aggression. Taylor snapped back around and roared at the troops.
“Put your weapons down!”
The Captain lifted his hand and signalled them to lower their pistols, in an attempt to alleviate the situation. The two stopped before Taylor, and Jafar finally spoke.
“We will do as is ordered. We will not hide from this any longer.”
“No, they can’t do this!”
He turned back around. “Who gave these orders?”
“I do not have that information, Sir. We are only doing our job. They are happy to surrender, so let us get this done, and there need not be any further trouble.”
The Captain stepped forward to pass right through the Major without stopping. Taylor could see he was uneasy with the task he had been given, but nothing was going to convince him to act against those orders. Mitch reached forward, firmly grasping the hand in which the MP carried his pistol and twisted until the man yelped in pain. Taylor struck him on the nose with one firm knife hand blow that caused his nose to burst and throw blood over his gleaming uniform.
Two more of the MPs rushed forward with batons in one hand and pistols in the other. One took a swing for him, and he nimbly ducked under the clumsy and excessive swing. He thrust an uppercut into the man’s stomach, throwing him off his feet, and quickly turned to the other. The baton was thrust forward at him with a more experienced fighter than the last. He narrowly avoided it with a quick sidestep. Before the MP could respond, he wrapped his one arm around the elbow and pushed with his other hand. The man’s arm snapped in on itself, driving the shock baton into his chest.
The MP spasmed from the voltage pulsing through his body, and he collapsed with the loss of motor control. Taylor looked up to see that remainder of the MPs were lifting their pistols to fire, but he was too far away to do much about it. He defiantly stood over his vanquished foes, praying they would not shoot a superior officer.
Taylor’s face grew long as he saw the look in their eyes. They were willing to pull the trigger, and he could do nothing but hope for a miracle. Two shots rang out, but as they did so, Jafar leapt in front of the Major. The small calibre rounds ricocheted from his armour and hit the hangar beside them.
The alien dwarfed Taylor and completely blocked the MPs view of him. Jafar stood calmly between them. He had no weapon in hand nor made any attempt to join in the fight. Taylor stepped around his newly found friend to see the two MPs stood in shock. He could see just a tiny bit of the horror he had first witnessed on the beaches in France upon their first meet with the enemy.
The MPs still held their weapons high and trained on the alien, but they knew that any more shots would be futile. They stood silently, awaiting the next move. Taylor turned to Jafar and looked at him in surprise. It was in part for saving his life once more, but more from the restraint he had shown in not fighting back.
“These men come to take you away. I cannot say for certain their reasons, but I can say that it will not be pleasant. They want you for lab rats.”
Jafar shrugged his shoulders.
“We both knew this day would come. Your commanders must have many questions for us, and we will assist them in any way we can.”
“But not like this, you are with us now.”
“And I follow your orders, just as you must follow your superiors. Do not throw your life away so quickly.”
The deep voice pierced Taylor’s thoughts, and he instantly calmed himself.
“You never cease to amaze me. How on Earth can the rest of your race be the way they are, when you bare so little resemblance?”
“Just one of the questions which will require an answer in the coming days.”
The area went silent as all reflected on what had just happened. The MPs on the ground reeled in sighs of pain. Then the silence was broken by the rushed pace of a jeep soaring towards the hangar bay. The vehicle bore the stars of General White. It slid to a halt, and Sergeant Gibbons leapt out, the General’s driver. He had two marines with him. Neither were MPs.
Gibbons stopped and quickly surveyed the scene, shaking his head at the bloodied police on the ground.
“Christ, Major, the war’s over, and yet you want to keep fighting?”
Had it been any other Sergeant questioning him, he would have been most put out, but Gibbons commanded respect across the base.
“I didn’t come looking for one. These idiots came to arrest troops under my command, without right or reason.”
“The two aliens are being brought in for questioning by direct orders of General White, and even if you can get away with this incident, you will not defy the General and get away with it.”
Taylor suddenly felt the tension in his body release, and his pulse calm at the sobering realisation of what a mess he had made. He was still bitterly angry about what was about to happen, but now knew he could not stop it.
“I want to speak with the General immediately!”
“And he is waiting for you. In the meantime, you will step aside and allow the MPs to carry out their orders.”
He thought about it for a moment, finally nodding in agreement. The MPs lowered their weapons and went to the aid of the others. Mitch stepped forward and reached out his arm to help one to his feet.
“Please understand I was only protecting my own. I meant you no harm.”
The man nodded as he gritted his teeth.
“Not much of an apology,” he replied.
“A fitting one, considering your actions.”
The man scowled, but Gibbons immediately cut in.
“That’s enough, gentlemen! This situation has already been messy enough. Major Taylor, please join me.”
He gestured for Taylor to follow him. Mitch looked back for a moment to Eddie who stood with a rifle in hand. He had no doubt the Lieutenant would have been willing to use it had the fight escalated. He nodded in gratitude before turning and continuing on to the jeep.
It’s gonna be a long fucking day, he thought.
Chapter 2
Taylor stood to attention before the General’s desk. White ignored him and continued to read through information on a datapad. The door opened once again, and another soldier stepped into the room. Taylor turned slightly and saw it was Captain Ames. He held a blood soaked cloth to his nose that was still gushing. The blood was smeared over his cheeks, and it had already dried to a flat brown over the white straps of his MPs webbing. General White looked up at the injured man and turned sternly to Taylor.
“This is Captain Ames, a military police officer who you struck whilst he was carrying out his orders. I know you have no love of MPs, Major, but when you undermine them, you undermine me.”
Taylor butted in, despite it being completely unacceptable for him to do so.
“On what orders were they arresting honest and reliable soldiers? Last I looked, we protected our own, simper fi, Sir!”
White’s face began to redden with rage, but he quickly calmed himself before he responded.
“Major, we have a lot to learn about their race. We must do everything in our power to better prepare ourselves for the next potential war. I am sorry for the way this was handled, which was certainly clumsy and ill conceived, but that does not change the fact it was necessary.”
“They are more than happy to help in any way, so why on Earth arrest them?”
“I find your trust in these aliens curious, Major, when you’ve probably been single-handedly responsible for more of their deaths than any other human being.”
Taylor tried to butt in, but White didn’t let him.
