Authorial Magazine - Manila Edition

and returned to his table. But he had
barely begun to eat his dessert when
someone spoke to him with a heavy
German accent.
“Herr Benson?” the voice said.
Nathan sighed and turned slowly to
see who it was that addressed him,
even though he could probably guess.
“So you are the brave captain
of the American ship,” said the
German officer with the monocle.
“I congratulate you on your swift and
efficient voyage.”
The German officer was flanked by
two other men. One was the Japanese
officer, and the other was a large
German with extremely pale skin,
white flat-top hair, and dark glasses.
The German officer smiled at Nathan
and held out a hand. Nathan sighed
inwardly and rose to his feet. He
shook hands with the German officer
in spite of himself.
“I am General Praetorius, representing
the military arm of the Third Reich,
and my honorable colleague is General
Watanabe, of the Imperial Japanese
Army,” the German officer said,
gesturing toward the Japanese officer,
who still seemed to be scowling.
The Japanese officer bowed toward
Nathan, and Nathan returned the
gesture.
“And this fine gentleman to my
right, is your counterpart,” General
Praetorius said gesturing to the other
man. “He is Captain Adolf Schultz.”
Now that Nathan was standing, he
was able to get a better idea of the
size of the German captain. He was
an enormous mountain of a man.
Nathan was a big man himself, but
he looked unimpressive next to this
German soldier. He could not help
but wonder if that was by design, to
put up a superior and/or intimidating
front. But if so, was it for the Martians
or the Americans?
Perhaps both?
Both the face and form of Captain
Schultz were finely chiseled, like the
work of a sculptor attempting to create
an image of the perfect man.
The German captain stepped closer
to Nathan, until he came within a
few inches of him. Nathan refused
to allow himself to be intimidated.
He straightened up and cocked his
head casually to one side, then the
other, as if he were a boxer preparing
for a fight. The German captain’s jaw
clenched, and he removed his dark
glasses. Baleful pink eyes glared down
at Nathan.
An albino!
He wondered why the Germans
would send an albino, which was
actually a sort of disability, but then
it occurred to Nathan that on Mars,
pigment would not be quite as vital
as it was on Earth. In this context,
his anomalous pink eyes combined
with his immense bulk would be an
asset, if intimidation was the goal, and
knowing the Axis, it probably was.
Is this what they mean when they talk
about the Ubermensch?
After looking Nathan up and down,
as if sizing him up, Captain Schultz
extended an enormous hand. Nathan
took his hand, and immediately his
hand was squeezed in a vice-like
grip. Nathan kept his face steady in
order to hide his discomfort, and he
squeezed back with as much pressure
as he could apply. The German’s eyes
narrowed, and he applied even more
pressure. Nathan clenched his jaws,
but kept on the pressure and made
no sound or expression which would
betray his discomfort and pain.
Finally the German captain released
his hand, and General Praetorius
spoke up again.
“There!” the General said. “You see,
we are all friends here! This is not a
hostile confrontation, but an auction
of sorts, where we both bid for the
same commodity. There is no reason
why we cannot be friends, after all,
there is no hostility between our
peoples back on Earth, no state of
war … The best man will win this
auction. As for the loser, well … There
are other people’s here on Mars, yes?”
The comment was gratuitous and
empty. Both the Axis and Allies
knew that the Krenth were the most
technologically advanced civilization
on Mars, and they also controlled
the largest geographic area. The only
advantage their chief competitor had
was a larger population, but a larger
army could be overcome by a smaller
army with superior equipment and
training.
“Well, if you will excuse me Herr
Benson, I must take my leave of you,”
the German General said with a
smirk. “I am eager to meet your Dr.
Robinson. Good day.”
General Praetorius turned away, and
General Watanabe bowed once more
before turning to follow him. Captain
Schultz remained glaring at Nathan
for a few seconds longer.
“Good grip,” he said, then he put
his dark glasses on and turned away.
AUTHORS PRESS
Nathan’s flexed and crackled his hand
once the German captain was gone.
His hand throbbed for the rest of
the night, and when he returned to
his hotel room, he stuck his hand
under the faucet and turned on the
cold water.
authorial magazine | 57