Prophet of ConFree (The Prophet of ConFree) Read Online Free Page A

repeated. "Good question. I've been asking that myself. No, they didn't beat me up. That also happened before I enlisted. But I guess you could say it was part of my…motivation. Yes. I understand we'll be getting new haircuts during induction on Veltros. How long have you been in?"
    "Two…whole…days," he said, as if it was more than any human should have to endure. "I've been the only one here. Except for them. I'm really glad to see you."
    "Where are you from?"
    "Sunglen. It's way out in the Pine Barrens. Windwood was the closest Legion Gate."
    "What made you want to enlist?"
    "Clearly you're not fam with Sunglen or the Pine Barrens. It's the armpit of the world. And my girl…well, short story, she dumped me. And I really cared about her. How about you?"
    "Your story makes sense compared to mine. Well, I had a lot of reasons but bottom line is I thought it was the right thing to do."
    "That's pretty idealistic, I'm impressed. Do you know anything about Veltros?"
    "Yeah, it's the Legion's premier basic training center. Everybody gets run through Veltros. Only it's a long star run from here. Did they tell you you'd be leaving tomorrow?"
    "Yes, they did."
    "Good. We'll be going together. Looks like just the two of us."
    "Great! That's great!" He took a big gulp of dox and held out a fist. "Arie Gaignon. It's great to meet you."
    "Richard Rains," I said, touching knuckles. "Likewise. I'm from Windwood. Recently graduated from Windwood Middle."
    "Same here, Sunglen Middle. It wasn't much of a school, but I liked it – until she dumped me. I was on track, gymnastics and contact."
    "Wow! Really? You're a real athlete." He sure didn't look it.
    "Yeah, I guess so. I liked it. But that's all gone now." The past is dead and gone, I thought.
    "Did you see the Monument to the Dead?" he asked. "In the plaza?"
    "Yes – I noticed it when I first arrived but I didn't pay much attention."
    "That's got all the names of all the Legion troopers who died defending the people of ConFree. Immortals all. That's what they told me. An endless list, they said."
    "Yeah, I know about the monument. They've got it in every Legion installation."
    "You seem to know a lot about the Legion," Arie said.
    "I've studied history, that's all. It seems strangely inappropriate that the first thing new Legion volunteers see after walking through the Gate is a list of Legion dead."
    "I'm sure there's a reason for it."
    "Yeah, me too. What do they make you do here? Any duties? Processing?"
    "No, they said just wait for the aircar tomorrow. I've been lying around sipping dox, mostly."
    "Is there a mess hall around here, or something to eat?"
    "Sure, come on, I'll show you."
    Δ
    Arie and I stood in the backblast of the aircar as it settled onto the landing pad on the roof of the Legion installation. It was a bright, clear day and Eugarat's two moons were both visible overhead as the crash doors of the car slid open. Mustache said goodbye to us from the carport personnel door. I still didn't know his name. We scrambled into the car, finding seats and strapping in. It was a Legion military transport car, with two troopers up front piloting it. Arie and I were the only passengers. We lifted off abruptly, gained altitude rapidly and headed roughly southwest towards Temple Mount and the starport. We had a fabulous view of Windwood as we shot over it heading for the future. A seemingly endless green forest, with a neat little settlement nestled in the trees. I could see downtown, the civic center, the hospital, Windwood Middle School, my own little residential neighborhood, rust-red roofs scattered through the forest. I spotted the teen club up on a forested hill, and even the playground on the edge of the botanical gardens. Last view, I thought. That was my home. I wondered if I would ever see it again.
    Arie and I had talked a lot the night before but finally fell asleep in our quarters, exhausted. Now Arie was quiet, and I still felt very tired. I hadn't gotten much