Free Culture War by Walter Knight

my accomplishments.”
    “ But don’t you feel like
you are being used by the Legion?” asked the teacher. “You are just
a publicity stunt for the military industrial complex. You will
never be given command. Even now, I see Major Lopez lording over
you.”
    “ Would you please come up
here on stage?” asked Lieutenant Washington.
    “ No way,” said the teacher,
startled.
    “ I guess you are not as
stupid as you sound or look,” commented Lieutenant Washington. The
audience laughed, then slowly stood up and applauded.
    “ One of the most difficult
adjustments for spiders entering the Legion is the cultural
differences between humans and spiders. We spiders are very
volatile and do not handle provocations very well. Call me a
traitor and I am apt to kill you, regardless of the consequences.
Minutes after a confrontation, I am over it. Humans, on the other
hand, seem to hold grudges forever. That’s just my personal
observation. You may have similar experiences here in school. Where
did that lame-ass teacher go?”
    “ He left the building,”
someone called out. A few students laughed out loud. “Don’t come
back, dude!”
    “ Why should any of us give
up a comfortable life for the hardships of the Legion?” asked
another student. “Is it worth it?”
    “ If you have a good life,
stay where you are,” advised Lieutenant Washington. “But if you
want to change your life, go talk to the ATM and try to negotiate
an enlistment contract. If you are qualified, you might make some
serious money. The worst of the wars on New Colorado are probably
behind us. I would not be surprised to see the Legion leave New
Colorado soon for the Coleopteran Frontier. However, the Legion is
still interested in recruiting from the local population. Many of
you may have relatives who died fighting in the wars, so that you
could be free. Now might be the time to repay the debt you owe
them.”
    “ You don’t think the
Arthropodan Empire and the insurgency will continue hostilities?”
asked a spider student.
    “ For a few years maybe,”
said Lieutenant Washington. “But as the next generation takes over
on both sides, I hope for better understanding and better
leadership. Humanity and spiders are more similar than not. We need
to unite. The galaxy is full of nasty species that will eventually
come our way and find us. The war with the Formicidaen Empire was a
wake-up call – just the tip of the danger that is out there across
the galaxy. Only when our two species stand together, will our part
of the galaxy be safe.”
    “ How do you get along with
Colonel Czerinski?” asked another student. “Does he deserve his
‘Butcher of New Colorado’ reputation I have read so much about on
the database? In light of his mega hero status, I think he often
gets a bad rap in the press.”
    “ Colonel Czerinski is worse
in person than any story you have ever read,” said Lieutenant
Washington. “Don’t ever mess with Colonel Czerinski. He is the
Legion’s junkyard attack dog.”
    “ Do you see a parallel
between the United States Galactic Federation and the Roman
Empire?” asked another human student. “The end came for Rome when
she relied too much on German mercenaries to replenish her legions
for defense of the Northern Frontier. Might the United States
Galactic Federation depend too much on you aliens in its Foreign
Legion to defend its frontiers? Might history be repeating
itself?”
    “ What?” asked Lieutenant
Washington. “Do I even remotely look German?”
    “ What is your ultimate goal
in the Legion?” asked a student as the session ended. “How do you
want your Legion career to end? Do you hope to be the first spider
general someday?”
    “ I just want to be buried
in Arlington National Cemetery,” concluded Lieutenant Washington.
“I want to be buried with my mates.”
     
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    Chapter 10
     
    All activity stopped for the time-honored and
sacred American tradition of watching Monday