Max looked at the aging soldier with amusement. "You know, in my culture, those who are too cowardly to step forward in times of war are considered unfit to lead others in times of peace."
Gregory smiled back at Max and shook his head. "Ever since we hid here, it's been a time of peace. We are only today finding out who is a coward when threatened, but wasn't during the easy times. The soldiers of the Golden Legion pride themselves on their courage and honour, but there hasn't been a real chance for them to prove it in generations.
Give Lieutenant Willis a chance, he's got some brains, and while he might not be courageous enough to be the first into no man's land, he still led us this far, and he didn't abandon his duties during the fight in the city."
The old guard stopped and took in Max's face. "That was a test, wasn't it? To see if I thought that he was worthy as a Commander, or if you should call someone else to take his place."
Nico laughed at the man's shocked comment. "Oh, he's pretty good. He caught on way faster than we thought that he would. Yes, he was testing you to see if your Lieutenant was worth dealing with or if we should get someone else out here. If you say he's decent, we will give him the chance to be the intermediary."
Max nodded in agreement. "Go ahead and call your men inside before the sound of artillery shocks them all stupid. From what I can see on the sensors, our Mecha teams are about to move out to clear the area."
The attack was nearly finished already, and almost all the artillery was outgoing at this point, but from the point of view of the men hidden in the trees, it wouldn't make much difference. A dozen sets of thunder guns would be all that they could hear, and the shockwaves of the projectiles leaving at supersonic speed would be pounding their bodies through the simple armour they were wearing.
Max opened the door, and the rest of the team ran inside, then paused to try to understand what they were seeing, as two humans sat on a sofa that was mostly covered in cats, with Gregory facing them from across a table with one irate feline and a data tablet on it.
From their point of view, it looked like he was being interrogated by a house pet, while the aliens mediated. Sure, the cats were smart, but they were pets, and these ones were feral, more of a nuisance than anything else.
The thought was strange to him. Felines weren't Legionaries, they didn't have rights, or sentience. The fact that they could write showed that they had a level of intelligence, but they would inevitably revert to animalistic behaviour at the first opportunity. Why these humans would value them so much was beyond him.
But, since they did, he would have to respect that fact and work around it to ensure the safety of his people. Duty and Honour were foremost for a Golden Legion Officer, and it was his duty to keep his team alive, even in a situation as strange as this one.
Lieutenant Willis nodded to Gregory, who gestured toward Max and Nico.
"Lieutenant, these are Commanders Max and Nico of the um, Terminus Trading Company. As you can see, they are actual humans, pulled here accidentally, and they're willing to help. Well, at least they're willing to help the cats. The rest appears to be up for negotiation."
Lieutenant Willis gave the old security guard a disdainful look for his blunt assessment, but didn't say anything as he saw Max's amused smirk and Nico laughing with someone in the next room, who he couldn't see from his position.
"It's an honour to meet you, Commanders. Let me be blunt if I may. The Golden Legion wishes you no harm, unless you wish to harm us or our home. What do you need from me to make that informal agreement a reality?" The Lieutenant asked through the speaker on his golden helmet.
It gave his voice the same monotone mechanical inflection that Gregory's had, and it made it impossible for the cats to tell them apart. As far as they were concerned, these were all mall security guards who chased them away from food.
"First, if you could remove your helmet, it would help our feline friends feel more at ease. They can't tell you apart in uniform, and they hold a grudge against security guards who chase them away from food." Max explained.
Willis knew that they had only called the cats here, and that his team had simply followed, but he hadn't expected such a level of favouritism toward a common house pet. But, he did remove his helmet and stow it under his arm so that the humans could see his face.
The Golden Legion looked a fair bit like the humans on the outside. They were bipedal, with similar external appearances, except for the shining bronze skin, which had a metallic lustre. They were a fair bit taller than these two humans, at 220cm, but they had heard humans could come in a variety of sizes, from giants all the way to tiny elves like the girl on the couch.
Small creatures like that one were considered good luck by his people. It was said that their bodies remained small because all the nutrients went to their brains, so they should be exceedingly smart, and having one in your family was sure to bring wealth and good fortune.
Not that he'd seen one in his lifetime, but his grandmother had gone to school with one, and the members of that family were now quite wealthy.
There was something off about that tiny woman, though, and looking at her gave him the chills. There was no logical reason for it, but for some reason every cell in his body seemed to scream that she was dangerous, like an embedded genetic memory that contradicted her harmless appearance.
Nico stood to gather a stack of papers from the people in the other room and handed them to both Gregory and Willis.
"These are the proposed details of our agreement. Our people put great value on keeping our agreements, and we are hoping that yours are the same. With this, we agree to do our best to ensure that your people survive this conflict, and agree not to attack them unless we are betrayed. The terms are reciprocal, identical for both parties." Nico explained.
