America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 1: Feeling Lucky (16 page)

* * * * *

Lieutenant Lopez took Sergeant Green,
Corporal Ceausescu, Private Williams, and seven other legionnaires.
They drove the armored car past rows of looted shops and empty
littered streets. Finally, they met up with a crowd looting a large
grocery store. The building had caught fire. The looters stopped
and stared at the armored car. They seemed embarrassed at being
caught. Sergeant Green pulled the slide back on the mounted machine
gun and pointed it at them. Then the armored car moved on. The
looters celebrated louder than ever and continued their destructive
frenzy.

“
Hey Lopez, how come we
didn’t do anything about those looters?” asked Sergeant
Green.

“
It’s a spider problem,”
answered Lieutenant Lopez. “Besides, I’m no cop. Our orders are to
see what is happening in the neighborhoods and to report back.
That’s all we are doing.”

“
It’s a spider problem that
we caused by confining their troops to barracks,” insisted Sergeant
Green as they rounded a corner to see another crowd of looters
attacking small shops. One of the looters was just lighting a
gasoline bomb. Sergeant Green mowed him down with the machine gun.
Green then turned his attention to the other looters, shooting as
many as he could as they scattered in all directions. The other
legionnaires joined in with small arms fire.

“
Since when did you become a
do-gooder?” asked Lieutenant Lopez, surveying all the dead and
twitching bodies.

“
I’m not a do-gooder,”
answered Sergeant Green, as he reloaded. “I just don’t like
punks.”

“
Any excuse to kill
spiders,” commented Corporal Ceausescu.

“
I hear that,” added Private
Williams.

“
Shut up, Williams, or you
will be walking home,” responded Sergeant Green.

A lone green spider emerged from one of the
damaged shops, waving a white flag and hissing at the humans. As he
got closer to the armored car, the computer translation device
kicked in. “I will pay you 3,000 credits if you stay and protect
our shops,” said the green merchant spider.

“
That is not happening,”
said Lieutenant Lopez. “We cannot stay.”

“
But the looters will be
back to burn us out,” insisted the merchant spider.

“
Not these,” said Sergeant
Green, as he shot one of the twitching looters. “He isn’t going to
bother anyone anymore.”

“
Others will be back,” said
the merchant spider. “Will you take 4,000 credits to protect us? We
have families here.”

“
Sorry, Charlie, we don’t do
credits,” replied Sergeant Green, giving the matter some thought.
“Got any gold?”

The merchant spider took a ruby ring of his
finger and handed it to Sergeant Green. “This ring is gold and
more.”

“
Yes indeed it is,” said
Sergeant Green, holding the ring up to the light and then placing
it in his pocket. Sergeant Green tossed the merchant spider an
assault rifle and three clips. “That’s all I can do for you. We
can’t be everywhere.”

“
Thank you,” said the
merchant spider excitedly. He snatched the rifle and ammo clips and
ran off to his shop.

“
I don’t believe you just
did that,” said Lieutenant Lopez. “You can’t just sell off our
equipment like that.”

“
Why not?” asked Sergeant
Green.

“
It’s illegal.”

“
We have plenty, and I don’t
think Captain Czerinski would care. Besides, did you see the size
of that ruby?”

“
I’ll have you up on charges
if you ever do anything like that again,” said Lieutenant
Lopez.

“
Since when did you become
such a stickler for the rules?” asked Sergeant Green. “Oh I forgot.
You’re an officer now. Excuse me, Lieutenant Lopez, sir. Now that
you’re The Man, we should all kiss your ass.”

“
You may not sell our
weapons to the spiders,” insisted. Lieutenant Lopez. “It’s illegal
and wrong in so many ways.”

“
Don’t you give me any shit
over this, Lopez. I knew you when we were both privates. I could
kick your ass then and I’ll kick your ass now. Just try me.
Besides, that green spider needed a rifle to defend himself. I
would have given it to him for free, but the fool insisted on
paying me. What am I to do?”

Just then about five more green merchant
spiders came running out to the armored car waving white flags and
more jewelry. “We need to buy rifles, too. We have families to
defend,” they clamored.

“
Abandono,” said Lieutenant
Lopez, as he threw his hands up in mock surrender. “I give up,
Green. You win.”

Legionnaires handed out assault rifles, ammo,
and grenades in exchange for jewelry. Then they headed back to
Capital Square for re-supply and to report. They shot up a bunch of
looters along they way. It was Arthropoda’s first drive by
shooting. Suddenly Lieutenant Lopez ordered the armored car to a
halt next to a large wall at the approaches to Capital Square. He
reached into the glove box and pulled out a spray can of Legion
olive drab paint. “I have an inspiration!” shouted Lieutenant Lopez
as he ran over to the wall with spray paint in hand.

“
What is it with you
Hispanics and spray paint?” asked Sergeant Green, shaking his head.
“Even a planet millions of miles away from Earth isn’t safe from
tagging. I’ll never understand you people.”

“
Don’t mess with me when I’m
having an artistic inspiration,” warned Lieutenant Lopez as he drew
a WWII ‘Kilroy was here’ man peering over a wall. On the cartoon
wall he spray-painted ‘Free New Colorado.’ Then he added ‘XIV’ for
all his homies back on Earth.

“
That’s the best you’ve
got?” asked Sergeant Green.

“
It just came to me.”
Lieutenant Lopez shrugged and got back into the armored
car.

* * * * *

Back at Capital Square, Sergeant Green
volunteered to go out on another recognizance mission. I asked
Sergeant Green if he was bucking for officer rank like Lieutenant
Lopez.

“
Sir, I just want to do my
part for the war effort,” insisted Sergeant Green.

“
I’m pleased with your
progress as a Sergeant. You are a natural leader,” I added. “But
you don’t usually volunteer for missions.”

“
Captain Czerinski, are you
questioning a brother’s creditability?” asked Sergeant Green. “I’ve
always thought better of you.”

“
No, of course not,” I
replied. “If any missions come up, I will let you know.
Dismissed.”

CHAPTER 17

I went to the top floor of the Imperial
Palace to see how our snipers were doing. Legionnaires out on the
barricades were still taking sniper fire, and I wanted our snipers
to do something about it. Each sniper worked with a spotter. I
grabbed a spotter’s scope and looked for targets.

“
It’s a target-rich
environment down there,” commented Corporal Krueger. “Mostly
civilians. I try to take out anyone with a gun.”

“
We’re being sniped at,” I
complained. “Try to take out anyone shooting from that red building
behind the crowds.” I scanned the crowds looking for leaders. I saw
#14 and #15 walking with a civilian carrying a loud speaker,
shaking hands. “See those two spider officers dressed in black over
by the command car? Take them out!”

“
I see them, but I can’t get
a clear shot because there are too many civilians around them,”
said Corporal Krueger.

“
I don’t care about clear
shots or civilians,” I said. “You can kill them all, for all I
care. Just kill those two!”

Corporal Krueger fired five two-shot bursts.
Spider body parts flew everywhere from the 50-cal. impacts. I
couldn’t tell if the two officers were hit or not. It was chaos
down there now. I brought my scope up to the top floor of the red
building behind the crowds and zoomed in on the windows. I saw a
spider sniper with a scope zooming in on me! I ducked back as
bullets punched through the wall next to me.

“
The sniper is on the top
floor of that red building!” I yelled.

“
I can’t see him,”
complained Corporal Krueger.

“
Well then what are you good
for? I’m leaving,” I announced. “It’s way too drafty up here.” I
radioed down to Lieutenant Lopez to put a cannon shell onto the top
of the red building. Lieutenant Lopez was not a happy
camper.

“
We have taken more
casualties after we won the war than we did during the war,”
complained Lieutenant Lopez.

“
Our snipers are hitting
their snipers,” I assured Lopez. “Just don’t let the crowds get too
close.”

* * * * *

Lieutenant Lopez looked out over the
barricade at the crowd getting closer. Some were throwing rocks.
Suddenly a Molotov cocktail exploded just short of Lieutenant
Lopez’ barricade. Lieutenant Lopez rapped on the turret of the
armored personnel carrier to get the gunners attention. “Clear the
streets with a whiff of grape.”

“
Huh?” asked the driver
inside the APC.

“
I said blow the shit out of
them!” ordered Lieutenant Lopez. “And hit that red building
too.”

* * * * *

The APC opened fire with
machine gun and cannon. Sergeant Green heard the shooting from more
than a block away and looked out over the barricade. The crowds
hadn’t gathered on his boulevard. A civilian car was speeding
toward his position. The driver was waving a green flag and
screaming.
What does that fool think he is
doing,
thought Sergeant Green.
Fool!

The car accelerated and slammed into the
barricade. The spider hissed as he jumped out of the car. Sergeant
Green shot the spider just as a nail-laden bomb in the car
exploded. A gap was blown in the barricade and several legionnaires
were killed or wounded. Sergeant Green was saved by his flack vest
and helmet, but was still seriously injured. Blood was splattered
everywhere.

I’m a mess,
thought Sergeant Green. He could see spiders
dancing and celebrating off in the distance. Sergeant Green picked
up the infantry phone located at the rear of the APC and yelled the
order to the driver. “Kill them all! And hit those buildings behind
the crowd too.”

By now all the APC’s and
legionnaires were firing at the crowds, and it was all broadcast
live on Arthropoda Channel #6 World & Local News Tonight.
Sergeant Green sighed and slumped back against the rear of the APC,
tossing the phone aside.
The war is over
for me.
“Medic!” he cried out.

Corporal Ceausescu and Private Williams ran
up to Sergeant Green and started first aid.

“
Golly, boy, you look like a
hound dog that done met up with a porcupine,” exclaimed Private
Williams as he injected Sergeant Green with morphine.

“
Words cannot express how
much I hate you, Williams,” responded Sergeant Green.

“
This will hurt,” said
Corporal Ceausescu as she used needle-nose pliers to pull nails
from Sergeant Green’s vest and arm. “But you will be okay when the
pain stops.”

“
I love you, Elena,” said
Sergeant Green. “I always have, and always will love you, my
beautiful angel.”

“
What?” asked Corporal
Ceausescu incredulously as she slapped skin-graft antibiotic
bandages on Sergeant Green. “You are always giving me a bad time.
You are even worse than Lopez, and he called me a puta. And now you
love me? Get real.”

“
I would never call you a
puta. You are a beautiful angel. A saint. Pure as a virgin. I was
just trying to get your attention, like a school kid,” cried
Sergeant Green, struggling to get up. “I will kick Lopez’ ass right
now to prove my love and devotion to you.”

“
Do you want me to give him
another shot of morphine?” asked Private Williams, as he gently
pushed Sergeant Green back down.

“
No, he’s had quite enough,”
replied Corporal Ceausescu. She patted Sergeant Green, looking for
hidden injuries. Giving Sergeant Green a little pinch down under,
she said, “The good news, Green, is that your private parts weren’t
blown off.”

“
Lot of good that will do me
if I have no blood pressure,” complained Sergeant Green as he
reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a fist of gold rings.
Selecting a ring with a large blue stone, Sergeant Green gave it to
Corporal Ceausescu. “This ring is but a small token of my love for
you, Elena. Please take it, my love. I’m serious. You are my
destiny. Marry me.”

“
Never take a wife until you
have a house to put her in,” advised Private Williams.

Corporal Ceausescu paused, admiring the
sparkle of the stone. She slid it onto her wedding finger, and gave
Sergeant a long passionate kiss. “I love you too, Tyrone. I have
always loved you. Of course I will marry you.” Corporal Ceausescu
then grabbed Sergeant Green by the back of his collar and dragged
him over to the armored car. Sergeant Green was then transported to
the Imperial Palace with the other wounded to be evacuated later by
shuttle to the T. Roosevelt.

* * * * *

Colonel McGee was yelling as he entered the
Imperial Palace. He stepped over the wounded. “What the hell is
going on here? We are supposed to be installing a new government,
but General Kalipetsis tells me we are slaughtering the whole city!
And guess what? It’s all being broadcast on spider TV.”