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Mitch was awoken early by the charge quarters knocking on her door and telling her, it was time for her to get up. She looked at the clock in the dorm room and saw it was a little pass 7:30 in the morning. She couldn’t believe she had slept so late! Normally she was an early riser. Often up and ready for the day by sunrise. She groaned and sat up.
She dressed in a pair of slacks and her favorite tee shirt. One she had been given by her fellow riggers when she had qualified as a rigger on the Adventure
“Miss Mitchum,” a new voice said, “may I come in?”
The voice was a woman’s voice. Valerie was not too certain she wanted another woman in the room dressed as she was with vivid memories of the girls at the shelter crossing her mind.
“Let me put something on,” Mitchum responded. The shirt had a picture with of the Adventure’s top sarinted on it with “ONLY A RIGGER, KSEANS TO BE ON TOP!” boldly printed below the sails.
There was a knock on the door followed by a young voice, “Miss Mitchum, may I come in?”
“Yes,” Mitch answered, she had been about to the see about getting some breakfast.
.
her robe a“There’s a robe in the wardrobe.” The voice said. Valerie found it and put it on. She was in a night gown she had found in the wardrobe also, somehow missing the robe. Now feeling modest she said, “Okay come in.”
“Hi Good morning Miss MitchumValerie,” Jill greeted the stocky black haired girl as she entered the dorm room.Sally McBride said, “It is Valerie right?”
“Good morning CaptainYes,” Mitch stood up seeing that her visitor was in a uniform, with eagles on her collars.Valerie replied, “Though most people call me Mitch.
“It’s Colonel,” Jill answered, “Colonel Jill Wilson.Who are you?”
“What can I do for you Colonel?” It was then that Mitch realized she had met the girl before. She had met the girl when she had donated the last of Lottie’s clothing to help the people of Galloway during the dam break a month or so ago.
“If you’re ready? I would like to invite you to have breakfast with me,” Jill asked.
“I was just about to find breakfast,” Mitch responded.
“Then if you will follow me?” Jill said and led the way out of the room. Mitch couldn’t help but notice the older woman who followed them out of the dormitory.
Jill notice that Mitch saw Jenny, and introduced her. “Miss Mitchum this Agent Alkire. Jenny this is Valarie Mitchum.”
“Good Morning Valarie,” Jenny greeted the teenager.
“It’s Mitch,” she shook the agent’s hand noticing that the woman was armed. “Are you a body guard?”
“Yes,” Jenny said giving Mitch high marks for not asking why she was armed; but asking if she was a body guard, “I am Jill’s protective agent.”
Mitch didn’t ask if the agent thought she was a threat to Jill, she had seen the agent shadowing Jill the first time she had seen her.
“Let’s get to breakfast,” Jill suggested leading the way out of the dormitory.
As they “I am protective officer Sally McBride,” Sally said, “I usually stand post watching over Miss Wilson or her sister.”
“Usually,” the young woman asked.ice,” The woman replied, “I escorted Jill in today.”
“Yes I am one of the people who are Miss Wilson’s body guards,” Sally answered, ou here? Have done…?” Mitch started.
“I am here to
“day because of you.”
“Me,” Valerie asked.
“Yes,” Sally said carefully, “Miss Wilson asked me to escort you to her. But first we need to get you into some clean clothes and get you over to admin.”
Valerie looked at her not sure if she should believe the woman or not. Since she had escaped from the shelter she didn’t trust many people. With the exception of Lottie she really did not trust women.
“Look,” Sally said getting up to leave, “There’s a shower down the hall. I brought you some clothes I’ll lay them here. I’ll be down in the lobby waiting for you. Oh Valerie, there is no one in the shower right now. If you want I’ll have the charge quarters stand guard outside the shower room so you have no interruptions.”
“Please,” Mitch said. Sally let the young fifteen years old boy escort Mitch to the shower while she went to the charge quarters watch desk. Twenty minutes later Valerie joined her. “Thank you. You read about the shelter.”
“I was made aware of your situation,” Sally confirmed, “Jill thought it might be better for me to come and get you.”
“Who is this Jill Wilson?” Mitch asked.
“She’s waiting for us in her office.” Sally said. “You ready?”
“I guess so.” Mitch said wondering what was going on.
They walked from the building, they witnessed the morning roll call. Mitch couldn’t help but compare it to the musters she had through on the Adventure. What she witnessed told her that they needed to work on their muster.academy grounds to the The chief’s on the adventure would be carrying on until they got it right.
As they walked through the grounds, Mitch saw several people dressed in various uniforms going about their errands.
Jill led them to the dining hall. The dining hall was nearly empty. A couple of sleepy looking cadets and instructors were getting their meals. They went up to the serving tables and got their breakfasts. Jenny got a cup of coffee and went to where the instructors were sitting drinking their morning coffee, giving the two girls some privacy.ed theint through a door
The girls took their seats, and ate quietly for a few minutes. Finally Jill said, “Thank you for joining me for breakfast.”
“Thank you for asking me,” academy administration building. She witnessed morning roll call in front of the barracks conducted by young people about her age. At the administration building they climbed the steps to the second floor where Sally knocked on a door. “Jill, I have Valerie with me.”
“Okay bring her in,” Jill said. Sally escorted the young woman in and then left leaving Jill alone with the girl.
Jill was leaning against the desk when Mitch came in. The girl looked around the office and saw that they were alone, and that the girl before her was maybe her same age. She was dressed in a uniform and seemed completely at ease. “Welcome to the Queen’s Own Royal Corps of Cadets. I am Cadet Colonel Jill Wilson would you care to have breakfast with me?”
“Sure,” Valerie hesitantly said, “Oh I am Valerie Mitchum. Most everyone calls me Mitch.”
“Okay MitchMitch returned wondering why the girl was having breakfast with her.,” Jill sat down at the small serving table that had been brought in. “Normally I eat with the cadets.”
“One of the reasons I asked you to breakfast,” Jill buttered a muffin, “was so I could talk with you.”
“Oh,” Mitch said peeling a banana as she waited for Jill to continue.
“You saw my cadets as we left the dorm,” Jill asked.
“Cadets?” Mitch asked, “I didn’t know that muster was for cadets. They just seem to be a bunch of kids having a roll call.”
“Well that mob of kids are the first cadets of the corps.” Jill responded
“Oh,” Mitch remarked.
“If it wasn’t for the volunteers from the Militia,” Jill continued, “we wouldn’t be as organized as we are.”
“Shouldn’t they be helping to get us off world?” Mitch asked.
“Most of them are retired,” Jill replied. “And some like Sergeant Green work their normal duty shift and then volunteer their off duty time here. Besides if they are here working with us, they are helping with the evacuation?”
Mitch nodded. If the volunteers were here helping people like her, then they were helping to get the evacuation done.
“The problem I have,” Jill stated, “is that I have all these military volunteers; but no kids like yourself. Kids who were sea scouts, or Civil Space Patrol Cadets just haven’t been brought in
. You are the first kid who has been brought here that has any back ground as a cadet.”
That surprised her. She would have thought that some of her crewmates from the Adventure would have been brought to the academy. Some of crewmates had been near orphans like herself. As she thought that, she realized that the girl before her was trying to recruit her.
“We need some kids who are familiar with being a cadet like you,” Jill continued.
Jill observed Mitch. Trying to gauge how the girl was dealing with what she was sharing with her. She could see that she had the dark haired girl’s full attention. She decided to make the offer, “Mitch I would like to join the Queen’s Own Royal Corps of Cadets.”
Mitch knew that was what the girl was leading up to. It was appealing to her to join the corps of cadets. She didn’t feel she belonged anywhere. If she joined the cadets she might have a place to belong. Yet she wasn’t certain she wanted to be a cadet. They had never been cadets on the Adventure. They had been junior crewmen. They operated the ship, with the adults as their officers and older kids being petty officers. It would be a lot of work. She didn’t know if she was up to the task.
“If I don’t want to join the corps,” Mitch asked, “what would you do with me?”
“So why are you doing this for me?” Mitch asked.
“Yes I don’t do this for all the new people here. I don’t have time.” Jill saidt, “Because of your file, and your age, the commandant thought that it might be a good idea for me to have a private meeting with you to see if you want to be part of us.”
“What if I don’t want to be part of us?” Mitch asked.
“Valerie,” Jill said, “If you don’t want to be part of the Corps, Yyou are free to stay here until my father can get you aboard a lift for Home. Until your parents or family ask for you, or until you can come up with some place else to be that is better and safer. This is your home until you do better.”
“What is us?” Mitch asked.
“Us or we are Cadets Of Queen’s Own Royal Corps Of Cadets.” Jill answered the young woman before her.
“What does the get me,” Mitch asked, wondering if the Queen’s Own Corps of Cadets were similar to the sea cadets from the Adventure.
“Not much more than three square meals. A safe place to sleep, and some extra responsibility,” Jill replied, “We’re still getting organized, and truthfully you are one of the older kids that have been brought to us. Go ahead eat!” Jill took the covers off the food. There was some fresh fruit, cereal, some pastries, and some bacon and an omelet. “I can’t eat like this all the time.”
“You would really just let me stay here no strings attached?” Mitch asked.
“Yes,” Jill said, “the corps is voluntary. We don’t know what’s going to happen on Home; but we’re hoping that the Home government will continue this school. At least with the cadets who enroll during the evacuation.”
“You said father a bit back. Is your father Marshal Wilson?” Mitch asked taking a hard-boiled egg.
“We all have burdens we have to carry,” Jill said in a dead pan voice, “I was asked to help out here.”
Jill quietly ate her breakfast and didn’t bother Mitch with any questions. MitchShe pondered what the young girl had said to her and what the Thonians had told her the night before, and how she had been brought to see this girl. As she finished, she looked at the girl before her,. “Jill, can I back away from this if it is not for me?”
“You have my word that is not a lifetime commitment and if it gets too much for you then we’ll talk about it and you can go on to something that won’t be.” Jill said, “Oh and Mitch, there are a lot of people you may want to talk to about what’s in here when you are ready.”
“You read that?” Mitch asked.
“Uh huh,” Jill said, “Lady Hawthorne thought it important that I know about you. I don’t know if it was or wasn’t. But it’s like this Mitch, if things get too tough here because of what happened to you at shelter, you come and talk with me. I mean that even if you don’t become one of my cadets.”
That swung it for her. There was sincerity about the girl before her that she had not seen from too many others. The simple breakfast they shared began a life time friendship, “What do I have to do to become a cadet?”
“Sign a whole bunch of papers,” Jill smiled and said, “Here’s the first! Oh by the way Sergeant Mitchum, you’ll be in charge of a barracks and a squad of cadets 12 to 17 years old. That okay with you?”
“Yes, I had squads and teams on the Adventure,” Mitch replied. She was actually looking forward to being a cadet it was something she understood. “I’ll give it my best.
“That’s all I am doing too,” Jill said, “Let me get Lady Hawthorne in here.”
When Lady Hawthorne came in Mitch was in for her second shock of the day. She knew Lady Hawthorne, she was the head of the group they called Wilson’s Women. She may have been on the streets for the last couple of weeks but she still managed to hear what was going on.
“Hello Valerie,” Delores said, “
“Okay! Sign me up,” Mitch finally stated, “It can’t be any worse than the Adventure.” At least we don’t have to worry about someone falling overboard!”
“Thank you,” Jill replied, “You will come in as a master sergeant. Right now you’ll have a barracks. Later you might have a company. We’re still trying to get organized. It’s a day to day thing.”we’re going to get you started in processing. A couple of my people are going to talk with you. They want to know what you know about other kids so we can help them also.”
She thought for a moment. When she had left the adventure she had just been promoted to chief petty officer. She was trying to compare the two grades. With no reference to compare she gave it up and asked, “So what’s next?”
“We to get you formally signed into the corps,” Jill replied, “Once that’s done, there’s a couple of people who’ll want to talk to you about what you might know about any other children who might be avoiding the authorities.”
“I am not certain if I know anything,” Mitch said, “but I’ll share what I know.”
“Good enough,” Jill replied. “You done?”
Mitch nodded.
“Let’s go see Lady Hawthorne,” Jill stood up. Soon both girls were climbing the steps to the administration wing. Jill knocked on an office door on the second floor.
“Enter,” a woman’s voice called from inside the office.
They entered the office and found young woman of thirty, sitting behind a desk, “One second Jill.”
Jill nodded. She noticed that the noble woman was on her com. Lady Hawthorne finished shortly and turned to the girls standing before her desk. “Good morning Jill!”
“Good morning Lady Hawthorne,” Jill returned the noble lady’s greeting.
“And this must be Valarie Mitchum,” She turned to Jill’s companion.
“Yes ma’am,” Jill answered, “Lady Hawthorne let me introduce you to Valerie Mitchum. Our newest cadet. Mitch let me introduce you Lady Deloris Hawthorne, Commandant, Queen’s Own Royal Corps of Cadets Academy.”
Mitch came to attention when she heard the word commandant. Delores was quietly impressed when she saw the girl come to attention. “Stand easy cadet.”
Both girls flowed into the at ease position.
“Please sit down,” Delores asked.
“I can’t,” Jill replied, “I got to get to class! Mitch I leave you in good hands.”
Delores nodded. One they were alone, Deloris gestured to the seat. Once seated Delores hand her a data pad. “What I am handing you is the paper work needed to formally enter you into the Corps. It won’t take long.”
And it didn’t. Within half an hour she had finished the application and Lady Hawthorne escorted her to an office where the rest of her in processing began.
Every Last Mother's Child Page 135