by PP
“I am personally looking into the matter,” promised General Kalipetsis. Five minutes later he had the information he needed. “Your sergeant was just captured. He had joined the insurgency and had led attacks and participated in kidnapping. He is currently being held at Camp Alaska.”
“A marine contingent and I will beam down to Camp Alaska immediately and repatriate our sergeant,” said #1. “I expect you will meet me there?”
General Kalipetsis met #1 at the landing zone at Camp Alaska. He did not look happy. General Kalipetsis was flanked by his staff, a platoon of legionnaires, Lieutenant Lopez, Sergeant Green, and myself.
“Where is my sergeant?” asked #1, bypassing formalities and getting to the heart of the matter. “I expected him to be waiting here, too.”
“Regretfully, your sergeant was murdered in his cell last night,” said General Kalipetsis. “I am truly so sorry. The matter is being investigated.”
“Who was the ranking officer in charge of his custody,” asked #1.
“Captain Czerinski,” answered General Kalipetsis.
“You put the Butcher of New Colorado in charge of prisoners of war? Again? Why am I not surprised my sergeant was murdered in his sleep.”
“Sir, I had nothing to do with your sergeant’s death,” I said.
“So, we finally meet,” said #1. “You will again be charged with war crimes. I will not let this matter drop. I demand the Butcher of New Colorado be remanded to my custody and transported to Arthropoda City for trial for murder and the many other murders at the New Disneyland Extermination Camp.”
“Only the President can order a legionnaire to be placed into your custody,” replied General Kalipetsis. “I do not have the authority to make that decision. And frankly, you can go fuck yourself.”
“And why would I do that?” said #1. “Do you have the authority to let me inspect the crime scene and to search your gulags for my missing soldiers?”
“You have already been given permission to search with an escort,” said General Kalipetsis.
#1 scrutinized the Honor Guard. He was outraged to see spiders in Legion uniform. “What is this?” he asked. “You have pressed spiders into service? Or is this the result of new brainwashing technology?”
“Some spiders don’t want to live under an Emperor,” said General Kalipetsis. “They want to be free.”
“Yes. Now that I look closer, I see most of them are traitorous Greens,” said #1. “Someday we will find a final solution to them, even if it is to dump them all on New Colorado.”
As they walked to the detention center, General Kalipetsis repeatedly said that he regretted the sergeant’s death and that there were no more Arthropodan soldiers in custody. #1 seemed to be placated a little, but then a spider stepped out of the ranks.
“I am a Special Forces marine,” said Private Charlie Brown. “I want to go home.”
“And so you will,” said #1, grasping onto Charlie Brown. “What have they done to you?”
“Just take me home,” said Charlie Brown. “I did what I needed to do to survive. But now the nightmare is over. Please, take me home.”
“How many more of my soldiers do you have?” asked #1, turning to General Kalipetsis.
General Kalipetsis turned to me. “Well? I’ll shoot you myself if one more Arthropodan marine steps forward demanding to be released. Are there more?”
“This one showed up with one other,” I said. “They’re probably from the same unit. They wore the same military style boots, and they hang out together.” I motioned for Lieutenant Lopez to summon Private Wayne. Private Wayne stepped forward from the Honor Guard.
“Sir!” said Private Wayne. “Reporting as ordered.”
“You can go home, too,” I said. “You are not wanted here.”
“Sir?” asked Private Wayne. “I have an enlistment contract. I will take the matter to court.”
“What?” asked General Kalipetsis. “Are you an Arthropodan marine Special Forces or not? You will go home now, damn it!”
“I am home, sir,” insisted Private Wayne. “The Legion is my home. I am not going anywhere! Legionnaires cannot be extradited except by order of the President. It’s the law. I heard you say it myself.”
“He has been brainwashed,” said #1. “Is there no end to the atrocities you human pestilence will commit?”
Private Wayne took a threatening step toward #1. “I have not been brainwashed. And you are not taking me anywhere,” said Private Wayne. “You sent me here and left me to die! You wrote me off! And now, after so long, you and your greedy Emperor only want to make an issue of my plight because you want a bargaining chip for New Colorado gold and oil. You care nothing for me!”
“You have been through a very traumatic time,” said #1. “You will think differently once you are away from the corrupting influence of the human pestilence and are back on Arthropoda.”
“You will not take me back to Arthropoda,” said Private John Iwo Jima Wayne.
The Fleet Commander turned to General Kalipetsis. “The Team Leader is still an Arthropodan marine. He will be beamed aboard my ship, by force if necessary.”
General Kalipetsis shrugged, about to give in. I stepped in between the two and poked #1 with my finger. “Private Wayne is a legionnaire in the United States Galactic Federation Foreign Legion. You want war? Try to take him.”
The Fleet Commander did not take well to being poked and threatened. He gave me a shove. Tonelli’s dragon lunged at #1, biting off one of his feet. Spot swallowed it, boot and all. When the shoving and pushing was over, negotiations broke down.
“I will kill you if it is the last thing I do!” threatened #1 as medics carried him to a medivac shuttle. “This is not over yet! There will be one more chapter, and it will end with your slow, torturous death as I tear you apart limb by limb with my bare claws!”
Imperial Feet Commander #1 left with Charlie Brown and the detail of medics. We kept John Wayne.
That was the last I heard from the Spider Fleet Commander. I should have taken the Fleet Commander’s threats seriously and let Spot finish him off. Enemies are best dealt with while they’re down. But no, confident of my invincibility, I let the Fleet Commander escape. I blew off his threats as the mere rant of a spider going into traumatic shock. It did look that way. I never expected to see him again soon anyway.
* * * * *
Now was time for celebration. I got drunk with my men at the North Slope Tavern. At the end of the night, I staggered off alone, back to my cold dark office. “Can you believe it?” I complained aloud. “Colonel Joey R. Czerinski, hero of the Legion, savior of the world – again – and I can’t get a date at the end of the evening!” No matter. I was tired and needed rest.
As soon as I reached for the light switch, I knew I had made a fatal mistake. I had lowered my guard for just an instant, but that was an instant too long! I could smell the pungent odor of spider in the air. They had been waiting for me all night. Immediately I reached for my sidearm, but quick claws deftly snatched my pistol away. Eight limbs wrapped around me, pinning me to my desktop. Vicious fangs pressed to my neck, drawing a slight trickle of blood. Stifling breath moistened my face. I gagged. Conceding death, I closed my eyes and waited for the end.
“Joey, Joey, Joey! We had a date, and you stood me up! Did you really think I would forget, and not collect my due?”
“Amanda?” I asked, terrified, but relieved. Her fangs still pressed ever tighter against my neck. “I’m so glad to see you!”
“Sure you are! You stood me up!”
“There was a thermal nuclear war. Remember? What could I do?”
“Is that the best excuse you can come up with? Hello! You could have called me!”
“Please don’t kiss so hard. I’m bleeding!”
“I can taste it. Yum yum! Oh, Joey, my darling, I could never stay mad at you for long, my dearest love. But I am not a one-night-stand kind of girl. I have my pristine reputation to keep intact. You will make an
honest female out of me yet. Tonight I will not be denied. It is our destiny.”
“Help! Someone help!”
“Joey, darling, fight me to the end if you must. You’re such a hot, wretched little fur ball. Your human pestilence mating rituals are so kinky, I love it!”
“Help!” I yelled again, unsheathing my jagged combat knife. It too was knocked away.
“Naughty boy!” hissed Amanda, even more excited. “You are so handsome in your spiffy new Legion uniform. I’ll try not to rip it. I’m so glad you reenlisted. Now all is as it was before. All is right in the galaxy, my love. The stars are aligned. The galaxy is safe, protected by the Legion and my brave and powerful legionnaire. And, I have you babe!”
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~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~
Walter Knight
Walter played football on Tucson High School’s last state championship team (1971). He served three years in the army, and the GI Bill paid for his college education, helping him earn degrees from Fort Steilacoom Community College, Central Washington State College, and the University of Puget Sound School of Law.
Walter lives a very quiet and private life, residing with his family and horses, dogs, cats, and fish atop a hill in rural Washington. Walt enjoys taking road trips to explore ghost towns and casinos.
To contact Walter Knight, please visit www.penumbrapublishing.com
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