Every Last Mother's Child

by William J. Carty, Jr

  Chapter 3: The General’s Retirement Plans Are Changed

  “Marshal,” Mylea walked into Mike’s office several weeks after the old boarding school had become the Academy. That got his attention Mylea rarely used is formal rank.

  “We got a problem,” Mylea stated, “We’ve kept you out of the loop as we investigated Lieutenant General Latimar’s looting of abandoned homes. CID has been on the case for a couple of weeks. We knew he was doing it; but we didn’t know the whole chain of disposal. The general has amassed a small fortune selling off the precious jewels, antiques, things that people left behind as they couldn’t or wouldn’t ship them to Home or off world. We think he has several million crowns from the goods he is selling. He is using militia trucks and people to ship it to his buyer’s warehouse on the outskirts of town. CID is making the bust today.”

  Wilson was speechless. He had known that there was some small minor looting going on. As much as he wanted to stop it; he knew he couldn’t. Mostly it was causal stuff a book picked up out of an abandon book store. They were things like food out of an abandon village’s markets. It was causal, and mostly unorganized. In some respects the Cadet Academy clothing for the little guys had come from a looted warehouse. Yet it was done to help the kids at the Academy. Not to further the bank account of an individual. As Mylea continued Wilson was becoming furious. It wasn’t just the amount things being looted; but the type. A chandelier that was priceless. It had been brought from Earth in the early days of the Kingdom’s founding. A painting of the first Lord of North Lucas, a complete set of second century pre Terran Empire flat ware, it was the quantity. There were no less than fifteen bedroom sets. It wasn’t the amount of money the general was getting for it. Not all of it top dollar. It was the most blatant abuse of authority and power he had ever witnessed.

  “Christ in a hand basket!” the Marshal cursed. “That money has to be being socked away somewhere! How is he expecting it to get past the inspectors at the port?”

  “Well it is mostly in off world stocks, and some certificate of ownerships of gold and precious metals. It’s all been transferred off world. The CID team was able to trace it to an off world bank in the Man sector. But that is as far we got! You know the banking rules there. It had to go off as black bag courier stuff. In the diplomatic pouches their bankers carry. We’ve seen him make that connection.” Mylea said.

  “Okay, Tell Mac we’re going to attach ourselves to the arrest team. Who is the MP doing the bust, and would it be okay for me to join the team?” The Marshal asked.

  “She’s out side.” Mylea responded.

  “Send her in,” The Marshal of the Trena Constabulary requested.

  “Corithia,” The Thonian MP Commander walked into Wilson’s office. She came to attention and fired off a salute “Commander 83rd Companions Military Police Battalion reporting as requested Sir.”

  “I understand you are going to bust Lieutenant General Larimer this afternoon.” Wilson commented.

  “Yes Sir,” The Thonian said, “We going to bust him on looting, under the UCMJ along with several of his officers and NCOs. There’s a couple NCOs we’re not going to bust they have been working for us.”

  “I see,” Wilson said, “Do you have some paper for me to sign?”

  “No sire,” the Thonian said, “My JAG liaison approved the search and seizure, and I went to the trouble of vetting it through General Qoum, and Lord Mercer. They said make it happen.”

  “So you have no qualms about busting this sorry piece of rat dung.” Wilson asked.

  “No sir!” The woman said, “He is dirty and he needs to go away.”

  “Very well,” Wilson said, “Do you mind if I accompany you?”

  “Sir,” The woman smiled, “It would be an honor to have the Marshal accompany my companions.”

  “Thank you. What’s the shove off time,” Wilson asked.

  “About 1400, He’s returning to his warehouse about then,” The MP commander said, “Customs and us will be making joint entry, as will the Mounties. We have to do it this way as there are civilians involved. We can arrest the Military without a problem. Most likely the civilians too under your evacuation UCJ; but I want it to stick. So the customs inspectors will be the one to bust the off world buyer, the Mounties the Trenan Citizens, and we’ll do the military!”

  “Okay skipper,” Mylea injected, “I’ll get Liz to get your agenda worked around. You’ll need your tactical gear. And Mac’s going to have kittens.”

  “Not really,” Mac had quietly stepped into the office. “We’ll be ready to go at 13:30. But you will not be in the lead team and you will not enter the building until the Commander’s people have the building secure.

  “I’ve heard of a couple of other lootings through the grapevine.” Mac continued, “I think it’s time to bust a major personality and let the others know what they are facing.”

  “I need to talk with the Queen,” Wilson said, “Liz?”

  “Sir the Queen has about fifteen minutes if you hurry right now.” Liz had checked the Queen’s agenda, and had talked with her secretary while the two Thonian women were talking with her boss. They delayed an appointment for Wilson to meet with her.

  “I am on my way.” Wilson grabbed his uniform cap and left.

  As he walked the short distance to the Queen’s Office Wilson pondered his next move. The truth be known he thought Lieutenant General Latimar was nothing more or less than a thief. In some respects when he had seen the report he had wanted to call the general in and read him the riot act then send him to the Rock. The Rock was the nick name of a nearly airless world in orbit about a small sun ten light years away that empire owned. It was where Trena sent her worse criminals to. They were the worse criminals that were simply too bad to rehabilitate in a normal security environment. The prisoners were murders, terrorist, incurable sex offenders, and traitors. They were people that the Kingdom just didn’t want on Trena; but would not execute outright. Trena didn’t execute murders believing that a person who commits murder was indeed mentally ill. So the first deal was to send them to a forensic physiological facility to deprogram the homicidal urges then to rehabilitate them into a less aggressive more responsible citizen. The second time, and there were second times the prisoner was simply shipped to the Rock.

  In the general’s case Wilson needed to set an example at the highest level. No one was going to loot the leftovers of Trena. He wouldn’t stand for it. To have one of his generals do this just pissed him off to the very soul of his being. If the General had wanted to create a company to do this like one of the salvage companies, and to do it without crown resources there wouldn’t be a problem. He could have been deeded a section of land just like the other breakers and vultures and could have made money that way. But to do it in uniform and get others in uniform to help him that was just ethically, morally, and legally wrong. The general was going to be the poster child for messing up in uniform.

  He entered the Queen’s office and found Lord Mercer sitting with his boss.

  “I heard,” the Queen said, “Larry’s briefing me.”

  “Good,” Wilson said, “That saves me some time. I am accompanying the MPs when they bust Lieutenant General Latimar. Under powers of the Marshal I will be issuing a summary judgment and sending him to the Rock.”

  “He will appeal,” The Queen replied, “It is his right to appeal to me for a monarch’s pardon.”

  “Your majesty I will not influence your decision one way or another. Although under the UCMJ he could be executed, but I won’t do that.” Wilson said, “Now I need to get to Quarters and get my tactical gear on.”

  “Mike,” Larry called, “I won’t argue with you about your power. It would be foolish for me to do that. But it would make more sense to let him be tried under the UCMJ. The JAG system works and you know it. Those Thonian cohorts wouldn’t be busting this guy without solid evidence. You know they are thorough. Hell you’ve taught some of those pe
ople. You know how good they are.”

  “But I need to send a strong message to every other jerk that’s doing the same thing, and this is the best way I know how to do it.” Wilson said.

  “It’s very dramatic, and it is very attention getting.” The crown attorney injected. “But it also may prevent some others from coming forward and sharing what they know. We need to make it known we won’t tolerate looting, but we have to make it known to everyone that the law will be followed. The first time you start acting like a dictator, not being the even hand you’ve been doing so far, you may lose the rest of the kingdom, including the foreign governments. We can’t afford that.”

  “No we can’t,” Wilson rubbed his hand through his graying hair. Now more gray than when he started, “Okay I’ll be present on the raid, but I won’t exercise my CIC option. But I will be the convening authority and I will insist on a full court martial for him and his accomplices. I will also go on the EvacNet and let every one of our people know what I think of this bullshit.”

  “That’ll work,” The Queen replied, “Mike I have enough problems with this evacuation and you running it, politically without you causing more.”

  “Aye ma’am” Wilson said he knew how politically delicate this entire operation was. Although some of the politicians had made their displeasure known most of the parliament had let him do what he needed to do. And the people were mostly solidly behind him. The polls said he ran a close second behind Queen Aggie in popularity

  An hour later he and the Thonian Commander were sitting in an armored personnel carrier.

  “Skipper,” Corithia said, “We have the block secured. One of my girls is in the warehouse with the general. They are expecting the buyer in a minute or so. He was told that if he didn’t cooperate that he would be sent to the Rock instead of just being thrown off planet. Customs owns that critter. Once the deal is done she’ll signal us. When that happens, the Mounty entry team will drive a hover truck through the door. As that happens an APC will be pulled across the back door, and a SWAT team will make a war jump on the roof. All of these guys are armed. I have issued a deadly force authorization. If one of those guys fires off a round, the SWAT team will make a combat entry, and the APC on the back door will go through it. The entry team will order everyone to put down their weapons, and if disobeyed will start taking people out.”

  “Do you think,” Wilson asked, “That the general will put up a fight?”

  “I don‘t know Marshal,” The woman said, “I am just not taking any chances. You taught me to consider the improbable in my planning and that’s what’s I am concentrating on.”

  “Commander,” Mike said, “Thank you for the briefing, I’ll let you do your job. Once you have the general under arrest, I will speak with him.”

  “You are welcomed Sire. Force leader make it happen.” She turned to the young woman next to her. The force leader the equivalent of a company commander nodded and left. The force leader’s lifemate took a seat next to the commander. “Everyone is in place. The general is there, and the buyer just entered! It’s about to happen!”

  “Let’s hear the audio from the officer.” Corithia called.

  “Audio coming up,” someone said, and the command APC was filled with the sound pick up from the buyer’s communicator.

  “Let’s see what you have general,” the buyer said. He was sweating bullets over this. If he didn’t convince the custom inspectors he was working for them, he was going to go to The Rock. The Rock was a place few people came back from.

  “This way,” the general said, and began walking the immense warehouse he had taken over. It was loaded to the gills with his loot. The buyer was truly impressed. He had seen the general’s first and second hauls; but this had beat all them combined to date.

  “I’ll give you ten million crowns for the lot!” the buyer offered.

  “I want thirty,” the General responded “I have some people who need to be paid. This will be our last operation!”

  He had heard the general was retiring. It made sense that he would ask for that much. It didn’t make much difference to him. But he had to haggle; anything else would be out of character.

  “15,” the buyer counter offered.

  “25,” The general counter offered.

  “Okay 20 million and not penny more,” the buyer said.

  “Let’s transfer the money,” Latimar agreed.

  “Fine,” the buyer said and took out his hand comp. He took a card from Latimar and swiped the card and the buyer thumb printed the transaction finalizing the deal. The buyer had told the investigators that Latimer always did electronic fund transfer. That he had some way to launder the money. This money had an electronic tag to it and didn’t get out of Latimer’s account. Once it hit the account that was the signal for the bust to go down. “Okay if I bring my trucks in?”

  “Sure the sooner we get this stuff out of here the better for all of us!” The general agreed. He had started to become nervous over the last few days about his retirement plan. He couldn’t place why he was nervous about this sale. He didn’t know why; but he blew it off as he would be on a ship later this week as he left the planet with his family not to Home but Barbary in the empire.

  “Okay,” The buyer spoke into his communicator, “You can come in!”

  Twenty seconds later a massive articulated hover craft pulled into the warehouse. When it came to a stop and the doors began opening, the general’s antiquities expert approached the general, he saw her badge in her hand as she spoke to him, “General Latimar, under the authority granted me by the Trena Evacuation Command, I am placing you under arrest for looting, and behavior unbecoming of an officer. The rest of you are under arrest, lay down your arms and stand where you are.”

  The general looked up saw officers pouring out of the back of the hover craft and heard the landing craft coming in and saw the APC blocking the other door. He knew he was not going to retired to Barbary.

  “Under the uniform code of military justice, I am informing you of your rights and obligations. You have the right to have counsel presented at any and all interrogations you have the right to remain silent. You have the obligation to provide mitigating information. Do you understand these rights?”

  “Yes force leader I do,” The general replied. The force leader gripped the officer’s arm and led him off.

  As she led him out, Marshal Wilson stepped into the warehouse, “General Latimar, you are relieved of all duties with the evacuation command, pending the outcome of your court martial you will be reinstated or sentenced. Force leader take this piece of rat dung out of here. I want him in max at the Trena Prison. With round the clock guards. He is to be treated with the respect due him but he is to be placed in jail until he is arraigned and bail posted.”

  “Aye sir,” the force leader said.

  “You can’t do that Marshal,” The general spoke up. “Under the UCMJ, I am entitled to be placed under house arrest. I am a nonviolent offender awaiting....”

  “General,” Wilson seethed, “Yes under the UCMJ you have certain rights, and I have certain obligations. One of those is to protect you against persons unknown who may want to take justice into their own hands. I cannot do that in your home, and while I could put you in quarters six I don’t want to put those folks in a position where they can’t sit on your trial board. You have one opportunity here to admit your guilt, and accept a summary judgment. If you don’t wish to take advantage of my sense of justice you will be tried.”

  “I request a Sovereign’s Hearing,” The general said. As a flag officer in the Trena Militia, he was entitled to a hearing before his sovereign who he and every other officer of flag rank swore additional fealty to.

  “Wilson to Queen Agatha,” Wilson called into his communicator.

  “Go ahead marshal,” The Queen’s voice came from his communicator.

  “Lieutenant General Latimar is requesting a sovereign’s hearing.” Wilson reported.r />
  “I have been following the incident.” the Queen replied, “General Latimar, you are aware that there will be no appeal to my decision, and that execution of sentence will be immediate.”

  “I place myself at the mercy of the sovereign’s good judgment. I understand that by going directly to the crown that I have given up my rights to a trial by my peers and all appeals up to the Queen’s Bench” General Latimar responded.

  “Very well,” The Queen replied icily, “I will meet with him and his accuser on the main landing pad at 1900. Marshal Wilson you and Lord Mercer will be there.”

  “Aye-Aye,” Wilson said, “Force leader you will personally escort the general to the meeting. You will not interrogate the general. You will see that he arrives safely. Should you attempt escape General, this officer is authorized to use whatever force necessary to ensure your recapture. That includes deadly force. If you attempt escape that will prove to all that you are indeed guilty of the crimes you have been accused of. See that the duty JAG officer goes over the charges with him.”

  “I concur,” The Queen’s voice called from Wilson’s communicator. Wilson had forgotten she was still on his phone.

  As the general was taken away Wilson turned to the assembled prisoners, “Okay folks, you know what your charges are going to be. As the appointing authority I will instruct the JAG to make any deal they seem appropriate as long as you admit your guilt, and you turn states evidence. Okay MPs take them away.”

  Wilson walked with his protective detail to the limo that was waiting for him. Once inside he made a call to his XO, “Mylea. It’s over. The general has asked for and has been granted a Crown hearing. The Queen will hear his plea at 1900. I will be there. Anything else going on?”

  “No sir,” Mylea replied, “It’s quiet. I was just handed a report that the evacuation has now lifted half our people off world. We’re half way there!”

  “We have what three months?” Wilson asked.

  “Closer to four skipper,” Mylea replied.

  “I want to talk with the minister of labor, and the labor reps in the embassies. I want to see if we can move some of our people into jobs on those worlds again.” Mike said.

  “I’ll see what I can do sir.” Mylea heard the depression in her boss’ voice. “Hey dude, cheer up. It could have been worse.”

  “I don’t know how!” Wilson replied.

  “They could have resisted arrest and have been shot one and all.” Mylea remarked, “Wouldn’t that be a merry mess?”

  “Yes it would,” Wilson confirmed, “Since I am out already, I am going to stop by a couple of the zones to see how the loading is going. Tel Liz I am sorry for messing up her nice neat calendar.”

  Mylea knew what her boss was going to do. He was cleansing his soul. He wanted to be somewhere, where the evacuation team was making things happen the way they should. Mylea knew by the end of the day he would have been on at least one lift, or have helped a family get on board a landing craft to orbit. He did this when the office pressure was just too much. For all of his status as Marshal of the Trena Constabulary he was still an NCO at heart.