Starlight Gleaming Ch. 12

Next, I scanned the mini-fridge. Some of the wraps from the fridge at the hangar had made their way home. I pulled out two, a bottle of water and a juice. Setting them onto the bar next to the clips, I instructed the Guard private to take a meal break. "Keep an eye out. If the girls come back here, make sure they don't try and touch the weapons."

"Yes, sir."

It wasn't protocol, as he hadn't been relieved, but I think he realized that it might be a while before that happened. One of the first rules from Basic Training is to eat and sleep when you can. Taking both wraps and bottles, he set to taking a meal break. I went to the bedroom and retrieved the backpack with the ammunition from the upper shelf in my closet.

Next, I carefully removed the clips and the Talon from the commander's shoulder holster. Checking all three weapons, I began refilling the clips and examining the weapons. Doing so emptied both boxes of the flechette rounds. I resolved to get more.

Once I was done, I put the Chon pistol into my satchel, stuck the Talon into my holster, then returned the backpack to its storage site. The Chon was heavier, but so far, the Talon had proved more useful.

While in the bedroom, I grabbed a blanket and put it over the commander. I debated removing the shoulder holster she wore, but opted to return the weapon, safety on, and the three refilled clips.

"What's your name, Private?"

"Ankata, sir," came his muffled reply. Having wasted no time, he was nearly done with the second sandwich wrap. Enlisted for the Services had their first name on their uniforms. Imperial Guards did not. Instead, they had a number.

The girls came out from the bedroom in their new clothes and new shoes, clutching their stuffed rabbits. In the northern states of the Empire, rabbits were popular and considered lucky, and t'uul, the word for rabbit, was even a popular name for boys.

Ixma retrieved some cookies from a cupboard bin and got them juice.

"When they are done, they will probably be ready for an afternoon nap," I told Ixma. "Stay here with them. We'll be back later to take everyone to the hospital."

"Yes, sir," Ixma nodded. The girls sat on the breakfast bar, munching, watching us interact. "Can you call the hospital, sir? I want to know how Mama is doing."

"Of course." I dialed the number, putting it on speaker. After I was directed to the right person and identification was acknowledged, we learned that Zinja was still in surgery.

While I thought about it, I called Corporal Sowitwee on his new phone. I told him to stay with his wife, and that we would stop by later, after dinner. He thanked me and I hung up.

"Ixma? I'm going to take the HueCac. I'm leaving my vehicle, so that if you need to go anywhere, you have room for the girls to go with you." I looked at her. Her blue eyes were full of emotion. "Are you all right?"

"I think so. So much has happened today. Do you think Mama is going to be all right?"

"I do. While your mother, Janetta, and Cholan are at the hospital, I will need your help taking care of these girls. Can I depend on you?"

"You can count on me, sir. But you have it wrong. You've claimed them. They are your daughters now."

I blinked, then nodded. "I'm still getting used to the idea. Thank you for the reminder, Ixma."

She looked at me intently. "If you need me to, I'll sign to claim Mina. In fact, that's what I want. I want her for my own."

"You don't even know her," I said. Ixma's request caught me by surprise.

She just looked back at me.

Both of the girls listened quietly, their focus on me. Mina slowly chewed her cookie, a chocolate smear on her cheek. We were talking about them, right in front of them. Deciding their fate. Even if they couldn't grasp it all, they could tell it was serious by our tone. I kissed them on their foreheads, brushed their cheeks.

"All right, Ixma. If that's what you want, you can be Mina's mother. This will impact your time at the hangar, you know."

"Thank you, sir!" Ixma hugged me tight, kissing me and laughing. "It was going to, anyway. Mama and Cholan are important at keeping our Captain flying. I can help and I do cleaning, but I'm not qualified to replace either one of them. I'm only on the team because Mama wanted me here."

I shook my head. "Maybe initially. But your Captain loves you as family now. And, you are my woman. I love you. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, I do, sir. You love me, I love you, and I am your woman." She grinned as she rubbed her belly against me. "Keep telling me you love me and I will follow you anywhere."

I kissed her and then smacked her butt. "Take care of my girls. We'll grab some food tonight and have dinner at the hospital. I'll try to see if they can put your mother in with Janetta and Cholan."

Leaning down next to Sisi and Mina, I asked, "Can I get a kiss from each of you?"

Sisi nodded. Mina looked at Sisi for approval, then nodded, too. I put my face between them and received two sticky, cookie-encrusted kisses.

Ixma laughed. "Letting you go like that would be as much fun as the lipstick was." Grabbing a washcloth from the kitchen sink, she wet it and wiped away the evidence. "Bye, Lieutenant!"

"Bye, 'Tenant!" echoed Sisi.

Putting on my garrison cap, I walked out the door.

Outside, it was windy, but the sun was bright and hot. Doyya stood by her HueCac, talking on her phone. I waved her over, and she moved toward me.

" ... No, no, I gotta go now, Mother. Yes, you can use this number to call me, but only for emergencies. And that doesn't mean Aunt Vena's latest gossip or ailment or Tarran's latest get-rich-quick scheme. Emergencies only. This is my work phone. I'm serious, Mother."

As she talked, we headed back to her vehicle. I leaned my butt against it and she stood next to me. Raising my eyebrows, I looked at her.

"Mother! I see my Lieutenant coming right now. Boy, does he look pissed. I need to go. Right now! Bye!"

I could hear her mother chattering away all the way until the cover on the phone closed. Watching the girls and Ixma wave at us through the window, I calmly asked, "Doyya? What sort of lies are you spreading about me?"

"Please don't be mad, sir. I love my family, but you don't know them like I do. My mother will talk non-stop about anything and everything. It drives me crazy. I probably shouldn't have given her my phone number. I--"

I burst out laughing. "As long as you get your work done, Doyya, you can use it for keeping in touch with your family. I'll sign off on the phone charges."

Her phone buzzed. She looked at the display and her jaw dropped, "I don't believe it."

I pulled my laptop out of my satchel. Turning around and setting it on the hood of her car, I powered it up. "Go ahead and answer it."

"Mother? Why are you calling me right now? I told you, I have to go to work! No, I don't need to hear about Shaila's new job at the coffee shop. Do what you did before. Send me family news in an email."

Browsing through the menus, I found what I was looking for. I typed away.

"No, he's standing right next to me, waiting for me to get off the phone. He's a good officer, Mother."

And her conversation began coming through my laptop's speakers.

"Doyya, can you get him to sleep with you? Because giving him your pussy would be a good way to--"

Doyya turned beet red at the same time as I hit the send button.

"Warning! This telecommunications device is monitored by Imperial Air Security. Any and all conversations are subject to recording and possible criminal prosecution. Personal communications are allowed between the hours of seven and ten at night. Violation of this schedule will result in a fine of one hundred credits, imposed on the caller. Repeated offenses can result in further action, including higher fines and arrest, at the discretion of the Air Ministry. You have been warned."

Doyya looked at me and I nodded.

"I tried to warn you, Mother. My new job is dangerous sometimes. I have to wear a gun now. But I love it. You can call me tonight, after seven, my time. And if I'm working late, you will have to understand, and try me again the next night."

"I--I don't have a hundred credits, Doyya."

"Then don't call during working hours, Mother. I love you. Good bye." She looked at me. "Thank you for being so understanding, Lieutenant. And I'm sorry about what she said. It was totally inappropriate."

Shrugging, I typed a bit more. "She reminds me of a couple of the servants at home. They mean well, but given the chance, they'd spend the whole day talking and doing nothing else. There. I've set it so that if she tries to call your number outside those hours, she will get the same warning, and it will flag us both. The message was fake, but these phones are supplied by Air Security, and they really do monitor the traffic on them, and they sometimes do record them, so be careful what you say. Anything on email or by phone is like talking in public. The computers scan it for particular words and phrases. If you have something dangerous to say, do it in private, face-to-face."

"Yes, sir. Where to next?"

"We'll make a quick stop by the Commissary, then head to work. I want you to check in with Sergeant Chita, then do a check on Sergeant Matiwatli and see how the inventory of the Emergency Shelter is going. I'm going to bring Captain Xotochan up to speed. At least, as much as I can. I'm glad you were there today, Doyya. I'm damned proud of you. But what happened at the beach and at the Dependent's Office will probably not be in any report, and I fully expect there will be no official recognition. In fact, I am going to assume it is not safe to talk about what you saw and did to others who were not there."

I was just about ready to shut down when I saw a message from Tikun Travel. I opened it up. "M in danger. Trust no one."

Drawing my pistol, I ran back to the house. Alarmed, Doyya drew her weapon and followed me.

As I burst into the house, Ixma jumped and the girls cried out in alarm. My focus was on Private Ankata. He had one hand to his ear piece.

"Lieutenant?" Ixma asked. "What's wrong?"

"Get the girls into the other room. Private Ankata? To whom are you speaking?"

Ixma scooped up both girls and disappeared.

He looked at the muzzle of the Talon pointed at his face. "Command wants to know where I am and where Commander Orchid is."

"Have you answered yet? Good. You saw what we're fighting this morning. There are enemy agents who are pissed off by what we did. You were there when we found the captain's body in the trunk of his own car. Draconians can make themselves look like anyone. You will tell Command that you are guarding the house of Captain Tlacotli as ordered, and that you have not seen Commander Orchid since this morning. Do it!"

The woman in question continued sleeping peacefully on the couch.

Private Ankata did as I told him. "Orders confirmed. Returning to unit. Over and out."

I stepped back, my pistol aimed at his mid-section. "Do you have a problem with my orders, Private?"

"No, sir."

"Your word you'll keep silent on this?"

"She is Commander Orchid, the Hand of the Emperor." He looked at me, perplexed. "Lieutenant, the order is to secure her with extreme prejudice. I don't understand."

"It's not safe to ask that, Private. Go back to your unit. Now."

"I wouldn't have shot her," he assured me. "Not Commander Orchid." Brushing past Doyya, he left.

Doyya put her gun away. "How did you know?"

I held my hand up to Doyya and called out. "Ixma? Change of plans. Grab the girls and whatever you need to take care of them. All of you are coming with me."

She came around the corner, wide eyed.

"If anyone comes looking for Orchid," I told her, "I don't want you or the girls to be alone here. It won't be safe. Grab an ice chest and put in some snacks, a few drinks. Bring blankets and pillows, and their new clothes. Doyya, lend her a hand."

Holstering my weapon, I went back outside and secured my laptop, then opened the passenger door on my ChoCac. Going through my call log, I found the Ground Service Commander and dialed.

"Barankoshto," she answered.

"Commander, this is an unsecured phone. Where are you, right now?"

"I presume this is about a mutual friend. Where do you need me to be?"

"Main gate. Half an hour?"

"I will be there." And she hung up.

Inside the house, I scooped up Commander Orchid and carried her out to the vehicle. She was so out of it, she didn't even stir. Doyya carried out blankets and a small chest. Ixma carried out Mina, with Sisi following behind.

"Ixma? Secure the girls in their seats. Then close up the house. Doyya, change of plans. Head to your place. Grab some stuff for an overnight, maybe two nights."

Doyya put what she carried into the back of my vehicle. "Where am I going, sir?"

"You are going to Capisco, find a motel, and keep Commander Orchid company until she wakes up. Tell her anything she wants to know. Then you can come back home." I looked at Ixma as she put Mina into her seat and buckled her in. "Ixma, I have half a mind to send you with Doyya. Make a holiday of it. Go see the zoo. I hear there's a theme park by the seashore, too."

Ixma shook her head. "I say, with all due respect, no, sir. I want to be here if you need me. And I want to see my Mama and the rest of my family tonight." She verified Sisi was safely buckled in.

"All right," I said. "I hope I don't regret this. Doyya! I'll meet you at the Main Gate. Turn to!"

"Sir!" She hopped into her vehicle and zipped away. Ixma did a quick run-through of the house, closed a few windows, then shut the front door. She settled into the seat behind me.

"Are bad men after us?" Sisi asked.

I turned around in my seat. "Bad men took you and Mina away from us. This woman sleeping in the front seat helped us to find you. Bad men are angry because she helped us. They want to hurt her. We are trying to keep her safe. No one is after us just yet, and I intend to keep it that way."

I started up the ChoCac and began driving.

"Is she your woman, too?"

I was startled by the girl's question. Then caught the raised eyebrows from Ixma in the rear-view mirror. "No, she's not my woman. But she is my friend. Like Mina is your friend. And we take care of our friends, don't we, Sisi."

"Yes, 'Tenant." She reached over and took Mina's hand into her own.

* * * * *

I saw the huge tank before I spotted the Commander. She stood with a group of Ground Service soldiers. There were seven other combat vehicles around, with drivers and gunners waiting idly by. I pulled slowly up to them. The Commander walked over and I lowered the window.

Leaning down, she looked across me to my passenger. "Is she all right?"

"Asleep. Exhaustion. Maybe six hours sleep in nearly five days. Stim tabs are the only way I can figure how she managed it all."

The commander stood up. "Barris. Get the uniform. We'll change her right here. The rest of you, provide screening cover." Leaning down again, she spoke just above a whisper. "The alert came over the wire just before you called. Second Sergeant Innati is wanted for the murder of Commander Orchid."

"Isn't that a kick?" I replied. "My Second will be here shortly. You get her through the gates, and my Second will take her on to Capisco."

"Hi, 'Mander!" Sisi waved.

Commander Barankoshto smiled at Sisi and waved at her and Mina. "She did right by us. I will make it happen."

Three Ground Service women came around and opened up the passenger side. They removed the shoulder holster, then quickly removed her cyan tunic, boots, and dark blue trousers. Hefting her up, they slid her into Ground Service bronze-brown.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw three guards from the Main Gate approach; two Air Security, one Ground Security. "Heads up, Commander. We have visitors, your seven o'clock."

"Stay here, Lieutenant. Nayla, secure that Air Service uniform. Barris and Tayva, get Private Newbie inside the Tlokan, on the double." Turning around, she walked briskly to intercept the approaching security.

"Take her weapon, too," I told the Ground Service women. One grabbed the shoulder holster and slipped it over her arm. Holding her up between them, both women half-carried her over to the rear of the tank. A door dropped down, they ducked and entered, and the door silently closed behind them, then clicked as it locked home.

I watched the Commander and the Security discuss things. Seeing the fear in Ixma's face, I smiled. "Have you asked the girls if they know their alphabet yet?"

Taking my cue, Ixma quietly recited the Queschuan alphabet to the girls. Having a task helped Ixma, too.

Commander Barankoshto folded her arms and whistled. The bolt actions on five heavy machine guns clacked and gunners stood ready, ready to do serious business. The side mounted gun on the tank moved, too, pointing in their direction. To my surprise, as much to the Air Security men, the Ground Security soldier turned on the Air Security men and drew his weapon as well.

Then she barked out, loud and strong, "That says Field Commander on my lapels, you little shits! I am an officer. You disrespect me again, and I will have you shot and grind your carcasses into mush under the treads of my tank! Now get out of my face! I have work to do."

The Air Security retreated. The Ground Security holstered his pistol, saluted the Commander -- who returned it -- and then he followed them back to the gate.

"Worthless, fucking Air Security pricks!" Using the handholds, she quickly reached the massive turret and opened the upper hatch.

"Not all of us are worthless, Commander," I called up to her.

Then she looked at me and grinned as she nodded. "True enough, Lieutenant. You, I like. You get tired of Air Security, you let me know and I'll find you work in Ground Security. I'd even be willing to let you drive a tank!" Pointing to other vehicles, she continued. "You three, stay here and make sure no one bothers this vehicle until it leaves. The rest of you, fan out! We're going to run perimeter. Open the gate!" Leaning down, she yelled, "Music, Barris! Ground Service March, what else!"

Trumpets and drums blared from speakers on the tank. The second gate on its mechanical tread slid aside, opening access to the barren terrain around the base. Reseating her beret, the Commander sat on top of the heavy tank like an alpha wolf directing her pack. The voices of the Ground Service Army Choir began singing.

"To arms! To arms!

Answer the call to arms!

Warriors brave and strong and fleet

Wielding sword and lance and bow

Shatter our enemies, bring them low

Grind our foes into defeat!

For the Empire! Warriors valiant!

Blessed of the Sun most radiant ..."

Two half-track ChoCacs shot forward, followed by the heavy tank. The two remaining half-track ChoCacs pulled up rear guard. The gate grated to a close behind them.

Doyya's HueCac pulled over behind me. Hopping out, she hustled over. I was pleased to see that she wore civvies instead of her uniform.

"I got here as fast as I could, sir." She looked at the empty front seat.

"You're on, Doyya. Commander Barankoshto will meet you when you get off the base. She will deliver our friend into your care. Find an inn, and call me tonight, once you get settled, but don't use your own phone to do it. And remember what I told you about phones and email. Do not tell me or anyone else where you are unless you run into trouble. Clear? Use this." I passed her my Bank of Atlantis credit card. She saw it, and didn't even flinch. "I'd give you my own card, but it might be tracked. Use this at a bank and draw out a thousand credits. Pay for everything with cash only. If you need more cash, go to the bank to draw it out. Get into the outgoing queue, Doyya. It will take you a lot longer to get through than it will the Commander. They will wait for you on the other side."