Culture War (18 page)

An improvised explosive device exploded
beside the first armored car, knocking it on its side. A small fire
started. Spider marines quickly evacuated the smoking vehicle,
dragging their wounded to safety. As an Air Wing fighter came in
for a low pass, the insurgents retreated into their escape tunnels.
The fighting abruptly stopped.

“
Cowardly human
pestilence,” fumed the spider commander, now standing by his fully
engulfed armored car. Rounds were going off inside from the fire.
“Is everyone okay?”

“
Mora is dead,” replied the
spider team leader. “His head slammed against the inside
bulkhead.”

The spider commander went to the fallen human
marine. A medic was attending Mora. “There was nothing I could do,”
cried the spider medic, looking up at his commander. “Bob was not
wearing his helmet. His head cracked like an egg from the
blast.”

“
What?” asked the spider
commander, enraged. He turned to the team leader. “Where is this
marine’s helmet, and why was he not wearing it? It is your
responsibility to make sure all commandos in your squad are
properly equipped!”

“
Marine Commando Mora took
his helmet off during the press conference, sir,” replied the team
leader. “In the excitement of the attack, he forgot to put the
helmet back on. During training, I have stressed wearing a helmet
at all times, especially by our new human pestilence recruits.
Obviously their skulls are much more fragile than our
exoskeletons.”

“
Marine Commando Mora is
not human pestilence!” shouted the spider commander. “You will not
disrespect Mora with that slur. Mora is a hero, and his body will
be disposed of respectfully, according to custom!”

“
The humans bury their dead
in elaborate ceremonies,” advised the spider team leader. “You will
need to contact Bob’s family. It is a very important sign of
respect to contact Bob’s family as soon as possible.”

“
The media will be watching
how we handle this,” added the military intelligence officer. “Phil
Coen of Channel Five World News Tonight will want to talk to you
about it. Be careful how this disaster is spun.”

“
Damn the media!” said the
spider commander, cradling Mora. “This human took a big chance by
joining us, and we let him down. His death will not be turned into
a media circus. Keep the cameras away. We will grieve in private.
And, we will seek revenge.”

Major Lopez had followed the spider marines
into combat in his own armed car. When the battle ended, Major
Lopez approached the spider commander about Mora’s body.

“
Give me Mora, and I’ll
make funeral arrangements and prepare a proper memorial,” offered
Major Lopez.

“
No, thank you,” replied
the spider commander. “We will take care of our own.”

“
Our technology enables us
to make a computerized brain imprint memorial,” explained Major
Lopez. “It might comfort Mora’s family to have an interactive
memorial. But, the process is time sensitive, especially when there
is head trauma. Our medics need to extract brain fluid and
chemicals to make the imprint.”

“
The whole process sounds
extremely morbid,” said the spider commander. “The dead should stay
dead, not interact with grieving loved ones. You would prolong
their grief?”

“
It’s a new technology that
is catching on back on Old Earth,” said Major Lopez. “Brain
imprints are still rare here on New Colorado, but Colonel Czerinski
is pushing the idea.”

“
That must be why Czerinski
has bought several cemeteries,” said the spider commander. “You are
Colonel Czerinski’s military intelligence officer? I will not allow
you to spy inside Marine Commando Mora’s brain. You will not be
allowed to desecrate our dead!”

“
My offer was made to
provide comfort to Mora’s family!” responded Major Lopez. “You can
go to hell!”

“
If you want to provide
comfort to Commando Mora’s family, you can help us get revenge on
the insurgents that killed him,” replied the spider commander. “Of
course, before that can happen, you would need to stop providing
Legion weapons to the terrorists.”

“
The Legion does not give
weapons to terrorists. Your problem with the freedom fighters was
created because your citizens want to be free from the yoke of the
Arthropodan Empire.”

“
Where else but the Legion
would insurgents get surface-to-air missiles? Can they just go out
and buy RPGs and machine guns at Walmart? Not likely. You have
Commando Mora’s blood on your filthy hands. Admit it!”

“
Check your own armories,”
suggested Major Lopez. “Corruption is so rampant in your military,
your own soldiers sell the insurgents all the arms they
want.”

“
The Legion’s fingerprints
are everywhere here today,” argued the spider commander. “You will
pay for your crimes.”

“
Get off our planet!”
responded Major Lopez, losing his temper. “We were here
first!”

“
And we will be here last!”
answered the spider commander.

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Chapter 18

The spider commander woke to the sound of his
new alarm clock. He angrily smashed his claw down on the snooze
button. Blessed silence followed as he drifted back to sleep. An
aide had bought the damn human pestilence device from Walmart
because the spider commander had been having punctuality issues. It
was hoped the alarm clock might help.

Using alarms to wake up was a completely
alien concept. Humans were obsessed with clocks and alarms. Humans
put clocks atop courthouses, on bank signs, on freeway signs, and
even wore time pieces on their appendages. Small and large alarm
chimes ruled the human pestilence day.
Fools,
thought the
spider commander. He glanced at his new Timex watch, also just
bought at Walmart. It was 0530 hours. The sound of Reveille could
be heard across the MDL, playing on Legion loudspeakers.

As the spider commander drifted back to
sleep, the alarm clock sounded again, this time louder. “Air raid!”
mumbled the spider commander, talking in his sleep. He dreamed of
Legion bombs falling from the sky, but he could not move or wake up
to save himself. His nemesis, Colonel Czerinski, was using nukes to
kill him! Finally, the spider commander woke abruptly from his
nightmare. He smashed the snooze button again, but this time it
would not turn off. He pulled the cord from the wall and threw the
clock across the room.

Coffee! That is what I need. How can I be
expected to fight the human pestilence invasion, and all these
encroachments on our culture, without first having my Starbucks
mountain-grown? It would be uncivilized to even try!

***

Major Lopez, CIA officer Scalia, and a squad
of legionnaires used flashlights mounted on assault rifles to see
through the darkness of the newest insurgent tunnel across the MDL.
Leaders from the Fist & Claw were to meet them halfway, to take
possession of crates of weapons and ammunition. Also being
delivered were gas masks and atropine to counter the spiders’
recent use of nerve agent and chemical warfare in the tunnels.

An insurgent challenged Major Lopez from far
off down the dark corridor. The legionnaires stopped, wary of the
spider voice. A human also called out a challenge.

“
I guess freedom fighters
come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and species,” commented Major
Lopez. “Can he be trusted?”

“
We also come in all
sexes,” replied the spider insurgent. “I am female. I started this
cell, and I lead it. Of course I can be trusted. Do you have a
problem with that?”

“
Whatever,” said Major
Lopez. “What are you going to do with all these weapons you bought?
The insurgency hasn’t been all that active lately. I thought maybe
you had been defeated and given up.”

“
Desire for freedom cannot
be defeated,” said the spider insurgent. “Student protesters at
Capital City University are going to seize the administration
building and the rest of the campus. When the Intelligentsia State
Police respond with their usual heavy-clawed tactics, they will be
in for a big surprise.”

“
You can’t fight from
defensive positions against mechanized infantry,” advised Major
Lopez. “Mobile guerrilla tactics and car bombs would be more
effective.”

“
We are going to declare
our independence,” replied the insurgent leader. “You do not
declare your nation’s independence to the world with a car bomb. We
are going to appeal to the galaxy and the United States Galactic
Federation for diplomatic recognition and military
assistance.”

“
The Legion cannot send
troops,” said Major Lopez. “That would just start another war. The
risk would be too great.”

“
What do you know of risk?”
asked the insurgent leader. “No matter, we will be martyred. But
our voice will be heard across the galaxy.”

“
I will put the Legion on
full alert,” said Major Lopez. “If I see an opportunity to help, I
will. Perhaps we can create a diversion to distract the spider
marines. But if you try to hold fixed positions, you will be
overwhelmed and killed by superior forces.”

“
Satellite TV will
broadcast our fate on the networks and on the database,” said the
insurgent leader. “This will be our Tiananmen Square. No matter
what happens, New Colorado will never be the same
again.”

“
You’re a legend in your
own mind,” said Major Lopez, dismissing the insurgent leader as
crazy. “I wish you luck.”

“
You don’t care what
happens to us!” shouted the insurgent leader. “Do you?”

“
Major Lopez follows
orders,” said CIA officer Scalia, stepping between them. “That is
all that is important here today.”

“
Wrong,” said the insurgent
leader. “It is important that you believe in our cause, because you
will have to live in the new world we create. We are all
Coloradans. I am not a terrorist. We are your future.”

“
Rationalize all you want,”
replied Major Lopez. “Causes and fanatics like you come and go. As
long as you stay north of the MDL, I am fine with that. You will
eventually be killed or just fade away.”

“
Desire for freedom never
fades,” insisted the insurgent leader. “You are only motivated by
your hatred of us spiders. You supply weapons so we can kill each
other off while you stand back and watch.”

“
I don’t hate anyone,” lied
Major Lopez, uncomfortably shifting his feet. “And for the record,
I truly wish you and your freedom fighters good luck. I do not want
you to die.”

“
You don’t want me to die?”
asked the insurgent leader. “Or my fighters?”

“
Either,” said Major
Lopez.

The spider insurgent stepped forward and
kissed Major Lopez on the cheek. She then quickly left with her
comrades. Major Lopez frantically wiped the greenish yellow saliva
off his face.

“
You owe me big time for
that,” said Major Lopez, turning to Scalia. “Getting kissed by an
insurgent spider babe is well above and beyond the call of
duty.”

“
You want another medal?”
asked Scalia, sarcastically. “It’s not going to happen.”

* * * * *

These leaflets are being distributed
everywhere in Capital City,” advised the Director of Intelligentsia
and State Security for the North Territory. “Informants report Fist
& Claw terrorists have infiltrated the university and are
heavily armed with smuggled Legion weapons.”

The spider governor glanced at the clumsily
handwritten flyer handed to him. The document appeared to be a
declaration of mutiny:

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

We hold these truths to be self evident,
that all species are created equal, that they are endowed by God
with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

That to secure these rights, governments are
created, deriving their just powers from the consent of the
governed.

That absolute Imperial despotism has become
destructive of these rights, it is the right of all citizens to
alter or abolish their government, and to institute new
government.

Giving the severe nature of Imperial will,
the Coloradans have no choice but to exercise our right to throw
off such government and declare our full independence and intent to
take our rightful place as equals among the nations of the
galaxy.

To this end we mutually pledge our lives,
fortunes, and honor.

Fist & Claw.

“
This is treason,” fumed
the Director of Intelligentsia. “They all should be arrested and
shot before their bad weed takes root and grows.”

“
A few student protestors
occupying the university dean’s office does not a revolution make,”
commented the spider governor. “The Emperor has decreed that free
speech is to be allowed and tolerated.”

“
But what about the armed
militants?” asked the director.

“
It is your job it ferret
out the militants hiding among the regular students,” said the
governor. “Arrest or kill any Fist & Claw agitators or
terrorists you find. Do it discreetly. But let the students have
their fun. The students will soon tire of protest in a few days and
go back to their partying and beer drinking. It is their
nature.”