Prophet of ConFree (The Prophet of ConFree)

by Marshall S. Thomas

  "They're under cover, Prophet. And I'm hit too. I can't…" An unshielded Demon came charging at us up the ramp like a lunatic, firing auto x. Maybe they were using up their plasma, I thought as I fired auto x and hit him right below the helmet. It tore up his armor and blasted off his helmet, decapitating him. Brave charge, I thought. Maybe it was for his wounded buddies, maybe it was for his wife and kids back home, if these creatures have wives and kids. But he's dead now – and I'll probably be joining him shortly.

  "All six enemy combatants are terminated, Prophet," Honey said. A sudden silence settled over us – almost as if existence was holding its breath, waiting for the next onslaught.

  "I think I'm dying, Saka," I said. "Tell Honeyhair I love her." I reached for Honeyhair's national service medallion with my left hand. Then I was gone, floating away, and it happened just as I'd heard. No, I didn't see Heaven's Gate but I saw my whole life, flashing past me in a blur. I was playing on the carpet, pretending to be a horsey. There was that chubby, curly-haired girl in play school, I thought she was terrific. My mom and dad, presenting me with a birthday cake. Me with my new bow and arrow, waiting in ambush and then nailing the cuckoo bird as he emerged right on time from my dad's cuckoo clock. And there I was in a new elementary school, knocking down the school bully, not knowing who he was except a total jerk, and then the other kids carrying me around on their shoulders to celebrate. The agony of midschool – all I enjoyed was the girls. Eugarat nights, long and warm and wet, tropical rains and ice kisses in the dark. God, I loved those girls! I wanted it to never end. And then the Legion, Delta, all of Delta coming at me, everyone I loved, now in peril from these damned stinking invaders. Honeyhair! Oh my holy God, what will she do without me? Will I be able to visit her, as a ghost? Will she be scared?

  "Bees, Saka. Prophet and I are both hit, bad. Request assistance soon as poss, site is secure." And that's the last thing I heard.

  Δ

  "Scout, Nitro, Doggie. Go after those last twelve. Hunt 'em down!" Doggie said. "Smiley and I will go down to Arena D and check out any civilian survivors. Bees, continue treating our casualties. General, thanks for getting Saka and Prophet to the evac site. Now set up an ambush to hit anyone approaching the site. The last two D squads have dispersed and appear to be focused on escape, which means they may be showing up on Deck Two, stay alert. Let's go, Smiley."

  Δ

  Doggie and Smiley entered Arena D carefully with Blackie on a leashcloak. They thought they were ready for anything but they weren't. They were expecting a further thirty-five civilian detainees, according to Dolly's earlier counts, but now there was nothing.

  "Three civilians, as marked," Doggie's tacmod said. Doggie at first did not understand.

  The arena was full of bodies, female adults and children, scattered all over the bloody deck, slashed to pieces, blood still pouring from their smoking wounds. Lasers, Doggie thought. Looks like they used lasers to kill them. Piles of bodies, naked and partially clothed. Children – little girls, heads sliced off, arms cut off. Demons, Doggie thought in shock. They are evil incarnate, they are straight from hell. We have to exterminate the whole race, and leave not a single survivor. We'll have to go into their universe, just like Delta did, but send every Legion we have, and fumigate their evil nests and kill every living thing, men, women, children, larva, every last cockroach, and level their cities and sow the earth with salt, just as the Romans did to Carthage, to ensure that nothing ever grows there again. That's what we will have to do, if we want to survive.

  "Repeat, three civilians, as marked," Doggie's tacmod repeated.

  Doggie and Smiley sought out the three survivors who were lying there in pools of blood among their companions, grievously wounded. Doggie and Smiley could not say a single word. They were both in shock.

  Δ

  A hazy vision, slowly forming. A face. Doggie – it was Doggie, peering at me from above. Oh no, I thought. They got Doggie, too.

  "Prophet. Can you hear me? Prophet!"

  I croaked. I tried to say something.

  "What?" Doggie asked.

  "We in – heaven or hell?"

  "Prophet's conscious!" he bellowed.

  He's reluctant to tell me, I thought. Must be hell. I'll have to fight my way out, and camp outside Heaven's Gates, and wait for Honeyhair to show up.

  "We're in Goldglen, Prophet. Stay awake!" But it was so much easier to fade away, into the dark.

  Δ

  A bright light was shining right into my eyes and a deafening roar was assaulting my ears. It was a dust storm, hazy A-suited figures moving all around me. I moved abruptly, seemingly floating. There was Bees – Bees! Visor up, right next to me – she looked troubled – and Arie too! What were they doing? They didn't belong here!

  The bright light vanished abruptly, I was suddenly in shade. Another face appeared – I didn’t recognize him.

  "Your Legion serial number," somebody said. "Can you remember it?" What the hell? I couldn't figure this one out. Doesn't Satan assign his own serial numbers to new guys?

  "That's it, lifting off!" somebody else said. The whole world seemed to leap abruptly and then tilt crazily. Where am I? Is this the first level of Hell? What happened to the River Styx? Aren’t I supposed to cross there? Who was that guy, was it Chiron, the old ferryman? I'm supposed to give him a coin. And where is Cerberus, the dragon-tailed dog?

  I faded out again, plummeting into the darkness of hell. My last thought was of Honeyhair.

  Δ

  The Legion Phantom shot away into the leaden sky, lights flashing. Three Bright delta fighters shot past close overhead and another flight of six Legion fighters cut through the skies at higher altitude. Doggie and Smiley and Scout and Arie and Bees and the general paused to catch their breath. Blackie barked. They could hear the noise of battle up ahead, an unending cracking as streams of antimats fell from Fleetcom and Bright aircraft to impact on Demon targets. A long ragged file of Bright soldiers trotted past, as if eager to get into the battle.

  "All right, Delta," Doggie said, "we advance. Our destination is Valhalla. That's the nearest Legion position. On me." And he set off, down the road in a soft light rain, through the devastated town, leaving the air raid shelter behind.

  "Scout, Doggie." Doggie was on private to Scout on the tacnet.

  "Yeah."

  "I'd like your thoughts on the mission."

  "Kratar was a victory."

  "There's no doubt about that. I was asking about Goldglen."

  "Life is hard," Scout said. "Hard to interpret. My thoughts? My thoughts may not be the same as yours. What should we look at? Statistics? Kills? Rescues? Casualties? Three Delta casualties, twenty girls rescued from the D's, thirty-two killed by the D's because maybe we weren't fast enough. We got forty Demon kills, and the seven who escaped the air raid shelter were killed by the Brights outside. That's 100 percent of the enemy killed. Those are the stats. And what you make of it depends on your point of view."

  "The mission was rescuing the civilians."

  "Then it was forty percent successful."

  "And was that our fault?"

  "I think we did all we could in light of the circumstances. We were outnumbered forty-seven to nine by a formidable, ruthless enemy. Delta had a thirty-three percent casualty rate. Think it should have been higher?"

  "So," Doggie said. "How would you characterize this action, if you had to write it up, like I will?"

  "I view any action we survive as a victory."

  Δ

  My own personal victory occurred when I regained consciousness in the hospital ship CS Tough Love, in orbit around Veda 6. I had plenty of company there, but the doctors and nurses were so good to us and the surroundings were so pleasant and the food was so good and whatever they were pumping into my system was so terrific that I hadn't felt so good in years.

  Saka was right next to me, and Bird was right next to him. That was the nicest part of all. We were all pretty badly dinged up, and it was
fun encouraging each other and flirting with the nurses.

  They told me I had almost died. And Saka and Bird had also been very badly hit. All three of us would probably have bled to death if Bees had not been there to stabilize us, pump us full of cyro and get us evaced to triage.

  And she was just doing her job. Think about that – just doing her job. We were all just doing our jobs, doing as best we could, for our own.

  When we had been sufficiently stabilized, they evaced us by shuttle to the Valhalla Community Hospital, which had not been hit in the fighting but was crowded with wounded troopers. It appeared that ConFree had sent every nurse, trainee nurse, doctor, physician and trainee doctor in ConFree TDY to Veda 6, so we all got plenty of attention there.

  Δ

  "How's the arm?" Bees asked me. She was supervising some of the younger nurses in the hospital and checked in with us several times a day. Saka and Bird were again in hospital beds by my side, still recovering.

  "They say it's still healing, and I cannot move." I had been stuck in bed except for visits to the toilet, which had to be carefully handled to avoid damaging my right arm, which was encased in a bulky gro-case stabilization unit.

  "You should listen to them," Bees said. "It's a very delicate process. Most of your arm bones were shattered and your muscles and tendons were pretty much shredded. It's a minor miracle that you've still got the arm. They wanted to grow you a new one from scratch and I had to argue hard to get them to work on the old one instead. Those visits to the toilet are dangerous. You should go right in the bed, it can be done easily."

  "I'm old fashioned. I prefer to poo alone."

  "Every time you do that, you're straining your mending ribs and your ripped shoulder muscles and your broken clavicle and that mess in your chest."

  "Bees, did you tell him about the latest on his injuries?" Bird asked.

  "What's that?" Bees asked.

  "Prophet, they've decided your injuries are so severe they're going to send you to the Legion Neurological and Physiological Reconstructive Recovery Hospital on Quaba. It's the best hospital in the galaxy, you'll love it."

  "Bird, if this arm ever recovers, the first thing I'm going to do with it is to beat the crap out of you, I promise. Saka, did you put him up to that?"

  "I wouldn't do that, Prophet, not even as a joke. Some things are not funny."

  "Hey guys, how y'all doing?" It was Arie and Smiley, clad in Legion camfax fatigues. They loved the Bright active lizard camfax but were not permitted to wear them for opsec reasons.

  "Hey, Arie, we're fine and dandy, how about you?" I asked.

  "I brought you some reading material. Take a look at that," Arie said, handing me a news screen with the latest edition already displayed. Big headlines announced the latest news:

  Victory on Veda 6!

  Bright Intervention Critical

  D's in Retreat on Dajusdevon as Well

  Valhalla, Veda, CFW - 383/04/22 - Special from the Legion Tacmap - The Legion Command on Veda 6 announced early this morning that the planet Veda 6 is now secure, and that the last Demon holdouts have been tracked down and exterminated. The massive and determined Demon invasion has now been decisively crushed, at great cost. An unprecedented Fleetcom and Legion response, aided by allied AC and BPSA units, earlier slowed the D advance but the D's were still attacking when the Bright intervention stopped them cold. The Bright attack was unexpected and ferocious, unleashing stunning alien firepower against the D invaders. The Bright fighter starcraft first cleansed the vac and then the at of D spacecraft, then attacked the D ground units and dropped large numbers of Bright troopers into the fray. The Brights attacked the D head-on, driving them into Legion lines, killing large numbers of the enemy and chased them from the battlefield. It was only at that point that it became clear that the D's advance was broken and they began a general retreat. The Brights then vanished as quickly as they had come, recovering thousands of troopers and pulling their formidable star fleet from orbit.

  The Legion Command states that the Bright intervention was a surprise to ConFree as well, but it may have been sparked by an earlier Legion raid conducted against a Demon 'home planet'. Since the D's originate from the universe Mid Haven, this is startling news. The Legion commander on Veda, General John Morgan, said that the Director General of ConFree will provide details on the raid at a later time. The Legion Tacmap will provide full details on this subject when the facts become available.

  In related news, the latest reports from the AC world Dajusdevon 5 show the Demons in full retreat after a decisive defeat by strong united AC, ConFree and BPSA forces. The allies now have vac and air superiority and are chasing the D's to their deaths. ConFree has a full two Legions on Dajusdevon, and this is a perfect example of the utility of the recent Triple Alliance which pledged ConFree, the Assid Confederation, and the Biogen BPSA to come to the aid of any member state attacked by anyone else. Despite coming under attack itself, ConFree sent two Legions to assist the AC, and the Biogens sent units to both Veda and Dajusdevon to meet their obligations. The AC was able to send only token numbers of troopers to assist ConFree on Veda 6, but their own problems on Dajusdevon made that understandable. Both the AC and the Biogens had earlier provided substantial assistance to ConFree's efforts against the D on Galinta.

  It is somewhat ironic that the Triple Alliance, meant to deter aggression from human states, has served to unite the response to alien attacks, even though it is doubtful that the aliens are even aware of the treaty.

  There is plenty of mystery concerning the unexpected Bright intervention, including sightings of human troopers wearing black Legion A-suits with Bright insignia, and one female trooper, believed to be Cyrillian, who was wearing silvery Bright armor and who risked her life repeatedly to liberate female captives from the grip of the Demons. The tearful survivors called her the 'Black Angel', but were in no condition to provide further information. The Legion Tacmap is following up on these stories and will provide full details as soon as possible.

  The Legion Tacmap sends our warmest congratulations on these great victories to our brave Legion boots and Fleetcom vacheads and to our allied Assidic, Biogen and Bright troopers who put their lives on the line for their own home worlds and peoples as well as for ConFree. Our deepest sympathy is extended to all who died in the fight to preserve the human race from these merciless bloodthirsty aliens.

  "The Black Angel, huh?" I glanced at Bees. "Well, they got that part right. Have you seen this?"

  "Everybody I know has shown it to me," she replied, smiling faintly. "They're exaggerating. I was just treating my patients."

  "Yeah, with one hand, while fighting off the D's with the other hand. This article is exactly right. You are the Black Angel. All three of us owe you our lives."

  "I think…we all owe each other our lives," Bees replied quietly. "Everyone in Delta did all they could to keep everyone else alive. It's what we do. There's nothing remarkable about it. It's what they taught us in Basic. But if you want heroes – look at the Brights. Ice and Saka and…well, me…would be dead without their miraculous intervention. And why did they do it? What were we to them?"

  "Wounded soldiers," I said.

  "Yes. Wounded soldiers. They did the right thing. No reason required. Isn’t that what they taught us, too? Do the right thing. I don't know if the Brights are really angels or just highly developed immortals with very advanced technology, but does it really matter? I say they're angels. If you can't tell the difference, if they act like angels, then why not call them angels?"

  "Maybe you're right."

  "Of course she's right," Scout said, entering the room. "Bees has assured me that she is always right. 'I am always right,' she said. That's a direct quotation."

  "That's funny," I said. "That's what Honeyhair says, too."

  "The corollary is you are always wrong," Arie said. "Blondie says that a lot."

  "Lan Hwa is a good traditional Assidic girl," Saka said. "She does everything
I say."

  "You just got married," Bird said. "You just wait. By the second year, you'll be talking things over with her and by the third year you'll be doing everything she says. It always works out that way, Outworlder or Assidic. They're smarter than we are."

  "Do you speak from experience?" Arie asked.

  "No, but I've seen how it worked out with my friends. It's not a problem, though. They love it. As for me, I think I like being single – at least for awhile more. Oh, hello." A lovely little blonde Outworlder nurse was standing by his bed with some medications.

  "Hello, Bird," she said with a big cheerful smile. "How are you feeling today?"

  "Oh, I'm fine! Um, thank you."

  "Would you like another massage?" she asked, blinking big innocent blue eyes at him.

  "Uhh…maybe later," he replied quietly, looking around guiltily.

  "Oh, I don’t mind! It made you so relaxed and happy the last time. Is the regrowth of the leg giving you any more pain?" Bird had almost lost his leg, just like I had almost lost my arm, but the Legion was regrowing it for him.

  "A little."

  "We'll do more physical therapy with you in the Rehab Room. I'll come and get you at 1400. My colleagues are so jealous! They all adore you! All right, we'll see you then." And she left.

  "Physical therapy, huh?" I remarked.

  "Isn't she a little young for you, you old billy goat?" Saka asked. "She looks like she should have playmates, not colleagues."

  "I predict Bird will leave this hospital with that girl by his side," I said. "I believe she's already decided. And that's all that's important."

  "The Prophet speaks," Arie said.

  "Come on, guys," Bird objected. "She's just a nurse."

  "And you’re just an adorable target," Bees said. "In bad need of a wife."

  "How are you folks doing?" Doggie asked, walking through the doorway. He was in camfax fatigues, and had just submitted a full account of the Kratar raid as well as the Goldglen Air Raid Shelter operation. General Huynh was at his side, clad in Assidic fatigues.