The Ice Warrior

Chapter 53

As Silv was left alone with Arthur and ever-present Evanescence, she couldn't stop doubt from clouding her mind.

"My mistress does not seem satisfied with the plan. Is there something more we should be doing?" Arthur asked.

"No, no. It's not about what anyone else should do. It's about me." Silv said.

"I am afraid I do not understand," Arthur said.

"That guy was right. I should be out there, fighting. After all, I am a soldier, not a leader." Silv admitted.

"As far as I understand, you are doing everything that is in your power," Arthur said matter-of-factly.

"I know that I am, but I wish I could do more. I SHOULD do more!" Silv exclaimed with passion.

"Could you leave me alone with Evanescence? I need to talk with her." Silv finally said.

"As you wish, " Arthur said, retreating.

Silv did her best to quell the fires of anger threatening to seep through her bond with Evanescence. She needed a clear head for the conversation she had in mind, and she couldn't afford any mistakes.

"Evanescence, I know that you worry about me and that you are keeping me here to protect me," Silv said before she was interrupted by quiet purring.

"But I need you to listen to me carefully and try to understand," Silv said.

Feeling that Evanescence was open to suggestions spurred Silv to keep going.

"There is a fight coming, an inevitable one. People will die, the ones I am responsible for. By being there with them, I might help limit the number of dead and injured. I need to fight with them." Silv said.

"Why?" The robot voice asked.

"Because I wouldn't be able to live with myself if people kept dying while I sat in the safety of the ship," Silv immediately responded.

Noting the confusion in Evanescence's thoughts, Silv took a few deep breaths and forced herself to be patient. After all, Evanescence was a sentient, learning entity. Silv knew that if she managed to explain things well, the ship would be willing to let her go.

"Do you remember how it felt to lose your Ice Warrior?" Silv asked, horrified that she would have to go there.

The rush of grief emanating from Evanescence was almost too much to bear, but Silv swallowed hard and went on.

"Well, that's how I would feel if any of those people died. They are my responsibility now," Silv said.

"I failed my Ice Warrior," Evanescence struggled to say out loud.

"No, no. You can't think like that. You were hurt and confused, in an unfamiliar place that was anything but kind to you. You did the best you could under the given circumstances," Silv said.

Evanescence, however, didn't seem convinced in the truth of her words. Thus, Silv was forced to explain things more carefully, choosing her words wisely.

"Sometimes, people die, and no matter what we do, we can't stop that from happening. All we can do is try our best.

"My grandma died. Many more people will die no matter what I do, but I can at least try to protect as many people as possible," Silv said.

Evanescence seemed to contemplate those words carefully. It was as if Silv's reasoning was opening a new point of view for the ship and simultaneously healing old wounds.

"Silv and Evanescence help," Evanescence said determinedly.

"You do understand that means letting me go from your safety, don't you?" Silv checked.

"Yes," Evanescence replied.

"That's good since I would feel utterly useless here, having in mind that you can do everything and more by yourself," Silv said.

"Affirmative," Evanescence replied.

"Thank you," Silv said.

Then she proceeded to extract her hands from the controls and hurried to catch up with the ground team.

A fleeting thought of joining Justin crossed her mind, but she knew that wasn't the most practical thing to do. She was a soldier, not a pilot, and she needed to do what she did best.

"Miss Silv," Arthur greeted her the moment she left the control room.

"Arthur, come with me," Silv said.

"Where are we going?" The AI asked.

"To do some grunt work," Silv replied, confusing Arthur.

When she reached the ground team, they were already armed and ready, although the ship hadn't reached their destination yet.

"Silv, what are you doing here?" Joe asked, surprised.

"I am coming with you," Silv replied.

"What about that little problem..." Joe started asking.

"All taken care of," Silv replied.

"Great! Now a complete stranger will be giving us orders," someone grumbled.

Before Joe could respond in any way, Silv gave him a sign that she got it covered.

"I am a soldier. I have always been one, and I am in no hurry to become a leader. These are your people, Joe, and I want you to see me as one of them. You give orders, and I'll follow them." Silv told Joe.

It was actually a relief for Silv to do so as she felt that humans would never follow her orders without complaint, which she wasn't sure was the case with the aliens.

"Alright then, get ready," Joe told everyone.

"Silv, what's our ETA?" Joe asked.

Silv closed her eyes, focusing on Evanescence's presence, which was much weaker than when they were physically connected. It was like a whisper at the back of Silv's mind that she had to focus on to be able to hear Evanescence's response.

Thus, Silv was looking forward to the moment the speech commands were fixed and Evanescence could address everyone directly.

"Ten minutes," Silv said after checking more than once if she understood the distance correctly.

"Good. When we get there, I want you all to focus on scaring the soldiers. Make it seem as if there is more of us than there actually are.

"We don't need to kill all of them. They are just soldiers following orders. That means that they probably don't even know what's going on or what they are fighting for. So our main mission is to maim and frighten, not kill. Is that clear?" Joe asked.

"Yes, sir," they all responded as one.

Silv couldn't help but admire the power that the old man had over his people. It was one that was difficult for Silv to understand.

People followed the Government's rules because the Government was more powerful than them and could crush them at any sign of rebellion. However, most of the men under Joe's command were stronger and younger than Joe. Yet, they willingly followed all his orders.

There was no fear involved. Yet the fighters seemed more willing to follow the man than most people were to follow the Government and its leaders. It was awe-inspiring for Silv as it showed her what kind of leader she wished she could be, the one who was admired and respected, not feared and despised.

Even though it was easier to just be a soldier, following rules without asking any questions, Silv knew at that moment that she wanted more. She understood that she needed more from herself, from the world. That was especially true if she wished to implement the changes that her grandmother was fighting for.

Still, she wasn't naive enough to believe that she could change the broken human society. However, she hoped that one day she could become the type of leader that could help both humans and aliens find a better life with her assistance.

Silv was so lost in her contemplations about what it meant to be a true leader that she didn't even notice that ten minutes had passed until Joe's voice reached her.

"Move out," he said.

And off they went to what Silv thought could be a painful death.