Every Last Mother's Child

by William J. Carty, Jr

  Chapter 1: A Stretch of the Marshal’s Legs

  It started out as an ordinary day. Lisa had prepared breakfast with Maggie for her family. She and Mike had compared their schedules. Mike wanted to get back to the palace to hear firsthand Lisa’s doctor’s report. He felt a bit guilty for not going with her. But she was okay with him not going with her to the doctor. Wilson then took Jill and Lamile to the academy. Both girls along with Mitch had stayed the weekend at the palace. Michael had made arrangements to do his morning run with the cadets. The cadets didn’t know he was going to do this. Jill and he had planned it the night before. So dressed in his running clothes he took the girls to the academy and shortly before sun up he was standing on the quad with his daughter, her best friends, a couple of his protective agents and the schools NCOs. Wilson turned to one of his friends from the police academy who was the Academy’s lead PT instructor and drill sergeant. “May I call your cadets out?”

  “By all means Marshal,” The man chuckled.

  It had been a long while since Wilson had stood in the near dawn hours before a marine company’s barracks and called his company to report. He wondered if he still had the voice to do what had once came naturally to him.

  “It is now 0600, and your Marshal requires the presence of the Queen’s Own Corps of Kaydets to join him on the exercise field!” Wilson bellowed. It was like he had never stopped being a company sergeant.

  The effect was nearly instantaneous. Out of the six dorms surrounding the quad, the children who had become Cadets of the Queen’s Own Cadet Regiment flowed onto the quad. They formed up quickly and presented themselves to their officers and finally to Jill who snapped an about face and reported to her father. “Lord Marshal Wilson!” She called, “The corps of cadets have assembled. What is your pleasure Marshal?”

  “I wish to stretch my legs this morning.” Wilson said straight faced, “Would the cadets like to join me?”

  The front rank of cadets answered for their commander, “yes sir!”

  “Then Lord Wilson, Marshal,” and with a devious grin his daughter quipped, “Daddy, my cadets would enjoy running you into the ground.”

  “Let’s go then!” Wilson called doing an about face and started out at an easy pace. As they passed the NCO barracks the schools NCOs who lived on the grounds were finishing up their morning roll call and the start of their own PT, fell in behind the cadets, a few hundred yards on, the biopeople from the Trojack fire department fell in behind. As they ran through the grounds Wilson led nearly a thousand cadets, Black Guardsmen, militiamen, and bios on their morning PT. And yes the cadets nearly ran him into the ground. He was used to running five miles a couple times a week to stay in shape, but he set a leisurely pace it would take him maybe an hour to run five miles. With the cadets nipping at his heels he ran the distance in almost 45 minutes. As they did their cool down walk, Jill and Lamile both walked without being winded. He chuckled remembering when he used to be able to put in that type of a run and with a combat pack to boot.

  “Well colonel, major, sergeant,” Wilson said standing to one side with the three girls as he let cadets pass him. “Your people look good. Thank you for letting me run with you.”

  As each company of cadets passed them they fired off a salute. He had expected that, and for the military to salute as they went by; but not the company of firemen who dressed up their lines and as a unit did an eyes right and their officer saluted him. He was still getting used to the honors that were his because of his rank. He was still a little awed that he, a retired marine sergeant would be entitled to the same privileges and honors of a general officer. It made him all the more conscience that he needed to do his job right.

  McGregor came up with his car and waited quietly while he said his good bye to his daughter and walked to the car. Lady Hawthorne was waiting for him in the staff car.

  “Delores,” Michael said getting in the back, “You have done well with those kids.”

  “Thank you sir,” Lady Hawthorne replied, “It’s not what we thought I would be doing for you when I first approached you what six seven months ago?”

  “No it certainly is not,” as his car began to drive to the main gates.

  “I am concerned about all of these guys,” Lady Hawthorne nodded to a bunch of young people walking to the mess hall who were not part of the cadet corps.

  “So am I Delores,” Marshal Wilson remarked, the children they had found and were still finding. “So am I”

  “A couple of us have been talking,” Delores turned to her boss, “hoping that the academy and the orphanage will become a crown institute on Home.”

  “I am worried about what will become of these kids when we get to Home,” The Marshal expressed his concern as they approached the main gate. “These kids are our future. We have to do what it takes to make that future happen.”

  “That we do,” Lady Hawthorne replied as Mac stopped the car and let her out.