Steel World
Page 35
“We need people like James McGill. Don’t you two see that? Legion Varus is a rough outfit. Many have tried to tame this legion and all have failed. I’m displeased with all of you—except for the recruit. It is your job to guide and nurture the natural attributes of the recruits Earth sends us, not to perm anyone who annoys you. Let me remind you that we need people who think outside the box—people who win against the odds.”
Everyone was silent for a moment. The tribune stood up and began to pace. He put his hands behind his back and walked around the room, passing behind the other officers. Even Graves looked uncomfortable.
“I’m overturning your ruling, Primus. But against my better judgment, I will not demote you. Not this time.”
“What? Demote me? What possible—”
“Not for perming a promising recruit, that’s bad, but insignificant compared to your other violations of legion policy. You did not inform me of the incident with the Galactic. That kind of matter is beyond your office—hell, it’s beyond mine, as well. I should really inform Hegemony.”
Primus Turov met his eyes. She nodded as if in sudden understanding.
“But you won’t inform Hegemony, will you?”
“No,” he said. “And that’s why I’m letting you off. The shit-storm would be tremendous. I feel the same reluctance you must have felt to kick it upstairs. I’m going to bury it, and you will all swear to bury it with me.”
“Consider it done, sir,” Graves said.
The other officers agreed quickly. But then their eyes all fell together upon me.
I shrugged. “What Galactic? I don’t remember any such thing.”
I’d meant it as a joke, but they all nodded seriously.
“Keep in mind,” the tribune continued, “despite our silence, this might not be the end of it. The Galactics often pause for a long time—even years—before deciding to proceed on an issue. The Empire is unbelievably vast. There are more layers of bureaucracy than we can even imagine. Our best scholars and contact-specialists tell us their decision-making process is slow and ponderous—but it is also very thorough. Just because they haven’t raised the issue yet doesn’t mean we’re in the clear.”
“Perhaps we should carry out the original sentence properly,” the primus said, seeing an opportunity.
I felt my gut twist. The woman wanted to see me dead at all costs.
The tribune shook his head. “It won’t matter. Galactic Law doesn’t work that way—no legal system does. You can’t shoot someone and then throw away the gun, hoping that simple act will absolve you of your crime. The Galactics think of humanity as a single entity. Anything done by any member of our species inflicts guilt upon all the rest. The charges will be against all Earth, not an individual, if they come.”
The meeting adjourned on that troubling note, and we each went our separate ways.
* * *
We exited the ship months later, riding lifters down into the atmosphere. Coming home on leave was strange. We carried our rucks to the terminal where we were surprised by a waiting throng of relatives and friends.
My parents hugged me, and my mom cried. It was strange to see them again. I’d been out in space nearly a year. How could I go back to sleeping on their couch after I’d been killed over and over again on another world?
I decided in the end that I’d just do it. That was how you returned home: you just did it. Thinking too much was never a good idea when dramatic changes were thrown at you.
None of the old friends I’d left behind had ever heard of Legion Varus, but they were impressed anyway. They were even more impressed when I told them stories of battling lizards, dying in combat, and breathing canned air for a year. Everyone knew about Cancri-9. They’d all played the game Steel World, and they couldn’t believe I’d fought there for real.
After a few days, squaddies from my unit began to contact me. We all had similar problems: we felt a disconnect with our families and old friends.
Carlos put it best, I thought: “They’re all a bunch of wannabes and lamers.”
Yeah, that was about right. I met him at a bar in Philly, and we drank like we were still aboard ship. A few others joined us, including Natasha, and for a time it was like we’d never been apart.
“How long do you think we have?” I asked finally, breaking the jovial mood for everyone.
They stopped laughing and stared into their beer mugs.
“I heard they have a new contract already,” Natasha said. “They’re just dickering about the price.”
I nodded, having heard the same thing. Legion Varus always had a job to do out in space. There was always another mess to be cleaned up, another rival to be put down.
I wondered where I would be next year. Since the question was impossible to answer, I up-ended my brew and guzzled it all down.
The End
From the Author: Thanks Reader! I hope you enjoyed STEEL WORLD. If you liked the book and would like to see it become a series, please put up some stars and a review to support it. Let new readers know what’s in store for them.
P.S. Star Force fans, book nine will be out next!
-BVL
More SF Books by B. V. Larson:
STAR FORCE SERIES
(In chronological order)
Swarm
Extinction
Rebellion
Conquest
An Army of One (Novella published in Planetary Assault)
Battle Station
Empire
Annihilation
Storm Assault
IMPERIUM SERIES
Mech Zero: The Dominant
Mech 1: The Parent
Mech 2: The Savant
Mech 3: The Empress
The Black Ship (Novella published in Five by Five)
OTHER SF BOOKS
Element-X
Technomancer
The Bone Triangle
Z-World
Velocity
Visit BVLarson.com for more information.