to what Taylor meant. Silva strode into view, and Morris was close by his side. They could see the distress on his face.
“What’s up, Colonel?” Silva asked.
Taylor barely knew how to explain it for a moment, but finally the words rolled off his tongue.
“Lasure just gave away everything we have worked for.”
“What do you mean?”
He looked at Morris. “He’s given command of our fleet over to Irala.”
“What? Why?” Silva asked.
Taylor shook his head.
“Well you did elevate the Captain to that position of authority.”
“What’s are you saying, Morris?”
Morris sighed as if he was insulted by the prospect of having to explain himself.
“He’s your monkey,” he began, “You elevated a lowly ship’s captain to the head of the fleet, the overall commander of the entire free peoples of the human race. Then you left him to manage it all. Not so surprising he turned to someone else, is it?”
“You’ve got a point,” he muttered.
“What was that? The great Colonel Taylor admits he might have been wrong?”
“I wish I wasn’t, trust me, Morris.”
Taylor began to pace back and forth, and once again found his temper was beginning to get the better of him.
“How could he give it all away so easily?” he asked himself, “How could he be so stupid?”
Finally, he came to an abrupt standstill and found Silva blocking his path.
“You’re not gonna fix this today. It’s been a long day for all of us.”
Taylor took a deep breath of air and tried to calm himself.
“What do you suggest?”
“Few beers. Relax and think about all this overnight.”
“Just as well.”
As he headed for the bar, he realised just how exhausted he really was. His first thought was to go right for his quarters and climb into a warm bed with Eli. But then it hit him like it always did. Imagining a world without her was impossible, and yet it was a reality for him now. He had nowhere to go. He didn’t even feel like anywhere was home anymore. He was starting to hate the foreign world they inhabited, but his own bed felt lonely. Above all else, he wondered what was even drawing him to Earth now. He knew there was nothing left for him there.
He took a seat at a table not far from the bar, and it seemed like half the personnel there were greeting him and singing his praise. It all sounded like kissing ass to him, but he knew it wasn’t. Captain King sat down and seemed remarkably cheery.
“What the hell is up with you?” he asked.
“You don’t know?”
“This thing with Irala taking over, right? What’s the problem? He’s a total badass.”
Taylor shook his head. “Never thought I’d hear you say it.”
“What? Accept that we need a little help. I’ll take it and go along with it if it gets the job done, and gets us back on our own turf.”
“But will it?”
King looked puzzled, and Morris sat beside them as Taylor carried on.
“We still don’t truly know these people. Let’s just not give too much away, more than we can afford to lose.”
With that, he necked his drink and headed on for bed.
A single drink?
He imagined how Eli would rib him for being such a lightweight, and it brought a smile to his face. Within minutes, he was in his bed and passed out. It would have been the best sleep he had gotten in years, were it not for all the thoughts that swirled around his head.
As he dreamt, his imagination took him far from the face of Eli until he saw the pain and destruction of all he had witnessed. Lastly, he imagined himself in shackles with Erdogan’s hands wrapped around his throat and squeezing the life out of him. Suddenly, he snapped out of the dream and awoke dripping in sweat. It was a horrible experience, but it only hardened his resolve.
Taylor leapt from his bed and pulled on his uniform. It felt awful as he was so filthy, but he was single-mindedly focused now, and nothing would delay him any longer. He rushed out of his quarters to find the sun was only just in the
“What’s up, Colonel?” Silva asked.
Taylor barely knew how to explain it for a moment, but finally the words rolled off his tongue.
“Lasure just gave away everything we have worked for.”
“What do you mean?”
He looked at Morris. “He’s given command of our fleet over to Irala.”
“What? Why?” Silva asked.
Taylor shook his head.
“Well you did elevate the Captain to that position of authority.”
“What’s are you saying, Morris?”
Morris sighed as if he was insulted by the prospect of having to explain himself.
“He’s your monkey,” he began, “You elevated a lowly ship’s captain to the head of the fleet, the overall commander of the entire free peoples of the human race. Then you left him to manage it all. Not so surprising he turned to someone else, is it?”
“You’ve got a point,” he muttered.
“What was that? The great Colonel Taylor admits he might have been wrong?”
“I wish I wasn’t, trust me, Morris.”
Taylor began to pace back and forth, and once again found his temper was beginning to get the better of him.
“How could he give it all away so easily?” he asked himself, “How could he be so stupid?”
Finally, he came to an abrupt standstill and found Silva blocking his path.
“You’re not gonna fix this today. It’s been a long day for all of us.”
Taylor took a deep breath of air and tried to calm himself.
“What do you suggest?”
“Few beers. Relax and think about all this overnight.”
“Just as well.”
As he headed for the bar, he realised just how exhausted he really was. His first thought was to go right for his quarters and climb into a warm bed with Eli. But then it hit him like it always did. Imagining a world without her was impossible, and yet it was a reality for him now. He had nowhere to go. He didn’t even feel like anywhere was home anymore. He was starting to hate the foreign world they inhabited, but his own bed felt lonely. Above all else, he wondered what was even drawing him to Earth now. He knew there was nothing left for him there.
He took a seat at a table not far from the bar, and it seemed like half the personnel there were greeting him and singing his praise. It all sounded like kissing ass to him, but he knew it wasn’t. Captain King sat down and seemed remarkably cheery.
“What the hell is up with you?” he asked.
“You don’t know?”
“This thing with Irala taking over, right? What’s the problem? He’s a total badass.”
Taylor shook his head. “Never thought I’d hear you say it.”
“What? Accept that we need a little help. I’ll take it and go along with it if it gets the job done, and gets us back on our own turf.”
“But will it?”
King looked puzzled, and Morris sat beside them as Taylor carried on.
“We still don’t truly know these people. Let’s just not give too much away, more than we can afford to lose.”
With that, he necked his drink and headed on for bed.
A single drink?
He imagined how Eli would rib him for being such a lightweight, and it brought a smile to his face. Within minutes, he was in his bed and passed out. It would have been the best sleep he had gotten in years, were it not for all the thoughts that swirled around his head.
As he dreamt, his imagination took him far from the face of Eli until he saw the pain and destruction of all he had witnessed. Lastly, he imagined himself in shackles with Erdogan’s hands wrapped around his throat and squeezing the life out of him. Suddenly, he snapped out of the dream and awoke dripping in sweat. It was a horrible experience, but it only hardened his resolve.
Taylor leapt from his bed and pulled on his uniform. It felt awful as he was so filthy, but he was single-mindedly focused now, and nothing would delay him any longer. He rushed out of his quarters to find the sun was only just in the
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