Curse of the Legion

by Marshall S. Thomas

  We were all volunteers, of course. I had raised my hand, and that's where my troubles had begun. It's easy to laugh at the Gods when you're young and foolish. It gets harder the more you see. I don't regret a thing—but I was sure hoping it would stop right here. Wrong. Wrong again.

  ###

  Graduation, Basic Training Course 650. Almost a thousand new recruits were braced at attention between rows of little folding chairs, filling the vast auditorium. Normally it was a sports arena. Now it was graduation. They were clad in formal Legion black, bereft of insignia. It was as quiet as a chapel. I could barely hear them breathing. BT was over, successful, done. We'd lost a few along the way, people who decided this was not for them, but that was good, not bad. The rest of them belonged here. They were believers—ready to throw their bodies between our women and children and anything at all that would threaten them. Without question, without hesitation. These were our future citizens—those who would survive.

  We instructors were off to one side, also braced at attention. We all faced a large stage with an impressive lectern emblazoned with the Legion cross. Commander Karel and a host of visiting dignitaries were gathered around the lectern. In exactly three marks the ceremony would begin. There would be several speakers, and that's when we'd get to sit down. Later the recruits would parade across the stage and be awarded their BT insignia. It wasn't over, of course—Advanced Combat Training awaited them all.

  I already knew the most effective speaker would be the ruddy-haired young lady dressed in muted brown civvies. I'd heard her speak before. She had been a civilian housewife, focused entirely on her husband. Her husband was a Legion trooper who was killed in action shortly after their marriage. She had then enlisted in the Legion, volunteered for Recon, and compiled a record body count before forced retirement due to extensive injuries including the loss of an arm and a leg. Those had been grown back, of course. She was now a citizen, an activist with No Retreat, and a motivational speaker for Legion graduations.

  "Attention to the colors!" Karel snapped. A huge holo image of the ConFree flag suddenly appeared on the wall behind the stage. It loomed over the entire gathering, a jet black field with a silvery Legion cross in the center, blinding in its intensity. The flag was seemingly live, rippling in a strong breeze, flapping, snapping, straining at the lines. We could hear the wind, amplified, tearing at the flag, and the flag, cracking in response. We all snapped to attention, and if you think you can't snap to attention when you're already at attention you'd be wrong.

  The national anthem began—The Black March, screeching through the arena like a mad cat, deafening and intense, crawling over my skin, burning into my body, throbbing in my heart. Oh, no—again! It happened every time. It was just an ancient custom, I told myself—just an old, tribal ritual. But it got me every time. My eyes would go right to the flag, right to that blinding Legion cross, and the rest of the arena would just fade to black, fading away completely—almost a thousand recruits, gone. It was just me and the Legion cross. I'd clench my teeth, always, and try real hard not to cry. My eyes were watering already. Stop it! What are you, a girl?

  The flag—all right, it meant something. It was ours. It was us. All those Outworlders and Assidics who went before. All those hopeless, outnumbered, disarmed slaves who had risen up against tyranny and raised that flag, against impossible odds. It was our ancestors. Now we were being tested, too. The flag was still with us. But were we the same people as our ancestors?

  And our enemies. I guess they didn't know about the flag. Who did they think they were dealing with? They're going to raid our worlds, kill our nationals, rape and behead our women, hang our children in contempt? And they think nothing is going to happen to them? They think nobody cares? That may have been true under System rule. But things have changed out here, in the Outvac. This is a dangerous place for Systies, or any other savages who would attack followers of the Black Flag. We will have no mercy on our enemies. We will strike back at them with all our strength, annihilate their star fleets, attack their home worlds, burn their cities to the ground, and exterminate anyone who dares resist us. We'll kill a thousand of them for each of our own dead—maybe a million! They'll remember the Black Flag.

  The anthem was climaxing. My heart was pounding. Attack us, will you? We'll see about that! We're going to kill every last one of you subhuman vermin! And any goodlib traitors who try to talk us out of it—they die too! Enemies foreign and domestic, that was in the Legion oath. The traitors were always there, squirming in the dark, just waiting their chance to seize power, to destroy ConFree and the Legion, to turn us all back into Systie slaves. No—that won't happen as long as I'm on duty!

  ###

  She came like some evil phantom, with a brace of other big shots, to attend the graduation of Basic Training Course 650. She must have shown up at the last moment because I hadn't seen her on stage. I had been concentrating on the graduation. It was a significant event for the kids, but not as significant as the live-fire event that would constitute their graduation from Advanced Combat Training after the Hell Course. It was a significant event for the Legion too—we were proud of our recruits.

  When I heard she was here I just closed my eyes. This was the very last thing I needed.

  ###

  "Well, I guess that's her," I said. An aircar was settling down on our lawn, blowing debris around from the forest. It was early evening.

  "Remember, Thinker," Priestess warned me, "whatever she wants, the answer is no."

  "No. Right—no." I said.

  "Not only no," Millie added, "But hell no."

  "Hell no. Right! All right, let's be nice."

  The chimes sounded softly. The front door slid open. Tara stood there, shaking soft silky hair back over her shoulders, clad in Legion black, a faint smile, bewitching liquid Assidic eyes, pale brown skin, high cheekbones. An angel—a bloody angel, trapped downside through some cosmic miracle.

  "Wester!" she exclaimed, "You look terrific! It's so…" I couldn't help it. I reached out and drew her to me. A warm embrace, and the past swirled softly around us. We had been through too much together—too damned much.

  I reluctantly released her, and she turned and Priestess reached out and embraced her, and I think Tara whispered "Priestess," but I wasn't sure. Then Tara spotted Millie and disengaged slowly from Priestess and went over to Millie and put her hands on Millie's shoulders and kissed her right on the forehead, almost reverently.

  "Thank you, Millie," Tara said, "again, and forever. The people of ConFree owe you everything." She looked around, calmly. "Wester, and Priestess, and Millie. You all have a claim on me, forever. Anything you want—anything! You're all heroes, to me. I dream about you, at night. Believe it or not, it's true. It's so wonderful to see you again!"

  "It's good to see you too, Tara," I said. "How about some dox?"

  ###

  We regrouped in my den, in airchairs, over hot dox, with Priestess and Millie watching Tara the same way you'd watch a particularly poisonous viper.

  "Quite a setup, Wester!" Tara declared, looking around the room. It was full of advanced commo equipment, but lately I hadn't used it much. "I hear you've been writing your memoirs."

  "Yes," I replied. "That, and raising a family."

  "And building Legion troopers. We appreciate that, Wester. You're exactly the type of person we need for that important task."

  "You mean, because I'm still alive. Yes, that's what you need all right. Live instructors. Well, the recruits are terrific. They'll get by, with or without me."

  Tara smiled. "That was a very impressive ceremony."

  "Yes, we try to do it right," I said. "Some of them may drop out in ACT, but just getting through BT is a real accomplishment. And we want to make sure they realize what they've done. These kids are the future—we all admire them."

  "What's the dropout rate in Basic—BT, you call it?" she asked.

  "Yes, BT for Basic Training. It varies. Maybe four, five percent. It'
s not usually from lack of ability—but from realizing what it is they're committing to, and deciding it's not for them."

  "And what about the Advanced Course?"

  "It goes up to maybe six percent in ACT—Advanced Combat Training. Sometimes more. They're physically fit, by then, but many of them are not mentally prepared, even after BT."

  "Any deaths?"

  "A few. We try very hard to avoid that. But it still happens."

  "I thought we were going to use holo-x sims instead of killing off our recruits before they even graduate. Whatever happened to that?"

  "You tell me. We're all anxious to use holo-x in training. We've got some tremendous scenarios for the kids to use—and they won't know if it's real or not! But there's no word on the holo-x."

  "I'll look into it, Wester. Combat always has priority for holo-x, I'm sure that's what happened. These drop-out rates. Any trends in comparison to previous years?"

  "No, it's about the same."

  "Good. Good. We're watching ConFree youth carefully, Wester. It's very important. Of course you're getting the cream, the very best. There are some troubling trends, with our kids. A lot of them are hooked on holo sex. That's all they do. The games come from the System. Ormans, of course—the slimy bastards! We're going to counter it."

  "What's your current rank, Tara? Can I ask?" Priestess interrupted. We didn't normally wear rank insignia in the Legion.

  "I'm a two-star now. Deputy Director of Galactic Information."

  "For the Outvac?"

  "No, for ConFree."

  A two-star general! And Deputy Director of Galactic Information—for all ConFree! She was one of the most important officials in ConFree—and why shouldn't she be? Her credentials were impeccable. She had lost it all, her family, her lover, her mind, to the enemies of ConFree. All she had left was a burning rage for vengeance. Unlike me! I wasn't like her, any more. I had something to live for, now.

  "By the way," Tara said, "thanks for those atrocity shots, from—um, Fortuna. It was just what we needed." She took a sip of dox. "Good dox."

  "I'm glad you liked our vacation pix," I said. "Too bad so many ConFree nationals had to die to make you happy."

  Tara looked up. "My! No need to react so strongly, Wester. I'm sorry if I sound uncaring, but what I said was true. And I'm not uncaring. I am very involved, with that incident and a lot of others. But the truth is, atrocity holos are critical to our efforts. We seek the truth, we deal in the truth, and we disseminate the truth to the whole damned galaxy, whether they like it or not. Every ConFree school kid is going to walk through that holo, as soon as they're old enough. And they're never going to forget it! They're never going to forget what the U'tal did to them—to their people—to Outworlder women and children. It will be part of their education. And it will be the truth!"

  "Hello," LiLo said. She stood in the doorway to the den with Lester and Andrea beside her, each grasping a hand. I stole a glance at the chron on the wall—LiLo was right on time. I wanted her to show Tara exactly what my situation was—just to avoid any misunderstandings. Lester detached himself from LiLo and toddled over to Priestess while LiLo escorted Andrea to Millie.

  "They're beautiful, Wester!" Tara commented. "You're a lucky man."

  "Things have changed, Tara. I'm domesticated and housebroken, by these two lovelies and the children. I don't piss on the floor anymore, and I don't go off on crazy adventures."

  Tara gave us a mischievous grin. "Well, you've certainly changed, Wester. You have a beautiful family and a very impressive home. And this is…?" She was looking at LiLo.

  "Oh! Sorry," I said. "This is LiLo. She helps out around the house. We couldn't get by without her."

  "Pleased to meet you, Ma'am," LiLo said.

  "And you even have servants!" Tara laughed out loud. "That's wonderful, Wester. We're doing research on changing lifestyles within ConFree. Maybe I'll put you in there. I suppose you're showering in warm water?"

  "As a matter of fact, we are."

  "Ah! Another Legion tradition down the shower drain! I still use ice cold, you know."

  "Sometimes I use hot water, Tara. If I feel like it!"

  "Well that's fine, Wester. This dox is wonderful. Wester, if you're free tomorrow I'd like to invite you and your family—kids, servants, everybody—to accompany me on the Silver Cloud. They're taking us on an overnight round trip to the Great Rift and back. Just a quick tour, to impress the VIP's. I'm told it's a memorable experience. Have you been on the Silver Cloud?"

  "No, I haven't." It was on my 'must-do' list. The Silver Cloud was an air effects liner, a huge passenger craft designed primarily for family vacations. Priestess had been nagging me for months to arrange a trip.

  "We'd love to go," Priestess said. "Thanks, Tara. It's tomorrow? But we don't have tickets."

  "Don't worry about that. I'll get your tickets and staterooms. How many rooms would you like?"

  "Um, maybe two. How much are the tickets?"

  "The tickets are free. I'll see you at the Providence skyport at 0800 hours tomorrow."

  As Tara departed I noticed Priestess and Millie exchanging glances. They were tense and grim. They appeared distinctly unhappy about the free tickets. I knew better than to ask any questions.

  ###

  The Silver Cloud was even more impressive in reality than in the holo pix I had seen of it. It was a gigantic, silvery white air effects liner, reflecting the sunlight of a sparkling new morning as we boarded through one of two great passenger ramps locked to the leading edge of the fuselage. It loomed overhead almost like some titanic stone monument, resting on massive landing supports, seemingly growing out of the bedrock. The ship was roughly hexagonal in shape, flat on top and bottom, with no wings and a projecting nose. There were several decks inside, and wide viewports ran all around the craft, almost from stem to stern. Many of them were open to the morning and we could see people moving around inside.

  "Wow!" Millie said as she walked up the ramp with Andrea.

  "Wow!" Lester repeated from LiLo's arms.

  Wow, I thought. We couldn't see the top of the ship from the ramp.

  "Welcome to the Silver Cloud, sir," a smiling young man dressed in ship's whites said. "You're the Wester party? General Hanna has arranged your quarters. Please follow me." The Silver Cloud was run by a private firm. We followed him through wide, tastefully decorated corridors bathed in sunlight to two adjoining suites, huge luxurious rooms done in spotless phospho white and gleaming chrome—seemingly set up for an emperor and his concubines.

  "I'm beginning to worry about this, Thinker," Priestess said.

  "Your idea, Priestess. So don't blame me," I replied.

  "Just remember, no matter what, the answer is still no."

  "No—right."

  ###

  We watched from an open viewport on starboard as the Silver Cloud lifted gracefully from the ground, completely soundless and seemingly as light as a feather. There was no sense of movement except for the view of the skyport, sliding gently away below us.

  "No sound?" Millie asked.

  "It's powered by a series of huge air effects props down below built into the bottom of the ship," I said. "If you listen carefully you can hear a muffled whisper, but it's built to be soundless."

  "It's as if we're floating," Priestess said.

  "It's not meant to go fast," I said. "It's meant to fly like a cloud. What a morning! Taste that air! What a view!"

  "Is it dangerous?" Millie asked.

  "No! Even if we lose all power, we'll just float down to safety. We can land anywhere—land or water."

  "This is really something," Priestess said.

  I leaned against the railing and breathed in that magnificent morning. Now this was the way to travel!

  ###

  "There's a swimming pool topsides on the Lido Deck," LiLo announced excitedly, with Lester and Andrea in tow. "Two of them, actually! May I take the kids swimming?"

  "Is there a wading pool?" M
illie asked. Millie and Priestess and I were having brunch in a large dining hall on Deck 2, sipping dox and snacking on smokies and cheese, surrounded by other passengers doing the same. I loved the view, but we had skipped breakfast at home.

  "Yes, Ma'am," LiLo replied. "It's all out in the sunlight up there. It's amazing! They have a running track, netball, and lots of other things. All these ladies are walking around in their undies tanning themselves."

  I laughed, and so did Priestess and Millie. "Sure, take them, LiLo," Priestess said. "Keep a sharp eye on them. Do you have a bathing suit?"

  "No, Ma'am."

  "Here, take this—that should be enough. Buy yourself a swimming suit from the ship's store on Deck 1. Lester and Andrea both have those little waterproof things, in the survival kit."

  "Yes, Ma'am. Thank you, Ma'am!" She took off with the kids.

  "She knows a lot, but there's still a lot she doesn't know," Priestess reflected.

  "She's cute," Millie said.

  "There you are!" Tara exclaimed, charging into the dining hall. She was still in her blacks, and looked terrific. "I finally got rid of them! How are you all doing?"

  "Have some dox, Tara," I said. "Take a seat. We're doing fine. Do you know they have swimming pools up topside?"

  "Yes, the Minister of Education invited me to go swimming. He said he'd like to see me in bathing attire."

  "And what did you tell him?"

  "I said 'In your dreams, sir.'" She took a sip of dox. "Ah, that's good. Actually we had a useful session. We got a brief on the latest sitrep from Asumara."

  "Really," I said. "What's the latest?"

  "We found the Bold Lady in orbit around Asumara 5. They were refitting it, trying to disguise it. That's all we needed. Their infrastructure is almost totally destroyed by now. The whole planet is burning. We've hit every significant military, government and economic target they've got. Their star fleet is finished. We don't think there's a single intact starship left. All power is gone. Their population is going to be cranky for a long time. We're running out of targets. And this is just the initial reprisal, carried out by Fleetcom and our Phantoms. They can't even see the Phantoms, of course, but they sure as hell know when they hit a target. We haven't even communicated with them yet. But when we do, they'll be told that the ConFree Council has prepared a declaration of war, and unless they meet our terms we will make it formal. Then we'll enforce a galactic embargo and take stronger measures."