* * * * *
The Mantid matriarch watched her three-thousand offspring near adulthood. She had done her duty. The Mantid civilization had been destroyed by the Scorpion Kingdom. As a species, the Mantidae had been hunted to near extinction for food and sport, their home invaded and stolen. Only one pregnant Mantid had survived, rescued by the Legion. Granted political refugee status, she settled in the southern hemisphere of New Colorado, as far away from any scorpions as she could get. The Mantid hatched her egg sacks and raised her young at a small isolated colony administered by the United States Galactic Federation Foreign Legion.
The small young Mantidae were mostly independent now. They had been attending public school, watching satellite TV, eating hamburgers, learning to drive cars, and preparing for college. Some even planned to join the Legion. ROTC programs gave preferential treatment to Mantidae candidates. In general, the young Mantidae acted and sounded more like most American teenagers than the Mantidae the matriarch remembered from her home world. No matter, at least the species survived. Now, she had one more unfinished duty to complete.
The Scorpion Queen was staying at the Marriott Hotel Resort Casino in New Gobi City to host a thousand-dollar-a-plate charity banquet for widows and orphans of the last war. The Mantid matriarch was determined to assassinate Her Majesty at the banquet. Escorted by hired security, the Mantid entered the lobby of the Marriott. She turned lots of heads. Many humans and spiders had seen Mantid photos on the database news, but very few had seen one in person. Even scorpions were amazed to see a Mantid, thinking the delicious dinner delicacy was long extinct.
Sensor scan alarms immediately sounded, indicating the Mantid was carrying a concealed weapon or bomb, or at least a substantial metallic object. Legionnaires detained the Mantid, frisking and searching her. They only found two steel magnetized ball bearings. The simple children’s toy clicked together when held.
“What is this?” asked Major Lopez, in charge of security for the Queen’s visit to New Gobi City. “Just lucky charms,” replied the Mantid. “Playing with them reduces stress.” “What are you doing here?” asked Major Lopez. “You are supposed to be far away from here.” “I came to see the Scorpion Queen,” admitted the Mantid. “Is there a law against that?” “Her Majesty is not seeing visitors from the public,” said Major Lopez. “VIP visits were arranged before she arrived.” “I mean to attend the banquet,” said the Mantid. “Is that okay with you?” “A Mantid attending a scorpion banquet?” scoffed a scorpion captain attached to the Queen’s bodyguards. “That has not happened in a long while. That is a good one!”
“Shut up!” ordered Major Lopez. “Why do you want to meet the Queen?” “To bring closure to our special relationship,” answered the Mantid. “And how would you do that?” asked Major Lopez. “May I attend the banquet or not?” asked the Mantid, testily. “Are you afraid?” “We do not fear anyone.” The scorpion captain laughed and added, “Especially the Mantidae. In fact, we love the Mantidae. She may come to the banquet. I have no problem with that.”
“It is my decision alone,” announced Major Lopez. “You intend to create an incident? To jump up in protest for the TV cameras?” “No,” answered the Mantid. “I will sit respectfully, and silently eat my dinner. Well? May I pass?” “It costs a thousand dollars a plate,” advised Major Lopez. “I doubt you have that much.” “Will you accept a VISA card?” asked the Mantid. “Are your security guards eating too?” asked Major Lopez. “They will stand,” replied the Mantid. “They will not eat.” “Let her pass!” said Major Lopez, turning away abruptly. “Major?” asked the Mantid. “May I have my charms back?” Major Lopez reached into his pants pocket. The magnetized ball bearings clicked together as he fumbled to gather them up. He handed the charms to the Mantid, warning “I will be watching you closely. Cause any trouble, and you will need more than charms and a VISA card to get out of jail.”
* * * * *
The Mantid sat quietly as promised at a long table flanked by the many guests hoping for an opportunity to speak to royalty at least once in their lives. The Mantid knew that to humans she looked something like a praying mantis because of its two long and gangly claws. But no one seemed to pay her any mind as the Queen busily socialized with guests sitting at her VIP table. Armed guards kept most away. From a distance, the Mantid never took her eyes off the Queen.
After dinner, the Queen got up to say a few words to her adoring crowd, obviously not even noticing the smaller Mantid wedged in between two boisterous groups of humans and spiders many tables away. As the Queen began her speech, the Mantid placed one of her ball bearings in a claw. Whipping the claw about like a sling, she threw the steel shot accurately at the Queen with tremendous velocity. The steel ball hit the Queen in the chest, knocking her back a step. A second shot followed, also hitting its mark. The Queen fell onto her back, lying motionless.
* * * * *
Legionnaires and scorpion bodyguards immediately tackled the Mantid, beating her to the floor. A scorpion stung the Mantid and even took a bite out of her flank. Major Lopez pulled the scorpion off the Mantid and ordered her detained in Legion custody.
The Queen had been struck at her center mass. However, the impact of both shots was defrayed by a Legion-provided Kevlar breastplate. With help, Her Majesty got up and limped over to the now badly beaten Mantid. The Queen loomed over her, stinger poised. “It is a Mantid?” she asked. “Release that Mantid immediately.”
“But the Mantid tried to kill you,” protested the scorpion captain. “This Mantid will face quick justice.” “I will not release her,” advised Major Lopez. “That is final.” “Then rush the poor thing to the hospital.,” ordered the Queen. “I do not intend to press charges.” “I am sorry,” said the Mantid, looking up through bloodied eyes. “It is okay. I am guilty and deserve to be executed.” “No, you do not,” argued the Queen. “I heard one of you Mantidae survived, smuggled out by the Legion. But I thought it was just an urban myth. This is fantastic! And you were pregnant?”
“Yes,” answered the Mantid.
“How precious,” exclaimed the Scorpion Queen. “It is I who should be sorry for what happened to your home world. Later we need to talk. When you recover, I will visit you at the hospital.”
The Queen leaned down and gave the Mantid a kiss on the cheek. With a shudder, Her Majesty stymied her reflexive urge to bite. The Queen vowed to be more careful about controlling her natural urges. For now.
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Chapter 13
The two remaining scorpion Special Forces scouts quit the buffalo drive for good when their lieutenant got himself killed. The lieutenant also lost their only radio. Each scorpion still had a hundred-dollar bill left from the sign-up bonus. They hiked east toward Scorpion City, which lay hundreds of miles away. It would be a long walk with no supplies. Paralleling the highway, but keeping out of sight of traffic, they made good progress until reaching a truck stop. The corporal entered the store to buy supplies while the other scout remained hidden in the sagebrush, watching.
“Howdy, partner,” greeted the clerk. “Are you a long-haul trucker?” “Yes,” said the scorpion corporal. “Really?” asked the clerk. “Where is your truck? Do you need gas or a place to park for the night?” “None of your business!” said the corporal, selecting bottles of Snapple iced tea and foot-long submarine sandwiches. “Ring it up!”
The clerk bagged the drinks and food, and took the scorpion’s hundred-dollar bill. He scanned the large bill for routine verification. The scanner chimed with a beep. “This looks counterfeit to me,” announced the clerk. “Ha-ha!”
“What?” asked the corporal, alarmed. He shoved the clerk, grabbed the bags, and fled out the door. “Sir!” yelled the clerk. “I was just joking! Come back! You have lots of change! Sir!” “Run!” warned the corporal, as he approached the other scout. “Major Lopez paid us in phony money!” “Damn that Lopez!” replied the scout hiding in the brush. “We should have killed him when we had the ch
ance.” They ran for miles before finally stopping for the night to rest and enjoy their ill-gotten gains. The Snapple was the best they’d ever had.
“I suppose this bill is a phony too,” commented the other scout, tossing his money into the fire. “That was a close call. In the future we need to be more careful.”
* * * * *
General Daly met Major Lopez for a debriefing about what went wrong with security at the Queen’s banquet. General Daly had been wanting to discuss security matters with Major Lopez for quite some time, and was now not holding anything back. “You have been a real disappointment lately,” commented General Daly. “I am seeing a pattern of incompetence that is alarming.”
“Sir?” asked Major Lopez.
“First, you allow four scorpion Special Forces troopers to escape your custody after they had infiltrated your fruit farm. Then you let those same scorpions infiltrate the buffalo drive, yet they escape again after setting off a grenade in the middle of your camp.
“I put you in charge of the Queen’s banquet security, and what happens? You have the potential assassin in custody, and let her go, allowing the Mantid to dine with the Queen. What were you thinking? That the Queen and the Mantid would suddenly become best friends? Kissing cousins? Pen pals?”
“Sir, two of those scorpion Special Forces terrorists have been killed,” explained Major Lopez. “The other two are being hunted down near the Black Desert Truck Stop. As for the Mantid, the Queen’s Captain of Security personally assured me there was no problem allowing the Mantid to attend the banquet.”
“I do not want excuses!” shouted General Daly. “I want results. You are beginning to sound a lot like Colonel Czerinski. I was hoping to groom you to take Czerinski’s place. Czerinski is becoming more and more mentally unstable by the minute. But what do I get from you? More excuses for failure?”
“Sorry, sir,” said Major Lopez. “I will do better. I will personally hunt down those two scorpion terrorists. And I’ll execute the Mantid, too.”
“No!” said General Daly. “The press would have a field day with that! The Queen has forgiven the Mantid. I guess Her Majesty feels guilty about the scorpions having eaten the entire Mantid civilization for dinner and snacks. Anyway, I don’t care why she forgave the Mantid. The Queen is leaving New Colorado today. I want the final farewell ceremony to go off without further incidents. Understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
* * * * *
The Scorpion Queen, her Captain of Bodyguards, and several other guards visited the Mantid at the New Gobi Hospital. The Mantid was still very weak from the venomous stings, but appeared to be recovering. Private Knight stood guard outside the hospital room door, allowing the scorpions to enter. Private Knight left the door ajar so he could monitor the visit, yet still give them some privacy.
“How is your recovery progressing?” asked the Queen, greeting the Mantid with a kiss. “I hear hospital food is terrible.”
“I feel better,” answered the Mantid. “Let me say again, I am so sorry. I must have been out of my mind.”
“I can certainly understand your rage,” commented the Queen. “Without provocation, the Scorpion Kingdom invaded your home world, enslaved and deported your families, destroyed your civilization, then fed on you to the brink of extinction. I can see how you might be a little pissed off. But a new day is upon us. Your civilization will recover, and I intend to help. You have survived, and have given birth to many new generations of Mantidae.”
“Yes,” gushed the Mantid. “There are thousands of us now. Our youth are growing up so strong, so proud, and full of potential.”
“I want to return your home world to you, and pay reparations,” advised the Scorpion Queen. “I know I can never fully compensate you for what we did to your species, but this will be a start. I will personally assist your offspring to take their rightful place among the galaxy’s sentient species. We will even offer scholarships at our major universities.”
“Thank you,” said the Mantid. “And to think I thought you were the personification of all evil in the galaxy. Again, I am so sorry I tried to assassinate you. You are extremely gracious to have forgiven me.”
“That’s quite alright,” advised the Queen. “We must move forward. I cannot wait to meet your large family. Where is your Mantid colony located?”
“In the southern hemisphere on the continent of New Argentina,” answered the Mantid, without thinking. It was a costly mistake. A cold shiver of fear ran throughout her entire body as she looked up at the scorpions. Just for a moment, she noticed the quick, ever so subtle glance of the scorpion captain as he nodded to his Queen. As he opened his mouth, he was salivating. An instant later, his face was stoic and unreadable. Oh no! What have I done? she thought. How could I have been so stupid?
“I can offer my personal shuttle to take you home,” continued the Queen. “It is the least I can do.”
“You lied!” accused the Mantid, with her last breath of strength. “You have not changed. The Scorpion Kingdom has not changed, either. You only wanted to find the Mantid colony.”
Frantically the Mantid tried to press the call button clipped to her pillow, but the Queen cut the wire cord with her claw. The Captain of Bodyguards silently closed the door. The legionnaire outside was slumped in his chair, reading a trashy science fiction paperback novel. The Queen and her bodyguards lorded over the helpless Mantid. They pounced, stinging the Mantid into paralysis. They ate the Mantid alive. They preferred their prey live, the best way to eat the tasty Mantidae. Canned was no good – fresh meat was so much better. When the feeding frenzy was over, there was not a trace of the poor Mantid left.
Private Knight continued reading his book as the Queen and her bodyguards left. When Dr. Trevino finally came by to check on his patient, she was missing. Startled, Private Knight sounded an alarm. Master Sergeant Green, in charge of hospital security, arrived immediately and shook Knight by the collar. “She could not have just disappeared,” accused Sergeant Green. “You fell asleep on duty! I’ll have you shot if something bad happened to my Mantid!”
“I did not fall asleep,” argued Private Knight. “Surveillance cameras will prove the Mantid did not leave this room, and I did not fall asleep.”
“You were not alert!” said Sergeant Green, picking up Knight’s novel and reading the title, Mars Attacks! “You were reading this trash instead of doing your duty!” He threw the paperback to the floor.
“Mars Attacks! is a classic,” replied Private Knight, indignantly. “The Mantid did not pass by me. I don’t know what could have happened.”
“We placed a hidden surveillance camera in this room for added security,” announced Sergeant Green, removing the mini camera from a vent. “I will get to the bottom of this once and for all!”
* * * * *
Major Lopez and I met the Scorpion Queen and her entourage at the spaceport in New Phoenix for the departure ceremonies. A Legion honor guard stood by to play Hail to the Queen. All the usual dignitaries were present.
As the Queen strode up the shuttle ramp, waving at her adoring crowd, my communications pad beeped a priority message from Sergeant Green. ‘The Queen murdered the Mantid. View downloaded video attachment.’
I watched the Queen talking to the Mantid, and then the vicious attack. They ate the Mantid! I could not believe the cruelty. I looked up at the Queen, making eye contact. She gave me a special wave and wink. I drew my pistol and fired repeatedly at Her Majesty. Major Lopez grabbed for my gun, causing my aim to be off. Bullets pinged off the shuttle. Lopez and nearby legionnaires wrestled me to the ground and placed me under arrest. The Queen, shaken but unharmed, boarded the shuttle without further ceremony, and without inquiring about what just happened. She already knew.
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Chapter 14
At first, General Daly was going to have me up on charges for trying to assassinate a head of state. Then he tried to hush up the Mantid’s murder. That didn’t work because Sergeant
Green put the murder video on the Galactic Database. Being a Hero of the Legion, I was released, prosecution pending. Lawyers argued that Her Majesty had diplomatic immunity, and that once again I used excessive force and bad judgment. However, in absence of any criminal intent on my part, my only sanction was a reduction in rank to captain for conduct unbecoming an officer. Lopez was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
Surprisingly, the public was not all that shocked by the video of the Mantid murder. After all, it was just images of aliens eating other aliens, something viewers had seen over and over on the National Geographic and Disney Channels. The public was more shocked by the Queen’s sex videos, which unfortunately, I starred in. Someone must have hidden a camera in that armored car. Damn!
Colonel Lopez immediately assigned me to be in charge of a company of legionnaires beating the sagebrush in the middle of nowhere to look for two escaped scorpions rumored to be nearby. I set up a command center a few miles east of the Black Desert Truck Stop. Guido and his dragon found where the scorpions ate and slept for the night, but lost their trail. I suspected the scorpions burrowed into the ground to hide. Helicopters flew a grid back and forth to keep the scorpions from traveling too far during the daytime. Me? I just kicked back in my tent. I didn’t care if we caught them or not. I just needed a timeout.
* * * * *
“We have been forgotten,” complained the scorpion scout bitterly. “Or left for dead. No one cares about us. There will be no rescue.”
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