Earthborn [Rewritten]

14. Rock-Paper-Scissors

I snapped into a salute.

Silence.

The General nor the Recon Scout Lieutenants moved or said anything. As always, my palms started to get sweaty when I get nervous.

If any of you were wondering, the general looked like this: snowy-white hair in a perfect drew cut sat on top of a squarish face that spoke of years of commanding men. Bushy brows sat over sharp pale blue eyes that pinned me to the spot. His whole demeanor screamed authority. He had no trouble convincing me that he was the Alpha of this group.

"Put down your hand, Thor," Crimson drawled.

"But-" I protested. There was a palpable current of electricity in the air the moment my brother came into the picture. I felt like I was caught in between two intimidating forces fighting for dominance. I could do nothing more than shut up and slowly lower my arm.

General Stavin chuckled, a deep, straight-from-the-belly chuckle that made you want to do the same. I stifled the urge, though. I wasn't about to be all familiar with the general.

"Ah, Crimson. Serious as always," he greeted my brother as he came down the ramp. The Recon Scout lieutenants averted their eyes as they saluted my brother. They really were afraid of him. I still didn't know why.

"And you're still as childish as ever," Crimson shot back. My mouth dropped open and I whirled to look disbelievingly at my brother. This was a whole new level of Crimson-crazy!

I turned to Shadow and she just shrugged. What in the world has gotten into them?

General Stavin turned to the lieutenants behind him. "Please escort our new residents outside. See to it that they're taken care of and inform Tech-Comms and Housing Admins to find a temporary place for them to settle in."

"Yes, sir!"

Elle and the others passed the General with nothing more than a nod in greeting before following the Recon Lieutenants as they escorted our new residents to the city. I noticed that Kara wasn't with them. The four of us remained, standing in the middle of the hangar with the ship still idling behind us.

Crimson and the General continued to toss veiled insults at one another, like lifelong friends talking trash. I gawked at them nervously. I don't know the General aside from the bare facts. Formerly a general of the Russian army, General Stavin was one of the first generals to launch a counter offensive against the Terrans when they appeared and gather survivors. He's the reason why Hope existed.

I had always imagined him as a guy who was made of steel and didn't know how to smile but the man in front of me was proof that I was wrong. He wouldn't be exchanging banter with a man years younger than he was if my first impression of him had been spot on. But that also begged the question: why was Crimson so chummy with him?

Even if I was in training for the last two years, I never once saw him or anyone ranking higher than a faction Captain or the retired Commanders, like Commander Brutus. Nobody came out of the Administrative building much and the rumors ran wild. So naturally, I was scared of the general. Exaggeration at its finest.

"Permission to speak, sir?" I asked tentatively.

"Granted."

I blinked. I hadn't expected him to grant it so easily.

"There's a bit of a...um...well..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say next. How do you tell your Commander-in-Chief that you have an Aberrant Terran cowering in the cargo hold of an Elite ship when you've spent the last six, seven years fighting their kind? Plus, this is the first time I was talking with the general face to face.