Monsters Win Wars: A Novella by Edward Punales Read Free Book Online Page A

artery.
Instead, the Saurian Commando gave an angry grunt, before throwing
Henry to the ground.
    Rand stood watching as Henry pushed himself
off the ground. He stood up, and dragged his fingers around his
neck, checking if the creature’s claws had broken the skin.
    Through gasps, he looked at Rand and asked,
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
    “I’m efficient.” Rand said. “We needed the
information, and I got it.”
    “We’re freedom fighters,” Henry said. “We’re
trying to stop the violence, not perpetuate it. We were supposed to
be the better men. We aren’t monsters!”
    “But I am.” Rand said. “I’m a monster. This
is war, and monsters win wars.”
    “I’m not waging that kind of war.”
    “Then what kind of war were you expecting?”
Rand said.
    “I expected to be civilized.” Henry said. “I
expected to not act like animals.”
    “Civilized?” Rand asked. “Where was this on
the day I saved you in that villa?” Henry was silent. “When I
sliced open their guts, and their lives flashed before their eyes,
was that civilized?
    “Last week, my men and I sabotaged a fleet of
dreadnoughts. We destroyed their life support systems, cutting them
off from their oxygen supply. You helped to plan that mission.
Where was this compassion when those men spent their last moments
gasping for air, millions of miles from home?”
    “That was different.” Henry said. “They were
soldiers; they knew the risks.”
    “And being the head-of-state for a
totalitarian regime isn’t a risky position?”
    “What you did was pure evil.”
    “That’s his problem; not mine, not
yours.”
    “It is my problem.”
    “I guess it is.” Rand said. “You humans are
weak that way.”
    Henry didn’t know what to say. They stared at
each other across the training ground. Contempt built up in both of
them, and they shared an intense desire to destroy each. But
neither could fulfill this desire; Henry knew Rand was too powerful
for him, and Rand knew he couldn’t touch Henry without receiving
the wrath of Aric. It was a stalemate.
    The cold silence was broken by an alarm that
echoed through the ship. They heard hurried footsteps, and looked
up to see a young saurian solider appear on the balcony above.
    “Sallis has escaped.” The young solider
said.
    “Are you sure?” Rand asked.
    “Yes, we checked his cell and the infirmary.
He’s nowhere to be found.”
    “You left him alone?!” Rand barked at Henry.
The rebel leader didn’t say anything. He turned back to the young
soldier. “Seal off all the exits. Handout portable radios to all
personal, and put them into search parties. I want him found and
captured within twenty-minutes.”
    “Yes sir.” The young solider said, and all
three of them left the room.
     
    Henry was searching the cafeteria with Rand
and two commandoes, when they got a call on the radio that Sallis
had been spotted heading toward the communications room.
    “Where is he right now?” Rand asked into his
radio.
    “He was seen passing the engine room on the
security cameras.” said the voice on the radio.
    “Send as many people as possible down there
right now!”
    “Yes sir.”
    Rand clipped the radio to his belt. Him,
Henry and the others began to sprint toward the communications
room.
    “If he gets there before us, he’ll be able to
call for help.” Rand scowled, before shooting a dirty look at
Henry. “This is your fault. You allowed your feelings to get in the
way, and did something stupid. You humans cling to your emotions
like children.”
    Henry didn’t say anything, and instead kept
going down the hallway. It was another minute before they reached
the door to the communications room. It was open, and there were no
other saurian troops anywhere. They entered, and sitting at the
control console was President Sallis.
    “Sallis?” Henry said, running up to him.
Sallis didn’t say anything; he just looked blankly at Henry, before
turning to Rand and the others who