Free America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 1: Feeling Lucky by Walter Knight

action after you were nuked. Now
our viewers are seeing your battle video as we speak.”
    “ Oh?” I said. “How
nice.”
    “ For a week the world feared
you were dead,” explained Coen. “Now, like a phoenix rising from
the nuclear wastes of New Colorado, the Hero of East L.A. fights
his way through enemy territory and survives! For now, anyway. This
is just the good news needed for public moral amongst what has
otherwise been a lot of heartache. The world follows your every
move, now. You are the Scourge of New Colorado.”
    “ Heartache?” I asked.
“What’s been happening up there?”
    “ A second spider fleet took
Sixth and Seventh Fleet by surprise. It was a bloody mess with both
sides taking heavy casualties. Both sides have withdrawn, and there
is an unofficial truce in place,” said Coen. “We’re waiting for
reinforcements.”
    “ I want to get the hell out
of here,” I demanded. “Put someone on who can get a shuttle down
here now!”
    “ Sure thing. General
Kalipetsis just walked in and wants to talk to you,” advised
Coen.
    “ Czerinski! You’re doing a
hell of a job down there,” radioed General Kalipetsis. “I’ve been
viewing your video camera and computer downloads. You do the Legion
proud.”
    “ General, can you get us out
of here?” I asked.
    “ Well, you may be cut off
for a while. Our fleets had to pull back Your Sergeant Wilson and
Headquarters Company of Third Battalion got nuked. The rest of
Third Battalion was evacuated. Don’t worry, we’ll get you out, too.
Strategically, we are winning. The spiders don’t have a chance.
When Tenth Fleet gets here, the remnants of the spider fleets will
be crushed, and an invasion of their home world planets will begin.
Tell your legionnaires the Tenth Fleet is coming. The spiders are
doomed,” assured General Kalipetsis. “Meanwhile, I’m awarding you a
battlefield commission to second lieutenant. Promote legionnaires
you trust to sergeant and corporal. And one more thing. Listen
carefully. When you leave that spider habitat, nuke it. I want it
completely destroyed. Set off more than one nuke if you have to.
Understand?”
    “ Yes sir. Nuke it all. And
thank you sir.”
    “ We’ll try to send in some
commandos to get you out when you get to the surface.”
    “ Yes sir.”
    After we disconnected, I turned to Lopez and
said, “General Kalipetsis says nuke the place. You know, I don’t
really like the idea of nuking this hole until after I get
out.”
    “ How come gringos always get
promoted to officer?” asked Lopez, indignantly.
    “ Nothing personal. It’s a
Legion tradition,” I explained, enjoying getting Lopez’ goat. “Why,
you want to be an officer?”
    “ No, but I don’t like
injustice either,” griped Corporal Lopez.
    “ OK, Zorro,” I countered. “I
love you , too. So go forth and fight injustice.”
    “ What do you mean by that?”
asked Lopez, getting more agitated. “You aren’t even North
American. What is a name like Czerinski anyway? You Polish or
something?”
    “ Czerinski is more North
American than Lopez,” I said, getting upset. “My people landed on
the coast of Texas in 1854, marched 500 miles to the central Texas
hills of Karnes County, and built cities. Their old world churches
still stand today.”
    “ The conquistadors beat that
by hundreds of years,” said Corporal Lopez triumphantly. “My
ancestors were in Florida, up and down the Mississippi, and across
the Southwest all the way to the California coast.”
    “ That’s because they were
lost on a pipe dream searching for the Cities of Gold and the
Fountain of Youth,” I countered. “And I got more bad news, Lopez.
You are promoted to sergeant.”
    “ Can’t wait to spend my pay
raise,” Sergeant Lopez said with a laugh.
    “ You won’t be spending
anything,” said Private Green. “We are all going to die in these
tunnels.”
    “ The General says the Tenth
Fleet is coming,” I repeated loudly for everyone to hear.