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The flight of three space landing craft approached the HPS Valiant. Evac 1, the landing craft carrying Marshal Wilson to the HPS Valiant was being escorted by two space air superiority fighters from the militia. Because of the kidnapping, Marshal Wilson and his family never went anywhere without a beefed up protective detail. Before it would have been Mac and one of his team members escorting the Marshal, now it was a six man team. They were very obviously armed. When they went anywhere on the ground they were escorted by two weapons jeeps with the heavy laser mounts manned and ready. They had already lost Lady Wilson. No one was taking a chance with the boss. Although Wilson didn’t want it, he knew what was going on. His team was making sure that Hozenbur didn’t get him. She wanted to cause his wife as much grief as she could and get him in the process. She was playing a mental game. She wanted him and the evacuation command so rattled that they couldn’t do their job. She wanted to get even with the clone as pay back for all things she had one to her. She didn’t care if half a million people died in the process as long as she got her vengeance. The protective detail wasn’t about to let her try to get to him. The one thing she had succeeded in doing was diverting resources that were needed for the evacuation. He didn’t need this type of protection. Now as the flight approached the hospital ship the escorts peeled off and began to fly a Combat Space Patrol about the hospital ship.
As the landing craft settled to the flight deck and pressure was brought up on the deck, an honor guard of marines and star men formed up on either side of the ramp from the landing craft. The Captain and the Chief Surgeon were waiting with the honor guard. As Wilson stepped down the ramp, thinking only of how his mother was doing the 1MC bellowed. “Evac 1 arriving.”
As he and Jill stepped aboard the Valiant, the NCO in charge of the detail bellowed, “Present Arms!”
As the Honor Guard snapped to attention the boson put a pipe to her lips and piped Wilson aboard. It was the only time in his life that honors had ever been bestowed to him as he stepped aboard a ship. Especially this one! Normally when he had stepped on board an HPS he had been coming back from a deployment to protect the doctors, or had been the reason they had been deployed to come and get him, and he was in a casualty liter headed for the hospital, not the marine berthing spaces. He nodded to the Chief and the Sergeant as he returned their salutes, and went to where the Captain and his Chief Surgeon were waiting. He thought that the honor, while appreciated was out of place. He wasn’t making an official visit to the ship he was coming up to visit his sick mother. He considered if he should say something to the captain.
“Welcome aboard Sir Mike,” the captain greeted the marshal.
“I was hoping to visit. But not like this.” Mike answered, “How is she?”
“Doctor O’Keefe has taken personal charge of the admiral’s care.” The captain introduced the chief surgeon.
“Yes sir, we met earlier this week.” Although the surgeon usually refrained from the honor brigade, this time he couldn’t nor would he avoid it. The admiral was a legend among the IRS and her son was equally a legend among the marines. “If you’ll follow me I’ll take you to the admiral.”
As they walked through the ship to the VIP quarters in the hospital, marines and starmen all seemed to be in the passageway to lay their eyes on a living legend. Jill watched her father react to the attention. She could tell that he was little embarrassed by it; but was also enjoying it. He never got a chance to be around common soldiers, or police officers doing their jobs, he spent most of his time now around admirals, generals, and high ranking civilians. Finally the Senior Chief who was escorting them bellowed, “All right you apes, get your asses back to work! What do you think this is? A cruise ship? Now hustle your butts to where you need to be!”
With that the crew drifted away. As they entered the VIP suite the marine on duty came to rigid attention.
“As you were,” Wilson commented softly. “Jill, please wait here while I see mMom.”
“Okay Dad,” Jill said and noticed the gloves on a small table by the door to her grandmother’s room as her father entered it. She picked one up to look at it better. sSeeing the dark red brown stain across its palm and asked, “What’s this?”
“Miss Wilson,” The young marine on duty began. He was only a few years older than Jill. He had to ask what the pile of gloves meant when he saw them for the first time on table outside the admirals room. “The officers and enlisted people have sworn a blood oath that your grandmother’s assault will be avenged. Every glove on that table represents one officer or enlisted man who has sworn such an oath.”
“I see,” Jill said looking to Mac and Georgia to see if they understood. The look on their face said they did. “My family is honored that your officers and fellow enlisted would swear such an oath. Truly honored!, But it would be just as much a tragedy for one of you to wind up in sickbay or in this ship’s morgue because you took matters into your own hands. Pass the word private that if anyone gets in the way of the authorities trying to rescue my mother, I’ll dine on their bones.!”
“Yes ma’am,” the private said. Later when he went off duty and was talking with his squad mates, he repeated word for word what Jill had said, in hours every marine in the fleet knew that Jill Wilson could be as tough as her old man and grandmother.
“Come in Jill,” Michael said through the open door.
“How are you grand mom?” Jill asked.
“I have had better days,” Joyce said, “Looks like I’ll be a bit delayed in getting the house built on Home.”
Georgia followed Jill into the room. She wanted to see the admiral. Joyce looked up and saw Georgia, and said, “Mac. Georgia is assigned to me. Make it happen!”
“Aye-aye Admiral,” Mac said, he had walked in with Jill, and Georgia. He turned to protective agent, “Georgia, please take your post.”
“I am only borrowing you young woman,” Joyce said, she knew what was going through the young woman’s mind, and while it showed a good deal about Mac’s leadership, she knew Georgia’s soul would still be hurting. “When Lisa is back among us, you are going back to her as her primary agent.”
“If she’ll have me,” Georgia replied. “I messed up Admiral Wilson.”
Jill’s father sighed, but knew there was nothing he could do about it. He had been there and understood what she was going through.
“Georgia,” her grandmother continued, “I am sure she will. You couldn’t have prevented that abduction. Hell the marines, and MPs couldn’t stop it and they were much better armed than you were.”
“But if I could have gotten her attackers!” Georgia said she felt immensely guilty for having lost Lady Wilson. She had been very surprised that Mac had let her stand post with the rest of the team. This was the second time her charges had been harmed because she wasn’t good enough. Not only did they get Lady Wilson; but injured Admiral Wilson because of her inability to do her job.
“Looks like the doctors will be releasing me tomorrow. “ Joyce said changing the subject, “How are you guys holding up.”
“Mom,” Michael said, “We’re doing okay. I am very worried. I know Hozenbur, is an animal. I know what she is capable of. I try not to think about what she might be doing to Lisa. I also pray that we find her fast. As for Hozenbur I hope to hell that she is killed in the assault because if she comes out alive I will kill her with my own hands. I’ll show her what a Marine Black Guardsmen is capable of when pissed off and provoked!”
“Dad!” Jill said sharply, “Lisa will kick your ass. That last thing she wants is for you to go berserk getting to her or Hozenbur, before, during, or after Hozenbur’s capture. The Queen will also kick your; but as will Aunt Mylea, if you don’t let the courts convict and execute that bitch. But you will let the system work. You trained them, you lead them, and you will by god let them do their job. Just like you have told me on occasion!”
“Marshal,” his step mother commented,
“I think you got the wrong grade on that girl!”
“I am beginning to wonder,” Michael replied wondering how to react to his daughter. He was realizing that with every passing day, Jill was no longer the little girl he had left on Mars.
“Sounds like a chief I had in boot.” Joyce said, “Or like a certain young marine I knew when I was going through Black Guard Beast!”
A little sheepish at having lashed out at her father, Jill didn’t say a word. They visited with Joyce for a while, when she tired they took their leave.
As the landing craft left the flight deck and headed back to the planet, a bemused Wilson turned to his daughter and said “Pass the word private, that if they get in the way of the authorities trying to rescue my mother, I’ll dine on their bones.”
Jill looked sheepishly at her father. She hadn’t realized he had heard her.
“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” The older Wilson said, “I see the academy is wearing off on you.”
“No,” Jill said, “Just your daughter, and Grand mom’s granddaughter. You two have been very instrumental in my upbringing.”
“Jill,” her father said, “You should have seen the look on your grandmother’s face when she heard you speak to that marine.”
“Marshal,” Mac spoke up he had kept his marshal in eye sight when he had gone in to talk with his mother, “As exquisite as the admiral’s expression was, yours was better!”
Wilson let loose with the first good laugh he had, had since Lisa capture. “I image so.”
As they landed on the palace landing pad, Jill’s fate was being sealed on Home.
Every Last Mother's Child Page 212
