OFFICIAL SERVICE WITH THE CONFREE LEGION. THE MINISTRY OF WAR OF THE CONFEDERATION OF FREE WORLDS AND THE CONFREE LEGION HIGH COMMAND HEREBY REQUEST ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN TO PERMIT SUBJECT UNHINDERED PASSAGE FROM ANY POINT OF ORIGIN TO RETURN TO CONFREE VAC, AND NOTIFIES ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN THAT ANY ATTEMPT TO DETAIN OR HARM SUBJECT WILL BE CONSIDERED AN ACT OF WAR AGAINST THE CONFEDERATION OF FREE WORLDS.
"It reads more like a declaration of war than an ID card," I commented.
"It's a nasty galaxy out there," Whit responded, "and the Legion is not too popular. However, everyone knows they mean exactly what they say. An ID card like that demands a lot of respect."
"Sounds like I had an interesting career. Twelve CER—what's that?"
"Twelfth Colonial Expeditionary Regiment—your unit. It was annihilated on Uldo. It's no longer active."
"Annihilated." I don't know why, but an icy wave was creeping through my veins.
"Most of its friends are dead," Whit said matter-of-factly. "But those of us who are left would very much like it to remember us."
"I've heard of Uldo," I said. "Wasn't it the first DefCorps-Legion effort against the V? And the Legion betrayed us?"
"It wasn't the first. And it wasn't the Legion that did the betraying. It was the DefCorps."
I pushed the ID cards aside. "You've gone to a lot of trouble. These are good ID's. I'll keep it in mind, should I ever need any help with documentation."
Whit activated another holo. I was standing there smiling, one arm over the shoulders of a stunning beauty. It was Cinta—Tara, Whit's buddy. We were both dressed in Legion camfax, relaxed and happy. And right between us, gazing shyly at the holscan, stood a little boy. A pre- schooler, leaning against our legs, right at home. We were each holding him by a hand.
And my head was spinning, again. 'Will you please stop doing that?' It was all I had to make their story true. It had come to me in the night, long before Whit and her Cyrillian had kicked in my door. I could still remember it all, whirling around in my head. There had been a boy, a child—and I knew this was that child. I knew it.
"That was Andrion Two, after Uldo," Whit said. "The last shot we had of it."
"Is Cinta my wife? Is that my son?"
Whit laughed. "It is confused, isn't it? No, Cinta belongs to nobody. And that's not its son. It's…an orphan."
"You were lying to me about the starlink."
"No, we weren't. Cinta was calling it from Dindabai. We're not lying to it."
"That's impossible—we've done a little reading. The laws of spacetime prevent it."
"The device we were using is Cinta's own creation. Cinta said it doesn't violate the laws of spacetime—it simply bypasses them. It goes into an area where they don't apply."
"Cinta created it? Nonsense! How stupid do you think I am? What is she? A spacetime physicist? An antimat engineer? If there was such a device, it would revolutionize galactic communications and probably star travel as well."
"We don't doubt it. Cinta had a lot of…unusual…help. Afraid we can't be more specific, but it's true."
"Nonsense. I don't believe a word of it."
"We've got its entire service record here."
"I don't want to see it. It's nonsense."
"Cinta warned us it was extremely stubborn. We can see that now. What will it take to persuade it that we're telling the truth?"
I looked away, up to the lights on the ceiling. "I'm not sure," I said. I had known Cinta—that much I believed. And the child. My hand moved over to the holo. Perhaps it was true. Perhaps it was all true, even the part about the starlink. How would I know? I was just a sub, after all.
"Cinta promises it will get its memory back, Beta Three—it promises! It will spare no expense."
"De-psyching? And how do I tell it from psyching?"
"We can't help it if it doesn't want help, Beta Three."
I looked calmly into her pale blue eyes. "I want my past back. If you can do that, I'll do whatever you want. Assassination, drugs—whatever. But it
"It reads more like a declaration of war than an ID card," I commented.
"It's a nasty galaxy out there," Whit responded, "and the Legion is not too popular. However, everyone knows they mean exactly what they say. An ID card like that demands a lot of respect."
"Sounds like I had an interesting career. Twelve CER—what's that?"
"Twelfth Colonial Expeditionary Regiment—your unit. It was annihilated on Uldo. It's no longer active."
"Annihilated." I don't know why, but an icy wave was creeping through my veins.
"Most of its friends are dead," Whit said matter-of-factly. "But those of us who are left would very much like it to remember us."
"I've heard of Uldo," I said. "Wasn't it the first DefCorps-Legion effort against the V? And the Legion betrayed us?"
"It wasn't the first. And it wasn't the Legion that did the betraying. It was the DefCorps."
I pushed the ID cards aside. "You've gone to a lot of trouble. These are good ID's. I'll keep it in mind, should I ever need any help with documentation."
Whit activated another holo. I was standing there smiling, one arm over the shoulders of a stunning beauty. It was Cinta—Tara, Whit's buddy. We were both dressed in Legion camfax, relaxed and happy. And right between us, gazing shyly at the holscan, stood a little boy. A pre- schooler, leaning against our legs, right at home. We were each holding him by a hand.
And my head was spinning, again. 'Will you please stop doing that?' It was all I had to make their story true. It had come to me in the night, long before Whit and her Cyrillian had kicked in my door. I could still remember it all, whirling around in my head. There had been a boy, a child—and I knew this was that child. I knew it.
"That was Andrion Two, after Uldo," Whit said. "The last shot we had of it."
"Is Cinta my wife? Is that my son?"
Whit laughed. "It is confused, isn't it? No, Cinta belongs to nobody. And that's not its son. It's…an orphan."
"You were lying to me about the starlink."
"No, we weren't. Cinta was calling it from Dindabai. We're not lying to it."
"That's impossible—we've done a little reading. The laws of spacetime prevent it."
"The device we were using is Cinta's own creation. Cinta said it doesn't violate the laws of spacetime—it simply bypasses them. It goes into an area where they don't apply."
"Cinta created it? Nonsense! How stupid do you think I am? What is she? A spacetime physicist? An antimat engineer? If there was such a device, it would revolutionize galactic communications and probably star travel as well."
"We don't doubt it. Cinta had a lot of…unusual…help. Afraid we can't be more specific, but it's true."
"Nonsense. I don't believe a word of it."
"We've got its entire service record here."
"I don't want to see it. It's nonsense."
"Cinta warned us it was extremely stubborn. We can see that now. What will it take to persuade it that we're telling the truth?"
I looked away, up to the lights on the ceiling. "I'm not sure," I said. I had known Cinta—that much I believed. And the child. My hand moved over to the holo. Perhaps it was true. Perhaps it was all true, even the part about the starlink. How would I know? I was just a sub, after all.
"Cinta promises it will get its memory back, Beta Three—it promises! It will spare no expense."
"De-psyching? And how do I tell it from psyching?"
"We can't help it if it doesn't want help, Beta Three."
I looked calmly into her pale blue eyes. "I want my past back. If you can do that, I'll do whatever you want. Assassination, drugs—whatever. But it
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