Cross of the Legion by Marshall S. Thomas Read Free Book Online

wonderful to see you again." She gave us a shy smile. We had gone through Uldo together. Everyone in Beta was bonded for life, that was certain.
    "Thanks, Twister. See you later. We're going to turn off for awhile."
    Twister left us and I settled back on a bunk and discovered an E, hidden in a messy tangle of blankets and pillows.
    "This one sleeps with an E," I said, propping the weapon against the wall. Priestess cautiously examined the next bunk, arranging the bedding, then bumped her head against the open top bunk and sat down hard, silent.
    "You all right?"
    "Fine," she said, eyes closed, resting her head on one hand. It was warm and dark and oppressive. A high pressure pipe whined eerily somewhere nearby. It did not sound like it was going to stop anytime soon. I had almost forgotten how crowded it got on a cruiser. I removed a dead, wet towel from the bunk and dropped it onto the deck.
    "Well, here the hell we are," I said.
    "Your idea," Priestess replied.
    "Yeah. I guess so. Let's see if we can get some sleep."
    ***
    I slept uneasily, drifting in and out of consciousness, hot and sweaty, tormented by visions of Moontouch and Stormdawn calling out to me. Finally I faded away into a prickly, feverish sleep, to be startled awake by a horrific racket. Spotlights flashed all around us, great black shadows leaped over the walls and ceiling, and a shattering metallic drum screeched and blasted away. For one terrifying instant, I had no idea where I was. An eruption of shouting and screaming echoed through the narrow chamber and a confusing babble of voices followed. A disorderly gang of A-suited troopers crashed carelessly through the room, leaving chaos in their wake, howling like wolves, shrieking like the inmates of an insane asylum.
    "Alert! There's a girl in my bed!" a female trooper hooted in a hoarse voice.
    "What! Who does she think she is! Let's strip her and toss her out in the hall!" another girl shouted.
    "Don't be so hasty—I'll take her!" a male voice cut in.
    "What the hell! There's a man in my bed!" another girl exclaimed. A giant A-suit hovered over me, blinding me with a spotlight.
    "That's a waste! You couldn't…"
    "We didn't give anyone permission…"
    "Let's rape him!" The girl in the A-suit tore me out of her bed. I knew there was no sense in trying to fight an A-suit. I just concentrated on trying to avoid getting damaged as she slammed me up against a wall.
    "Who the hell are these people? Hey, dead meat, you just made a bad move! We eat pussy for breakfast!"
    "Say, the honey's really cute!"
    "Finders keepers!"
    "Take her clothes off and let's take a look!"
    "Aw right, break it up! Who are you people!" An icy female voice cracked like a whip. I recognized that voice—no doubt about it.
    "Hello, Valkyrie," I said. She snapped off her helmet and dropped it to the deck and stepped forward, peering at me in the glare of a spotlight. Valkyrie was the former Beta Eleven, golden hair chopped short, icy emerald eyes, pale pink lips, and a black Legion cross burnt onto her forehead. Valkyrie, my lost love, my obsession. She reached out her cenite arms and yanked me off my feet and slammed me up against her chestplate and slid one armored hand behind my head and gave me a wet, sloppy kiss, forcing her tongue deep into my mouth. Then she howled with delight, just like a wolf, and fell backwards to the deck, carrying me with her and bringing down a tangle of other A- suited troopers.
    "Three! It's Beta Three!" she shrieked.
    "Who the hell is Beta Three?"
    "Priestess! It's Priestess—Beta Nine! Gitcha hands off her—she's mine!" I recognized Scrapper's hoarse voice. She had been Gamma Five, and later Beta Twelve. Somebody hit the lights and I got to watch everyone struggling up from the deck.
    Scrapper had her helmet off, revealing a thick tangle of tawny hair, clear grey eyes, and a Legion cross burnt onto her forehead just like Valkyrie. She was beaming at Priestess, cradled in her arms like a fragile