by Jim Laughter
He knew it would be hard for them to shift to the new orders, especially the part about releasing any humans they were holding captive, but it was necessary. Assuring the taskmaster that the resultant harvest would increase in the long run, the commander knew it would expedite obedience. He intended to visit and find out what was really going on there.
And now they were on their way. Ahead lay a somewhat remote planet populated with humans. Observation had shown them that this planet was not on the main trade routes the humans used, and far from one of their dreaded service bases. Barking orders, the commander instructed his pilot to vector them on stealth approach to their intended target.
Chapter Fourteen
Leatha took in her surroundings in a glance. What have I gotten myself into now? She thought as she surveyed the cabins and the woods surrounding her. Fortunately, none of the campers were due to arrive for several days, so all was peaceful at the Wounded Warriors Campground.
At least the name fits, Leatha’s thoughts continued. Except I’m here as a staff member!
“Hello!” called an older woman just stepping out of the largest of the cabins. Leatha eyed her as she strode in long steps to where Leatha had been let off by the ground transport from the closest town.
The woman’s ruddy complexion and mannerisms betrayed that she had been out here a long time and felt at home in the woods. Leatha on the other hand, knew she stuck out like a newbie recruit on the first day of basic. At least I’m in uniform, she thought. The dress black jumpsuit with captain’s plate may have stood out in this setting, but she felt more comfortable this way. People showed a certain deference to the uniform of the service, especially a ship captain.
“You must be Captain Mordon!” the woman exclaimed as she strode up and took Leatha’s hand in a strong grip. “I’m Anna Fletcher, Camp Director. I’ve been expecting you.”
“Thank you,” was all Leatha could think of to say. She had not been looking forward to coming to this place, much less meeting anyone here.
After that last meeting with what had turned out to be a medical evaluation board, Leatha had grown very despondent. Their questions and comments had made it clear in her mind that she was finished as a ship captain. She even considered that she would wash out of the service as well.
It was the next morning when Rose Sharon had come to her room that things became really interesting. As usual, after a brief knock, Rose let herself in and sat down in the corner chair. In her hand was her ever-present cup of tea. Mindful of Leatha’s mood, she said nothing but waited patiently.
Leatha broke the silence. “Dare I say good morning?”
“The morning is how you make it,” Rose said as she took a quiet sip from her cup.
“I’ve figured it all out, you know,” Leatha said.
“Oh?” replied Rose. “And what conclusions have you reached?”
“That I’m washed up as a captain,” Leatha answered as a matter of fact. “That I’ll never command again, and may quite possibly be dismissed from the service on medical grounds.”
“Is that so?” asked Rose. “In that case, you won’t be interested in this.”
She pulled a folded piece of paper out of a pocket. Leatha watched Rose unfold the paper part way and then offer it to her. Leatha reached out and took the paper. Not knowing what to expect, she finished unfolding the single sheet of paper.
To her surprise, it was a standard service order made out to her—Captain (T3) Leatha Mordon. Her eyes scanned the short paragraphs but her mind refused to register what was written.
To: Captain (T3) Leatha Mordon
Re: Temporary duty assignment.
Duration: To be determined.
Report to: Wounded Warriors Campground, Sharpton.
Duty: Staff Member, Survival Instructor/Guide.
Civilian Supervisor: Anna Fletcher.
Service Liaison: Rose Sharon.
“What is this?” Leatha asked.
“It is your new temporary duty assignment,” Rose answered.
“But I’m in no shape to teach,” Leatha came back. “Look at me,” she said, her voice rising. “I’m a basket case! I can’t take care of myself, much less anybody else.”
“I don’t think so,” Rose stated. “You want me to look at you? Ok, I will. Do you know what I see? I see a capable young woman. Does she have problems? Sure. But I don’t see that as a handicap. I believe you are more that capable to handle this little assignment. So I put you in for it.”
Leatha was somewhat taken back by the forcefulness of Rose’s delivery. She detected some cold steel beneath that soft exterior. She also detected that she was being challenged.
Before her stood two choices. On the one hand, she could pack it all in and leave the service. Beyond that, she did not know what she would do. Get by somehow. On the other hand, she could rise to this challenge and go on the assignment. She might not know what she was supposed to do, but at least it would be in the service. Time seemed to stand still while she contemplated her options.
“Ok, I’ll go,” she said, quiet in her demeanor but firm in her resolve.
After that, time passed in a blur as she packed, dressed, and arranged for transportation. The trip from Alpha Two to Sharpton hadn’t taken long on a service fast transport. Then down through the one spaceport on Sharpton. A flitter took her to the nearest town and then she rode ground transit the rest of the way. From what she had seen in transit, this camp was a long way from anywhere. Even the town (such as it was) was over an hour away by ground transport.
“The service said they were detaching a trooper to help us here at the camp,” Anna Fletcher said, wrenching Leatha back to the present. “I was surprised when they said you were coming in today rather than a week from now when the next session starts.”
“It was a bit sudden for me as well,” Leatha admitted.
“Well, that will allow us time to get you oriented,” Anna said. “Come into the office and we’ll get you situated. Then I’ll show you to your cabin.”
Leatha was amazed at how much Anna reminded her of Rose Sharon. She had that easy going motherly air about her that helped set the young trooper at ease.
An hour later, Leatha found herself trying to sort out the onslaught of information thrust upon her. After the initial paperwork asking the usual personal information (Anna’s eyebrows had gone up when she noted that for home planet Leatha had answered none) Anna had started handing her information about the camp itself.
As the name implied, it dealt with people suffering different sorts of emotional and physical problems. Leatha assumed that it was for troopers but she was wrong. Instead, it catered a civilian clientele.
The approach was simple - get the person out of their normal environment and into a controlled (but not appearing so) setting. Once there, they would learn not only new skills for life in general but also more specific ones tailored to their needs. This would be accomplished through a combination of group and individual instruction as well as generous amounts of physical activity. That was where Leatha came in. She was designated as one of the guides for the various hikes and would teach basic service survival skills to the camp’s clients.
Among the folder of information Leatha had been given were maps of the area. A glance at each showed her that different trails and landmarks were well designated, along with information about length and difficulty. She found the thought of working up a good sweat hiking appealing to her.
This place might just be the ticket. I’ve been too cooped up, even on the Aurora.
“Ready to see your cabin?” Anna asked, breaking in on her thoughts. Leatha looked up from where she had been engrossed in the maps. However, Anna wasn’t fooled. She knew that glassy-eyed look. This gal has a lot on her mind, she thought.
“Sure,” Leatha replied.
“Good,” Anna said as she got up and headed for the door. “After we drop your gear we can head out for a quick tour of the camp.”
Chapter Fifteen
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Leatha found herself running, running as fast as her little legs could carry her. Every time she tried to stop, her mother or father would urge her to keep going. In the background, she could hear the distant rumble of heavy equipment interspersed with the whine and explosion of blasters.
They were in the foothills now and they were not alone. All around them neighbors and strangers were fleeing the advancing horde of red monsters. Here and there were groups trying to take up defensive positions using a hodge-podge of private weapons. But they were no match for the well-equipped monsters as they slowly but methodically advanced. Each small group would be engaged and systematically wiped out. Nothing slowed the steady advance of the harvesters.
Finally, she could run no more. Little Leatha’s legs gave out and she fell to the hard ground. Her arms and face bore the scratches and cuts from the brambles they had been running through, but she ignored them. Even the pain of her skinned knees was overwhelmed by the terror she felt.
Without a word, her mother reached down and scooped her up. Leatha clung to her mother as they continued to run higher and deeper into the hills. Soon they reached a plateau where the trees began to be thin out.
The sounds of the attackers seemed distant now so they stopped to rest. Around them other families and groups of individuals also stopped. No one spoke. The only sound was the ragged gasps of people desperately trying to catch their breath. But on every face there was mirrored both bewilderment and shock.
Slowly, as if by unseen command, the groups moved closer to one another. The noise of the attackers faded to silence. Night approached and there was a definite chill in the air at this altitude. A few men started trying to organize the groups and families, bunching them together for mutual warmth. Others foraged for water and makeshift ways to carry it once they located a small stream. Water was passed around, often in the plastic hood of a jacket or in bags made of knotted sleeves.
Darkness fell and with it came a sense of safety. None dared build a fire for fear of alerting the enemy to their position in the trees. Except for the limited warmth it would provide, there was little need anyway. There was no food to cook. Except for a few candy bars, no one had brought anything in the way of supplies. Whispered conversations began but mostly only mothers trying to quiet scared and hungry children in the night. A group of men set up a perimeter to keep watch, although there was little they could do except run if they were to spot the enemy approaching.
Leatha snuggled down among the other children as they huddled together for warmth. Fatigue overcame hunger as one by one the children drifted off into troubled sleep. Little Leatha soon drifted off too, lulled by the quiet soothing of her mother.
An explosion of light and sound shook the plateau, caused by the concussion of grenade-flares. The night filled with shouts and screams as the red horde advanced through the woods in an ever-tightening circle. Leatha and the other children tried to hide under each other or run into the woods. Most did not make it, being either captured by the Red-tail soldiers or burned down by blaster fire.
As the defenseless humans were rounded up in a guarded mass, the tracked hopper vehicles rolled onto the plateau. Leatha’s parents took one look at the situation and decided not to go passively. Grabbing little Leatha between them, they bolted through the loose ring of Red-tail guards and deeper into the woods. Caught by surprise, the guards were slow to chase the fleeing humans.
But their efforts were in vain. The family made it only scant yards into the foliage before the whine of blasters filled the air. All the little girl saw was a wall of fire flattening them to the ground. Little Leatha was saved by the fact that her mother had ended up carrying her, shielding her daughter from the blast with her own body.
The girl tried to wiggle out of her dead mother’s grasp as the red monsters approached. Leatha could smell them, a harsh burnt scent that was seared into her memory. She screamed as one of them reached for her with its claws. She could smell its fetid breath when it lifted her off the ground and pressed its hideous face against hers.
Leatha bolted awake in a cold sweat. Her blankets were twisted around her. She fought for consciousness. Although the nightmare faded, she could still smell the stench of the Red-tails. Her chest heaving with the exertions from her ordeal, she looked around her cabin, trying to orient herself. She was glad that she was alone this night. After the next session for the camp started, she would have a cabin mate to contend with.
She slipped off of her cot and padded barefoot into the small bathroom. Splashing water on her face, Leatha tried to wash away the wisps of the nightmare she had just experienced. Rose Sharon had warned her these would still happen while her mind worked through years of tortured silence. But knowing something is going to happen is nothing compared to experiencing it, especially so vividly.
Leatha glanced out the window and saw that it was still night. That meant going back to bed and trying to sleep. But she knew that in her present state of mind, sleep would be an exercise in futility. Oh how she wished it were day so she could distract herself from the emotions running through her!
Realizing that she had to do something, Leatha went to the small stove in the cabin kitchen and set a teapot on to boil. While she waited, she sat down at the table where she had laid all the brochures and paperwork Anna have given her. Digging through the pile, she found the sheets outlining the activities for which she would be responsible.
She read the outline, slow and deliberate, fighting to focus on something besides the nightmare. Taking a pencil, Leatha marked or underlined items she thought important, occasionally jotting down a note in the margin. The effort was working. Leatha slowly felt her body start to relax a little.
The teapot whistled after a few minutes. Leatha made herself a strong cup of tea from supplies she found in the cupboard over the stove. It had been in an unmarked jar but it smelled fresh. She hoped it did not have caffeine in it. That was the one thing she didn’t need on top of the nightmare.
A sniff of the tea reassured her. Although she could not identify it, it had a minty aroma. Taking her mug, Leatha went back to the table and sat back down. She set the mug on a coaster and resumed going over the camp material.
It only took her a few more minutes to come to the end of it. She picked up her mug and sat back in her chair to contemplate what she had just read. Whoever outlined her duties here intended for her to have a lot of latitude. Other than the basic outlining of survival skills she was to teach, it left the rest up to her.
Anna had mentioned hiking which they could do, and that would work well with teaching the skills outlined in front of her. In fact, the real problem might be trying not to overdo it for the people visiting the camp. Although in space frequently, Leatha had managed to stay in good shape. The thought of a several mile hike didn’t bother her in the least, but how about the clients that came to the Wounded Warrior Camp?
Before she knew it, Leatha found herself nodding off. With a yawn, she got up and set her mug back on the table. Whatever that tea had been, it was certainly doing the trick. Leatha shuffled back to her bed, and after straightening the covers, got in. She had barely gotten comfortable before she fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
∞∞∞∞
“How did you sleep last night?” Anna Fletcher asked the next morning as she busied herself scrambling a half dozen eggs.
“As well as can be expected in a new place,” Leatha replied from the kitchen counter where she was cutting up cheese and tomatoes for Anna to mix into the scramble. Being as there was only the two of them, they seemed to rattle around in the large communal kitchen. Normally, it would have a crew of a dozen working to feed sixty hungry campers.
Leatha slept well the second time around. Morning found her both refreshed and in a surprisingly good mood. Since Anna had mentioned showing Leatha some of the trails and landmarks she would need to know when she led the hikers, Leatha dressed in the utility jumpsuit most troopers preferred. It would be comfortable in
all but the coldest weather, and with all its different pockets, it lent itself to carrying the odd items they might need on the hike.
Leatha scooped the cheese and tomatoes into bowls and carried them over to where Anna was busy at the stove. Leatha noticed she had already mixed meat and mushrooms into a large, well-seasoned pan. Since it was just the two of them, there was no need to fire up the large grill. Anna gave Leatha a quick smile as she took the contents and liberally mixed them into the scramble. Then she took a lid and covered it to let it steam itself together.
“There!” she exclaimed and turned down the heat. “Let’s just simmer that for a while. Want some toast? It’s home-made bread baked right here at camp.”
It had been a while since she had enjoyed such a treat. Baking wasn’t practical onboard ship, so she usually had frozen bread from her stores or used the synthesizer. Thinking back, with exception to the dinner rolls she had eaten at the August Angus, she could not remember the last time she had bitten into the warm coarseness of homemade bread.
While Anna sliced the bread for the toaster, Leatha got out the utensils and set the table. When she went back into the kitchen to get them some juice and coffee, she smelled the delicious aroma of toasting bread. Anna checked the scramble, and after turning off the heat, carried the pan to the table and set it on a pad between their settings. In short order, the food was ready and the two sat down.
As they both gave silent thanks to the Unseen One, Leatha found herself also being thankful for this new person in her life - Anna. The sunny disposition of the camp director was beginning to rub off on the more dower Leatha, and to her surprise, she enjoyed it.
Cheery people tended to grate on her, especially early in the morning. But Anna was somehow different. Leatha wasn’t sure how she did it, but Anna got under her skin and cheered her up whether she wanted to be cheered up or not.
