"There it is—Mantis." It was a golden pearl, glittering almost like a star, so bright, so luminous that the backdrop of milky stars just faded away before its glory. We were in the Kiss, looking right at our future.
"Deadman. Where's the star?" Dragon asked.
"Over there, left and behind us. You can't see it from your seat," Redhawk said.
I just stared at the planet. Mantis—I had never imagined it would be so beautiful. Dear holy God, it was magnificent. It was still quite distant, but as we drew nearer and nearer, I realized the planet was mostly water; and it was reflecting the sunlight, a blinding sheet of molten gold. This was Gildron's world. He had yearned to return there, after many years in the hands of the slavers, and even after having found love with Tara. He had never known where his world was, until the end, just before he gave his life, so that we might live.
We owed him, I thought. He was gone, but we owed his people—the Daz'ra. That was what Gildron said they were called—the Daz'ra. It meant 'people'. We owed them. And we were going to repay them by peppering their world with antimats. The O's had chosen Mantis as their primary galactic base, and we were going to annihilate every O starship, every O base, every O on Mantis. A lot of Daz'ra would surely die as well, in the carnage. And there was nothing at all we could do about it. I sure didn't have any solutions. This was our one chance to strike a decisive blow against the entire O fleet. And we were going to take it. I felt so sorry for the Daz'ra. What a poor way to repay them, for Gildron's selfless act.
"Any activity from the O fleet?" I asked. I had to get my mind back on the subject at hand.
"That's a twelve," Redhawk replied. "Look at them all. Fat and happy. Look at all those fighters and scouts." On the tacscreen the planet was ringed with starships, a dusty pink halo of red dots, each a ship, great motherships and battlestars, transports and carriers, cruisers and tacships and interceptors and fighters. It was a huge fleet, hardened by hundreds of years of battle, hovering over the O's new home, the planet they had chosen as the springboard for the attack on the rest of the inhabited galaxy.
"We're invisible," Redhawk added happily. "We're sliding right in, past everything they've got. Nobody can see the Kiss. We're an invisible bullet. Don't worry, Thinker, we'll get you there. The Kiss has never failed us."
As I watched that lovely planet grow larger as we approached, a lump grew in my throat and my eyes started watering. Damn it! It's obscene, what we're going to do to that world, and everyone who lives on it. Kill 'em all! That was our mission, wasn't it? That was what we did, what the Legion did. We killed, for peace. Yes—well, it was just too damned bad, wasn't it? Stop snivelling! It's kill or be killed out here. The O's have already butchered two billion humans. Now it's our turn. Two billion dead O's, that's what I wanted to see. And if a lot of innocents were to die in the crossfire, it was just too damned bad. Deadman would just have to sort them out, wouldn't he?
I tore my gaze away from Mantis, into a glorious, milky trail of diamond dust, scattered across a velvet sky. No escape. A cold thrill ran over my flesh. We were falling through the cosmos like an evil bat, headed straight as an arrow to Mantis.
"Stars," I whispered. Sweety responded immediately. The music of the stars hissed and crackled in my ears, an insane orchestra of doomed suns, erupting supernovae, howling black holes, growling red giants, shrieking white dwarves. It always calmed me down.
"Think we'll do all right?" Sweats asked me on private. I knew he was a good man, focused on the mission.
"It's going to be perfect," I replied quickly. "Kick in the doors, secure eight Outworlders and twenty-eight Taka, back in the Kiss, and we're gone. Better than sims. Nobody's going to stop us. You can bet on it." And after that, I thought, comes the holocaust—for everybody. Nobody was about to reveal to me what Fleetcom's strength was for this mission, but from what Tara had said I strongly suspected most of ConFree's galactic star fleet would be on this mission. They were coming, even now, thousands of dark, battle-scarred ships from the bloody victory at Andrion Deep, unstoppable, irresistible, full of bitter Fleetcom vacheads and fanatic Legion boots sworn to die for our people, for every woman and child in ConFree, pledged to avenge our dead, all set to burst out of stardrive at exactly zero hour, and fall on the Omni fleet like a swarm of psychotic avenging angels.
I tried not to stare at that gigantic, blazing world as we fell towards it. All I lived for was to happen, this very day. My wife, my love, was down there, and I would be meeting her soon. I could almost taste her. It was deathly silent in the Spawn—only a few peeps from the instruments on the console, and the murmur of the universe in my ears. Outside, an infinity of icy stars. I knew the Gods didn't care a whit if we lived or died. We were A&A, armored and armed, but the helmets were off. Stormdawn was praying, eyes closed, lips moving soundlessly—a chant to the dead, I knew, for victory. Deadeye was sharpening a Legion cold knife that I had issued him, his face impassive. Anything that got in his way was going to die very quickly, I knew. Both Deadeye and Storm were expert marksmen with the E by now. And I knew they had no pity for their enemies.
"Now you mind your manners, Jo-Jo," Tourist said, "remember, don't fire unless they kill us first!" He gave me a wild grin.
"Can I cuss at 'em?" Jo-Jo rumbled.
"Cuss at 'em all you want, gang, but remember your orders," I said calmly. "Don't fire unless you're fired upon. Once they do fire, let loose. Until then, keep your safeties on. I'll be right up front, so I should take the first rounds if they do fire. I know I can depend upon you." Don't fire unless fired upon! It was lunacy. We needed all the advantage we could get, with the O's. And now this. It probably made perfect sense to the fat-assed rear echelon weenie who had thought it up. But he wasn't here.
I tried to relax, leaning back in the command chair just behind the pilot. It had been a long flight. The Spawn had chosen an impossible distant derelict asteroid, far outside the Mantis system, exited stardrive very briefly in its vicinity, then almost immediately ripped another hole into the vac and departed. Fleetcom calculated that the activity would not be detectable from the Mantis system because the asteroid masked the exit and entry signatures. During its brief presence in normal vac the Spawn had launched the Kiss into the dark. And here we were. Starcom was certainly going to a lot of trouble, for a mission they allegedly did not approve of. I figured there was more to it than that. Our A-suits carried the very latest equipment—full Q-link commo. I didn't care. I was getting what I needed.
"Don't be stupid, Rabies! I'm not taking that!" Viper, our hot-tempered female, seemed a bit upset.
"I just thought…" Rabies was concealing something in his palm.
"Stop thinking! You just keep it! Nothing's going to happen, do you hear me? Nothing!" Rabies did not reply. He put the item away. I knew instantly what this was. Rabies thought he wasn't going to make it. He had tried to give something to Viper, something she would pass on to his parents, or his girl, in the event of his death. And she wouldn't do it—because it was bad luck. I was enraged. Why the hell couldn't they keep their chatter on private? Stupid kids! Damn it! I didn't need this! I had enough death tattoos already; I didn't need any more. Coolhand, Warhound, Ironman, Boudicca, Sassin, Millina, Flash…their faces flickered before me. How many more, Deadman, how many more? I didn't want to get to know these kids; I didn't want to know about their fears and dreams. I wanted them to be strangers to me, serial numbers, ghosts…alive, dead, all the same. Legion ghosts, that's what I needed, a squad of ghosts.
"Right on course, gang," Redhawk grinned. "No reaction from the O's. They're asleep. Nightside coming up."
Don't fire unless fired upon, I thought. Deto! We were ready. Ready, ready, ready. We were in top form. There was nothing further to be done until the crash doors popped open. Mantis was gigantic now, one side still blinding us, as bright as a sun, the other edge plunged in an inky black. We were headed for darkside. I checked the image from the Q-link eyemote. Moontouch was still there, inside
the hut, busy doing some kitchen work with that big female Daz'ra. Everyone else was asleep. My heart gave me a tug, as it always did when I saw Moontouch's sacred image. Atmospherics showed a storm front approaching the ZA. Rain—good. That was good. All was well. I was calm and serene. I closed my eyes.
"Dragon, Thinker," I said. "I'm taking five. Wake me if anything happens."
"Tenners," Dragon replied. I knew what I was doing. The squad had already heard I was a psychotic killer, they knew I'd killed an Orman in cold blood, they knew I had disobeyed orders and went on to rescue a Legion squad, and served time in a stockade for it, and now I was giving them a new story—I had icewater in my veins. I knew what they'd say. He dozed off, man! We were on our way into the shit, entering the at, and he took a little nap on the way down! I didn't mind. Fear and respect—that's what a mission commander needed.
The Phantom started lurching as we entered the atmosphere. I was tired, I really did need a little rest. Just a few z's….I faded into a warm mist…touching my skin. Raining, a light rain. No—a heavy, heavy rain. A sudden Galgos tropical downpour. Tara and I sought shelter in a deserted toolshed. The dark forest around us was cringing under the watery hail, the road was a river and the torrent was battering at the metal roof. It put a warm thrill to my skin.
"Let it rain all night," I said. "I love this stuff."
"You're a hopeless romantic, Wester," Tara replied. "I've got to get back. I've got things to do." She was a lot younger then—we were both a lot younger.
"You're not going anywhere in this downpour. You could drown out there."
"Am I safer with you?" A faint smile, looking out at the rainy haze.
"Well…maybe not."
"I guess I can handle you. Did I tell you I have a black badge in contact?"
"No. You didn't."
"How're your lessons going?" she asked.
"Good. I love them. It's a total work-out. I feel really good when it's over."
"Kind of like getting beat up? Let me know if you need any tips."
"Will you stop that, Tara? Why do you always have to be one-up on everybody?"
"It's only the truth, Wester. Why did you choose contact? I thought you didn't like sports."
"I don't. Sports don't interest me. But contact does."
"Well, it could come in handy if we keep on, um, associating. I'll admit I can be a pain at times, Wester. Why do you keep hanging around me?"
"Gee, I don't know. I'm hoping you'll break down some day and show me that birthmark."
"Oh, did you believe that? You believe everything I say, don't you?"
"No. I don't. Are you coming with me to the Graduation Ball?"
"It's hard to believe you're graduating. It seems like we met just yesterday."
"That's kind of an indirect answer. I really want you to come with me, Tara."
"Do you think we look good together?"
"Yes. I do."
"Of course I'll come, Wester. I'm flattered you asked me. I'm so weird that people have actually thrown stones at me. You're not afraid to take me to the ball?"
"Well, I'll keep an eye out for stones. Look—the rain is letting up." The rain had slowed to a staccato drum-beat of heavy drops, pelting the leaves.
"I told you I'm a virgin," Tara said. "I wasn't kidding about that." Her hand found mine and squeezed. "Do you ever think about the future, Wester?"
"I try not to. I'm focused on the present."
"Do you think…we have a future? You and me, I mean."
"Well, I sure hope so." I looked into those smoky, exotic eyes. I could see nothing in there—only mystery. "I told you how I feel about you, Tara. You laughed."
"It was just a defensive mechanism, Wester. I'm sorry if I offended you. I think about the future all the time. It's a cruel future. It's a cruel galaxy. We have to tame it. ConFree has to tame it. And we all have to help."
"Do we have to do that right now?" I put my arms around her.
"I'm a woman," she said. "Kiss me."
We lost ourselves in a hot, wet kiss, until the night was spinning softly all around us. Finally a growing thunder rumbled through the forest and the trees shuddered.
"A launch," I said. "Come on." We rushed out into a dripping rain. There was a fierce glow past the trees and a piercing shriek as a shuttle rose majestically into the dark sky.
"The clouds are clearing," Tara said. She pointed skywards. As we watched, the lights began to appear, just a few at first, then more of them, burning brighter as the clouds fled. Soon the starry night sky was full of navlights all lit up like red and green stars, fleets of starships—transports and star carriers, personal yachts and Fleetcom cruisers, hurtling around Galgos 4 in orbit. Another deep roar sounded from the starport, another brilliant glow rose behind the trees.
"That's the power and glory," Tara said. "That's ConFree. It's our heritage. The Zone is the crossroads of galactic trade. Look at all those ships. Don't ever forget you're a Zonie, Wester. A hundred years from now, we'll still remember this."
"A hundred years from now, we'll be dead."
"No, we won't! I'm going to be immortal. Won't you? I'll be in the Legion. I'm going to be a citizen. Are you going to stay down here in the mud?"
"It's not so bad down here, Tara."
"I'd be so disappointed in you if you did that, Wester. So disappointed."
"Why don't you just shut down and give me another kiss?"
"Did I tell you I have a little daughter?"
"Did that happen before or after you were a virgin?"
"Wester! Why do you have to be so damned literal? She's not really my daughter. She kind of…adopted me. I mean, I adopted her. She's a little Galgie girl."
"How do your parents feel about that?"
"They don't know. You know I lead a double life, Wester."
"I'm tired of hearing about that, Tara."
"Oh! Now you're angry again. Just because you don't understand. Well, one of these days you'll understand, Wester. One of these days, you'll see."
"I sure hope so."
"Thinker. We're nearing the target." It was Dragon, on private. My eyes popped open and the memory vanished just like a mist. I hadn't forgotten a thing—Deadman, what a miracle. She had left me only a few weeks later. She hadn't even said goodbye. It was black outside the armored plex—smoky clouds whipped past. The leading edges of the Phantom's wings glowed a pale orange as we hurtled into the dark. What the hell am I doing dreaming about Tara? I've got more important things to do!
"Helmets on," I said. "Tac mode. Systems check. Weapons check." I locked my helmet into place and the interior lit up with a pale green glow, tacmap and biostats and all the rest of it, burnt right into my faceplate. The eyemote showed Moontouch was settling into her bed. The interior of the hut was dark except for a faint glow from the embers of the fireplace.
"Systems all green. Weapons all green," Dragon reported.
"Count off!" I snapped.
"Dragon!"
"Sweats!"
"Deadeye here, Slayer."
"Stormdawn is here."
"Tourist."
"Jo-Jo!"
"Rabies."
"Viper."
"D.D.'s here."
"Redhawk."
"All right, gang," I said. "Good news. It's going to be raining when we hit the target. There's lots of lightning hits, too—that's excellent cover for us. We go exactly as planned. No firing unless fired upon. Take out the doors with v-max. The Kiss will insert elements A, B , C and D at targets A, B, C and D respectively, then evac D, C, B and A in that order. If she's forced to break off at any time to suppress enemy fire she'll do so, and we'll wait at our targets for evac. All element leaders have Q-link eyemotes on their targets and as of right now, all targets are happily in place except for two Outworlder females, what's the story, Dragon?"
"They're both returning to the hut right now. They had gone out to wee. They should be in place when we arrive."
"Well, I hope the rain isn
't going to make anyone else get up and visit the outhouses. Keep me informed."
"It's always something you can never plan for."
"Rain is good. Don't complain."
"There's a lot of activity around the hive."
"Yeah, I know. What are they doing?"
"Don't know. Transporting stuff on air effects sleds. But they don't seem interested in our target area."
"Good!" I didn't care what they were up to, as long as they weren't paying attention to our targets.
###
"Element A! Prep for decar." I stood by the crash door, clad in battle-scarred black cenite armor, bristling with weaponry and sensors, deep ruby red faceplate reflecting only death, cool green reflections etched into the interior mils from my eyes, tacmap, sitrep, biostats, eyemotes, all well, all well… The Phantom was shuddering, all black outside, inky rain streaking the plex horizontally, all adrenalin now, icy calm, my jaws locked, helmet shaking, can't even see the eyemote now but I know she's there, all I am, all I exist for, don't get in my way now or you die fast, now, now, now—
"Element A! Decar!" The crash door popped open and I leaped out blindly into a fierce gust of heavy rain and swirling wind.
"Death!" I charged forward blindly over spongy turf towards the little hut dug into the hillside as Sweety outlined the door on my faceplate, bless her. Deadeye and Stormdawn were right behind me but I wasn't thinking about them. I fired auto v-max and blew the heavy door right into the hut. The Phantom's backblast generated a tornado of rain and mud as it glided away to Site B. The countdown was underway—02 fracs and I was already in the hut, standing on the splintered wreckage of the door like some armored nightmare from the bowels of Hell, every life form in the hut outlined in red on my faceplate, seven huge Daz'ras caught in bed, still stunned, and one figure flashing green, smaller, much smaller, also in bed—bless you, Sweety! I reached out for her with my left hand and she shrank back from the horrific vision. Deadyeye and Stormdawn burst into the hut behind me, two more obscene war-beasts, come to slaughter you all.
"Moontouch! It's Slayer! We are here! Come with me, now! Quickly!" Sweety amplified my voice to a booming command.
Curse of the Legion Page 20
