The Cross of Mithras Vol. 1: EOD Operation Welcome to Hell

by Douglas Howell

  Before Commodore Parker could say anything he felt the first of many punches to his torso. With a few going to his face. Little John then put his right hand on the back of Commodore Parker’s neck then bend him forward so that he could see the floor. Then Little John put his left on hand on the back of Commodore Parker’s neck and then kneed him hard in his gut.

  The door to the alley flew open with a loud bang, Commodore Parker and his clothes then flew out. He hit the wall and fell in some trash. Little John stood there in the entrance of the door with a smirk on his face. He had Commodore Parker’s money (which must have been between $500 - $1,000 dollars) in his right hand waving it at him, in his left hand Little John held a gun.

  “What? I was just taking out the trash.” Little John said with a crooked smile.

  “Do you know who you are dealing with?”

  “Yeah. Do you know who I am, and who really runs this city?” Little John said as he raised his left hand and pointed the gun at Commodore Parker. Little John had the look of murder in his eyes. Commodore Parker could see it. Oh lord, could he see it.

  “Wait, wait! You don’t want to do this! I’m not worth it! Please don’t! Oh God please don’t do it!”

  “BANG!” Little John shouted out causing Commodore Parker to flinch. Seeing that Little John laughed out loud. He then turned around to go back inside waving Commodore Parker’s money as he did so.

  Commodore Parker sat there for a while. He then got up, grab his clothes and began to put them back on. He was cursing himself deep down inside for going there, as well as blaming the city.

  “God I hate this place.” He said crying out of frustration. “I just got to get away. If it’s the last thing I do. I just can’t stand this place anymore. I WILL find a way. I swear it.”

  (7)

  “Whaddaya mean, ‘You don’t have enough!?’” It was Warrant Officer Bryce. He is the only Australian in Task Force ZH-3C and he is starting to get upset with one of Mad Dawg’s Marines.

  “Like I said, ‘We don’t have enough of the supplies that you requested.’”

  “You do know that I handle Logistical Arts for ZH-3C, don’t you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You do know what Logistical Arts means don’t you?”

  “Yes I know what it means.” The Marine said in a rude manner causing Bryce to become even more upset with him. Bryce could tell that he was lying and it was starting to piss him off.

  “I don’t think you do. You drongo.”

  When the Marine didn’t say anything, Bryce then said in an almost rude manner, “Well... do you... know what it mean?”

  “Yes... I know what it means!”

  “I don’t think you do!” Bryce, trying to calm himself down said, “In Logistical Arts it’s all about, determination of requirement, acquisition, distribution, maintenance and disposal. It then prioritizes all of that. Hence... my job is more of a priority than yours!”

  “I knew that! And you didn’t have to patronize me!”

  “Do you know what ‘determination of requirement’ means?” Bryce said in a patronizing tone of voice. The Marine didn’t say anything because he knew what Bryce will say next.

  Bryce continued on, “Determination of requirement means... needs: What do we need? How much of it do we need? Where do we need it? So what do you think we need? Ammo, food, water, medicine, Intel and C4 explosives. And for my mission some Hyper-C4 explosives would be nice. What comes next is acquisition... which means I have the authority to acquire ALL items for my mission. And are you trying to tell me that you don’t have the supplies that I need!?”

  “That’s actually what I’m trying to tell you.”

  “Look... I know that you have the supplies that I need!”

  “Believe what you want to believe, but we don’t have enough of what you need.”

  “Fine then you damn wanker!” Angry and upset Bryce turned around and left. He headed for the Communication Room on the space station in order to talk to Commodore Parker. Bryce knew that the Marine was lying to him, he just didn’t understand why.

  Bryce would normally have gone to Mad Dawg, but he didn’t want to. He just didn’t want to deal with any more Marines. Besides, he never really got along with them. What’s more he didn’t want to get upset in front of Mad Dawg.

  It is the history of Logistical Arts that reminds Bryce of why it is so important to the military. First the EOD sometime in the late 20th century came up with it and automatically adopted it. Then one day an EOD agent betrayed them and joined Project 21. He spent the rest of his life promoting it. Right before he died of natural causes, Project 21 finally adopted it.

  But the US military was even slower in adopting it. It was mainly because of Congress love of pork. After the military finally decided that they wanted it as well, Congress said no. Then, after most experts have predicted, the US military suffered a major catastrophe. It was so bad that they threaten Congress with a coup. Congress finally back down and gave the military Logistical Arts. What made Logistical Arts so important is; not only did it eliminate pork, but it also stop the military from over-stretching itself since it prioritize all resources. Even an incompetent government during a natural disaster, can appear quite competent when they use it. Given all of that, why would that Marine lie to Bryce? Is he trying to hide something? If so, then what is it, and why? Bryce didn’t know, but he needed to find out as soon as possible.

  (8)

  Commodore Parker was at the police station waiting to be picked up by someone from Project 21 headquarters. The police was not much help to him, telling him that there is not much that they can do for him. Even the evidence that he had was not much help. When Little John had him thrown out along with his clothes, he did not throw out Commodore Parker’s briefs. Instead they threw out a pair of panties. The panties had a note pin in them that read, ‘Masturbation is free, use the rag.’ Both the panties and the note (which was printed) was his only evidence. What’s more, neither one had any fingerprints on them.

  Deep down inside he knew that the police was right. But he blamed them anyway for not being able to do something. He was blaming everybody for his troubles. It has been said that the RPD is corrupt, and is under the control of the mafia. That would make sense. If the city consul is under the control of the mafia, then how much more easily would it be for them to control the police department? And if a former mayor was a mafia boss and he was best friends with the Police Commissioner, then wouldn’t it be true that the RPD is corrupt? Yes and no. Yes it does make sense, but it is hearsay that they are corrupt or controlled by the mafia.

  And so he sat there thinking about his problems. It was 90° F outside and he had to walk four miles to get to the police station. He was tired and exhausted from that walk. He went as far as to blame both the people and the police for that. Nobody ever offered him any help. If he calm down and let go of his anger, then he would have realized that he never even ask for any help. What did he expect the people to do, read his mind? But with each step that he took, with each mile he went, his anger grew. It was becoming even deeper, until it started to consume him.

  And then it finally hit him. A question popped into his head. It was a question that to him had no answer. It was something that he couldn’t even explain. No matter how much he thought about it, it just didn’t make any sense. It started to consume him, to replace his anger. His anger gave way to confusion. His confusion gave way to suspicion. For what he realize is, as strange as it may sound, that there are no former EOD agents under his chain of command in the Roscadia/Vegas system. Although it may seem like nothing, he knew better than that. He knew from experience that there should have been at least one, but there isn’t. And because of that thought, he started to suspect that there was a conspiracy against him.

  What it was doing was causing him to question everything that he believed in. Causing him to head down a very dark pathway to which there is no return. It was a pathway that told those who went down it that
they made a horrible mistake. Those who are familiar with that pathway know how hard it is to change course. And what about somebody like Parker? Their naiveté will be taken advantage of, as they are mentally reconditioned.

  “You’re ride is here Mr. Parker.” The police officer told him. He didn’t respond, he just couldn’t wait to get out of there.

  (9)

  “Where on Earth could he be then?” It was Bryce; he was in the Communication Room talking to the Communication Officer, looking for Commodore Parker. He went to the Communication Room because none of the Marines gave Task Force ZH-3C any contact information. Since Bryce was trained in Logistical Arts it was his job to get all relevant information concerning Task Force ZH-3C mission. Once he got Commodore Parker’s contact info, Bryce discovered that he couldn’t get a hold of him. Did he go the store? Did something bad happen to him? Or is Parker just ignoring him? Bryce didn’t know, but he did know of a way to find out, he just needed Vaistll’s permission.

  “Contact Captain Adnrwal right away,” Bryce said.

  “This is Captain Adnrwal, go ahead.”

  “Ma’am, I can’t get a hold of Commodore Parker, and I was wondering if I could tap into the Video Interface Surveillance System?”

  “Why do you need to contact him?”

  “None of Mad Dawg’s Marines will give me the supplies that I need for our mission. They said that they don’t have enough supplies.”

  “Did you talk to Mad Dawg?”

  “No Ma’am.”

  “Why not?”

  “Well... it’s because of...”

  “Because of what, Bryce? My time is short. And I have things to do.”

  “I understand that, ma’am. I heard that those Marines could be difficult... including Mad Dawg.”

  “That’s no excuse Bryce.”

  “Ma’am... I was afraid that he might say no. And that both of you would get into an argument over it. So I thought that maybe Commodore Parker could settle it.”

  “Yeah all right, go ahead. Anything else?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  “Alright... goodbye.”

  Bryce then turned to the Communication Officer and said, “Do a search on all possible locations that he might be at. And check with the police station to see if he’s been there. Also check with the hospital. Do a re-check to see if he is at Project 21 HQ.”

  After several minutes the Communication Officer finally said, “Got ‘em. Here is both of the location that he’s been at.”

  “Well what the…?” Bryce said as he realized why Commodore Parker was at the Police Station.

  Commodore Parker was sitting in the car that was taking him to the Project 21 headquarters, when he got the call from Bryce. Parker listened as Bryce told him how Mad Dawg’s Marines were lying to him about the supplies that he needed. Parker knew the reason why Mad Dawg’s Marines were behaving that way. And that reason gave him an idea about how he could brighten up his day. His only regret is that he couldn’t be there to see the sparks fly. But first, he has to deal with Bryce.

  “So you see sir, I don’t understand why they would lie to me.”

  “Well, what you have to understand Bryce is that they are doing that out of spite.”

  “What!? Why!?”

  “Because the EOD hurt them really bad a long time ago, and they want some payback. It’s all out of jealously.”

  “Well that’s not very professional of them sir.”

  “I know that. So don’t worry about it Bryce. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Thanks sir.”

  “Anything else?”

  “No sir.”

  “All right then, goodbye.”

  “Goodbye sir.”

  ‘I can see it now.’ Commodore Parker thought to himself, as he thought about his little scheme of putting Mad Dawg under the command of Vaistll. Just to see those two personalities go at it head-to-head would be worth all the troubles that he went through. The chance to finally yell at someone. That would make him much feel better. And out of all of the people in the universe he gets to yell at - it’s Mad Dawg. ‘You have your ORDERS Captain!’ He could see himself yelling at Burton, making him feel a whole better in doing so. Parker was starting to feel better already just by thinking about it.

  He touched the on-screen button on the computer’s terminal that read, “Call.”

  “Contact Captain Mad Dawg Burton of the spaceship Galactic Prime.” He told the computer.

  “Mad Dawg here.”

  “This is Commodore Parker. What’s all this I’ve been hearing about your Marines not cooperating with Task Force ZH-3C in their efforts to acquire the supplies that they need for their mission?”

  “Sorry sir, it won’t happen again. I’ll get on to all those who are responsible for it.”

  “One more thing Captain. I decided to put you under the command of Captain Adnrwal.”

  “Why?”

  “Her mission appears to be a suicidal one if she doesn’t have what she needs. And she might need you and your men, in case if she needs a tactical deterrent, or if she needs you to assault some strong hold in order to lighten her load. So I really hate to do this to you, but... You can consider it an order.”

  “It won’t be necessary for you to order me sir.”

  “Well I think that it is Captain.” Parker said raising his voice just a little.

  “Sir... what I meant was... that I don’t mind helping out ol’ she-ape if she needed it. If she ask I would have said, ‘Sure, why not.’ Besides, both me and my men could use some payback. So it wasn’t necessary for you to order me. I would have done it anyway.”

  “Oh... okay then.”

  “Anything else sir?”

  “No. Um... goodbye.”

  “Goodbye sir.”

  Parker was disappointed by Mad Dawg’s reaction. He was certain that Mad Dawg might not be up for the challenge of confronting the EOD yet again. Look at what the EOD did to him a long time ago.

  ‘He’s not mad, he IS insane.’ Commodore Parker thought to himself. ‘Surely he knows that if he helps Vaistll out, far more of his men won’t be coming home this time around. If it is considered a suicidal mission for a Project 21 Task Force, then it would be a slaughter for those Marines. Doesn’t Mad Dawg realize that in all likelihood none of his men will survive? That he himself could get killed? He’s fucking insane.’

  Commodore Parker knew that in all likelihood he was wrong, but he didn’t care. If Mad Dawg helped out Vaistll, then it might not turn out to be a suicidal mission. Project 21 knows what they are doing. That is why they have the Central Command Officers, all four of them. It is Parker that doesn’t know what he is doing. It is they the CCOs, not Parker, who command each branch of the military. Parker’s COs knows that the rank of Commodore is a test of leadership of both spaceships and ground (land, sea and air) forces. Parker is better at commanding ships. Not ground forces. And that is why he can’t achieve the rank of Rear Admiral (Lower).

  Commodore Parker underestimates Mad Dawg and his Marines. They are far tougher than what Parker is giving them credit for. Even if Mad Dawg’s Marines doesn’t show it, Mad Dawg himself is quite responsible. Nowadays when he sees an enemy ship and he say something like, ‘I own him,’ he doesn’t do that because that is a part of his personality. It used to be, but not anymore. He does it for his men. It’s his way of instilling confidence in them. He learned his lesson on that day when both him, and his men, confronted the EOD. He doesn’t want to see what happened to him, happen to someone else. It be humbled him. He’s not insane, nor is he crazy.

  (10)

  They sat at the table in the club, waiting to hear the news that they have been waiting for since they came out of cryo-sleep. It was the news that told them that their rooms at the Roosevelt Hotel were available. They were indeed an interesting group, so much so that the rest of the members of Task Force ZH-3C called them “The Hollywood Seven.” They are; Petty Officer Second Class Wexler, the only member of Ta
sk Force ZH-3C who comes from Mars, Crewman First Class Caparzo, Senior Crewman Behlmer (British), Crewman First Class Mendoza (Brazilian), Warrant Officer (Type Engineering) Brewster (Canadian), Chief Warrant Officer Third Class (Type Intel) Martinez who is the only sniper in Task Force ZH-3C, and finally everybody’s favorite, Senior Chief Warrant Officer (Type Logistics) Ellis.

  Ellis, a black man who comes from Dallas, Texas, is the life of the party. Martinez is the cool headed, soft spoken one. He is tall and handsome with a sexy smile that women just love. Humble to a fault, he never let his looks define who he is. If it wasn’t for Caparzo being an asshole, women would never notice the charm and charisma of Martinez. Both Mendoza and Brewster are the ones that have a way with women. They always end up with their drinks in their face. Wexler is fond of saying, ‘On Mars, you are coop up indoors for such a long time with nothing to do, that you feel like getting butt naked and running around outside just to feel free.’ Whether that is true or not, he does have a bad habit of doing just that when he gets drunk. Unfortunately for Behlmer, it is consider his job to stop Wexler from doing just that.

  “God, I wish that they would hurry it up.” Wexler said, and just like the others, he just couldn’t wait to get off that damn space station.

  They were given the time when their rooms would be ready. Then they were told that the guests haven’t checked out yet. And when they finally did checked out, the members of Task Force ZH-3C who was supposed to get the rooms, where told that it will take two to three hours to get them ready. That was 3 ½ hours ago.

  “Why, so you can run around butt naked?” Caparzo asked in his usual manner.

  “No, because I can’t wait to get off this fuckin’ space station. That’s why.” Wexler said a bit annoyed.

  “Well he’s right you know. You do have a habit of doing that when you are drunk” Behlmer said, knowing full well who is going to stuck with whom. And who outranks whom.