America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 4: Demilitarized Zone (19 page)

“You will stay chained to this pole in full
view of the grocery you attacked,” said the sheriff. “You will
contemplate your evil deed.”

“The only thing I will contemplate is how
many pieces of crab meat I will slice you into,” said Ross. “The
militia will not tolerate this injustice. They will break me
out.”

“No one will help you,” said the sheriff.
“Get used to it.”

Ross cursed and threatened the sheriff as the
spider walked away. From time to time, a deputy brought water or a
new honey bucket. The only food available was brought by a few
still friendly militia members. Ross begged for food from passing
school kids. Some shared food from their packed lunches, mostly
vegetables and other yuk stuff. After about a month, Ross started
to break. His skin burned and his lips cracked. Ross pleaded to
talk to the sheriff again. Several days later, the sheriff came by,
chewing on a straw.

“What?” asked the sheriff, irritated. “I am
busy. This had better be important!”

“Please!” begged Ross. “I can’t take this
much longer. How long do I have to be chained here?”

“Several years,” replied the sheriff.
“Attempted murder is a serious felony.”

“No!” cried Ross, losing it. “I can’t live
like this! I will die! Surely you can do something.”

“The matter is out of my control,” said the
sheriff. “Perhaps if you were more repentant and apologized to the
merchant you terrorized, it would help. I do not know. The city
council might commute your sentence.”

“City council?” asked Ross.

“Civilization has come to Yellow Brick,” said
the sheriff. “We have a city council now. I told you progress was
bigger than both of us.”

“Please ask the city council to let me go,”
replied Ross. “And tell the store owner I am truly sorry. I will
pay for the damage I caused, and for the beer I stole.”

The next day the store owner came out to talk
to Ross. “Why should you ever be trusted or released?” asked the
store owner. “You are a rabid dog that should be shot. Let the dust
storms tear your skin from your bones.”

“I am not a rabid dog,” insisted Ross. “I
have learned an important lesson.”

“And what lesson is that?” asked the store
owner. “To not get caught?”

“I learned that absolute power corrupts the
soul absolutely,” said Ross. “My soul is no longer putrid. I
apologize to you and to your family.”

“You threaten my family?” asked the store
owner. “I will beat you to death myself here and now!”

“No!” said Ross. “The children talk to me on
their way to school. I’ve got to know them quite well. Some even
bring me candy. I would never harm or threaten a child. I am truly
sorry for my actions and my behavior.”

“We will see,” said the store owner, tromping
off. “We will see! Dog! You are a bad seed!”

Two days later, John Hume Ross was released.
He paid the store owner for the damages and his trouble. Ross swore
vengeance on everyone who had ever slighted or harmed him. The list
was long. However, Ross never returned to Yellow Brick.

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Chapter 17

The spider Supreme Commander of New Gobi
deployed an additional division to the central desert. As ordered,
he personally led a brigade to Yellow Brick and other towns on a
fact-finding mission, and to escort colonists to their new
homesteads. He was met at the Yellow Brick Bridge by a contingent
of militia. This time the militia boasted both human and spider
members, but appeared just as determined to block entry into Yellow
Brick.

“Local agreements negotiated long ago bar
occupation of Yellow Brick by large military units,” advised the
sheriff. “You may not enter.”

“I am not here to occupy Yellow Brick,”
replied the spider commander. “We are merely passing through on a
visit to the entire New Gobi Desert. I will be addressing your
mayor and council and paying a courtesy visit to the liaison
officer at Legion Headquarters.”

“Still, large military units must bypass the
town,” advised the sheriff. “Only small units my enter Yellow
Brick.”

“There is no detour route available,” replied
the spider commander, now annoyed. “Besides, it has been a long
journey. My commandos require resupply. They need to shop in your
stores for food and beverages. My vehicles need fuel and minor
maintenance.”

Militia officers conferred with the sheriff.
A spider militia lieutenant stepped forward. “Sir! I own Yellow
Brick Mercantile. I would be honored to do business with your brave
soldiers. As many troops as you wish may shop in our establishments
on Main Street.”

The spider commander turned to his military
intelligence officer. “You were right. Wave money at the locals,
and they will fall all over themselves to please.”

The brigade dispersed into the business
district. Beer sales soared. As the spider commander approached the
steps to City Hall, he noticed an American Galactic Federation flag
flying overhead.

“Tear that down!” ordered the spider
commander.

“Yellow Brick is jointly administrated,”
cautioned the military intelligence officer. “The governor and
politicians will decide such issues.”

“Fine!” groused the spider commander. “Have
our engineers build a taller flagpole and fly our flag atop it!
Make sure it is sturdy. I do not want our flag blown over by the
first dust storm that comes along.”

“Yes, sir,” said the military intelligence
officer. “We will part now. I leave you to deal with the mayor and
council. I am going over to Legion Headquarters. Just remember,
when they ask for anything that costs money, say you are concerned
and will pass the matter on to the governor.”

“You would abandon me during my moment of
need?” asked the spider commander. “Be sure not to launch too many
plots with your spy buddies over at Legion Headquarters.”

* * * * *

Captain Lopez greeted the military
intelligence officer at the front door to Legion Headquarters. He
had been expecting the visit. They sat down for coffee to discuss
mutual interests.

“I heard your Supreme Commander was shot down
by a SAM,” commented Captain Lopez. “I may know something about
that.”

“Since it was one of your SAMs, I suspect you
do know something about it,” said the military intelligence
officer. “At least that is how my commander feels. He is not too
happy about the matter.”

“The Legion was not involved,” replied
Captain Lopez. “A human terrorist named John Hume Ross is
responsible. He also led the local militia against your marine task
force.”

“If you know all this, why is Ross not in
custody?” asked the military intelligence officer.

“Ross is very elusive,” explained Captain
Lopez. “We suspect he is hiding near the border, sheltered by
separatist sympathizers.”

“How did Ross acquire Legion SAMs?” asked the
military intelligence officer. “I hold you responsible for
that.”

“Theft or bribery from an armory,” explained
Captain Lopez. “The matter is being investigated. The important
thing is, that it is in both our best interests to work together to
eradicate Ross and his ilk. They threaten the peace and security of
the New Gobi and the DMZ.”

“Agreed,” said the military intelligence
officer, accepting a file on Ross. “Anything else?”

“Yes. I know your commander has plans to give
more arms to spider insurgents,” said Captain Lopez. “The Legion
will consider that to be an act of war.”

“You are being overly dramatic,” said the
military intelligence officer, sighing complacently. “We know you
armed the human militias and insurgents. The United States Galactic
Federation will not go to war over a few Arthropodan weapons in the
claws of local insurgents.”

“No,” agreed Captain Lopez. “But if the
Legion or colonists are attacked at your urging, Colonel Czerinski
and I will hold you and your commander responsible.”

“Are you threatening me?” asked the military
intelligence officer.

“Yes,” answered Captain Lopez. “But I am also
giving you fair warning. Colonel Czerinski does not like your
commander. He does not need much of a pretext to go after him. I
have intervened many times to restrain Colonel Czerinski, but I can
only do so much if your provocations continue.”

“I will advise my commander to urge restraint
in regard to insurgents and militia,” promised the military
intelligence officer.

“You do that,” warned Captain Lopez. “All
these landmines in the roadways are getting old.”

“Not to change the subject, but my commander
is addressing the city council as we speak,” said the military
intelligence officer. “He will announce shortly that cable TV is
coming to Yellow Brick.”

For quite some time spider engineers had
secretly buried cable next to the new canals. Soon the web of cable
TV would embrace all of Yellow Brick.

Captain Lopez clenched his fists, then
relaxed his grip. He concentrated on his breathing relaxation
techniques. He had just warned the military intelligence officer
about provocations, and now the fool still tried to bring in cable
TV!
If war breaks out over this latest aggression,
thought
Captain Lopez,
I wash my hands of it. They were warned of the
consequences of such adventurism and folly.

* * * * *

Sergeant Williams was wearing a fur coat and
hat as he got off the shuttle at New Gobi. When the shuttle door
opened, the heat hit him like a furnace. Guido greeted Sergeant
Williams at the bottom of the ramp with a hand shake and hug.
Sergeant Williams tossed the coat and hat aside, exclaiming,
“Praise the Lord I am back among my Legion family! I will never sin
again. My cousin was a sinner. Did I ever tell you he got hit by
lightning three times?”

“You told everyone on TV about your cousin,”
replied Guido.

“I also sinned, and almost got electrocuted
to death in the shower for it,” advised Sergeant Williams. “It was
a warning from God to straighten up or else. I am turning over a
new leaf.”

“I’ll give it less than a week before you’ll
be in the Angry Onion Tavern drinking and chasing babes like the
rest of us,” said Guido.

“My dark days are over,” said Sergeant
Williams. “I swear I will never go into the Angry Onion Tavern
again. I never liked that place anyway.”

“You don’t have to,” said Guido. “Colonel
Czerinski opened a new place called the Blind Tiger Tavern and
Casino. It has topless pole dancers!”

“Human?” asked Sergeant Williams.

“Oh, yeah,” said Guido. “They were brought in
from New Memphis. Very hot.”

“Let’s go now!” said Sergeant Williams. “My
leave only lasts a few days.”

“I thought you were turning over a new leaf,”
commented Guido.

“I guess it was a fig leaf,” said Sergeant
Williams. “Let’s go!”

“You aren’t afraid of getting hit by
lightning?” asked Guido.

“Who wants to live forever?” Sergeant
Williams said, looking up at the blue sky. It was a beautiful clear
day. No clouds. “If I wanted that, I would not have joined the
Legion.”

* * * * *

Guido and Sergeant Williams had their fun at
my new place. The Blind Tiger is all mine. When you have a
financial stake in a business, it changes your outlook on things. I
love taking money from a casino. But when it’s your casino and your
money is being taken, you do not root for the underdog.

I watched the security video screen. A spider
player at the blackjack table was raking in the money. I could tell
the spider was a card counter. He raised and lowered his bets
according to the running card count.

I nodded to Corporal Washington. My big
spider security chief and four security guards grabbed the card
player and dragged him kicking and screaming to a back room. There
they beat the player senseless, robbed him, and threw him across
the MDL
Hey! It’s a cold cruel galaxy.

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Chapter 18

The spider commander was beginning to enjoy
his tour of the New Gobi area. He imagined this must be what it was
like when the human pestilence ran for election. He was in a
different dusty town each night, greeting waving crowds. The spider
commander got out of his armored car to inspect the latest stop.
This town, he did not even know its name, was typical of towns
occupied by human pestilence. There was a junk yard at the edge of
town and unpaved streets in the center.

Already a crowd was forming. The kids were
the first to run up to the commandos, begging for food or candy.
The commander refused to give either. The first child to accost him
tugged on the spider commander’s sleeve. In a reflexive reaction,
the spider commander swatted the child with a claw. The kid fell to
the ground, lying motionless. The other children backed off from
the spider commander. They ran to the other commandos to try their
luck at handouts.

“Check the little vermin,” ordered the spider
commander, pointing flippantly at the child he struck down. “I
don’t need another human pestilence riot caused by
misunderstandings.”

The military intelligence officer checked the
boy. He seemed alert and unharmed. There was just a trickle of
blood on his lip The boy just chose to stay on the ground. “Run
along,” said the military intelligence officer, “or I will give you
a dose of pepper spray.”

“Why should I be forced to run along?” asked
the boy, putting his gold plated sunglasses back on. “I live here.
You run along.”

The military intelligence officer was about
to smack the boy himself, but thought better of it as he noticed a
crowd gathering around. Instead, he offered a claw up.