douglashill.galacticwarlord-第3部分
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s a poor planet; with little to offer the rest of the galaxy in trade。 For centuries it remained mostly alone; unvisited。 And all that time its people developed and refined their special way of life; being more fiercely independent; self…sufficient; at one with themselves。 They also became a planetful of the most skilled; most effective fighting men and women in the galaxy。
Yet the people of Moros never lost that earliest sense of total mitment。 In their world; munality ruled … cooperation; sharing; mutual aid and support。 The people of Moros did not fight among themselves。 All petition was relegated to an annual festival; the Martial Games。 In their way of life; private greed; destructive ambition; selfish indifference to the needs of others … such anti…social; anti…survival ways were almost unknown。
Slowly; other human…inhabited planets in that region of the galaxy became aware of the uniqueness of Moros。 And others saw what the people of Moros had not realized … that theirs was not truly a poor planet; for it had a special and valuable natural resource。
It had the martial skills of its population。
Gradually; the people of Moros were invited to use that resource; to trade with it as if it were minerals or food products。 They took their skills out into the galaxy; small groups of fighting men and women; hired … at substantial sums … to fight in small wars on this planet or that。 They became what; in an ancient human language; had once been called mercenaries。 But they felt no shame in doing so; nor was any put upon them。
They learned just how supremely skilled they were; pared to other soldiers in the Inhabited Worlds。 And the rest of the galaxy learned as well。 Soon more offers were ing in then could be accepted; and Moros began to know a measure of wealth。
With that ine … held in mon; like most property on the planet … the people of Moros acquired new; up…to…date equipment and weapons。 They bought spaceships; from one…man fighters to vast battle cruisers; and created a formidable fleet。 They visited other worlds; studied other advanced bat techniques and took them home for their people to master them。 So they organized themselves into an armed force that could; if needed; include every adult on the planet。 It was a force that became legendary throughout the galaxy。
The Legions of Moros。
Even then; even though any army needs carefully drawn lines and levels of mand; the munal spirit of Moros was not impaired。 Nor was the order and discipline: discord; slacking; disobedience were unknown; and would have been shocking notions to any legionary。 In battle; some led and others followed; but they did so in order that every section and unit would operate like a finely tuned machine。
Otherwise the legionaries shared their lives as equals …working together; going into bat together; celebrating victories together。
And; in the end; dying together。
(Keill Randor's dream shifted; as it always did; and the broken; fleeting images gathered; held steady。 From the depths of his sleeping darkness Keill moaned; as the dream…memory rose; clear and terrible … of the words he had heard from his ship's municator that day 。。。)
He had been sent; with the other one…person ships of his Strike Group; on a simple reconnaissance mission。 But it was more than halfway across the galaxy; and in one of the most densely populated sectors; where human worlds and their stars clustered like … as the Morosian saying had it … sand fleas at an oasis。
Keill and his Group had e out of Overlight and were moving on ordinary planetary drive towards their objective …a small planet where a local war looked like expanding into a major conflict; and where the Legions had been offered a huge sum to join in on one side。
The Strike Group's mission was simply to gather data; to study the planet from orbit; to assess the war potential; to monitor broadcasts and so on。 This data would help the Central mand of the Legions to decide whether to take up the offer。
For the Legions; by then; could pick and choose among contracts。 And their ethic; born of their history; would not allow them to take the side of aggressors; or fanatics; or would…be exploiters。
Often they had fought; for less payment; on the side of those defending themselves against just such enemies。 Often; indeed; the mere presence of the Legions on the side of the defenders had prevented an aggressor from ever launching a full…scale attack。
As the planet grew larger in their viewscreens; Keill and his group were checking their inter…ship munications link; preparing to slide into an orbit suitable for scanning the surface of this world。 They were not advertising their presence; and hoped to go unnoticed … so Keill was mildly annoyed when he spotted a handful of silvery; tubular shapes rising towards his group through clouds beneath them。 A subdued ripple of voices on the municator showed that the rest of the group had also seen the other ships。
'Maybe they're friendly; maybe not;' Keill said to his group。 'We'll ease away on a new course and be ready for evasive action。'
His fingers moved over the controls; programming in the new course that his group would pick up and follow。 He kept his eyes firmly on the approaching ships; waiting for some sign of their intention; some munication from them。
As he watched; twin points of light glimmered from the tapering noses of each of the oning ships。 Keill clenched his teeth angrily。 It was all the sign he needed: he knew an ion…energy beam…gun when he saw one。
'They're firing;' he snapped into his municator。 'Amateurs … they're way out of range still。 Begin new course for evasive action。'
'Do we return fire ?' The voice from the municator was that of young Oni Wolda; Keill's next…in…mand and his closest friend in the Strike Group。 Her voice was calm; but with a faint note of eagerness that made Keill smile。
'No;' he said quickly。 'We're not here to fight。 Evasive action will take us far enough out for Overlight … that'll lose them。 Then we'll report back。'
Again he made his course corrections on the control panel。 Then he added; 'I'll drop back into rear position and find out who this gun…happy bunch belongs to。'
But before any of his group could acknowledge; his municator hummed for an instant and then spoke; not in the voices of his friends but in the abrasive; metallic tone of a long…range munication。
URGENT MESSAGE FROM HOME PLANET … MESSAGE FROM HOME PLANET。
Keill sat up; startled。 Messages seldom came from Moros to legionaries on a mission; unless the legionaries themselves first made contact; to report or to call for reinforcements in an emergency。
The municator seemed to have plucked the word from his thoughts。
EMERGENCY MESSAGE ALL LEGIONARIES … EMERGENCY ALL LEGIONARIES
PLANET UNDER ATTACK BY UNKNOWN FORCES
ALL LEGIONARIES RETURN TO MOROS AT ONCE … REPEAT
RETURN AT ONCE … PRIORITY ONE ORDER OF CENTRAL MAND
Shock turned Keill's blood to ice。 Moros under attack ? It had never happened … not in all the centuries。 Who would be foolhardy enough to attack the home world of the galaxy's most renowned fighting force ?
But the words had been spoken; and had to be true。
'Emergency procedure!' he shouted。 'Prepare for Overlight at my signal!'
It was risky; entering Overlight that close to a planet's gravitational pull; but there was no choice。 At once; the terrible order had said … and Keill had no intention of arriving too late; if only by seconds; to be of use。
His fingers flowed over the controls; making his ship ready for Overlight。 His hand was hovering over the activator; his mouth beginning to form the order to his group; when his ship jerked and leaped beneath him like a startled animal。
Furious; he glanced at his rear viewscreen。 He had nearly forgotten the other ships; in the shock of the message from Moros。 And because he had dropped back into the rear position of his group; he had e within range of the others' beam…guns。 One of them had got lucky: he had been hit。
It would take time before his puter could produce a damage report … but he could feel his ship slowing; juddering slightly。 Behind him the attacking ships were closing the gap; still firing wildly。
All he could do was to take his group into safety … and hope desperately that it was not his Overlight drive that had been damaged。
'Ready to enter Overlight;' he snapped; 'now!'
His hand punched the activator … and the formless void gathered him in。
Though in Overlight; a ship seemed to be at rest; motionless; while leaping across the unimaginable distances; there were many special stresses and pressures within the void。 It was a place from which a damaged ship might very well never emerge。
So Keill sweated and waited for the puter's damage report。 It came in seconds; but they seemed like hours。
Damage recorded from energy beam contact Hull sector eight…A
Keill's heart sank。 It was a forward sector of the ship's hull; holding some of the weaponry and much of the navigational equipment。 The puter went on; confirming his fears:
Hull buckled but unbroken; and holding One forward beam…gun inoperable Navigation system planetary drive inoperable
Keill reached for the puter