Part 3 - Part 03

At that very moment the door flung open and after the server walked in, Ruzha followed. Gen embraced her first and introduced the girls to her. After that Ruzha looked over and saw me and Nagol. We stood up. She came and greeted Nagol first and then me.

She gave me a big smile. She was more beautiful than I remembered. She looked very sophisticated but the kindness in her eyes was still there.

I grabbed her, squeezed her against me and kissed her on the mouth.

“It’s nice to see you again Ruzha,” I said.

“It’s nice to see you too.”

She took a few steps back and said, “I’ll set up my cameras so I can film all this. Act natural. I’ll program the camera to follow me and it will automatically film everything that happens around me. Close ups and other things I can remotely control with this gadget, the camera knows how to do the rest. Is everyone ready? Take your places.”

Ruzha walked out and walked back in again and went through the same sequence of motions as before. When she came to me she kissed me just like I had kissed her earlier.

Nagol looked at her.

“Forgive me Sir,” she said to him, “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.”

“Now that you’re well-acquainted with him what’s on your agenda next?” asked Nagol.

“Well, from here on I will train the camera on him and have him followed as he meets his friends. I’ll use other cameras to capture other things, and so on,” Ruzha replied.

After looking at me sideways with a big smile Ruzha was mobbed by the women who took her away for a chat.

“I could have had a great life with her but I pissed it away and I don’t know for what. My life was a misery on earth and I never did get to see my parents again.”

I looked at Ruzha and noticed that once in a while she looked my way and smiled.

“We all have to live with the choices we make in life. But I can tell you one thing, you couldn’t have predicted any of it, just as you won’t know how your life could have been with Ruzha and the dangers you would have put her through.”

“I know you’re right Sir, but why doesn’t that make me feel any better. Why am I so sad just looking at her?”

“Son, you had a near death experience today and things like that make you see life in a different light. You have some regrets, who doesn’t? Get over it. Delche is coming next. He’ll be here soon, focus on that.”

“Thank you for that,” I said.

He looked at me but didn’t say anything.

Moments later he said, “You’ve been through a lot for a young man, haven’t you?” and poured me a drink.

I didn’t reply. I kept looking at Ruzha hoping to get another glance and another smile.

Daf came over, sat next to me and put her arm around my shoulder. She then put her head on my arm and said, “You have great friends who love you…”

I put my arm around her shoulder and said, “Thank you.”

I looked at Nagol sitting opposite to me and all I could think of was taking this young and precious girl to war and perhaps to her death. Tears began to run down my cheeks.

Nagol looked at me and said, “Sometimes we all have to make hard choices.”

I was able to hide my tears from Daf but not from Nagol.

“This was supposed to be a happy occasion…” he said.

Daf left and joined the other women. I could hear them chatting cheerfully. And even though I didn’t know what they were saying, they were talking about happy things. Why couldn’t I do that?

The server was back whispering to Nagol.

“Delche is coming!” yelled Nagol.

I quickly composed myself and went for the door. The server opened it and there was Asora followed by Delche and Airam.

Asora shook my hand, gave me a hug, kissed me on the cheek and went past me to greet the others.

Delche and I looked at each other eye to eye and our eyes began to tear. I don’t know who started first but I think it was me since I was already emotionally charged.

Delche threw his arms around me and picked me up like we do in Macedonia and held me there for a long time.

After he put me down he said, “It’s nice to see you again my friend. You took your time coming back but I’m glad to see you’re here, safe and sound.”

“Thank you Delche. It’s nice to see you too.”

“I’m going to go now, my daughter is anxious to see you. We’ll talk later. Come and see me at my restaurant.”

The moment Delche left, Airam, with tearing eyes, gave me a hug and kissed me on my face and mouth and all over. She then smiled, let out a silly laugh and began to wipe the smudges off my face. When she was done she gave me another long hug and left to meet the others.

When I looked back Delche was talking with Nagol and looking at me. Airam was shaking hands with Gen. How unusual was that? These people were hugging and shaking hands like we do on earth. This was something that I had introduced when I was here the last time. Delche of course helped a lot too.

Moments later I saw Airam heading for the door at a fast pace. I was about to ask where she was going but Nagol beat me to it and said, “Ori is coming.”

Delche quickly came over and the two of us went towards the door.

I didn’t recognize him when he walked in. He was wearing tight black clothes, had a black beard and long hair. He was clean but sunburned. He was very thin which made him look very tall.

He stretched his hand towards me but I grabbed him and gave him a long hug. Delche joined us also which made the situation even more emotional. We held each other for a long time.

“It’s nice to see you Ori,” I said.

“It’s nice to see you Sir,” he replied.

“Ori, you don’t have to call me sir.”

“I know, but you will always be my captain,” he said.

Just as we were done Airam took him away and introduced him to the rest of the people. Ori was the least known member of my circle of friends and this was a good opportunity for him to meet others. At least that’s what Delche said.

“I’m happy to see you haven’t forgotten how to speak Macedonian,” I said to Delche.

He gave me a whack on the back of my head and swore at me in Macedonian.

“It’s nice to see that you still have your warped sense of humour,” I said.

At that moment Vel and Daf came over with Gen, and began to talk to Delche.

“So, you’re the famous Delche everyone is talking about,” said Gen.

“So, you’ve heard of me, eh? Have you heard of my adventures as the navigator on the warship?”

“No, not that. You’re famous for your rakia.”

“Are you a drinker?”

“Oh, yes I am!”

“Ah, then you’re my kind of people, just like Otsi here. I’m sure we’ll become good friends.”

Delche then turned to me and said, “Bring her with you when you come to see me.”

The girls giggled but wouldn’t translate for her. The three walked away.

Delche looked at me and said, “What a lovely woman, who is she?”

“She is Nagol’s granddaughter,” I replied.

“No way! I didn’t know he had a granddaughter.”

“It appears he kept her a secret; I guess to protect her.”

Delche kept looking at her as she drifted off to the other side of the room.

When he turned around to face me he was startled by my guards standing behind me and said, “With those two standing behind you and with your brown World War Two outfit, from here you look like a dark angel with wings. Do you ever part with them?”

I was just about to make a snide remark but was interrupted by Nagol who said, “The Captain and his wife are here.”

Delche and I were closest to the door and were about to leave when Delche said, “Leave your guards here, they’re scaring people.”

“Guards, Macedonian mode.”

“That’s better,” replied Delche and ran past me and opened the door.

There was no one there so we stepped outside and waited. Ruzha came over and said, “Come back inside, I want to film the moment. These are the last guests to arrive.” She then looked at me and said, “You should be wearing your uniform. Maybe you can put it on after the captain arrives.”

Just as we walked in the door flung open and the captain and his wife walked in. Delche greeted them first. They had become good friends in my absence and saw each other often, especially after the captain retired.

I had forgotten how big a man the captain was when he gave me a crushing hug. His wife gave me a hug too.

“It’s nice to see you both,” I said. Delche translated.

“It’s nice to see you too,” the captain said and asked me who the lovely ladies behind me were.

Delche told him they were my guards to which he said this guy must be privileged to have two lovely women for guards. When Delche told him they were robots he laughed so loud the room shook.

Ruzha ran over to greet the captain and his wife and took them around to introduce them to everyone.

“We did well for a couple of screw ups, didn’t we?” said Delche and pointed at our friends with his chin.

“You’re right you know, you’re right. We do have a lot of friends. We’re surrounded by people who love us.”

“When I heard what happened earlier today my heart dropped. Those idiots in the media, as usual, made a mistake and said your ship was blown up. I didn’t believe it for a second but still I felt the shock.”

“I’m sorry about that Delche. If my fate is to die I’ll die but so far it looks like Mother Nature has different plans for me. Let’s live like soldiers today and worry about the future tomorrow.”

“That’s a good one; I’ve got to remember that one… Tomorrow never comes, right?”

“I need to go to my room to get my uniform so that I can look like my guards… and like a white, I mean colourful angel.”

“I’ll come with you. Let me tell Ruzha first before they send a search party for us.”

When Delche came back the captain came with him. Delche said, “The Captain has a favour to ask.”

As we went down in the elevator the captain looked at my guards, smiled at them and said, “I understand you’re leaving for the war in a few days. Here are the coordinates of a place in the far right of the galaxy,” and handed me a piece of paper. “It’ll be on your way to the galaxy trader outpost. My friend, the galaxy trader captain whom you met before, is in retirement there. Delche will give you a case of rakia. I want you to deliver it to him. He’s hiding there and is off the grid so when you go please be careful not to be followed and no communications while you’re there. Will you do this for me?”

I looked at Delche. He shook his head yes.

“It would be my pleasure, Sir.”

After I put my uniform on I left my medallion hanging in front of my chest in full view and we returned to the lounge. When we went inside everyone was sitting at the long dinner table waiting for dinner to be served. Ruzha and Nagol were waiting at the door for us. When we walked in everyone clapped their hands. Ruzha escorted the captain and Delche to the table and brought back Asora, Gen, Vel and Daf. While Vel and Daf stood on each side of me with my guards behind us, Gen stood directly in front of me facing me. With cameras rolling and Nagol talking in his language, Asora took the medallion off my neck and hung it on Gen’s neck. This was the

first time I had noticed Gen wearing the white uniform with the Macedonian colours. She looked thin, proud and beautiful. After that Gen and I shook hands. Gen hugged me, giving me a symbolic goodbye, and the filming was over.

After we sat at the table we had a wonderful dinner consisting of many foods made with ingredients brought from other planets, courtesy of the captain and his wife.

When I heard that I felt very grateful for what they had done. I went over to the captain’s wife and gave her a kiss on the mouth.

“I thought only my husband was allowed to do that. What was that for?”

Ruzha told her that it was for the superb food she’d provided for us today and to accept the kiss as the best compliment she could get.

She then got up from her chair, wrapped her arms around my chest gave me a kiss and said, “For enriching my life and for bringing Ruzha into our lives.”

“I got that on film you know, shame on you kissing an older woman…” said Ruzha jokingly.

Everyone laughed. Vel translated for Gen, the captain and his wife.

“You must be jealous!” I said.

“I am!” she replied. “She’s my adopted mother!”

Ruzha’s words too were a compliment for the captain and his wife.

I touched Ruzha’s beautiful face and went back to eating and drinking alien ale, which I swore tasted like the beer on earth.

The party ended at about midnight when everyone got up, said goodbye, wished me good luck with the mission and hoped to see me again soon.

Nagol looked very tired. After he said goodbye to his guests Gen took him to his room.

Airam left with Ori who was going to spend the night at the restaurant with her. I didn’t have much of a chance to talk to him but I wished him all the best with his work at the mission. Delche left with Asora and Ruzha left with the captain and his wife. Delche again mentioned to me about visiting him at his restaurant and told Daf to remind me.

When Gen returned she gave me back the medallion and the four of us sat on the couches in the corner of the room.

“If you’re going to gossip I’m not interested,” I said. “We should be going to bed.”

“No, we aren’t going to gossip,” said Gen. “I had a chance to talk with Asora and she suggested we come up with a plan to receive the returning troops who are arriving the day after tomorrow and that we, the four us, should be there to receive them and be prepared to explain to them why we’ve brought them back.”

“But isn’t that Asora’s job as the president of the war council?” I asked.

“Yes, but this was your idea and the less she says the less she will be blamed for if things go sideways. You know how politicians are,” Gen replied.

We all looked at each other, which made me wonder if this was how political and business deals were made, wars started and wars ended; drunk and sleep deprived.

“Of course, why not, I’ve done worse,” I said. “The only plus in this scenario is that I care for the troops and the right words will come to me without having to lie too much.”

“What? You lie? Never!” replied Gen and then realized that I was being serious.

She then said, “I know you love the troops and you’ll put your life on the line for them but you can’t reveal our real intentions, not even to them.”

It’s getting late and I can’t think straight. Let’s do this tomorrow morning and then go and visit Delche at noon. Daf, you let him know, leave him a message. Tell him we’re coming for a chat and a drink and not to go overboard with the food.”

I then looked at Gen and said, “He wants you to be there.”

“Yeah, right! He’s married to Asora, my boss. If he wants me to be there I’m not coming.”

Daf, who wanted her to be there said, “You know he’s joking. He’s trying to get you back for something.”

“See ladies, I told you men are cruel. I’ll be there and I’ll ask Ruzha to come with me.”

“See ladies, now who is crueler, me or Gen?” I asked

I then turned to Daf and said, “Daf, ask Delche to keep Ori there for another day, I feel bad I didn’t spend any time with him this evening.”

Before I was done talking Daf was on her communicator talking to Delche.

“Don’t call him right now,” I said but no one seemed to listen to me

A moment later Gen was on a communicator talking to Ruzha.

“Okay,” I said, “I’ve had enough of you ladies for one day. I’m going to bed now,” and I left.

I looked back before leaving the room and they were back to chatting... They didn’t even see me leave.

Back to Delche’s restaurant

When I arrived at the lounge the next day there was no one there. The server informed Nagol that I had arrived and then brought me a hot drink.

Nagol gave me a curious look and asked where the others were. I shook my head and said I didn’t know. He immediately asked the server to go and look for them.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Last night your ship was attacked. It was hit by a powerful, narrow energy beam from outer space but doesn’t appear to be damaged. It was inspected by military experts from military command earlier this morning. They said the ship was okay but they had never seen anything like it before; a narrow energy beam originating in outer space. The energy beam lasted only seconds but it was powerful enough to cut a mountain in half. But it didn’t damage the ship.”

“Why didn’t anybody wake me up? Why am I finding out about this now?” I yelled.

Nagol looked at me and said, “Listen to me, you know, I know and they know your ship is made of a type of material that can’t be penetrated by a simple energy weapon, no matter how powerful. If they wanted to destroy your ship they would have fired a huge torpedo at it and would have buried it kilometres underground. This leads me to believe that your ship was not the real target. You were. Right now there is no one who can replace you as the captain of that ship so if you are removed the ship becomes a lump of metal. Someone desperately wants you out of the way. We didn’t get you because if we had you’d be dead now.”

“What about my crew and Gen?” I asked. “Where are they?”

“I’m sure your crew is safe. I don’t think they wanted to go after your crew. They were only interested in you. I think the girls are probably sleeping. From what I heard they spent most of the night working on a plan to welcome the returning soldiers.”

“Oh, is that what they said?”

Just as I turned to sip my hot drink, the three ladies ran in with worried looks on their faces. Nagol asked them to sit down and explained what had happened.

I was visibly upset with the whole thing and with them.

Nagol looked at me and said, “Take it easy on them, if you want to yell at someone yell at me.”

Vel spoke up and asked, “Outside of the ship being attacked what else happened and why would you want to yell at us? What did we do?”

I didn’t reply.

The three got up and were about to walk away.

Nagol yelled at them, “Sit down. You have a job to do. You can’t just yell at each other or walk out on each other every time you face a crisis. You need to be united in this. I know you just had a near death experience only yesterday and another attack today but you can’t function properly if you act this way. You need to get past it. It’s not just your lives that are at stake here, millions depend on you. So, suck it up and start talking.”

Gen looked at her grandfather with a surprised look. She was seeing a different man in him. He’d begun to sound more like me or like one of her commanders.

Gen said, “First things first. First we need to secure our survival before we can secure anyone else’s so I’m going to make a call to military command to request that they immediately inform me when they detect anything suspicious in our area. I’ll also ask for a security detail to guard this hotel and Delche’s restaurant. I will hand pick the security detail myself. This attack has created a reason for me to start building my own special squads without objections from the military or from the likes of Anelia. I will start this the

moment we are done here. Now, let’s get back to the immediate question, what are we going to tell the returning troops?”

Nagol turned to me and said, “What are you going to do?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Listen to me. You have the best eyes and ears on that ship: your sensors. The next time you get in your ship program your ship’s sensors to stay on at all times and warn you when something suspicious or dangerous is detected.”

“We can do that?” I asked.

“Yes, and more, we can record everything that happens and I can monitor what’s going on remotely from my communicator,” said Vel.

“Had you done this earlier, you would now know a lot more about who fired at your ship and who wrote the graffiti on it,” said Nagol.

I felt like saying, “Now you tell me…” but I realized Nagol was trying to help.

“Well, let’s do that then, right after we decide what to tell the returning troops,” I said.

Daf piped up and said to me, “I have a summary here of what we discussed in the past and last night and, with your permission, I would like to go over it for you.”

I looked around, no one had any objections so I said, “Go ahead.”

“You said we’re bringing the troops back because we want to further investigate the war before we engage in it and to prepare them for hand to hand combat because you believe that’s what they’ll be doing. You also said you chose Gen for her training skills and as the best candidate to train the troops for the job. What you haven’t said is why Gen needs to take full command of the troops and not just cooperate with the existing commanders. I think we need to find a

good reason for this because the way things sound, it appears like you’re trying to take control of all the armed forces and separate them from central command. It appears like you’re trying to remove central command from the picture and that makes military command and many people on all levels very nervous, not to mention Anelia and her lot. Anyone can make the argument that a trainer doesn’t necessarily need to be the chief commander to train the troops. Even a sergeant can train troops,” said Daf.

I looked around and said, “Well, any ideas?”

“Well, Sir, we spent part of last night looking for a suitable and believable solution but we couldn’t find one that was convincing,” said Daf.

“How about you Gen, you’ve been a commander before, what would convince you to relegate your command to someone else in a situation like this?” I asked.

“Outside of being ordered… nothing! Not without raising a lot of suspicion. But, come to think of it I don’t have to take charge of all the troops. But since the war council already promoted me to General I will retain that rank and start building an army of my own and that way I won’t have to interfere with military command or anyone else.”

“What makes you think that would be acceptable, especially to military command?” I asked.

“What happened to us yesterday and today is a sign of things to come. It justifies putting an appeal before the war council to allow us to develop a security team to not only guard us and the ship but also the troops. Since we don’t know who the attackers are, who is to say that they won’t attack the troops? Today the attackers attacked the ship and tomorrow they may attack the troops. We’ll have to make a case to the war council to give me the right to build a security team. We need to sell the idea that these attacks may be coming from the aliens that attacked the galaxy traders and that we need to put measures in place to protect ourselves. In other words, we need a security force to protect us and the troops from outside

attacks, especially after the ship leaves our planet. I’ll need permission from the war council and from Asora’s government to build this security force and it will have to be built with people I know and trust and who will be loyal to me,” said Gen.

I looked at everyone. There didn’t seem to be any objections.

“On top of that,” I said, “this will kill Anelia’s propaganda machine, which I’m sure has been busy trying to convince everyone that Gen wants to take over this planet’s military.”

“What if Anelia offers her private army as a means of providing security for the planet? In which case it will make it unnecessary for Gen to form one,” said Vel.

“She won’t. She can’t. Officially no one knows she has a private army. If she makes such an offer she’ll create a lot of suspicion. Everyone is allowed to have personal guards but there is a legal limit as to how many one can have. She won’t risk exposing her private army,” said Gen.

“Okay then, this sounds like a convincing argument. You just have to be careful how you present it when the time comes. Now let’s eat,” said Nagol and waved at the server to bring us food.

When we were done eating our breakfast we strolled to Asora’s office and Gen made her pitch. Asora agreed to almost everything Gen asked for. She liked the idea of forming a security team to guard the troops. After carefully examining what was said Asora assured us that the war council would pass a resolution to allow Gen to create and command a security team and that her government would ratify it to make it legal. She also liked the idea that we weren’t going to interfere in the affairs of the military, outside of training the troops. She wasn’t sure how that was going to work but she didn’t believe there would be objections, outside of Anelia and her backers. Asora seemed to be calm and confident and liked our plan.

“Now go. Delche keeps calling me looking for you. Go and have a good time and I’ll see you back here tomorrow,” said Asora and literally threw us out of her office.

After Gen took Nagol back to the hotel she joined us in the tube tunnel and we went to the ship. As we got closer I could see the burn marks on it. The ship wasn’t damaged, at least not on the outside.

As soon as we got inside I asked Vel and Daf to reprogram the sensors to monitor activities and showed Gen how to run diagnostics.

When we were done and after we had verified that everything was okay and running normally, Gen asked me if she could pilot the ship to Delche’s place. Her argument was that I had allowed her grandfather to do it so why not her?

I couldn’t say no to her and get away with it but at the same time I didn’t want to make it easy for her so I said, “It’ll cost you,” without giving a thought as to how she would interpret my comment.

“Of course it will. It always costs me… every time I ask a man for a favour it costs me… why not?”

Daf came to my rescue and said, “Can’t you see he’s messing with you? He’s not that kind of man.”

“All men are that kind, it’s in their nature. What makes you think he’s different?” asked Gen.

“He has feelings for Ruzha and she has feelings for him. He won’t mess with anyone else,” replied Daf.

Gen, it appeared, had lost her desire to fly the ship and after she activated the docking robot she punched the autopilot assuming the ship was going to take us to Delche’s place, and we flew off.

Without saying a word, Gen raised her hands up and I grabbed them and hung onto her until we arrived at the old open spot under the grove above Delche’s restaurant.

“Is this where you met Ruzha for the first time?” asked Gen.

I didn’t reply to Gen but I did ask Vel to take the three original uniforms so that I could return them to their owners. I was going to give mine to Airam as a gift for her fabric museum.

As we walked out of the ship the place seemed a little different, the trees in the grove had grown and the path looked well used. It abruptly ended in open space where there was a plaque. Without me asking what it was Vel said that it was a tribute to the ship and its crew for affording rights and bringing equality to the outlanders.

While the ladies went to have a closer look at the plaque I left with my guards and slowly headed towards town. When they caught up to me they wanted to know what was eating me, as Gen put it.

At first I said I didn’t want to talk about it but then I said, “To afford them rights and bring them equality? That was the idea but look what happened…”

“Nothing happened!” yelled Gen. “Explain to me how what happened is your fault!”

“I don’t want to get into it right now but, just for your information, I was the one who pushed this planet to start trading with the galaxy traders, which then led to the dreaded agreement that dragged this planet into someone else’s war. Please no more talk.”

My words must have upset Gen. She ran back to the ship and sat down beside the landing gear. The girls looked at me like I was some kind of monster.

Daf grabbed my hand and said, “I know emotions are running high right now but this isn’t the time to be fighting. Your friends are expecting you to be there and want you to be happy. If you want to be the bigger person go and apologize to her.”

I looked at Daf, pulled her by her hand and we took a slow walk towards Gen. I extended my hand and after Gen grabbed it I pulled her and she stood up.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

Holding them by their hands I dragged them right beside me as we picked up the pace on our way to Delche’s place. Every time I looked back I saw my guards following close behind and wondered what they were thinking, especially of our little drama.

Just as the town became visible we saw people gathering in the streets. There were hundreds of them, maybe thousands. When we came closer they began to run towards us. I told the girls to tell the people to stop running and not make sudden moves or my guards would shoot them. They listened and stopped. Delche, Ori, Ruzha and Airam ran over to us and wanted to know what was happening. They had heard on the news that our ship had been attacked and they wanted to know if we were okay.

When the people saw Ruzha they began to swarm around her asking all kinds of questions. I watched her masterfully calm them down and take their questions one by one

“What do they want?” I asked.

“Almost to the last one they want to welcome you back and want you to end the war. They don’t want their children to be sent away to fight.”

Ruzha told them that I was here to listen to the people and do what the people wanted just like I had always done.

Moments later we were swarmed by reporters with cameras who wanted to know why I was here and what I was going to do about the war. Some had live feeds and the entire planet was watching.

Because I couldn’t speak their language I took Gen and the girls over to Ruzha and asked Gen to speak on my behalf. I then told Ruzha to tell the reporters and the crowds standing behind them that

I was appointing Gen to take my place on the planet while I went away to investigate the war. Then as a gesture of passing authority from one commander to another, I asked Ruzha to take the medallion off my neck and place it on Gen’s neck and tell the people what that meant.

Of course the people knew of the symbolic passing of power already since channel 45 had already reported on our get together from the night before where that was well explained by Nagol’s commentary and Asora’s demonstration.

After Ruzha transferred the medallion from me to Gen and explained the symbolism of the passing of power, the crowd went wild in support.

Ruzha then asked Gen to speak to the reporters and the people and explain to them the details of our plans, which had already been approved by Asora.

All eyes were on Gen. She took her time to eloquently explain in detail what our plans were and how we were going to execute them, starting with welcoming the troops back the next day.

Up until now the people didn’t know that the troops were coming back and that their children would be returning home. If nothing else, the fact that their children, two million of them, were coming back was a solid reason for the people to put their trust in us and their support behind Gen. They loved her and were ready to follow her, which was a great boost for Gen.

While Gen spoke I invited Delche, Ori and Airam to join us in front of the cameras. We heard people whispering when they saw us all together.

When Airam saw Vel holding the old uniforms she took them off her hands.

“You did this, didn’t you?” I asked Delche.

“Did what?” he asked.

“You told these people about Gen and our plans beforehand didn’t you?”

“Yes, yes I did but not about the return of the soldiers. For the first time in years I had something positive to say to them. They’ve been asking me for your return since you left and all I could say was I’m trying, I’m trying and I’m working on it. Now, finally you’re back, you brought the ship back and you gave them hope. Most importantly, they’ll see their children again… they will have their children back.”

“Delche, this whole thing could turn into a disaster and it won’t sit well on my conscience.”

“Yeah right, I know you won’t let it turn into a disaster and if it does you’ll be dead. We’ll all be dead and it won’t matter.”

“Delche we are in this mess because of me and you know it.”

“Well, because of you, because of me, because of Asora, Airam, Ori, Ruzha and many other people we can blame, but is it? And don’t tell me you’re the only one who has a guilty conscience. No one blames you for anything; you blame yourself for that and frankly I’m tired of it. You say you’re a soldier so why not act like one? Go out there and do your duty, end this damn war before it consumes us all. And, before you chew me out, I’m telling you this because I’m your friend and I care about you.”

Just as Gen was finished talking Airam, in front of the cameras, handed me, Delche and Ori our old uniforms. I grabbed Vel by the arm and told her to tell Airam that I was donating my uniform to her museum. When Delche and Ori heard that they also gave her their uniforms for her museum. Then, suddenly, every reporter wanted to know what was going on. Ruzha explained to them who Airam was and her role in designing the new uniforms for the planet’s military with the Macedonian sun and Macedonian colours. When the crowd stopped clapping and cheering and Airam had her moment of fame, Ruzha further explained that every uniform worn by every soldier carried the Macedonian sun; a symbol of power.

At that moment Gen raised my medallion, the little round piece of painted plastic and, in the eyes of the people, turned it into a symbol of something extraordinary. At least that’s what I was told by Daf who was translating for me.

When we were done Ruzha told the reporters and the people that the world was in good hands and not to worry.

“What are you trying to do?” I asked. “Put more pressure on us?”

“No,” she said, “I want to go inside and have a drink and eat the food Delche’s crew slaved to make for us.”

After we all waved goodbye to everyone we left and went inside the restaurant. I noticed Delche had made some small changes inside. One thing I noticed is there were round tables in the area where the dance floor was. The dance floor was gone.

When Ori saw me looking and smiling it reminded him of the first night we spent here and the great time we had dating my guards Glory and Morning. He smiled at me and said, “We had some great times here, didn’t we?”

At that moment Delche’s chef came over and gave me a big hug. He then drummed the theme from the “teshkoto” dance on the table with his fingers, which he had done for us the night before I left. He seemed happy to see me and so did Airam, who dragged Vel over to properly thank me for giving her my uniform for her museum.

I grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her close to me. She had fully grown into a beautiful woman now and was not the same girl I remembered. This was the first time I stared into her beautiful eyes and she stared back at mine. I looked over at Delche who was keeping an eye on me and he gave me the nod. I then gave her a long kiss which made Vel turn away. After that we both walked away and said nothing. Airam went with Vel to bring us the food and drinks.

Delche came over and said, “She always loved you, even after you left. She kept talking about you, asking about things that daughters don’t usually talk about with their fathers. We all missed you. You became part of our lives and then you left us.”

Just as I was going to apologize to Delche for leaving, the chef announced lunch was served.

Delche sat at the end of the table and asked me to sit beside him and Ori beside me. Gen sat opposite Delche facing me followed by Vel and Ruzha. Airam sat beside Ori, and Daf sat beside Airam. The chef sat at the other end of the table facing my guards who were standing directly behind Delche. By now everyone was used to them and because they were quiet and motionless they were practically invisible.

Just as I looked around I noticed Ruzha had set her cameras all around us and was filming the event, which made me think of the last supper. I don’t know why.

Delche looked down, closed his eyes and said something in their language and then looked at me. I was going to say something but I didn’t. I was going to ask him when he had become religious but I didn’t.

To honour me Delche had Airam, the hostess of the house, fill our glasses with rakia and place them in front of us. She mixed the rakia for the women, including herself, with the green stuff.

After Delche toasted us and we all had a sip I asked Delche about Airam drinking. He said she only drinks the green stuff and only during ceremonies.

The meal was virtually identical to the food we ate when Ori and I met Delche for the first time. It was roasted meat with small roasted, glazed potatoes and roasted peppers.

After I had a few bites I said, “Compliments to the chef. The food is more delicious now than I remember when we ate here the first time.”

When Delche translated the chef came over and gave me a big hug.

“You made his day, good for you,” said Delche very quietly.

When we were done eating we drank some more and when everyone seemed relaxed I asked Delche to help me acquire supplies for my ship. He said he would make the necessary arrangements.

Perhaps, this was the wrong time to talk about leaving again but I didn’t want to forget about the supplies. I looked around and could see the worry on people’s faces, especially Vel who sat on the other side of the table.

After Airam poured us more drinks she smiled at me and asked her father to translate for her.

“Tell us about your return to earth, how was it? Was it as good as you expected?”

This was a surprise for me. I was caught off guard and didn’t know what to say so I decided to tell them the truth. I wasn’t going to lie to them so I told them everything. Surprisingly no one seemed to care or be sorry for me. They were more interested to know about the women I’d met and about Oscar and his people. It seems like my painful experience didn’t matter much to them.

More drinks for everyone,” yelled Delche. “I want my friends to get drunk today and, as Otsi here said a couple of days ago, worry about the future tomorrow.”

With those words, the women grabbed their drinking glasses and a bottle of the green stuff and went to another table. The chef left and went back to the kitchen to prepare food for the customers. That left Delche, Ori and me, the old crew, at the main table.

After I started talking to Ori, Delche excused himself and said, “If you stay here late tonight I can get you your supplies and the box of rakia for the captain by tomorrow.”

“I guess I’ll have to,” I said. “I don’t know how much time I’ll have after tomorrow, after the troops arrive. We’re expected to be there to welcome them back.”

After Delche left I looked at Ori and said, “You look like hell man, what happened to you?”

“I don’t know. I guess I became a misfit. Putting it simply, I turned into a hybrid of two cultures and when that happens, you don’t know where it’s going to take you. In my case I didn’t fit anywhere. My people, including my parents, didn’t want me because they felt I had betrayed them. The outlanders didn’t want me because I wasn’t one of them or something. The only place I felt comfortable was in the slums. Nobody questioned me or judged me there. We were all desperately trying to survive while coping with our problems. Even Airam rejected me. I really thought I could have a meaningful relationship with her but it didn’t work out. She cares for me, I know that and I’m not complaining, but we have no future together. So, now I’m a reject and live with the rejects of the world.”

At that point I turned to him, grabbed his neck with both hands, pulled him against me and said, “I’m so sorry man.”

To my surprise he said, “There’s nothing for you to be sorry for. I’m thankful to you for all the things you did for me. You cared for me and treated me as an equal. I learned many things from you and Delche. I was on top of the world when I was with you. You opened my eyes to the truth, to everything that was real. It’s not your fault that this place turned out to be shit-hole. I’d rather know the truth and be miserable than live a lie.”

“You’re a good man,” I said.

“Don’t worry about me, do what you have to. Save the young lives. The entire planet has gone mad and nobody seems to see what’s happening… Or they simply don’t care. I don’t know,” he said.

I looked at him and he looked at me. He said, “No!”

“No what?” I asked.

“No, I’m not coming with you.”

“I haven’t asked you to come with me.”

“I know you want to but I couldn’t possibly rob anyone of their aspirations, not even if I had to save their lives. They need to experience things for themselves, on their own, just like I did. I’ve had my time, let Vel have hers.”

The women saw us looking at them and they were pretty sure we were talking about them so they came over.

Gen was first to speak and said, “Are you talking about us?”

“Yes,” I said.

‘Vel and Daf, tonight we’re spending the night here. We’ll sleep on the ship. I want you to become accustomed to sleeping on the ship before we leave. Unless you want to stay back in which case I’ll take Delche and Ori with me.”

At first they thought I was joking but after seeing that no one was laughing they agreed to sleep on the ship.

Daf said, “We’ll have to sleep naked since we didn’t bring any sleepwear.”

Ori laughed but didn’t say anything.

“Being a soldier means you’ll have to sleep with your clothes on, or naked if you have to,” I said.

They both looked at Gen for support but unfortunately for them Gen said, “A soldier must be ready to act immediately at any given moment and must be prepared for everything.”

Ori then said, “When he calls you to the com you must run at once and if you happen to be naked too bad, you’ll be sitting naked in front of him.”

“I guess you had to do that, eh?” said Vel.

Ruzha burst our laughing and said, “I wouldn’t mind standing naked in front of him.”

“And what if he asks you to open a channel on the viewer and talk to a bunch of men on the other side?” asked Ori.

“Oh come on people, what’s the big deal with being seen naked. You all undress for your doctor, your boyfriends, how’s that any different? He’s your commander and is responsible for your lives and you worry about him seeing you naked?” said Airam.

I looked at Airam and started clapping. Ori joined me. The women then started clapping.

“Don’t get carried away now. The chances of me seeing you naked are very slim, besides we need to respect our privacy and when we feel uncomfortable we ask for privacy. I have no problem with looking the other way if you ask me.”

At that moment Delche walked in and said, “Your stuff will be delivered to you at the ship very early tomorrow morning, make sure you’re there. Asora will be paying for it.”

“Thank you, but why so early? Is it illegal stuff?” I asked.