'You're just another ignorant military brute,' Torg sneered.
The pilot snapped.
'I spent four years at the Fleet Academy and six years in advanced training. I have the equal of a doctorate in aerospace engineering and nine years of combat tours,' the pilot snapped. 'As for this Kirha, I'll buy him a drink anytime. As for you, the damn thing is I'll die defending you when this war starts again, and that kind of makes me want to puke right now.'
Torg hesitated for a second, unable to reply.
'Let's get out of here,' Torg finally announced, looking back to his friends. 'There's just no sense in arguing with people like this.'
'What do you mean people like this?' Ian interjected.
'You know what I mean.'
'No, enlighten me.'
'War mongers, that's what you are. You get your kicks out of it, and then live high on the hog, taking your hundred a week pension out of the taxpayers like me. If I had my way, we'd have ended this war years ago and then spent the money for things that really count and not waste it on your high tech war toys that are good for nothing but killing.'
'I thought freedom was worth something,' Doomsday interjected 'Enough of my friends died for it. Enough of my friends died so you could come here and play tourist and speak your piece. That's the problem with people like you. You forget all too quickly just how expensive freedom really is and then curse at the very people who gave it to you. No wonder I'm always depressed,' and he turned away.
'Now I know where I've heard your name,' Torg snapped, ignoring Doomsday and looking back at Jason. 'It wasn't that holo movie, it's that you're one of Admiral Tolwyn's hangers-on. He's just the type I'm talking about and he got exactly what he deserved. In fact I agree with the Baron, he should have been executed.'
Even as he finished speaking he realized he had overstepped his bounds. Jason stood up and Ian put out his hand to restrain him. The bar went as silent as a tomb.
Torg backed away a step.
'Come on, let's get out of here,' he snapped, trying to exit with a display of bravado and contempt and failing miserably.
'He turned and headed for the door and then looked back nervously over his shoulder.
'Elaine.'
'Go on, Torg, just get out of here. Haven't you done enough already?'
Torg quickly went out the door and then started talking loudly again, denouncing Tolwyn and the military to his followers.
Jason turned back to the bar as Elaine came up to his side.
'I'm sorry, Jason.'
'Why don't you just go, he whispered, trying to control the anger in his voice.
'Jason,' and she touched him on the shoulder.
He looked over at her, shrugging his shoulder so that she drew her hand away.
'He's a jerk,' she said
'I'd call him something else,' Kirha said, and she smiled.
'Listen, Jason. There's always some people like him around.'
'Well, he sure seemed like one of your friends.'
She laughed softly.
'Like hell. He's a professor on some stupid committee that's supposed to look at turning over some of the bases here on the moon to civilian use. I'm up here on assignment to cover it.'
'A reporter?'
'Yeah, a writer of sorts, my magazine wants me to do a story on the project. That's how I wound up with him this afternoon.'
'Oh great, another member of the press,' Doomsday mumbled.
She laughed
'We're not all idiots,' she replied, 'and what you heard from Torg isn't what most people think. Sure, we want peace, but most of us, myself included, are still suspicious of this whole thing. And I'll tell you this, you might have your idiots like Torg ranting and raving on some campus and boring the hell out of his students but he's a joke to anyone with real sense. Nine out of ten people are damn proud of you. My older brother put in two tours with the Marines till he got invalided out and I'm proud of him. Ordinary folks aren't big on talking about it, but they feel it inside,' and as she spoke tears came to her eyes.
'Well, the way the papers and holo stations report it, it doesn't seem that way,' Jason said
'You know and I know the full story never really gets told, and didn't your mother ever tell you don't believe everything you read?'
He laughed softly.
'As a matter of fact, she did.'
Elaine smiled.
'Look, I've got to go,' she said and then fumbled in the bag over her shoulder. She pulled out a card, scribbled a number on the back of it and handed it to him.
'That's my phone number while I'm out on assignment, and the card's my business office. I'll be up here for a couple of more days, maybe we can get together for a drink.'
'I'd make a great story, is that it? Ex-hero, what is he doing now?'
'Don't be so defensive,' she said quietly. 'It's not that at all.'
'A pick up then, is that it?'
'You wish,' she laughed. 'No, just being a friend. That jerk really embarrassed me. Most all of us are damned grateful for what all of you did in the war. A lot of us lost people we know. If we're buying the peace thing its because we just want the damn thing to stop. The offer's just being a friend, nothing more.'
She looked at him and smiled.
'Honestly.'
'You know we want it to end too,' Jason replied, 'but we want it to stop after we know it's really over, and that we or our kids after us don't have to go back out and fight it all over again. '
She nodded in reply.
'Just a friendly gesture on my part, no strings attached. OK?' She extended her hand.
'OK,' and he smiled softly.
She shook his hand and turned to leave and then hesitated, looking up at Kirha.
'So you really think its a trap?'
Kirha nodded.
She sighed and left the bar.
Shaking his head Jason watched as she headed out into the main corridor and disappeared around the corner. He had to admit she certainly was attractive, he always did have a thing for very slender brunettes. But then the flash memory of Svetlana hit him and all the old pain came back again. He folded her card up and pushed it under the coaster for his beer. The whole thing with Svetlana was still too close for him to want to even make a try at getting involved again.
'Think what that professor guy said is for real?' the bartender asked
'If so you'd better learn how to serve Vak'qu, because many of my former comrades will be drinking in this place once the next war is over,' Kirha growled.
'What the hell is that?'
'It makes what you call single malt scotch look like bak.'
'Bak?'
Kirha and Ian laughed
'It has something to do with old diapers, Ian cut in. 'Let's just say Vak'qu will burn a hole right through durasteel.'
'Hey, look what just dragged in,' Doomsday announced and to the shock of everyone he leaped from his seat and went up to greet a short, almost baby-faced pilot coming through the door.
