Prophet of ConFree (The Prophet of ConFree)

by Marshall S. Thomas

  "That's pretty idealistic, I'm impressed. Do you know anything about Veltros?"

  "Yeah, it's the Legion's premier basic training center. Everybody gets run through Veltros. Only it's a long star run from here. Did they tell you you'd be leaving tomorrow?"

  "Yes, they did."

  "Good. We'll be going together. Looks like just the two of us."

  "Great! That's great!" He took a big gulp of dox and held out a fist. "Arie Gaignon. It's great to meet you."

  "Richard Rains," I said, touching knuckles. "Likewise. I'm from Windwood. Recently graduated from Windwood Middle."

  "Same here, Sunglen Middle. It wasn't much of a school, but I liked it – until she dumped me. I was on track, gymnastics and contact."

  "Wow! Really? You're a real athlete." He sure didn't look it.

  "Yeah, I guess so. I liked it. But that's all gone now." The past is dead and gone, I thought.

  "Did you see the Monument to the Dead?" he asked. "In the plaza?"

  "Yes – I noticed it when I first arrived but I didn't pay much attention."

  "That's got all the names of all the Legion troopers who died defending the people of ConFree. Immortals all. That's what they told me. An endless list, they said."

  "Yeah, I know about the monument. They've got it in every Legion installation."

  "You seem to know a lot about the Legion," Arie said.

  "I've studied history, that's all. It seems strangely inappropriate that the first thing new Legion volunteers see after walking through the Gate is a list of Legion dead."

  "I'm sure there's a reason for it."

  "Yeah, me too. What do they make you do here? Any duties? Processing?"

  "No, they said just wait for the aircar tomorrow. I've been lying around sipping dox, mostly."

  "Is there a mess hall around here, or something to eat?"

  "Sure, come on, I'll show you."

  Δ

  Arie and I stood in the backblast of the aircar as it settled onto the landing pad on the roof of the Legion installation. It was a bright, clear day and Eugarat's two moons were both visible overhead as the crash doors of the car slid open. Mustache said goodbye to us from the carport personnel door. I still didn't know his name. We scrambled into the car, finding seats and strapping in. It was a Legion military transport car, with two troopers up front piloting it. Arie and I were the only passengers. We lifted off abruptly, gained altitude rapidly and headed roughly southwest towards Temple Mount and the starport. We had a fabulous view of Windwood as we shot over it heading for the future. A seemingly endless green forest, with a neat little settlement nestled in the trees. I could see downtown, the civic center, the hospital, Windwood Middle School, my own little residential neighborhood, rust-red roofs scattered through the forest. I spotted the teen club up on a forested hill, and even the playground on the edge of the botanical gardens. Last view, I thought. That was my home. I wondered if I would ever see it again.

  Arie and I had talked a lot the night before but finally fell asleep in our quarters, exhausted. Now Arie was quiet, and I still felt very tired. I hadn't gotten much sleep, the first night of my new life. Suddenly I remembered – Mark's note! It was still crumpled in my trousers pocket, I hadn't even thought about it before. I pulled the little note out of the envelope.

  When and if you come back I will be going with Kittykat.

  Good luck. Mark R. Kane.

  Chapter 2

  The Dark Lady

  "ATTENTION!" The voice was at max volume and it cut through the buzz of random conversation like an electric shock. There must have been close to a hundred of us, volunteers from all over Eugarat, crowded into a spotless white assembly hall with the Cross of the Legion on the wall behind the raised dais. "This is your initial intelligence test," the voice continued. It was coming from one of four black-clad Legion troopers who had just entered the room. "Shut down! Then form rows of ten, facing front. NOW, bodies! Why are you standing there?"

  We hustled to form the rows in silence except for the shuffling of bodies. We were still in civvies and had no idea what was coming. The building we were in was part of the Temple Mount spaceport complex. From what I gathered from the other bodies, some of them had been waiting weeks for this event. Arie and I had arrived just in time for the space flight to Veltros, which was set for the following day.

  Arie and I found a place midway into the second row and then did our best to become invisible. We could hear the Legion troopers discussing us as the people at the rear did their best to form one last row that evidently did not add up to ten.

  "They get scruffier every time, don't they?"

  "Deadman! See the one with the bone in his nose?"

  "You want to rip it out or can I?"

  "That girl looks like she could kick ass."

  "I don't think that's a girl."

  "STAND AT ATTENTION! SILENCE! Now the intelligence test will continue. First man in the first row, here –" he pointed at him. "You say ONE and the rest of you count off, two, three, four, et cetera. Can you do that? Let's hear it. NOW!"

  "One." It was barely audible.

  "WHAT?"

  "ONE!"

  "That's better. Continue!"

  "Two!'

  "Uh, three!"

  "Four!"

  "Um, five. I mean, five!" This continued with several hopeless screw-ups until the last man confirmed there were ninety-six of us. We were mostly young males, almost all Outworlders, with a sprinkling of females as well. It was a motley crew.

  "ATTENTION!" We didn't know how to stand at attention but we gave it our best. It was silent. A new trooper entered, making his way to the dais and standing behind a lectern. He dropped a field cap onto the lectern. He was flanked by the other troopers. He appeared as young as the others but you could tell immediately he was not the type you'd want to challenge to a bar fight. He stood there glaring at us for some time. Then he spoke.

  "Is this the best we could do?"

  "I'm afraid so, sir," one of the troopers answered.

  The officer sighed. "All right, volunteers, pay attention. You are about to be inducted into the ConFree Legion. Tomorrow you will be transported to Veltros for Basic Training. That's all you have to know for now." He spoke in a low voice; I had to strain to hear him. "You should know that your act of volunteering is greatly appreciated by the people of ConFree. It comes at a very dangerous time in galactic history. Great events are underway that are going to threaten ConFree's future and perhaps the future of humanity as well. The ConFree Legion is all that stands between our sworn enemies and the women and children of ConFree. And, after Basic, you are going to be the ConFree Legion. Think about that as you repeat the Oath of Enlistment. Generations of Legion troopers before you have taken this oath, and we all take it very seriously. Now, eyes front, salute with right fist over your heart, and repeat the words you see on the screen. Attention to the colors!"

  The lights abruptly cut off, plunging us into darkness. A huge screen appeared behind the dais, glowing with light, and it revealed a great flag, the black flag of ConFree with a silvery Legion Cross in the center, seemingly flapping in a brisk breeze. We could hear the wind whipping past and the flag cracking in response. The Legion Cross was shimmering with silvery light – almost as if it was on fire.

  White letters suddenly appeared on the screen, scrolling across from right to left. The officer led us with a solemn voice, crystal clear, his fist to his heart. I slammed my fist over my own chest and repeated the words in time with his.

  "I am a soldier of the Legion. I believe in Evil – the survival of the strong and the death of the weak. I am the Guardian. I am the sword of light in the dark of the night. I will deliver us from Evil." The dark hall reverberated with our words as the flag continued to flap boldly and the words continued to scroll over the screen.

  "I accept life everlasting and the death of my past. I will trust no Earther worm nor any mortal man, but only the mark of the Legion. I have burnt the book
of laws to serve the Deadman's cause as a soldier of the Legion."

  I was almost paralyzed before that wild flag, hypnotized by that burning Legion cross. My eyes were watering. I knew about the Legion. I had studied history. Every word was true, I knew. I had never imagined in my wildest nightmares that it had anything to do with me. And here I was!

  "I am the slave of the Future, at the gateway to the stars. Where I can see – eternity. For I walk in the shadow of death and yet I fear no evil, for I am the light in the dark, I am the watch on the mark, I am a Soldier of the Legion."

  I was stunned. It was true. I was a soldier of the Legion. Me!

  "I will have no talk with Evil. The arts of death are the tools of life. And in the end I will send a maxburst to advise the O's come by surprise, and though we kill them where they stand we know it's death's dark land, for a soldier of the Legion."

  The lights snapped back on, the flag and the screen were gone, and we stood there frozen in shock. The officer turned to face us. "Welcome to the ConFree Legion. Proceed through the doors to your left for issuance of fatigues and boots."

  Δ

  "SIMULATE ATTENTION!" One of our black-clad minders ordered. We may have been inducted into the Legion but we sure weren't soldiers yet. We did our best to stand at attention. It was very early the next morning and we were formed up in ten squads outside on the spaceport grounds, ready for our new life. They had yanked us out of our bunks, shouted us into our new fatigues, boots and field caps, given us five in the latrines and then marched us out into the dark without breakfast. The eastern horizon was now glowing ochre and the stars were fading. The still dawn revealed a fantastic sight a short distance away – a massive assault shuttle, glowing a luminous pink, vac black in shadow, seemingly growing out of the ground. A sinister Legion cross was emblazoned on the skin. It was a titanic dart, deadly, invulnerable, and scarred by the dust of the cosmos. I could barely make out the designation up front, Hot Drop.

  Beautiful, I thought. Our shuttle to the stars.

  "Do you really think there's any hope for these folks?" Some of the Legion troopers were chatting while inspecting our ranks.

  "They'll do all right. Believe it or not. Providence will cure them."

  "How do I look?" Arie whispered. We were braced together in the 2nd Squad.

  "You look great," I whispered back. "The girls will love you."

  "Girls? They got girls? You're dreaming." We really did look good, all of us, in new khaki fatigues that fit us perfectly after we walked through the autotailor, and supple synleather boots that also fit us perfectly after we stood in the autoshoe for a couple of fracs. Even the khaki field caps looked good, transforming us into a pretty good imitation of a bunch of soldiers until you looked a little closer and noticed the long hair and assorted mustaches and beards. We each had a small beltpak for those few personal items that we were allowed to retain. The fellow with the bone in his nose no longer had it, and all earwear and body piercings were either gone or in the beltpaks.

  "All right, bodies. SILENCE! One column! Follow me!" Our leader marched off towards the ship, and we followed, guided into a column by the other troopers. The quiet of the new day enveloped us. I was fascinated by the shuttle. I had never been in space before. Strange, I thought, how one's fate is determined. I wise off to a sales clerk and the next thing I know I'm in the ConFree Legion. They should put up warning signs about that. But I knew it was my own damned fault.

  Δ

  "Bodies, take your seats and strap in. We are green for upside." The ship's announcement caught us as we were filing through a narrow tubular corridor lined with webbed personnel seats, two on each side.

  "Second squad, sit! Stay!" Our Legion minder was a bundle of laughs. He was a slim, wiry Outworlder clad in Legion black. I slipped into a seat that appeared to be up against the ship's fuselage. It was kind of hard to tell; they had dragged us through a confusing maze of corridors and bulkheads. Arie took the aisle seat beside me. The seats were made of poly fiber webbing, seemingly indestructible, possibly designed for troopers in A-suits.

  "Man, I'm lost," Arie said. "I hope this thing doesn't crash, 'cause I don't know which way is out."

  "Say, look at this," I said. Lights were starting to come on and a long, flat panel suddenly came to life, full of light and running along the fuselage by my side. It gave me an excellent view of the spaceport and a bunch of cargo groundcars zipping along nearby.

  "Is that a window or a d-screen?" Arie asked. I touched it with my finger. It felt like solid plex.

  "Beats me," I said. "But it's a nice view. I think it's a digital view." The 3rd squad was settling in behind us and the 1st was ahead of us.

  "Probably a safety feature," Arie said. "I'm sure it’s not for our amusement. How do they know we're all here?" There had not been any security nonsense – we had just marched up the entry ramp and onto the ship.

  "They know," I replied. "What do you think these buttons are?" We each had a little gold button fused to our fatigue jackets.

  "I guess it’s too late to desert."

  "Don't leave me behind – you're the only soul I know." There had been zero time so far to chat up our fellow victims.

  "Attention the ship! Final warning. Secure all packs and bodies. Crew, stand to launch stations. All personnel strap in." A few warning chimes sounded urgently. I braced myself.

  "Lifting off. Temple Port, the Hot Drop is launched. Have a good day!" Outside the ground slowly dropped away although there was no noise and no sensation of movement inside the ship. I gaped at the view – the spaceport drifted away dreamily to one side.

  "That's it?" Arie asked. "I thought we were going to blast off."

  "Not even a countdown," I said. "Haven't you done star travel before?"

  "No, have you?"

  "No. I guess it's not as noisy as advertised." That's when the drive kicked in. We could hear it all right, a frightening, unending shriek. The vibrations ran through the ship and we were pressed into our seats by the acceleration. Antimat drive, I knew. Unlimited power, and all for us.

  "All right, that's more like it!" Arie exclaimed, over the noise.

  "Well that's it, our journey has begun. There's no turning back now."

  "Are you always this philosophical?"

  "No, it started when I signed up for the Legion." Outside a fiery glow was flickering around the viewport. I quickly looked away.

  "This is kind of, uh, scary. When does it end?" Arie asked. The drive continued roaring away and the G's continued building. It was getting downright uncomfortable. I felt a bit worried, but I didn't want Arie to know it. What if something went wrong? We'd all die, vaporized in a giant blast of gas.

  "It ends when we reach escape velocity," I replied. "It's not easy breaking away from a planet's grav and entering orbit."

  "Stand by for orbit," a metallic voice announced. "Stand by for zero G. All personnel remain strapped in."

  The roar cut off abruptly. The G's ceased and we were suddenly weightless, still strapped into our seats. I stole a glance out the viewport and was rewarded with a stunning, magical view of Eugarat, a gigantic orb streaked with white clouds, blue oceans glittering in the sun like liquid gold. I could only see a small portion of the planet but it was enough to bring a lump to my throat. The atmosphere was clearly visible against the black of space, an amazingly thin, insubstantial blanket of air covering the planet, seemingly just waiting to be blown away. What a beautiful planet, I thought. My own planet! We're microscopic worms, I thought, wriggling in a thin sheet of life.

  "Look out there," I said. Arie was already leaning over to get the view. He was pretty much speechless. So was I. Everyone was gaping out the viewport, but there wasn't much conversation.

  Δ

  "Man, I don’t feel so good," Arie said. He looked a little green. We had been weightless for quite awhile and forbidden from getting out of our seats.

  "Well, don't puke on me," I said. "There's some vomit bags just unde
r your seat." The sense of balance in my inner ear was going, I was getting dizzy, and my stomach did not feel good, either. I couldn't figure out where my field cap had gone.

  "Are we ever gonna get wherever we're going?"

  "Why yes," I said. "Wow! Look at that!" Something had just appeared on the viewport. A silvery ship, reflecting sunlight, just like some perfect toy, a long long way away. A starship. Our destination. At that point I knew very little about starships, but that amazing vision transfixed me. I didn't know if it was a cruiser or a tacship or a battlestar or a junker transport, but I can tell you it was one of the most utterly beautiful things I had ever seen in my short life. Look at that!

  "Wow!" Arie exclaimed. 'Is that our ship?"

  "That's affirmative, Arie. That's our lovely ship. That's what will take us to Veltros, and Providence. And our new life."

  "Man! What are you, a prophet? What's our new life going to be like?"

  "It's going to be terrific!" I was convinced of it, I'm not sure why.

  "Well, maybe you're right. I'm starting to feel better already."

  "Look at that ship!" We were getting closer. A silent, glowing silver starship, an indestructible jewel set in that inky vac, an artificial human star, an incredible refuge for wandering souls in a hostile merciless cosmos. It was a huge cylinder, bristling with scores of cargo containers affixed to the ship like metallic parasites. One tiny cargo shuttle slowly detached itself from a container that it had just delivered to the mother ship. The ship glowed with lights and one gaping cargo door was open, black in shadow.

  "That's the Dark Lady," our nameless minder told us from his seat, looking back over the squad. He was medium height, with piercing grey eyes and close-cut brown hair. "She's a Fleetcom star transport. She'll take us to Providence. First class, all the way."

  As we neared the Dark Lady, details became clearer. Besides the cargo containers I noted two tiny shuttles, affixed to the starship like lifeboats, and an empty docking blister between them. Those delta-shaped shuttles were the same type as our shuttle, the Hot Drop, and I was pretty sure we would dock right between them. It clarified the size of the starship – it was truly immense, blinding us with reflected sunlight, blotting out the stars. The cargo shuttle I noted earlier was gliding away from the ship, its task complete.