America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 4: Demilitarized Zone (2 page)

“Every time you screw up, we get posted
somewhere awful,” complained Captain Lopez. “What did you do this
time?”

“Shut up and start pitching tents,” I
ordered. “Find the border markers. They should be giving off a
beacon signal.”

“Sir!” yelled Corporal Williams. “I see a
spider!”

Sure enough. Through my binoculars I too
could see a spider guard shack at the crest of the next hill. A
spider marine was waving at us. I drove our armored car over to
investigate.

“Welcome to Hell,” said the spider guard. He
seemed happy to see us. “Who did you piss off to get assigned
here?”

“None of your business,” I said. “What is
this? What are you doing here?”

“I am monitoring border traffic,” said the
spider guard. “Can’t you tell?”

“There is nothing but lizards out here,” I
said.

“Exactly,” said the spider guard. “And I am
watching and counting every lizard that goes by. I was watching you
land, earlier. If you human pestilence are invading the New Gobi
Desert, I surrender! You can have it.”

“We landed here to investigate seismic
activity,” I explained. “Are you digging tunnels?”

“To sneak across the border?” asked the
spider guard. “Yes, that is it. You caught us!”

“I am serious,” I said. “I know you have been
digging. What are you up to?”

“We have been drilling a well,” answered the
spider guard. “I’m thinking about building a nice cool swimming
pool. In a few hours, it’s going to be over 135 degrees out here. I
suggest you find some shade.”

“Where?” I asked, looking about.

“Anywhere but here,” said the spider guard.
“This shack is mine.”

“Is there any insurgent activity in this
area?” I asked.

“What?” asked the spider guard. “No one is
interested in this area. It is too hot. Insurgents are city
dwellers. They would not last five minutes out here.”

In despair, I walked back to the armored car.
At least it had air conditioning. Corporal Tonelli lingered by the
guard shack. “My name is Guido,” said Corporal Tonelli. “Is there
anything valuable out here?”

“Like what?” asked the spider guard. “Rocks?
Do you want to dig for gold?”

“I have a case of vodka in the armored car,”
said Guido. “Do you have anything worth trading for?”

“How about a cannon?” offered the spider
guard. “RPGs?”

“Sorry,” said Guido. “I already have several
of those. How many soldiers are in your unit?”

“That is top secret,” said the spider guard.
“But bring over your case of vodka. I’ll give you the VIP
tour.”

They walked beyond the next hill, where about
a hundred spiders were camped. A well-drilling rig was digging
through the dirt and rocks, throwing dust everywhere. So far, the
spiders had not reached water. The spider guard introduced Guido to
his commanding officer. Guido handed the officer a bottle of
vodka.

“Thank you,” said the spider commander,
happily pouring them all a drink. “Normally I would beware of human
pestilence bearing gifts, but I will make an exception this
time.”

“This is Guido,” announced the spider
guard.

“Why has the human pestilence and its Mafia
come out here?” asked the spider commander, eying Guido with all
eight eyes.

“Mafia?” asked Guido. “What do you mean?”

“You are Italian, are you not?” asked the
spider commander, checking his database notepad computer. “I am
well aware that all Italians are members of the Mafia. Your human
sub-category Italiano runs all the rackets and gambling in New
Memphis. Do you deny that? Are you planning to build another casino
way out here? Or are you a smuggler?”

“I am a legionnaire,” replied Guido. “I go
where I am ordered to go.”

“The Legion heard our drilling equipment and
thought we were digging a tunnel,” explained the spider guard.
“There is a whole mechanized infantry company on the other side of
the hill.”

“I know that,” said the spider commander,
pouring another drink. “I saw them land, too.”

“Have you been out here long?” asked
Guido.

“It seems like forever,” said the spider
commander, sighing. “How did you get chosen to come out here and
spy on us?

“We’re on a top-secret mission,” said Guido.
“They chose the best of the best.”

“You pissed someone off?” asked the spider
commander.

“Not me,” said Guido. “It was Major
Czerinski.”

* * * * *

At the end of the day, I radioed a report to
General Kalipetsis. “There is a whole company of spiders out here.
They say the seismic activity we detected must have been caused by
drilling.”

“They’re drilling for oil?” asked the
general. “That’s ridiculous. There is no oil out there.”

“Water,” I corrected. “They say they want to
build a swimming pool because it’s hot out here.”

“You believe them?” asked General
Kalipetsis.

“They’re right. It is hot.”

“No!” General Kalipetsis yelled. “I mean, do
you believe they are building a swimming pool?”

“Of course not,” I answered. “They must be up
to something else.”

“I agree. I am sending you a company of
engineers to build permanent barracks and to establish a secure
border. Be alert. The spiders are up to no good. I am also sending
our own drilling equipment to take some core samples. If there is
anything valuable under the New Gobi Desert, I want to reach it
first.”

“That’s a good idea. Send some Geiger
counters, too. Maybe they’re looking for uranium.”

“The engineers will be escorted by another
company of mechanized infantry,” advised General Kalipetsis. “I
want to be able to reinforce the DMZ before the spiders do the
same. When the engineers are done building your new home, start
them to work on a permanent paved road. I want to be able to truck
supplies to you on a regular basis.”

“Can I have a swimming pool too?” I asked.
“The spiders had a good idea about drilling a well. You would not
believe how hot it gets in the desert.”

“What?” asked General Kalipetsis. “No! This
is the Legion, not a country club. Focus on the job at hand. Find
out why the spiders are interested in New Gobi.”

“Yes, sir!”

Back to Table of Contents

Chapter 2

I was told that a VIP would be arriving, so I
waited at our new airstrip for his plane. The VIP arrived with our
supplies on a shuttle. He was a very large and cheerful-looking
man. Kind of reminded me of Santa Claus.

“Good morning, Major. My name is Ronald
Carter,” he said, shaking my hand. “I represent the McDonald’s
Corporation.”

“The aircraft maker?” I asked.

“No,” said Carter. “We make hamburgers. You
are thinking of McDonnell-Douglas Aircraft. We are much bigger than
them.”

“I hope you brought us some happy meals,” I
said. “I’m starving.”

“McDonald’s wants to be the first restaurant
in New Gobi,” continued Carter. “General Kalipetsis told me to
contact you about acquiring a prime building site.”

“Build anywhere you want,” I said. “See those
two guard shacks facing each other? That’s the border. Everything
on this side is United States Galactic Federation territory.”

“I am interested in a border location so we
can serve both human and spider customers,” said Carter. “Good
relations with the spiders is important to McDonald’s.”

“I heard the insurgents have been bombing
restaurants,” I said. “Why do you want to build here? There is
nothing in New Gobi, and we are on the front line.”

“You are here,” said Carter. “And I hear more
legionnaires are on the way. McDonald’s feels safe being surrounded
by so many hungry soldiers.”

“But we might deploy elsewhere at any time,”
I argued. “This is all temporary. I’m still living in a tent.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” said Carter. “I hear you
are building a highway through town. I see big things happening to
New Gobi City. Construction will begin immediately.”

* * * * *

The only unusual activity I noticed on the
spider side was a large tent at the edge of their camp. It had a
guard posted outside at the front. I wanted to know what was going
on inside the tent, and decided Guido was the man for the job.
“Corporal Tonelli, I heard you have been getting chummy with the
spiders,” I said, nodding across the border to the other guard
shack. “Find out what the spiders are doing in that circus tent
next to their camp.”

“Rumors are that it’s a large motor pool for
vehicle repair,” said Guido. “I’ve seen lots of trucks come and go
from there.”

“Satellite photos show that none of the
trucks enter the tent,” I said. “Ask your buddy what they’re doing
in there.”

Guido shrugged and walked to the other guard
shack. He was meaning to visit anyway, being that the spiders had
air-conditioning in their shack and outbuildings.

“What’s in the big tent?” asked Guido. “My
commander wants to know.”

“I heard a rumor there is a crashed shuttle
that is being repaired,” replied the spider guard. “But the tent
was there before I arrived, and they do not allow me inside.”

“Aren’t you curious about what they’re doing
in there?” asked Guido.

“It is not my job to be curious,” said the
spider guard, shrugging. “Curiosity killed the lizard.”

“Can you find out for sure?” asked Guido.
“I’ll pay you a thousand dollars to check it out.”

“You want me to spy for you human
pestilence?” asked the spider guard. “No way.”

“How about for two thousand dollars?” asked
Guido. “It wouldn’t really be spying. You would just be doing me a
favor. If there is really something top secret going on inside the
tent, you don’t have to tell me about it. I’ll understand. I just
want Major Czerinski off my back about it. He’s paranoid about that
tent, and thinks you all are up to no good out here.”

“I will look into it,” promised the spider
guard. “For five thousand dollars.”

When Guido left, the spider guard immediately
reported their conversation to his commanding officer.

“Why did you tell the human pestilence we
were working on a crashed shuttle?” asked the spider commander. “It
is an obvious lie.”

“Because Guido did not believe my story about
the tent being a motor pool,” explained the spider guard.

“Why not just tell Guido the truth?” asked
the spider commander. “It would have lessened tension. We do not
need more Legion guns on the DMZ. I agree that Czerinski is
paranoid. But he is dangerous, too.”

“I was just messing with him,” said the
spider guard. “Besides, Guido said the Legion would leave once they
were satisfied we are not doing anything sinister out here.”

“You do not want them to leave?” asked the
commander, incredulously.

“It is boring out here,” replied the spider
guard. “Are we doing anything under that tent that I should be
concerned about?”

“Now you ask that question?” said the spider
commander. “It is on our side of the DMZ. We will do as we please.
It is none of the Legion’s business.”

“You told us the tent was to provide shade
and quarters for civilian mining engineers taking core samples out
in the desert,” said the spider guard. “I never questioned that
explanation. I do now.”

“You had no need to be told otherwise,” said
the spider commander. “You still do not.”

“What shall I tell Guido?” asked the spider
guard. “What is the truth?”

“Tell Guido you want ten thousand dollars,”
answered the spider commander. “Tell him we are digging up fossils.
I will split the money with you.”

“Is that the truth?” asked the spider guard.
“Fossils?”

“That was an order,” said the spider
commander. “Do not ever question one of my orders again.”

* * * * *

The spider military intelligence officer had
been viewing satellite photos all morning, prior to his briefing
with the governor. Now he was ready for his presentation. “It
appears the Legion is building a base along the DMZ in the New Gobi
Desert,” announced the military intelligence officer. “We have a
small company of marines at the scene. Our local commander requests
reinforcements. He says the human pestilence is threatening to
overwhelm his defenses.”

“We posted that fool out there to keep him
out of trouble,” commented the governor. “He’s some sort of
shirt-tail relative to the Emperor. I see now that fool can find
trouble anywhere. What I want to know is, why is the Legion
building a base in the New Gobi Desert?”

“The New Gobi has no strategic value,”
advised the military intelligence officer. “But look at this photo.
The human pestilence were digging a long rectangular hole between
these buildings. It was lined with cement, then covered by a tent.
And, they are constructing a highway to New Gobi.”

“Could that hole be a command bunker or a
missile silo?” asked the governor.

“I have instructed our local commander to
find out,” said the military intelligence officer.

“Send an armored battalion to reinforce the
DMZ in the New Gobi,” ordered the governor. “And station an Air
Wing squadron for support. That highway they are building is proof
that the Legion is bringing in more troops and equipment. They are
up to no good!”

“I agree,” said the military intelligence
officer. “And look at this outrage! Right on the border! Do you see
it? Golden Arches.”

“What?” asked the governor. “What does it
mean?”

“It is one of their major food distribution
centers,” explained the military intelligence officer. “The Golden
Arches have the capacity to feed thousands.”

“Those bastards!” fumed the governor. “What
is the human pestilence up to this time?”

* * * * *