Every Last Mother's Child
Page 241
Chapter 8: The Companions Departure
Corithia the commander of the 83rd Companion Military Police Battalion looked around the small room that had become home for the last seven months. She was surprised at all the things that they had accumulated during their tour. Most of it brick aback from business’s going out of businesses. A few pieces of art, a collection of pre empire books, a complete set of Tarzan of the Apes by a guy named Edgar Rice Burroughs, and strangely enough two books titled When the Worlds Collide, and After the Worlds Collide. Also a book called the War of the Worlds. They had a hobby of collecting earth’s pre interstellar flight science fiction. It was amazing how much they had gotten wrong, but how much more they got right. It had taken them an hour to pack their quarters. But it was packed and ready to go. As she left their quarters a couple of enlisted people came in and got their stuff and carried it out to the hover jeep. She was the last one to leave the officer’s quarters. Her entire command was sitting in trucks waiting to take them to Fletcher where a heavy lift wing of the Thonian Space Force waited to take them back to the transport that would take them on to their next duty station.
As she climbed into the jeep her lifemate said, “It wasn’t a bad assignment Corithia. At least our guys didn’t get shot at that much.”
“I wish we could have come here under other circumstances,” Corithia said aloud, “Trena is such a beautiful place. At least it won’t be destroyed by war.”
“Yes,” her lifemate said putting the jeep into drive. Too many times they had arrived after a major war or other man made act of violence, or were leaving after one. They had seen a lot of destruction on their tours. “We did a lot of good here Corithia, a lot of good!”
As the jeep rolled out the main gates of the police academy and they pondered their next station, they reflected on their duty on this world. Her people had made over a thousand arrests, solved five homicides, and put down one riot. But more importantly she and her companions had made it possible for nearly 75 million people to get to safety. That their security patrols had ensured that their belongings had made it off world safely and they had helped to rescue one of the most beloved people on Trena. Lady Wilson. She still wondered what Kellogg had done with Hozenbur’s body. It had simply disappeared. She had not lost a single Companion on this deployment. A few had been hurt. A couple had had medical issues that required them to be returned to the Thonian home world. One’s lifemate had become sick and they had to return them home, and two of her girls had become pregnant. It was a typical deployment. As they entered the Militia base the MP on the gate came to attention and held a salute as the convoy passed, as did every militia man they past. Corithia returned the salute.
At the flight line she found the Marshal, the Queens, and her old friend with her new lifemate. As she stepped out of the jeep, a voice bellowed, “Attention! 83rd Companion MP Battalion arriving.”
The assembled officers fired off a salute. Corithia approached the Queens and asked softly, “Your majesties. The 83rd military police battalion request permission to depart.”
“Permission granted,” Queen Agatha replied. “Commander, on behalf of the people of Trena,” then Jill spoke, “and the people of Home,” then the Queens spoke in unison, “we acknowledge the sacrifice, and the duty you have done here. We wish you a safe journey home, and that your future deployments are less exciting as this one was.”
“Thank you, your majesties.” Corithia saluted.
As she did Marshal Wilson came up to her and said softly, “Corithia without your companions, I wouldn’t have been able to pull this off. Your companions are welcomed anytime on Home to take leave. Here is a ribbon for your colors.”
It was a green ribbon trimmed in gold that simply said, “Trena Evacuation Command” and gave the date.
“Your welcomed sir,” Corithia saluted then asked, “Permission to board?’
“Granted,” Wilson replied.
“Ten leader, get them aboard.” Corithia commanded. As before she would be the last of her command to set foot off Trena.
As she waited she went over to where her old friend and her lifemate waited.
“General, Commander,” Corithia said and took a small Thonian nut out of her pocket, and handed it to them, “As I won’t be there for your lifemating, I offer you this traditional gift of long life. I offer you the ancient blessing may you have a long happy life together.” They watched in silence as the last of her troops boarded the Thonian landing shuttles. As she turned to leave she called to her old friend, “next time don’t wait so long to call us for a party Mylea!”
Mylea laughed as her friend climbed onto the transport and left. The departure ceremony was not over yet.
“Evac control this is the Companion 1 request fly by?” the pilot carrying Corithia called.
“Granted,” the controller called the pilot had made arrangements to do a fly over.
The twenty landing shuttles of the Thonian 501st Space Lift Wing came low over the base as they crossed over where the Queens were standing they pulled up hard as a group and clawed for orbit. One after another in single file the landing shuttles paid honor to the Queens.
“Your highness,” an aid came up, “We need to be at LZ Zulu in ten minutes. They’ll begin loading the last evacuees in thirty minutes.”
“Mylea, I’ll see you later.” Mike said and climbed into the jeep with Queen Agatha. He would rather be home with Lisa helping her pack up the residence and get ready to go to Home. But duty was getting in the way. Although he wasn’t there, he knew that Maggie, and Francine had been doing a good job making sure that Lisa didn’t over do. Georgia now back on her detail was even tougher than the older women. She had gotten over her failure to protect Lisa. Seeing the assault a few times and being with his mother until Lisa had been rescued had helped. Mike hoped the twins would wait until they got to Home. He really wanted to have Doc Klond deliver the children.
At Loading Zone Zulu, the final landing site built by the evacuation command at the convention center, which had been an evacuation center for months, the last of Trena’s evacuee were lining up to get on the landing craft. The landing zone had been busy all day. Having lifted nearly ten thousand already. This next group would literally be the last civilians to leave the planet. Only the last of the militia, some police officers, and the academy had to be evacuated. Tomorrow, the academy would be evacuated. Once the kids at the academy were evacuated they would lift the palace staff and the evacuation staff would be evacuated leaving only the Queen, and the command staff. They would go in a special ceremony near sun set tomorrow.
At the convention center, there were two landing craft being loaded with about five hundred people. Queen Agatha and Jill walked through the group shaking hands and helping people aboard. Agatha was going to make a speech but she thought better of it. These people didn’t need a speech nor did they need politics. They just needed to be sure they got on board. Finally she stood to one side as the line started to dwindle. An officer came out of the convention center and approached the Queen.
“You majesty,” the young man said, “It is my pleasure to announce that all but one person has been evacuated from the convention center he requests permission to board the landing craft.”
“Why isn’t he aboard,” the Queen asked.
“Ma’am he is making sure he is the last,” the officer said. He nodded to the shadows. As he nodded the eerie sounds of a bag pipe playing the national anthem of Trena, The ancient ballad “My Beautiful Trena”, came out of the shadows. All the police and military officers around the landing zone came to attention. The piper was an old man, as old as Larry Mercer. He had asked to be last one to board. His wife and family were already aboard. He had been a piper in the Trenaport Pipe Band before his retirement. He thought it fitting that the last thing he did was pull his pipes out and play the anthem as he boarded the shuttle. Every newsman still on the planet was around the landing craft. This was the e
nd, or nearly the end of the Trena Evacuation. He walked in a measured pace up the boarding ramp concluding the anthem as he got to the top of the ramp. He did a precise about face, and spoke in a clear voice,
“Good by Trena. My Beautiful Trena!” A tear crept down his check as he turned around and took his seat in the cargo bay of the LC ten. The militia men and police officers climbed up the ramp.
In seconds the landing craft was gone. When they were in the car, Agatha broke down and began to cry. It was becoming too much. Thankfully this was the last thing they had to do today.