Daughter of Ethos

by L M Lacee

  The three women looked after Hawk as he left and by tacit agreement, did not discuss his revelation. Due, Melody thought to fear and a lack of understanding for what he had said. If the others were like her, they did not want to find out what the arm of justice entailed for Peyton or for them. Without a word to each other, they went about the business of slipping Peyton into her nightwear and making her comfortable. With one last look at the small woman curled in on herself, they left her to sleep, making sure to leave the door slightly ajar.

  None of them acknowledge the sounds of crying that came from her room on and off throughout the long day and night, although each of them made a request of Kerol for relevant information about the Star Child’s arm of justice.

  TWENTY-FOUR:

  The next morning saw Peyton up early, showered and dressed in black jeans and a long-sleeved dress shirt with a calf length gray sleeveless vest. On her feet she had placed her favorite western boots of which she had many.

  She sat at the kitchen table working on her tablet with a half cup of coffee next to her. Darby entered the kitchen and watched her for a moment, without looking up Peyton told her. ‘I am okay Darby, I swear.’

  She took in a shuddering breath and said. ‘I just needed to make sure!’

  ‘Yeah, I know hon’. She smiled as she looked up and whispered. ‘I have a plan!’

  Darby grinned a mischievous twinkle replacing the fear and uncertainty in her eyes. She started the process of making tea as she asked. ‘Is it going to make the amazing Commander Roeah frown and Melody cringe, because that is always fun.’

  Heather walking in looked between the two women and helped herself to the tea, saying. ‘You two are so bad, count me in.’

  Peyton grinned as she stated. ‘You don’t even know what we are talking about.’

  Heather snorted. ‘Peyton, anything that puts that look on her face, must be good.’ She pointed to Darby, who was still smiling.

  Peyton laughed softly. ‘That it is.’

  When Melody dragged herself, heavy eyed from her bed, just as Hawk and his squad arrived, Peyton outlined her plan. The ships were still two weeks away; Hawk would speed them up with the new navigational guide that Peyton sent to his tablet.

  ‘Where did this come from?’ He asked as he scrolled down the information and looked at the star charts.

  Peyton shrugged. ‘After yesterday the Star Child has decided we must leave as soon as possible. To facilitate that, they have given you the charts for your ship Commanders.’

  ‘I thank you and them, this will reduce the time of our exodus. In fact ladies prepare to leave within six days.’

  ‘Wow, that fast?’ Peyton blinked several times in surprise. She knew the charts would make leaving faster but six days seemed very quick.

  ‘Yes, maybe sooner if they put on speed!’ Was his happy reply or as happy as he ever sounded.

  Peyton nodded then said. ‘Darby get your people to send the code. Have all the women come as quickly as possible and to notify us if they need help.’

  ‘Done!’

  Peyton went on to explain the details of her plan, if Thanikis and White had been informed by the traitor of the date they had planned to call the women to Runnerdale. She was hoping by initializing the code early it would catch the Ambassadors unaware. The biggest surprise she had for them was she would ask Sunshoona or the Star Child to hide Runnerdale and the surrounding towns, again in the hopes it would throw the Ambassadors off. This she assured them was a precaution just in case they got it in their heads to visit the towns again.

  Peyton waited for a reaction from Melody and Hawk, who did not disappoint he frowned heavily as he said.

  ‘It could be done.’

  Melody narrowed her eyes as she yawned again. Peyton asked. ‘Melody hon`, are you okay?’

  She sighed, hiding it behind a yawn as she covered her mouth with her hand and nodded. She could not tell Peyton that she had read late into the night about what it meant to be the arm of justice for the Star Child. She could definitely not tell her, she had lain awake most of the night listening to her crying.

  Looking Peyton over she was relieved to find her back to her normal self. She definitely preferred the Peyton who never cried, to the woman who had curled into herself with despair the night before. In all honesty that female confused her, she understood the snarky smart mouth clever Peyton, who would rather use a hundred words instead of one to explain something she herself could explain in three words. So for good or bad with Peyton back to scheming again, her world had righted itself. She waved her concern away and grumpily told her. ‘Yeah… yeah, just need coffee that’s all.’

  Heather handed her a cup with a light pat to her back knowing what she was not saying and why. Melody smiled and after a long swallow of coffee stated. ‘My concern is will they all come, are they ready, it is a big ask of all those women and children?’

  Peyton said. ‘Yep, they will come. If you think those women haven’t been ready for weeks, think again. Come on, Melody we have to do this. It’s getting dangerous, yesterday proved that!’

  Darby stated in her blunt way. ‘Also the Ambassadors were lying, they said there are about one billion women left on Earth. By my calculations there are less than seventy-five percent of that number.’

  Heather asked. ‘Melody, what do you think is going to happen when they do the next head count and one is coming. From what Darby’s people have discovered it will be within the next month? All we can hope is they don’t do it any earlier, because if they find over thirty thousand women missing. They are going to start implementing home detention and clamping down on movements again. The Government is never going to believe an outbreak of the Virus happened and took that many lives without it being reported.’

  ‘Yeah, I see that.’ Melody sighed. ‘It is just so early.’

  Darby asked Hawk. ‘Peyton told us that they have soldiers. Do you think they have ships coming too?’

  He nodded as he answered. ‘That is guaranteed Lady Darby.’

  Heather asked. ‘Who would be crewing them, not your Warriors?’

  Kerol scowled as he told her. ‘No, not our Warriors. There are always people that can be hired for credits.’ ‘Oh yeah, we call them mercenaries.’ Heather said with distaste.

  Kerol inclined his head. ‘In our world we call them Raiders, the scourge of the universe.’

  Peyton brought them back to the topic at hand. ‘So, are we all agreed, we step up our leaving date?’

  Hawk agreed with the others. ‘We are, if we can have the people come to Runnerdale closer to when we expect our ships. We can have them transported immediately along with the ladies who are here now. Therefore, we will not have any concerns about housing them while we wait, is that possible?’

  Peyton looked at Darby. ‘Darby?’

  Darby looked at Melody who answered for her. ‘Sorry guys, it won’t work, as soon as the signal goes out, they will all start making their way here. Don’t forget we have some women coming from across the world. My soldiers will have to be on twenty-four-hour pickup detail, especially with the shield going up. We are going to have to let the women know pickup locations where we can meet them. And those locations are going to have to change every other day. No, we will have to just hope we can house them all, until the ships arrive.’

  ‘Huh!’ Peyton screwed her lips into a pout, as she thought about what Melody just said.

  Heather grinned as she asked her. ‘You forgot about the shield right?’

  ‘Maybe! Miss Smarty pants!’

  ‘It’s Doctor Smarty Pants to you!’ She retorted, causing the women to laugh as the Warriors looked on in confusion. Noticing their expressions Heather told them. ‘I will explain it later, I promise.’

  They nodded, in the short time they had known the females, they knew they always strived to tell the truth and when they promised something it was always fulfilled. Which for the Warriors was a totally new experience and left them slightly unsettled, b
ut they were adapting and finding they enjoyed this level of trust and friendship.

  Peyton closed her tablet. ‘Okay, let’s go with this. Commander Roeah, will take as many as he can on his ships now. Hopefully, that will make room for the women coming, how does that sound?’

  ‘Like a plan.’ Hawk agreed he turned to his second. ‘Kerol, you Lukkas and Willian, see to that please.’

  ‘Yes Commander.’

  Hawk asked Peyton. ‘Do you know who our traitor is yet?’

  Peyton answered. ‘Unfortunately, I do. I will take care of that this morning.’

  ‘Who is it?’ Heather asked, not really wanting to believe there was a traitor. She had up until Peyton was taken into custody, believed it was impossible for that to happen. It hurt to think someone would jeopardize all their lives for whatever reason they deemed worthy. Looking at Melody and Darby, she saw the same thoughts mirrored on their faces. ‘So who is it?’

  Peyton did not answer, her eyes were filled with sympathy as she stared at Darby. Heather and Melody slowly turned their eyes to her as well, and they all watched as it slowly dawned on her, why they were all looking at her. ‘Oh screwitshittyhellshit! It’s one of mine right?’

  Peyton nodded. ‘Yeah, sorry Darby.’

  Darby moaned. ‘Aww, that is so not right. I vetted all mine, how could this happen?’

  No one answered her because they did not know, it seemed so outlandish that anyone would betray them. Especially someone who had been here from the beginning as Darby’s scientists had.

  Peyton asked her carefully. ‘Do you want to know who it is?’

  She shook her head and lifted her tablet to her chest, in what they knew was defensive comfort. ‘No, I really don’t.’

  Peyton quietly told her. ‘Listen Darby; you don’t need to be down here anymore.’

  Darby silently nodded in agreement.

  ‘Good, that applies to you to Heather. Why don’t the two of you go on up to the Warship and work from there? Darby before you go can you contact a woman named Jean Harding please? She will tell you what she did to find the women destined for shipping off world and what program she implanted to find others.’

  Peyton looked from her to Melody. ‘Melody, we need that announcement stating the facts of what the Government agreed to and what they are doing, now. Also we need to tell them about the drugs and what we found out about the pleasure planets. Let’s arm the men and women who are staying behind with knowledge. I think the Government has hidden long enough behind ignorance. Oh, by the way, two soldiers said to say hi!’

  ‘Who were they?’

  ‘Sergeants Mike Thomas and Henry Adams.’

  Melody’s eyes softened. ‘So they are alive, good to know. They must be still with the counter-terrorist group.’ She looked at Peyton and sharply asked. ‘They were working for the Ambassadors?’

  Peyton grinned. ‘I think working for them is too strong a word, they were there.’

  ‘Huh, that sounds right.’

  Peyton asked her. ‘I would like for you to contact Naya and Adam please and inform them of what we know and give them what help you can.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Yes, let’s help their resistance movement.’

  Heather asked. ‘What about Mia?’

  Peyton smiled as she said. ‘I contacted her grandmother and aunts. They refused my offer to leave with us. I gave them Adam’s contact details, and I have no doubt Mia will live to be an old lady. Her grandmother and aunts used to be troopers.’

  Heather grinned as she hugged Peyton. ‘I am sure she will, now stop feeling guilty. You have done what you can for Isobel’s daughter, let it go now.’

  ‘Yeah, okay!’

  One night, not long after Melody, Heather, and Darby had moved in and after too many drinks, Peyton told them about Isobel and Mia. The next morning Heather had insisted she call and find out if Mia was well. The last time she had been in contact with Mia’s grandmother had been just after Isobel’s death.

  So with a certain amount of trepidation, she had made the call and been very surprised that Mia remembered her and that Isobel’s mother and sisters were truly happy to talk with her. After that first contact they made regular calls to each other. Sadly Peyton had not been able to convince Mia’s family to leave with them. Mia’s grandmother believed her family’s fight was on Earth where they would remain. She had smiled with a look of understanding in her eyes when Peyton had told her she was leaving, she had blown her a kiss and sworn they would keep on fighting for when Peyton and the others who left with her, wanted to come home.

  Peyton did not have the heart to tell her she would more than likely never return, instead she had nodded blown Mia and her family a kiss and said goodbye.

  Melody looked at Peyton. ‘The soldiers need our help as well, what can we do?’

  Peyton asked Hawk. ‘Commander, what can we leave them?’

  He inclined his head. ‘I am sure we can find a few things to help your soldiers, General we will talk.’

  ‘Thank you Commander.’

  ‘You are welcome.’

  Peyton looked at Darby. ‘Darby, we will need that announcement to start running when we leave. Oh, and get your people out there, we need one more push to see if we can take any more women with us!’

  ‘Okay, no problem. If we go up to the Warship, what about you and Melody?’

  Peyton smiled. ‘We have guards and if all goes right a great big shield to hide us. We need to be here for all the new women who are coming.’

  She then smiled at Heather with a wicked look in her eyes that made her nervous. ‘Heather, you can start on the hypo sprays for the Warriors.’

  TWENTY-FIVE:

  Hawk closed his eyes in relief and when he re-opened them, it was to see his squad's attention riveted on the healer, swallowing his hesitation he asked. ‘Healer Heather, it is finished?’

  Heather nodded. ‘Yes, just last night. I have enough for all the Warriors here and the best thing is, we can make more as we need it.’

  Kerol looked at Hawk. ‘We can have our own young.’

  Lukkas gleefully said. ‘We can perform intercourse.’

  With a look of concern on his face, Willian asked. ‘Does anyone know how to do that?’

  Peyton tried to stifle the grin that wanted to crawl all over her face, just like the one Melody was wearing as she told a horrified Heather. ‘Good luck with that doctor. You of course will be able to help our Warriors with that, right?’

  Hawk looked at a slightly shocked Heather and asked with hope shading his voice. ‘Healer Heather, you can teach my Warriors what to do?’

  Heather nodded her head and cried. ‘Oh, my Stars. I need vids and a stiff drink.’ Then she narrowed her eyes at Peyton who had her head bowed as she tried to stop the laughter that finally escaped. It did not help.

  ‘Peyton, would you shut the hell up? Darby, your chortling over there is not helping and where the hell is Melody?’

  Willian told her. ‘She left.’

  ‘Coward!’ Heather mumbled.

  Eventually, when she had apologized to the Warriors and explained it was just unexpected that she would have to give them a class on sex. And when they asked, she told them emphatically, there would be no demonstrations. This of course amused Peyton and Darby immensely. Heather managed to move the Warriors on to the topic of when and where the instructions could take place.

  Peyton left the house half-way through that discussion, after saying goodbye to Heather and Darby and the excited males.

  Today her guard detail was made up of six female soldiers. Lately, her detail consisted of both male and females. Commander Roeah sent her a message two days ago stating, she would be assigned a permanent guard until they left Earth, which Melody would lead.

  Apparently, her wishes on the subject were not required and when she voiced the opinion, that as the Star Daughter, she could look after herself. She was politely told that was what guards were for and he and Melo
dy would prefer she did as they asked. Of course Melody had put it more succinctly. ‘Just do it star girl, or I will make you.’

  Peyton wished her guards good morning, and smiled at Janet Mason who was her lead guard, when she asked where they were going.

  ‘We are going to Nina and ferns place.’

  The guards spread out as Janet walked next to her and they talked of the weather and Peyton told her they had moved the departure time frame and she needed to see Melody after this was done.

  Peyton liked the tall African-American woman who was quite beautiful in an understated way. She had a no-nonsense attitude which was in contrast with her long red and pink braids. Janet used to be in the army and Melody liked her a lot, she told Peyton she picked her to be a guard leader because she was reliable, honest and never gossiped. She knew right from wrong and did not tolerate idiots easily, which she had often proved to Peyton over the last few weeks.

  Fifteen minutes later Peyton and her guards stood outside the home being used by some of their scientists. Peyton looked at the large yellow colonial house with its pretty garden and sighed, then cursed under her breath. She turned to her guards and told them with a sad smile. ‘I am here because we have a traitor.’

  Several of them gasped as Peyton nodded. ‘I know we were shocked as well.’

  ‘You are sure Madam Peyton?’ Janet asked as a former trooper, she wanted to know there was proof.

  Peyton told her. ‘We have irrefutable proof, but we will ask to be positive.’

  Even though Jean had sent her all the evidence she had gathered, she still hoped there was a mistake. Which is why she would verify by asking the doctor directly?

  ‘Janet if you will accompany me.’

  ‘Yes Madam.’

  Peyton asked the other five soldiers. ‘If you would hold the street please and make sure no one comes in.’