Grendel Unit

by Bernard Schaffer

Wolmar looked serenely at the camera, allowing it to focus on his face for a moment as it appeared on thousands of millions of vidscreens across the galaxy. "Citizens of Unification," he began, "I appear before you this day with a solemn task. As your elected President, I am entrusted to keep the peace. To protect you and your families from all harm. To ensure that this great, noble experiment in Democracy thrives and grows for all time. And, on occasion, I must use the great powers you have bestowed upon me to see that justice is done."

  Wolmar moved across the barren landscape toward General Milner, making sure that the camera stayed with him. "Almost two years ago, the free people of Unification looked on in horror and outrage at the terrorist attack on Andoho-Sky Elementary School. It was a blow struck not just at the innocent children and their families on that remote outpost, but a spear thrust through the heart of our entire culture. How could anyone be so cruel? How could anyone be so filled with contempt for any other living beings?"

  Wolmar paused and closed his eyes, appearing to struggle with the strain of pressing on. His lips trembled as he said, "I swore to the families of those murdered children that I would not rest until the people responsible for that wicked act were brought to justice. I am here today to announce that I have done what I said."

  The President nodded toward his guards, and they thrust General Milner forward to stand beside the President. "It is with a heavy heart that I condemn General Milner to death for the crime of plotting and preparing the terrorist campaign against Andoho-Sky."

  Milner spat and cursed through the rags, but the President continued, "For some time, this man has been using his operatives to carry out unspeakable horrors against his own people. But his crimes did not end there, ladies and gentlemen. He then brazenly attacked this very facility to free two of his henchmen. As of this very moment, Unification forces are moving to capture and eliminate the threat of violence from the former members of Grendel Unit. We will not rest until they are unable to harm another child, or any innocent person, ever again."

  Bitter tears trickled down the General's face, but he forced himself to stare at the camera, trying to not look like a deranged killer.

  "Today, we cut the head off the snake. Today, the citizens of our great Democracy raise up their voices in unison and cry out, 'Never Again!'" The President waved his hand at the guard behind General Milner, and the guard raised his wrist and pressed his finger to the yellow band wrapped around it.

  Milner began to shake as the shackles crackled with energy, shooting bright blue bolts up his arms and chest. He felt a scream welling deep within as the sharp flashes of current erupted up toward his face. He smelled smoke from his burning flesh and watched it rise up in front of him. He opened his mouth and could no longer contain his scream, swallowing the rag into his throat. He clenched his eyes shut as blisters formed inside his mouth, but still he remained standing.

  "More," President Wolmar quietly instructed, and the guard touched the band again, and again, and several more times, until the General's shirt caught fire. Flames licked the flesh from his exposed chest. His limbs were locked in place by the force of the electrical current, and Milner screamed as he burned.

  Behind him, several onlookers turned their heads away, and Wolmar hissed, "End it. Quickly!" The guard tapped the band in rapid succession and the General's screams abruptly stopped as his eyes rolled back in his head and he toppled over, face first, into the dirt.

  The President stared thoughtfully for a moment at Milner's smoking corpse. He then looked up at the camera and said, "I am offering a reward for the capture of Captain Victor Cojo, Lieutenant Frank Kelly, Sgt. Robert Buehl, and the mantipor creature serving with them. I hereby direct any and all military, law enforcement, militia, or good Samaritan to take them into custody, alive or dead, for their atrocities at Andoho-Sky. We will not rest until justice is done. Furthermore, I am announcing an immediate blockade of the mantipor home planet. Our intelligence agents indicate that Grendel Unit received direct support from the mantipors, and until we can uncover the depths of their involvement, we will not rest."

  He pointed into the crowd and waved someone forward, calling him to his side. "Today is not a completely somber occasion, my friends. Today, we witness the return of one of our lost sons to the flock. The representative of a group of bold men and women who crave only freedom. Who have shown us, time and time again, how much they value the lives the Human God has bestowed upon us."

  The man approaching the President bore a narrow face and heavy scars. Years of handling Kerogel had warped the skin on his hands and arms, and the fumes had long ago eaten away any hair on his body, leaving nothing but thin bolts of hair scattered across his scalp in long, weeping stalks.

  "Yultorot," President Wolmar said, wrapping his arm around the man's thin shoulders. "I know that you have long been accused of multiple crimes, that we can now prove were committed by General Milner and his operatives, the men and that alien beast of Grendel Unit. I can never undo the harm we caused you by unjustly accusing you of such crimes. I can only hope that this begins a new day of peace and understanding between all of Unification and religious brothers."

  Yultorot nodded as the President spoke, then looked into the camera and said, "Through the Human God, all things are possible. Blessed are those who seek peace in his name."

  President Wolmar stepped in front of the Yultorot, carefully navigating his way past General Milner's smoldering body, and said, "Bringing people together across vast distances and cultures, finding new ways to connect with those who felt left behind. Unifying them. My friends, when you think about what it means to be part of Unification, look no further than this day."

  The camera's screen flickered momentarily, a glitch, and Wolmar stood frozen in place, still smiling as he waited for the broadcast team to fix the problem. Yultorot was standing just behind him. The skinny little maniac stunk of fuel and grease, but Wolmar forced himself to keep him close. The camera flickered again and showed a moment of static.

  "What's happening?" Wolmar hissed.

  "I don't know Mr. President," one of the men behind the camera said. "It's not on our end, sir."

  "It's a momentary atmospheric disturbance, sir," the speaker under the camera said. "Stand by, we're re-calibrating."

  Wolmar thanked Yultorot and said, "Just wait over there a moment while they work on this." He tried not to wipe his hand on his pants too blatantly. The screen appeared to finally stabilize. He took a deep breath, keeping his voice low and serene in case the feed was still live, when he said, "Are we back on?"

  "You're live in one-two-three. Action," the voice on the speaker said.

  President Wolmar laughed slightly and said, "I apologize for keeping all of you waiting. So, as I was saying, the ˗ "

  The screen crackled with static again, and went black.

  Wolmar rushed forward and grabbed the camera with both hands, shouting, "I will slaughter your entire families if you do not fix whatever the hell is wrong with this broadcast! Do you understand me?"

  A thousand light years away, on a barren moon outside of the Fulgen System, Vic Cojo snapped his fingers urgently at Bob Buehl and said, "Can you get this thing working or not?"

  "I'm trying, Captain," Buehl said. "Are you sure that's the right code?"

  Cojo looked down at the black tablet in his hands and said, "That's the one Milner told me to use."

  Off to the side, Wuotan, King of the Mantipors was raging so loudly the dirt on the ground as bouncing in the air. His soldiers backed away from him in fear as he picked up massive boulders and tossed them into the sky like pebbles.

  Buehl's fingers flew over the console as he typed frantically. He pushed one last button and his eyes widened at the screen. He looked up at Vic and said, "I think we did it."

  "We did?" Vic said, looking up at the holocube.

  Buehl looked down at his screen again and saw Vic's face. "Yeah," he whispered. The gravity of seizing the galaxy's largest information network made
it hard for him to breathe. "We just hacked into the entire Unification media network."

  Vic nodded, realizing that he was being seen by more people than could easily be counted. He steadied himself and said, "My name is Captain Victor Cojo, commanding officer of Grendel Unit."

  He paused, realizing that the mantipors were quieting down all around him in an effort to hear what he had to say. Even Wuotan stopped his rampage to listen.

  "General Milner was my commanding officer, and a faithful servant of every citizen in this system." Vic clenched his teeth to keep his jaw from quivering as he spat out, "And he deserved better than what he received from that sadistic bastard we call a President!"

  He sniffled and wiped his nose with his sleeve and said, "But, I know that the General would have gladly chosen his fate if he knew that it would put an end to the lies and deceit that have been foisted on us by our own government. Attached to this broadcast are multiple classified implicating President Wolmar in collusion with the Sapienists, and the wholesale slaughter of multiple species and races across this galaxy. You don't have to believe me. The proof is in the files."

  Vic stared at the camera, picturing the President looking back at him.

  "And one final thing. I only ever wanted to serve a just cause. To follow the orders of just men. I risked my life, and the lives of my men, for that cause. I killed for that cause. But now I know that there are no just men in power. Now, I know that there are only those who hide in their offices, using their titles to force the rest of us to do their bidding. Well now, I am assigning Grendel Unit to one final mission. Grendel Unit is coming after you, Mr. President. And if you check our record you'll know, once Grendel takes on a target, it is tango down."

  He nodded at Buehl and said, "Flood every channel with the files from General Milner. I want them posted across the entire network."

  Buehl nodded as he typed and said, "Roger that, sir. Files away."

  The holocube went dark and Vic turned to see the mantipors racing around the area to collect their gear. Frank came over to him and said, "Wuotan wants them in the air in ten minutes. They're racing home to deal with the blockade."

  "Is Monster going with them?"

  They could see the smaller mantipor talking heatedly with his father, both of them yelling.

  Vic started toward them, "We need to get moving as soon as possible. Our ship still doesn't have any offensive capabilities. If any military finds us, this revolution is over before it even starts."

  "Revolution?" Frank said nervously, hurrying to catch up to him. "What does that make you, Vic?"

  Vic looked over, "What do you mean?"

  He paused, unable to exorcise the vision of Supreme General Cojo from his mind, and the bodies of their friends. "I mean, let's say you kill Wolmar, what then? What will you do with all that power? Set yourself up as the next President? Maybe go find that girl Jessica?"

  "Yeah right. Wait. Who?"

  "You know, Jessica. The chick from the ship we saw through the wormhole that time. The one you tried to convince to come with us. I think you two might have something."

  "Are you nuts? She's in a different universe, Frank. Anyway, can you not see we've got other things going on right now?"

  "I can see that, but I just think that if we are going to start a revolution and try to take out Wolmar we need to have a firm plan in place for what happens next. And I definitely think that plan should include finding Jessica King and starting a new Round Table, as opposed to, you know, killing everything and everyone that we care about."

  "What in the hell are you talking about?"

  "A plan, Vic! That's all I'm saying. And also, not to kill Monster. Or Bob. Ever."

  "If I'm going to kill anyone, I have a pretty good idea who I'm starting with."

  "Actually," Frank said, "That is also a bad idea. Trust me."

  Vic stopped walking and looked at him without speaking. Frank smiled stupidly at him, and Vic shook his head and started moving again. "Anyway, what happens after this is not going to be my problem, Frank. We both know there's no way I'm surviving this one."

  Frank tried to respond, but they were already too close to the sounds of shouting. There was a crowd of mantipors forming a ring, and from the center of it, Wuotan's deep voice thundered furiously. As Vic worked his way through the crowd, he could see Monster and his father circling one another, both of them slapping their fists against their chests as they roared.

  "You will come back to your people," the larger mantipor shouted, thrusting his barrel-shaped chest out. "That is final."

  "I am no child," Monster snarled. "I will do as I see fit."

  Wuotan sneered, "I was always too soft on you. I took pity on you because you are small and weak, but I see now that I should have beaten you more, in order to teach you discipline. Come, son, let me give you the lesson you so desperately crave."

  Monster spread his arms wide, inviting the older warrior to attack. "If you try and touch me, I will end your life, father. I will leave the mantipors without a leader in their time of greatest need. Come, come and embrace the child you wish you'd been more cruel to. I will show you what I've been doing since we last met."

  Vic held up his hand and said, "That's enough." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder and said, "Monster, on me."

  The mantipor's face twitched angrily, but he lowered himself and backed away from his father to move behind Vic. Wuotan threw back his head and laughed, "Look at how he runs to the human's side. Look at how he cowers behind the hairless creatures. It is time to choose, pup. Your people, or the humans. I have tolerated your betrayal for far too long."

  Monster growled and Vic looked back at him and said, "Easy, big man."

  "Do not address the prince of the mantipors as such!" Wuotan roared, leaping forward to close the distance between him and Vic. "Any warrior here would rip out your throat for such disrespect. How dare you stand in our midst and think you hold authority! I have tolerated your insolence long enough. What is to stop me from killing you and sending your body back to this soulless President who thinks he can intimidate the mantipors?" Wuotan threw up his arm in the air, and the warriors surrounding him shouted back in unison.

  "Listen to me, the President is not going to stop with the blockade," Vic said. "It's just an excuse to goad you into war."

  "It is working!" Wuotan shouted. "Now we shall test the might of your puny little warriors. It is a day my people have long dreamed of!"

  Vic tried to speak but the rest of the mantipors shouted him down.

  "Enough talking from the humans," Wuotan said. "Enough lies. It breaks my heart to see my own son ally himself with them, but so be it. An example must be made. Seize them and find the other human, the one on the ship, and bring him to me. They would blockade us? Well, we will send a message of our own to Unification."

  The mantipors surrounding them began to close in, and Grendels backed into one another to tighten their ranks. The creatures beat their chests with their fists and growled menacingly, showing their claws and fangs.

  "Do not run," Monster shouted to the others. "They will give you a clean death if you face them as warriors."

  "I guess it was a short revolution after all," Frank muttered. He felt one of the mantipors seize him by the arm, dragging him away from the others, and managed to raise his head toward Wuotan and shout, "If you see Bismaht, tell him I said thanks for nothing."

  The Chieftain thrust his hand in the air and everything stopped.

  The mantipor holding Frank snatched him by the back of the neck and held him steady as Wuotan lowered himself toward the small human. His massive, furry nostrils flared wide when he said, "What did you just say?"

  "I said that if you see that old guy, Bismaht, tell him I said thanks for nothing," Frank said. When Wuotan did not seem to understand, Frank held out his hand and said, "You know, Bismaht. Little guy. Ancient. Talks funny. Likes to hang out by the fire."

  The Chieftain turned to Monster, eyes blazing, "
Have you no shame?"

  Monster shrugged and said, "On the honor of our family, I have no idea what he's talking about."

  Wuotan grabbed Frank by the collar and hoisted him into the air. "Where did you learn that name?"

  "I met him last night. He woke me up and got me out of the storm."

  "What storm? Answer me, you fool!"

  "The dust devils," Frank shouted. "They were swirling all around us and he protected me."

  Wuotan's eyes widened and he released Frank's shirt, dropping the human to the ground. "What did he show you? Was I in any of the visions?"

  "No," Frank said, rubbing his neck.

  "What of my people? Did you see what becomes of them?"

  Frank wrinkled his face and said, "No. Not at all."

  "What did you see?" Wuotan roared. "I command you to tell me!"

  "It was confusing," Frank said. "I was drunk, and everything was blurry, and I didn't know if I was dreaming or hallucinating or what. He told me…he told me that time is like the ocean, always flowing in and out, and that no matter what we do, it will take us all."

  Wuotan's furry brow knitted together and he stepped back slightly from Frank, looking at him with awe. "You truly have seen him," Wuotan whispered. "The Great Elder has revealed himself to you, a human."

  Frank laughed slightly in nervous amusement, but then the mantipors all around him lowered themselves to one knee, including Wuotan.

  The Chieftain looked up at Frank and said, "He protected you from the devils. That is a sign. It can only mean one thing."

  "That you won't kill us now?" Frank said hopefully.

  Wuotan looked pale as he rose up and came before Vic, holding out his enormous paw. When Vic raised his own hand, the Chieftain grasped him by the arm and turned his palm up flat to face the sky. The mantipor raised a single claw in the air and then stuck the tip of it down into the center of Vic's hand, piercing the skin. Vic winced slightly as blood trickled up from the wound. Wuotan turned the palm of paw upwards and did the same thing to himself, driving his claw in even deeper and smiling at the pain.