down on Nimbos, in the gutter."
The stars! I closed my eyes, overwhelmed. Soldier of the Legion—I was a soldier of the Legion!
"Sorry if it didn't work, Three. We'll try something else. Pretty, wasn't it?"
***
"Thinker! I'll be damned! It is you! Deadman's death! I'll be damned!" Beta Ten was bug-eyed with amazement, peering at me in wonder from the d-screen of Cinta's impossible starlink. I was somewhat taken aback as well. Beta Ten was a pale, intense young man with splotchy skin, long tangled reddish hair and a scruffy, sparse beard. According to Whit his warname was Redhawk. He didn't look like a mass murderer. He didn't even look like a soldier, but he was wearing Legion camfax.
"We did it, Tennie—just for it!" Whit was squirming beside me, beaming at the screen.
"You're a bloody genius, girl—a magician! Thinker! How are ya?" A manic grin split his face as he addressed me again.
"I'm fine," I said. "Uhh…afraid I don't remember you. And who's Thinker? I thought my name was Beta Three."
"You're Thinker , Three! It's your warname! The bastards psyched you! They erased you, Three! They erased everybody, the whole squad, one way or another. They just wiped us out, wrote us right out of history. Well, they're not going to get away with it, Three! We owe it to One to get the past back. That's why I'm doing what I'm doing for Cinta—for the LC. You think I like this crap? Skulking in the dark, nosing around in Central Datacall? I hate every frac! But I'm going to see those cowardly ConFree Inner bastards don't get away with it! I tell you, Thinker, I've never seen such bad morale before—it's so bad it's close to rebellion. And they know it! That's why they don't dare move on the LC. They're afraid they'll give the orders and nobody will respond! Man, that would be a first for the Legion, wouldn't it? Remember Andrion Three? Remember Mongera? Remember Uldo? We charged into Hell for the Legion, for ConFree, blind. And now they want us to target our own! Deto! They can haul me away in cuffs; they can put me up against the wall. I'm not worried! Nobody will pull the trigger!"
"Afraid I don't remember any of those places," I responded calmly. Redhawk was twitching on screen. His pale blue eyes were glowing, and little specks of saliva were visible at the corners of his mouth.
"Get me the hell out of here, girl," he said wearily to Whit. "I'm sick of it!"
"That's the plan, Tennie," Whit responded soothingly. "Nothing's changed. But first it's Yida, then Dindabai—and only then do we…re-unite." She reached out with slender fingers and her tapered silver nails clicked lightly against the d-screen.
"You'd better wear your dispo panties, girl, 'cause they're not going to survive that event!"
"That's affirmative, Tennie." A faint smile from Whit—she was blushing.
"Thinker, welcome back!" Ten appeared to have snapped out of his depression. "Whit told me she's briefed you on Beta. Now let me tell you what I've found out. I'm right smack in the heart of a Legion hive here, in Aircar Control for Quaba Station. We're on Quaba Seven, and Quaba Station is Hqs for Fleetcom—Fleet Command for the Black Fleet. We support Outvac Sector Command, or what's left of it after the LC broke away. As I think you know, Fleetcom is sitting on the fence right now, claiming to be loyal to ConFree. And I'm dead meat if they detect what I'm doing. Anyway, here's what happened. I was your aircar driver on Uldo. When the dust settled after your attack on the Mound, they ordered me to stay put. I promptly disobeyed orders. I flew directly to the Mound, and walked right in. The Legion had secured the site, but it was an awful mess. I found Merlin. He was dead—the medics were recovering the body. Then the security folks caught up with me and carted me away." He paused, and wearily shook his head.
"Merlin," I said. It meant nothing to me.
"Merlin was Beta Four," Ten continued. "He was my blood brother. And yours." He sighed, then
The stars! I closed my eyes, overwhelmed. Soldier of the Legion—I was a soldier of the Legion!
"Sorry if it didn't work, Three. We'll try something else. Pretty, wasn't it?"
***
"Thinker! I'll be damned! It is you! Deadman's death! I'll be damned!" Beta Ten was bug-eyed with amazement, peering at me in wonder from the d-screen of Cinta's impossible starlink. I was somewhat taken aback as well. Beta Ten was a pale, intense young man with splotchy skin, long tangled reddish hair and a scruffy, sparse beard. According to Whit his warname was Redhawk. He didn't look like a mass murderer. He didn't even look like a soldier, but he was wearing Legion camfax.
"We did it, Tennie—just for it!" Whit was squirming beside me, beaming at the screen.
"You're a bloody genius, girl—a magician! Thinker! How are ya?" A manic grin split his face as he addressed me again.
"I'm fine," I said. "Uhh…afraid I don't remember you. And who's Thinker? I thought my name was Beta Three."
"You're Thinker , Three! It's your warname! The bastards psyched you! They erased you, Three! They erased everybody, the whole squad, one way or another. They just wiped us out, wrote us right out of history. Well, they're not going to get away with it, Three! We owe it to One to get the past back. That's why I'm doing what I'm doing for Cinta—for the LC. You think I like this crap? Skulking in the dark, nosing around in Central Datacall? I hate every frac! But I'm going to see those cowardly ConFree Inner bastards don't get away with it! I tell you, Thinker, I've never seen such bad morale before—it's so bad it's close to rebellion. And they know it! That's why they don't dare move on the LC. They're afraid they'll give the orders and nobody will respond! Man, that would be a first for the Legion, wouldn't it? Remember Andrion Three? Remember Mongera? Remember Uldo? We charged into Hell for the Legion, for ConFree, blind. And now they want us to target our own! Deto! They can haul me away in cuffs; they can put me up against the wall. I'm not worried! Nobody will pull the trigger!"
"Afraid I don't remember any of those places," I responded calmly. Redhawk was twitching on screen. His pale blue eyes were glowing, and little specks of saliva were visible at the corners of his mouth.
"Get me the hell out of here, girl," he said wearily to Whit. "I'm sick of it!"
"That's the plan, Tennie," Whit responded soothingly. "Nothing's changed. But first it's Yida, then Dindabai—and only then do we…re-unite." She reached out with slender fingers and her tapered silver nails clicked lightly against the d-screen.
"You'd better wear your dispo panties, girl, 'cause they're not going to survive that event!"
"That's affirmative, Tennie." A faint smile from Whit—she was blushing.
"Thinker, welcome back!" Ten appeared to have snapped out of his depression. "Whit told me she's briefed you on Beta. Now let me tell you what I've found out. I'm right smack in the heart of a Legion hive here, in Aircar Control for Quaba Station. We're on Quaba Seven, and Quaba Station is Hqs for Fleetcom—Fleet Command for the Black Fleet. We support Outvac Sector Command, or what's left of it after the LC broke away. As I think you know, Fleetcom is sitting on the fence right now, claiming to be loyal to ConFree. And I'm dead meat if they detect what I'm doing. Anyway, here's what happened. I was your aircar driver on Uldo. When the dust settled after your attack on the Mound, they ordered me to stay put. I promptly disobeyed orders. I flew directly to the Mound, and walked right in. The Legion had secured the site, but it was an awful mess. I found Merlin. He was dead—the medics were recovering the body. Then the security folks caught up with me and carted me away." He paused, and wearily shook his head.
"Merlin," I said. It meant nothing to me.
"Merlin was Beta Four," Ten continued. "He was my blood brother. And yours." He sighed, then
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