Read Online Prophet of ConFree (The Prophet of ConFree) by Marshall S. Thomas - Free Book Online Page B

base. The rest of the base seemed to be on the move, too – so many recruits, all in khaki, hustling down the roads in squads, all coming together into a huge parade ground. Hundreds – thousands – of new recruits, now slowing and marching into the assembly area. Doggie guided us into our proper places, and we lined up, did the right dress, and stood at attention. There was a mass of humanity there. We had squads in front and behind us, and all around. It was a beautiful day, pale blue sky, no clouds, heating up quickly. The parade ground was rock hard, but I could tell it was dirt and not concrete. Many generations of Legion troopers had trained here, I reflected. We faced a distant dais with two tall flagpoles displaying the ConFree and Legion flags.
    As we stood there silent and motionless, I was kind of stunned by the sight. I was surrounded by thousands of new recruits, every race in the galaxy, all clad in khaki, all anxious to learn all they could, all pledged to live and die for the people of the Confederation of Free Worlds, all united in one great effort. What a pure, simple objective. And what a moving sight – this wasn't a vid or some proprop effort. These were real people, thousands of them, young people, just kids, boys and girls just out of midschool, volunteers from all over ConFree, and the Legion was going to forge them into a fearsome instrument to defend the women and children of ConFree, to hunt down our deadliest enemies and hammer them into submission.
    And now I was part of it. Me, Richard Rains. Who the hell was I? Nobody, I knew. But here I was, nevertheless, in the midst of this mighty host. I may not have been anybody before, but I was somebody now. I knew it. I was a soldier of the Legion – or would be, if I made the grade.
    Δ
    "Welcome to Veltros Training Command!" Loudspeakers blasted the words over the assembled recruits. The distant dais was now awash with black-clad officers. A merciful light breeze was calming my fevered brow. It was getting hot, and we had been braced at attention for some time. "I am Commander Keth Durris, C.O. of the Basic Training Course. Our mission here at BT is to build you all into soldiers and to instill in you all the skills and knowledge you will require to succeed in your mission. And your mission is the Legion mission – to counter, attack and destroy all the enemies of the people of the Confederation of Free Worlds. It is a life and death mission for you, and for our civilization. It is vital that you absorb all that we teach you, and then go on to Advanced Combat Training and then to an active Legion unit. Your instructors are our most experienced warriors. Listen to what they say, obey orders and don't fight the program. We will teach you what you need to know to stay alive and to confound our foes."
    The commander paused briefly, and it appeared that he was looking over the troops. "You are the future," he said, slowly. "The future of ConFree. You are all volunteers, and you have all qualified for BT. You are the cream of ConFree youth. The strongest, the smartest, the best qualified raw material in the galaxy. You are the thin black line that will never retreat, that will never surrender. You are the spiritual descendants of the Eighth Legion, who died on Uldo so that we might live. "
    As he spoke, I looked nervously around me, and wished that I could become invisible. Strong? Smart? Best qualified? I was none of that. How the hell did I get into the Legion? Somebody hit me in the face, and it all happened. I surely didn't belong here. Descendants of the Eighth Legion? I knew history – the entire legion had been annihilated on Uldo by the Systies. Not one trooper had surrendered. They had fought to the death. Good Lord, I'm not a suicidal fanatic. I don't belong here. How long before they find out?
    "Now, BT is not easy. Some of you will drop out voluntarily and others will be dropped for cause. That's all right – we don't want either category.