Chapter 2: Wilson Home, the estate of Retired Interstellar Rescue Service
Admiral Joyce Wilson
“Grandma,” The seventeen year old granddaughter of the retired admiral broke into her grandmother’s spabath. The teenager knew that when her grandmother was in the spa at this time of night that it was her quiet time. It was the time of day when her grandmother Joyce could let her hair down and not be bothered. It This was usually after dinner and she was usually generally alone, with only her thoughts for company, seldom with any guests. It this quiet meditation time was a habit she had picked uptradition she had begun when she had been appointed as the commander of PriFly, or primary flight training, the Interstellar Rescue Service base that trained pilots for its Rescue and Hospital Patrol Ships. Her grandmother had needed the quiet time to review the day and get her head straight. It was the only place in the house where there was no communicators, or holosets. Only a small audio player in the corner that played music was the only electronics in the room. It was a place of solitude that was suddenly broken by her granddaughter. “I’m sorry to disturb you; but Dad’s in the news!”
“What!” The seventy year old grandmother woman stood straightshot up from in the saunawhirl pool bath, dripping water on the floor of the spa. She quickly climbed out and threw the robe around her that Jill handed her. Then she accompanied Jill to her and went to Jill’s bedroom where teenager replayed the whole video.
They looked good; the retired admiral thought. She hadn’t seen her step-son since he had left Earth. But that didn’t mean she didn’t keep tabs on her stepsohimn. The current ambassador to the Court of Trena was her old academy roommate. Amanda always forwarded what news she had of Mike and his family. She knew she had another grandchild. She even had pictures, but she didn’t share them with Jill, because she knew Jill would be all over her to go to her father. She also didn’t want to give him away to the people who were chasing him. It was one of the very few secrets she kept from her granddaughter.
“How long has dad been on TrenaDo you think he’s been on Trena all this time?” Jill asked. Her father had just picked up one day and vanished gone away. She had been terribly hurt; it was only her grandmother and time that eased, but not totally resolved her hurt feelings.
JoyceShe was quiet for a while pretending to focus on the news report she was seeing. She didn’t want to hurt the girl’s feelings. They had developed a good close bond and while Jill could be a handful, she trusted her grandmother. This could break that trust. She pondered how she could tell Jill what she knew and how much she should tell her.
“It’s the news media Admiral,” French, the house AI called from the speakers of the holoset interrupting her thoughts “They want are requesting that you make a statement about the situation on Trena.”
“No comment,” Joyce said, “Any news media representatives are to be told that there will not be a statement of any type. Have Louis set the perimeter security to: hard on. Then put on the beacon that we are not accepting unwelcome visitors. The Wilson family is not home toaccepting calls from anyone that is not on your list. Unwelcome visitors will be dealt with as harshly as the law permits.”
“Yes Ma’am,” The computer said. “I am posting the notice now.”
The retired admiral who had commanded landing craft wings in battle was scared to death to come clean about how long she had known her step son was on Trena.
“French,” The admiral called thinking she had way to delay the inevitable. “Please record the following!”
“Recording,” The AI droned.
““Message to Marshal Wilson.” Her grandmother began, “Care of General Delivery; The Kingdom of Trena.”
““Congratulations, on your promotion to Marshal of Trena. I thought you were trying to maintain a low profile? Did you forget?
““YYou and Lisa look great! Some company you keep! Your boss looks beautiful. Leave it to you find a beautiful woman to be your bossBoss!”
““Hi dad!,” Jill chimed inIt’s Jill!. “I love miss you! I love you and really want to see you! Can I come and be with you.” She wanted to say more but she wasn’t certain if her grandmother wouldn’t edited it out of the message. She would send one later that was more personal.
““So do I son. Hurry home when you can! A.” Joyce said, “And bring your family!”
Jill threw the camera a kiss, and Joyce said, “French; send it!”
“Done,” The voice said.
“Grandma, Llet's go to dad’s,” The teenager asked, then pleaded, “Please!”
“Jill,” the retired admiral looked at her granddaughter, “This isn’t the time to visit him. I am not even sure we could get clearance into Trena Space right now. That has to be an exit only area. It’s not going to be a good time.”
“But where will he go!” Jill asked, “Maybe now I can be with him!”
It was tempting to buy passagetake the Traveling Lady, her yacht to to Trena and see her son. Jill was right it had been too long since Jill had been with her father. Jill was also right in another way though, she needed to be with her father. With every passing day her grandmother understood why young people were blessed with the adventure of raising children. Their younger minds, spirits, and bodies were better able to deal with the adventure of raising children. She had never raised children of her own. By the time she had finally married at age forty she still had years of space duty she had to endure, and then Michael’s father died the second year of their marriage never giving her the chance to raise her own children. She had raised Jill, as though like she was her own childdaughter. She knew she was the closest thing to a mother that Jill would have, as Jill’s mother had died in childbirth. Although rare, it still happened. Mike had tried to have Jill with him on assignments when he could have his dependents with him; but his deployments first as a Black Guardsman and later as a Military Police Officer had made it nearly impossible. He always seemed to draw combat assignments, and very few safe assignments. Though his final assignment as Chief Master Gunnery Sergeant of the Capital Barracks MP unit was safer than some of his other postings, being an MP wasn’t all that safe, and Michael had asked Joyce to become Jill’s primary care giver as Joyce’sher space duty was over and she wasbeing permanent party at PriFly and ; she could provide a stable home for the child while her father still had years of hardship duty where he couldn’t have family with him. Then, when he had been named the youngest Chief Master Gunnery Sergeant of the Marine Corps, he had left the Empire with the lady he loved. To be free where ever they could be. Not wishing to saddle his child in what could be a still more unsettled life as a near fugitive from Ebio, the company who had created Lisa, he had sadly left Jill with his step-mother.
“No Jill,” Grandma Wilson said sadly, “as much as I would like to; now’s not the time.”
The next morning Jill was gone. She had left a note that simply said, “Gone to dad’s I’ll write!”
She never did write her father a more private note thinking the sooner she got there the better. Then she could have it out with him.
By the time Admiral Wilson found the note, the girl had been gone nearly eighteen hours, and had already cleared Earth space.
Every Last Mother's Child Page 13