"Is it lunch time already, boss?" asked one of the drunks. "I'm not leaving until I get my coffee and peanut-b.u.t.ter-and-jelly sandwiches."

"Get out!" yelled the constable, firing a shot into the ceiling. "Run for your lives!"

"Who lit a fire under your spider b.u.t.t?" asked the first drunk outside. He squinted from the bright sunlight. "d.a.m.n, it looks like the whole Chinese army across the Yulu River!"

"You're not that old," laughed one of the other drunks. "And those aren't Chinese. They're spiders!"

"I'm in the militia," said the third drunk. "I should be over there, too."

"Find cover!" yelled the constable as he closed the front door to the police department. The constable opened a heavy metal trap door located under his desk and dropped into the spider hole below. Every building in Yellow Brick, and most on the frontier, had similar holes and tunnels under the streets and buildings.

The spider marine commander angrily watched the human pestilence across the bridge. They did not appear to be dispersing as ordered. Instead, the human pestilence were digging in. One human pestilence was even aiming a missile. The short human wearing the sungla.s.ses was directing the militia and yelling encouragement. Smoke rose from the nearby hills. Obviously it was a signal to alert more militia. The commander ordered his armored cars to deploy along the dry creek bank and to be ready to cross along a wide front. They would hit the militia holding the bridge, then out-flank the survivors. The whole rabble would easily be rolled up and done with in short order. The arrogance of these peasants had no bounds.

When the Arthropodan armor left the road, they struck landmines. Spider marines immediately fired machine guns at the militia. Several missiles were fired back. One missile damaged an armored car. The other merely bounced off sloped protective plating. The militia retreated as the spider marines crossed the dry creek bed and occupied Yellow Brick. The entire brief battle was recorded on video and instantly broadcast via the database to every news organization and TV station on New Colorado.

Two wounded militia were captured and locked up in the town jail. One was drunk. Three more were left dead on the bridge. Six spider marines were wounded. A medivac air-lifted the spider marines back to New Gobi. House-to-house searches failed to locate the armory. Out of frustration, the commander arrested hostages, demanding the location of the militia armory in exchange for their release. The next morning, the two wounded militia were executed by firing squad for treason and rebellion. At noon two Legion armored cars arrived. Legion helicopter guns.h.i.+ps and jets circled in support.

"What have you done?" asked Captain Lopez, confronting the marine commander.

"We were met with armed resistance," explained the marine commander. "We acted in self-defense and only used proportionate force, as allowed by our rules of engagement."

"Hostage-taking and public executions are not a part of your rules of engagement," replied Captain Lopez. "You will release the hostages at once, or risk war crimes prosecution and an escalation of hostilities."

"Very well," said the marine commander. "I was going to release them anyway. We cannot find the armory, although I am sure it is here somewhere. I don't have time to blow up every tunnel in Yellow Brick. We are moving on."

"Where are you going?" asked Captain Lopez.

"The next town to be searched is Redrock," answered the marine commander. "You will leave, too. You are trespa.s.sing north of the DMZ."

"We are merely a token force," said Captain Lopez. "But we will stay to protect humanity from your brutal excesses."

"Whatever," said the marine commander. "Your own debauchery is well doc.u.mented. I give you permission to keep a minimal police presence here until things get sorted out. Then you will leave."

"I want your word there will be no more trouble here," demanded Captain Lopez. "The same goes for Redrock."

"Redrock is a civilized, mostly spider farming community," said the marine commander. "There will be no problems at Redrock."

Captain Lopez set up a headquarters at the police station. Satellite reconnaissance indicated a large dust storm was coming, and Lopez did not want to get caught out in the open. The spider Task Force moved on towards Redrock. When the dust storm hit, it moved sand dunes across the dirt roadway and reduced visibility to just a few feet. The spider marines pressed on into the evening. Then it rained.

It almost never rains in the New Gobi Desert. The roadway, already obscured by sand, turned to deep mud. The armored cars got bogged down, but were fine as long as they kept moving. When they stopped, they sank up to their windows in yellow mud. The Task Force was strung out for miles when it finally came to a complete halt. The small valley they were in was becoming a shallow lake of mud. Spider marines stood on their vehicle rooftops to stay out of the mud and water. They scanned the surrounding hills through the torrential rain, looking for solid high ground. The marine commander dispatched squads to reconnoiter the hills to establish a secure perimeter. The spiders' pointed legs sank deep into the yellow clay and mud. The mud clung heavily to their bodies and limbs as they labored to climb the hills. Soon they were out of sight of the main column.

For the last several days, the militia had been gathering on these hills. Now Ross watched the scouts approaching their positions. He dispatched patrols to silently kill or capture the approaching spider marines. A few shots rang out, but most of the spiders were easily taken. Humans, with their flat feet, easily crossed the mud, literally running circles around the spiders.

Now mortars and rockets rained down on the spider task force. Exposed, immobile, and on lower ground sinking in mud, the spiders panicked. As their armored cars disappeared in the mud or were hit by mortars, the spider marines abandoned their vehicles and fled back toward Yellow Brick. Militia snipers picked them off from hills and small ridges along the route. The marine commander, trying to direct his troops into an orderly retreat, was killed by a sniper. The situation became more desperate as more militia continued to arrive. Even teenaged children traveling with their militia parents fired a few shots at the bedraggled spiders, then went back home after their ammunition was used up.

A few spider squad leaders tried to flank the main column to keep the human pestilence away, but it was useless. They could not move adequately through the mud and rain. Soon a full-scale rout was on. It was every individual for himself, and very few spiders made it back to Yellow Brick. Those who surrendered were executed in retaliation for the earlier killings. A spider helicopter guns.h.i.+p burst through the low clouds in an attempt to strafe militia positions. However, it was brought down by a shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile. The militia was using the latest Legion weapons, courtesy of Legion Military Intelligence and Captain Lopez.

A few spider marines staggered into Yellow Brick. Captain Lopez arrested these marines and placed them in protective custody in the city jail. They would be repatriated as soon as spider shuttles could be called. When the rain stopped a few days later, a battalion of legionnaires arrived. Captain Lopez raised the American flag over City Hall and annexed Yellow Brick into the United States Galactic Federation.

The jail got a bit crowded. About a hundred spiders made it back to Yellow Brick. Many were injured. As Captain Lopez sat at his desk, watching noisy prisoners through the bars, his chair tipped over. Two spiders opened a trap door and scrambled out of a tunnel hidden beneath Lopez' chair. Captain Lopez drew his pistol to confront and capture the suspected tunnel rats.

"Who are you?" asked Captain Lopez. "Explain yourself!"

"We are Yellow Brick's constables," announced one of the spiders. "Is the war over?"

"There was no war," said Captain Lopez. "Not yet. But Yellow Brick is no longer a part of the Empire."

"Oh, my," said the constable. "I guess that means I am out of a job."

"You are police officers?" asked Captain Lopez. "Were you any good at your jobs?"

"Of course," said the constable. "We have never had a murder in Yellow Brick."

"I'm appointing you sheriff until the situation sorts itself out," said Captain Lopez, was.h.i.+ng his hands of the overcrowded jail and leaving the building. "Good luck!"

The constable looked at all the marines locked up in his jail. They were getting belligerent. "We are going to need a lot more peanut-b.u.t.ter-and-jelly sandwiches."

Chapter 16.

The desert was in full bloom from the rains. The sandy creek north of town was still flowing. A memorial service was held by the militia on the bridge. Ross said a few words and threw a small wreath of desert flowers into the water. Captain Lopez approached the militia leader.

"Generalissimo Ross, that was a fine service," commented Captain Lopez. "You won a well-fought victory. Congratulations."

"Thank you," said Ross.

"We intercepted a message that the spiders' Supreme Commander for New Gobi is going to visit us soon," said Captain Lopez.

"Let him come," replied Ross. "We are ready."

"You are now under the protection of the United States Galactic Federation," said Captain Lopez. "The Legion will protect you."

"Like you protected us before?" asked Ross. "No thanks, we will protect ourselves."

"You fought very well with the weapons I gave you," said Captain Lopez. "But we had an agreement. You will now return the surface-to-air missiles and launchers."

"I appreciate your help," replied Ross. "But the militia will keep the SAMs."

"I insist," said Captain Lopez. "We cannot risk the SAMs falling into the hands of terrorists."

"Too late," said Ross, laughing bitterly. "The militia will keep all of its weapons."

"You are jeopardizing future arms agreements," said Captain Lopez. "And you may face arrest."

"The Legion has overstayed its welcome in the Yellow Brick Valley," announced Ross. "You have one week to get out."

The spider Governor of the North Territory was upset over the loss of his marines, and called the Commander of New Gobi to express his concerns. There would be an investigation. That idiot nephew of the Emperor took more time out of his day than he was worth, and would be chewed out good this time.

"Explain to me how a thousand marines can be defeated by the human pestilence National Guard!" demanded the governor. "Your incompetence has reached a new level!"

"I gave the marine commander you a.s.signed full discretion on how to conduct himself in the field," replied the spider commander. "He was the incompetent, and it was the human pestilence militia that destroyed him."

"And that makes it better?" asked the governor. "Militia are nothing but drunken rabble and terrorists! At least a National Guard unit has organization, training, and government support. Is there no end to your disgrace?"

"The task force got trapped in a rain storm," explained the spider commander. "They sank in the mud during the battle."

"Enough excuses!" shouted the governor. "In the next month, about a hundred thousand of our colonists are going to be arriving in the Yellow Brick and Redrock areas. You will ensure their safety and get them settled in."

"How can I do that?" asked the spider commander. "The Legion has seized Yellow Brick. You want me to kick the human pestilence out by force?"

"There is no border," explained the governor. "Just flood the town with new arrivals and plop prefabricated houses down everywhere you can. Expand the water district and infrastructure to our citizens only. You will take Yellow Brick back by default. The Emperor does not want you shooting it out with the Legion. You would probably screw that up anyway."

"I'll send my head of Military Intelligence to handle it," promised the spider commander. "Consider it done."

"You will get off your p.o.o.pchute and handle the details personally!" ordered the governor. "There will be no more delegating your responsibilities. Colonel Czerinski is out there stirring up trouble. I want you out there keeping an eye on Czerinski. Kill him if you can, but don't make it look like we did it."

"Yes, sir," said the spider commander. "You are right. I need to settle accounts with Czerinski."

"Have you been supplying the insurgents with weapons?" asked the governor.

"Yes, sir," answered the spider commander. "But only a limited amount. I have promised them more."

"Good," said the governor. "I agree. Increase their supply. Give them whatever they want or need. We need our own organized militia to hara.s.s the human pestilence. Let the insurgents kill Czerinski."

"Is that wise?" asked the spider commander. "It is difficult to control civilian militia once they get full of themselves. There are some here who want full independence."

"They will stay in line if they know what is good for them!" said the governor. "Just be firm. Take a shuttle immediately to Yellow Brick or Redrock and make it happen!"

Two militia freedom fighters stood motionless in the shade of a boulder overlooking New Gobi. They resembled nomadic Bedouin from Old Earth, wearing flowing robes and headgear. The sage-colored cloth protected them from the sun and made them invisible under air surveillance. They watched an Arthropodan shuttle taxi down an airport runway, climb, then veer violently to the right, increasing alt.i.tude.

The freedom fighters fired a SAM at the shuttle. The missile went straight, then turned sharply when the shuttle veered to the right. On impact, the explosion took off a wing, maiming the shuttle. The craft spiraled to the ground. Emergency ejection pods saved several pa.s.sengers and crew, and their parachutes drifted slowly back toward New Gobi. One of the pa.s.sengers, the Supreme Commander for New Gobi, swore death to the human pestilence and to Czerinski and his Legion.

I arrived in Yellow Brick with a convoy of flatbed trucks carrying twenty of the Legion's newest battle tanks. The convoy also escorted fuel trucks to keep the fuel-thirsty monsters moving. I could not help but notice hundreds of new geodesic domes lining Main Street into town, and thousands of new spider colonists. Captain Lopez met me at Legion Headquarters for a briefing.

"I thought the spiders were driven out," I said. "But it looks like they are everywhere!"

"Their marine task force was wiped out by the militia," replied Captain Lopez. "But as you can see, we seem to have an immigration problem. What took you so long to get here?"

"The road still has landmines. We could only go as fast as the engineers' mine sweeper."

"Generalissimo Ross says we have one more day before he kicks us out," sneered Captain Lopez. "I think the militia is going to do something stupid."

"That's why I brought the tanks. We are not leaving. What is Ross upset about?"

"I asked Ross to return the SAMs," said Captain Lopez. "He refuses."

"You gave Ross SAMs? Are you insane?"

"I'll admit it was not my best move. But what's done is done."

"I want to talk to Ross. Maybe we can work out an understanding."

"That's not likely," said Captain Lopez. "Ross left town as soon as you arrived. There is something I didn't tell you. Ross was wearing your gold-plated sungla.s.ses and your pistol."

"That little s.h.i.+t is responsible for the grenade in my desk? I still have problems sitting down from shrapnel in my a.s.s!"

"Ross has grown up a bit," commented Captain Lopez. "He has become a very capable leader."

"Kill Ross at the first opportunity," I ordered. "Make it look like the spiders did it."

John Hume Ross led a militia squad up from the tunnels into the fenced Legion compound. Fuel trucks were lined up neatly, row after row. The freedom fighters placed explosive charges on each fuel truck, then retreated back into the tunnels.

At midnight the explosions turned the night sky into day. The entire town wakened and gathered to watch the fire. It was almost like a Fourth of July picnic. The crowd 'ooed' and 'ahhed' with each new explosion. Food venders sold hotdogs and popcorn. Spider and human kids raced about the adults, playing tag and war.

The next morning I called General Kalipetsis about getting fuel replacement. My new battle tanks were worthless without fuel. General Kalipetsis ordered the Legion to leave Yellow Brick. He explained that the specter of the Legion fighting a human insurgency was not worth it. The bad press would affect upcoming elections and inflame other planetary problem areas. He specifically told me not to nuke anything this time.

After the Legion pulled out, a token presence would be maintained at Legion Headquarters. The United States Galactic Federation would try to retain sovereignty over Yellow Brick through negotiations, but joint jurisdiction with the spiders would be acceptable.

After the Legion left Yellow Brick, the militia triumphantly entered town. They were dismayed at the thousands of new spider colonists, but tried to put a good face on their parade. Victorious, most militia members shed their uniforms and weapons and returned to their ranches, farms, and businesses.

However, Ross and his cohorts were determined to maintain a strong and visible militia presence, so they kept wearing their uniforms and carrying weapons. They reasoned that something needed to be done about this latest invasion of spider colonists. Ross parked his jeep in front of City Hall. Across the street was a brand new building. It sported Arthropodan signs on its facade, announcing the grand opening of a new grocery store. Milk and goo pudding were selling at half price.

Ross crossed the street and entered the grocery. Its air-conditioning was refres.h.i.+ng. The spider owner cheerfully greeted Ross. Ross ignored pleasantries and continued prowling about the store. Ross popped the top on a beer and chugged it down, tossing the can in an aisle. After relieving his thirst, Ross grabbed a six-pack and walked out.

"Hey, a.s.shole!" yelled the store owner, following Ross outside. "You owe me ten credits!"

"Sorry," said Ross. "I only have dollars on me."

"I am calling the police on you!" threatened the store owner, shaking his claw.

Ross ignored the store owner as he approached his jeep. Ross grabbed an a.s.sault rifle and sprayed the new plate gla.s.s windows of the grocery with bullets, barely missing the store owner and several pedestrians. Then he drove off, his militia buddies cheering. A few blocks away, a Sheriff's Office patrol car stopped Ross with blue lights and siren.