America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 5: Insurgency (17 page)

‘No,” said Lieutenant Barker.

“We do not torture defenseless prisoners,”
said #4. “Besides, you human pestilence bleed so profusely, we fear
the spread of all sorts of fluid-borne parasites you carry. The
drugs we are using will make Lieutenant Barker want to give up all
his secrets.”

I turned my attention back to Lieutenant
Barker. “Tell me who your co-conspirators are,” I ordered. “Start
at the top. Otherwise, I will let the spiders fry your brain with
more drugs. You may not live through the process.”

“Oh, joy,” replied Lieutenant Barker. “And to
think I thought you were on my side against the bugs. There is no
big conspiracy. It’s just me and Desert Claw. I’ll freely tell you
all about it. You don’t have to pry anything out of me.”

“What about General Kalipetsis or the spider
fleet commander?” I asked. “Did they help you?”

“No,” said Lieutenant Barker. “No one helped
us.”

“Who helped you steal the nuke from the
carrier
Emperor’s Claw
?” I asked. “Someone provided codes to
the logistics computer. Who did that? What was the pilot’s name?
How did he get on the
Emperor’s Claw
?”

“Drugs and payoffs to nobodies is all it
took,” answered Lieutenant Barker. “There is no vast conspiracy. It
was just me and Desert Claw.”

“I do not believe anything you have told me,”
I said, backhanding Barker across the face. Blood trickled from his
lip. “I am going to let the spiders fry your brain with drugs until
you talk!”

“They killed my parents and family!”
responded Lieutenant Barker. “Believe that! I will fight the bugs
with my last ounce of energy. I will spit in their ugly faces with
my last breath!”

#4 injected serum into Lieutenant Barker’s
arm. Barker seemed to calm down, but still resisted and complained
of headaches. At first, he refused to answer questions.

“The serum will not allow you to lie,” said
#4. “It is too early to force you to talk, but I warn you. I will
not stop this questioning, nor will I feed you until you give up
your secrets.”

Lieutenant Barker remained silent. He just
glared at me and #4.

“You hate us?” asked #4. “You think you have
grievances against the Emperor? I will enlighten you about your
real enemies.”

“The Emperor ordered my family and other
innocent colonists burned out and killed when they refused to leave
their land!” shouted Lieutenant Barker, defiantly. “Your Emperor is
guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity. He deserves to be
assassinated.”

“What were your family and the other
trespassers doing claiming homesteads that far north of the DMZ?”
asked #4. “You knew you were trespassing. You knew you had crossed
into the Arthropodan Empire. The border was clearly marked. Why
were you so reckless? Why did your family take such a risk?”

“We were late,” explained Lieutenant Barker.
“The best land was already taken. My family had no choice.”

“The New Gobi Desert is a huge place,” said
#4. “Surely there was more than enough room for you and the others
to find a home on the human pestilence side of the border.”

“No!” responded Lieutenant Barker. “Only land
along the proposed canal routes can be farmed or ranched. I tell
you, all the good land was claimed! My family had to press north
during the land rush.”

“I believe you,” said #4. “I sympathize with
your plight. You are telling the truth. The best land was indeed
already claimed. But what you do not know is that in fact the best
land had been stolen before the land rush even started. The best
land had already been legally claimed before it even became public
knowledge that there was precious water under the New Gobi.”

“What do you mean by that?” asked Lieutenant
Barker. “The land rush was a fair race. At noon, cannons fired, and
the race was on. The first on the land staked squatters’ rights
claims to free land.”

“You are so naïve,” said #4, tossing copies
of land claims filed before the discovery of water was announced.
The deeds belonged to Legion geologists, Legion engineers, Major
Lopez, and me. “Legion land speculators led by Colonel Czerinski
filed these claims long before your family had a chance to claim
decent land. They took the best land near water, and left your
family to die in the desert. They forced you to trespass north of
the DMZ, and did not even think to offer you protection. Oh, they
might have flown over in their jets and helicopters, and given you
the one-fingered salute, but they left your poor family to fend for
yourself. Eventually we offered human pestilence living in the
North Imperial citizenship because the Emperor values his human
pestilence subjects. Your family met tragedy, and for that, I am
truly sorry. But it was Colonel Czerinski who caused that initial
inevitable confrontation that killed your family. Our marines were
just doing their job and following orders when tempers flared on
both sides, and things got out of control. But what Colonel
Czerinski and the other land speculators did was coldblooded,
calculated murder.”

Lieutenant Barker lunged at me, but was
restrained to the table and floor by the cuffs and chains. “I’ll
kill you, if it’s the last thing I do!” yelled Lieutenant Barker.
“I should have done it earlier!”

“What I do not understand is why Colonel
Czerinski bought a cemetery in New Memphis,” said #4. “Perhaps he
intends to fill it with all those bodies from unmarked graves in
the New Gobi Desert. If he thinks that is taking responsibility for
his actions, I think it falls short. Don’t you?”

“A cemetery is a good investment,” I replied,
defensively. “It’s like water and coffee. Humanity needs both.”

“I do not believe anything you say,” said
#4.

“This has gone on long enough,” I said,
snatching the deed copies and tearing them to pieces. “I want your
assurance Lieutenant Barker will be kept safe, and his sanity
monitored. I do not want him given any more drugs. We will continue
this tomorrow.”

“I am seeing another side of you,” added
Valerie. She had been listening silently. “I don’t like what I
see.”

“I had no way of knowing that would happen,”
I said. “You wanted to come along. If you can’t handle it, I’ll put
you back into your bottle.”

“We are splitting up,” announced Valerie. “I
don’t think I want to have anything to do with you anymore.”

“Fine,” I said. “Just remember we are still
business partners.”

“You only need to keep Laika Barker alive for
ten more days,” said Valerie. “Good luck with that.”

“It can be done,” I responded. “Then we both
cash in.”

“Maybe I will take all the money for myself,”
said Valerie. “It would be easy. The money will already be in my
account. I could hide the millions so many places. I could even
destroy it. How would you like that?”

“Just because you are dead doesn’t mean I
can’t kill you,” I warned. “Do not cross me, or you will be
sorry.”

“I am not so easy to kill the second time,”
warned Valerie. “My spirit is elusive, and I am tougher.”

“I’ll hunt your silicon memory to the ends of
the galaxy,” I said, picking up the kitten and examining it with
new interest. “Cross me and Fuzzy dies!”

“No!” screamed Valerie. “You wouldn’t!”

Sergeant Green and the others stared at me as
I pet the cat. I disconnected from Valerie.

“What?” I asked. “You have to be firm with
these cats. They’ll scratch your eyes out if you are lax!”

“If you say so,” replied Sergeant Green.
“I’ve trusted you with my life all across the galaxy and most of
New Colorado, and I will continue to do so. But, you really need to
get your medications adjusted, sir.”

“We are through here!” I said, leaving. “Who
else are you holding?”

“In the adjacent cells we hold our fleet
commander. Also we hold some insurgents captured along the
spaceport perimeter fence for plotting to shoot down the Emperor’s
shuttle with SAMs.”

“Has the fleet commander given a statement?”
I asked.

“So far, he is denying any wrongdoing or
involvement in the conspiracy,” said #4. “I do not believe him. His
interrogation will begin in earnest tomorrow.”

* * * * *

The spider commander had been watching the
interrogation on a closed-circuit TV monitor. He discussed the
interrogation with #4 after I left. “What do you think of Colonel
Czerinski’s behavior?” asked the spider commander. “He seemed
unstable.”

“I agree,” said #4. “Czerinski may be
approaching a mental breakdown. I think he hears voices. That is
not normal, even for human pestilence.”

“I have replayed that part of the video
several times,” said the spider commander. “I think he was actually
talking to someone. Assume that possibility and context, and his
odd behavior might enlighten us. Find out why he bought a cemetery.
I do not believe Czerinski is having a mental breakdown. There is
method to his madness. These interrogations are progressing too
slowly. Tomorrow, I want results.”

* * * * *

“Good morning General Kalipetsis,” said Major
Lopez, speaking formally for the video feed. “Seated next to me is
Arthropodan Intelligentsia State Security Officer #12. He is
present strictly as an observer during this interview, per prior
agreements. General, I respect your dedication, service, and
sacrifice to the Legion. It is very distasteful for me to
interrogate you under such rude conditions, but it appears your
loyalties have strayed. I respectfully ask you to voluntarily tell
us of the conspiracy of which you were a leader. Tell all, and I
will do what I can to make your stay in prison more comfortable.
Resist, and I will turn your world into a living hell.”

“I am innocent,” insisted General Kalipetsis.
“I did nothing wrong. My loyalty has never wavered. God bless
America, humanity, and the Legion!”

A doctor administered the truth serum. It was
an experimental drug developed by the spiders. The interrogation
would last for hours.

“Why did you sponsor Laika Barker to attend
Officer’s Candidate School?” asked Major Lopez. “You knew of his
terrorist past.”

“I told you before. He was just a juvenile
then,” explained General Kalipetsis. “I felt that part of his life
was behind him. Barker had successful combat command experience
against the spiders, and all the diagnostic tests showed him to
have a high IQ and great potential.”

“Do you support New Coloradan independence?”
asked Major Lopez.

“Yes, but that does not affect my job
performance or loyalties,” said General Kalipetsis. “I do not
support rebellion or treason. I believe in the democratic
process.”

“Did you order Lieutenant Barker’s release
from custody after he was implicated in the plot to kidnap Colonel
Czerinski?” asked Major Lopez. “And later you reinstated his
rank?”

“Yes,” answered General Kalipetsis. “There
was no proof against Lieutenant Barker. Colonel Czerinski
recommended reinstatement of rank after Barker conducted himself
well in combat against insurgents at the Miranda homestead
battle.”

“Did you give the order for Lieutenant Barker
to be in charge of the Legion Honor Guard providing security for
the President and the Emperor?” asked Major Lopez. “And you did
this against the wishes and advice of Colonel Czerinski?”

“Yes,” said General Kalipetsis. “But I had no
way to know Barker would go crazy.”

“In fact, you and Lieutenant Barker were part
of a conspiracy to assassinate the Emperor and the President,”
accused Major Barker. “Isn’t it true you planned to lead a revolt
during the aftermath and confusion of those assassinations? You are
a traitor!”

“I am not a traitor!” screamed General
Kalipetsis, fighting the serum. The pain and pressure in his head
was unbearable. “I have only acted in the best interests of New
Colorado and humanity!”

“Does that include murdering the First Lady
and Queen Rainbow?” asked Major Lopez, drawing his knife. He
grabbed General Kalipetsis by the throat and shoved him up against
the wall. “After all we have been through together, you would
betray and use us like that? For what? Money? Ambition? Did you
want to be the King of New Colorado?”

“But my plants died!” yelled General
Kalipetsis. “All of them! What do you have to say to that?
Czerinski killed them all! I still don’t know how, but Czerinski is
responsible. He must have infiltrated saboteurs at Legion
Headquarters. I am not the one who should be interrogated. Get
Czerwinski in here!”

General Daly burst into the room. He had been
watching on video from the next room. “That’s enough,” said General
Daly. “Let go of him.”

“It was just getting interesting,” said Major
Lopez. “This
bendaho
is a traitor, and I will prove it! He
was just spilling his guts. I need five more minutes with him.”

“His brain is cooked,” said General Daly.
“Give it a rest. Let the doctor check him. Only after the doctor
passes on his health will I allow the interrogation to continue.
Take a break until tomorrow.”

* * * * *

Late at night, Desert Claw arrived at the
governor’s mansion, wearing an Air Wing commander’s uniform and
carrying forged orders. “I am here to pick up the nuke,” said
Desert Claw, giving the duty officer the written orders.

“Why are you so late?” asked the duty
officer. “That nuke should have never been stored here in the first
place! It gives me the shivers, sitting on that thing for this
long.”

“I just follow orders,” said Desert Claw. “I
suggest you do the same.”

The duty officer led Desert Claw deep into
the underground tunnels of the governor’s mansion to a room with
three spider marine guards. They were sitting at a table playing
poker. They played Texas hold ‘em.

“Stand at attention when an officer enters!”
ordered the duty officer. “Where is the nuke I left with you?”