Chapter 12: Meetings

Personally present in Vivie’s pod were Vivie, Inkie, Wendy, Gunny, and Melody. Avatar-holograms for Captain Pierce Masters, Helva and, Bossie were arranged across from those physically present. Ostensibly there as hostess and gofer, was June – Mom – the sometimes concubine of Gunny or Melody or Vivie as whim and occasion suited. In reality, she was there as an eavesdropper and a consultant, again as the situation suited.

It was almost too funny; June had been instructed to chime in whenever she felt she had something to offer, but Bossie had been told to zip it.

<Before we get too involved, > Inkie asked through Helva, <riddle me this. I know I was out of the picture for a couple of days, but how did my inventory increase by seventy two young children plus seven twelve and thirteen year olds? Aren’t we going to be overcrowded?>

A sheepish Gunny blushed and answered, <Well, you remember a while back me and Melody were bored, and Vivie told us we could take on a project. This is the results.> He waited and Inkie nodded for him to continue. <So, first we looked at orphanages, but there aren’t as many as before, and they’re structured differently. Kids tend to be fostered out. Good or bad, that’s the current paradigm.>

<The OTE was already targeting boarding schools. So, we asked ourselves, > he expounded, <where would we find a bunch of elementary school kids with enough built-in minders to ride herd for the trip out. Turned out that in Nebraska, the Omaha Chuck E. Cheese has a reward program for kids that get a certain number of As in school.>

He grinned and stated, <There were eighty-four elementary school kids being rewarded, but only seventy-two had signed contingency forms in the event of extractions. The seven older kids were there as ‘minders’ and we figured that was a good enough recommendation to bring them along to continue their minding. There was a bonus of six parents and one teacher whose CAPs meet our standards. Yeah, we’re going to be bursting. Coulda been worse, but we handed off the restaurant’s employees and some others that were there. They’re in the general pool.>

Inkie sighed, and then smiled. Good people exceeded expectations.

<The meeting will come to order, > Vivie began. “How did I ever get to be the boss of this?” she muttered under her breath.

<Because you are my Captain, > Helva told her, <and because at one time, you were a part of the situation we will be discussing. Put on your big girl panties and get on with it.>

<Okay, I get it, > Then Vivie told the assembly through Helva. <Look I want to throw out an opening statement for long-term consideration. If we keep acquiring and developing our children as seems to be the current pattern, CAP scores, as currently used, are going to become moot, at least in Tuull space, specifically Harrad Colony. At some point CAPs will become pass-fail, and what has been the norm for male-female sponsor ratios is going to change. How we raise our kids is going to mean more girls are going to be sponsors. Just look around this room.>

Vivie looked at Wendy. When accepted as a provisional, and now already confirmed as a cadet, she had become the sponsor for all but one of the dependent children extracted with her. Wendy had twenty-one dependents, including her own brother and sister, and one underage, pregnant, rape victim. Her pod was, of course, known by all as ‘Neverland.’

<Current situation, > Vivie summarized, <Wendy’s kids are like freaking ants at a picnic. They are just about everywhere. They aren’t getting in trouble, but they aren’t used to being confined or restricted, and it seems counterproductive to rope them in too tight. The new additions will probably follow suit.> She turned to Inkie, <Inkie, you were already officially an adult, but I’m given to understand that you were pretty much the same way when you came aboard Helva.>

Bossie couldn’t hold it in, <But if they are smart enough to ask the question, why aren’t they smart enough to be given the answer?> When she wasn’t with Helva, she had been hanging out in Neverland with the lost kids and was almost one of them.

Pierce cringed and answered, <Bossie, remember what you asked Helva right after the team got back? You wanted to know if you could play next time.> He paused to see if her avatar showed any reaction. It looked puzzled.

<First, that wasn’t play. Second, you have darned little experience with violence. Think back how you thought Vivie had murdered Tweedledee, umm, Captain Dreck? I’m still not certain you know the difference between violent play, violent training, and violence with harmful intent. Then add violence with harmful intent to protect someone, and you have a real challenge to differentiate.>

<But... >

<Wait up, I’m not through, > Pierce told her. (She really was becoming a ‘her’ in his mind.) <Would you have been on top enough to recognize that bombs were about to explode? Helva did, but almost too late. Reaction time and knowledge aren’t enough. You have to have experience to put them into play.>

<Look, you’re a bright girl. If Helva is willing, it’s okay with me if you ride along and watch. But you’re not ready to supervise or even be the prime monitor for that kind of operation. Okay?>

<So may I stay here with Helva and the lost kids?> Bossie was pleading.

<Sure, until the extractions are done and we’re leaving Earth-at.> Pierce smiled indulgently as Bossie’s avatar bounced up and down.

<And can I be Bessie instead of Bossie?>

<Okay, but now you’re pushing things.> Pierce told her fondly. <Now, you need to zip it, listen, and learn.>

<I suppose that was inevitable, > Vivie told the group. <I’m glad she’s forgiven me. At least she seems to have. So ... What about the rest? You realize the situation is going to expand dramatically when we load up all those kids we’ve been stashing in Luna at Copernicus Base? Both ships... >

Pierce covered his eyes and groaned, <Academics, musicians, actors, and kids unlimited!>

<Well, we’re not looking at developing a Marine combat brigade, but Thule had and probably still has, a solution that might serve as a model for us. Think of their corps of cadets program as junior ROTC and ours more like Boy or Girl Scouts with age/ability appropriate stages like Cubs or Brownies.> Wendy had been researching and thinking, and the group was clearly interested.

<The human chapter of the Confederacy already has the Cadet program, > Wendy continued, <but it’s not that widely used. And I’m not saying that all twelve-year-olds are ready for citizenship. Certainly not for sex, no matter how much they might think they are. But we could structure learning and activities. You know both ships are going to need a kid’s gym and a recreation center, right?>

<Well, now, > Vivie responded. <I can see that we need to organize and plan down to preschool levels. Something like a school-scouts hybrid. We’ve been extracting teachers and coaches, looks as though we need to add scout leaders, some with military experience. Bet we won’t get any ex-military from the pool on Luna. We can drop a request to OTE, but I expect that we’ll need to find and extract our own. And don’t forget similar programs like the Guides and Campfire organizations.>

<Wendy, you are now commandant of the cadets, > Vivie declared. <You’ll sit on the Captain’s council. Right now that’s me and Inkie and Helva. Pierce can set up his own structure. Liaise with him and keep the council informed. In a week I want a proposal for structure, names, merit badges – whatever you want to call them, and anything else you can think of. Rope in Dinky and Armand, otherwise they might be jealous. Make them junior team leaders or something.>

<Aye, aye, Captain.> Wendy replied. <Ants! That’s a lot better than cockroaches.>