Free Slave of the Legion by Marshall S. Thomas

totally magnificent and totally impersonal. It made me feel like a worm, wriggling along in the dirt. This was certainly God's country, and we were clearly intruders.
    "Twelfth, Twelfth, Twenty-Second, respond please." It was very faint, and racked with static, but we heard it clearly.
    "Did you hear that?"
    "Why would the Twenty-second want them to break blackout?"
    "That's our unit!" We were all shocked into attention.
    "Twelve, Two Two, request you…" A roar of static. A vague flicker ran over the sky. Then the air moved around us, just a little. A gentle rush. Our tacmaps went dead.
    "Deadman."
    "That was a big one."
    A burst of static, a burning roar, a metallic screech, a faint screaming; was it human?
    "What was that?" We could only listen, helpless and horrified.
    "Two Two, Ten…" A roar of static. "…lost the Twelfth, repeat; believe we've lost the Twelfth. We've got a strato anti burst coming at us. Nova, Nova…" A massive rush of noise, burning in our ears. I sat there frozen, unable even to move.
    "Lost the Twelfth!" Speedy exclaimed suddenly. "What the hell does that mean? How can you lose an entire regiment?"
    "Shut down!" Valkyrie snapped.
    "But what do they mean?"
    "Shut your filthy trap!"
    I was stunned. The 12th was our regiment. And if the maxburst from the 10th was correct, they had just been snuffed out like a candle.
    "Ten, Two Two, Two Two, respond please!"
    But there was no response from the 10th—only static. Another regiment was gone. It was so horrifying I could barely comprehend it. The 12th was our family—the 12th was us! How could they be gone? All those people—all those soldiers! Immortals, bound for Hell. I looked over at Snow Leopard. He stood, his E in his arms, looking up to the sky, and I'd never seen a look like that before.
    ###
    Exhausted, I picked at my rations. I was almost too tired to eat. We had climbed the mountain all day and now it was night again, another smoky night flickering with atmospheric deceptors just the way we liked it. We had made our way up the steep western slopes of the mountain ridge, then along one side of a ravine, and now we were on the eastern side on our way down. My legs were rubbery, twitching and weak inside the A-suit. And Sweety wouldn't give me any more mags, the bitch. I was so tired I just wanted to sleep. And that's precisely what we were going to do—Valkyrie had the first watch.
    Gnats swarmed around my face and rations. Deadman.
    I tried to brush them away. Gildron lurched into view and squatted nearby, resting his E on a rock.
    "Trade you a fruit chew for a choco," Tara said. She was sitting right next to me.
    "Sorry—I ate all my chocos."
    "It's high energy," Tara said. "You should have saved some for tomorrow."
    "I guess I live for today," I said. We all had our helmets off. We were covered with mud and dirt. Tara grimaced as a swarm of gnats attacked her face and settled on her fruit chew. I laughed. "How you doing, Tara?"
    She waved listlessly at the gnats and gave me a dazzling smile. "You shouldn't ask questions like that, Beta Three."
    "Why not? You're not happy?"
    "On the contrary," she said dreamily, "I'm very happy. I've never been happier. You could even say I'm ecstatic. Yes—ecstatic!"
    "Right—me too," I replied wearily.
    "I'm not kidding, Wester. I mean it. I am truly happy, for the first time in many years."
    "Yeah? Why's that, Tara?" I never knew what she was going to say. But it was usually illuminating—she was an unusual girl.
    "Because it's right and proper that I be here, Wester. It's absolutely perfect. I don't know why the Legion sent me on this mission, Wester. It's as much a mystery to me as it is to you. But I know the real reason I'm here. This is my penance, my…purification…for all my sins. That's why I'm here, Wester, why I'm really here. This is my reward; this is what I deserve for my past, for all my sacrifices, for all my sins. I feel holy, Wester. I feel good."
    "Sorry—you lost me there. What