Major Greer

Major Greer is a Second Expeditionary officer whose most consequential acts come at the edge of command: he cannot authorize Peter to accompany the expedition, yet he leaves open a route for Peter to follow; later, he joins Alicia’s party without displacing her leadership and entrusts Peter with the decision about the virus samples. Greer’s role is that of a pragmatic ally, attentive to the danger of the mission but willing to make room for choices that formal orders cannot accommodate.

Identity and Command

Greer appears as a mounted major within the expeditionary force, responsible for men and for the decisions that govern their movement. His authority is real but bounded. When Peter tries to negotiate a place in the mission by appealing to the general, Greer tells him that this will not work; the order is settled, and Greer cannot simply overturn it. The distinction between what he can officially permit and what he can quietly facilitate becomes a defining feature of his conduct.

His command is also practical rather than ceremonial. When the expedition rides out, it consists of five squads as well as horses and vehicles. Greer speaks with Peter privately, out of earshot, instead of turning the refusal into a public confrontation. Later, when he chooses to join a smaller party, he hands command of his unit to Eustace. His actions show an officer attentive to the operational chain of command, even when he acts beyond its expected boundaries.

Peter and the Forbidden Follow

Greer acknowledges that Peter is worried about Amy and tells him that, if the decision were his, he would probably let Peter come. The admission does not change the official answer: the general will not be persuaded, and Peter cannot accompany the force as an authorized member. Greer’s brief hesitation as he begins to disclose something about Amy suggests that he possesses information he finds difficult to share, but he does not reveal it in the available exchange. When Peter asks whether he has told Vorhees, Greer refuses to discuss it further.

Instead, Greer gives Peter the expedition’s contingency plan. If the force does not return, Red Squad is officially ordered to evacuate Peter down to Roswell. Unofficially, Greer says the soldiers will not stop Peter if he decides to press on. This is neither an invitation sanctioned by command nor a clean prohibition: it leaves Peter responsible for crossing the boundary himself, while making clear that Greer will not use his authority to prevent him.

Greer makes that opening tangible when Peter comes to him again. After confirming that Peter means to go with Amy, he offers his own mount, promises to leave word at the gate to let Peter pass, and agrees to leave weapons for him. The gestures turn a conditional, unofficial permission into material assistance. Greer does not accompany Peter then, but gives him a horse, access, and the means to continue.

A Private Exchange with Alicia

Before the riders depart, Peter visits Alicia and tells her that he understands her, though he had not understood before. Asked what changed his mind, he struggles to explain; Muncey’s death, his father, and Amy all seem relevant, but he cannot put the underlying reason into words. He finally mentions Hollis’s guitar. The exchange is not a command decision, but it marks Peter’s shifting understanding among the people whose choices shape the expedition.

Later, as the smaller group considers how to approach the mountain, Alicia announces that they will go north and orders everyone to stay alert. Greer joins the four-person party without explanation as its members are mounting up to leave, passing his command to Eustace. Michael wonders whether Greer will take charge. Once the party is clear of the ridge, however, Greer turns to Alicia and makes explicit that this is her operation, asking whether the others understand. His deference is not merely nominal: Alicia remains in front as they ride, while Greer takes the rear. He contributes his experience without converting participation into a claim on leadership.

The party follows the river in darkness, stopping when a horse stumbles or Alicia signals the others to listen and scan the trees. By the time the valley opens beneath the stars, they reach an ice-choked river crossed by a bridge on concrete piers. Greer’s decision to accompany them places him inside the expedition’s risks, but the scene preserves Alicia’s authority over the approach.

Judgment, Risk, and Significance

Greer’s most consequential judgment comes when Peter asks what they are supposed to do with the vials in his pack. Greer answers that the decision is not his to make: the woman gave the vials to Peter and no one else, so the choice belongs to Peter. He then adds the perspective of a soldier, observing that ten more Donadios would make a formidable weapon. The answer holds two ideas in tension. Greer recognizes the military value of what the vials might produce, but he does not turn that calculation into an order that overrides Peter’s responsibility.

The expedition is still two days from Moab when that conversation ends; afterward, the group approaches the farmstead from the south. Greer’s place in the story is shaped by these intervals of choice: a refused request softened by an unofficial escape route, practical aid given without fanfare, and a willingness to join Alicia’s party without taking its command. He remains a soldier, and he speaks plainly about the weapon the vials could make. Yet he repeatedly distinguishes military judgment from personal authority, leaving Peter and Alicia room to decide what the mission requires.