Chapter 43
Captain Matt Williams woke up early, wanting to ensure the element he found himself leading was awake and rolling as soon as possible. They had a lot of ground to cover if they wanted to get to Fort Eisenhower in time to conduct surveillance before the scheduled date of the attack, not to mention meeting up with other forces. And, when they got closer, they would have to slow down significantly and send out recon patrols to avoid any elves.
That would change if he could convince his prisoner to reveal information about the elf commander in the area, and what she knew of how they organized patrols, and what exactly their objectives were. The only problem with that was convincing the elf that humans actually had a chance of winning. Thus far the prisoner seemed certain that Savage Company and the others would be beaten, and she’d soon find herself being dragged in front of this mysterious Mother, who might, or might not, be her biological mother, he hadn’t decided yet.
The possibility of that was certainly not zero, even in Matt’s best estimates. Unless the company and other units could gain a fair number of levels between now and the assault, the chances that they actually managed to take the base would be low.
These three main problems occupied his mind while the camp had breakfast and packed up. Matt decided to bring an extra MRE and a second cup of coffee with him to the lead tank. He wasn’t sure what the elf ate, but so far she’d been willing to consume the MREs they’d fed her. Maybe she’d enjoy a cup of coffee and he could start a conversation about food.
As he climbed into the cramped quarters and strapped on the comms headset that would allow him to be heard by the prisoner, and if needed, the rest of the crew, he wondered how to strike up a conversation. Small talk probably wouldn’t work. There was very little common ground other than them both being soldiers, and commanders, albeit on opposite sides of the conflict. Maybe it was best to just bring up food directly?
As the driver and gunner checked in, making sure the comms system and other advanced electronics were working, Matt turned to face the elf, who’d been basically handcuffed and shackled to the commander's seat. The restraints were a bit makeshift, but ultimately they weren’t doing much to prevent the elf from escaping, the same way a “no weapons beyond this point” sign wasn’t what prevented people from robbing a bank. Instead, Matt himself took the job of the heavily armed guards inside the lobby.
If the elf decided she wanted to escape, she could likely break the bindings very quickly, but it would alert Matt, and then the real fight would start. He’d get the opportunity to figure out if his abilities were enough to take on something 12 or 13 levels higher than he was, restrained by the [Prisoner of War Contract] and the [Subservience Collar].
It was a sobering thought. Hopefully, food could win the elf over. Matt sat in the loader seat, a position he’d had some prior training on, as well as receiving a bit of a refresher course during the early part of the march on the first day. He doubted he’d be able to load rounds anywhere near as fast as a soldier actually trained for the position, but he at least felt somewhat competent. Instead of delaying the inevitable further, he handed the still-steaming cup of coffee up to the elf princess.
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She wrinkled her nose a bit but took the cup anyway, and then the MRE he handed her.
“I’m not sure what you eat, but the cup has a popular breakfast drink, called ‘coffee’ in it. Coffee has some mild diuretic properties, but it’s one of the main drinks humans consume with breakfast, and it’s comparatively high in caffeine, which is a natural stimulant. It can be slightly addictive if you consume it for long periods, but most people don’t mind. Tell me what you think once you’ve had a sip.” Matt informed.
The elf stared questioningly at the steaming cup for a moment before replying.
“It’s so hot. How do you drink something like that? It would be so much better if it were cold.”
“Well, some people do prefer iced coffee to the hot stuff. Unfortunately, out in the field, hot coffee is about as good as it’s going to get. Besides, this cup is fresh. At least you don't have to drink the day-old stuff from a gas station.” Matt replied.
The elf shrugged, before moving to consume the MRE, likely hoping for the coffee to cool off before drinking it. Matt waited expectantly, watching to see if he could determine what part of the MRE if any she enjoyed most. It seemed the prisoner enjoyed the entree most, lemon pepper tuna if he remembered correctly. Maybe elves liked fish?
After finishing the meal, the elf took another questioning look at the cup, which had stopped steaming. Seeming satisfied, she picked up the cup and took a sip. The reaction was almost immediate.
“Uuugh. That was… Not pleasant. It’s still so hot. Maybe if it were frozen?” she proposed.
Matt’s mind went a million miles a minute. He finally knew of something that the elf wanted. Something cold. Maybe ice cream? He’d have to think on it some, but for now, he’d have to do a bit of careful acting.
He sighed before replying. “Well… if we come across a half-decent coffee shop during our trip, and we have time, I’ll see if we can’t get some iced coffee for you to try. It’s too bad we’re so far behind schedule. We probably won't have much time to stop, since speed is our best defense against random elf patrols.”
He let the unspoken question hang in the air between them.
“Well… I suppose I might be able to provide you with some information on what I know, so long as you promise to avoid the patrols I tell you about, instead of setting up an ambush. Bring me a map, and you better deliver on your promise to let me try iced coffee.” the elf replied.
3 hours later, during the noon lunch break, Matt rounded up the other commanders, bringing the newly marked map with him. They quickly determined a new route of travel that would avoid the elf patrols the captive knew about. It would help the attacking element save about half a day of travel near the end of the march. Assuming the intel was valid.
First Sergeant Cabral would be in charge of organizing another special mission group, who’d leave tomorrow evening and look to verify the elf patrols were using the routes their prisoner had provided. If they confirmed, the element would divert onto the new route, and Matt would provide the elf princess with some iced coffee and maybe some fish if that observation proved true as well.
With their next course of action decided, the various companies finished eating and prepared to march off again.