Curse of the Legion (20 page)

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"How do the legs feel now?" Millie asked me. I was glistening in biogel, soaking up the sun by the bodyshop swimming pool, lying almost flat on my back on an airlounge with dark sunglasses protecting my eyes. It was a bright, glorious day, and the pool was surrounded by wounded soldiers lying in the sunlight and pondering their survival.

"Well, they don't sting any more. Now they itch."

"That's progress, right?" Millie was in white, taking a brief break from her duties, leaning on the little table, her gaze wandering over my body.

"Yeah. I'm almost outta here. One more deep soak with the biomim, and they say I'll be released. I can tell you I'm sick of this place."

"Don't forget I'm…" the Q-link lit up and buzzed. I stared at it stupidly. It had been over a week since I had contacted Tara. Millie seized it, and I grabbed my tacmod.

"Sweety," I said. "Activate the Q-link!" I grabbed the device from Millie. The message slowly scrolled along the tiny d-screen: BINGO! FLEETCOM DESIGNATION U53955. SEE YOU SOON. TARA.

"Bingo! It means the O are at Gildron's world. Deadman!" I exclaimed.

"She hasn't given you a starcord."

"Yes, she has. Fleetcom has given the place an official designation, it's probably brand new. It will be on the starcharts now; with the designation we can find the starcords instantly."

"How come she hasn't told you anything? Is that all she has to say? What does she mean, see you soon?"

"I think she means she'll see me soon. I'm not usually anxious to see her, but this time I am. I've got to find out what Fleetcom discovered. She might be there. If the O's are there, Moontouch might be there." Adrenaline, flooding my system.

A sharp electronic yelp peeped urgently. Millie leaped up. "Emergency room alert," she gasped. "Got to go!" She ran off in a hurry.

Bingo, I thought. That sounded ominous. There was a massive galactic-wide search on for the bulk of the Omni fleet. We knew they needed worlds to live on, just like we did. They had seized plenty of Systie worlds in the past, but didn't seem to be concentrating their forces around any one system. It was almost as if the planets they had seized were of little use to them once they exploited the native populations. Mongera, for example, was the closest world to the Outvac that was still occupied by the O. I knew it was probably going to be the first place we attacked, in the wake of the Omni retreat from Andrion and Dindabai. Mongera was in the Gassies—I had fought the O's there, and the Systies, as a green trooper. My closest comrades perished there, people I would never forget, Coolhand and Ironman and Warhound and Boudicca and Sassin. So much blood, so much sacrifice. And yet it now appeared that the O were pulling out of Mongera as well. Strange. Well, what the hell did I know? I just carried an E. Let Tara figure it out. All I wanted to know was where Moontouch was. And, once I knew that, nobody had better stand in my way.
The holy dead
—right! There were going to be a lot more of them by the time I was through!

Chapter 15
Advice from the Enemy

"Commander Thinker? Do we have a Commander Thinker here?" A harried-looking young female Legion troopie was looking over the disorderly gang of officers who had crowded into the little ante-room, competing for her attention. All of Andrion Station was being over-run. It seemed like half of the ConFree Legion had dropped onto Andrion 2, prepping for the offensive, and if you wanted to see anybody important you had to wait in line.

"That's me," I responded, pushing my way to the front. I was clad in formal blacks.

"Front and center—Commander Thinker? All right, go on in." She triggered the door open and I stepped in to the inner sanctum. Tara stood behind a large conference desk, raising her slim arms over a huge pile of plastic files, as if in supreme frustration, then abruptly freezing as I approached. The door slid shut behind me. It was a large office, atop Alpha Station, affording a panoramic view of the base.

"Wester! You look terrific." She was in her blacks, and she looked terrific too. "I heard you were badly burned. You don't look it." She lowered her arms.

"I was pretty badly fried but they fixed me up. Hello, Tara." She came out from behind the desk and took my hand, leading me over to a lounge by the armored plex window. From the view, it was clear how badly the base had been damaged. Much of the exterior was burnt black and blown to shreds. Alpha Station was now surrounded by thousands of camfaxed portable storage units, aircar bays, interlocking warehouse mods, field command centers, armories, field galleys, portabarracks and endless rows of squadmods. Legion soldiers scurried between the structures like ants as aircars shot past overhead. The new city had arisen almost overnight and spread all the way into the surrounding forests. I guess it was pretty impressive. The Legion could move damned quickly when necessary. Tara was examining me closely.

"Are you all right, Wester?" she asked as we settled into the lounge.

"I'm fully recovered, Tara. Why are you staring at me like that?"

"It's just…I'm so glad to see you." Now she had both hands clutching one of mine.

"Really?" It sure wasn't like her.

"Really. I know, you think I'm a biogen. I'm human, Wester. I get more human the older I get."

"Yeah, me too."

"Ever kiss a general?"

"What?" This wasn't the Tara I knew. Was she having a nervous breakdown? She laughed, a sudden flash of white teeth, her lovely auburn hair swirling over her shoulders. "Relax, Wester, I'm not going to attack you!" She released my hand with another dazzling smile. "It's just that I am…ecstatic…to see you. And I'd like to thank you, personally."

"For what?"

"Are you kidding? For that Omni you delivered to me! He had everything but a red ribbon around his neck! And for Mantis. For what? How can you ask?"

"What's Mantis?"

"Mantis is what we've named Gildron's world. Good lord, Wester, do you have the faintest idea what you've done?"

"I guess not."

"Well…I hardly know where to start. That live O. Deadman, we now have the entire genome sequence, the biotic field, the brain aura, the psycells—everything! They don't have any more secrets from us. There are a growing number of ways we can kill them. They're not a threat any more, Wester. Because of that one O. Because of you!"

"Thank the Taka. I didn't capture it, they did."

"Oh, we will thank them, Wester, you can bet on it. But you gave him to us—you made it happen. The situation is now reversed, Wester. We don't have to fear them any more. We're already developing the biobloc for Omni targets."

"Good. Let's kill them all and rid the galaxy of them forever. Now tell me about…what is it? Mantis. What did you mean, 'bingo'?"

She looked at me calmly, smiling like a saint. "We found it, Wester. At Mantis. The hive. Their galactic headquarters. The whole fleet! There are tens of thousands of Omni starships orbiting Mantis, Wester. The O's are swarming over the planet. They have settlements downside—lots of them. We're frantically examining the data. Critic Cosmic Secret, Wester. Not a word to anyone! This is it. We're not going after Mongera, that's the deception op. It will be Mantis—our one big chance to exterminate this plague. This will be the battle for the galaxy. This will be the final battle—final victory, or final defeat, for humanity. We're going to be victorious, Wester! I've never been more confident. How did you do it, Wester? I thanked Deadman, on my knees, when I fully realized what you had done, I swear it. How did you do it? You're truly amazing. You're admitted to the Body Shop with serious burns, and then you send me a message telling me where the O's main force is located. We've been searching for that site for years!"

"It wasn't me." My heart was hammering. I wasn't sure whether Tara's news was good or bad, for my mission. I guessed it couldn't hurt to go for broke. I didn't give a damn for the final battle. All I wanted was Moontouch.

"You're always so modest, Wester. Well, who was it if it wasn't you?"

"It was Moontouch. She's the one who told me."

"And how did she do that? I thought she was missing."

"She is. She's on…Mantis."

"Deadman! It's not possible, Wester."

"What's not possible?"

"What you're thinking. You want to do a recon snatch, and rescue her. That's what you're thinking." Tara was a psycher. She was a very powerful psycher. I knew I couldn't hide anything from her.

"Yes, that's right. And why is that not possible?"

"We're going to attack Mantis, very soon, with everything we have. And until Fleetcom suddenly appears in Mantis vac, attacking every O starship simultaneously, and dropping antimats on every O base simultaneously, we are going to ensure the O's have no idea we know where they are. There can't be any recons—of any kind. No further activity—of any kind."

"You had to do at least one recon, to confirm they were there."

"Yes, Wester, but it was a fully cloaked tacship. And it was not detected. We seeded the at with Q-link eyemotes—more new technology—and that's what we're using now. Undetectable!"

"We can do another recon—one more. Give me that tacship."

"No. It's out of the question! This attack must be perfect."

"She gave you the info! I gave you the info! You're going to let her die?"

"It can't be done, Wester."

"I gave you the site, Tara. You wouldn't be there without me. You're saying no?"

"We can't risk endangering the entire attack for one individual." Tara was pale—she appeared to be almost in shock.

"If you don't help me, I'll do it myself." An ice-cold rage, running through my veins.

"I know you will, Wester. And I won't permit it."

"And what will you do?"

"You'll be in the brig, incommunicado, until it's all over."

"You do that and I'll kill you when I get out."

"You mean that, don't you?"

"Yes, I do."

"I'm sorry, Wester."

"You are!"

"How do you know she's there? You don't even know she's there! Your thoughts are perfectly clear. You want me to risk the future of our civilization, the lives of all our brave soldiers, and you're not even sure she's there?" Her eyes were blazing.

"Give me access to those Q-link eyemotes. Tell me what ships are in orbit there. I'll find out whether she's there or not."

"Yes. I can do that."

"Then do it! I'll report today to GI."

"Not too many people know about Mantis, Wester. Don't even mention the name. The op is codenamed Lotus. Don't mention that either. Most people will not be briefed until after we're launched. I'll give you all the access you need. But if anyone asks, you're working on cosmic secret recon projects associated with the coming offensive on Mongera. The code for that one is Operation Lily."

"Fine."

"You've got to promise me you won't do anything stupid."

"I'll do whatever I have to do to get my wife back!"

"So will I, Wester. So will I. Come to me. I'll do…whatever can be done."

"Don't you throw obstacles in my way, Tara! I've got too many friends. And they owe me. They all owe me, just like I owe them. They're not going to say no to me, like you did."

"Don't you even think it, Wester. I didn't say no!"

"Yes, you did!"

"Work with me, Wester. We'll get it done. Let's find out what the situation is, then you come to me. Promise."

"Sorry I said I'd kill you."

"Sorry I said I'd jail you. It's just too much pressure, Wester. Too much! You can't imagine what's been happening. Come here—I want to show you." She leaped up, marching over to her wide conference desk, triggering a star holo. I followed. The holo lit up behind her desk as the lights faded until we had a God's-eye view of the inhabited galaxy. A buzzer sounded on Tara's desk.

"Yeah?" she snapped.

"General Rono," Tara's aide announced.

"No, Lori, no! I'm not ready! Tell the general to wait fifteen marks. No further interruptions, please."

"Yes sir."

"I'd better go, Tara," I said. "I'd hate to keep a general waiting."

"Stay, Wester. He's only a one-star. I want you to understand what's at stake here. Look—do you remember Asumara? Do you remember the Temple of the Sun?" She pierced a star system with a cold green laser. Tiny crimson letters appeared: ASUMARA HOLY COMMUNE.

"Oh yeah." A sudden flash from the back of my mind, wild red eyes and a gaping mouth full of yellow fangs, coming right at me.

"You remember we were searching for six Legion hotcars—Quasar Model 2B's—that had been left behind on Pherdos after the successful completion of the Pherdos Campaign, and that we suspected at least one of them may have participated in the raid on the Temple of the Sun at Asumara." The laser flashed over to Pherdos, and the caption PHERDAN FEDERATION appeared.

"I remember."

"We have learned that all six of those aircars—that we had turned over to the new Pherdan Government—were subsequently transferred to the United System Alliance." The laser shot over half the inhabited galaxy to trigger another glowing red caption: UNITED SYSTEM ALLIANCE.

"No kidding."

"And that's the last we saw of them—until at least one of them showed up in the raid on the Temple of the Sun. Or at least it looks that way."

"Interesting."

"They can't hide from me, Wester. I know the System is behind this. I know they did Asumara, and that triggered Fortuna. And once I can prove it—to myself—they're going to pay, in blood."

"Let's do one war at a time, Tara."

"No. You have to do it all at once, Wester. It all ties together. It's one great spider web. I can feel those silken threads, trembling. They think they have us, but they don't—we have them! Remember the man in the shadows, Wester? 'Think the unthinkable, plan the audacious,' he said. Yes! He was right. I've taken his advice. That Omni you gift-wrapped for me. We treated him right. We fixed him up and learned all we could about his body, and did all we could to scan his mind. We extracted so much from his mind, but it's so hard to read that we may never succeed. We still don't know why they attacked us. But there's an easier way to pass our message. Your O was strapped into a special chair we built for him while we explored his mind. But we introduced a second chair, for me, and I was strapped into that one, facing him, and my psybloc was turned off. Oh, we took every precaution, in case he tried to hurt me, but he didn't. We let him go into my mind. We let him read everything he wanted. You see, we hadn't done anything to warrant their attack. We had passed them the antidote to the plague. That's the last thing we had done. So we decided to let this fellow into my mind. Me, who knows pretty much all there is to know. I think you could call that audacious, couldn't you? We can't read them, but we know they can read us."

"Deadman! He could have killed you, Tara."

"He didn't. You know what we did next? We transported him to Mongera, landed, and let him go."

"Good lord. We're fighting a war with them, and you let them into the mind of a two-star general. And turned him loose? Are you crazy? What about the element of surprise? What about Mantis?"

"We didn't know about Mantis then, Wester. We had no plan of attack then, except for repulsing them from the Outvac, and maybe going after Mongera. And I don't mind if they know that. And our progress in learning how to kill them. I don't even mind if they learn that."

"What do you expect to accomplish from this…insanity?"

"I expect they will conclude that our intentions are not aggressive, and we are only protecting ourselves."

"Why should you care about that? Why should they? They're the aggressors, not us!"

"Maybe they don't know that."

"What does that mean?"

"Remember the man in the shadows?"

"Sure. How could I forget that psycho?"

"I took his advice on more than the O, Wester. Remember that eyemote recording? That staff meeting?"

"Sure."

"I always thought it was a little…peculiar. The phrasing he used. Some of the things he said."

"Peculiar?"

"Very peculiar. I decided to send the recording to Durdreigh Darton, Chairman of the United System Alliance."

"You've lost it, Tara! First you're exposing every official secret you know to the O's and delivering it to them. Then you're sending our eyemote intercepts to the chief of the System. You're the one who should be in the brig, not me."

"I didn't do this on my own, Wester. We all agreed. Everyone in Starcom. We thought a lot about the implications. As for the O, it had to be me, because my psychic abilities, although primitive compared to the O's, might have made a difference. We had done a lot of analysis of that Omni message that I showed you. We concluded that they felt betrayed and aggrieved, although we're not sure why. And it seemed clear that it was ConFree that was the target of their anger. We wanted to show them that we had not done anything against them. Since we couldn't communicate with them, we made it possible for them to read my thoughts. And we're gambling that the result will be good. And as for the eyemote data, eyemotes are no longer secret. The System knows we have them. The System has them, too. And we don't care. But this talk that Jarzha Gwinn was giving—it was most interesting. Who do you think he was addressing?"