America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 5: Insurgency (16 page)

After the shuttles landed, and the President
and Emperor met and shook hand-to-claw, limousines quickly whisked
them away. The motorcade sped toward the governor’s mansion along a
wide central boulevard. Crowds cheered and waved.

Lieutenant Barker thought about just firing
his 50-caliber machine gun, but decided to stick to the original
plan to make sure he killed them all. Barker positioned the armored
car so he could easily cut off the motorcade. The armored car
crashed through barriers and collided with the first escort car,
knocking it on its side. The armored car kept going, crashing into
a second limousine and blocking the motorcade. Imperial bodyguards
and Secret Service agents fired automatic weapons at the armored
car.

“This is for my family!” yelled Barker on the
PA system as he pushed a red button atop the nuke control panel.
Nothing happened. Barker frantically continued pushing the button.
Still nothing. “No!”

Barker climbed up to the turret, but the
machine gun was not loaded. Enraged, he picked up the nuke and
threw it down to the Emperor’s limousine. The bomb crashed onto the
limousine hood, bounced, and smashed through the shatterproof
windshield. Spider marines grabbed Lieutenant Barker from all
sides, pulling him from the turret and beating him into submission.
Lieutenant Barker’s world went black. He would wake up in a prison
cell, defeated and in much pain.

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Chapter 18

The President relieved General Kalipetsis of
his Legion command and of the governorship of New Colorado.
Kalipetsis was confined to quarters, pending an investigation of
the assassination attempts on the President and the Emperor. Of
particular interest to investigators was discovering why the
general made the last minute assignment of Lieutenant Laika Barker
to command the legionnaire security detail. Lieutenant Barker’s
questionable past obviously should have raised red flags, but
General Kalipetsis not only put him in charge of a sensitive
command, but had also sponsored Lieutenant Barker’s entry into
Officer’s Candidate School. Military Intelligence Officer Major
Lopez led the investigation for the Legion. Lopez promised to use
new truth serum drugs developed by the spider Intelligentsia State
Security Police.

General Kalipetsis was replaced by Marine
Corps General Daniel Daly. It was decided that the Foreign Legion
on New Colorado needed outside leadership to move the Legion in a
more credible direction. Hope was that General Daly’s no-nonsense
competent style would bring a calming effect to volatile New
Colorado. General Daly, a combat veteran of the Coleopteran
Frontier, expected his appointment to New Colorado to be a nice
vacation, comparatively. After all, how hard could it be to put
down a few insurgents?

When he arrived at New Phoenix, General Daly
immediately went to Legion Headquarters to take command. He found
General Kalipetsis’ old office to be in disarray and still littered
with personal effects.

“What the hell is it with all these damn dead
plants?” shouted General Daly. “This place looks like a rotting
cacao jungle hell! Clean this mess up!”

“Sorry, sir,” said Sergeant Nesbit. “General
Kalipetsis wanted the plants analyzed to determine why they died.
He was very upset about it. I was in charge of the
investigation.”

“You are an idiot!” shouted General Daly.
“Get this trash out of my office! How would you like to be
transferred to the DMZ?”

“Not very much, sir,” said Sergeant Nesbit.
“I like New Phoenix. It’s very cosmopolitan. The DMZ is hot, dusty,
and dangerous to your health.”

“You want to live forever?” asked General
Daly, more irritated than ever. “How did you ever get promoted to
sergeant?”

“I was cited for heroic action at the Battle
of the North Highway,” boasted Sergeant Nesbit. “And I was with the
first legionnaires to beam onto New Colorado with Colonel
Czerinski. I have seen combat from here to Arthropoda.”

“Just get these plants out of here,” said
General Daly, softening a bit. “They stink! It’s like you’re
raising skunk cabbage indoors. I want to talk to this Colonel
Czerinski I have been hearing so much about. Get him on the
phone!”

* * * * *

I was summoned to General Daly’s office in
New Phoenix. Daly returned my salute and gave me a hearty
handshake. The general was short, but obviously had a lot of
energy. He never stopped pacing, moving his hands, or talking. I
suspected ADD was in play.

“I realize there must be apprehension about
my appointment as Legion Commander and new Military Governor of New
Colorado,” said General Daly. “While it is true I am not a
legionnaire, I hope to overcome that difficulty with your help. You
and I have a lot in common. I also rose through the ranks, earning
a battlefield commission.”

“You are Irish, aren’t you?” I asked.

“Yes,” said General Daly. “And proud of
it!”

“We have lots of Irish in the Legion,” I
said. “The Irish love to fight. It’s because they’re so stubborn.
You will fit right in, sir.”

“Thank you for your assurance,” said General
Daly. “I need your support.”

“I think they only promoted me when they
thought I had no chance of survival,” I commented. “Now the powers
that be are stuck with me.”

“I know the feeling! When I was offered my
commission, at first I refused. I reasoned it was nonsense to go
from being an excellent sergeant to being just another second
lieutenant. Later, I rationalized it meant more money, and I might
be able to do some good as an officer. I could help my fellow
marines. It’s all bullshit!”

“I’m glad you got over your idealistic
phase,” I replied. “Touchy-feely types die in the New Gobi.”

“Damn straight I got over that malarkey,”
said General Daly. “Now I just kick ass!”

“You are on the right planet for that,” I
said. “Welcome. Things are still not settled here with the spiders.
We have a working relationships with local commanders and the
governor, but it is impossible to make everyone happy. The
insurgency continues to flare up, and now there are rumors of
conspiracy among the homegrown planetary elite on both sides of the
DMZ. Our fellow humans still shoot at us.”

“Working relationships with the spiders is
exactly what I need to talk to you about,” said General Daly. “The
spiders are refusing to release our company of Honor Guard camped
near the Capital Spaceport. Our legionnaires are not being
mistreated or held in custody, but I fear they may face arrest and
interrogation soon. I will not tolerate our Honor Guard company
being humiliated or accosted.”

“What can we do about it?” I asked. “The
Capital Spaceport is a long ways from the DMZ.”

“You will take charge of negotiations,” said
General Daly. “If necessary, you will coordinate a commando rescue
effort. However, I don’t think it will come to that. As a
precaution, I am granting you diplomatic status. That means you
will enjoy full diplomatic immunity while you are at the Capital
Spaceport.”

“Why do I need that?” I said. “I’m not the
ambassador, and negotiations shouldn’t last that long.”

“Our legal department thinks there might
still be Imperial warrants out for your arrest,” answered General
Daly. “After all, you are the Butcher of New Colorado.”

“What about Lieutenant Barker?” I asked. “I
think we need to maintain precedents in that case. It is important
that we not allow Lieutenant Barker to be moved from the New Gobi
Region, or that we allow his summary execution by the spiders. Even
if Lieutenant Barker is guilty – and I’m sure he is guilty, or at
least insane – we must make sure he is afforded reasonable due
process. He is still a legionnaire, and arrest by the spiders could
happen to any of us. Also, our investigators need to interrogate
Lieutenant Barker about any possible human involvement in the
assassination conspiracy. Perhaps Lieutenant Barker’s deposition
can clear up doubts about General Kalipetsis’ loyalty.”

“I have already sent a message to the spider
Governor of the North Territory, stating that I want a Legion
investigator, Secret Service agent, or FBI agent present during all
interrogations of Barker so that information can be shared, and to
prevent abuse. How rough are the spiders during such
questioning?”

“That depends on how upset they are,” I
answered, glancing down at my prosthetic hand, a souvenir of spider
brutality. “Their Intelligentsia has already told us their
investigators will use drugs to extract information. The technique
is not entirely effective, but it can wear you down to the point
where you want to tell all you know. I do not have much sympathy
for Lieutenant Barker. We will do the same to General Kalipetsis,
but I feel the general needs to be treated with more dignity than
that.”

“Major Lopez is in charge of the
interrogation of General Kalipetsis,” commented General Daly. “I
was told Major Lopez is your right-hand man. Do you not have
confidence in him?”

“If General Kalipetsis is guilty of treason,
Major Lopez will find out every detail,” I said. “I am just
concerned Major Lopez might do too good a job.”

“I see,” said General Daly. “I will closely
monitor Major Lopez’s progress. Anything else?”

“No, sir.”

“So you are not sure if General Kalipetsis is
a traitor?” asked General Daly. “What about signs of mental
instability or fatigue? There are rumors he once had a mental
breakdown.”

“No, sir,” I said. “General Kalipetsis is a
remarkable intellect and leader.”

“What is it with all these dead plants all
over my office at Legion Headquarters?” asked General Daly. “Are
you sure General Kalipetsis is sane? He must have a screw loose
somewhere. He put that idiot Nesbit in charge of an investigation
about how all these lousy plants died.”

“Maybe General Kalipetsis suffers a little
bit from the stress of command,” I conceded. “A lot has happened to
us here on New Colorado. We all cope in different ways. I use
Epsom-salt, zero-gravity floatation therapy to relax. It helps me
to unwind at the end of the day.”

“Huh?” asked General Daly. “That hippy-dippy
New Age bullshit doesn’t work! Soldiers just need to man up. You’re
in the Legion now!”

“Yes, sir,” I replied. “How do you relieve
stress, sir?”

“I sing marching tunes. Try it sometime.”

“Yes, sir.”

As I left General Daly’s office, I found
myself humming an old Legion marching song:
I’m in the Legion
now, I’m not behind a plow. Son of a bitch, I’m digging a ditch,
I’m in the Legion now!
I felt better, but I was not giving up
my floatation therapy.

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Chapter 19

I joined the Legion Honor Guard Company
camped outside the spider governor’s mansion. Lieutenant Barker was
being held at the mansion in a cell underground. Valerie brought
her new kitten, Fuzzy. She guided Fuzzy in the right direction
behind me as I walked. Fuzzy appeared to others to be a very well
trained feline. Master Sergeant Green met me at the shuttle pad
with Intelligentsia Officer #4.

“What’s with the cat?” asked Sergeant
Green.

“Did you bring that for Spot?” asked Guido,
approaching with his dragon. “Spot loves kittens.”

“Keep that monster away from Fuzzy!” shouted
Valerie, herding the kitten to my other side. Fuzzy arched his back
and hissed. “Poor Fuzzy, he’s traumatized!”

“The cat will not be eaten,” I ordered. “I
couldn’t find a babysitter.”

Guido pulled back on Spot’s leash as the
dragon salivated and snapped his jaws. His sharp tongue whipped
about in anticipation.

“Welcome to the North Territory,” said #4. “I
am not sure if I should arrest you or treat you as an honored
guest.”

“I am carrying full diplomatic credentials,”
I said, waving my documentation. “You could never take me alive
anyway.”

“Not a problem,” said #4. “I am not a lawyer,
but your so-called diplomatic immunity only covers your conduct
during this visit. It does not protect you for past crimes.”

“Whatever,” I said. “I want to be present
during all interrogations of Lieutenant Barker. He will not be
abused. And, I have my own questions for Lieutenant Barker.”

“Yes, yes, all this has been agreed to in
advance,” said #4. “Follow me, please.”

“And I want transcripts and tapes of previous
interrogations,” I insisted.

I followed #4 to an interrogation room.
Lieutenant Barker was totally naked, chained and cuffed to a metal
chair and table.

“I demand Lieutenant Barker be clothed,” I
said. “This treatment is inhumane and calculated to remove his
dignity!”

“Your request is denied,” said #4. “Do not
try my patience raising useless negotiating points. Lieutenant
Barker is suffering from extreme depression, and has attempted
suicide. Just yesterday he tried to saw through his wrists with a
thread from blankets we thought were indestructible.”

I turned to Lieutenant Barker, seated across
the table. “Well?” I asked. “What do you have to say for
yourself?”

“Viva la Revolution?” said Lieutenant Barker,
meekly.

“How are the spiders treating you?” I
asked.

“This place sucks,” replied. Lieutenant
Barker. “Like you, I’ve been in custody before, so I can handle it.
I am no longer suicidal. That was just a reaction to the drugs
they’ve been feeding me.”

“Is there anything I can do for you?” I
asked.

“Get me a tooth brush,” said Lieutenant
Barker. “Did you know spiders don’t brush their fangs? Toothbrushes
and toothpaste are foreign concepts to them. Their breath is
inhuman.”

“Have you been tortured?” I asked.