basketball. I am hoping that when I am released from this facility I might be able to play it with other children, and have been studying the rules and practicing so that I will be able to win consistently when I do,” he answered.
“You don’t have to win every game, John. It’s a sport, and it’s okay to lose sometimes. It’s not warfare, you don’t have to take it so seriously,” she pointed out.
“I know that,” he admitted. “But who likes to lose?”
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She laughed. “That is a good point.
They sat on the floor in the day room, with the loose sheets of paper that Eodar had been writing on spread around them. He had begun including sketches in his musings. Some surprisingly well done images of his classmates, instructors, and families. They were included as part of his ongoing project of detailing his past, a journey which Olivia was helping him with.
“Do you want to talk about what you wrote today before I read it?” she asked.
“I am worried that you will not understand why I made the decisions that I made. It was my actions during the death-march that earned me my rank, but my commander scolded me for putting my own life in jeapordy.” he explained.
“I am saddened to hear the words ‘Death-March’ from you in regards to your training, John. Do you want to talk about it, or do you wish for me to read it and then we can discuss what you wrote?”
“I am not ashamed of my performance during the death-march, Olivia. It was a practical exercise to prepare us for graduation. We were inserted into a planet with three times normal gravity,” Eodar explained. “We were expected to travel from our arrival point to the extraction site within the time limit. If we did not arrive, we were to be left behind. We were told that only two in three of us were expected to pass the test, and that all of us should fight to be one of the two. Instead, only one of my classmates fell. He broke his ankle and decommissioned himself rather than accept my offer to carry him the rest of the way. That is my only regret from those days. That I could not prevent him from joining he Honored Dead.”
Olivia restrained her emotions at hearing the boy describe in detail the grueling and agonizing marathon. It made her want to weep, but he spoke with pride over his actions in leading his unit through the trial. When the first of his unit fell from exhaustion, Eodar had carried her so that she was not left behind. When the second had fell, the others had followed Eodar’s example. Until the unfortunate accident they refused to leave a singe member behind.
Even when Eodar had fallen and ordered them to continue without him. His squadmates had refused his orders and carried him until he could move on his own power again.
She could see why he was proud of himself.
She hated the people who had done that to him.
“I am glad that you told me about that experience, John,” she said once he had fallen silent. “I understand how proud you are of your actions during that time, and I do not wish to say anything to take away from that pride. But the situation you were put in by High-Command makes me hate the people who trained you,” she told him.
“Without the actions of High-Command, humans would remain enslaved. Some of the worst enemies of humanity grew us for food, Olivia. They delighted in eating us alive and savoring the pain of a sentient being. If not for the actions of High-Command, this modern paradise you live in would be a much darker place,” he pointed out.
“That doesn’t mean that I have to like their methods. I refuse to believe that there was no other way than to do what they did to you and your classmates.”
Eodar shrugged and looked away. “Perhaps there was. Perhaps there was not. When it came time for those men to answer for their crimes, they stood fast and proud. Even as their victim I admire them for that.”
“I am told that one of the reasons why the men that you grew up to become were so admired was the refusal to take the easy path. That they constantly looked for a way to end the conflict and the bloodshed. Whether that was by destroying the enemy or making the enemy into a friend, you were always viewed as honorable and just,” she pointed out.
“They retired my imprints,” Eodar countered.
“Out of respect, John. It is illegal to print you out because of your religious beliefs, as I understand it. I do not really know what you believe about the afterlife, but perhaps we can discuss it sometime?” she suggested.
“Another day,” he said. “I do not want to dwell on the past any longer.”
Sarah nodded. “In that case, let’s talk about the future. I’m very happy to inform you that your scans show that your strength is approaching baseline and there has been talk about releasing you to a less secure environment. I was thinking about bringing you to the home of a person who is accustomed to dealing with children that have undergone trauma, but we can discuss the options if you want.”
“There is someone on Earth who would take me under their roof, knowing the truth about me?” Eodar asked.
“Yes. I’m just waiting for permission from the courts,” Olivia answered.
His eyes opened wide in surprise, then closed as he processed her meaning. “Thank you, Olivia. I think I wish to be alone now for a while.”
“Okay. I’ve given you a lot to think about. This has been a very productive therapy session, John, and I thank you for trusting me with the details of your past.”
She got up and walked out, waiting patiently until the security door unlocked.