America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 2: Reenlistment (23 page)

“Only the President can order a legionnaire
to be placed into your custody,” replied General Kalipetsis. “I do
not have the authority to make that decision. And frankly, you can
go fuck yourself.”

“And why would I do that?” said #1. “Do you
have the authority to let me inspect the crime scene and to search
your gulags for my missing soldiers?”

“You have already been given permission to
search with an escort,” said General Kalipetsis.

#1 scrutinized the Honor Guard. He was
outraged to see spiders in Legion uniform. “What is this?” he
asked. “You have pressed spiders into service? Or is this the
result of new brainwashing technology?”

“Some spiders don’t want to live under an
Emperor,” said General Kalipetsis. “They want to be free.”

“Yes. Now that I look closer, I see most of
them are traitorous Greens,” said #1. “Someday we will find a final
solution to them, even if it is to dump them all on New
Colorado.”

As they walked to the detention center,
General Kalipetsis repeatedly said that he regretted the sergeant’s
death and that there were no more Arthropodan soldiers in custody.
#1 seemed to be placated a little, but then a spider stepped out of
the ranks.

“I am a Special Forces marine,” said Private
Charlie Brown. “I want to go home.”

“And so you will,” said #1, grasping onto
Charlie Brown. “What have they done to you?”

“Just take me home,” said Charlie Brown. “I
did what I needed to do to survive. But now the nightmare is over.
Please, take me home.”

“How many more of my soldiers do you have?”
asked #1, turning to General Kalipetsis.

General Kalipetsis turned to me. “Well? I’ll
shoot you myself if one more Arthropodan marine steps forward
demanding to be released. Are there more?”

“This one showed up with one other,” I said.
“They’re probably from the same unit. They wore the same military
style boots, and they hang out together.” I motioned for Lieutenant
Lopez to summon Private Wayne. Private Wayne stepped forward from
the Honor Guard.

“Sir!” said Private Wayne. “Reporting as
ordered.”

“You can go home, too,” I said. “You are not
wanted here.”

“Sir?” asked Private Wayne. “I have an
enlistment contract. I will take the matter to court.”

“What?” asked General Kalipetsis. “Are you an
Arthropodan marine Special Forces or not? You will go home now,
damn it!”

“I am home, sir,” insisted Private Wayne.
“The Legion is my home. I am not going anywhere! Legionnaires
cannot be extradited except by order of the President. It’s the
law. I heard you say it myself.”

“He has been brainwashed,” said #1. “Is there
no end to the atrocities you human pestilence will commit?”

Private Wayne took a threatening step toward
#1. “I have not been brainwashed. And you are not taking me
anywhere,” said Private Wayne. “You sent me here and left me to
die! You wrote me off! And now, after so long, you and your greedy
Emperor only want to make an issue of my plight because you want a
bargaining chip for New Colorado gold and oil. You care nothing for
me!”

“You have been through a very traumatic
time,” said #1. “You will think differently once you are away from
the corrupting influence of the human pestilence and are back on
Arthropoda.”

“You will not take me back to Arthropoda,”
said Private John Iwo Jima Wayne.

The Fleet Commander turned to General
Kalipetsis. “The Team Leader is still an Arthropodan marine. He
will be beamed aboard my ship, by force if necessary.”

General Kalipetsis shrugged, about to give
in. I stepped in between the two and poked #1 with my finger.
“Private Wayne is a legionnaire in the United States Galactic
Federation Foreign Legion. You want war? Try to take him.”

The Fleet Commander did not take well to
being poked and threatened. He gave me a shove. Tonelli’s dragon
lunged at #1, biting off one of his feet. Spot swallowed it, boot
and all. When the shoving and pushing was over, negotiations broke
down.

“I will kill you if it is the last thing I
do!” threatened #1 as medics carried him to a medivac shuttle.
“This is not over yet! There will be one more chapter, and it will
end with your slow, torturous death as I tear you apart limb by
limb with my bare claws!”

Imperial Feet Commander #1 left with Charlie
Brown and the detail of medics. We kept John Wayne.

That was the last I heard from the Spider
Fleet Commander. I should have taken the Fleet Commander’s threats
seriously and let Spot finish him off. Enemies are best dealt with
while they’re down. But no, confident of my invincibility, I let
the Fleet Commander escape. I blew off his threats as the mere rant
of a spider going into traumatic shock. It did look that way. I
never expected to see him again soon anyway.

* * * * *

Now was time for celebration. I got drunk
with my men at the North Slope Tavern. At the end of the night, I
staggered off alone, back to my cold dark office. “Can you believe
it?” I complained aloud. “Colonel Joey R. Czerinski, hero of the
Legion, savior of the world – again – and I can’t get a date at the
end of the evening!” No matter. I was tired and needed rest.

As soon as I reached for the light switch, I
knew I had made a fatal mistake. I had lowered my guard for just an
instant, but that was an instant too long! I could smell the
pungent odor of spider in the air. They had been waiting for me all
night. Immediately I reached for my sidearm, but quick claws deftly
snatched my pistol away. Eight limbs wrapped around me, pinning me
to my desktop. Vicious fangs pressed to my neck, drawing a slight
trickle of blood. Stifling breath moistened my face. I gagged.
Conceding death, I closed my eyes and waited for the end.

“Joey, Joey, Joey! We had a date, and you
stood me up! Did you really think I would forget, and not collect
my due?”

“Amanda?” I asked, terrified, but relieved.
Her fangs still pressed ever tighter against my neck. “I’m so glad
to see you!”

“Sure you are! You stood me up!”

“There was a thermal nuclear war. Remember?
What could I do?”

“Is that the best excuse you can come up
with? Hello! You could have called me!”

“Please don’t kiss so hard. I’m
bleeding!”

“I can taste it. Yum yum! Oh, Joey, my
darling, I could never stay mad at you for long, my dearest love.
But I am not a one-night-stand kind of girl. I have my pristine
reputation to keep intact. You will make an honest female out of me
yet. Tonight I will not be denied. It is our destiny.”

“Help! Someone help!”

“Joey, darling, fight me to the end if you
must. You’re such a hot, wretched little fur ball. Your human
pestilence mating rituals are so kinky, I love it!”

“Help!” I yelled again, unsheathing my
jagged combat knife. It too was knocked away.

“Naughty boy!” hissed Amanda, even more
excited. “You are so handsome in your spiffy new Legion uniform.
I’ll try not to rip it. I’m so glad you reenlisted. Now all is as
it was before. All is right in the galaxy, my love. The stars are
aligned. The galaxy is safe, protected by the Legion and my brave
and powerful legionnaire. And, I have you babe!”

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~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~

Walter Knight

Walter played football on Tucson High
School’s last state championship team (1971). He served three years
in the army, and the GI Bill paid for his college education,
helping him earn degrees from Fort Steilacoom Community College,
Central Washington State College, and the University of Puget Sound
School of Law.

Walter lives a very quiet and private life,
residing with his family and horses, dogs, cats, and fish atop a
hill in rural Washington. Walt enjoys taking road trips to explore
ghost towns and casinos.

To contact Walter Knight, please visit
www.penumbrapublishing.com

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