Page 8 of Subchief Flander

Everyone was waiting at the table, but they were already eating. Hel had her food and drink and went ahead and dug in.The food on the ship was good, making it easier to eat quickly, even though she wanted to savor it. Certain foods were rarely served because of the expense and the difficulty of cooking them, and today was the day they had one of the more expensive meals. Steak and eggs were always popular, and few people missed the days it was served if they knew. Today was a surprise because she hadn't been expecting it. This meal would stick with her and help her through a difficult day.

They all got up and headed out as soon as she was done. It was time to get to work. Ronner was the pilot for the trip, and the rest of the team sat in the back. The robot loaded last, and he stood by the door, ready to exit as soon as they landed. She couldn't deny that the robot made her safer, and maybe it was partly because she had a history with it and had played with it as a child. It was about five years old, so she had already been a teen when it had been made. Manufacturing would have started about the time the attack did, which delayed it.

Now, the Majuri were setting up a plant and getting ready to put out robots in large numbers. Hel couldn't say if they produced the large and the small robots so they could combine them into what they had with them right now. She thought that would be a good idea because the small robot had some capabilities that the large one did not. No one would care about her opinion. Hel needed to get her head back in the game.

The shuttle slowed as it prepared to land in the middle of an empty lot near their destination. This wasn't one of the better-known research facilities that Mercury used. That might be why there were no gangs gathered nearby. Entry was no problem, but she suspected someone would figure out where they had landed and gather a welcoming party before they left. The research center was underground except for a small entryarea. She would compare it to some guard shacks she had seen in pictures.

They ran to the entry, leaving the robot to bring up the rear. Hel punched in the code, and the door opened. She stood there, keeping it open until the robot made it in. The following code opened the door to an elevator with stairs beside it. Her squad took the elevator, leaving the stairs for the robot. When they reached the lowest level, they exited the elevator, and the lights turned on automatically. The robot joined them quickly. She looked around, and memories hit hard. She and Lane had done their schoolwork fast so they could play in an area set aside for just that purpose. Many of the employees who worked at this facility had children who came to work with them.

This was a beta test to see if providing employee childcare was feasible. Only infants were excluded. It had been a resounding success, and the place was usually full of children daily. Many of the older ones had been her friends. Most of them were probably dead. The others had either fled or were hiding from the gangs. Hel shook her head to clear the ghosts of the past. She moved past the play area to the large safe that held anything of value. It was a shock that the door was open.

"I suspect that should have been closed," Flander observed. "Can you tell if anything is missing?"

"It's hard to be sure, but I suspect they were hurrying to get out of here. At first glance, nothing is missing."

She hoped she was right, but if something had been taken, it would already be in use by now. No one had seen any tech like this, nor were there rumors of it anywhere. Hel couldn't say if they produced the large and the small robots so they could combine them into what they had with them right now. They got to work immediately. There were several tubs already packedup, and they packed several more. There was another robot that differed from the other two. This one looked human. The word Android came to mind.

Hel remembered this robot discussing her and Lane's lessons with them. This was an intelligent robot, but it could also shoot a gun. Kasey had planned to make these personal guard robots. They were more expensive because they were intended to eventually blend in with people. The Majuri could have moved forward in robotics generations ago, but their emperors had not been thinking forward since Chief Radvar. This current Emperor would have disappointed Radvar immensely. He only planned to use robotics because he didn't have enough warriors for the new areas he intended to add to the Empire.

She was against him extending the Empire beyond its old limits, but nothing she could do would change that. Unlike Radvar, who extended treaties and protection but left planets under their control, this Emperor would seize complete control. The old fool wanted to be known as the Emperor of the largest known Empire ever. That is his goal. He needed robots because he would never have enough warriors to cover those large spaces, especially in lawless areas. That was what had convinced him to step up the technical aspects that were available to his warriors. He said it was because he wanted to see his warriors safe, but the truth was, Everything he couldn't care less about.

Everything was ready to go and flashed up instantly. The Android would exit with them. She suspected they would find gangs hanging around when they left, so she locked up as they left. They rode up in the elevator. The Android rode with them while the other robot took the stairs. Once they were on the ground floor, she saw a crowd waiting for them. A mother pushed her child toward them, telling him to go to them.

Are they sending them children now? The child joined them, and they had no choice but to take him and do their best to protect him. Hel picked him up and ran toward the spaceship with the Android, giving what protection it could. She turned to look out of the shuttle and saw that other children had been sent forward toward her team. She should be more understanding because this was no place for a child to live. Many of the children on the planet died, and many more would if something wasn't done.

When they lifted off, they had a dozen children and no parents. Some of the parents may be able to join them later. She could only hope that would be the case. Their shuttle lifted off the ground and returned to the ship with twelve scared children missing their parents on it with them. They hoped they could track down these parents and get them back to their children. Meanwhile, they would have to have a plan on how to handle the children until their parents were found.

Hel couldn't say what had happened lately had shown her that her work was essential or a terrible mistake. This was all Flander’s plan, but it seemed he hadn't been expecting many things that had occurred. She would never have thought that he was the type to dole out mercy to his enemy, but it showed that she didn't know him. She'd known him for two years, which was as long as she'd known anybody on board, and yet she still did not know what he felt deep inside. That was a sign that he didn't share his true self with her.

Flander was a quiet man most of the time and difficult to understand. Most warriors were like that, and she applied the saying still waters run deep. They were back on the ship now, and she needed to get her mind on business. Finding places for the children and getting them set up shouldn't be too hard since some of the warriors had mates and children on board.Setting up these children with families already on board might also be possible. That might help them feel a sense of belonging so they wouldn't feel so bad about being here instead of with their parents. Hel could understand how they felt since she had lost her parents too and thought they had both died. She'd been older but had seen what Lane, her younger brother, had gone through.

A couple of the kids were older teenagers, and she knew they would be put in the warrior program. It had not been so bad when she was placed in it, so she had hoped it would work out for them, too. They all exited the shuttle, including the robots. The children stood there waiting to see what would become of them. Hel could remember feeling the same way. She moved forward, and both robots moved with her.

"All you guys from Purgatory, if you are hungry or thirsty, follow me, and we'll all get something to eat." Unsurprisingly, they all followed her, and she headed to the cafeteria.

It was lunchtime, so she got her tray and showed all the kids how to get their trays and fill them with food and drink. Some of the little ones needed help, so she helped them. Even though it was usually a busy time in the cafeteria, many warriors went to the bay to see what was happening. She claimed two tables that were close together, and all the children set their trays down and began to eat or drink. She realized that most of these kids didn't get enough food. This was a good way to distract them until someone decided where the children would go.

A medical team began removing the children one by one. Another team, probably mates and all females, started taking some children to clean up and get new clothing. It was good to see that the children were staying calm and that things were going well. After eating, she went by medical to pick up someof the younger children and take them to the play area. It was alright to do so since they had been cleaned up and given new clothing while they had been checked out. Some of the children had never seen a playground before. Those were probably children of gang members. There had been a lot of playgrounds on Purgatory at one time.

Hel loved children, but she was exhausted by the time everyone was settled. That it was such a job with only a dozen children made her wonder what it would be like to resettle hundreds. It was what the plan was when it came to the gangs. The plan wouldn't be worth anything if a good portion of the gangs weren't resettled and removed from the equation as far as the battle went. Admittedly, she was beginning to see the value of Flander’s plan. Since it would reduce the number of enemies, it would save people on both sides. That made it an excellent plan and well worth the time she would have to put into it. Tomorrow, they will be hitting the planet's surface once more with the little slips of paper, hoping to get more of them to accept their offer.

The larger ship they would be taking would accommodate more people. Hopefully, the positive results they've had yesterday will increase today. Those in the gangs were treated poorly and often died after a few months of being in the service. Why would anyone want that? Hel hurried to her room so she could clean up and check on the place where they were resettling people. There was a lot of work to be done there. She checked to see if her suggestions had been followed. She was glad they had been and that other things had been done, moving the project forward.

A warrior should be able to see the value in saving lives and preventing unnecessary fighting. Flander had seen it, and Ranni had agreed. Hel had seen the value; she just didn'tunderstand why she was the one who had to do it. Maybe she was beginning to understand that this was not a job anyone wanted to take, but someone had to.

"Come to supper with me," Flander suggested.

Hel checked the clock. It was past her usual supper time. How had so much time passed?

“Sure. Lead the way.”

They headed to the dining room where the others were waiting. The two teenagers were sitting with them as well. A boy and a girl sat at the table, looking uncertain. Hel remembered when she had joined the military. She felt like her background had been more stable and that had made it easier. These two had left one bad situation and felt like they were headed into another one. What she didn't understand is why they were sitting here at her squad's table.

“These are two new trainees, and they will be working with us," Jaird explained.

Hel wasn't sure it was a good idea to put two new trainees with the squad that handled the most dangerous missions. Maybe there was a reason for it that she could not find. It was also possible they would only be working on the ship and not going down on the missions. They might also be assigned to work at the new base, which she hoped would be safe enough for them. She was glad making these decisions was not her job because she would have difficulty deciding where to put trainees, especially when they didn't know what talents or skills they already had.

The next day, as they were loading the shuttle, she noticed that the two trainees were on board. At least going to the new base would be safer than going to the planet. These two were too young to be placed in any danger. Unfortunately, there wasdanger everywhere they went. They were heading to Base Kasey and would work with those there to get things organized and ensure that everyone brought there recently had been resettled in the best way possible. She wondered if they would leave the trainees at the base with some of the veteran warriors.

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