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The Lizard Wars

By: missdreamer



Chapter 1

I was 22 years old when I got married. My husband was 27 and just out of the military about two months, but he was still in the reserves since he had been a captain, he felt he should stay in the reserves in case his country needed him. I didn't think too much about it at the time. Two weeks after we returned from our honeymoon, two men showed up at the front door dressed in uniforms and asked for my husband. He led them into the den and closed and locked the door behind him before I could enter the room. For about 30 minutes I could hear them arguing then it got quiet. I got a little worried, but after 15 minutes they all came out of the den. My husband asked me to make some coffee for all of us and he would join us in the kitchen in about 10 minutes.

We went to the kitchen and I started the coffee. I was about to go and find my husband and ask him what was going on when one of them stood up. "I'm sorry Mrs. Foster your husband didn't introduce us before, I'm Colonel Stone and this is Major White."

"Hello, I'm Tina Foster, but please call me Tina."

I could hear my husband, Frank, coming down the hallway to the kitchen as the coffee pot beeped to tell me it was done. I went to the coffee pot to pour the four cups of coffee. My husband came into the kitchen at the time I was turning around with the tray of cups and what I saw almost made me drop the tray. My husband was standing in the doorway with his uniform on.

Frank looked straight at me and said, "I've been recalled, I have to leave right away."

Major White saw I was ready to drop the tray, "Let me take that tray for you Tina." He took the tray and placed it on the table.

"What do you mean you've been recalled?"

"Something very important has come up."

"I'm afraid it's a matter of National Security, so your husband can't tell you anymore than that Mrs. Foster." Colonel Stone interrupting my husband before he could say anything else.

"Don't worry hon, I'll be back in no time," My husband said.

I could see in his eyes that even he didn't believe that. He was just trying to calm me down.

We all sat down to drink our coffee and talk, well they drank their coffee and talked, I just sat and tried to listen. Even with my throat as dry as sand I couldn't think of drinking my coffee. I was trying to keep from crying. When they finished their coffee we all got up and headed to the front door. My husband kissed me and again told me he'd be back soon.

I went and sat on the couch and cried for the next hour. Alice a friend of mine phoned. "Tina its Alice, my husband and brother have been recalled into the service!" For a moment I couldn't say a thing. "Frank was also recalled, he left about an hour ago."

"He did? Tina since your husband is an officer he must have told you something."

"No. There were two higher ranking officers here and I don't think they would have allowed him to tell me anything. Right after they finished their coffee they all left."

"COFFEE! My husband wasn't even allowed to finish his breakfast. They ordered him to get into the truck they came in." Alice shouted into the phone.

By the end of the day everyone in town knew that 30 men in town and maybe a dozen in the surrounding area had been recalled. The radio and TV channels said nothing about it. Calls to the military bases brought an answer of "We're sorry but because of National Security we have no more information that we can tell you at this time."

After a week some hints of news started to appear in the news media. There was fighting going on in a number of countries, but their names or who was fighting who was not mentioned and there were restrictions placed on travel, mail and even phone calls outside our area. I and the others in our town had never felt so isolated before. 

Three weeks after my husband left the military informed me that he had been killed in action. Alice was also informed that both her husband and brother had also been killed in action. We soon found out that 25 of the men from our town and the surrounding area had received the same information about their loved ones. The whole town was both in morning and enraged that we knew nothing about what was going on with this war or even who the enemy was! Within the next two weeks we would know more than we would want to know.

Seven months later two military tent villages appeared outside of town. One to the South and the other to the Northeast. Marshal Law was declared in town and a curfew was imposed from dawn to dusk. Military patrols were everywhere, and ID cards were issued to everyone. Anyone without their ID card who was stopped by a patrol was arrested and jailed. I was told by the base commander, because he had known my husband, that the enemy was only 20 miles away to the West, East, and South of the town. "Who is the enemy? And how long have they been in our country?" I asked.

"That Mrs. Foster I can't tell you right now, and please don't tell anyone else in town. If the people panic they might try to run and some units I don't control a little farther outside of town have orders to shoot to kill any persons trying to leave the area."

Four days later all civilians were ordered to help at the aid station that had been set up in town. Truck load after truck load of wounded soldiers arrived, many without arms and or legs. I saw no bullet wounds on any of these men, their arms or legs looked like they had been burned off. The wounds of these men looked like they were cauterized so there was little or no blood. Others with shrapnel wounds were usually too far gone to help. Still about 80% of these men would die from their wounds or shock because the medical supplies ran out before the first day had finished.

On the fifth day General Bright, the man I had talked to a week before came to the aid station. He asked most to go home and get some rest as trucks where coming to get most of the wounded. Only a few of the stronger people were asked to stay to help load the wounded on the trucks. I was going to stay, but when General Bright saw me he stopped to talk to me.

"Mrs. Foster, you need to go home and rest." The General said.

"No, General I need to help these men." I replied.

"Mrs. Foster, Tina I want you to go home I'll drive you there myself."

The General opened the front door of the car for me then he got in the driver's seat and started off. "Where's your driver General?"

"I had to send him to the frontlines, we were short of troops there."

He was quiet for the rest of the trip. When we got to my house he told me he wanted to talk to me inside. I agreed, and we both went inside.

I got some coffee and sat at the kitchen table with the General. "Tina about a week ago you asked me who the enemy is and I couldn't give you that answer at that time, remember."

"Yes, are you going to now tell me?" I said.

"Yes, but only if you promise not to tell the other town's people they'll find out soon enough." He looked at me very seriously.

"Yes I promise General."

"THE ENEMY is not of this world. We were attacked by a race of Lizards. They have weapons that are far more advanced then we have. All the armies, navies and air forces of the world have been fighting with them with staggering defeats. About 1/6 of every nation is now occupied by them. We don't seem to be able to stop them at this time. Actually the way their fighting every battle I'm surprised they haven't taken half or more of the world. Headquarters believes that they just might not have enough men to man the fronts they have now and still keep garrisons in the towns they have taken. I'm not sure that's what's happening from where I stand, they still seem to be pushing pretty hard," the General finished with his eyes staring at the ground.

"LIZARDS FROM SPACE! And you say we can't beat them!" I'm still wondering if this is true or if the General had battle fatigue.

"Yes and I didn't say we couldn't beat them. I said it is very hard to beat them. Their skin is like a bulletproof vest. I've seen a machinegun fire a complete 50 round belt at a single lizard soldier and he didn't fall down until a hand grenade landed right in front of him, and he was only wounded, badly but not yet dead." Said the General.

"General why are you telling me this now? Why do I feel that there is something wrong here?" I looked him straight in the face as I said this.

"Well we know from people who have escaped from behind their lines the first troops on their frontlines are known as long tails. These troops are the most aggressive soldiers. If you look at them in a way that they think you mean them harm they might kill you right then. The group behind them are the mid tails with some long tails but not many. The mid tails usually guard the captured towns. The long tails are usually not that close by unless the frontlines are close. The last group is the short tails they usually take charge of the captured towns and command the mid tails there. The civilians are not usually treated badly. Only when someone tries to interfere with or harm one of them. Then it might get pretty rough for them."

"Are you telling me your troops are going to pull out, but you're not taking the civilians with you?" My anger growing as I finished.

"Yes I am saying that, but there are good reasons for what I have to do and I want you to know and understand them before we leave. By leaving the civilians, we can move out faster and the enemy then has to leave more and more troops behind. If Headquarters is right than they will run short of troops and will have to slow down their advance which will give us a chance to do something. Our people are working on some of their captured weapons so we can reproduce them, we know they DO kill them." He half smiled at his last statement.

"That's great for you but we'll be here as their prisoners while you guys try to invent a new weapon and we won't have anything to stop them from hurting or killing us." Now I'm getting pissed!

"I have to think about the bigger picture, but you will have some defense if things do get bad here. There were two reasons for having all the people in town help at the aid station first so they could see how the fighting was and second to hide some weapons in town that won't be found. If you remember Frank's Grandfather was not at the aid station. That's because he was in the service with me in the last war and I knew I could trust him. Under his work shed is buried a cache of weapons. It's about a quarter of what is hidden in this town. Frank's Grandfather can be trusted but he's an old soldier so he might try to fight them. His Grandson your younger brother was not with his Grandfather but was at the aid station so he doesn't know about the weapons. The other three quarters of the weapons are in a vault under the work table in your cellar. Do not take them out unless you feel there is a danger that can't be avoided and don't tell anyone not even Frank's Grandfather about this."

"Why I'm I getting this privilege, there are a lot of other people in this town." Not happy with this responsibility I answered.

"I only know two people in this town Frank's Grandfather, Paul, and you. And with what Frank told me about you, I know your level headed enough to only use these weapons if there needed and only then." The General finished with a stern look on his face.

I couldn't refuse without insulting my late husband, so I just shook my head yes and said nothing else. The General shook my hand and left. I had forgotten to ask when the troops would leave. The next day the enemy frontline troops spend no more than 30 to 45 minutes in town before moving on. I was glad of this because the shock of seeing the lizard men kept anyone from doing anything stupid. Within an hour and a half the mid tails entered followed shortly by the short tails just like the General said they would.

The General said they would move fast and far so the long tails shock troops wouldn't stay long in town. I was glad for that favor. The town lizard troops rounded up all the people and brought everyone to the town hall parking lot. A grandstand had been built so their commander could speak to the civilian population. He told us about the long tails, the mid tails and the short tails soldiers. Then about the war and finally the rules of our occupation. The lizards had actually given us more information than our own government which was afraid of the panic that might happen. It didn't take me long to see this panic in the eyes of the town's people especially the women which made up 85% of the people in town.

Their commander had an almost human face, except that it was a light green with scales. It was easy to see he was a short tail as his uniform didn't have material extending out to cover the tail or for those with longer tails a hole for the tail to come out of. His face also was not as protruded as the other's in his command. His eyes were a golden color which were only accented by his light green skin. His English was almost perfect and in a few cases better than some of the town's population.

We were allowed to go home, but we were to return here at 10:00AM tomorrow for another meeting.

It had been a long and hard day and I was so tired I went to sleep right away even though it was still light outside. When I woke up I found that there was no power, no gas for the stove and the phone was dead. I was about two minutes late for the meeting which was very noticeable and pointed out to me by none other than the commander from his grandstand position. I raised my voice and told him if they hadn't cut the power and gas I might have gotten here on time and even been able to have breakfast too. It then dawned on me, we were their prisoners. He spoke in what must have been their language and two guards were at both of my sides. The meeting when on for about two hours and the guards would not let me sit in any of the chairs they had provided. I didn't hear a word that was said I was more frighten of what was going to happen to me for talking back. I tried to remember yesterday did any of the rules say anything about not talking back. I couldn't remember and the more I thought the bigger a headache I got. When the meeting was over everyone left for home except me, the guards kept me there.

The commander approached me and I was shaking so much I thought I would fall down. "What is your name?" he said.

For a moment I couldn't think of my own name. "Mrs. Foster, I'm Mrs. Foster."

"What is your first name?" he then asked.

Again I had to think very hard for my own first name. "It's Tina. That's my first name."

"Where do you live Mrs. Tina Foster?" he then asked.

"At 47 North Smith Avenue." I answered.

"Lets walk to your house Mrs. Tina Foster."

I turned and started towards my home. The two guards fell back a little behind me and the commander stepped up to my right side and walked with me. My mind was going a mile a minute trying to think of what they were going to do to me. Maybe they wanted to hang me from the oak tree in my front yard they could leave my body there to rot as an example to others. Maybe they were like the barbarians of centuries ago maybe they like to rape the women first before they killed them. My thoughts were interrupted as I realized the commander was saying something to me.

"I'm sorry could you repeat that again. I wasn't paying attention," I told the commander.

"I said you didn't seem to be paying attention at the meeting today and it looks like your still not either." The commander said.

"I'm real sorry about that and my outburst when I got there, but when I don't have breakfast I get cranky and mad at the world." The look on his face reminded me of telling a bill collector the check is in the mail even if it is they don't believe you.

"Please don't apologize I'm the same way in the morning, so I understand. If however you had been listening, you would have heard me tell your people that we didn't cut your power or gas. Your retreating armies had them cut after they left." He said.

"Why would they do that?" I dumbly said.

"We would do the same thing if we were retreating. You don't want your enemies to use your resources." He replied.

"I guess not."

"Mrs., that means you're married, doesn't it? Where is your husband?" he questioned.

"He's dead. Killed during the first two months of this war." I said with hatred in my voice.

He stopped me from walking with his arm on my shoulder turning me so I was looking at him. "I'm very sorry about that. A lot of very good people on all sides die or are hurt in a war." He let go of my shoulder and again started walking towards my house. I had to speed up a little to catch up. I think he really meant what he said. It kind of surprised me that this creature could care about others who weren't of his own kind.

"This is my house." I told the commander.

"Let's go inside and we can talk a little longer." He said.

Before I can answer one of the guards jumps over the fence and goes to the front door.

"Don't worry about him Mrs. Foster. He's one of my body guards and he must check the house first." The commander tells me.

"Well, tell him to let me unlock the door first." I reply.

He said something to the guard in their lizard language and he stood back and allowed me to unlock the door. He and the other guard began to check the house room by room while the commander and I waited at the front door entrance. "What do they think they'll find. An ambush or booby traps commander?" I said.

"Their following the orders issued by our headquarters not by me. If I were to try and stop them they would likely report me and I would be in trouble. By the way please call me Ariel, that's my first name and it's much less formal than Commander I think Mrs. Foster." The commander, Ariel, said.

"Yes, Command, I mean Ariel, and please call me Tina, Mrs. Foster is also a little to formal." I replied. I know this is the Enemy, yet he'd been very nice and almost like an old friend. I have to admit that he was very likeable as a person, or should I say lizard.

It took the guards about 45 minutes to check my three story house from the attic to the cellar before they reported back to their commander and told him to my surprise in broken English that the house was clear. "I didn't know they could speak English." I said to Ariel.

"Some of our people understand and can speak and read English and other languages of your planet very well. These two are just learning, which is one reason they are my personal guards." Ariel explained. "Lets go into your kitchen and maybe you can make coffee or tea. I have found I like both, but I do prefer coffee."

As I made coffee Ariel was talking in general about the weather, the pretty country side what could only be considered small talk one might have with a friend over morning coffee. As I listened I found that only if I looked at him did it remind me he was not a human, but a lizard. I then realized the power and gas was back on. "The power and gas is back on!" I stated with surprise.

"You really didn't hear anything I said this morning did you? I told the people we were working on restoring both and should be done soon. Except for your telephone lines, which there's little we can do here." Ariel said to me.

"No, I'm afraid my mind wasn't on what you were talking about this morning." I confessed. 

"I think I understand. My sending the two guards to watch you likely frightened you. You where more afraid of what was going to happen to you for speaking out. I know some commanders that might use you as an example to scare the others, but that's not my way." He said in a calm and quiet voice.

"I was very worried about my outburst since we are your prisoners." I stated.

He looked at me intently before answering me. "Prisoners, yes I guess that's true, but I would hope that the people here will not dwell on that thought too much. It would only cause problems that would require harsh measures that headquarters would insist on me doing and that is something I don't want to have to do." As he started to drink his coffee. "This is great coffee Tina."


The Lizard Wars



"Thank you, Ariel." I said as if talking to an old friend.

"I needed to ask you something about the people of this town if it's alright with you?" he asked me.

"If you want me to report people who I think might give you trouble I won't do that! You might as well hang me from the tree outside and set an example before I would betray my people!" I said with as much defiance as I could.

"Oh no I wouldn't think of asking you anything like that at all. What I need to know is do you think these people would be willing to help grow crops mostly for themselves, but also for your soldiers who are our prisoners of war." He seemed truthful about what he just said.

"For themselves I'm sure since I don't think we'll see delivery trucks coming into town for a long time, but I think most won't believe that our prisoners of war will get the food, but your troops will." Being as honest as I could.

"I could prove that your prisoners of war would get the food by sending people from this town to distribute the food. Maybe even you could go?"

"I don't think I would be a good choice." I told him.

"Why not may I ask? He questioned.

"Because I've only lived in this town for about 10 months. I came here with my husband since it was his home town. Except for Frank's Grandfather and his younger brother, my brother, I would be considered a stranger or an outsider, plus with me calling you by your first name, some might consider me a traitor or worse." I told him.

"Your husband, Frank, his Grandfather and younger brother live in this town? What is the Grandfather's name and where does he live?"

"His name is Paul Foster. He lives on a large farm in the southwest of town about 2 miles away. Why do you need to know that?" I questioned.

"If you might be considered a stranger or an outsider then your husband's Grandfather or your brother could not be picked either because of their association with you." He explained.

I knew he was right, besides from what I knew about Paul Foster he would more likely spit in Ariel's eye before he could explain what the food was for. That's a problem the town didn't need right now.

"You're most likely right about that." I agreed.

"If the people agree and I prove who the food is for do you think they might then help with a smaller crop which would be for my troops in town? They can eat the same food as yours but there is always some food that people like best and it's the same for my troops too."

I had to think about this a minute. What would my government call this if we win the war and what might they do to the town's people and me! However we would need to eat and supplies won't be coming in from our side now.

"If you prove who the extra food is for I think you might be able to get your small crop for your troops." Not really sure if I was right.

"Another problem I'm faced with. I will have to move most of the people on the East and Some on the Northeast to share homes on the West and Southwest side of town. Do you think I should bring this up at the same time or later?" he asked.

"Why will you have to move these people?"

"Partly because these are the most likely places for an attack from your side. And partly because I have to house my troops inside before your winter sets in. It would be better to do it now and get the hard feelings out of the way before it's too late in your year." He said.

"I would first see what there answer was about the food than you'll have to decide if it's the right time or not." I told him.

"Then in tomorrow's meeting I'll have them raise their hands yes or no." he replied.

"That might not be a good idea if you want an honest answer." I said.

"Why not?" he quickly replied.

"In this country we vote for our leaders and even some of our laws. The vote is a secret vote I might tell you who I voted for, but since you would not have seen who I really voted for you could only believe what I told you. If you tell them to raise their hand they might think you're looking for trouble makers that you can get rid of. Instead you might ask them to have a meeting and vote on it. They can give you the results, but they must know no harm will come to them if they say no." I told him.

"If there had been more diplomats like you this war might never had started." He said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Don't you know? We tried to negotiate with your planet's nations to use about 1/6th of your planet to grow enough food so we could continue our journey to a new planet we could make our own without interfering with any other race. Your representatives not only said no, but two countries on the far side of your planet attacked our ships." I could tell from his expression he was telling the truth.

"Those fools could have stopped this war from happening and they didn't!" I screamed.

"It wasn't your country as a matter of fact the countries that attacked us wanted us to destroy this country and then they said we could use all of this country to grow our food and be able to leave even earlier than we told them we planned to. We told them we wouldn't do that and they attacked us. We would have only attacked them, but they asked your country for help and they gave it, so we had to believe your country knew about the attack and were planning to also attack us when it was possible." He looked more surprised than I was by the facts he had just told me.

I was shocked, surprised, and madder than hell that some country on the other side of the world hated us so much that they started a war and then got us to side with them costing us loss of life and land.

"Tina I can tell you didn't know about this and I'm thinking the country we met with may have not told your government about the meeting as none of your representatives ever showed up. I'm considered an expert on your country and I didn't believe it when I was told this. There are others like me who believe this too, but some hot heads in our military and government have the control over all actions taken here. So until we can get rid of these elements the war will go on I'm afraid." Ariel said sadly.

I got up to start another pot of coffee, it was then I realized the two guards were gone. "Were did your guards go to?" I asked Ariel.

"Oh Corporal Lem is outside the front door on guard and Private Shia is guarding the back door." Ariel answered.

"Outside? It's a little chilly out there do you think they might like some coffee too, if it's allowed that is." I asked Ariel.

"That's very nice for you to be concerned for my men Tina. I can allow it if they would like some. I'll ask them." He replied.

He looked at what I had assumed was just a watch on his left wrist and pressed a button on it and talked to it. A second later one then the other answered. After a little conversation he looked up at me. "I can take it to them unless you want too." He waited for my answer.

"I'll take it to them." I responded. 

A little more talk with the guards and he then told me. "Corporal Lem would like his coffee black with one teaspoon of sugar. Private Shia first asked for a cold soda, but I reminded him it's cold outside so he asked if you have any tea with a little cream and two sugars." I almost laughed at this request by the young Private.

"Yes, I have tea I just have to boil the water it will only take a minute." I told Ariel.

He finished talking to the guards as I started the teakettle.

"I told them that you would bring them their drinks in a few minutes. That way they know I gave you permission to do so. Else they would never take it. I told them that you offered to take it I didn't order you to. This surprised them a little I think."

"Why would common manners surprise them?" I asked.

"Three days ago our frontline troops ran through this town followed by us to control this area. In the next few days from the contacts I've had here I soon learned that your people hadn't been told who or what the enemy was. Many seemed shocked when they finally saw us. But you didn't seem as shocked. May I ask why?" he asked me.

"Well General Bright, he was in charge here then, took me home from the aid station because he knew Frank my husband and his Grandfather. He told me about having to retreat and about your people being, what you are. He also made me promise not to tell anyone in town about you, or the retreat as he felt it would cause panic." I told him.

"This General Bright is a smart man, it would most likely have caused a panic and that would have delayed his retreat. His men would have had to fight their way through with many, if not all would have been killed." 

"Yes, he saved his army but at the cost of leaving the town people here." I told him still a little mad at that event.

"That's what makes him smart. He knows we'll have to leave troops here which puts more strain on our reserves and slows us down in our advance." He said.

"But what's to stop your army from just slaughtering the civilians. It's been done in other wars here on Earth!" I almost scream this at him.

"I and many others like me will not allow it. We to in our history have had wars like that. We learned that in the long run both sides lose, there can be no real winner in that kind of war. Not to say there aren't some leaders in both our military and our governments who are stupid enough to believe that's the only way to win. I'm just glad that both of our sides have very few of this type."

"From the look on your face I can tell you have a picture of one such commander in your mind and he isn't a friend of yours either is he?" I provoked him.

He quickly turned his head toward me, his eyes seemed to glow red with hate. "He's not a friend of any mid tails, short tails and even most long tails. He's Count Vlax a high ranking member of the ruling Royal Order. He and his loyal troops have been kept out of this war because of his tactics in our last war." He said with hate in his voice.

"Will they use him?" I asked.

"The only way he would be called in I think would be if we were losing or trying to evacuate from your planet and needed to hold back your troops long enough to do that." He explained to me.

The tea was done so I put the coffee and tea for the two guards on the carrying tray and went to give it to them. Corporal Lem at the front grunted his approval and took his cup. At the back door Private Shia took his cup and said, "Tank oo." I knew he meant Thank You so I told him, "Your very welcome." And then returned to the kitchen.

"Where they courteous to you when you gave them their drinks?" Ariel asked when I returned.

"Yes, they were both very courteous. I hope you didn't order them to be courteous?" I asked Ariel.

"No, of course not. I just expect them to be." Ariel replied.

"I believe you do mean that."

"Tina, what rank was your husband?" Ariel questioned.

"He was a Captain." I replied sadly.

"You said you were told of his death in the first month of this war, right?" he asked.

"Two weeks after he left here I was told of his death." I explained to Ariel.

"Hum, during the first two months of this war we captured many of your soldiers because they weren't really prepared for our type of weapons or tactics. It may be possible he's in a prisoner of war camp. It would take some time but I could check for you, if you would like." Ariel asked me.

"Why would our military lie about his death?" I told him.

"I didn't mean they lied. If you had ever seen a battlefield after the long tail troops have gone through it you or any military person would assume there were no survivors. We heard reports coming over the radios from troops in the field to your army's headquarters that reported complete loss of all men and equipment, when we knew we had captured them so fast that by the time your side checked the field only the dead were left there. Therefore they assumed all were dead." He told me.

I don't know if it's just because he's in a military organization or because he's male, but he's seems to try to explain away problems within our military. Almost the old boy's club I think.

"That would be very kind of you, but if you don't find him or you get proof he is dead. Then please just pretend you've received no information. Hearing that he is dead twice in one year, I don't think I could stand that." I said to him.

"I understand Tina." He said.

"Would you like more coffee?" I asked Ariel.

"Yes, but I'd better not its passed 1 o'clock. You will need some sleep before tomorrow's 10:00 meeting." Ariel said.

"Passed 1:00 I never noticed the time."

"Oh, don't be alarmed, but tomorrow Corporal Lem and Private Shia will pick you up here at 9:30 and bring you to the meeting. They will let you sit and after the meeting bring you inside the town hall, so I can ask you what you thought about it. That way the town will have their example and none will question my being here so long." He said.

"Why would you want to do that?" I asked.

"Easy, it will deter some from doing something that might provoke headquarters from demanding harsh retaliations. That I would like to avoid if possible." He said.

"I think you don't want anybody to know your softhearted, I think." I said with a smile.

He just smiled back and left the house.

The next day I saw Corporal Lem and Private Shia waiting just outside my picket fence. I went out to meet them Corporal Lem pointed in the direction of town. So I started towards town with them about four feet behind me. Once at the meeting area Corporal Lem pointed at the chair that was away from the others and I sat down. The guards then flanked my chair as they had yesterday. I looked around to see the reaction of those there. Most seemed to try to avoid looking at me as if doing so might put them in a bad situation too. On the other side of the main group of chairs were two chairs also away from the group. Paul Foster and Ben Foster were seated there with one guard about five feet behind them. Now I had to fear that maybe I had inadvertently gotten them in trouble too. Had Ariel tricked me into exposing them? I couldn't have been that wrong about Ariel's true nature could I?

The commander appeared on the stage and started the meeting.

"Good morning everyone. First I must tell you that all the stores with food in them have been cleared of this food to a central warehouse so it can be distributed as needed by the town's people. We will let you all know where this is after an inventory of it and everyone's personal supplies have been taken. All personal supplies that you may have are your own supplies the only reason we are inventorying them is so that any distribution of food will be on an even basis. Since I doubt there will be any delivery trucks coming into town for a long time. I'm also going to ask you to elect a council of your choice in which people here may go to with any issues they feel need to be resolved there by them or brought to my attention. Next I'm sorry to have to do this but it must be done for the safety of the people of this town. If in the future your armies were to attack it is most likely to come from the North, Northeast, or the East, therefore all buildings in those areas will be cleared of people. They will be moved with the help of some of my troops to houses in the West, Southwest and South part of town. If there are people who have friends in those areas and wish to move in with friends please make a list as soon as possible, else we will pick the house. Next thing I'm going to ask you all to do is to have a meeting on what I'll ask you to do. No matter if your answer is yes or no there will be no type of retaliation to the people of this town, you have my word on this. Food must be grown to feed the town, but I'm going to ask for extra food to be grown for our prisoners of war, your soldiers. This food will be delivered and distributed by three persons of your choice. They will then report back to your council about it. This I do so you know it's true. For your helping your own soldiers I ask that a smaller crop also be grown for my troops in town. A kind of phone system is being put together that will connect the town and areas just outside of town it should be completed by this weekend I think. During the next week everyone will be interviewed as to what job they were doing before we came here and where if not in town. This way we can try to match people up to a job to do in town. After these interviews I will pick between 1 to 4 people who will work at my headquarters. Are there any questions?" the commander finished.

"Yes, why would I be afraid of my own armies attacking my house that's in the East side of town?"

"That's easy to answer. Your army like my army would bombard that side of town before attacking. That means there would be heavy loss of life there, maybe even yours. Any other questions?"

After his answer to the person that asked the first question I believe no one wanted to be shown as a fool like that person was.

"OK then you may use the court house at the end of the street for your meeting anytime today and tomorrow."

Everyone except me drifted down to the court house. When all were about half way there Corporal Lem and Private Shia led me into the commander's office in the town hall.

"Well Tina what did you think of my speech." Ariel asked me.

"Why was there a guard on Paul and Ben Foster?" I said with rage in my voice.

"Well when I explained to Corporal Lem what I was going to do with you today in the chair with and that trucks should also round up the people on the outside of town, especially Paul and Ben Foster, he came up with the idea that if your family members might also look like they were in trouble because of you, well others would think twice before doing anything wrong. But don't worry the next meeting they will be left alone only you will still have two guards. Then just Corporal Lem for the meeting after that. And the meeting after that Corporal Lem will leave after you've sat down. Then we'll move your chair closer to the others. Then you may sit where you want after that." He finished, but I was still fuming a little.

"By the time you finished with your object lesson for the people of this town they'll be so scared to even be seen talking to me and I'll have no friends left to talk to." I said fuming a little more.

"Maybe, but you might also find your real friends too. And I will have less problems and I think now I won't have to worry about finding food for the town's people." He said followed with his lizard smile.

"I thought you were going to tell the people about the need for growing food first than hear their answer before telling them about the move?" I asked him.

"I thought about that, but decided to tell them it all at one time. This I think shows my honesty upfront. As you heard I first talked about taking all the stores food. This I knew would make some or all mad or fearful of our intentions. Then I told them the other non-food plans which would likely increase the hate and fear. I than told them about growing food for themselves and their captured soldiers showing my concern for their safety and health. Most races, even ours, will think more about where their next meal will come from than the other things I talked about. Don't you agree?" Ariel said smiling again.

"When you put it like that I have to agree you're right. And Ariel may I say that like General Bright, you're a very smart man too!" I said hoping that calling him a man would not offend him.

"And you Tina are a very smart woman. I'm glad it was you who spoke out the other day and not someone else." He replied and I know I blushed.

"Now since you're here anyways lets do your interview right now." He told me.

"OK, what do you need to know?" I said.

"Well what was your last civilian job and where, the city that is was?" Ariel said.




The Lizard Wars



"I was an executive secretary for one of the VP's at an electronics company in Sunnyvale, Ca. That's where I met Frank, my husband was in charge of the military inspection team there. We made radios for the military. It was about 25% of our business." I told Ariel.

"As an executive secretary I assume you typed and did the filing than?" he asked.

"Yes. Plus I arranged meetings, appointments and made reservations for dinners and air trips for business." I informed him.

Ariel seemed to be in deep thought about what I had told him. I think he was making plans as to what job I would do in town and I'm not sure I will like it either.

"Don't worry I'll find a job for you in town I think you'll like and can use your experience too." He told me with a big smile on his face.

Now I'm worried about what he had in mind. Maybe feeding pigs on one of the local farms!

In the middle of the next day the council had been elected, three people had been chosen to bring the food and pass it out to our POW's and half of the people who had to move had been moved with help by trucks the troops brought and some of the troops carrying things out to the trucks. Since I hadn't been to the court house, because of my guards, I only found out later that after some bitter arguing the yes vote passed by over 90%.

The next day we all showed up at 10:00 for the meetings and the commander would take a group of people into the town hall and have them write down all the information on pieces of paper then he would get the next group and so on. Within three days all had been interviewed, but none were interviewed in as personal a manner as I was. Those who were farmers had the same job, but where asked how many people and when they would need them to pick crops or other jobs since it was not likely there would be enough fuel in town to run any machines.

By the end of the week my chair for the meeting was finally at the side of all the others, but most were still afraid to outright talk to me they would just nod their heads to let me know they saw me. The meetings had gotten smaller and smaller as more people started fulltime or even part time jobs. There were 10 people left to receive jobs in what turned out to be the last daytime meeting. When it was dismissed no one there knew it was the last meeting. In the morning the phone in my house rang for the first time since this all started.

"Hello." I said.

"Hello, Tina this is Ariel. There is no regular morning meeting today, but could you come down to my office this morning?" he told me.

"Yes of course I will." I told Ariel.

I left my house 10 minutes early so that I would be there ahead of what had been the 10:00 meeting. I was hoping that maybe he finally had a job for me I was beginning to feel left out. No one was there except the guard at the front door. He let me in with no questions. I went right to Ariel's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in Mrs. Foster." I heard Ariel say.

"Please Tina sit down." He said.

I sat down and waited for Ariel to start.

"Tina I wanted to tell you about the job I would like you to do." He said.

"What about the other 9 people who were at the meeting yesterday?" I asked him.

"Oh, they all have jobs now. They were told about their jobs yesterday or last night by telephone." He said.

"And you couldn't call me to let me know my job!" I said.

"No I couldn't do that. You see unlike the other people in town YOU are the only one who will be allowed to refuse your job?" he said.

"Why would I refuse the job I want to do something to help the town. Is this job so bad that no one would want it?" I asked.

"No it's not bad at all. It is one that you are well qualified for but you still might not want it." He said

"What is the job then?" I questioned.

"You are the only secretary, executive or not, in this town. I need someone here who can type, file, arrange meetings and whatever else is needed to run this office efficiently so I'm not bogged down with paperwork and that's YOU." He explained.

"I can't type in your language?" I said.

"I want this done in English not in my language. Reports from or for the town council, notices for the people, data bases or spreadsheets for many other things for the town. The only real problem I see is what the town's people might say about it. I'm hoping that with the guards you had around you it might make them think I'm just keeping an eye on you. Like an old saying from your world I heard. Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer." He said.

"I've heard that saying before, but I can't remember where. I will however take that job, but you're going to have to get some more and better computers from one of the stores in town. And maybe even some networking equipment to if you want it to work well. As for the people of the town I think they'll believe that you're just trying to keep an eye on me as a possible trouble maker. I'll make sure anybody who asks me will believe that too. What times would I have to start and would it be five or seven days a week." I asked him.

"I think it will only be five days a week, but it will depend on what's going on in town I think." He answered.

"What hours are others working? I think I should work at least as much as others or even a little more don't you think?" I asked him.

"Some people on the farms have longer hours because it's the nature of that business so I will rotate teams of people there and give the teams more time off. Other jobs I've tried to keep at 8 hours per day for five and sometimes six days. The people working part time jobs times will vary sometimes because of the job and sometimes because of the age or health of the person." He tells me.

"OK in that case I should work a minimum of six days with about 8 to 10 hours each day." I told him.

"Don't you think that might be a little hard on you?" he questioned.

"If I don't do that then the people will think as you felt they might and life for me might be worse. Don't you agree?" I asked him.

"You are likely right and you've proved that my choosing you for the job was correct." He said smiling.

  The Lizard Wars

By Miss Dreamer

Chapter 2

Ariel, the commander, called everyone to tell them there would be a short meeting the next day which was Saturday. He called me and told me that Corporal Lem and Private Shia would pick me up in the morning and bring me to the meeting. Corporal Lem and Private Shia were at the front gate just like the other day. I walked in front of them just like I had before. When we got to the town hall there were no chairs set up this time everyone was standing in front of the grandstand. Corporal Lem led me up on the grandstand and he showed me a chair there. I sat down and shortly later Ariel, the commander came to the grandstand.

"Thank you for coming here today for what should be a short meeting. After reviewing all the interviews I had taken I found that only one person in town was qualified to do a job in my office. That job was to be a secretary who could gather the information needed by the town on things like expected crop yields, actual crop yields, arrange meetings and interface with different committees the town may need for a safe and healthy town. She will also help me to setup a network of computers from my office first to the farms for food needed by the town and later to other places. I know this is a big and time consuming job, so please try to help her as much as possible. This person is Mrs. Foster who had been an executive secretary for an electronics company. That is all I have to tell you today." The commander turned to leave and pointed at me then to the town hall as if it was a silent order. I got up and went inside the door and I was really fuming too.

Ariel came in smiling from ear to ear. "Well I think now the town's people will think that your job is more to keep you from causing problems because you'll be too busy to do anything else don't you agree?"

"HOW DARE YOU POINT YOUR FINGER at me and order me in here." I told Ariel off while waving my finger in his face as I backed him up against the door.

"TINA, I was only trying to prove to the town's people that you were more or less being watched. I meant no disrespect by it." Ariel said in an apologetic way.

"I'm sorry I blew my top but not even my late husband would have tried to do that to me." I said as I started to cool off.

"No apology needed I guess I should have told you what I was going to do first." He explained.

"Lets just forget what happened today and start over again." I said.

"OK. Let me show you what I got for you." He said.

I followed him to the large storeroom and he opened the door. It was full from the floor to the ceiling with every kind of computer and networking equipment.

"Do you think this will be enough?" he asked.

"How many systems do you want me to setup?" I asked more in shock than in reality.

"That I'm not sure of yet, one has to be in the court house for the council, later there are ten main farms outside of town, the hospital we're setting up and the small school for the younger children so it can act as a kind of day care for the younger children. Other things will likely come up as you gather more information on what will be needed around town." Ariel said as if it were so simple.

"I think I should have told you I'd work seven days a week and 16 plus hours a day with that work load you've setup. Or maybe you are just keeping an eye on the trouble maker? I told Ariel.

Ariel smiled at me. "I wouldn't expect you to do it all. I'll try to get you some help. I just have to find people who know and understand computers. Many of the adults I interviewed just seemed to know only the basics of the computer, like how to turn it on or off." He said.

"Have you interviewed any of the teenagers in town? Mostly the ones who are in 7th to 12th grades." I told him.

"Only to getting their names and their grade levels since most would not have any real job experience." He answered.

"Computers are more of their age group because they don't have a job, but many have had a lot of time playing with computers." I explained to Ariel.

"I think I should let you interview them. I might be asking the wrong questions or maybe because I'm not a human?" Ariel said.

"With all the work you've already given me when I'm I going to interview teenagers?" I told him.

"Well the sooner you do the sooner you get help." He said so effortlessly.

"Oh great, just great." I replied.

"Don't worry just do as much as you can, but I'm sorry to say time is not on our side." Ariel reminded me.

"I will. You'd better let me also look at the other interviews too."

"Yes of course. Maybe as you look at them you can make a data base or spreadsheet of all the names, addresses, and other information that might be helpful?" Ariel said adding more work to my workload.

"That is probably a good idea to do now and even make a cross reference to it too." I added.

"Something we may need first is some input from the council and maybe other people outside of the council on what else might be needed in town." Ariel said.

"I could setup a meeting with the council and also a suggestion box at maybe the court house." I said.

"What's a suggestion box?" Ariel asked.

"It's a box in which people put suggestions or ideas in for improvement to something." I replied.

"But if you put it at the court house you or someone will have to go there all the time to pick them up. Why not here?" Ariel asked.

"Here as you must know is to the people of this town, the military headquarters of the ENEMY as they will see it. Besides many would feel their being watched." I told him.

"I get your point." He said.

I spent the rest of the day setting up the first computer and loading the needed software. By 6 o'clock Ariel had given me all the interviews and I started to input the information. At 9 o'clock Ariel rolled in a computer table with another computer that he had setup to my surprise.

"You didn't tell me you understood our computers?" I told Ariel.

"I've learned a little while I been on your planet and I watched you earlier so I did what you did." He told me.

As the computer he'd brought in started up I checked it out and found it was fine even to the correct software.

"You're a fast learner. Now what are you going to do with it?" I asked him.

"I'm going to help you enter some of that information, that's what!" He said.

He sat next to me and took half of the interviews and started entering the data. We didn't stop until nearly 2:00 in the morning.

"I'll have to walk you home Tina." Ariel said.

"I can walk myself home, thank you." I replied.

"Have you forgotten about the curfew? The town patrols would pick you up. So I have to take you home." He told me.

I had forgotten about the curfew. He was right he had to take me home.

"OK, lets go then." I told him.

When we left the building Corporal Lem and Private Shia fell in behind us and we all went to my house. Ariel said good night and the three of them headed back.

The next day I knew that I would have to work today or I would be buried by the time the council met and made their recommendation for what the town might need. When I got there I was surprised to fine Ariel was hard at work on the computers and had gotten 10 systems setup.

"Ariel! When did you start working on these computers?" I asked him.

"I guess about 6:30. I was going to try to setup a network to but I'm not sure how to do that yet." He said.

"Well we have to make a wired or wireless network or even a combination of both, which I think would be best for our needs." I told Ariel.

"I didn't know that an executive secretary had to do all of these things?" he told me.

"They don't. Before I met Frank my boy friend was a computer nerd and networking expert. So I ended up learning it and even helping him on the weekends at work." I told Ariel.

"Then you too are a fast learner Tina." Ariel complemented me.

"Thank you very much, Ariel." I said smiling at him.

"Oh I also got some coffee pots and coffee, but when I made it this morning it didn't taste as good as yours the other day. Maybe I didn't make it right?" he told me.

"Where is it?" I asked.

He brought me back to the large storeroom and showed me about 10 different coffee pots and what looked like one can of every brand of coffee there is on the floor next to the computers in that room. Then he showed me that he had setup a machine in the room next to his office. I then showed him how I made coffee and when it was done we both had some. He however had a puzzled look on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"Well, I did everything you just did, but this is good, VERY GOOD, and what I made, well it was not good at all." He told me.

"Before my husband and I got together he always made his own coffee and he liked it. After we were married and I made the coffee, the same way he did, he told me he liked my coffee better and I told him it's a woman's secret on how to make it good." I told Ariel.

"I have a feeling that not even with torture would you give up that secret either?" He joked.

"Never. It's a woman's secret." I laughed as I said this.

At that very moment Private Shia came running in screaming at Ariel.

Ariel spoke to him in a calm voice. Private Shia pointed to the north wall of the building and said something to Ariel.

"TINA, there's a fire in a house about a block away. Get on the phone system over there, press the ALL button and get some people there. NOW." Ariel screamed at me.

I made the call and every phone on the system rang at the same time. I told everyone on the line about the fire and to come quickly then I hung up and headed for the fire myself.

Outside I could see the smoke from the fire so I headed towards it. Ariel was directing about a dozen of his men to fight the fire using buckets and garden hoses. As people showed up they also started to help along side of the lizard troops who were there. I saw the town's one fire truck coming with Mrs. Newton driving it not her husband who was the fire chief.

The fire was completely covering the first floor of the two story building. Then out of the top front window appeared Anna Wilson."SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME! MY MOTHER IS HURT AND I CAN'T PICK HER UP!" Anna shouted at us.

Before anyone could even think about what was said Private Shia jumped up and climbed up the trestle on the side of the house entering the window and within a minute was carrying Anna's mother out the window with Anna following behind on to the porch roof. Shia pointed at the latter some people put up and Anna when down the latter. Just as Shia was about to go to the latter with Mrs. Wilson the fire burst through the roof floor in front of him. He looked at the fire and then jumped off the roof with Mrs. Wilson. He landed on his feet and some people took Mrs. Wilson from him. Shia fell down after they took Mrs. Wilson from him, it was clear he had hurt himself trying to keep Mrs. Wilson safe. It was soon known that he had broken his leg from his jump. 

Ariel didn't seem to be very happy with Private Shia as he talked to him when their doctors took him away.

With all our efforts we weren't really able to save the house so that it could ever be used again, even though we finally got the fire out.

Monday morning I was at my new desk in the office next to Ariel's office when Mrs. Newton showed up.

"Good morning Mrs. Foster." She said.

"Oh, good morning to you Mrs. Newton. How may I help you?" I asked a little surprised by her visit.

"The commander asked me to come here today to talk about the fire department he said." Mrs. Newton told me.

"He did? I didn't know about that, but why you and not your husband Mrs. Newton, he's the fire chief?" I said to her.

"Well they've been keeping such a close eye on you most of the people in town are afraid to talk to you. There a bunch of chickens in this town, but I'm not one of them. Since I've only met you once at the town picnic I couldn't have said you were a friend so I had no reason to talk to you before. That's likely why no one had told you what happened the night our army left town." She explained to me.

"What are you talking about Mrs. Newton?"

"Well, our army gathered up all town officials and told them to get their families and not tell anyone in town, so they could be evacuated. They were afraid of what the enemy might do to them since they were officials. My husband told me about it but I said I would stay. I felt I might be needed more here and I pleaded with him to just get our granddaughters out of town. So if you take a good look around town you'll see there are none of the old town officials around Mrs. Foster." She said.

I thought about that for a minute and realized that was what I had felt had been missing from the meetings we had with the commander. No old town officials had been there.

"Ar . The commander won't be here for at least 30 minutes. There's coffee there if you want some Mrs. Newton." I said having almost calling the commander by his first name.

"Yes, thank you Mrs. Foster and please call me Lily." She said.

"I will call you Lily only if you will call me Tina please." I said and smiled at her.

"I will Tina and thank you for the coffee." Lily said.

"It was a shame we couldn't save Mrs. Wilson's house yesterday." I said to Lily.

"Yes it was especially after what her husband did to her." Lily said.

"Her husband? What did he do?" I asked her.

"Well, I brought my husband to where they were going to leave and when I saw him, he was with his secretary not his wife. I ask John my husband and he told me with disgust that he had been having an affair with her for about a year and was leaving his wife here." She said.