Eric woke up feeling a weight on his chest that felt unusual, but comforting. He smiled as he came to, stroking the hair of Mia while pulling her tighter against him. She chuckled as she kissed his cheek. "Was last night not enough?" She said while propping herself up on his chest. He grinned as he recalled the events that left the village unable to sleep. Not answering her, he kissed her head while stroking her back. His hand seem to have a mind of their own while he cupped her firm rear, enjoying the soft feminity of her skin. "Mm, I would give everything in this world for ten more minutes of this." She sighed in response while cupping his chin. She allowed his hands to roam while staring into his eyes. "Go. Just know that your future wife is waiting for you, ready to warm your bed and your heart."
Eric began the trek back to his vehicle after getting ready for the day. He kissed Mia one more time, before leaving their house. As he walked to his truck, he passed by Kamer. Kamer gave Eric a knowing smirk while Eric sighed in exasperation. "Treat her well, lad." Kamer said simply while walking to address one of the soldiers standing guard at the gates. Eric nods to Kamer's retreating back while starting his truck. "Don't worry, old man. I will."
Eric arrived at the foot of Hood Hill while staring at the gauges of his truck. "Low on fuel and coolant. It might be time to start rucking back and forth again. At least until jonny can make good on his promise." As he walked through the gates of the FOB, he stopped dead in his tracks. Pallet upon pallet of freshly made ammunition stood in front of him. The bullets looked different than usual, however. They glowed in a purple hue while having markings that look atypical on the back where the caliber type would typically be engraved. He then heard the voices of soldiers clamoring over wares. He didn't need to look up to realize what was going on. "Hey, do you have Rip it's?" A voice called out over the commotion, and a frenzy of all rank types began. Eric pinched the bridge of his nose and walked to the command tent. It was going to be a long month.
The atmosphere in the command tent was heavy and somber. Each leader felt like their IOTV's were filled with bricks as Milano stood there with reports piled in front of him. Each section OIC stood with their OIC's. As Eric entered the room, every leader turned to face him.
"Dryer, explain who that man is." Milano said bluntly. "It is obvious he is from Earth, so would you care to tell us how you two have a history?"
Eric sighed as he sat down, looking at Milano with a straight face. His tone was even and controlled while answering. "Jonny Vargas. He is the man that took my wife from me. First Sergeant Hammond can attest to that story. I have no clue why he came here and specifically asked for me, but I think he has been watching us for some time." Eric sighed as he looked around at each leader. "Jonny is a self serving asshole, but he is not a liar. He has put his stake in with our survival, because he believes us surviving is his ticket to live in this world peacefully."
The room went silent, as if the air was butter a knife could cut through. Eric stared at Milano while waiting for him to respond. After a brief back and fort staring contest, Milano finally sighed. "Alright." He relented while looking around the room. "From here on out, this 'Vargas' will be under 24/7 watch. I want his staging area to be cordoned off, while still allowing the soldiers room to bargain with him. Heaven knows keeping soldiers from their caffeine and nicotine would doom us all. Furthermore, I want S-4 to keep track of the systems that become operational as Vargas continues his work." Milano continued rattling off orders before turning back to Eric.
"Dryer, I think it is about time you start heading out with the allies you have gathered at the village. It is time for us to gain real world intel outside of that village. I also need you to visit Princess Ayeolla. We must set up a trade route with her nation as promised during our negotiations. You will need the authority and responsibilities that come with your title, so for that reason, you will now be Master Sergeant Dryer." Milano said as he walked up to Eric and patted him on the back.
Eric stood there in shock as the commander patted him on the back. Master Sergeant, a rank that would come with it's own complexities, a rank that he had dreamed about for a year. How many times had he thought "This would be easier if I was a MSG?". He looked back up at Milano, for the first time since coming to this world, he was unable to speak as he reacted purely on emotion. "Sir, can I speak to my wife first?"
The room exploded in laughter.
After the meeting broke, Hammond came to find Eric while the latter was refueling his truck. Now that Eric was a liasion to the outside world, he would need all the fuel he could get. "A wife, eh?" The first seargeant says with a chuckle while patting Eric on the back. "I never thought your ass would get married again after that." He said, nodding to where Jonny was handing out cans that looked suspiciously like monsters to a few junior enlisted. There, standing behind Jonny was the maid from yesterday. Now that Eric could see her from a closer distance, he groaned and looked up at the sky. "Are you fucking serious?"
The maid was his ex wife Victoria.