“Lucky you did, or you’d still be in the brig,” Wythe said. And then to Tamara, “But never fear, ma. . .uh, Tamara, our Casanova wasn’t alone long. Next thing we know, he’s hooking up . . .”
With that, the barriers were broken, and it was like old times. Several other Marines came over for short stints, and the CO came to give her regards before she left, but most of the rest of the battalion gave the squad their space. As much as they might take pride that one of their own had been elevated, they knew this was a chance, maybe the last chance, for the gladiator to just be one of the gang.
It was 0200, and the quad was long deserted, before they finally broke up. Tamara stood and gave everyone a hug. Liege felt her eyes water just the tiniest bit as Tamara enveloped her.
They walked her over to the van, where Tamara apologized to the lance corporal driver who’d been patiently waiting. Tamara got in, and the vehicle slowly rose, pivoted, and took off. Liege and the Marines watched until the van turned the corner out of sight.
Without a word, each of them turned and silently walked back to the barracks.
Chapter 20
I, Liege Anna Neves, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Articles of Council of the United Federation of Nations against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without mental reservation or purposes of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the rank of which I am about to enter, obeying the lawful orders of those appointed over me and leading those of lesser rank to the best of my abilities. So help me God.
Liege lowered her right hand as Rear Admiral Giscard said, “Congratulations, HM3 Neves. Your promotion is well deserved.”
The admiral stepped forward to take off the HM stripes that Liege had simply tacked to the right sleeve of her alphas. He pressed the new crow[13] in its place, then stepped back. Liege saluted him.
“Chief, I think you’re up?” he asked.
“Yes, sir. And it’s my pleasure.”
Chief Sou stepped forward, took off the stripes of her left sleeve, and pressed the crow home.
“Looks good, Hospitalman Third Class Neves.”
“Thanks, Chief.”
The admiral stepped to his right where another corpsman from 1/2 was getting promoted. Liege let out a deep breath. She was now an E4, and more than the prestige, that now meant she could bring Avó and Leticia to Tarawa. This was for what she’d been working.
Still, she was proud of the promotion, and she was proud that she’d been selected to get promoted by the admiral himself. Rear Admiral Giscard was the Medical Officer of the Marine Corps, and it was tradition that on June 17, the birthday of the medical corps, he promote a handful of corpsmen. Liege, whose official promotion date was not for another 14 days, had been one of two non-rates to be so honored.
Her alpha blouse was tight across her neck, but she resisted the urge to lift her chin. With her time in the gym, she was getting a bit bigger, and her alphas no longer fit as well as they should have. She could have worn her looser fitting Navy service dress, as one of the corpsman getting promoted to chief had, but she was serving with the Marines, so she had gone green with her Marine uniform.
When HM Paulsen, the corpsman from 1/2, received his crows, the six corpsmen (two former non-rates, two petty officers, and two chiefs) conducted a left face and marched off from in front of the admiral. Their exit petered into nothing as they simply broke apart and joined the rest of the gathered corpsmen.
The medical corps’ birthday was not a major observance as those celebrated by the Marines for their birthdays or patron day celebrations. It consisted of the promotion ceremony, a quick speech by a senior officer, and then a short reading pertaining to the medical corps. That was followed by the inevitable cake and a short period of socializing. The Marines tended to rehearse their celebrations until they had each movement and event down cold; the Navy tended to fly by the seat of their pants.
Since they were on Tarawa, the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps was the guest speaker. Liege had never seen the great man in person. She didn’t think she’d seen any flag officer. Now, with a four-star Marine and a two-star sailor, she’d broken that drought.
Hell, he looks like my Avó, she thought as the general stepped forward.
The general undoubtedly was in full control of his senses, unlike her grandfather, but from a physical standpoint, they were not too different. That hit Liege a little hard. With her Avó’s condition, she tended to think of him as old, but in reality, his chronological age wasn’t that high. Looking at the general, who was delving into how much the Marine Corps valued their corpsmen, she realized that her Avó should be the same vibrant, competent man. He was too young to be an invalid. The thought made her sad.
As her mind went to her Avó, she missed most of what the general said, only coming back to the present as the crowd broke into polite applause.
The general stepped back, and Command Master Chief Hospital Corpsman Lin Follette stepped up onto the podium.
He looked over the gathered sailors and Marines, then asked, “How many of you have heard of The Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta?”
A few people raised their hands.
“They’re more commonly referred to as the Knights of Malta.”
Quite a few more people raise their hands as well.
“Why am I asking you this? It’s simple. We owe our very existence to them. The Order of St John, the Knights of Malta were most known for their wars in the Holy Land. Probably most of you don’t know that they still exist as a sovereign nation, inside a single building in Rome on Earth, but that’s beside the point. As far as the medical corps, I want to point out something. Look at their name: The Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta. What was that third word? Hospitaller.”
Liege had heard of the Knights of Malta, but if she’d heard of their official title, she’d certainly never noticed “hospitaller.” She focused her attention on the command master chief, wondering where he was going with this.
“That word is the key. The knights weren’t doctors. They were medieval versions of medical assistants. They were founded about fifteen hundred years ago to serve sick and wounded crusaders and pilgrims, helping the doctors and doing all the care such as changing bandages, feeding patients, cleaning them up, lancing boils and whatnot. In other words, they were the world’s first corpsmen.
“But, and this is a big but, they were different from all the other medical assistants of the era. The knights were the first chivalrous order, and from them, we get all our ideas of how knights are supposed to act. They also took vows of poverty and chastity, though, and to serve the Pope. What they didn’t do was take vows of non-violence. Quite the contrary, they were perhaps the fiercest warriors of the Crusades.
“When Suleiman the Magnificent attacked the fortress on Rhodes, the home of the knights, he attacked with over 200,000 men. The knights were only about 500 men. But they held out for six months, beating back every Ottoman attack. What finally got them was when they ran out of food. Starving, they surrendered, and Suleiman let them keep their arms and sail away in recognition of their courage and tenacity.
“The reason I’m relating all of this is because I want to stress one thing: the Knights of Malta set the stage for us. They might have been hospitallers first, but they were still warriors, noted warriors. And that is the same with you. You are corpsmen, and your mission is to treat your Marines. They depend on you for that, and that, as General Cusak said, is why they hold all of you in such high esteem. But they also count on you to fight alongside them. You are healers, keeping death at bay, but you are also dealers of death when the time comes.”
Liege had never really considered that, and she had to take stock of her thoughts. She’d been in combat, but except for an un-aimed burst of fire back on the Imperial Stabiae,
she didn’t think she’d fired her weapon in anger.
“Over the years,” the command master chief continued, “Navy corpsmen have answered the call. Corpsmen have been awarded all the old top medals, from American Medals of Honor to British Victoria Crosses to Heroes of the Russian Federation—and just about every other medal from every other country. Since the founding of the Federation, 18 corpsmen have been awarded the Federation Nova. Thirteen of those Novas were awarded posthumously.
“Corpsmen have been answering the call for centuries. You are the latest in that long line of service and tradition. All of you volunteered for this duty, and you are the best the Navy has to offer. And all of you here are lucky enough to serve with our sister service. Some of you may never hear a shot fired in anger, but most of you will, and how you react will prove the temper of your steel.”
The command master chief paused to look out over the crowd.
“You really are the best we have to offer, and I’m proud to serve with you. Semper fortis, sailors, semper fortis!”
The Navy didn’t have a set war cry like the Marine’s “ooh-rah” or the Confederation Army’s “hoo-yah,” but the shout that burst forth from a hundred throats was no less formed out of raw emotion.
Chapter 21
Liege waited impatiently outside of arrivals.
What’s taking them so long? she wondered, checking the time yet again.
“Take it easy, Liege,” Fanny told her.
Liege nodded and reached out to take Fanny’s hand and give it a squeeze.
She almost didn’t recognize her as she came out of customs.
Oh my God, she’s a woman now! she thought as she took in the sight of her.
“Leti!” she shouted, jumping up and down and waving her hand.
Liege had seen her sister on camchat, but the little screen on her PA hadn’t been able to fully display the change in Leticia. The word “blossom” was used too often, but Liege didn’t know of anything better. Leticia had blossomed, pure and simple.
Leticia looked up, caught her eye, and waved back, then turned to the elderly man beside her to say something.
And Liege’s heart fell.
That elderly man was her Avó, and he looked far, far too old for his years. The joy in seeing Leticia evaporated like desert dew.
Liege pushed through the waiting people to reach the bars that kept friends and family from customs. She reached over the bar to hug her sister, squeezing her tight. She didn’t want to let go.
“Avó, it’s Liege,” Leticia said, pulling her grandfather around.
The old man looked confused for a moment until recognition seemed to dawn in his eyes.
“Criceto,” her grandfather said, “Where have you been? Your mama’s looking for you.”
Liege’s mouth dropped open, and tears began to form in her eyes. “Criceto” was an old nickname he used to call her when she was a child. She’d managed to get a hamster from somewhere, and she’d loved the little rodent. Her grandfather said she spent so much time with it that they must be sisters, so she must be a criceto, too.
“Now Avó, I told you. Liege is all grown up. She’s in the Navy now, and we’re coming to live with her,” Leticia said with a well-seasoned patience.
“But her mama is looking for her,” the old man said.
“How did he. . .” Liege started.
“It hasn’t been good. He’s slipping.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“For what good?” Leticia asked. “So you could run home and do what, exactly? No, you were here doing what you had to do.”
She turned to her grandfather and buttoned the old man’s top shirt button, then brushed off his shoulders.
Just like mama, Liege thought. My little sister’s become the mother of the family.
“Hi,” Fanny said, reaching across the bar to offer a hand.
“Oh, yeah. Leti, this is Fanny. I’ve told you about her.”
“Oh yes, good to meet you.”
“Move it along,” one of the security guards said, sweeping his arm as if to shoo them along.
“Come on, you’re blocking the others,” Liege said.
She paced them as they reached the end of the barricade and stepped out into the open area. She took the hovercart with their luggage: four battered suitcases, representing all their worldly possessions.
“I’m taking three days leave. Right now, we’re going to get you moved in, and tomorrow, I’ve got Avó his first appointment. After that, we’ll see what our options are,” she told Leticia as Fanny led the way to the rental hover.
“You’re getting us moved in?” Leticia asked with emphasis on the “us.”
“Uh, yeah, about that. I wanted to get you closer to the hospital, and I can’t really afford a three-bedroom anywhere near there. I’ve leased a nice two-bedroom, so both you and Avó have some privacy.”
“I thought we’d all be together here, like you said. What’s wrong with you and me sharing a room?”
“I know you thought I’d live there with you. And I’ll be there as much as I can. The couch is a sleeper, and I can use that. But there isn’t much room, and I’ve got all my gear, so the first sergeant said I can keep my room in the barracks. I’ll leave my military gear there, and depending on what’s going on, I might sleep there sometimes. But I’ll be with you whenever I can. Just not all the time.”
Leticia seemed about to say something, then made an obvious effort to stop herself.
“What were you about to say?” Liege asked.
“Nothing.”
“No, really. You need to tell me.”
Fanny turned back to say something, realized there was an issue, and quickly introduced herself to their Avó, taking him by the arm and leading him forward.
“OK, now, what were you going to say?” Liege asked as Fanny moved on ahead.
“I just thought, I mean, since you’ve been gone, it’s been all on me. I. . .I haven’t had a moment to myself in two years. And I thought you could finally help me.”
Tears welled in Leticia’s eyes as emotions broke down.
“Oh, Leti,” Liege said, pulling her sister into her arms. “I am here, and I will be here. I’m not trying to stay away. But I’ve got my duties, you know? I can’t ignore them. We’re getting Avó his care because of my job, but that means I have my responsibilities.”
“I know,” Leticia mumbled into Liege’s shoulder, hot tears soaking through the jumper Liege had on. “It’s just, well, you don’t know how bad it’s gotten. And he knows it sometimes. He sees his mind slipping away, and he acts out.”
“Has he hurt you?” Liege asked, pushing her sister back so she could see her face.
“He doesn’t mean to,” Leticia said before hurriedly changing the subject. “And now with moving here, and I don’t know anyone, I. . .I’m afraid.”
The favelas were not the best place to live, but within each small neighborhood, there was a support network. And Liege had yanked Leticia out of hers. No wonder she was on edge.
Liege pulled her sister’s head back to her shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, little Leti. I’m here for you and Avó. Don’t worry.”
She wasn’t sure how she would juggle her duties as a corpsman and as a caregiver, but she’d somehow figure it out.
Chapter 22
Liege looked down at the Navy Cross hanging from her chest. For the last four hours, she’d barely given it a glance, not wanting to look vain. Now, however, sitting at the table at Porcao de Rio, she thought she could risk a quick look.
It was an old design, a bronze cross pattée hanging from a dark blue ribbon with a white stripe running down the middle. It was not very flamboyant, but there was a long history to it, being one of the two medals that conveyed almost unchanged from the old US Navy and Marines into the Federation armed forces.
The ceremony had been impressive. The commandant himself, General Joab Ling, had presented it to her in front of a battalion formation. Liege
had felt a little guilty making her battalion go through the hassle of a parade—but only a little.
She’d been honored by the effort, honored by the award, but perhaps the best part of the day had been when her Avó came up to her immediately following the ceremony.
At first, Liege had been afraid that he’d say something weird to the commandant, but to her intense joy, he touched the medal hanging from her chest, then said, “Liege, I’m so proud of you.”
It wasn’t much, and perhaps no one other than Leticia noticed it, but it had been a huge step for her grandfather. He’d only just begun to receive treatment, but it looked like it might have been having an effect. He still had a long journey in front of him, but for a brief moment, at least, he was back.
And now he was back at the apartment, she thought guiltily. Alone and not with Leti and me.
As part of a celebration for her Navy Cross ceremony, Vic had offered to finally take her to Kentville to try that rodizio he’d mentioned after the patron day celebration. She’d demurred, telling him she had her sister and grandfather to take care of. In reality, however, she had longed to go. She wasn’t spending as much time in the apartment as Leticia, but it was already grinding on her. Between her work and her grandfather, her social life had ground to a halt.
Vic hadn’t accepted her refusal. Before she quite knew what was happening, he had arranged for a caretaker, and Leticia, Fanny, Pablo, Tyrell, and she were on the maglev heading to the beach. Liege had protested that she couldn’t afford it, but he insisted it was all on him.
Liege realized that despite their time in the squad together, she didn’t know that much about his personal life. An oblique question to Fanny let her know that, despite only being a newly promoted corporal, he could afford pretty much whatever he wanted. She knew she shouldn’t accept. It was too much no matter how rich he might have been. But she really needed a break, so she accepted.
They’d checked into the Marine Corps Lodge. Vic had offered the Hilton, but Liege had put her foot down. The Lodge was good enough, and far cheaper. She, Leticia, and Fanny were sharing a room, and she assumed the boys were as well.
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