Prophet of ConFree (The Prophet of ConFree) (9 page)

He took off jogging. We didn't know exactly what "double time" meant, but we had a general idea. We trotted after him, along a winding network of personnel roads through the base. The rest of the base seemed to be on the move, too – so many recruits, all in khaki, hustling down the roads in squads, all coming together into a huge parade ground. Hundreds – thousands – of new recruits, now slowing and marching into the assembly area. Doggie guided us into our proper places, and we lined up, did the right dress, and stood at attention. There was a mass of humanity there. We had squads in front and behind us, and all around. It was a beautiful day, pale blue sky, no clouds, heating up quickly. The parade ground was rock hard, but I could tell it was dirt and not concrete. Many generations of Legion troopers had trained here, I reflected. We faced a distant dais with two tall flagpoles displaying the ConFree and Legion flags.

As we stood there silent and motionless, I was kind of stunned by the sight. I was surrounded by thousands of new recruits, every race in the galaxy, all clad in khaki, all anxious to learn all they could, all pledged to live and die for the people of the Confederation of Free Worlds, all united in one great effort. What a pure, simple objective. And what a moving sight – this wasn't a vid or some proprop effort. These were real people, thousands of them, young people, just kids, boys and girls just out of midschool, volunteers from all over ConFree, and the Legion was going to forge them into a fearsome instrument to defend the women and children of ConFree, to hunt down our deadliest enemies and hammer them into submission.

And now I was part of it. Me, Richard Rains. Who the hell was I? Nobody, I knew. But here I was, nevertheless, in the midst of this mighty host. I may not have been anybody before, but I was somebody now. I knew it. I was a soldier of the Legion – or would be, if I made the grade.

Δ

"Welcome to Veltros Training Command!" Loudspeakers blasted the words over the assembled recruits. The distant dais was now awash with black-clad officers. A merciful light breeze was calming my fevered brow. It was getting hot, and we had been braced at attention for some time. "I am Commander Keth Durris, C.O. of the Basic Training Course. Our mission here at BT is to build you all into soldiers and to instill in you all the skills and knowledge you will require to succeed in your mission. And your mission is the Legion mission – to counter, attack and destroy all the enemies of the people of the Confederation of Free Worlds. It is a life and death mission for you, and for our civilization. It is vital that you absorb all that we teach you, and then go on to Advanced Combat Training and then to an active Legion unit. Your instructors are our most experienced warriors. Listen to what they say, obey orders and don't fight the program. We will teach you what you need to know to stay alive and to confound our foes."

The commander paused briefly, and it appeared that he was looking over the troops. "You are the future," he said, slowly. "The future of ConFree. You are all volunteers, and you have all qualified for BT. You are the cream of ConFree youth. The strongest, the smartest, the best qualified raw material in the galaxy. You are the thin black line that will never retreat, that will never surrender. You are the spiritual descendants of the Eighth Legion, who died on Uldo so that we might live. "

As he spoke, I looked nervously around me, and wished that I could become invisible. Strong? Smart? Best qualified? I was none of that. How the hell did I get into the Legion? Somebody hit me in the face, and it all happened. I surely didn't belong here. Descendants of the Eighth Legion? I knew history – the entire legion had been annihilated on Uldo by the Systies. Not one trooper had surrendered. They had fought to the death. Good Lord, I'm not a suicidal fanatic. I don't belong here. How long before they find out?

"Now,
BT
is not easy. Some of you will drop out voluntarily and others will be dropped for cause. That's all right – we don't want either category. Either way, you will continue in the Legion and do useful work. But if you want to serve ConFree and the Legion best, and to see history, and to make history, and to stand boldly in that thin black line, I urge you to give it all you've got, and never give up. My best advice for BT: Open your mind and close your mouth. We'll do right by you."

He said more – a lot more, but I didn't hear it. My mind was aflame. What was I doing here? How could I compete with the others? What should I do? Maybe I should have taken that ship back to Eugarat, my tail between my legs. But I didn't. I didn't. And he had called me "trooper". Maybe there was hope for me. Maybe.

Δ

"All right folks, let's get to know each other, shall we? Have a seat." We were back in the squadmod. Doggie gestured to the central table, and we cautiously slid on to the little benches, wondering what was coming next. After the welcoming ceremony, Doggie had marched us to a giant mess hall where we joined what seemed to be half the base for lunch. I looked around for Arie but didn’t spot him. Since none of us had eaten since the previous day, lunch was most welcome. We each were given a sealed hot tray full of delicious food, soup and salad and tasty meats and carbs and veggies and fruits. We had no choice of menus but we had no complaints either. I swear it was the best meal I had ever eaten – maybe just because I was starving. Doggie gave us 15 marks and then marched us back to the squadmod, directed us to use the heads and then ordered us to the table to sit and stay. Yeah, it sure looked like he was used to working with dogs.

"Normally," Doggie said, "I'd order ten minutes of strenuous exercises at this point, and watch you barf out your meals, just for my amusement. But just to show you what a nice guy I really am, we're going to do a social thing instead. I know a lot about each of you, but I'd like to hear more from yourselves. And I'd like each of you to get to know your comrades here in Delta Squad." He was leaning casually against a wall as we sat around the table. "It's all about teamwork, you see. And the teamwork is going to start right here. You seem to be a close-mouthed bunch. Let's see if anybody knows how to talk. I'd like each of you to say a little about yourselves. Name, where you came from, background, maybe why you signed up and what you hope to accomplish. Don't be too wordy. Just give us a brief summary."

Silence.

"Don't all speak up at once," Doggie said.

More silence.

"We can do the exercises if you'd like. All right, Overmar, we'll start with you. Speak."

Overmar was a young Outworlder male. I had wondered about him. He had dark brown eyes and deeply tanned flesh that spoke of years outdoors under the sun. There was something about him – a quiet confidence, an exceptional alertness and a sense of maturity and experience that set him apart from his colleagues. Or maybe it was just my imagination.

Overmar stirred, looked around carefully, and spoke softly, "My name is Harold Overmar," he said. He paused, calm and thoughtful, and resumed. "That's about it."

We burst into laughter. Even that frosty blonde honey cracked a smile. It was the first time I had seen her do that.

Doggie was also laughing. The guy is human after all, I thought. "All right," Doggie said. "Thanks for sharing that with us, Overmar. You'll be our mystery man for awhile. Moving right along – Surinto, how about you? And give us some details, all right?"

"Certainly," Surinto said. This was the fellow with olive skin. He was slender, his facial structure was delicate and his eyes were brown. From his shaven head, it appeared that his hair was black. "My name is Jarleman Surinto. I am from Veda. I recently graduated from the University of Victoria with a doctorate of science in human development. My thesis was on racial evolution in the Outworlder Diaspora."

We all sat there, stunned. Had we heard that right?

"Yes, I was puzzled when I saw that PhD in your file," Doggie remarked. "Can you tell us what motivated you to join the Legion?"

"Well, ConFree has treated me well, and I wanted to give something back."

"But surely you would be more suited to a commission, to OCS. With your educational background, they'd snap you up right away."

"Ah yes, that was suggested but I turned them down."

"Why?"

"I wanted to serve in enlisted ranks."

"And why is that?"

"I promised myself that I would do it."

"Can you tell us why?"

For awhile I thought he was not going to answer. Then he did. "Have you heard of the Ringgold incident?" he asked.

"Yes." Doggie appeared startled.

"I lost my whole family – everyone I loved. I was left with nothing. I finished up my doctorate and then walked through the Legion Gate."

We were all speechless for a moment. I had not heard about the Ringgold incident. Then Doggie spoke up. "We're sorry to hear that, Surinto. All right – Rains. Speak."

"My name is Richard Rains," I said, "and I'm nobody. I just graduated middle school on Eugarat, and I realized I was going nowhere fast. I decided to do something worthwhile. And here I am."

"Good. Oswego?" That was the Cyrillian girl. So far I hadn't heard her say a word. I wasn't sure if she was sullen or just shy. She looked around nervously and spoke.

"I am Kakatarn Oswego. I am from Mica 3. I also recently graduated from middle school. The people of ConFree gave me an education, and I appreciate it. I want to serve in the Legion for the people of ConFree and become a citizen, if I can." She sounded perfectly sincere. I watched her as she spoke. I was fascinated by her. Although her skin was black, she did not have the sharpened teeth that I thought was a Cyrillian trademark. Her pearly teeth were perfectly formed, regular, and very white. Her black hair was glossy smooth. And her face – the features were delicate, clean and lovely. She had clear, light brown eyes, and her skin – it was almost like satin. The girl with satin skin, I thought. She was a honey.

"Thank you, Oswego. All right, Burns. Let's hear it."

Burns was a young Outworlder, and he gave us a big smile. He had fair skin with a few freckles and bright blue eyes and a hint of blond stubble on his shaven scalp. "My name is Byron Burns," he began. "My family are reunification refugees from Katag 2 – that's in the Pherdan Federation. I was just a kid on Katag, but I can still remember it. We were slaves. The Kats hated Outworlders, and I had to fight my way through elementary school. Everything they taught us was a lie. When I was old enough, my dad taught me the truth but warned me never to repeat it, or we would all face PsyMed. When we arrived in ConFree, we were overjoyed. The reunification program meant liberation and freedom for thousands of Outworlders. I vowed right away that I was going to join the Legion on my seventeenth birthday. And I did. I'm real happy to be here!" And he smiled again. Strange, I thought. He loves and appreciates ConFree. He sees the truth. I've had the truth all along but never appreciated it. I was just a selfish parasite. Maybe I'm learning something here. Maybe.

"Well we're glad you're here, Burns. Zhang Loo-wah-kee." Doggie seemed to have some trouble with the name. "Give us a few words."

"Sir yes sir!" This was the handsome young Assidic male, slanted eyes, pale brown flesh, classic high cheekbones and a black sheen on his shaven scalp. "My name is Zhang Lwoki." He sat at attention, almost like a biogen except biogens were normally a bit more relaxed. "I am from a military family. My father and mother and elder brother were in Fleetcom. I opted for the Legion. We believe it is our duty to serve the people of ConFree, sir!"

"Well I'm glad to hear that, Zhang. In looking through your file, I see very strong evidence that you should have applied direct to OCS rather than entering enlisted ranks. Why didn't you do that?"

"Sir! It is forbidden. In our family we are pledged to enter the military as enlisted, and work our way through the ranks, by merit, to officer status if we deserve it, sir!" I had very little doubt that he would deserve it, and that he would probably reach general rank, assuming he avoided death on the battlefield. I knew ConFree was fortunate to have allied itself with the ethnic remnants of the old Assidic Empire. They had been formidable foes and now they were formidable allies. Even a bit scary, I thought. I could just imagine him ordering me to follow him in a suicidal charge into a DefCorps crossfire.

"Good. Thanks. That leaves you, Fordwater. Go ahead." Fordwater was the little blonde angel that I had been admiring from a distance.

"My name is Celinia Fordwater," she said, in a voice that was barely above a whisper. "I'm from Magna 4." She was so petite and her pale face was so flawless she looked about fourteen but I knew she had to be at least seventeen. Her hair was so blonde it appeared almost white and her eyes, I could see now, were a startling icy grey. "Magna 4 was a difficult environment and the Legion gets a lot of volunteers there, but I liked it," she said. "I wanted to stay, but I refuse to be exploited. That's why I'm here."

At first Doggie looked like he was going to ask for more details, but he evidently decided against it. "Thank you, Fordwater. All right, take fifteen and don't leave the squadmod. We're going to go over tomorrow's activities." I knew Magna 4 was an extremely challenging iceworld with exceedingly valuable ore deposits. Fertile ground for exploitation, if nothing else.

Δ

"All right, is everyone ready? Got full canteens? Good!" Doggie faced us as we lined up outside the squadmod. We were wearing field hats and clad in khaki shorts and sleeveless tops and running shoes, canteens hooked to web belts. It was a fresh clear morning, a cloudless sky. Veltros's rising sun was blood red on the horizon. "Go easy on the water, as there'll be no refills. There's only one rule: Finish the run. If you drop out, you'll be dropped from the squad. And no helping – we all make it on our own. Keep that in mind. Now, follow me. Double time!" And he set out, down the road.