from The Committee. One could construe her actions as insubordination.'
The third Committeeman sounded direct. 'Agreed. Major Forest’s actions resulted in the death of six members of the Third Legion and two support personnel, not to mention expending vast quantities of fuel and ammunition.'
A voice from one of the corners joined the discussion. 'Major Forest acted with my approval. I was not aware The Committee forbade the project. Had that been so, the operation never would have proceeded.'
That voice moved out of the shadow and into the light; a short man with scruff on his cheeks and a head on the verge of complete baldness. Trevor thought him to be mid-forties, but his eyes seemed somewhat sharper than the rest of the people he had met thus far.
He wore a gray uniform with several colorful emblems on the collar yet his disposition struck Trevor as more a business man than a soldier. Something in the way he walked; a little too rigid, a little too forced, as if he tried to play the role of an officer but was not quite comfortable in the boots.
'Director Snowe,' Nina nodded toward the man and he returned the gesture before turning his attention to Trevor. Snowe's eyes studied him as if searching for something. Perhaps Snowe wondered if he had been worth the effort.
Nina spoke to The Committee again, 'We have an opportunity to change our situation. If The Committee does not object, I would have Trevor Stone address you directly.'
'Only officers of proper rank may address The Committee.'
'This man is not even a member of our military hierarchy.'
'For him to speak before The Committee would be most improper.'
After all he survived, after all he built from the ruins of Armageddon, Trevor Stone did not appreciate a trio of arrogant administrators dismissing him.
To the shock of every one in the room, he interrupted, 'Well someone needs to address this Committee because the way I see it you’re all going to be ShellSquid bait by summer.'
'Improper!'
'Uncalled for!'
'Disruptive!'
Nina reacted with a grin; Director Snowe stood silent and watched.
'I didn’t ask to come here. Now I understand I can’t get home. So that means I’m stuck on this sinking ship of fools with you. If you don’t want to hear from me then, fine, open the front gate and let me out ‘cause I’d rather take my chances out there than painted in this giant corner you’ve made for yourselves.'
'You are out of line!'
'You will be silent!'
'You will be removed!'
Snowe broke in. He spoke in a calm voice. One might even say measured.
'With all due respect to The Committee, it should be noted that this man is, in fact, Emperor Trevor Stone… on his world. I am certain that he is not accustomed to being told he cannot speak. I hope The Committee will take this under consideration.'
A silence lasted several long seconds. The Committeemen then whispered to one another before addressing those gathered below.
'Yes. This is an unusual situation.'
'Indeed. Some latitude could be granted.'
'Agreed. He will be allowed to address The Committee.'
Snowe added, 'The Committee was presented with the parameters of the mission and while you did not directly approve said mission in the end, those parameters are still applicable. I point out again what Major Forest said; this Trevor Stone has been successful in his war defending his Earth. It is possible that he has knowledge that could be valuable to our efforts.'
'Unlikely.'
'Possibly.'
'Certainly.'
Again, silence. Trevor realized after several more seconds of that silence that he had been granted the opportunity to speak.
'Well, um, I do not know much of what has happened on this Earth, only what I’ve seen so far. But I know on my world we adapted alien technology to serve us in a lot of ways. It also seems to me that you’ve got some morale problems. Just on the walk over here I saw, well, a sort of lazy attitude in the guards around here. I mean, you’re The Committee; you’re the guys in charge. The people guarding this building should be ready for anything. Honestly, the security around here is so bad I think a herd of Chew Cows could overrun this place.'
Based on their expressions, the people in the room did not recognize the nicknames of the creatures Trevor mentioned. His point came across nonetheless.
'Intriguing. The adaptation of foreign technology to address our supply issues has merit.'
'Insightful. Morale among our troops needs to be improved in order to ensure defensive operations.'
'Correct. The Committee is the final authority and must be protected at all costs.'
Nina suggested, 'Perhaps The Committee will grant Trevor Stone an honorary position in the military ranks. He could observe our techniques and resources and tell us how they differ from his own world. He may even have information on enemy forces that we do not have.'
The Committee whispered amongst themselves yet again.
'This is acceptable. An honorary position with limited authority.'
'We are agreed. He will be given a special command with the Third Legion under Director Snowe.'
'It is settled. Major Forest and Director Snowe will oversee Trevor Stone.'
The trio of rulers fell silent and turned their attention to the piles of folders and papers on their desk, as if no one else in the room existed anymore.
Nina whispered, 'Let's go before they change their mind.'
Snowe remained behind while Nina herded Trevor and Johnny from the chamber.
11. Confessions
The sedan retraced its trip across town.
'I seek enlightenment; exactly what just happened?'
Trevor tried to answer Johnny’s question while Nina sat quiet in the front seat.
'I believe I’ve been drafted.'
'I see. Could you explain to me how our situation has changed in relation to, I don’t know, thirty minutes ago?'
Nina offered her take: 'Trevor has been given a special position in the Third Legion. That’s one of our three combat groups. That will give you a chance to look over our military and our current situation. Maybe you can give us some pointers.'
She smiled. Trevor found it nice to see her smile.
No. She’s not Nina. She’s a fraud.
'Look, Major, as far as I know I’m still a prisoner here, I don’t have a way home, and the only thing that’s changed since I got here is that I know for sure that this place is run by incompetent idiots. To be honest, I’m amazed you still have this city left, even.'
Nina bit her lower lip and turned forward. The car bounced over a rough spot of pavement.
'You can leave anytime you want,' Nina said without facing him. 'You’re not a prisoner anymore. I only…I only forced you here to show you the shape we’re in. If you can walk away from us, then I won’t stop you. '
'I fear, Miss Forest, that you offer hollow assurance. Mr. Stone and I have no way to leave. Letting us walk out the front gate would surely be the end of us.'
'I’ll find a way for you to get home, somehow. Or you can stay in your room. I’ll see to it you won’t want for anything.'
