She nodded and walked around Aidan, anxious to get by him and down into the tiny room that they’d given up for her to change in. She’d have been o...kay changing with the rest of the guys but somehow, even though these men had been brutal physically to her, the thought of her nudity had them panicking. Aidan stepped in front of her again and this time she let him have it. She pushed her bag into his stomach and then grabbed his arm, flipping him onto his back on the mat. ‘Leave me alone, Aidan. I. I swear these tanks were close to twenty years old and predated the rebellion. Being the commander/gunner I had to think of what hit us and how to fix it quickly. Franklin the driver and I both saw a quick flash before everything went dark. It could have been an old electromagnetic pulse weapon from fifty years ago. I had Michel, the engineer, do a hard reset of all systems. Nothing, and five minutes wasted. Then, I remembered a rumor that some rebels may have mines or devices which triggered. "Why the fucking hell are you naked!" The Marine's high-pitched voice reminded me of surviving recordings of General Patton from World War Two."You demanded that he be brought in front of you immediately," Mary wore a Navy uniform and I finally got to see that she was also a colonel. I didn't even know Mary's last name. "Didn't you learn already that Lieutenant Lawrence will obey orders to the letter?" Lieutenant Lawrence reporting, sir," I wobbled, holding my salute."What's with that saluting. Their tiny flames seemed to mirror the stars above as she moved between them, tending to her garden of lights. He lingered patiently, his mind intent on mischief, as she went about her task, carefully manipulating her tripod and photographing her glittering garden, her Tuesday night?s homework, overdue, as he knew from the email she had sent him that morning. He knew, too, that she thought him to be still overseas, and wouldn?t expect him back for a week at least.At length she seemed finished,.