Broken Soldier (Book One) (7 page)

“Saurans can be quite lazy and my immediate superior
was one of the laziest scaleheads I’ve ever seen. He kept putting
off his duty, as he griped about the length of time it would take,
as he sat there watching instruments for nothing, as the computer
made the necessary alterations to my thought process.

“After he was warned by the Senior Pilot, a being
you would call the Captain, he had to go forth with his duty. But
he wasn’t very diligent about it. He made the connections and set
the proper data to adjust me, but he left open other programs.

“You see; Saurans are not trusting. During our
journey, whenever they put me to use, I was programmed to make
repairs and do preventative maintenance on everything. But, if they
left that information in my mind, and added the processing method
for humans, I might be able to free my mind through the use of old
and new programs together. So, before I was to be given my new
direction, I should have had the old programs removed. But they
were not.

“My supervising Sauran never realized that he had
provided me with a way to release my mind and use it freely. I
continued to function as though I had been reprogrammed. After all,
there were twenty one Saurans on board, so there was no way for me
to take advantage of my situation.

“My original plan was to program the humans to
assist me and follow my orders. But when the first group came in
and I saw that they were criminals and could never be trusted, I
knew I would have to wait until the next load of humans came on
board.

“Then my grand opportunity occurred. All but one of
them had left to retrieve more humans, but a meteor struck their
craft and they died on that frozen moon. I believe your astronomers
call it Ganymede.”

Jo brought his right hand up and made a circle in
the air, as he said, “The rest of the story you know.”

With apparent shame, the alien told him, “Mike, I
have never been in a position to lead. To the best of my knowledge,
no Thorian alive has ever been in such a position. I admit I am
afraid, not of death, but of failure. It is my dearest hope that
you will work with me to begin securing this part of the Galactic
arm for your people and perhaps what remains of mine as well.”

Mike mumbled, “Jesus Christ. What a tale.”

Jo added, “Through God we can prevail. I know that
Jesus Christ is one of your Gods. It is good that you have such
beliefs. Surely the God of all creatures will give us strength, if
we are courageous enough to help each other and fight
together.”

For some strange reason, Mike thought of Sherry and
what she might have said about all of this. He badly wished for her
advice. Thoughts of his wife brought something else to mind.

Mike spoke, as he thought our loud. “We’re going to
need some women. I mean human women, of course.”

Jo’s eyes opened wide. “Ah, you wish to
procreate.”

“Well that could happen, but that’s not why I
suggest women be on board. They think differently than men and
bring a different dynamic to the planning process. Also, we’re
going to need several warriors, as you call them, and they’ll be
better fighters if they have some women around to protect.”

What he told Jo about protecting women was true.
But, to be honest, the thought of prostitutes would be attractive
to some of the men, although Mike wasn’t in favor of women being
abused as sex slaves that way. Also, he wasn’t sure how Jo would
react to that idea, just yet, because he had been a slave for so
long himself.

Regardless of Jo’s concerns, Mike knew many of the
lower ranks would want to have the temporary comfort of women;
that’s for sure. There wasn’t a military base anywhere on the
planet that didn’t have prostitutes working nearby and doing a
booming business.

Jo reached out a long arm and placed his hand
lightly on Mike’s shoulder. “So, do you agree to help and lead
us?”

“Jo, I’m not familiar with your customs and I don’t
wish to create a misunderstanding here. Let me put it this way. I
am seriously considering your request and I’m definitely leaning in
that direction. But, I’m not ready to commit just yet.

“Let’s talk more and maybe get some food. The more I
hear, the more I learn and the more I learn the better decision
I’ll make.”

The tall alien grinned and said; “Now you
demonstrate your wisdom and further convince me that you are the
one to guide us.”

Chapter
5

For the next eight days, they made their way out to
the Kuiper belt. Mike wanted to see space, or more specifically, he
wanted to see the solar system. Jo explained that the small
transport had no windows. However, it had remarkable viewing
screens, which could be set to display anything they wished to see.
Jo had the shuttle screens display the view from their current
location, but they were so far away from the planets there was no
way he could appreciate them. So, Jo had the computer zoom in on
Jupiter, and then Saturn, with its marvelous rings.

Mike was amazed at the ability of the cameras to
show objects that were millions of miles away. They were traveling
slightly above the elliptic of the solar system, so they wouldn’t
be passing especially close to any of the planets, which was
disappointing. But, when Mike saw the enhancements of the outer
planets and some of their moons, he sat in awe of the alien
technology.

It was able to zoom in on the rings of Saturn and
they were spectacular. Mike spent hours looking at Uranus, Neptune
and Pluto. He was seeing details, which no one on Earth had ever
seen. Scientists at NASA would go crazy looking at these planetary
bodies. The various light frequencies could be adjusted, revealing
details about their consistency, mass, age and atmosphere, if there
was any.

“Wow, these shots are incredible. Could I send a few
pictures back to Earth?”

“Think about that, Mike. Could you…yes. But, should
you?”

He hung his head and mumbled, “Of course not. I’d be
giving away our presence.”

Then Mike’s head shot up, as he suggested, “Why not
drop this charade and tell the people of Earth everything? It would
make all of this much easier. With the knowledge we could provide
them, they could generate a space Navy in no time.”

Like a patient father, Jo said, “Do you really think
the people of your planet would react positively? Would the
governments align themselves for the benefit of all humans? Would
the industries that would be put out of business be helpful? Isn’t
it possible that some governments would attempt to use the
knowledge to produce weapons, which would be used to subdue rival
governments? And, if I’m correct in my analysis, war could erupt in
several locations, over religious beliefs being challenged by the
new reality.”

Mike’s brief elation was dashed against the truth of
Jo’s observations. He thought, “I’ve just been schooled, big
time.”

He sheepishly smiled at Jo and told him, “You’re
right. Humans aren’t ready to take their place out here. We have a
lot of growing up to do.”

Jo counseled, “Your people have come a long way. My
people only had one ethnic body to contend with. Yet, for thousands
of years, we killed each other for the same relatively trivial
reasons that yours do.”

Mike asked, “So, even if I can help you find a few
good men, how is that going to prevent the destruction of the human
race?”

“Actually, I was hoping we could find a few thousand
good warriors and train them to our needs. That will be a
start.”

“What will this start consist of? I mean, are we
going to declare war on the Saurans.”

“Of course not. We don’t want to forewarn them.
Think about this, Mike. From what you have learned, thus far, you
must realize that travel between the stars takes time. Even though
an individual craft can be propelled very fast, the enormous
distances present a natural barrier to any space fairing people.
Under normal conditions, the Saurans would have no concern for the
research group that had been sent to rob your world of humans.

“They probably won’t begin to investigate for at
least two to three years. That will give us enough time to select
the right humans, and then leave here to seek out allies.”

Mike was caught off guard by the thought of leaving
Earth.

“I’m not going to leave my people without any way to
protect themselves.”

Jo spread his hands out, exactly like an umpire at a
baseball game, signaling safe.

“Sergeant, we’ve already agreed that the Earth
cannot defend itself just yet. So, we shall seek out allies. The
Saurans do have enemies. I am considering the Zhanukiabanolis. They
are a proud race and have developed good technology. They have been
able to hold the line against the Saurans, but they aren’t so
powerful that they can overwhelm the scaleheads. I suspect they
would welcome a race of warriors to aid them in preventing their
own demise at the hands of the Saurans.”

“The WHO?”

“Zhanukiabanolis. Humans seem to abbreviate so many
words. You would probably shorten their name to Januki.”

“Would they be offended, if I didn’t use their full
name?”

“Probably not. They have suffered great loss of
life, in their confrontation with the Saurans. If we can show them
that your race will provide more warriors, they might be willing to
help you establish a space going industrial base. That could save
your people more than a thousand years of research. But they are
fierce negotiators. They will have demands.”

“What could humans offer them?”

“The only thing you can offer right now, warriors,
as many as you can find. The Zhanukiabanolis have been able to
avoid being overrun by the Saurans due to their industrial
strength. Their small numbers have forced them to use automation to
make up for their lack of population, and that certainly includes
warriors on the ground and in space.”

Mike groaned and said, “You’re saying we should sell
our military services to other races. You want us to become
mercenaries?”

“It isn’t what I want, Mike. It’s what I feel your
people must do, until they have the ability to defend
themselves.”

Jo patted Mike’s hand, as though he was a little
boy, telling him, “When I went searching for a warrior, I
deliberately sought out an American. They have an excellent record
as warriors. Perhaps of even greater importance is their record of
common sense in victory. They ensure they have secured their own
safety, and then allow the conquered to rebuild and prosper as a
near equal. That is a very rare quality among the races you will
find in the Galaxy.

“But Jo, it’s going to take years for us to train
enough men and we’ll have to learn entire new technologies. As for
space flight, while the concept isn’t new to us, the application
and details of it will take generations to master.”

Jo smiled. “You will understand the possibilities
for your people much better, once you have been upgraded and
realize the extraordinary potential of your new mental power. In a
few weeks time, knowledge of space and intergalactic travel will be
dealt with. You will learn a great deal about moving around out
here and retain the knowledge you already had.

“That’s why it’s a good idea to recruit combat
veterans. They, too, will have all of their experiences and
knowledge to aid them in adjusting to combat in the new reality.
You know better than I that combat requires the ability to quickly
make correct decisions. Your veterans will carry with them the
experiences of Earth combat and apply those lessons to combat under
the new conditions. That type of knowledge cannot be transferred
via upgrade.”

Mike was troubled about the whole picture here. He
still had no idea if he should trust Jo; and the thought of
allowing the alien to alter his mind was nothing less than
terrifying. He could be turned into a human robot, doing the
creatures bidding. For all Mike knew, he might be the Thorian’s
primary means to infiltrate Earth’s military. The people of Earth
could become slaves, because of Mike’s bad decision.

“Jo, how do I know that the Saurans are the bad guys
here? Perhaps it is you who enslaved them.”

Jo smiled and told him, “Finally, you voice your
true concerns. The unfortunate fact is you cannot be certain. Once
we are on the Mother Ship, you will be able to do some research of
our systems, before you undergo the upgrade. You might also wish to
look at the records of the criminals we have in storage. Those
records would include video of their capture and you would see the
Saurans in action.”

Jo turned away, in thought, and then looked deeply
into Mike’s eyes. “I haven’t told you everything about that raid on
your people. They killed three guards on the vehicle, and then ate
some of their flesh to test if these humans tasted as bad as they
had been told. Even an experienced warrior, such as you, would be
disturbed to witness such an event.

“The choice to upgrade will be yours, Mike. I can’t
deny that I shall do everything I can to convince you. But the
choice will be yours to make, without coercion.

“Humans have so many colloquialisms. My people do
also. We have a saying that is similar to one of yours. When in
doubt and lacking evidence, trust in your soul. The human
equivalent would be…trust your gut, or to put it in a nicer
way…listen to your heart.”

The alien certainly had a clever way of using
language to gain Mike’s trust. Mike had dealt with a few trusted
tribal leaders in Iraq. He found some to be men of honor and others
very adept at earning trust, before killing Americans.

He badly wanted to believe in Jo, but his experience
told him to be very cautious. He liked the Russian axiom…Trust, but
verify. Yet, how could he go about verification? Possibly, this
Mother Ship might be able to provide the guidance he needed to make
a sensible choice, although he had his doubts about that as
well.