Chapter 17 part 3

"Well then," I said. "I thank you for reviving me. Am I free to go, sir?"

"Sadly, no. I have to have your word that you won't speak of this incident to anyone. You won't bring up Galactics or being executed—none of it. If you do, your data will be lost, and your next revive will never happen. Do I make myself clear, McGill?"

"Like starlight, sir."

"Good. Now, head to Blue Deck. You look like shit. Get yourself some chemical help. We'll be redeploying tomorrow, and I need every man in fighting shape."

I paused, stunned.

"Redeploying? Where, sir?"

He frowned. "I'm not accustomed to being questioned by recruits, McGill. Don't take our little conversation as some kind of comradery. We're not best friends."

"Of course not. But I thought we were leaving Cancri-9. I thought we'd given up on this mission."

Graves laughed at me. The laugh was an unpleasant one.

"Given up? No, Recruit. This war has just begun. Legion Varus always triumphs. It does not give up when Earth's territory is threatened. We were tricked into this contract but aren't done yet. The Galactics are observing—as you know intimately. Before this is over, we'll have proven to them yet again who the best fighters are."

I was confused. I had no real idea what he was talking about. I knew that Legion Varus often fought other mercenary companies to demonstrate we were the best, but so far, I hadn't seen any evidence of this occurring on Cancri-9. All we'd fought were packs of angry natives.

"One last question, sir," I said. "If you don't mind."

"I do mind. But ask it anyway."

"Who are the enemy? What mercenary company are we fighting against?"

He looked at me in surprise. "Really, McGill? I thought you might have figured that out by now. Maybe that regrow did scramble your brains."

"But sir, we've fought nothing but saurians since we got here. Endless waves of lizards. The only other alien we encountered was the Galactic inspector himself."

"Endless waves of lizards…" he said, smiling tightly. "You should be a poet, McGill."

I thought about that for a second. "Are you saying that saurians themselves are the enemy? That they want to challenge us for supremacy in this region of space? Are they trying to form their own legions?"

"I doubt they'll call them that. They tend to fight in hordes. More numbers, more meat, less armament—but you have to admit, they are pretty effective."

"But why, sir? They have their steel, their minerals to sell. Isn't that easier for them?"

He shrugged. "How the hell should I know why they've decided to try this takeover? Maybe the market on steel has crashed. Maybe they've lost a number of accounts and are hurting for credits. Whatever the case, I think they've been working toward this for a long time. Otherwise, why are they our very best clients? Why so many missions? To observe and learn, that's my guess."

I didn't know what to say. "They are warlike, primitive by alien standards. They don't even have a worldwide government. Maybe mercenary work would suit them. Do you really think they can beat us? We slaughtered them out there."