Chapter 16: Walking to the Final Medical Visit

Austin and William both headed out the door. Mildred waited as the rest of the people started to wander out. I headed over to the buffet.

"The room is self-cleaning," the AI said. "There is no reason to take down the buffet setup. Nothing will be wasted."

I sighed and looked around. "Can we have this layout kept in the memory for next time? We didn't get many people, but I think many were like Brent and still enjoying having power over their concubines," I said bitterly.

"Not sure the concubines were enjoying it," Jana observed as she and Morgan moved to stand near me. The others were all leaving the chamber.

"Some of the concubines here seemed content," I said. "But I can see that we have a lot of work ahead of us."

"We do?" Ashley said. "How so? I thought that now you'd be preparing for duty someplace."

"People forget that a military unit needs some level of cohesion to work. And that is often built from shared values and training. Part of the reason many militaries want to bring in young men is that they would be able to train them in groups and work to build up that bond of brothership," I said.

Morgan nodded. "And you figure that with the way that the Confederacy is going about things, that won't be part of the training."

"How could it?" I asked. "I'll admit that I suspect most of our fighting is going to be in space, but even there having everyone on a ship feeling like they are part of the team will help a lot. The American Destroyers who threw themselves against Japanese cruisers and battleships at the Battle off Samar might not have performed half as well without that esprit de corps they had."

"The what?" Jana asked.

Ashley laughed. "Mark is playing his usual game of remembering obscure references. I remember this one though. He's talking about a fight during World War Two. Some Japanese cruisers ambushed a task force supporting the landings on the Philippines. The screen for the task force charged into battle. They didn't sink any ships and three ships were sunk, but they halted the Japanese advance."

"How the heck did you know that?" Jana asked.

Ashley laughed. "Mark has always been fascinated by stories of naval battles. He might not understand why admirals make the decisions they do, but he has read about the decisions they have made."

"Does it really help?" Morgan asked.

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "I know so little about how the Sa'arm fight and really even less about the military we just joined. The only conclusion I've come up with is that it won't be anything like the wars fought on Earth."

"Why not?" Jana asked.

"The first issue is that we are fighting in space," I said.

"How is that an issue?" Jana asked.

Morgan snorted, but I held a hand up before he could speak.

"No, it's a good l question," I said. "So few people understand just how vast an area we will be fighting in and how that will make fighting the Sa'arm difficult."

"What do you mean?" Jana asked.

"You've seen sci-fi movies where there is an asteroid belt with rocks close enough together to threaten ships?" I asked.

"You know I have," Jana said testily.

I smiled. "We'll probably never see one like that, no matter how many planets and systems we visit. Asteroids don't float that close together in reality."

"But," Jana said. She stopped and looked over at Morgan.

Morgan smiled at the former German teacher. "Why do so many movies show it that way?" he finished for her.

She nodded quietly. I smiled and spoke directly to her "Because its more dramatic. I figured it out after reading and after reading about some of the naval battles in both world wars. It was not uncommon for ships to seemingly vanish because of the distances involved in the fighting. When you add the ability to move in another dimension it will be even harder to find every ship involved in a battle."

"Can that be used to our advantage?" Jana asked.

"I don't know, but finding out that its not an advantage could be fatal. I'd like to err on the side of caution," I said.

"Did I err?" Ashley jokingly asked.

I laughed as Jana shook her head. "We'd better go," Morgan stated. "The room is cleaned up and we have a lot to think about."

"Mark more than anyone," Ashley agreed. "We should go and see if Constance and Aine are still alive."

"No one would have hurt them," I said.

"Don't be so sure," Ashley said with a sigh indicating that she was used to suffering. "I remember how close Lenore and I both got to attacking people who threatened our family."

"Let's go then," I said. "I don't think Constance is a threat, but I agree that Aine needs to grow up a lot if she wants to fit in with the rest of us."

"That sounds heartless," Morgan said.

"It is," I admitted. "And I'll try to give her a few more chances, but my patience is really almost gone. I have figured out that she has issues. The question now is if she is able to overcome."

"Overcome, adapt, survive!" Ashley barked out. She sounded so much like a drill instructor that everyone turned to look at her.

The blond teenager giggled. "Sorry," she said very unapologetically

I put a hand on Ashley's shoulder. "I'll take this one home and properly punish her."

"How?" Jana asked. "I happen to know that she wants you to spank her."

"I'm thinking a long night standing in a corner of the room and then a few minutes under an ice cold shower might cool her spirits," I said.

"Citizen Mark Parker," the AI called out. "Please bring your final two concubines to the medical bay. We have three open pods."

"Or we can head to the medical bay," I said. "Excuse me; I have to call to Lenore and the others."

"Are we going to head back home?" Ashley asked.

I ignored my lady and looked up at the ceiling. "AI, can you put me through to my home pod, and allow any of my concubines to respond."

"Speak, and they shall hear you," the AI said.

"Someone needs to give this machine a sense of humor," I muttered before looking up at the ceiling.

"Lenore, can you hear me," I called out.

"I hear you, I hear you," she called back. "A deaf woman could hear you," she whispered sotto voce.

Ashley giggled. "It's good to be the king," she whispered in my ear.

"I'll get the stone tablets later," I muttered. "Lenore, I just was informed that its time for me, Ashley and Aine to head to the medical bay. I doubt Aine knows the way, so..."

"God, I have to walk the halls again," Lenore said with an exasperated snort. "Mark, Miki, Tatyana and I survived, but I can say it wasn't fun. The few citizens we ran into insulted us and you."