Ghost Legion

by Andreas Christensen

  Ethan felt his heart sink as soon as they entered the training grounds again. The mess had a big clock hanging above the entrance, and he saw they were fifteen minutes late. So, biscuits and water again.

  "You must learn to cover ground more quickly," Decurion Schwartz said, betraying a hint of sympathy for once. "If not, it will get you killed some day."

  They were given half an hour to eat and rest, before Decurion Schwartz came before them again.

  "Line up," he commanded. As soon as the last recruit stood at attention, he stood in front of them, waiting. An important looking man Ethan had only seen once or twice came over. The man´s insignia was the thin black outline of a sparrow, which Ethan had learned indicated the rank of adjunct. The man spoke in clipped words and had an accent that sounded French to Ethan. He looked like he was smelling something particularly nasty, the way his nose crinkled.

  "Recruits! I am Adjunct Lyons, and I am the head of this facility. I see some have already left us. Tsk! Shame. Well, it is to be expected. Not everyone can meet the standards of the Ghost Legion. Hopefully they will do better cleaning latrines, building roads and cleaning radioactive rubble from the cities we are reclaiming." He paused and took a good look at the recruits. Ethan felt his eyes on him, piercing.

  "Among you though, are a small group of recruits that may be capable of filling the shoes of fallen comrades, who are capable of becoming true legionnaires. I do not know who you are. You may not know who you are. But I am willing to wager Decurion Schwartz and his team are beginning to get an idea of who this may be.

  “I want to give you a small piece of advice. Trust your instructors. Sweat saves blood. Do what your instructors tell you. Do it quickly. Give it your best shot. The Legion is hard, and we lose brothers and sisters all the time, but it is also a family. We take care of our own and we will not leave a fallen comrade behind. Thank you for listening."

  17.

  The second round of the obstacle course was always the hardest, Ethan thought while tasting blood and gasping for air. The first round wore you out so quickly, and knowing you still had two full rounds to go would get to you, but even so, you would find that you still had some strength left. The third round, you were running on fumes, taking out what little reserves you had left, and yet, knowing that once you reached the end where you could rest would get you that desperately needed final boost. The second round took some willpower though, and Ethan felt he had little left as he climbed, ran, crouched and jumped through the obstacles.

  Just as he rounded a corner and entered a stretch where none of the instructors were watching, he heard a muffled scream. It came from in front of him and he saw Jed Boone, who was still on his first round, being attacked by Dan and Robbie. They had already knocked him over with metal pipes — who knew where those had come from — and now they were kicking the poor kid with all their might, while Jed tried to cover himself as best he could.

  "Hey!" Ethan shouted. They turned toward him, and he saw Dan grin.

  "Well, well, well, if it isn´t the Good Samaritan. So, you come for a bit of this as well? Didn´t want the farmer to have it all to himself?" The two villains began to approach him, slowly, holding their metal pipes.

  Ethan knew he couldn´t take on both at the same time. One good hit with those pipes and he´d be down. So he made to escape, dashing into the woods to his left.

  "What a wuss! He´s running, let´s go get him!" he heard Robbie shout. Ethan only ran for a minute though, before he found what he was looking for: an outcropping where he could climb easily from the side, but didn´t allow more than one person at a time. He quickly climbed it and picked up a few twigs and a couple of stones. Then he waited.

  Robbie was first, chasing him eagerly, bloodlust apparent on his face.

  "Hey, over here!" Ethan shouted.

  Robbie met his eyes and slowed down, playing with his metal pipe as he approached.

  "You ready to get messed up?" Robbie growled. Ethan didn´t reply. He threw one of the twigs at him, which Robbie swatted away easily, making him grin even wider. They were only a few meters apart and Robbie leapt up where Ethan had climbed just moments earlier. Robbie took a swing at Ethan, but he dodged it by taking a step back. Then Ethan threw one of the stones as hard as he could, hitting Robbie in the face.

  "Ah, shit!" Robbie screamed as blood ran down his face across one of his eyes and down his cheek.

  "I´m gonna get you now!" he shouted, just before Ethan threw another stone — this one a little larger than the first. Again, he hit his opponent square in the face and Ethan could have sworn he heard a cracking sound.

  "I´m gonna... I´m gonna..." Robbie began, his legs wobbly and upper body swaying. Ethan moved quickly and kicked his chest hard. Robbie fell backwards and rolled down the hill. For a moment, Ethan worried that he might have killed him, but then he saw Robbie move — he didn´t get up though. Then Ethan saw Dan.

  "What the fuck did you do?" Dan said. Ethan didn´t say anything, as he took a step back again. He picked up another twig and a stone, hoping his little trick would work twice. As Dan began to approach him, smacking his metal pipe against his palm, over and over again, Ethan threw a twig at him, just as he had with Robbie. Dan swatted it away, just as easily and moved toward him. When Dan was close enough, Ethan threw the first stone, but Dan was more nimble than Robbie, and avoided getting hit. Ethan felt sweat running down his back, and he knew he was in trouble. He threw another stone, and again Dan managed to avoid it.

  "You think you´re smart, eh?" he said, and Ethan backed up a few paces. He knew if Dan managed to get a good hit with that pipe, he would be finished. His eyes were locked onto the weapon.

  "Yeah, you see it now, don´t you? You know that this little fella will crush your skull." Dan said. Ethan didn´t reply. Instead he threw another stone. He nearly missed again, but Dane moved the wrong way, and the stone hit his cheek, drawing a droplet of blood. Dan stopped and felt it with his hand. Then he looked at the blood on his fingers. He looked at Ethan again, fire in his eyes this time.

  "You´re a dead man!" he growled. Then he leapt forward, lunged at Ethan with the metal pipe, and Ethan barely managed to avoid it as he stumbled backwards.

  "I´m gonna kill you, I swear!" Dan shouted as he attacked again. Ethan stepped sideways, only to feel the impact of the pipe in his side. The pain wasn´t too bad at first, more of a numb throbbing, but when he moved it got excruciating. Still, Ethan kept moving. His opponent sensed victory now, and grinned broadly. Then he lifted the pipe high to deliver a crushing blow. That´s when Ethan lunged forward, quicker than Dan would expect, and hit him in the face with a right hook, followed by one from the left and a knee to the groin.

  Dan grunted and doubled over, and Ethan kicked him back down the hill. Dan rolled down to where Robbie was just beginning to get his footing back, and both fell into a heap. That´s when Ethan noticed a whoop from behind his opponents.

  "Yeah, way to go Ethan!" he heard Ariel´s voice, followed by a "Shut up, recruit," from Decurion Schwartz. Then he saw Optio Morales and Optio Walker grab his opponents by the scruff of their necks and drag them off, followed by some of the recruits who were ordered to help out. Decurion Schwartz remained with Ariel, Julian, Antonio, Jamila and Jed.

  "Recruit!" Decurion Schwartz bellowed, and Ethan immediately came to attention. He fully expected the decurion to give him a horrible tongue-lashing, followed by a week in the brig for manhandling two of his fellow recruits. Instead, Decurion Schwartz chuckled.

  "I guess that´s one way of dealing with bastards like Carruthers and Alsop," he said. Ethan hadn´t heard his attacker´s last names before, but he realized the decurion was talking about Dan and Robbie.

  "Jed told me what happened, once he managed to get his bearings. Those two could have killed him if you hadn´t stumbled upon them. I´ll see to it that these two get to spend a few weeks in the brig, at least. After that it´s up to the brass if they are willing to give them another chance. If it was up
to me though…" He didn´t finish the sentence, but it was clear what he thought of the two offenders. Ethan felt dizzy, but managed to stay upright and at attention all the while, until the decurion told him to stand at ease. However, he still didn’t think he was in the clear.

  "So Recruit Wang, what shall we do about you? Hitting a fellow recruit is a serious offense, so I´m going to have to punish you, regardless of your good intentions. Hmmm." Ethan saw that Decurion Schwartz was torn between having to follow the rules to the letter and giving Ethan credit for defending a fellow recruit, and giving two bullies what they deserved.

  "Recruit Wang, you are to take one extra round of this obstacle course, once you finish your three rounds. I´m not timing you, so take your time. I have to note this incident as a demerit on your record as well. If you behave, that will not be a big deal, but if you ever get in trouble from matters requiring disciplinary action it can and will be used against you. Afterwards you are to report back to barracks. I´m giving you three hours off duty, and you are to spend that time contemplating your crime. Understood?" Decurion Schwartz winked at Ethan when he said the last part, and Ethan realized he had earned the respect of his commanding NCO. He drew himself up and saluted the decurion.

  "Yes sir," he said, trying, and failing, to hide a grin. He wondered what would happen to Dan and Robbie, but he knew better than to ask. Don´t speak until spoken to, was the first thing Decurion Schwartz had imprinted on them, and Ethan swore he would stay out of trouble from now on.

  18.

  "The 30-06 is the military version of the caliber 7.62, and the one we use in basic training," Optio Walker explained as he sat holding his rifle, while the recruits sat in a half-circle around him. They were four weeks into basic training, and today was the first day they had spent entirely in camp. Ethan thought that he had done alright during the previous weeks, and only today he realized how crazy the past few weeks had been. His body felt sore all over and as he looked around, he saw this held true for the others as well. Only twenty-eight recruits remained. So far, all his friends remained, even Jed, who had surprised them all. Dan and Robbie still sat in the brig, as punishment for their attack on Jed and Ethan, and he didn´t miss them. For all he cared, they could sit there and rot.

  "Sir, why aren´t we issued the lighter 5.56?" Antonio asked. The recruits had learned early on that while the do not ask until asked, a rule held at all times. But Optio Walker was generally more lenient and, in fact, encouraged the recruits to ask questions. He smiled at the ten year veteran, who was certainly well-versed in weapons from his previous service.

  "Yes, why don´t we use the 5.56? We surely could. Apart from the 7.62, the 5.56 were one of the most common types of ammunition used back in the day, and even today, they are widely used. Anyone?" he asked. Ariel held up a hand.

  "Yes, Recruit Chambers," the optio said.

  "Because the 7.62 packs more punch, sir." Optio Walker nodded.

  "That´s right. The stopping power is tremendously higher, although that´s not the only reason. If we used 5.56, we could carry more ammo, which would certainly be a good thing. But consider this: will any of you be using the same weapon when and if you are deployed to space?" Nobody answered.

  "You see, we only use these weapons for training. The standard rifle of most legionnaires is actually a caliber .50, although many also use other types of weapons. What most of them have in common though, is that they are heavy. Much heavier than what Earth-based forces use. So we want you to get used to the larger caliber weapons early on, though even the 7.62 is smaller than what you will be carrying later. The 5.56 is just puny in comparison. Besides, during the invasion, the 5.56 proved to be less effective in stopping the aliens than the older 7.62. That´s why most Earth based forces now use the 7.62 instead of the previously more common 5.56." Optio Walker got to his feet and stretched.

  "Well, that´s it for now," he said. "It´s time for lunch, and afterwards we´ll go through some of the specializations that are available once you reach legionnaire status. My guess is some of you will become candidates for specialist training, and either way, you need to know the sorts of specialists the Legion employs."

  Ethan looked forward to learning about specializations. Optio Walker was a specialist himself, as an instructor, and that was only one of many possible paths. The others he could think of were weapons, medic, tech and logistics. There might’ve been more as well. The recruits had talked about it, but Ethan was unsure of what he wanted. On the one hand, he wanted to make the most of his service, but on the other hand, he had no great ambitions. He was hoping to go to college once his time was up, and none of the specializations had immediate value there. Well, medic could be useful if he wanted to become a doctor, and tech might be a good way into... well, thinking about it, the specializations might’ve had some civilian value as well. But still, he didn´t know what he wanted.

  "I´m thinking of becoming an officer," Tom Lowry, another recruit, said. "I´ll definitely specialize. For sure."

  "Officer, yeah right," Jamila laughed and smacked his butt. "Your chance of becoming an officer is about the chance of snow here in the jungle — slim to none. Face it Tom, you´re cute, but that´s all you are. Now give me a kiss!" Ethan smiled. Friendships were being forged all the time, and in some cases things became more... intimate. He´d seen Tom and Jamila sneak off more than once. In fact, Ethan had become quite popular among the girls himself. Malika, a dark beauty he hadn´t even noticed the first few weeks, and Eileen, a feisty redhead from what used to be Canada — both seemed to have their eyes set on him. It was a curious mix of discomfort and excitement, although it presented another problem for Ethan — he didn´t know which one he liked best. Both made his blood boil, his tongue curl and he often found himself stuttering. Ariel would taunt him about it, and Julian called him Cassanova and spurred him on. Ethan didn´t know what to do.

  The recruits who remained were slowly being forged into soldiers, and oddly enough, even though their training was as hard as ever, it began to come naturally. It was mastery, Ethan thought, that feeling of mastering something difficult. Even Jed looked more confident, now that his tormentors were gone and he was allowed to learn and train like everyone else. Ethan met the eye of Fran, one of the recruits who´d had a hard time in the beginning. Now she looked like a natural born soldier, and she looked taller, as if her bearings had changed somehow.

  19.

  He controlled his breathing, feeling the movement of his almost still body in sync with his heartbeats, focusing on the single point where the crosshairs met, where he wanted to hit. The bullseye was the only thing that mattered, his single focal point, and everything else blurred as if taken out of existence. He caught himself holding his breath and let it out, slowly, finding the smooth rhythm again. His finger pulled slightly on the trigger, just enough to move it a tiny bit. Not too much. He focused on his breathing, slowly, meticulously, floating on his own heartbeat. He pulled a bit more, and he felt the resistance. He breathed, focusing on that black dot four hundred meters away, feeling his weapon moving with his body, as part of his body. He drew a slow breath and let it out again, just as slowly, pulling ever so slightly.

  A loud bang. The rifle bucked, and though he felt the kick of the 7.62 to his shoulder, he was perfectly positioned for the recoil, and it was just like any other natural movement. He kept his focus on the target, reloaded and repeated. Slow, meticulous, careful, deliberate movements.

  Another bang. This one kicked a bit more than the previous one.

  "Alright recruits, stand up and take a step back, leave your weapons," Optio Walker said. Ethan let go of his rifle and got to his feet. He lined up with the others who had taken the shooting test with him. He wasn´t sure about that last one, but he was confident about the others. Nine out of ten would be awesome. Not perfect, but awesome. The optio tapped his infopad.

  "Okhoa, six out of ten. Good work." He stepped over to the next recruit, leaving Jamila beaming.

  "
Boone, three out of ten. Need more practice Boone, but that´s what you´re here for." Then he moved on to the next.

  "Lowry, that´s a five out of ten. Beaten by your girlfriend eh?" That brought chuckles, and Jamila seemed about to protest. Tom just turned all red, and Ethan had to concentrate not to burst out laughing. Everyone knew Tom and Jamila was getting it on, but they weren´t boyfriend-girlfriend, oh no.

  Optio Walker stepped over to Ethan, and gave him a satisfied grin.

  "Wang. Now, don´t get all cocky on us quite yet, but you do seem to have a knack for sharpshooting. Ten out of ten, although that last one was a close call." Ethan drew himself up. A few cheers from the back, and he could easily hear Ariel´s voice.

  "Alright kids, no resting on your laurels yet. In fact, most of you still have a long way to go." He had them line up on two lines. "Time for a few rounds in the obstacle course before we head back here for another round of shooting. We don´t want you all to get lazy on me, just playing out here on the range all day. Now follow me." With that, he set a brisk pace and everyone followed, keeping in line all the way.

  Everyone was getting into shape, even those who had struggled the first few weeks, and they were beginning to function as a unit. Even Jed had begun to carry his weight and was shaping up to become a fine soldier, even though Ethan saw he still carried a lot of self doubt.

  "I bet the ones fighting the Lumin War didn´t have to run obstacle courses and do push ups," Ariel complained when they finally crashed on their bunks that night.

  "I mean, I get that we need to be fit and all, but those guys, well, I guess as long as they could shoot straight and kill aliens, they´d be all good, right?"