Slave of the Legion
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Ridan and its logo are copyrighted and trademarked by Ridan Publishing. All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual persons, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.
A Ridan Publication
Copyright © 2010 by Marshall S. Thomas
Cover Art by Michael J. Sullivan
Starcharts by Hatton Slayden
Editing by Carol Woods
Layout Design by Michael J. Sullivan
ISBN: 978-0-9829180-0-5
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES
First Printing: May 2010
To the American grunt
and to all our soldiers, sailors, marines and aviators serving around the world, and police and firefighters at home: May God walk by your side as you go in harm's way.
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." — George Orwell
Praise for the Soldier of the Legion Series
"Marshall S. Thomas excels at creating memorable characters and horrifying, realistic battles in dark territories far from home. He skillfully shows readers the physical and psychological toll taken on the warriors who sacrifice everything to keep humanity safe. Each battle fought for humanity's cause, whether won or lost, brings Beta closer to a strange salvation. These futuristic warriors, like those of their past, face horrifying violence so others can sleep peacefully in their beds at night without fear. Thomas makes it clear that war is not all guts and glory, and that's why I say his Legion series is exceptional."
— Midwest Book Review
"Though a part of a series, the author has done an excellent job of bringing the reader right into the story making it possible to enjoy without having read the previous book(s). Not always an easy task, but done marvelously well with this book.!"
— Writer's Digest
Books in the Soldier of the Legion Series
Soldier of the Legion
The Black March
Slave of the Legion
Secret of the Legion
Cross of the Legion
Curse of the Legion
For more information visit
www.soldierofthelegion.com
MAPS
Crista Cluster, 1,400 light years from Sol
When the first Outworlder refugees approached the Outvac fleeing System oppression, the Crista Cluster beckoned them onwards with a view that appeared to form a starry cross in the vac. ConFree's ancestors settled those worlds as a free people and vowed in a Constitution written in blood to uphold liberty, justice and freedom, no matter what the cost, and to remain eternally vigilant against all forms of tyranny and slavery. The ConFree Legion was formed to accomplish those objectives.
PART 1
MARCHING IN THE MUD
Chapter 1
An Island in the Vac
"ATTENTION UNREGISTERED STARCRAFT! YOU HAVE ENTERED A WAR ZONE! YOU ARE PRESUMED HOSTILE BY MILITARY UNITS OF THE CONFEDERATION OF FREE WORLDS! IDENTIFY YOURSELF IMMEDIATELY OR WE WILL FIRE!"
"ATTENTION STARSHIP P.S. MAIDEN! IT HAS ENTERED AN ACTIVE COMBAT ZONE WITHOUT PERMISSION, IN VIOLATION OF USICOM INTERSTELLAR SHIPPING REGULATIONS! THIS IS DEFCOM ULDO COMMAND! REQUEST AN IMMEDIATE EXPLANATION OF ITS PRESENCE!"
"ATTENTION STARSHIP P.S. MAIDEN! THIS IS DEFCOM ULDO TRAFFIC CONTROL! PROCEED IMMEDIATELY INTO THE ORBIT INDICATED AND DO NOT DEVIATE OR YOU MAY COME UNDER ATTACK BY HOSTILE OR FRIENDLY FORCES! THIS IS AN ACTIVE COMBAT ZONE AND WE CANNOT GUARANTEE ITS SAFETY! PLEASE NOTE THAT ITS ALL-THREAT INSURANCE HAS NOW BEEN CANCELLED!"
"ATTENTION!" the ship informed us briskly, "WE ARE BEING TARGETED FOR ATTACK! LEGION FIGHTERS LOCKING ON! AUTOFIRE AND ANTIMAT TORPEDOES LIVE AND LOCKED! DEFCORPS FIGHTERS ALSO LOCKING ON—LOCKED! ARMAMENT LIVE AND LOCKED! SYSTEM STARFLEET CRUISER ALSO LOCKING AND TARGETING! ULDO PORT DOWNSIDE DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS ALSO LOCKING ON AND TARGETING!"
The messages boomed through the Personal Ship Maiden, rattling the cenite walls; they came so fast that there was barely time to breathe, much less respond. We had just exited stardrive, quite a respectable distance from the Uldo System, but apparently not quite far enough. We had plenty of reasons to be worried about our reception, especially from the Legion. The P.S. Maiden was, by now, well known as a slave ship, and there was nothing the Legion liked better than killing slavers. We were hopeful we would get enough time to explain our presence in this particular ship.
"Welcome to Uldo," Dragon grinned. I could tell he was feeling at home already. Dragon was almost certainly the perfect Legion trooper. War was his natural element. I felt better when he was around, even though I knew he was a professional killer. He had curly black hair, deeply tanned skin and the look of a hungry tiger. He was practically irresistible to the ladies. Colorful tattoos decorated his knuckles and earlobes.
"Attention, Legion units," Tara called out. "Please hold its fire! This is the Personal Ship Maiden, registered with USICOM. We are a private yacht, transporting a Legion element back to its parent squad. Attention, System units, we are under Legion control and are not here voluntarily. Repeat, we are not hostile—please hold its fire. We are complying with its orbit instructions." Tara lived a dangerous life. She was on the Legion death list as a notorious slaver, but I knew she was also a secret Legion asset. She was an old friend, a stunningly beautiful, half-Assidic girl with lustrous auburn hair, pale brown flesh and mysterious Assidic eyes. I prayed for her soul, every day of my life.
"ATTENTION SYSTEM STARSHIP P.S. MAIDEN ! MAINTAIN YOUR COURSE TO THE REQUESTED ORBIT! PREPARE TO BE BOARDED BY LEGION UNITS!"
"Confirm, Legion. We are maintaining course."
"Look—there's Uldo!" Whit called out. It loomed dead ahead in the bridge viewport, a tiny, shimmering green orb, encircled by a silky, sparkling ring of cosmic dust. A lovely world, I thought—another precious haven for our fragile species in a hostile universe. Uldo—the name was familiar. They had told us about Uldo in Basic. What had they said?
"Well, we're alive so far," Whit commented. Tara's XO was a slim little blonde who had just undergone a perilous ordeal on Katag, a Systie world she recently visited due to a combination of greed and stupidity. We liberated her with duplicity, violence, murder and bribery. I hadn't enjoyed it one bit. But we owed Tara—and now Whit owed us.