Every Last Mother's Child

by William J. Carty, Jr

  Chapter 8: The 83rd Arrives

  When the Thonian Ambassador met with the Queen and Marshal Wilson, he had listed what resources that the Realm could make available to the Kingdom. One of those resources was the 83rd Military Police Battalion. They were an organization of about five hundred Thonian men and women, who Marshal Wilson ike had helped to stand up five years before. Mylea had been their inaugural commander. They unit was entirely made up of were life mated couples. All of them had been either police officers, or military police officers before being accepted in the unit. No one in the group was a raw recruit. All had been cops for at least a crimen or three earth least five years. The Thonian Ruler had requested that he help in training and standing them up. Wilson’s job had been to help stand them up as a unit. There were other units within the Thonian Space Force that followed the same premise; this was the first one that was an MP battalion. 90 Days later they had been deployed on their first assignment. They were never assigned to base duty, or embassy duty. They were always deployed with the Thonian Military, when the Thonian Space Force was deployed for war. They were always used when the Realm had to send their military in to support troops during peace keeping operations, or when the Realm had to beat back an insurgent, or invasion force.

  “When do you want them Sir Mike,” the Thonian ambassador asked.

  “They’re not here yet?” Wilson quipped. The Thonian nodded and made that task job one when he got back to the embassy. A couple weeks after that meeting, the 83rd y wereas about to land on Trena.

  “Ma’am,” Her aid came into their state room and turned the lights on. “It’s time.”

  “Thanks Meglith,” Corithia said rolling onto her back she nudged her life mate of 8 crimens and felt his desire for her. She looked at her aid, sending her mate that now wasn’t the time. He saw the young aid through his life mate’s eyes and agreed. The young woman was dressed in the grey BDUs of the Thonian Armed Forces with her Military Police arm band in place as well as her white pistol belt snugly around her waist. As Corithia got out of their bunk and saw the aid she shook her head, years before she had been as sharp as her aid and wondered where youth got their energy. She looked at her time piece saw that it was 0300 and realized that it would be a very long day.

  “It will be that Corithia,” her life mate said feeling the cold deck under his feet, Corithia knowing what would come next, his lifemate said, “and “no I don’t know why they keep these decks so cold!”

  An hour later she stood with her officers watching her troop’s board the shuttles. The equipment, the jeeps, hover cycles, and heavy trucks were already loaded. The transport could drop the entire MP battalion in one lift.

  “Ma’am,” her aid spoke softly into her ear, “We’ll be landing at TMB Fletcher. The Marshal requests that when we land we go to the Police Academy barracks get set up there and wants you to report to the palace.”

  “Thank you,” Corithia replied, “Reply to Marshal that the message was received and the 83rd MP Battalion will be on the ground shortly.”

  “Yes ma’am” The aid said and spoke quietly into a small communicator. As the aid spoke into the device a green shirted NCO came up to Corithia, “Commander, if you and your party will step this way? I’ll escort you to your shuttle.”

  “Lead on,” Corithia commanded, and the NCO escorted the commander’s party to the waiting shuttle.

  Once aboard the shuttle’s The Thonian load master came up to where Corithia was sitting near the front of the shuttle. He made sure that the commander was secure and said softly, “The squadron commander requests permission to disembark?”

  Although a mere formality as the ranking officer in the lift, it was a custom in the Thonian space service that the NCO on the ship containing the unit’s most senior officer asked permission to depart. Corithia looked to her officers who had been talking to various NCOs and officers. All of them either nodded, or gave a thumb up to her. Corithia felt her life mate feeling that they were ready. He was on the last shuttle the traditional place for the XO when they were making a landing. She looked to the Load Master and said, “Load Master tell the squadron commander he may take us to our destiny.”

  “It is with greeat pleasure and honor that the 10th space lift squadron takes the Hero of Myglina to her destiny!” He saluted her and then spoke into his head set.

  Minutes later the landing shuttle left the Thonian transport. The shuttle was soon joined by all fifty of the shuttles carrying the Thonians 83rd Military Police Battalion. As soon as they were formed up, the shuttles began their descent to Trena.

  As they approached main militia base the Militia verified the I.D. of the flight and had it escorted it in by a flight of space-air superiority fighters.

  “All stationsFlight line, this is Fletcher Control we have five zero Thonian shuttles in the pattern. They are troop and equipment heavy,” the tower called on the command network.to line chief.

  “Langtree copies,” Brigadier General David Langtree said he as was leaving his quarters to report to the flight line.

  Sergeant Hoi, the General’s driver was waiting for him when he left his quarters in the BOQ. He had been up for a couple of hours making sure that he was ready to serve the best officer he had ever worked for. He handed his officer a cup of coffee as Langtree got into the passenger seat for the two minute drive to the flight line. He arrived in time to see the first of the landing shuttles arrive on the landing pads.

  When Langtree got to the flight line things were at a dead stand still, Langtree approached the line chief asked the obvious question, “What’s the problem?”

  “Some one forgot to bring the Thonian flight line kit. We don’t have any safety pins for the weapons.” The Line Chief repliedsaid,, “I’ve got one my guys ransacking the flight line shack for the Thonian kit. But I don’t have enough for all fifty of them.”

  “I see,” Langtree said. He saw what his chief was concerned about, the Thonians used a force field technology that allowed them to hang their weapons on hard points on their ships. Earth and Trena’s military preferred to keep their weapons buttoned up behind heat shielding just in case of a mishap that would cook one off. “Treat it like a combat landing. Everything stays powered up, and the weapons are safetied from the flight deck.”

  “Sir we have the time to do it right,” The chief said, “Let me do my job.”

  “All right chief,” Langtree repliedsaid.

  In the lead ship, Corithia was standing before the front hatch waiting for the crew chief to open it and let her out. The crew chief was standing next to her, “Sorry about the delay Commander, Flight line’s got a safety issue.”

  “What type of issue,” Corithia asked.

  “They don’t have a safety kit for the weapons and landing gear.” The chief replied, “Before you ask... the well trained, underutilized officer of this flight told the chiefs not to bring their landing kits with them. However,” The chief opened a panel and pulled out a hand full of red, blue and green safety ribbons with finger sized metal rods on the end of them. He toggled his communicator and spoke, “Pilot, Chief; I’ve safety ribbons I’ll safe the bird.”

  “Chief, Pilot; do it,” The command pilot one deck above them called.

  The chief pushed two green switches an arm’s length apart and watched as the clam shell hatch opened and the boarding ramp extended and lowered to the ground. The chief ran out with his hand full of safety pins and began to make safe the landing gear. The line chief saw him and ran up to him. He took a couple of pins and ran to the right side of the space craft and pinned the weapons down so they wouldn’t accidentally light off on their hard points and launch across the base. As soon as the ship was safe the chief climbed back up the ramp, saluted the commander, “Commander, It’s been a pleasure to have you aboard. You may disembark now.”

  “Thanks chief,” Corithia replied, “Chief, don’t be too hard on the flight commander...at least no
visible marks.”

  The chief’s eyes sparkled as he replied, “No visible evidence Commander.”

  He turned to the ramp and punched a button on his communicator activating the loudspeakers on the ship’s exterior, “Attention! 83rd Military Police Battalion arriving, Commander Corithia Commanding.”

  He repeated the call in Terrish, as Corithia walked down the ramp by her self. Her troops would wait in the landing shuttles until she presented her documents to the ranking officer. When she got to the bottom of the ramp she smiled broadly. There stood a very good friend of hers, her former commander.

  “Mylea,” Corithia called “it’s good to see you!” She hugged her old friend. “I heard you retired to Trena.”

  “Well not quite retired,” Mylea replied letting go of the woman she had trained to replace her as the 83rds new commander.

  “So I see,” She saw the simple star on her collar. “A flag officer? You’ve come up in the world!”

  “No,” Mylea replied, “I am, or was the third watch commander for the Royal Trenaport Mounted Police. Now I seem to be part of the Queen’s staff.”

  “Do I present my credentials to you?” The MP Commander requested.

  “No, General Langtree will accept them,” She motioned to the general who was walking towards them.

  Corithia came to attention and saluted the human. General Langtree crisply returned the salute saying in perfect Thonian, “Welcome to Trena Commander. Your people may disembark.”

  “Thank you General,” the woman said, and turned to the shuttle and nodded. As she did the first shuttle load of MPs disembarked.

  Her aid came up in a jeep and waited patiently for her commander to finish her business and go on to the academypalace. After seeing that her troops were disembarking safely she turned to her aid and said. “Nothing we can do here, let’s go meet the boss.”

  “Do I know him?” Corithia asked. “Everything I can get a hold of didn’t tell me who he is.”

  “Sergeant Wilson,” Mylea replied.

  “Mr. Perfect?” Corithia asked. She remembered fondly how much grief she had received at his hands during their training. At the time she wondered if she could claim self-defense when she killed him. He had been a royal pain to work with during training; but his training had paid off time and time again over the ensuring three crimens. Her lifemate’s humor came through the link he too remembered the grief they had received from this man’s hands.

  “The very same,” Mylea replied, “They held him down long enough to throw some stars on his shoulders, and make him Marshal of the Trena Constabulary.”

  “Damn!” Corithia said, she had been reading up on Trena and its force structure. Her life mate asked as he pulled up in his jeep. “That makes him what third or fourth in command of the entire planets military doesn’t?”

  “More like number 2,” Mylea replied, “As Marshal of the Constabulary he is responsible to the Queen for the life safety of anyone and everyone in or about the environs of Trena. He in effect owns every fire and police officer on Trena, as well as every hospital, ambulance, nursing home, and the services that support them. In the current emergency, the military has been seconded to him. For all practical purposes he is the head man of the entire planet.”

  “That supersedes their parliament doesn’t it?” Corithia remarked, “Oh that’s going to be a jolly political mess! I bet their parliament just loves this situation!”

  “Tomorrow he goes before the parliament to discuss his plan.” Mylea replied.

  “What do you think?” Corithia asked.

  “It’ll be fun to watch,” Mylea replied, “Sarge has come into this. He for all practical purposes is still a Command Sergeant Major. He has a lot of polish, but deep down he is still a Marine Command NCO and all that entails.”

  “I had heard he had been invested into the Terran Nobility, but he isn’t the first of their NCOs’ that they invested.” Corithia commented. “Yes this could be fun to watch. So what does he plan to do with the 83rd?”

  “I think he wants to use you as a reaction force, and for LZ security. You may be busy.” Mylea replied.

  Chapter 9: The Star Ship Exodus

  She took delivery of the ship. It wasn’t the biggest ship in the yard, nor was it the smallest. It had been a freighter up to a few years before until the owners had fallen on hard times and made it into gambling ship. They made one voyage with the ship and lost their shirts. Having no other choice the owners had put the ship up to cover their expenses. It was over a century old but it seemed to be okay. The Yard Master had loaned her a crew to make the delivery voyage to Earth. There she talked to a few people. Mostly rich people who could back her voyage to Trena. She wanted to help and knew if she could get a ship to Trena she could provide transport for maybe a couple of thousand refugees she could help the people of Trena and do God’s work.

  After she had ensured that she had a ship to transport the people she wanted to help she went about the process of getting the ship licensed. That licensing came very quickly. Mostly due to the master she had hired to help her buy the ship. He had steered her away from some ships that looked perfectly okay. He later explained that that some of the ships they had considered, their engines were not even at stand by. Others were in deep cold storage that would take weeks to bring on line. Now with the ship licensed and the captain hiring crew she had other tasks that needed to be done.

  The first task was to talk with the Imperial Department of State. She wanted to make sure that there would no entry or exit problems with her ship when they started to Trena.

  “The Exodus will have no problems as far we’re concerned,” the state department official said, “Your status as a refugee ship will give you free passage through the empire. You must however ensure that your weapon systems are cold, and that you are not carrying any one who has a fugitive warrant for their arrest in the empire. Once you cross back into imperial space you will need to stop at the first Imperial Port and have your refugee status verified. Should you be harboring any foreign agents, or fugitives you will be arrested and the ship will be destroyed.”

  Gloria listened to everything that was said, then commented, “Will the empire sanction our flight?”

  “We will sanction your out bound flight, but only the Kingdom of Trena can clear you into their space. For that you’ll need to get a clearance from their Embassy.” The state department official said. “If they don’t sanction your flight then what you have done will be pointless.”

  “I see, and what will the state department’s position be then?” Gloria asked.

  “Your ship will still be a non commercial not for profit vessel that pays no tariffs, or taxes upon entry and exit to the empire. The first time you take a paying cargo you will be subjected to the Empire commercial code.”

  “I see,” the Evangelical Minister replied. “I guess I need to see the Trena Ambassador.”

  A few days later she had managed to get an appointment with the Trenan ambassador to the Court of Columbus. She explained her visit and the mission from God she was on. The ambassador simply nodded and waited for her to wind down.

  “Reverend,” when she did wind down he said, “I have no instructions from Marshal Wilson, the Queen, or the parliament on how to deal with your request.”

  “I see,” the minister said, “So does that mean that you can’t endorse my mission?”

  “No ma’am,” the ambassador replied, “it only means that I have no instructions on how to handle you. I have always thought in these instances that it was better to ask for forgiveness than to so seek permission.”

  The ambassador turned to his computer key board for a few minutes and soon handed the evangelical minister a safe passage document that would at least get her ship to the Trena. This was the fourth such ship that he had dealt with in the last week or so. But hers was the first one he had given a safe passage to. The others had been commercial ventures that were e
xpecting to have passengers pay for their passage.

  She went back to the state department and spoke with the same official again.

  It turned out that getting the exit and entry permits were the easiest part of the whole operation. She needed a place to take her refugees. She contacted several embassies to see if she could bring her refugees to their planet. With the exception of Lashkey, a very primitive mining world, none of the embassies wanted the Trena refugees. Lashkey was a terraformed world still in the early phases of its construction. It was harsh, and barely livable. It killed a good part ofbout half its population each year and there was no restriction on who they could bring they just had to want to work hard. Although Gloria would not want to settle there her self, the refugees from Trena may have a different idea. God never gave her people something they couldn’t over come.

  Three days later she left Earth Space to that of Trena.