July 11th

The squawk of birds overhead sent an eerie mood through the camp. I stood before fifty soldiers who looked fresh. If there was one thing I wasn’t, it was a general. Fortunately, I didn’t need to lead the army. Instead, Lieutenant Eric Daniels took charge. He was a thirty-seven-year-old man with a friendly face. However, he should’ve been competent since he reached the rank of lieutenant.

I grabbed my report and announced, “Alright, what we have here is a story of treachery. Arthur Campbell has decided to betray the human race for the aliens. While we do not intend to kill off the aliens, we’ll need to kill Campbell’s allies. We should capture Campbell alive. He should stand trial for his crimes.”

As I stepped down from the podium, Lieutenant Daniels walked onto it and used the projector to display his plan. “As you can see,” he began, “we have very little intel on Arthur Campbell and his native allies. What we do know is that Campbell’s followers are aliens and not humans. And with the information Quentin gave us, we know that Campbell has decided to ditch modern technology to embrace a tribal way of life. The enemy will be fighting a guerilla war. Beware of ambushes, hit and runs, and guard the supply line. Our technology will our advantage.”

One soldier raised his hand. Lieutenant Daniels nodded, making the soldier ask, “Sir, what if the enemy decides to fly over us? Surely, we can’t just shoot straight into the air?”

Daniels brought up a slide with a picture of the alien’s anatomy. He pointed to the wings and explained, “As birds, the arms of the aliens are replaced with wings. While it gives them the ability to fly, the birds will be unable to use their weapons while in flight. Other than risky drops, they’d have to land before engaging. So, while they’re in flight, the avians are sitting ducks, so to speak. Think of them as paratroops. When landing, they are extremely easy to attack. Combined with our guns, the enemy should be easy to defeat if we catch them flying.”

“Are we’re safe, sir?” one of the soldiers asked as he scratched his head.

Daniels frowned and sighed. “Unfortunately, no. Remember what I said about guerilla warfare? Ambushes are going to be the problem. Our new armor may provide some protection. For this armor design, we decided to take a page out of the past. Since our opponents won’t be using guns, wearing plate armor becomes practical again. It’ll give us protection against spears, arrows, swords, and most other ancient weapons. However, the traps may still prove dangerous.”

Daniels switched the slides to show the new design for the soldiers. A soldier encased in steel armor with a blue paintjob appeared, though looking more science-fiction than medieval. The helmet looked similarly like a typical science-fiction helmet with a strong yet transparent visor. The gun was a standard issue, but that was beside the point. It was far superior to anything the aliens would have. Our chances wouldn’t be that good against other humans, but we should be fine. All we had to do was defeat Arthur and his allies before we could focus on the other humans.

I looked over the squad compositions and smiled. Daniels grabbed the assignments and said, “Alpha Squad, your task is to be the reconnaissance. You’ll scout ahead to chart the terrain and attempt to find enemy movements. Remember, the enemy has the homefield advantage that will be difficult to dislodge. Bravo and Charlie Squads, you’re to be the main attack force. Bravo will take the front while Charlie holds the rear. Delta, take the middle.”

I looked over at another group and announced, “Echo and Foxtrot Squads, you’re going to focus on a different though close sector. Don’t go far enough that you can’t receive or give backup. Remember, your safety is important.”

Daniels clapped and said, “Okay teams, let’s roll out! Remember to keep your infantry fighting vehicles fueled and ready to escape should the time come! I don’t want anyone here trapped in the forest with the psychotic birds around!” The squads nodded as they headed to the armory.

Before I could leave, Daniels patted my shoulder and said, “Quentin, my boy, your brain is too important to lose on the battlefield. You’ll need to stay behind in the settlement and give orders from the command center.”

“Lieutenant Daniels, I’m one of the best there is! I have literal psionic powers that I could use to win the battle!” I protested as I clenched my fists. “Scarlett is out of commission, and I want to make sure she’s properly protected!”

Lieutenant Daniels nodded and explained, “Firstly, you’re literally a civilian. We can’t have civilians fighting on the frontlines. You’re mostly going to be consulted by the generals since you seem to know a lot about the Corvians or whatever you called them. That and your wife knows a lot about the traitor. That could be a conflict of interest, but I know you. It means you have valuable information on him. Scarlett knows how Arthur thinks and how he plays his game.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Which brings me to my second point,” he continued, “your wife is pregnant. While I may never understand why you fell in love with a literal foxy woman, I know this is an important time for you. Your child will need a father, and there’s no need for you to risk your life on the frontlines. Just stay here and perhaps protect the settlement if it ever comes under fire. Am I clear?”

“Yes, sir,” I said with a nod. While it was disappointing, he made good points. My place was in this town, not some military campaign. I would be the man at the war room, sketching plans and handing them out.

I walked through the settlement to the town hall. It was a spartan building with a few bureaucrats at work, which was all that was needed at this early stage. The employees looked at me and asked, “Mr. Smith, what is the name of this settlement? We need something for the world to know us by.”

I walked to my table and sat down in the folding chair provided. Steepling my fingers, I looked at the people in the building and announced, “I’ve decided on a name. From henceforth, this settlement will be known as Eastlake, for an entirely obvious reason. I considered Smithville and Campbelltown, but those sound egotistical. Ultimately, it matters not who the founds are as long as the town prospers. That and my family won’t rule the settlement forever. Elections will come and that’ll determine our new leaders. We are still a democracy; we just have a provisional government until the crisis is over. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Mr. Smith, you’re clear,” a middle-aged woman said with a nod before returning to her folding table. The other employees nodded and returned to their work.

I turned to my paperwork and saw all that I had to sign off on. Zoning regulations, migration requests, building permit requests – some of which were from my own wife, and the list went on. There was a request to build a nuclear power plant, which required me to sign off on a migration request from at least seven nuclear physicists. It was a lot to do and I needed some people to help me. While I would ask for Scarlett to help, her real estate venture meant that I couldn’t get her help without breaching the separation between business and government.

I groaned as I laid my head on a stack of papers. I should’ve been out there fighting Arthur and the aliens, but I was here doing paperwork. It was important work, make no mistake, but it was nowhere near as fun. I’d rather shoot down enemies than shoot down proposals. Nevertheless, this was my duty which I had to do.

As I signed off on the latest zoning regulation, I noticed something reddish in the corner of my eye. I looked up and smiled as I saw my wife walk in, her tail wagging as she sat down across from me. Scarlett looked into my eyes and placed her soft paw-hands on my hands. “Quentin,” she softly said as she looked at the bags under my eyes, “take a break. It looks like you need one.”

“I can’t,” I replied as I looked back at my paperwork. “This town needs its mayor to guide it and this pile of paperwork is only going to grow. I can’t ask you to help since it’d be corrupt to bring in a businesswoman who is also my wife to deal with city policy.”

“I see,” she replied as she looked out the window. “But perhaps you can learn to delegate. In the business world, delegation is paramount. No one can do everything and sometimes you need to assign tasks to others. Government is no different. Perhaps you should hire a secretary and some officials to work in their areas of expertise to help you lighten the load. Remember, our child is going to need a father in their life. I hope you remember that.”

“I know, Scarlett,” I said with a sigh as I picked up the phone. I dialed the front desk and asked, “Could you please start searching for experts in city management, finances, energy, education, and other relevant fields? I can’t do this on my own.”

“It’s about time that you figured that out,” the woman on the other side snarked as she put me on hold. After a few minutes, she picked up the line again and said, “Done! They’ll be here tomorrow. Now, get some rest, Mr. Smith! You can’t take everyone’s load on yourself!”

“But what if everyone else is lazy!” I shouted back as the stress was getting to me. “I can’t afford to let something fail because no one else does work!”

“Sometimes, you have to let a nonvital project fail to kick others into doing their part,” the woman replied. “You’re only human, Quentin. I hope you remember that.”

“I guess you’re right. I guess I’ll go home for the night,” I replied before hanging up the phone and looking back at Scarlett.

Scarlett grabbed my hands and stood up. “Come on,” she said with a tilt of her head. “Let’s go by the lake. It’s beautiful and I think you’ll enjoy it.” She led me out of the town hall and into the streets of town.

We walked to the lake and sat down by the shore. Its crystal-clear depths were gorgeous as we looked together with our hands held. I knew that I had a good life. My loving wife cared for me, and we had a family on the way. Though it wasn’t the life I envisioned for myself a few years ago, now I couldn’t imagine it any other way. Scarlett leaned her head on my shoulder, her soft fur comforting me and warming me up. I scratched the back of her head and leaned in for a sort of hug.

“Do you think we’re having a son or a daughter?” Scarlett asked as she looked into my eyes.

I scratched my chin and replied, “That’s a good question. Honestly, I think we’re going to have a daughter with your eyes and fur.” Scarlett chuckled at the remark.

She showed off her claws and said, “Perhaps our child will be a son as brave and kind as his father. I can imagine his heart of gold and the happiness he’ll bring into our lives.”

“No matter what, the child will be ours to raise and guide,” I replied as I scratched her muzzle. “Our baby will have two loving parents and a whole future to look forward to, even if vulpine.”

Scarlett smiled and said, “And since the child will naturally be vulpine, they’ll see themselves as normal.” She looked at the sunset and said, “Perhaps by then, our mansion will be built and our child can live in luxury.”

“Or perhaps I’ll just get a normal job with my degree and have our child grow up comfortably even if not rich,” I replied as I smiled about the future.

We sat together, letting the calm of the lake wash over us. This was our future and I couldn’t wait.