downside, waiting for evac. Then I pick up the squad and it's back to the vac. There's no need for aircars. This doll does it all. And anyone foolish enough to take her on will vanish in a haze of antimats. She's got a bad temper. You don't want to make her angry."
"So this is your new girlfriend."
"My secret lover. Don't tell Whit! I know she'd be jealous."
"How is Whit doing?"
"She's…pretty broken up about Tara. She's busier than ever, managing Tara's affairs. She refuses to believe Tara's dead." We crouched under one wing. Redhawk wasn't meeting my eyes.
"I guess it's hopeless?"
"The O's took the planet. If she's not dead, she's as good as dead. Worse, if she's still alive. You know what they do to human captives."
Yes, I knew what they did to their captives. They would drain her blood, if she was lucky. Or maybe they would eat her alive. We knew they did that as well. Millions of humans had been trapped downside on Augusta 6. They all faced the same grisly fate.
"Nobody can stop Kiss, Thinker. She'll keep us alive in the heart of Hell." He grinned up at his lover, shaking back his long, greasy hair. I raised my fingers again and touched her icy cenite skin. A new lover—for us all.
***
"Good morning, troopers!" Snow Leopard stood ramrod-straight on the briefing dais before a huge dark screen. His pale face and white-blond hair contrasted sharply with the inky black uniform. His hot pink eyes were alive, darting over us all. They called him Ops One here, but to me he would always be Beta One. Two squads were packed into the briefing room—Jox and Cross, twenty troopers, still in camfax fatigues, anxious for a glimpse of the future. Whatever it was, both squads would be involved.
The wall screen behind Snow Leopard came alight to reveal a massive planet glowing a cold silver against a black velvet background. I could see the thin film of atmosphere, faintly visible against the vac. And I thought the same thing I always thought when viewing a new planet—what a beautiful world! They were all beautiful, every one of them, even the complete hellholes. When viewed from space they were all galactic jewels, precious havens for our aggressive, expanding, land-hungry species.
"Troopers, your target is Augusta 6." A shocked silence followed. And all I could do was stare at Snow Leopard, and at that heavenly vision behind him. Everything seemed to just fade away all around me, and there was only Snow Leopard, standing before Augusta 6 like a mighty Legion God. And my skin was crawling. I knew the Gods were right there with us, right in that room. I could have stayed on Andrion 2—and look what I would have missed! Deadman was rolling his dice, and she was right there, with every beat of my heart—Tara, Tara, Tara…I knew it, I knew it! And I didn't care about the odds! Nobody but the Gods could have arranged it. I took a deep breath, and tried to concentrate on what Snow Leopard was saying.
"…at regular intervals. The Novas were technically perfect. They appear to have been set off by Legion troopers. Galactic distress Novas, from a Legion unit on Augusta 6."
The room was deathly quiet.
"The planet is totally controlled by the O's. We can't even get near the system without engaging major Omni fleet units in the vac. All downside Legion activity ceased on the day the O's took the planet—almost four stellar months ago."
"So how could a Legion unit set off a Nova?" Dragon asked quietly.
"Good question, Dragon. We don't know. You'd think anyone setting off a Nova on an Omni-controlled world would be spotted and swatted instantly. And whoever this is has set off four Novas, at four separate locations."
"As mandated in Legion regs for off-planet rescues."
"Exactly."
"It's obviously a trap," Valkyrie said. "The O's control all surviving humans there. They can make them do anything they want, with psypower. Of course it would be technically perfect. They read minds! They want to lure in a Legion rescue force,
"So this is your new girlfriend."
"My secret lover. Don't tell Whit! I know she'd be jealous."
"How is Whit doing?"
"She's…pretty broken up about Tara. She's busier than ever, managing Tara's affairs. She refuses to believe Tara's dead." We crouched under one wing. Redhawk wasn't meeting my eyes.
"I guess it's hopeless?"
"The O's took the planet. If she's not dead, she's as good as dead. Worse, if she's still alive. You know what they do to human captives."
Yes, I knew what they did to their captives. They would drain her blood, if she was lucky. Or maybe they would eat her alive. We knew they did that as well. Millions of humans had been trapped downside on Augusta 6. They all faced the same grisly fate.
"Nobody can stop Kiss, Thinker. She'll keep us alive in the heart of Hell." He grinned up at his lover, shaking back his long, greasy hair. I raised my fingers again and touched her icy cenite skin. A new lover—for us all.
***
"Good morning, troopers!" Snow Leopard stood ramrod-straight on the briefing dais before a huge dark screen. His pale face and white-blond hair contrasted sharply with the inky black uniform. His hot pink eyes were alive, darting over us all. They called him Ops One here, but to me he would always be Beta One. Two squads were packed into the briefing room—Jox and Cross, twenty troopers, still in camfax fatigues, anxious for a glimpse of the future. Whatever it was, both squads would be involved.
The wall screen behind Snow Leopard came alight to reveal a massive planet glowing a cold silver against a black velvet background. I could see the thin film of atmosphere, faintly visible against the vac. And I thought the same thing I always thought when viewing a new planet—what a beautiful world! They were all beautiful, every one of them, even the complete hellholes. When viewed from space they were all galactic jewels, precious havens for our aggressive, expanding, land-hungry species.
"Troopers, your target is Augusta 6." A shocked silence followed. And all I could do was stare at Snow Leopard, and at that heavenly vision behind him. Everything seemed to just fade away all around me, and there was only Snow Leopard, standing before Augusta 6 like a mighty Legion God. And my skin was crawling. I knew the Gods were right there with us, right in that room. I could have stayed on Andrion 2—and look what I would have missed! Deadman was rolling his dice, and she was right there, with every beat of my heart—Tara, Tara, Tara…I knew it, I knew it! And I didn't care about the odds! Nobody but the Gods could have arranged it. I took a deep breath, and tried to concentrate on what Snow Leopard was saying.
"…at regular intervals. The Novas were technically perfect. They appear to have been set off by Legion troopers. Galactic distress Novas, from a Legion unit on Augusta 6."
The room was deathly quiet.
"The planet is totally controlled by the O's. We can't even get near the system without engaging major Omni fleet units in the vac. All downside Legion activity ceased on the day the O's took the planet—almost four stellar months ago."
"So how could a Legion unit set off a Nova?" Dragon asked quietly.
"Good question, Dragon. We don't know. You'd think anyone setting off a Nova on an Omni-controlled world would be spotted and swatted instantly. And whoever this is has set off four Novas, at four separate locations."
"As mandated in Legion regs for off-planet rescues."
"Exactly."
"It's obviously a trap," Valkyrie said. "The O's control all surviving humans there. They can make them do anything they want, with psypower. Of course it would be technically perfect. They read minds! They want to lure in a Legion rescue force,
Similar Books
