Read Online Firemask: Book Two of the Last Legion Series by Chris Bunch - Free Book Online
Authors: Chris Bunch
Ads: Link
come.
“Never forget. You serve the Confederation as well as Cumbre, and the honor of the Strike Force depends on you, and only you. Serve as bravely as these eleven did, and we shall never have cause to be ashamed.
“Thank you again.
Alt
Jaansma, take charge of your soldiers and dismiss them.”
• • •
The Kouros, Matin’s society section reported, were spending a protracted honeymoon on one of the family’s private islands.
• • •
“I remember,” Jaansma said thoughtfully, “I went with my parents on an animal-buying expedition once. Don’t remember what world it was, but it was pretty desert-y. We were buying flying reptiles.”
He and Yoshitaro’d been invited to the noncommissioned officers’ club at Camp Mahan by First Tweg Monique Lir. Normally thronged with noncoms from the ten-thousand-man unit, now it was cavernous, almost echoing.
At least, Lir’d told them, they didn’t have to worry about rationed suds, like the dispersed regiments had to until they’d made their own quiet arrangements. There was the whole Legion’s allotment to swill down, unless they wanted to shame I&R. But Yoshitaro noticed that none of the warrants were drinking heavily, any more than the two officers. If it came down right now, nobody wanted to get bombed while bombed.
“Somebody actually
wanted
flying snakes?” Lir said. “As if the bastards aren’t enough just crawling up your legs.”
“People want thrills,” Garvin said. “The circus delivers.”
“Now I know why my folks never took me to one,” Monique said. “Brragh!”
“Second that emotion,” Njangu said. “But go on. Here you were, cute’n’cuddly little Garvin, toddlin’ around with all these writhers writhin’ at you from the skies.”
“Actually,” Garvin said, having patiently ignored the backchatter, “it wasn’t the snakes that got my eye, but some of the local furry rodents the snakes fed on. I remember watching these little bitty sorts, all furry and friendly, and how they’d scurry from bush to bush, always with one eye cocked up, to keep from becoming somebody’s dinner.”
He sipped at his beer, seemed finished with his story.
“So?” Monique demanded.
“So … the way things have been, I’m starting to understand those cute little buggers real well.”
“Got the moral,” Njangu said. “But you don’t look very cute and cuddly.”
“Nope,” Garvin said. “But I sure feel like an am-blin’ target.”
“Question?” Njangu asked quietly.
“Yeh?”
“You feel better?”
“About what?”
“Shit me nix, little brown brother,” Yoshitaro said. “About your former flame.”
“Her?”
“Her.”
“Have I ripped anybody’s lungs out lately?”
“Who didn’t need it? No,” Njangu said.
“Answers your question, doesn’t it?”
Njangu eyed his friend, decided that was enough answer for him.
• • •
It was another week before the alarms went off, first from one of the innermost ice giants, F-Cumbre, then echoed, within the hour, by other automated posts closer to D-Cumbre.
One ship, medium-sized, inbound.
More sophisticated if shorter-ranged sensors “saw” four patrol craft accompanying it.
The bigger ship was identified as an obsolescent Confederation
Remora-class
destroyer leader, the three patrol ships types unknown.
Shortly thereafter, coms set on the standard Confederation frequency clicked on:
“C-Cumbre Control, this is the
Corfe,
inbound from Larix and Kura, Protector Alena Redruth aboard. Request landing instructions for Confederation Base Camp Mahan.
“Members of the current Planetary Government are requested to attend Protector Redruth on his arrival.”
The voice, even filtered through com speakers, wasn’t asking, but demanding.
• • •
Fifteen Council members and
Caud
Rao nervously waited outside the still-sealed airlock of the
Corfe.
Behind them were thirty volunteers from the Legion, ostensibly an honor guard since Redruth was still a
“Never forget. You serve the Confederation as well as Cumbre, and the honor of the Strike Force depends on you, and only you. Serve as bravely as these eleven did, and we shall never have cause to be ashamed.
“Thank you again.
Alt
Jaansma, take charge of your soldiers and dismiss them.”
• • •
The Kouros, Matin’s society section reported, were spending a protracted honeymoon on one of the family’s private islands.
• • •
“I remember,” Jaansma said thoughtfully, “I went with my parents on an animal-buying expedition once. Don’t remember what world it was, but it was pretty desert-y. We were buying flying reptiles.”
He and Yoshitaro’d been invited to the noncommissioned officers’ club at Camp Mahan by First Tweg Monique Lir. Normally thronged with noncoms from the ten-thousand-man unit, now it was cavernous, almost echoing.
At least, Lir’d told them, they didn’t have to worry about rationed suds, like the dispersed regiments had to until they’d made their own quiet arrangements. There was the whole Legion’s allotment to swill down, unless they wanted to shame I&R. But Yoshitaro noticed that none of the warrants were drinking heavily, any more than the two officers. If it came down right now, nobody wanted to get bombed while bombed.
“Somebody actually
wanted
flying snakes?” Lir said. “As if the bastards aren’t enough just crawling up your legs.”
“People want thrills,” Garvin said. “The circus delivers.”
“Now I know why my folks never took me to one,” Monique said. “Brragh!”
“Second that emotion,” Njangu said. “But go on. Here you were, cute’n’cuddly little Garvin, toddlin’ around with all these writhers writhin’ at you from the skies.”
“Actually,” Garvin said, having patiently ignored the backchatter, “it wasn’t the snakes that got my eye, but some of the local furry rodents the snakes fed on. I remember watching these little bitty sorts, all furry and friendly, and how they’d scurry from bush to bush, always with one eye cocked up, to keep from becoming somebody’s dinner.”
He sipped at his beer, seemed finished with his story.
“So?” Monique demanded.
“So … the way things have been, I’m starting to understand those cute little buggers real well.”
“Got the moral,” Njangu said. “But you don’t look very cute and cuddly.”
“Nope,” Garvin said. “But I sure feel like an am-blin’ target.”
“Question?” Njangu asked quietly.
“Yeh?”
“You feel better?”
“About what?”
“Shit me nix, little brown brother,” Yoshitaro said. “About your former flame.”
“Her?”
“Her.”
“Have I ripped anybody’s lungs out lately?”
“Who didn’t need it? No,” Njangu said.
“Answers your question, doesn’t it?”
Njangu eyed his friend, decided that was enough answer for him.
• • •
It was another week before the alarms went off, first from one of the innermost ice giants, F-Cumbre, then echoed, within the hour, by other automated posts closer to D-Cumbre.
One ship, medium-sized, inbound.
More sophisticated if shorter-ranged sensors “saw” four patrol craft accompanying it.
The bigger ship was identified as an obsolescent Confederation
Remora-class
destroyer leader, the three patrol ships types unknown.
Shortly thereafter, coms set on the standard Confederation frequency clicked on:
“C-Cumbre Control, this is the
Corfe,
inbound from Larix and Kura, Protector Alena Redruth aboard. Request landing instructions for Confederation Base Camp Mahan.
“Members of the current Planetary Government are requested to attend Protector Redruth on his arrival.”
The voice, even filtered through com speakers, wasn’t asking, but demanding.
• • •
Fifteen Council members and
Caud
Rao nervously waited outside the still-sealed airlock of the
Corfe.
Behind them were thirty volunteers from the Legion, ostensibly an honor guard since Redruth was still a
Similar Books
