Broken Soldier (Book One) (22 page)

I already have. He wants to see you, too.

A few minutes later, Jo showed up. The alien
announced, “We are about to dock, Mike. We should have your son and
the others in a full scale medical unit in a few more minutes.”

“Thanks, Jo”

Captain, I have robots waiting and lifts on site in
the hanger. As soon as we are anchored, the injured will be taken
off first and transported to sickbay.

There’s something else you need to know, sir.
General Kolbe has been repaired. I have kept him sedated and I have
placed a suggestion in his subconscious mind that you are his
superior out here. It isn’t the same as altering his thought
process entirely. When would you like to speak with him?

“After we get my son and daughter-in-law situated.
Jo and I will want to speak with him together. I suppose we can do
that in my quarters.”

With all due respect, sir, I’d recommend that you
meet him on neutral ground. I have prepared a nearby room for small
conferences. At the meeting I’ll have coffee and snacks ready for
you.

“Why do you think I should meet him on neutral
ground and where did you get that term?”

I’ve been reading about several meetings that took
place in Earth’s past. It seems these considerations were standard
practice for thousands of years and still are. Most beings place
great value on perception and humans are no exception. If you bring
him into your private quarters too soon, he might see that as a
sign of weakness. When you first begin to explain his position
here, do so as the leader you are, so he will more easily accept
you in that role.

It occurred to Mike that Bambi might have already
acceded humans in maturity. Her observation was wise and beyond
Mike’s normal way of gauging things.

Jo was ahead of the curve on this topic. He said,
“Bambi, you have come a long way since that time, a few days ago,
when you were just happy to be free. Frankly, you’re a little
scary.”

It has occurred to me that both of you would see
that I was progressing at a remarkable rate, compared to the growth
of children of either of your races. I’ve spent most of this time,
learning about the history of Earth. I’ve been reading, watching
news footage and listening to speeches.

Captain, your people have a terrible history of self
destruction. Yet, you always come back stronger for it. I know of
no other planet that has had to deal with so many different races
and religious beliefs. I admit it was confusing…almost agonizing to
see.

It is my opinion that your people are going in the
right direction. But, there are still so many differences to be
settled. I don’t think your people will survive the Saurans,
because they will be too busy killing each other. They just don’t
have the centuries needed to overcome the problems they face,
before the Saurans arrive.

Mike told her, “I fear you are right, but I hope you
are wrong. I know one thing for sure, we will fight.”

That is my assessment as well, sir.

The sound of the shuttle touching down on the hanger
deck, announced their arrival. Mike and Jo waited, as the robots
quickly handled the med units, taking them to sickbay.

We’re home, Mike thought and this ship is my home
now. How fucking crazy is that? A little over two months ago, I was
fishing, while standing on artificial legs. Now I have legs and
control an alien spaceship along with an alien and a sentient
computer. I am six inches taller, God only knows how much stronger
and I’m able to crunch numbers like nothing I ever could have
imagined.

The people of Earth have no idea what is headed
their way and this trio of losers is their primary defense. It
could be worse, he thought. I could have drowned when I was
fishing.

Chapter
13

On the way back to the Mother Ship, he had spent
some time setting up the food replicator. It was a task that Bambi
handled, but Mike wanted to be involved. He tested several
different foods in the machine that would be important for human
physical and emotional support. He worked with Bambi to get the
food not only tasting correct, but also looking correct.

Captain, I’ll keep tweaking it for you. However, I
believe it’s going to take some time before I get it just like you
want.

He told Bambi to begin creating a mess hall for the
future troops and a wardroom for the officers. He was ready to
explain the reason for two separate locations for the men to eat,
but her short response of, “Yes sir, I understand the need for
that,” indicated that she might have a grasp of the concept of
separation between officers and enlisted men. Both groups needed to
be able to converse casually at times, without the ears of unwanted
people nearby. In other words, they could vent their frustrations,
without reprisal.

“Thanks Bambi. I know you’ll get the food processor
worked out for us. I want you to make special note of the following
order. You are to ignore any request by a crewmember to manufacture
alcoholic beverages, without my permission. I don’t want these guys
getting drunk and into fights. I need to figure out something to
keep their minds focused on the mission.

Captain, the men will be in stasis most of the time
we’re traveling, so they won’t need alcohol or fights to fill in
their down time.

“Bambi, these men will have to discover the limits
of their bodies. They’ll need to learn to work together, as a team
and within the structure of a larger organization that hasn’t even
been formed yet. I’m going to have them exercising and working on
different scenarios of assault and withdrawal.”

But Captain, I’ve told you the Saurans won’t let you
withdraw. They’ll continue to pursue you, until your all dead.

“Well, we’ll just have to work on that, won’t
we?”

Jumping back into thoughts of food, he asked, “Say,
what about Jo’s food? Can you do anything for him?”

Jo has been on board for a long time and is
accustomed to the high protein diet I provide for him. Saurans
choose the food for their slaves and there is not a great deal of
variety. They care little for the wants of a lower creature. He has
asked me to have the processor do slight alterations in his food,
which would give it a different flavor. I’ve had some success and
some failure.

“Good. I want him to be as happy as possible. He’s
been through a very rough time. By the way, how did he react to
your failures?”

With a giggle, she said,
He threw up.

“Wonderful.”

Bambi had constructed a sick bay that was similar to
a one on Earth. It had the advanced med units and a variety of
additional items that were capable of addressing the most extreme
trauma cases. After seeing to his son’s placement and that of
Wayne’s wife, Mary, he headed for the new conference room.

In a serious tone he told Bambi, “I think it’s time
for Jo and me to have that talk with General Kolbe. Go ahead and
wake him up then have a robot guide him to the conference
room.”

Mr. Kolbe is still recovering from the body
regeneration, so he’s going to be a little weak. I’ll send a
wheelie to pick him up; it’s like a wheel chair. I’ll use a
mechanical voice on him. He’ll think it’s just an intelligently
programmed machine. He can ride in the seat of it and it’ll help
save his strength. Also, I’ll tell Jo to meet you in the conference
room. Do you want me to participate?

“No, not at first. Listen, but remain silent. Let us
have our little chat with him, before we expose him to the most
brilliant young lady I’ve ever talked with.”

Honey-Bunny, what a nice thing to say. Flattery will
get you some bonus points, but you’ll have to do better than that,
if you want to get laid.

Mike withheld comment, although he couldn’t hide his
broad smile. He had feared that Bambi was becoming too straight
laced, as she matured. So it was good to hear her humorous side
again, although he would have to caution her against displaying too
much of her raunchy side. He made a mental note to add that talk
with her to his growing agenda, before they processed any more
warriors.

Bambi’s reference to the General as Mister Kolbe was
an interesting touch, on her part. If Mike used the term, it could
seem insulting to the man, who had been very appreciative of his
rank and the accompanying privileges that came with it. It could
never be same in this organization.

Mike knew that, throughout history, the senior
officers of any military had a tendency to form their own elite
power structure. It distanced them from the men and sometimes led
to horrible decisions on the battlefield. Also, no man rose to the
rank of General, without the aid of political pull from someone.
That meant he owed his allegiance, to a certain degree, to that
person or persons.

That didn’t mean a General was incompetent or
stupid. It just meant that he had to temper every decision, with
consideration for the politics behind the move. Occasionally, that
meant looking the other way, when some congressman’s son was forced
into the upper ranks of the military structure. Everyone knew he
was never going to be a true leader of men, and the congressman’s
son would certainly watch out for the interests of his father,
above the interest of his men.

The new conference room was down the passageway from
Mike and Jo. It had similar seating arrangements, allowing for both
humans and Thorians to sit comfortably. Jo had coffee on the table
and he held a mug of some weird drink that Mike had tasted and
hated. The damn stuff Jo drank, was like muddy seawater, although
Bambi said it was far healthier than coffee would ever be for
humans.

When the robot wheelie arrived with Kolbe sitting in
it, Mike helped the man to stand and walk over to the table. He
noticed that the man looked a little younger and wore a blue
utility uniform, just as did Mike and Jo. The shoulders held the
tiny speakers for easy interpretation, but contained no insignia of
rank, as Mike had instructed.

Bambi, why does he look younger? I thought you could
only do most of that in the upgrade process.

That is true, sir. However, in healing him of a
variety of minor ailments, which seem to afflict all humans as they
age, the results left him looking better, because he is healthier.
I did make a small adjustment to his attitude toward you sir. He
should accept you as his superior.

As Kolbe sat down he asked, “I presume we are in a
spacecraft and that I am now officially your prisoner.”

Mike smiled, in an attempt to reduce the man’s
hostile attitude. “Yes, Mr. Kolbe, we are in spacecraft, but you
are not a prisoner. If you would please listen to what we have to
say, a good number of your questions will be answered. Based on my
own personal experience, I can assure you that everything we tell
you is true and that you will have a great deal more questions, as
a result.”

Kolbe looked at him, assessing Mike, and then Jo,
before pointing at the alien. “You really are from another planet,
aren’t you? You haven’t been manufactured by some bizarre genetic
program?”

Jo answered, “No Mr. Kolbe. As your people might
say, I’m the real deal. I must admit that I have been genetically
altered to survive in a universe that now uses my people as slave
labor, although my looks have not been altered too much. If you met
one of my people, you would know that we are of the same race…we
are called Thorians.

“I do not speak for all Thorians, but for myself. In
that light, I am very pleased to meet you, sir. The Captain assures
me that you are one of the smartest strategists he has every known.
We badly need your assistance.”

Looking back at Mike, Kolbe said, “If I’m not a
prisoner, why didn’t you talk to me in my home, which you invaded,
I might add.”

“We wanted to avoid detection by anyone. The
capabilities of the shuttlecraft we’re using are amazing, but not
flawless. The quicker we left the area, the less chance there would
be for a confrontation. So, we brought you here and had your body
repaired by a medical science that won’t be discovered, on Earth,
for a thousand years.”

Kolbe looked closely at Mike and said, “You really
are that arrogant, angry Sergeant from Iraq, aren’t you?”

“Yes sir, I’m afraid I am. But I won’t apologize for
the outburst. I still think I was right to say what I did.”

The old man nodded. “Good for you, Sergeant. I would
think a lot less of you if you apologized for being right, although
that wasn’t the place to shoot your mouth off. What pissed me off
about your angry complaint was that your unit wasn’t the one that
would be in the worst of it and you had to know that. Yet you
jumped on me as though I didn’t give a hoot for those men.

“Boy, I really reamed your ass good. I want to
apologize for that. It was one of the most unprofessional acts of
my career. You were right, but you were also wrong. Those guys did
there job and the overall operation was a huge success.”

Mike was taken back by the General’s honesty. He
hadn’t expected this.

Kolbe grinned, looked Mike in the eye and told him,
“I can’t thank you enough for that sad outburst you had. When the
shit hit the fan, I kept thinking about what you said. You know…how
those troops were sort of hanging out there, with little support.
So, when they reported just how bad it was and that they were about
to be overrun, I made a change on the fly.

“I diverted two flights of A-10s to those boys and
the enemy got chewed up something fierce. It was a small piece of
the action that day, but I was never so glad to have been able to
save their ass. Those boys and me have you to thank for it.”

Mike voice was rather contrite, as he said,
“General, I had no idea. All I heard was that your idea worked and
those guys came out of it with far less casualties than I would
have expected. Now I feel like a real shit for blowing my top. I’m
really sorry sir.”