Kadance

24

Kadance sits at Tommy's side and says, "I think you should start those classes for our team now. That way they can be out planting traps in outlying parts of the Camp. Marks, Amgle, Dest, Mareton and Trader. It'll keep them busy shipboard. Then when we hit planet fall they can go directly to Command and set up plans for the traps. They're fairly jumping and they need to be doing."

"Yes, Boss Lady." Tommy says less than enthusiastically. "I'll be keeping them in day long classes. We'll be modifying some of their own toys to make them nastier. Then they'll pick up others there at Camp. Already talked to the Captain and he's allowing us the use of the smaller war room."

Tommy shakes his head, "Dest is showing the recording of the explosion and now they are all begging me to teach them." Tommy says it all with disgust.

"What do you expect Tommy? They trained under men you trained. Men that spoke highly of you. You're the best at what you do and you know it. It's because of you that Sigma was able to hold on for as long as it did. I ran the reports on that mission Tommy, you and your team were instrumental in taking out thousands of shifters. Thousands Tommy. That's what we need now." Kadance says vehemently.

Tommy sighs, "I know Kadance, I know, but I don't need or want hero worship. I need them to concentrate every moment. I lost this," Tommy swings his arm up, "Because someone on my team was hero worshiping and didn't pay attention. He and a lot of others died for his folly." Tommy angrily spits out.

"Tommy, you make them pay attention, work them too hard to think about anything else. Don't let the bad cloud your judgement. Don't let them forget what carelessness could mean. But don't let it stop you from saving our hides. Without those deadly toys of yours we don't stand a chance, we don't and you know it."

Kadance goes on more softly, "I'm going down there, our babies will be down there. You know more than I what that kind of attack means."

Tommy takes a deep breath, "Not much hope without my toys and only slightly better with them." He shakes his head, "There's too many variables, but you're right without my poppers we'll all be dead. I'm not happy, but if we can get enough traps set we'll be able to reduce the numbers sufficiently to survive. Maybe." Kadance gives Tommy a hug, she knows that this is hard for him.

"Don't let them hero worship you Tommy, I need you. I can't do this without you and Jayse." Kadance whispers.

"It'll take more than a few thousand shifters to take me down," Tommy says. Kadance would've felt better had she not heard what he said under his breath, "As long as my teammates don't take me down."

"Funny Tommy, looks to me like it only takes one shifter to take you down." Kadance isn't laughing.

By now all humor has left both of them. "True, but this is what happens when my teammates..." Tommy waves his arm in the air.

"The men are ready Jayse. All their toys are modified so that they'll double the blast range from the original specs. They'll meet with the Camp Commander and confer with him at landing. Then they'll pick up some more toys and head out. They'll start planting the traps a day out from Camp HQ. What they have now will cover that. What they pick up should cover down to half a day out.

"The kids I'll be teaching will take from there to the compound. I'll do the compound myself." Tommy reports at the final meeting before planet fall.

"Good. There's no one else I could prefer on those traps. Captain, have you got your plans set with the other Captain?" Jayse asks.

"Yes, and plans for when those other three warships arrive. They've heavily mined the space around the Planet. Leaving this section free only as long as it takes for those ships to arrive. According to our last communique that should be tomorrow. Rueton's been pushing them pretty hard," Landon reports.

Kadance speaks up, "Maybe we should have just evac'd everyone off planet."

Everyone stops and stares at her. Jayse is the first to speak and he explains, "It would have been the preferred option of course, but in this case it's not possible. It would take well over a month with troop transport ships just to load up the kids. Another month just to load up everything else."

"What is so important about that other stuff?" Kadance asks confused.

Tommy answers with amusement only lightly lacing his voice. "Our files. Our seed that's on file. The only chance some of us have of becoming parents or the warriors surviving."

"So much?" Kadance hadn't realized that so much had been stored and is flabbergasted.

"The genetic material itself wouldn't take all that much room or much time to load, but the machinery that keeps it viable on the other hand takes up a great deal of room," Kelan explains.

"This planet is quite literally the only hope our society has. If we lose this planet our people and the civilians with us will be doomed. We keep some files elsewhere, we have facilities elsewhere, creches and so forth, but it's not enough to keep us alive. Many of our female recruits that are graduating are already pregnant, some might even have already given birth. This is encouraged. There are thousands graduating, but they're not enough, we need more," Kelan further explains.

Kadance is still trying to wrap her mind around the idea of the girls being pregnant already, "The girls are encouraged to be pregnant when they graduate?"

Kelan speaks a bit more sharply at Kadance's slightly disgusted tone. "Yes, they are encouraged to perform the ceremony at least once before graduation. Those graduating choose among those attending, it can be anyone of their choice. It is considered an honor to be chosen.

"For the men they choose a female graduating or any female over 14 years, well it's the same for the females of course. Any female chosen performs the ceremony. For some, yes it is their first time and yes, most end up pregnant. So some are very young when they give birth for the first time. It's why the creche here is so big. The advantage to that is they are trained even earlier." Kadance is overwhelmed by this new information.

Jayse doesn't like the look Kadance has, "Tommy you and Kelan take Kadance to her room, it looks like she's had some information overload and needs some time to process everything." Jayse doesn't let the hurt he feels at her reaction show in his eyes. "Then finish getting ready for planet fall. We will be leaving shortly."

"She didn't take that information well did she?" Captain Landon says thoughtfully.

"No, she didn't. But she's new to the society and was raised with mores we don't have the luxury to embrace. This is so different from civilian society, but I didn't think it would bother her this much." Jayse replies sounding almost defeated.

"She'll come around." Landon says patting him on the shoulder. "It's a lot of information to take in all at once. It's a good thing Kelan didn't tell her about the initiation rites."

"No, thank goodness. And if she reacts like this to what she's heard I shudder at how she'll react about the initiation rites. Did you know in civilian life it's a crime for fourteen year olds to be mated?" Jayse says and the Captain stares at him in surprise.

"Civilians are a strange bunch indeed." He says when he finally regains his voice. "I'm glad I don't have to deal with them." Then they both get back to work.