Liquor

Liquor is strange drink. It has a bitter taste and leaves a burning sensation on your throat once you swallow it. It is made by fermenting grain or fruits. Fermentation by the way is just a fancy name for letting a piece of organic matter rot under controlled conditions. Yes, Liquor is nothing more than the juice of rotting plant matter, yet humanity has developed an extreme love for this drink. Ever since ancient times this liquid made from dead plants were prized commodities that even the most powerful enjoy. This fact never changed even when humanity began its first steps into conquering the stars.

Inside the General’s office Nelson and Nikolai were enjoying a bottle of Vodka, a very strong liquor popularized in human culture as the stereotypical drink of the average Russian man. Truth be told Nelson didn’t like Vodka, he felt that the only thing Vodka had going for it was the strong burning sensation it left on your throat. To him it lacked the depth of flavor other liquors had like Whisky or Cognac. In fact he was quite fond of these hard drinks and will go out of his way to find the rarest most expensive of bottles. But he didn’t want to be rude to the General’s hospitality, and as an ambassador he knew that partaking in these kinds of exchanges help grow a beneficial relationship.

As he downed another shot of Vodka the image of his wife gifting him a very expensive and rare bottle of whisky during their 10th anniversary flashed in his mind. Suddenly the Vodka tasted worse and a sour bitterness flooded his heart. “Agatha” Nelson said to himself.

“So Mr. Ambassador, how did your review of the exchanges between Earth and the Alerian kingdom go?” General Nikolai said to him in a merry tone, his cheeks having a hint of redness to it. It seemed that the Vodka was having an effect on him already.

Upon hearing this Nelson snapped out of his stupor and looked at the man he was drinking with. He tried his best to look normal and not let the emotions welling up in his heart show on his face.

“You did well General, I must praise you” Nelson said to the General

“You managed to not only gain a foothold into this world but also maintain a strong working relationship with the kingdom, albeit still in its infancy”

Nikolai wanted to say thank you when a knock on the door was heard.

“General Nikolai, This is Captain Clarks may I please speak to you?” The man outside said with a hint of urgency in his voice.

General Nikolai was expecting this to happen. He knew this has something to with the Manticore attack. Nelson upon seeing a change in the General’s expression had an idea what is going on.

“You may enter Captain Clarks” General Nikolai said, bracing for the incoming confrontation.

Captain Clarks then entered the entered the room, frustration visible on his face. He glanced around the room and was taken aback when he saw an unfamiliar man having a drink with the General. The old didn’t seem to happy to see him for some reason.

“Good evening Captain, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” General Nikolai said trying to lighten up the mood

“I am going to be Frank General and I am going to apologize for stepping out of line, but that stunt you pulled earlier was STUPID” Captain Clarks exclaimed.

Before Nikolai could reply the Nelson spilled the beans himself.

“I gave the order for you to stand down and wait, Captain.” Nelson said in a cold authoritarian tone. “Oh how rude of me, we haven’t met have we? I am Nelson Sutherland former special relations officer of the UN and now acting ambassador and representative of the UN to Nelithea” Nelson added his tone not changing one bit.

Captain Clarks then shifted his attention to Nelson, both men exchanging silent glares as the mood inside the room started to deteriorate. General Nikolai wanted to dispel this escalating confrontation before it gets ugly but it was already too late.

“With all due respect Mr. Ambasasdor but your order put the lives of innocent people at risk!” Captain Clarks exclaimed no longer able to hold back his frustration.

“Do you realize how many lives could have been lost if the Fighters didn’t arrive in time? Were you seriously telling us to stand down and watch if the village was being destroyed around us?” The captain now raising his voice and his frustration turned into complete anger.

“Yes what of it?” Nelson replied delivered an emotionless reply

“While I don’t have to explain myself to you, I might as well since you came all the way back to base just to complain” Nelson said before the captain could reply.

“You see, I realized that in the two years you lot have lived here in Nelithea, you didn’t have any worthwhile achievements aside from the initial rescue of Larien village.” Nelson explained. “This will give the Kingdoms the idea that they stand at an equal ground with us in power, and in the incoming negotiations, this will prove detrimental for me. Now do you understand why I gave that order?” Nelson added.

But the Ambassador was still not finished, and the his next few words finally greatly infuriated the captain.

“Plus it would even greatly benefit us if there were a few casualties. Since the arrival of a savior during a hopeless situation would have greater effect” Nelson said as if it was a matter of fact.

“YOU, HOW COULD YOU? HOW CAN YOU TOY WITH THE LIVES OF THESE PEOPLE?” The captain was now fuming with anger, no longer keeping up his appearance.

Then Nelson stood.

“Captain, what is your affiliation?” Nelson asked

The captain puzzled by the strange question calmed down a bit

“I serve the Earth, I am soldier who swore to protect our people” The captain replied

“Correct. You are not a knight in shining armor” Nelson voice then became ice cold.

“Let me remind you captain that we are not here to play charity work for these people nor are we here to act as their saviors. We are here to learn more about this world and most importantly we are here for our own gain” Nelson said as he slowly walked up to Christopher.

“Tell me, if I had allowed you to engage the Monsters and you died in the process, would we have gained anything? And if you died, who will protect the staff sent there for the outreach programs and the Ambassadors who came to visit? No, all we would gain are a few corpses that would be sent back to mourning families back on Earth”

Upon hearing these words the captain was now speechless, he realized the point Nelson was trying to make. Different emotions were now swirling inside Christopher’s heart

Nelson was now standing face to face with the captain. And despite being a bit shorter and older than Christopher, his stature was far more intimidating. Christopher could feel his cold gaze penetrating his soul and even for a soldier like him, it was frightening.

“You are not here to play hero, captain Christopher Clarks” Nelson told the captain to his face in a chilling voice

Nelson then walked back to the general, poured himself another shot of Vodka and drank it.

“Thank you for the wonderful evening General Nikolai, but next time let me be the one to bring the drink. I happened to have brought some rare spirits with me” Nelson said and left the room giving one more quiet gaze as he passed by the captain.

Captain Clarks remained silent, an unreadable expression now present on his face.