Starlight Gleaming Ch. 21 Pt. 03

"Keep in hourly contact," I instructed Benti and the two troopers. "Let the Main Gate know when you leave here for High Guard, so they know to expect you, and if you don't show, we will know to come looking for you."

"Yes, sir."

I thanked both Sublieutenant Holkatsl and Sergeant Benti for their services. Holkatsl said he would ride back to High Guard with the buses. The Type-M ChoCac and our cruiser would escort them.

As we walked out the doors into the cloudy night, I looked up to the sky. No starlight gleaming tonight. A glance at my watch added to my exhaustion. It was half-past twenty-two-hundred hours.

Getting into our vehicle, we waited for the drivers to start the buses. As they entered the street, driving in an impromptu convoy back to High Guard, Mack turned to me. "I didn't know that about your family, sir. What your girls had gone through, I mean."

Akama nodded. "It helps that we know you went through something as bad and came through it. Not all officers feel about their command like you do, sir. Would you object if we shared that with the others?"

"If it'll help, sure. And when you tell them, also tell them two things."

The last bus entered the main road back to High Guard, and we pulled onto the street to take the rear point position.

"What's that, sir?" Mack asked.

"First, that I'm proud of every one of my people. Second, the way we will succeed during tough times in the future is by all of us working together."

They smiled as they echoed the words, "Llam nuqan."

"Our families are waiting, troopers. Let's go home."

"Yes, Commander."

# # #