Every Last Mother's Child

by William J. Carty, Jr

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  “Lady Hawthorne,” the school mistress intruded into Lady Hawthorne’s quiet review of the grounds. She was enjoying a quiet stroll by herself. Her kids were somewhere about being entertained by the cadets or being looked after by her kid’s nanny. She looked around the grounds amazed at the progress that was being made by the cadets, and all the adults who were spending time at the school. A day didn’t go by when some off duty group of Militia men, Imperial Marines, Imperial Space Navy, Interstellar Rescue Service or Thonian MPs, came in and helped out. Occasionally someone from the palace staff would show up. But what was interesting, was that they seemed to know when they were needed and what they could do for the school. She had a good idea who was making things happen. She didn’t know how Sergeant Millie was getting it done. But she was. She spent a lot of her off duty time at the academy. She had managed to wrangle a transfer to Princess’ staff so she was on Trena and didn’t have to commute between the planet and her ship. She had even conned the navigator off her old ship to teach a math class every day. A librarian from the House of Commons had begun teaching a history course, a couple of Combat Engineers had started up a shop class teaching the kids how to work with tools. And of course every retired imperial marine or militia man on the planet seemed to be on the place teaching what they could and what it means to be in a military unit.

  .

  She hadn’t thought the kids would be happy about all the discipline, and all the school work that was coming at them. But they thrived on it. Many of the kids had never received much attention from the adults in their life. The adults at the school were lavishing attention on the kids, and the kids were responding. Even a couple of the hard case kids that had been one step from juvenile hall, were working hard to stay in the corps.

  It amazed her that the kids were coming around like the way they were. Now as she walked the grounds in quiet meditation, enjoying the results of her hard work and the hard work of the people who had bought into this super project of hers she was interrupted by the schools AI. She was using the school as her headquarters for her special projects unit. She used her noble women to fill the request from the Evacuation Command. Though there hadn’t been as many now as there were in the early days.

  “Go ahead School Mistress,” Delores answered.

  “We have a landing craft in bound with twenty five fire fighters aboard. The cCrown wants us to house them.” The school mistress responded.

  “Why us,” Delores asked, “I know we got the room, but certainly there is some place else they could house these guys.

  “Ma’am some of these guys are not that much older than our cadets and they shouldn’t be that much trouble. They’ll be mostly a self- contained, I had a long conversation with EmerServ, the fire department’s AI, and I am happy they won’t hurt my children.” Lady Hawthorne snorted over the use of “my children” by the School MistressAI., “In fact it might be nice to have these young people on the campus. We have a lot of adults in uniform but no young adults who have been cadets or like cadets. They could be a good resource to Colonel Wilson, and Major Atomi.”

  “Okay tell the duty officer,” Lady Hawthorn replied, “Advise cColonel Wilson of the arrival so her officers can deal with the situation. I’ll walk over to the landing pad.”

  When she got to the pad, a squad of cadets had formed up to offer honors to the arriving fire fighters, as well as an NCO from the Navy, who was acting as flight line chief for the school this week. The landing craft came in and gently settled to the ground. The front ramp opened as the chief made sure the craft was safe, out walked twenty people. They were all wearing coveralls that helad the legend of the Trojack Fire Department over their left chest. They walked to where Lady Hawthorne was standing, the oldest one, a young man of almost 25 spoke, “Mistress, we were told to report to a Lady Hawthorne, or a Colonel Wilson at the academy.”

  “I am Lady Hawthorne,” Deloris said as the cadets came to attention, “one second please, come with me for a moment. Just you,” Delores was learning fast the ways of the military. Millie had been a big help to her.

  He walked with Deloris to where twenty cadets were standing at attention. He got it immediately and walked quickly down the line of assemble cadets, in awe. There were Terran humans and Thonians in that group. They were offering him and his people honors. No one had ever offered them honors. Not in this fashion. Some of the firefighters had heroically saved the lives on of developmentals and oldsters on Trojack; but none of his people had ever been offered this type of honored in this fashion. Even from their fellow firefighters. The other fire fighters unconsciously fell into the same formation they did every morning when ArnyArmy, their captain, addressed them before their shift.

  “Your developmentals look good miss,” He addressed the developmental, not sure what the insignia on her uniform meant.

  “Thank you sir!” the developmental responded, “Can my cadets assist you with your equipment and gear?”

  He was speechless for a second; hoping Lady Hawthorne would help him; but finally said, “Thank you. bBut it would be improper for me and my people to accept help from you.”

  “I understand sir,” Mitch fired off a salute, and said softly, “Welcome to Trena sir. My cadets may be the first; but they won’t be the last to say thank you for coming to our aid. If you need anything we can assist you with, we will be at your service. Squad! Hand salute!” The cadets came to attention and held it while Lady Hawthorne left the landing pad.

  “All right cadets,” the chief called, “get back to your duties. Sergeant Mitchum a moment please?”

  “Squad dismissed!” Mitch called. The duty squad drifted back to their posts. Mostly back to study hall or the gym. One or two went up to the admin office where they sat studying, ready to be a runner for Lady Hawthorne’s unit.

  “Yes chief,” Mitch asked after her squad was gone.

  “You treat that man like an NCO.” The chief said, “He’s an engineer for the Trojack Fire Department. In case you are wondering, the apparatus officers are lieutenants, the station commander is a captain. He holds the same rank as a company commander. The Lieutenant holds the equivalent rank of platoon commander. The engineer is equivalent to a platoon sergeant.”

  Mitch nodded she would pass the word to her cadets.

  “How much cargo do you have aboard?” the chief turned to the bioman who had revieweds the cadets.

  “Not much,” the fire fighter said.

  The chief spoke to the bioman, “I’ve got a truck coming this way. We can load everything into it and take it to quarters.”

  “That would be nice.” The bioman responded.

  When the truck arrived at the landing pad, Tthey backed up the truck and began loading the rest of clones gear. There were twenty boxes that contained the biopeople’s turn out gear were put on first. They were followed by twenty five foot lockers, and twenty five duffle bags. Puzzled the chief asked where the other five kits were. He was told their officers, whose kits were missing, were with their officer’s as they became familiar with the fire district they were being assigned to.being used at station eight. Then of all things they found loaded several musical instruments into the truckcargo. The bioman shrugged, “Some of the guys play fairly well.”

  Mitch who had no wherenowhere in particular to be, was hanging out on the landing pad, helping a bit and talking with the people from Trojack, including one incredibly good looking young bioman. Something she wouldn’t have done a few months before. She really didn’t know what was coming over her. She saw the instruments. She helped the clones load them, as they loaded a guitar, the chief nodded to clone.

  “Well everyone needs stress management,” The chief replied, “I prefer poker; but alas sometimes that can be stressful.”

  “But teaching youngsters not to bet a pair against a full house can be exceedingly profitable.” the bioman smiled as they latched the tail gate on the truck. The chief replied, “Exceeding
ly profitable.”

  A few days later Mitch while on her rounds as the duty sergeant found a couple of the clones playing their instruments in the Llook oOut, Mitch was very tempted to join them. If it had been near the end of her duty shift or had she not been on duty, she might have joined them. Provided no one was recording her. Although she had been a little upset at the School Mistress for distributing their recording, she had gotten over it as it was quite thrilling to have a recording being heard around the kingdom.