I was about to order people to take cover, when the lead pair of Vultures split to flank us east and west, and their weapons pods opened. Clearly, they had seen us, and were interested. Maybe hostile. "Everyone, weapons down, hands in the air."

"Sir?" Rogers asked suspiciously. I had, after all, killed Kristang, and now intended to surrender to the Ruhar.

"Lieutenant, maybe, if we're very lucky, we can take out one of those Vultures, if the pilot is stupid enough to get that close. The others will wipe us out like sitting ducks. Place your weapon on the ground, back away from it, and hold your hands in the air." I could see he wasn't convinced. We were out in the galaxy to fight the Ruhar so people on Earth didn't have to. Surrendering without firing a shot went against a soldier's instincts. "The Ruhar hit us here before, and the Kristang knocked them back," I reminded him, although this time, I would rather deal with the Ruhar than the Kristang. "Live to fight another day," I said, "which ever side we end up fighting."

Rogers accepted the facts. The Vulture pilots were not at all stupid, the four of them flew high cover, safely out of Javelin range. A Dodo landed, dropped a dozen troops, and immediately dusted off to circle to the south. As the hamster troops approached, Rogers' zPhone came to life. He touched his earpiece. "Sir, we're being ordered to leave our weapons, and assemble south of the road."

We complied. I didn't see we had any choice. I ordered a private to give me his zPhone, and walked slowly forward, hands in the air, to talk to the enemy soldiers. Or alien soldiers, I didn't know who was our enemy right then. Maybe both sides. "I am Colonel Joe Bishop, United States Army," I announced. This apparently didn't mean shit to the Ruhar, who confiscated my zPhone and herded me into the group with everyone else. Twenty minutes of sitting on the ground in the sun later, a Ruhar soldier approached us, and tossed a zPhone to me. "Are you the Colonel Joe Bishop who was honored to speak with," the translator buzzed, "Bahturnah Lohgellia?"

Who the hell was, oh, right. I'd forgotten she had a real name. "The burgermeister?" That didn't translate well for him, because he tapped his earpiece, so I tried again. "The regional governor. I met with her in Teskor. I was Sergeant Joe Bishop back then."

"Yes. You are that same Joe Bishop?"

"Ta." I nodded.