Rogue Legion

by Andreas Christensen

  "Selena, will you be here when I wake up?" She didn´t answer, she just smiled at him.

  "Selena, what a beautiful name... I think I´m falling in..." He closed his eyes and his breath slowed. He felt as if he was submerged into liquid. A bit cold, but not too bad. Not bad at all. The liquid reached his face and he drew a deep breath before it reached his nostrils. Then he relaxed and fell into a dreamless sleep.

  35.

  Ethan felt consciousness seeping back, and the first thing he noticed was the cold liquid surrounding him, The second thing was that his lungs and throat were filled with it as well, something pushed him up and jolted him so that he coughed. He forced himself to breathe, although breathing came hard and painful. He coughed up more liquid, swallowed some. It had a foul taste, and he threw up on himself. He really had to go, but then he noticed the parts of his body that were used for such things were... connected to something. He opened his eyes, looking desperately around for someone to help him.

  "Medic, I really have to go. Can I get some help here?" When no one answered, he tried again.

  "Hey, I need to take a shit! Can somebody please get this stuff off me? Today?" Nobody answered. The medics were all busy. He tugged at the restraints and gave up. Nothing he could do. He felt something pop, and then he couldn´t hold it anymore. He looked down, expecting the worst.

  "Don´t worry Adjunct," a soft voice said. "It´s usual for the body to rid itself of waste once things begin to work again. But we have a very efficient waste disposal system."

  Selena smiled at him as she came around to stand in front of him. He remembered now, and cringed at the thought that she had just seen him shit himself. She checked his pupils one at a time, before she stabbed him with a syringe.

  "So, a cocktail of vitamins and nutrients."

  Ethan looked at her, and she could probably see that he felt horrified.

  "Adjunct Wang, please don´t worry about it. It happens all the time. But it´s okay. You´re okay. All vitals look good, and you´ll be just fine tomorrow. Now, just relax for a while. You will find showers and a clean uniform in the adjacent room, as soon as we get through the paperwork."

  Ethan realized he hadn´t noticed her rank before. She was an adjunct, like him.

  "Adjunct, I´m sorry," he said. "I seem to remember being quite… out of it. Before going under, I mean. And now this…" Selena just chuckled.

  "That´s quite normal too, Adjunct." She winked.

  Ethan watched her as she walked over to one of the others. He recognized a few familiar faces, but not all. He wondered if everyone from his platoon were okay.

  36.

  "We lost one legionnaire," Centurion Lyons said. "Apparently he had some kind of condition, which caused a thrombosis. The monitoring didn´t catch it before it was too late. His brain just shut down before the medics could do anything to save him." Ethan remained silent. Soon after waking he had learned that he had spent thirteen months in cryo, and the Hellfire was now more than twelve lightyears out from Earth.

  "Now, we have a busy schedule ahead of us. In a couple of weeks we´ll be entering the Luyten system. There are three settlements from the Blue Sector Confederacy there, all of them by a race that Earth has been trading with from time to time, the Creons. We don´t know how they will react to a rebellious fleet such as ours, but we do know we can communicate with them. We have, in fact, helped them in the past. The Ghost Legion was deployed here fifteen years ago, to fight off another race that were threatening their colonies. Legate Camus is hoping that will count for something." The centurion looked at the officers, one by one, and Ethan got a feeling he was holding something back.

  "Before landfall I want every unit to be ready for anything. Most units have reorganized in some way, and some are completely new. You need to set up a rigorous schedule, because we don´t know what´s waiting for us in the Luyten system. Dismissed." Ethan stood up and walked toward the door.

  "Adjunct Wang, a moment please."

  Ethan waited until everyone else had left the room. Then he turned toward the centurion.

  "Sir," he said.

  "Ethan, I want your platoon on standby once we reach the system. The legate is worried, and he has decided that he wants a platoon of our heavy infantry to be ready to scout any location as soon as we arrive. You have experience directing artillery, and you´re embedded with the cavalry, all of which are huge benefits. So, while training with the cavalry, I also want you to be ready to launch a recon mission on short notice."

  "Why is Legate Camus worried? Seems to me these aliens should be friendly towards the legion," Ethan asked. The centurion nodded.

  "Yes, we do expect the Creons to be friendly. In fact, we are betting on it. But there´s a problem. We still haven´t received a reply from them. We have hailed them for days, and… nothing. In fact, there are no signals whatsoever, except trace signals that may be recent or very old. The legate fear something has happened to them."

  "Perhaps we should stay away from the Luyten system, Sir?" Ethan regretted the words even as he spoke them. It wasn´t something a legionnaire would say. Centurion Lyons’ eyes narrowed, and Ethan hurried to speak.

  "Sir, I didn´t mean that. I meant to say we have to be careful. We do need to investigate this though."

  "Yes Adjunct, we do. Besides, the Creons are about the only ones we can count on to support us at this point, or at least we hope they will. So if something has happened to their colonies, we need to find out, and we need to help them as best we can. Even if it´s just to let their homeworld know."

  "Absolutely Sir."

  "Good. So let´s get the legionnaires ready, shall we?"

  "Yes Sir."

  "Dismissed."

  37.

  "So the Creons originally came from the Ross 128 system, which is actually closer to Earth than Luyten´s star?" Malika said as she swiped through the files on her infopad. They sat on the R&R deck of the Hellfire, a large area where people could hang out and relax, and sometimes even find some privacy on the otherwise busy starship.

  "Yes, and here they found just the right kind of worlds for them, to establish colonies. But other races had also set their sights on the Luyten system, and a century after the Creons came, another race attacked. As members of the Blue Sector Confederacy, the Creons asked for help and the Ghost Legion were sent here along with several legions from Earth and other worlds, in order to defend them. The aggressors were chased out of the system, and a mutually beneficial trade relationship between Earth and the Creons began. Well, that´s basically all the file says."

  "Who were the aggressors?"

  "The file doesn´t say." Ethan shrugged.

  "But that was fifteen years ago. Surely there are active legionnaires here with us who took part in the campaign. We should ask them."

  Ethan shook his head.

  "I already did. I asked SD Sharon, Centurion Lyons, and even Tribune Tanner. None of them knew, even though they have all fought them. Seems the enemy were humanoid, taller than humans, heavily armored, quick, and extremely deadly. But as soon as one of them went down, it would self-destruct."

  "Leaving no trace, no clues as to its origin," Malika said.

  "That´s right."

  "Let´s just hope they haven´t returned then. Sounds like a formidable enemy."

  They sat in silence for a few moments.

  "Malika," Ethan began, "I´m sorry things didn´t work out between us. I still wonder..." Malika shook her head.

  "Ethan, I´m sorry too. But it´s all right. I´m with Julian now, and I hope that´s okay with you. I know you two are friends..."

  "We are, and yes, it´s okay. I just want us to be okay too. As friends. I know there won´t be anything more between us, but I don´t want things to be awkward."

  "Me neither," Malika said, and smiled. She leaned over and gave him a hug. Ethan thought it was a little too friend-like, but he would take it over the awkward silences and avoidance any day. He hugged her back.

  38.
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  Ethan had brought the NCOs to Optio Cervaille´s lab, down on lower decks, close to the hangar holding their transports and dropships. This was where several techs were constantly working on improving their weapons and equipment, and developing and testing new designs and inventions. This morning he had received a message from Cervaille, to come and have a look at a new invention of his, before anyone else.

  "Welcome, Adjunct!" Optio Cervaille exclaimed, smiling. "I wanted you and your team to see this first, since you guys will most likely be the first to have a chance use it." Ethan thought Cervaille looked tired. No cryo sleep for him, apparently.

  He led them through the lab, along a series of desks where techs were tinkering with various gadgets and computers, through a small machine shop where legionnaires wearing goggles and protective clothing operated machines that cut, welded and assembled things that Ethan had no idea what was for. At last he entered a large room where a familiar face beamed with recognition.

  "Centurion Dyer!" he exclaimed. "I haven´t seen you since... Sorry, it´s just so nice to see you again." He saluted properly, and she giggled.

  "Don´t worry Ethan, we´re not so strict on rank here in the lab." She stepped forward and hugged him.

  Ethan had met Caroline Dyer back in Camp Piteaa, where they were both training to become heavy infantry. He had assumed she came directly from basic, like he had, but once they graduated he realized she was a Tech Centurion, with several years of combat experience.

  "Why don´t y´all have a seat," she said.

  They all sat, and Cervaille, formally outranked by everyone in the room, but in charge of the lab nonetheless, motioned for the centurion from Mobile, Alabama to sit as well. He waited for a moment before he spoke.

  "I lied to you before," he said bluntly. "I have in fact showed this to someone else, or rather, I have explained the theory and the workings of it, if not actually shown how it works. Legate Camus and Tribune Wilson, the chief of the Legion´s medics, didn´t believe me at first, but they now believe this might change the way we operate. Completely." He paused, a grin forming.

  "It is a merger of biotech, nanotech and a whole set of disciplines that was impossible before the legate doubled the size of my staff, gave us nearly unlimited computing power and let me pick the best and brightest medics and techs to work on the project. We have had several setbacks, but the recent results are so promising we have decided to test the device at the first possible opportunity, meaning the next time we go into combat."

  Ethan felt himself growing more and more curious. Optio Cervaille was a genius, having invented their exoskeletons, which were better than anything humans had back on Earth, and he had had a hand in the development of most of the advanced weaponry the infantry used today, from nuke cannons to sniper rifles. But what did he need medics for? What was the use of biotech in all this? He leaned forward, eager to hear what was to come.

  "This," the optio said, producing a box the size of a small suitcase, "is not a weapon. But it will make us legionnaires more deadly to any enemy we meet, more unstoppable than our greatest enemies. This, my friends, will make us so much harder to kill." He thought for a moment.

  "No, it won´t”, he said, more quietly now, while his eyes scanned his audience. “We´ll die just as legionnaires have died since the formation of the legions. But it will make it so that once we die, we might have a chance to live again."

  The room was silent. Ethan thought he could hear the heartbeats of everyone present.

  SD Sharon coughed discretely.

  "Excuse me, Optio Cervaille, could you please explain that. I though I heard you say that once we´re dead, this box will revive us. Seriously, that´s not possible, is it?"

  Cervaille grinned.

  "Senior decurion, it depends on how you die. If your brains are blown out, you´re just as dead as if you bleed out from a gut wound, or a severed limb. However, this "box", as you call it, will revive two out of three, if these are the causes of death."

  "You mean it will save those who bleed to death, right?" Decurion Snow asked.

  "No Sir. A team of medics will go through the casualties after the battle, grouping them into two groups. One will be the ones with their heads blown off, their bodies too mutilated to do anything about. We still don´t know how far we can take this, so we´ll just have to test it once we go into combat again. The other group will be the ones who have bled to death, lost limbs, died from internal bleeding, ruptured lungs etcetera. What I would like to refer to as relatively clean deaths." Someone chuckled. Ethan didn´t think it was funny.

  "The second group," Cervaille continued unperturbed, "can be revived. We don´t know how they will react to the experience, but I can almost guarantee most will be fine, and fit for duty after some time."

  "So it´s some kind of shock revival, with blood replacement infusion or something, right? Like a defibrillator with some kind of replacement for lost blood?" Ariel interrupted. The optio shook his head.

  "Nope. This won´t save your life. It will restart it. It will repair lost tissue, bones whatever. It will recreate your cells, including blood and nerve cells. It will... restart the system once everything is ready. It will not be able to recreate your brain, but it will revive you, if there´s enough left of you."

  "Have you tested this on living beings?" Ethan asked, still skeptical. Optio Cervaille nodded somberly.

  "Yes, we have tested it on animals. The early trials almost made us stop the entire project." He paused. Ethan could imagine that must have been hard.

  "However, we thought the gain here is so great it was worth the suffering. But it was close, damn close." He signaled to Centurion Dyer, who stepped outside for a moment. She returned seconds later, carrying a small cage with a monkey inside, looking out at them with curious eyes.

  "This," she said, "is Emmanuel. He is a common squirrel monkey from South America, and has been with us for three years. This last year, since leaving Titan, he has given his life for the Legion four times." Someone gasped, and Ethan stretched his neck to have a closer look. The centurion continued.

  "The first time we sedated him and gave him an arterial bleed, enough to kill him. Then we waited for an hour before reviving him. The second time we did the same, and let him wait for twenty-four hours. Same result. The third time we shot him, and revived him the next day. Recovery took two days. The fourth time we put him in a shielded compartment of the ship, gave him armor and a helmet, just like the ones legionnaires wear in combat, and set off a small blast. He lost one leg, and his right forelimb was shredded. His lungs were ruptured. Death was near instant. We revived him the next day.” She paused. “That was three days ago." She let that sink in. Ethan looked from the monkey to Centurion Dyer, to Optio Cervaille. Then he looked at a stunned Levi Sharon, who had leaned in to pet the monkey.

  "Please don´t do that Senior Decurion," Caroline Dyer said sternly, "Emmanuel doesn´t like it, and sometimes he bites. He only allows me to pet him."

  39.

  The officers of 1st Century were gathered, along with Tribune Tanner, Tribune Selznick and Legate Camus, in a crowded room on board the Hellfire. One Intel officer along with the recently appointed head of 7th Cohort and even the Legion Commander himself, this must be important, Ethan thought.

  "So it is what we feared," Legate Camus began. "The Luyten system is empty, all three colonies destroyed, not a Creon left as far as we can tell. Someone came and wiped them all out, took whatever they wanted, then left again." Nobody said a word. Millions of Creons dead, three thriving colonies completely wiped out. This was where the Legion had hoped to find help, or at least shelter for a while.

  "We need to find out what happened, if possible. So I want 1st Century to send a platoon down to the surface of the planet where the largest colony was located, to recon the area. We will spend a few weeks in the system, before we decide where to go next. One thing is for certain, this system is too devastated, depleted of resources, to stay."

  Centurio
n Lyons stepped forward.

  "Adjunct Wang, I´m sending you down there. Tribunes Tanner and Selznick have more details for you. The rest of you are dismissed."

  The other officers left the room, leaving Ethan and Centurion Lyons with Legate Camus and the tribunes.

  "So Ethan, are you guys ready to go," Tanner asked.

  "Yes Sir."

  "Good, I want you ready to drop within the hour. Here´s the drop zone." He flicked an embedded screen in the table, and a mash up of maps and orbital photos showed up. Ethan thought he could see shapes, squares and circles.

  "These are the ruins of Bolonrod, the city that used to be the Creon administrative seat in this system. We don´t know how complete the destruction was. Obviously, all buildings above ground are destroyed, and from the craters we believe most underground facilities are ruined as well. There might be some automatic defenses still online, though we doubt it, so be extremely careful."

  "Though we have no indication of survivors," Legate Camus began, "I want you to be alert for anything. If there are survivors, we must shelter them and help them as best we can. If you find anyone, Tribune Tanner will be able to communicate with them, to let them know our intent." Ethan was not surprised to hear that Jeremy Tanner would be joining them.

  "If you suffer any casualties, for whatever reason, you are to bring them back with you, if at all possible," Tribune Selznick said with a sideways glance at Ethan. "We might be able to revive them, with Optio Cervaille´s latest invention. I´m sending you down in exoskeletons, heavily armed. I´d like everyone to get back in one piece, whatever you may encounter down there."

  The discussed a few more details for a couple of minutes, before Ethan returned to his platoon to get them ready for the drop.

  40.

  They dropped like ghosts, the way the Legion had dropped into combat since its formation, earning its name. The Legion´s favorite tactic had always been to drop fast and hard in the midst of the enemy ranks, creating havoc and confusion, establishing bridgeheads to land greater forces, or simply wiping out the enemy from within. The Ghost Legion was known for what others would call suicidal tactics, but it was effective. The dropships were armored and shielded, almost impossible to discover before they were nearly on top of the enemy, and quick, dropping through the atmosphere at great speed, with extremely durable heat shields, able to withstand almost anything. Only at the very last minute did the powerful retro burners fire up, breaking their descent enough to make the difference between a landing and a crash.