Mille saw the noble looking at the pile and said, “Come on I’ll help you get ready.”
With that the two women went to Lady Hawthorne quarters where Mille helped the noble woman get her uniforms ready.
###
The next morning Chief Atomi went to the academy. She had picked up Jill Wilson as she drove he daughter back to school. She had received the order from Michael the night before and saw the wisdom of it. Now as she walked to the steps to the administration building at the academy, the Corps of Cadets were turned out and ready for deployment. As they came to attention and saluted her, she noticed that they were dressed in BDUs, about two hundred of them. They were all older kids over five crimens old, many of them around 6 crimen old. She nodded to their cadet officers and said, “As you were.”
When she walked into the academy’s main hall she found another surprise waiting for her, Lady Hawthorne, also dressed in BDUs, with about ten of her retired NCO instructors with her. She was just about floored. She had seen Deloris in work clothes and fine evening wear, and everything in between. Deloris was the type of person who could put on an elegant evening gown and have it a wrinkled mess before she walked out of her dressing room. There was always a bit of sloppiness about her. Now dressed in BDUs she looked as sharp as the NCOs around her.
“Chief Atomi,” Lady Hawthorne said softly, “The Queens Own Royal Corps of
Cadets await your orders!”
Lady Hawthorne was enjoying the look on the First Officer’s face, and the consternation she was causing her friend. She had made a long hard decision as to what she was going to do after the evacuation. It came after talking to several of the retired NCOs and Officers who were helping out at the academy. Especially Mille! She knew she would never be military, and she didn’t really want to be military, it just wasn’t her style. Yet she knew she was doing good work at the academy and to respect the young people who were in her charge, and to better communicate with the retired military that was her staff, she had decided to begin dressing as the commandant. There were still some things she had to do. One of the Sergeants had suggested that she go through boot camp. So she would know customs and protocols; she was in good shape, and didn’t have to go through the physical part, just the head part of learning how to be military. She was considering it.
“You know Deloris you are a sight to see,” Mylea commented, the noble woman was tricked out perfectly. She saw the single gold oak leaf on her collar and nodded, “I would have thought you would have made yourself out to be a general at least!”
“XO,” Mille spoke up. “The Queen commissioned her last night.”
“Really,” the Thonian replied, she walked around the noble woman saw that her uniform was new but not so new it would chaff her. The NCOs had done their job again. “I see Sarge you are doing it again.” She locked eyes with the ranking NCO, a Marine Master Gunnery Sergeant who always seemed to be around the academy. She had also seen her working with the Princess too.
“Ma’am,” the woman said looking her in the eye, “someone has to take care of you officers!”
“Indeed,” Mylea said, “Let’s talk about your deployment.”
With that they walked into a conference room off the main entrance.
There Mylea got another surprise, one that she rather enjoyed. Lamile and Jill had already entered the conference room. She thought this would be an adult only meeting, but she soon found out different.
“Chief,” Jill said reading from a note handed to her from one of the cadet NCOs, “My people are broken up into ten 20 man units. None of the kids is less than fifteen, and some are eighteen years old. All of them have either a cadet NCO or a Cadet Officer who will be in charge of them. They can be deployed immediately, and can stay in the field up to one week. My guys will need quarters; but they are ready for at least a week’s deployment.”
Taken aback Mylea looked at Deloris who simply nodded. She had learned through her tenure as head mistress of the academy what the cadets could and couldn’t do and was still learning. After Jill called the academy and talked to the cadet duty officer, telling the young man what she had negotiated with her father, she had simply said make it happen. The young man working with the adult duty officer put a package together so that in the morning, they were ready. Lady Hawthorne and Lamile Atomi had been kept in the loop the entire way, and signed off on the program. Jill’s cadet staff still had their problems, and they were still kids; but they knew an opportunity when they were offered one and made things happen for their fellow cadets.
“I have one squad that is a security police unit; I have one unit whose cadets are all wrench benders. They think it is fun to tear down an Elsy engine,” Jill kind of rolled her eyes not understanding why anyone would to do that, “and put it back together. One team is a clerical support team. The others are just bodies.”
Impressed again, Mylea turned to Jill, “Jill. I mean Colonel Wilson, you’ve been holding out on us. But well done! General Langtree will be happy to get your gear heads.
Most of your people will be providing over watch at the landing zones. I take it Major
Hawthorne that your NCOs’ will be providing on site adult supervision?” “Yes Chief,” Deloris replied.
“Well a couple of the teams will be traffic control, for both vehicles and people. There is no reason they can’t guide people to the landing zones and to the embarkation assembly points. That way we can release maybe thirty or forty cops.” Mylea said, “Also if you have an EMT unit I might stick them at the first aid station at the port embarkation area.”
“Here’s your deployment.” Mylea handed a data card to one of the NCOs. They displayed the map that she and her staff had worked up. Jill pointed to the map and looked to Lamile, “Lamile I need to stay here so this is your baby. Where do you want to deploy your cadets?”
Lamile and Jill had talked briefly by phone, and much to her surprise she had found out that Jill thought she should stay at the academy. When asked why, Jill had said, “If they find Mom, I want to be someplace I can get to her or Dad in a hurry. Besides I need to see grand mom. I can’t function out there if I am worried about Dad, Mom, and grand mom.”
“Jill,” Lamile had replied, “I will make you proud. Besides this has got to be easier than managing that herd of kids I did a few months ago.”
Coming back to reality she said, “Squad one to LZ eight, Squad two and Three to logistics command, Squad four my squad will report to the police department to work with Lord James’s team,” Lamile said staring at her mother daring her to change her orders, “Squad five will be at the space port, Squad six will be at Fletcher in the MP unit. Squads eight, nine and ten will stand by as ready teams. Tomorrow, Team one will rotate into standby and Team 10 will go to the active LZ.”
“Okay,” Mylea replied “But I need a team at LZ 30, and one at Container Yard
Charlie.”
Lamile looked at one of the cadets, “Trina make it happen.”
“Aye major,” the girl said. She whispered into a microphone and the display changed to show Lamile’s deployments.
“Major,” Lady Hawthorne spoke directly to Lamile, “I know you think your cadets can stay for a week in the field; but they’ll be bused back here every night. I want you to personally ensure that every one of your squads have adequate water, and rations for the day. They should be back by lights out; but plan on things happening. I’ll instruct the dining hall to have late rats laid on for your cadets.”
“Sergeant T’rid,” Lamile said to the girl she had spoken to earlier, “Will you see to that please? Please double check with the cadet officers.”
“By your leave Major,” T’rid asked getting up to attend the tasks she had been given.
Lamile nodded and thought how far they had all come. “Chief, thank you, for allowing us to help. I owe a lot to Lady Wilson, and then some. Tell Uncle Mike that my boys and girls won’t let him dow
n.”
“I am sure they won’t Major,” Mylea said solemnly. This was the time for these kids to shine and she was going to help them. By letting them work with the authorities it solved a lot of problems for Lady Hawthorne. She knew that if you treated kids with respect and that you gave them tasks that were meaningful, within their abilities with adult support they could do wonders, “Now I got to get back to the palace. Major Hawthorne, thank you for the use of your cadets. Tony let’s get out of here.” “Yes Ma’am,” her driver and aid said.
As they got in the car her driver commented, “Commander, I don’t recall my recruit class looking as sharp as those children. Children? No young adults.”
“Tony you have children don’t you?” Mylea asked as they pulled out of the grounds.
“Yes ma’am a boy and a girl 7 and 8.” Tony said.
“I hope your kids don’t have to grow up as fast as these kids did,” Mylea said, “But you know watching Lam grow into her adulthood has been a wonderful thing. It’s been hard to accept her as nearly grown, but she...”
“I know Commander,” Tony said softly he had been Mylea’s driver off and on for a couple of years, he remembered Lamile all of fourteen standard years old trying to look so grown up in the prom dress she wearing to her first prom. “She’s quite a young woman, our Lady Atomi.”
“That she is Tony,” Mylea replied thinking of her daughter’s growing up, the skinned knees, the fights, with her, and the neighbor kids, the type of stuff kids got into. The good times too. The time she met the Ruler, when Mylea was stationed on Thonia for a while and the kid still in diapers had upchucked on the ruler’s suit jacket. She smiled at that. Yes, her baby has grown up she commented to herself, wondering why it was so damn hard to accept!
###
With the meeting over, Jill left the administration block and walked the short distance to the infirmary, to check up on Mitch. She found Mitch trying to get out of bed.
Jill went to help her, asking, “Are you supposed to be getting out of bed?”
“No,” Mitch said sheepishly, “But I have to go potty and want to use a regular
toilet.”
Jill thought about calling the nurse to help Mitch, but knew Mitch would fight her. So she helped her friend to the room’s toilet and waited for her to finish and helped her back to bed. Just that little bit wore her friend out.
“Over doing it again?” School Mistress ghosted in. She had almost called for the nurse when she saw the difficulty that Mitch was experiencing.
“I guess so,” Mitch groused. Trying to get comfortable. Which was nearly impossible. Her back her hurt like hell.
“When will you get out of here?” Jill asked.
“Monday of next week,” the School Mistress answered, “If she behaves herself!”
Mitch started to make a smart remark; but she didn’t have the energy to do even that. She wished that her back didn’t hurt. She tried to adjust the bed finally getting it into a position she was comfortable in.
“Is there anything I can bring you?” Jill asked.
“My guitar?” Mitch asked. Jill looked to School Mistress who nodded.
“You’re the only one here,” The nurse came in, “and if it will keep you from misbehaving then I’ll let you have it. We’ll get you up in a couple of hours. The therapist will be in later. Then we’ll see about getting you out bed for a while.”
When the nurse said therapist Jill almost asked if Mitch wanted her mother to be her therapist. Stopping in mid thought as she remembered her mother couldn’t. When School Mistress saw the look on Jill Wilson’s face she wished she could hold the girl and comfort her.
Jill visited for a little while longer until Mitch drifted off to sleep.
###
“Oh hello Chief,” Jill said as the Chief James was escorted into the study. She had just gotten in from the academy. “What brings you here?”
“We have had contact with your mother’s abductor.” Chief James answered.
“I’ll go get Dad,” Jill said. Her father was in Abby’s room. He was getting her ready to take a swim. The Queen had relieved him for a few days and he was trying to be with his family as much as possible. That meant taking Abby swimming. “Dad, Chief James is here, he has some information for us.”
“Okay,” her father said, “Go get your suite on you can come along too!” “Dad one of us has to be here….” Jill started.
“Jill there is not much I can do! Which means that there isn’t that much you can do either. Less in fact,” Mike said, “I need to get back to work; but Aggie isn’t going to let me go back to work for a couple of days. Maggie, Mac, or one of the staff will come to get us if anything comes up.”
Reluctantly Jill agreed; but she wanted to look at the reports that had come in while she had been at the academy. Her father had authorized her to see all the reports that were being generated about her mother’s kidnapping. She also wanted to be near the coms so she could react as quickly as possible should anything come up. She had forgotten that the AI could connect them with anyone anywhere within the Kingdom, from anywhere in the palace.
“Let me see what James has then I’ll meet you at the pool.” Her father said.
“Dad I want to see the information.” Jill pleaded with her father
“Jill please! I will share it with you; but later! Okay?” her father asked, fully aware what his daughter was doing, “Sally, will you take them down to the pool please?”
“Yes Sir,” Sally said. “Come on Jill.”
Jill nodded and went to get her suit. As much as she wanted to see what the Chief has brought, she had made a pact with herself that she wouldn’t cause her father any more grief than she had to.
She went with Sally and her sister to the pool. She swam several laps and played with Abby for a while. Her father still not had come to the pool yet so she excused herself and went to find him. The press center was on the way to their residence. She was in time to hear Pete giving his evening brief.
“Good day,” Pete Voinic said as he took the podium in the press tent. There were fewer people here now. Many of the local news organizations had given up as their circulation went down, and as the story moved to Home, many of the interstellar news agencies had sent their people onto Home. So where once there might have been two hundred accredited reporters to the evacuation command, there were might be half that many in the press center. “I have a short statement to read.
“We still do not know at this time where Lady Wilson is being held. We think we know who has her. Martha Hozenbur. An officer of EBio security. Although we’re not certain; we believe it is she who has Lady Wilson. We have made that determination based on the people we believe are EBio Security officers who were killed during the kidnapping. We think we have identified all of the EBio dead at the hospital. We will be releasing their names. There were two marines killed in the incident, and no cops. Their names will be announced as soon as the Imperial Marines has releases them.
“The stun grenades took down a lot of the security personnel before Hozenbur could attack. Disoriented and confused the protective detail didn’t have a chance. All of them were knocked unconscious. Admiral Wilson was able to return fire because one of the agent shield her with his body. At this time the Mounties are crediting Admiral Wilson with two kills. The rest were killed by the EBio officer.
“Now I’ll take some questions now,” Pete said knowing what the first one would be. He was fully prepared. The news media would never forgive him. But he really didn’t care he had some good friends on Lady Wilson’s detail.
“Why didn’t the protective detail prevent the abduction.” the first one asked the same question he had asked the day before, “Aren’t they trained to give up their lives for their principles.”
“That’s correct.” Pete said and nodded to a member of the Queen’s Own Guard. Pete ducked behind the podium as the guard threw a practice stun grenade.
It was one tenth the power of a live stun grenade, but still very potent. It detonated and knocked all the newsmen down. Pete waited a couple of seconds and said, “Now what was that about the protective detail being able to stand up to a stun grenade. Sometimes I think all of you people never learn the facts of life. It is very hard for anyone who is expecting the grenade to fight it; let alone someone who is unprepared for it. You have just been hit with a practice grenade. There will be no more discussion what the protective detail could or couldn’t do at the time of the assault. That is unless one of you guys is Sergeant Rock and from what I see from here, that little practice grenade shows you are not. Now if you have other questions I will deal with them now.”
“What is being done to find Lady Wilson,” a woman reporter whose ears were still ringing asked. She didn’t wait for the answered as she ran out of the center trying to find some place to vomit.
“The Mounties, and the Royal Protective Service,” Pete answered watching the reporter leave, “are heading the investigation. I am not at liberty to say where they looking for her lady. I will say only that they, along with the Companions, and the Imperial Marine Corps Criminal Investigation Division, are assisting in the investigation. The Mounties have canceled all days off. Many of these guys are already putting in sixteen hour days and to a man they have stood up and said they will pull extra duty. The same is true of the Companions, and the Marines. They have been given search sectors and have been searching the deserted portions of Trena.”
“Do you think she is still on world?” A second reporter asked who was trying not to be sick.
“Yes. The Militia has issued a hard hold on any space craft leaving the planet. At the time of the incident; the Militia ordered all air borne landing craft to return to their ports of departure.” The Public Information Offer answered, “None failed to return to their port of departure. We’re nearly sure that Lady Wilson’s captor has not be able to smuggle her off world!
“From now until Lady Wilson is rescued, any landing craft will need to have a written flight plan. Even military space craft need to have special clearance. All persons entering the evacuation landing zones are being positively ID with an additional check at the gate. Pregnant women are being carefully; but thoroughly checked.”