Jethro 8 Snippet 3

On to Chapter 3:

Chapter 3

 

Antigua

 

Shanti McClintock found out that it would take 8 months for the courier to pick its way around the western reaches of the sector and get back to the capital. It would take 3 months for the ship to get them to Kathy’s World so she let the cubs enjoy their first semester in college.

They were going to travel in stasis in military shipping. She was firm about them going, though she had to work on a couple of the cubs who put up a fuss. Some of them were refusing to commit to going. That bothered her. They were all in college at the Antigua University. Bagheera was struggling though.

She shot an email off to Lil White and her husband to alert them that they were all coming, but didn’t have a hard ETA. She would follow that up later.

She was looking forward to the trip.

 >>*<<

“Rebuilding the Cadre got a shot in the arm,” Warrant Morris said with a grin as he looked at the numbers. “We just got the better part of a platoon, or will when we get them back here and sorted out.”

“I know,” General Lyon said with a thoughtful nod.

“The final butcher’s bill will have some impact. I do admit getting the veterans back will be great,” Mars stated.

“I know,” the general said again.

“We’ll have to bring them up to speed with the Cadre 3.0 program,” Mars stated. “They’ll need updating.”

“We’ll have time for that. How are they medically?” General Lyon asked as he looked to Rear Admiral Nara Thornby, the naval officer in command of the medics in the Cadre program.

“Bad. Some worse off than others like Ox and Jethro,” Nara said as she consulted her notes. She had made a few based on what the medics had sent from TFP.

“That bad?”

“Yes. They will need extensive time to recover. Their suits are all compromised; they had to strip them for parts. Their AI have downgraded a lot. That is a problem. They tapped out their bodies for nanites and nutrition. Some didn’t eat or drink for months.”

General Lyon winced as some around the table sucked in a shocked breath.

“How is that even possible?” Lieutenant Feathersnake asked.

“They existed on willpower, their implants, and rotating in and out of stasis,” Nara said. “From the sound of it, a lot of will power.”

“I bet.”

“Ox is the hardest hit. A few of the Cadre went into stasis immediately and were only woken to donate nanites to help with the ship maintenance. They aren’t that bad. But all of them are going to need trauma and psychological counseling. Not just for grief over the friends they lost, but also for the time they lost too,” Nara stressed. “The galaxy kept moving while they drifted. Some of them got left behind. I know two of them are going to have additional grief issues since some of their family died when they were in stasis.”

The General nodded sagely.

“The good news about their armor is that it is now ripe for the Cadre 3.0 upgrade,” Willow said. She was clearly excited to meet some of the legends of the Cadre. “When they get here I mean.” She frowned. “Can’t we send them updates? You know, some packages to help them along while they are in transit?” she asked plaintively, turning to the admiral.

Nara frowned thoughtfully. After a moment she shrugged. “There is only so much we can do to heal their bodies. They need time, proper nutrition, physical therapy to get back into shape, and time for their minds to heal.”

The general noted the emphasis on time and nodded.

“Warrant McClintock made it clear he is going to be taking an extensive leave to be with his family,” Mars said. Commander Enki had passed that tip on to him.

“Understandable. Understandable for all of them and all leaves are approved,” the general stated. “We can get them checked out as they settle in.”

Nara nodded and made a note.

“So, no hit in the arm when they get back?” Morris asked, clearly disappointed.

“No, it’s going to take a while. But I’m for one glad they are back at all,” the general said finally before moving on to the next item of business.

>>*<<

Zuhura McClintock was still coming to grips with her father’s survival. The entire Cadre was excited and all smiles about the survival of an entire platoon of legends. Her father had seemingly done the impossible… again.

She had visited with her mom and helped her to arrange the trip to Kathy’s World. But Shanti had mentioned some stiffening resistance from some of the cubs. She wondered if her mother could let them go and be adults yet or if she was going to put her foot down.

She hoped for their sake that they went and met their father to get to know him, and vice versa. But she knew that they would never make up the time lost.

>>*<<

Lil Red was the most excited of all of the cats to see Jethro. Shanti was amused by her excitement. She had always shared a special relationship with Jethro, one that Shanti had come to accept.

“It is going to be like old times!” Red said, jumping from the back of the couch to the table and then back.

Shanti chuffed and shook her head. Shy got into the act and chased Red, making her scamper with delight and her old youthful exuberance.

>>*<<

Cleopatra wasn’t certain what to make of her father’s miraculous survival and upcoming return. She was reluctant to go to Kathy’s World. Her mother was leaning on them hard now that the date of departure was coming closer.

She had wrapped herself up in the University initially. But she hadn’t liked the culture and some of her professors. She hadn’t liked being in the student dorms, they’d been hell. No privacy, the smells had made her gag… she shook her head in annoyance.

She knew that Shy had a similar experience with her freshman year. They had dropped classes to the minimum and were regrouping. The university refused to let them bunk together. They had gotten hints that an extended sabbatical might help them prioritize their futures.

She hated being pressured. But she did like the idea of an adventure to their mother’s homeworld, it could be fun but her entire life, her friends were all on Antigua. She had finals coming up. She needed to focus on that. Things might change between then and now.

>>*<<