Ichor

Commander (Part II)

Year 13 - Commander
Planet Krup

° ° ° °

Percy signaled a battalion of the Delta (Δ) Division, led by General Andrew Faren, to sneak around the back of the palace. A battalion of the Theta (Θ) Division, led by General Marissa Sahal, took the west side while a battalion of the Nu (Ν) Division, led by General Darleen Sahal, took the east side. The A Division's battalion was attacking the front as a diversion.

Their goal was to take down most of the standing army and kill the tyrant of Krup, Corley of Brinmeth, who had claimed thousands of lives simply because he could. He taxed the people endlessly, punished those who so much as looked higher than his feet, and killed any who did not pledge their loyalty to him.

The A Division would grab Corley's army's attention and pull their forces to the front. When the Θ and N Divisions attacked, they'd try to evacuate through the back passages only to run right into the Δ Division.

"This is it, people," Percy announced to the A Division. "Cut off the head and the body will die. This is not a hydra. They are not mythical or untouchable. They are simply beings who have gone against the values we stand behind. Beings we must hold accountable for their atrocities done to innocents. But victory is only as sure as the hope you have. So keep your hopes high and do not die. Move out!"

So his pep talks hadn't changed much, but they did the job well enough. His soldiers steeled their nerves and marched as one to the front doors. They met little resistance and quickly overpowered the guards at the front gate. A well-placed explosive and the large doors fell off their hinges. The division stormed the castle and drew the footman to the front. Just as expected, the tyrannical self-proclaimed king tried to escape through the south passageways. His men met the swift end of the Δ Division's blade or arrow or dagger or axe or... you get the point.

"Ichor! Corley is trying to sneak out," Mason shouted.

"Follow him! Take Major Stevens!" Percy ordered.

Just as Mason turned, an arrow struck him in the side. "Son of a-"

"Feal!" Percy rushed to his friend as fast as he could. "No, don't pull it out yet."

"Come on, Percy. It's just an arrow."

The use of his real name was enough to make him agree and yank out the arrow. Mason screamed and cursed like a sailor—Percy should know—and nearly punched Major Holly Stevens who was moving to bandage the wound. After checking to make sure the arrowhead had come cleanly out and that no poison was present, they disinfected the wound and wrapped it tightly with clean cloth.

"Don't call me that."

"Why not? I'll only do it with the generals. Or even just Marissa, Darleen, and Andrew. And Travis since he's the one who told us."

"He should've kept his mouth shut."

"Oh, come on, Per- Ichor. Don't be mad at the kid. You two clearly knew each other well before the army. He missed you."

"That was a long time ago."

"Yeah, for you. How long for him?"

"I can't tell you. Now shut up while we get you out of here."

The battle didn't last long. It took a couple of hours at most. Corley tried escaping with an elite guard but was intercepted before they even got off palace grounds. However, their work wasn't done. They couldn't very well just leave the people to figure out everything on their own, now could they? No, Percy was adamant about staying at least a week and working to restore order and help them set up a stable government. The work was hard, but in some ways, it pleased Percy the most. It was a way to prove to himself that he was just as good at peace as he was at war.

° ° ° °

Planet Primae

Back on Primae, officers were busy writing battle reports and submitting them for review. Percy would go through them all and award demonstrated bravery. One report in particular had him grunting in frustration. Andrew reported that it was Travis and two other privates who officially captured Corley. For the privates, he would just promote them or grant them paid leave or some other reward. But for Travis, he was required to do something more.

Every time a major general exhibited valor or tactical success in battle (less common than you'd expect), the Commander was expected to host a dinner in their honor with the generals and their seconds. Later, a party for all majors and the generals would be held in the ballroom. Percy was wondering if he would pretend not to have seen it, but knew that wouldn't be fair to Travis. Plus, the other generals would never stand for that. Just his luck, Andrew walked into his office.

"Commander," Andrew greeted politely. It would've been nothing more than a hello had there not been a mischievous grin on his face.

"Faren," Percy said with a sigh. "I've just finished reading your report. I see Major Travis Stoll is due a dinner."

"You got that right, Ichor. He was excellent and you know it. Proved I chose my second well. And I'm requesting the good stuff for my major. Five courses with a nice bottle of scotch."

"He'll get the full reward, I promise, but no alcohol. Not at dinner. You may have it at the after-party."

"Aww, you're no fun. Lighten up a bit, Percy."

"Don't," he snapped.

"Don't what?" Andrew replied with faux innocence.

"Don't call me Percy."

"Why not? It's your name, isn't it?"

"I don't use that name anymore. You know that. My file was supposed to stay classified. Travis's slip-up was... unforeseen."

"'Travis', eh? I'm not trying to get jealous here, Ichor, but why does he get to be called by his first name? You only ever use last names or both first and last names."

Percy knew Andrew well enough to know this truly did bother him. Probably the other generals too. He felt bad, but he couldn't explain it. Travis was someone he grew up with. He'd fought by all his generals, some more than others, but with Travis, it was just different. It was the history they shared. The struggles and losses they went through together as kids... if he called Travis by his last name, it almost seemed like a dishonor to his past. Percy didn't hate his past. He wouldn't have traded it for anything. It was just... it was the past and he couldn't change who he was then. But he had control over who he was now.

Softening his tone to the caring one he used when he dropped his guard, rare for anyone to hear, he spoke slowly, "Andrew. I'm sorry. I don't mean to alienate or diminish any friendships. But I've changed a lot since I knew Travis. To him, it's been... well, it hasn't been all too long. But for me, it's been thirteen years. You know the version I've become. And he knows the version I started as."

"I think I would like to know the old version too," Andrew commented understandingly. "I love this version, of course. But it seems to me that the old version was... happier. I should like to see that too."

Percy was speechless. Did he act unhappy? Did his friends think he wasn't happy being with them? Was he taking them for granted all these years? Or did he just need more sleep? And did he imagine the vulnerable shift when Andrew said "love"?

Andrew saw the contemplating look on his face and made a quiet exit to let Ichor think. Ichor got like that sometimes. Just staring off into the distance in deep thought. It was concerning to Andrew the first time he saw it. There was a lost look in his eyes and a sadness about him that Andrew could never understand. But now he realized it was most likely homesickness.

Everyone else in the army joined because they wanted to (more or less). They had vacation time they could use to go back home. But not once had Ichor used his days off to do so. They had communication privileges on weekends. But not once had he talked with someone from his past. They (officially) had the option of decorating their spaces if they were a major or higher. But not once did he put up a photo of family. Ichor had no ties or interaction with anything from his past. Until Travis, that is. Andrew didn't know how he felt about it anymore, but he did have a feeling the celebration dinner would be an interesting one.