Starlight Gleaming Ch. 23

Becoming worried, I had asked my wife, "Where are we going to house everybody?"

"Calia and I are taking care of that," Izel had assured me, and whenever I broached the subject with her or Calia, they would invariably change the subject. If I pressed Izel, she would say she needed a nap or to attend to urgent matters related to Ocotépan.

Part of me said I was the head of this household, but another part reminded me that they were the women of the house and they ran things so I didn't have to. I had a job and a half minding the fifteen hundred plus souls in my command. Whenever I came home, people were happy, there was hot food ready to eat, and my girls were happy, so while I could have made a fuss about it and would have liked periodic updates, part of me also understood that Izel and Calia were both used to a lot of autonomy.

Besides Lord Chiatl, and his Second, Lord Xichiatsl, his six remaining retainers - all sergeants - and the two manservants, Meerax and Tlaco, we also were bringing with us the urns containing the ashes of Sergeant Skoto and Third Sergeant Megallo, the men who'd died defending our home against the cartel's attack. A month after the Atlantean raid, High Guard had had several recognition ceremonies for our dead, both military and civilian. For the two fallen sergeants, there was to be a ceremony for their burial on ancestral lands. I made it known to Izel that I wanted to attend, which pleased her.

Sowitwee and his family similarly had their father's urn with them, and they planned to scatter his ashes where Nariya's relatives lived.

Of course, there was no way that Doyya nor the rest of my senior staff would let me travel alone or with my family. Once again, I found myself accompanied by a full platoon of Air Security, led by Sublieutenant Osteen Binx. Green at nineteen with only a year's experience as an officer, Binx was busy completing his certifications required to serve as an Air Security field trooper. Once that was done, he still had to complete the additional seven core courses and five electives required by the 602 while working full time at his duty shift. Doyya said the young man needed the challenge. I was taking some of those courses myself.

To mollify my concerns about Binx, Doyya had pointed out all the sergeants in the all-volunteer platoon traveling with me, including the very able Second Sergeant Mack, the lead NCO. Doyya explained if he was open to listening to Mack's advice, he would be fine and would learn a lot in the process. Then my Second drolly added, "If he screws up, I will get a chance to break in my new boots and leave tread marks all over his ass." When Hanami casually relayed that warning to him, Binx had paled nervously, till Mack told him - respectfully - to "get a grip."

Normally, a platoon was an officer, three NCOs, and the balance of enlisted totaled twenty warriors. The detail assigned to me was top-heavy with NCOs. There were nine sergeants, six corporals, and four field corporals. Doyya had casually informed me that despite my nearly getting killed in Copán, the competition to accompany me on this trip had been intense. Chita, my regimental NCO, had said nothing, but she had been present, watching Doyya tell me what was going to happen with quiet amusement.

Most of the troopers were people I was already well-acquainted with. Besides Mack, there were the veteran Sergeants Yelts, Akama, Cooma, Haytam, Laylandi, Kimmi, Tulee, and Alto; Yelts and Alto were the only men, but they stood out because they were tall (taller than me at any rate), big, and strong specimens of manliness made even more impressive by their field trooper uniforms, armor, and weapons. Still, whenever any of my sergeants spoke, they exuded experience and confidence and people listened.

Sergeants Kimmi and Tulee and Corporals Keedra and Fay were veterans who'd lost their children while exiled as disgraced civilians; they had refused to live at either First Home or Second Home because those places were filled with children; the proximity was too painful a reminder of their own loss. While somewhat reserved, they were nonetheless solid field troopers, welcoming the chance to prove themselves.

The assigned corporals had all completed their advanced certifications, and Sergeant Laylandi was over half-way through medico training, specializing as a combat medic. On her recent recommendations, we had upgraded the first-aid kits used at Air Security and carried in all of our cruisers, and I passed along these recommendations to the 1267. Laylandi had given a presentation of the new first aid kits, including the redesigned kits with new layouts, and it had been well-received. For her, the public acknowledgment of her peers along with the thousand credits bonus she received in recognition of her hard work must have felt sweet. It reinforced the notion throughout the 602 that suggestions for improvements were taken seriously, and more importantly, that enlisted were seen as valuable members of the unit.

Having medico-trained field troopers helped increase the number of lives Air Security saved each month; Exham Terkouri and I both lobbied to have that extra training recognized by High Command, and gave our written support that an official pay increase accompany the completed extra training. The Base Commandant added his considerable support, which was forwarded to Air Marshal Bantochi, Ground Marshal Paritchul, and War Minister Wanitsl.

There were more than my household and the Air Security platoon traveling with us. With my permission, the five women field troopers with children were allowed to bring their kids along. Being gone for a shift was one thing, but I considered three weeks to be an unnecessary hardship for both mother and child. I had no factual data to back me up, but to me, children younger than age two shouldn't be separated from their mother without good cause, and this trip did not count with me as requiring such privation.

Which meant that, including Daydo and Bibi, we had seven little ones in our group.

To help with the childcare, one of the senior caregivers, Aria Fallorxsi, was accompanying us along with two recently hired teens, Etta Miclandi and Yonna Illikan. Aria was one of those six women who'd been abused by Voyacherno; the stress of her former husband's rejection had contributed to her miscarriage at the start of her third trimester, a serious event, and she'd nearly died. Yet despite all the hardships she and the other former wives had endured, they had thrown themselves into their caregiver roles, helping care for the children from First and Second Home. The two young women were getting practical experience in professional childcare as one of the prerequisites required to become primary school teachers.

That brought our group's number to fifty-nine.

As a bonus for her hard work and all too frequent overtime, Hanami Running Fox and her younger sister, Olanna Sun-Driving-Off-Clouds, were traveling with us. Hanami's sister was a third-year business administration student, visiting from West Mogollon state. Hanami had been promised that while this trip was officially duty time, it was expected there would be little actual work required, giving the two sisters time to relax, sightsee, and shop. I did hear that the sisters planned on joining Sowitwee and his family on at least one or two of the planned excursions.

There were also two media assistants along, as it was intended that we would continue making new episodes of Reading Time with Tenant.

That made our number sixty-three.

Disbelieving the sheer size of our party, I counted everyone two more times just to be sure.

I marveled as I reflected at all the changes in my life. Despite some real tragedies over the past year - among those I readily counted the absence of Cholan and the losses of Deedee, Yalcamara, and Stimmi over the last year and a half - most of it had been for the good.

Izel squeezed my hand and I was brought back to the present.

Our initial destination was Mohingo War Base, a bastion of Imperial presence at the northern edge of Nahuan territory. From Mohingo, we would head to Ocotépan, a region ruled by my wife, in the southern heart of Nahua.

Once at Izel's estate, we'd rest and relax overnight, have breakfast the next morning, then set out for Uiyatiwitz to meet with Zaniyah and Teela, separating from some of our fellow travelers. The visit there would necessarily be short as Izel had administrative duties to attend to as ruler of Ocotépan, and in between doing my own sightseeing, there would be a lot of "meet and greets" where I would be introduced as Izel's husband.

When we had been discussing our plans prior to our departure, I had told her, "I can do that. Easy peasy."

Izel had burst out laughing, remarking, "I didn't expect to hear that phrase from you."

"Why not?"

With a huge smile, my wife told me, "Easy Peasy is part of a Seven Nations advertising slogan for frozen peas. You must have heard it while the girls were watching some of their shows."

"Really?" I asked, taken aback.

"Positive," she had assured me, amused.

When I thought about it, I realized I had no difficulty at all in recalling the juvenile jingle and the dancing vegetable pods. While I had a passing thought about the insidious nature of catchy jingles embedding themselves in the minds of people entertaining themselves with videos, I acknowledged her recall.

"I'm so excited that I will get to show everyone the brave warrior who saved me!" She had grinned at me, before resuming work on her tablet.

I saw my oldest daughter watching us, and I winked at her. She suddenly grinned, a little bundle of sunshine wherever she went, and love for my little girl filled my heart. Sisi meant butterfly, but my daughter was considerably more memorable and sturdier than her namesake.

The warning lights flashed throughout the cargo bay. Several Air Security reminded everyone to have their safety harness secured, then we began our descent. Fifteen minutes later we landed at Mohingo War Base.

Copán and Tikún are both larger than High Guard War Base, but Mohingo War Base is bigger than either one. Besides the Imperial Ground Service Induction Center (IGSIC) - one of three such boot camp facilities in the Empire - it also housed Mohingo Air Academy, one of two, the other being at Tohingo, which was adjacent to Sentry War Base near my parents' home.

And yes, Janetta had graduated from Mohingo and I had trained at Tohingo. The word "hingo" meant port, but could also be used to refer to a transport hub; thus, Mohingo was literally "North Port" and Tohingo was "South Port."

Mohingo War Base was huge. Besides the two service boot camps, three divisions were stations there - the 23^rd Armored, the 312^th Mechanized Infantry, and 9^th Imperial Guards; the 92^nd regiment which had arrived at High Guard with Commander Orchid the previous year was part of the Imperial Guard unit. While the Air and Ground Service units mixed freely at Mohingo, the Imperial Guards were housed separately and kept to themselves.

In addition to the Ground Service divisions, the Air Service had three Tactical Wings at Mohingo - the 72^nd, 88^th, and 110^th, as well as the 18^th and 33^rd Bomber Wings. If that wasn't enough, the war base housed a few advanced military training schools. Over seventy thousand military personnel were stationed at Mohingo. Adding in dependents and servants, it exceeded over a hundred thousand personnel. An enormous complex, it was overseen by nine generals, including a commander general as its Commandant. That's four gold suns on each shoulder board!

The last time I was at Mohingo, I barely had time to do more than heal, eat, crap, then hit the road.

If I properly recalled, outside the base proper there was a sizeable civilian population of about a quarter million souls - most of which were geared to supporting the huge military presence. Vibrant and growing, the civilian city known as Western Mohingo was a critical link in the vast transportation network crisscrossing the region.

Izel had once told me that ownership of the lands surrounding the war base were considered so lucrative that her father had imposed a tribal surtax of fifteen percent, with the levied funds directed for the betterment of the Nahua tribe. That had been the intention anyway. Part of the mess that Izel had to deal with was the aftermath of Kirfan's disastrous rule, the fact that some of his debts were coming due, and the discovery that some of these accounts had been borrowed against, using his House as a guarantee; the latter, while not illegal, was frowned upon, because it left any surviving members of the House in question liable for the balance, and the Imperial courts were rarely sympathetic, even if the result meant financial ruin. In this particular case, the danger was not only the potential ruin of Izel, but also the economic chaos that would follow.

While House Kandikan was sheltered from direct liability for Kirfan's malfeasance, letting the debt-holders pick apart businesses to recoup their losses would worsen the overall situation, turning a local recession into a full-fledged depression. Part of Izel's plans were to re-negotiate the situation in order to avoid a regional financial collapse, one that Izel privately feared had a real potential to engulf the rest of the Empire. Without strong civilian structural supports, that is, a strong and vibrant economy in place to continue mobilizing, our military efforts would falter, and the Empire of Chimorro with it.

Privately, I cursed Kirfan's soul to torment for his short-sighted greed, but I knew he wasn't alone. The deeply entrenched criminal interests in Copán, and Supay's silent participation with other criminal organizations to enrich himself at the expense of hard-working Imperial citizens had continued to grow over the years. Like a fat leech gorging on blood from the host, their ravenous selfish appetites continued to grow, and threatened the Empire's stability from within.

In contrast, during the four short months of our marriage, I'd not only come to love her, I respected and appreciated my wife a great deal. The woman was brilliant, and she was deft in navigating the dangers of politics. She was also a wizard with accounting. I had a basic understanding of that skill; it was how I caught on to the embezzling going on at High Guard. Izel was simply better at it. Watching her embrace her new life at High Guard had been akin to watching a rare and precious flower blooming, a flower happy to be in my presence.

Indeed, I had other wonderful and lovely flowers in my life, for which I was both exceedingly lucky and grateful for.

Both Zinja and Janetta jolted awake once the Condor's many huge wheels began to grab the tarmac, rapidly slowing down our speed. I suppressed my snort of amusement at their expense. It was funny, but I didn't want to antagonize them so soon into our vacation. Instead, I smiled and greeted them with, "Welcome to Mohingo, ladies!"

The co-pilot announced that we would taxi to the terminal and begin deplaning in half an hour.

Both women let me know they'd slept uncomfortably. I offered to rub Janetta's shoulders. My fierce warrior thought about it all of two seconds before accepting. Unbuckling, Janetta worked on Zinja's neck and shoulders while I massaged Janetta's.

* * * * *

Part 5 - Mohingo War Base

* * * * *

Everyone aboard, both our group and the other passengers, formed lines and exited down the rear ramp of the Condor. At the bottom, we checked in with Ground Security. We skipped talking with the quartermaster rep to find quarters because we weren't staying. After collecting our luggage, we moved to the side, out of the way of the other traffic.

After checking in and getting their housing assignments, the other passengers headed into the terminal. Heavy forklifts came and rolled up the ramp, and half-an-hour later, we took possession of the two Air Security cruisers we'd brought along.

Calia took a head count of the family while Lieutenant Binx and Sergeant Mack counted military personnel. We had some of our luggage with us, but we had to wait for the rest of it to be unloaded.

Binx and the cruisers obtained digital maps, then headed over to the Air Service Motor Pool to collect the extra vehicles, including a bus to ferry us and our possessions. Supposedly, we had another four current-model cruisers allocated for our use, and these vehicles would eventually return with us to High Guard to replace those we'd lost due to combat.

While I and the rest of my family stood between the Condor and the Terminal, we were approached by some Ground Service vehicles. Some junior officers exited, then held doors for a general and several senior aides. I was prepared to be nice, but then I took in the scowl on Izel's face. Janetta likewise took in the change and her face became impassive, moving to flank my wife on her other side, a show of support I appreciated.

A captain introduced the Deputy Commandant, Captain General Zlots. A heavy-set, older man, he appeared to be in his sixties. With him was a field commander, another captain, four lieutenants, and a couple of Ground Security sergeants in powered body armor acting as bodyguards. Nearby were four Ground Service Type M ChoCacs idling.

The general didn't bother to introduce any of his subordinates, and after sloppily returning the salutes by Janetta and myself, he promptly ignored us, his attention focused on Izel.

"Lady Ocotépan, we are most gratified to see the proof you are alive and well," he gushed, taking off his peaked cap and briefly bowing his head toward her. "We are hoping to put that most unfortunate incident during your last visit behind us--"

"You can wish!" my wife snapped out. She drew herself up, her gaze on the general positively glacial as she glanced at the faces of his retinue.

The remaining Air Security troopers stood nearby, watching the goings on. Lord Chiatl and his men quickly formed up behind Izel. I also noticed Izel's servants quietly urging the rest of my family to move further back, to put my troopers between them and this general and his entourage. Alert, my troopers watched our impromptu meeting with interest, and I took in the fact that two were posted to watch other directions.

Izel continued speaking, her voice sharp as a razor. "Captain General Kraggit is most conspicuous by his absence. I shan't soon forget that he ordered I be detained to await Kirfan's men. I am sincerely grateful the Imperial Air Service doesn't alter their flight schedules for local politics, otherwise I would not have reached High Guard and safety. With the well-deserved execution of the traitorous Kirfan, the situation has changed drastically, and for the better, I'd say. Kraggit's close association with that traitor doesn't look so good now, now does it!"

The general blanched. "Oh, um, not all of us were in accord with those orders, Lady Ocotépan. Surely--"

Izel barreled on, demanding harshly, "Stop! I only want to know if he is still stationed at Mohingo War Base. Yes or no!"

"General Kraggit has departed Mohingo War Base, Great Lady," he admitted, refusing to meet her searing gaze. He hastily wiped at his brow.

"I do not forget how he tried to hinder my escape from Kirfan's clutches, nor will I forget those others who tried to impede me or who did nothing, turning a blind eye to my plight," Izel grated out. "I fully intend to ask the Council of Elders to declare General Kraggit unwelcome throughout Nahua."

"Surely there's no need to go so far as that--" the general protested.

"Have a care, General Zlots! Kirfan was my younger brother, not my husband! Kirfan's claim on me was tenuous at best! I was part of another House for more than twenty years, and in the service of Her Imperial Majesty at Cuzco. I am a landed Nahua noblewoman in my own right, yet despite all of that I was treated like an escaped slave by nearly everyone I encountered, based solely on Kirfan's say-so. I had to flee the land of my birth because no one would stand up to him or defend my rights! Thank the gods that's changed!"