I own nothing except a few characters and the plot.
TROOPS: NEW YORK
CHRISTMAS 2018
NEW YORK
"This place is really coming together." Wanda Houston said as she walked into the office.
"We do our best." Tevin said.
"Even when the enlisted men would rather gamble then do their jobs." Kelly added as they were joined by Corporal Klinger wearing his usual Christmas outfit and holding a giant wreath.
"Colonel Terrik wants to know where this giant wreath goes."
"Near Radar's station facing the elevators like it always does and I thought he was too busy chasing Grinches to help with this. McKnight!" Kelly said as Landon appeared.
"Sergeant Sloane is on Line 1. She wants to know who's picking the kids up if Captain Syndulla is not. Isn't that the wreath that goes across from the main elevators?"
"Landon, hang that wreath up where it always goes then get the kids. Klinger, help him and watch the desk while he's gone." Tevin said.
"Where's Michael?" Wanda asked.
"If it's about the viral video of Rich Terrik fighting with Santa. It was a drunk from SantaCon that was running off an overload of liquid courage. Darnell said he blew a .17 on the machine."
"Which was the lowest score of the three tests that were done. The other scores were a .193 and a .21. I think Tyler's people did a blood draw over there." Kelly added.
"So it was Remnant Officers arresting a SantaCon attendee that had way too much to drink and was being violent instead of Imperial Troops attacking Santa for no reason as the video claimed. A story that FNN chose to run with I will add."
"That network wouldn't know the truth if it came up and slapped their people across the face. They accused Ezra Bridger of being a kidnapper among other things that are pending litigation. They said we deployed forces on multiple planets based on false information which probably came from whoever it is that makes up stories for them. We went to Lothal because the First Order was planning an invasion of Earth once they managed to take Lothal. We went to Onyx because they came here and snatched Ezra off the street. We went to the Smuggler's Moon because Black Sun snatched someone off the street and then went after ASW. Which if they payed any attention to history, they would know France, Israel, and West Germany among other nations responded to aircraft hijackings the same way." Michael Myers said as he appeared from the kitchen.
"I get it. They didn't do their research yet again. I'm planning a meeting with them. I want Stormtropers visible to them and I hope they feel intimidated by that to never report lies about the Remnant again." She said causing Michael and Tevin to snicker.
Ezra had joined Jamal Wilkins at JFK Airport as Jamal was meeting a flight.
"This my grandma. I haven't seen her since I graduated from the Police Academy." Jamal said excitedly.
"Wait until she hears about your adventures." Ezra said.
"She did. She wants to meet you."
"I wish you had told me sooner. I was going to check on Darius today. He's missed the past three days. Today's the fourth day he's missed. You get your grandmother, I'm gonna see if Sabine can do me a favor." Jamal reappeared about ten minutes later with a woman who Ezra figured was his grandmother and a bit of luggage.
"She's busy and I really don't want to ask Felth to send troops over on what could be a nothing matter."
"Ezra, Darlene. Darlene, Ezra." Jamal made introductions.
"I just need a ride to my hotel if you have other things to do." Darlene said.
"Good idea. We can take her to the hotel and then visit your student." Jamal added. After dropping Darlene off at her hotel and getting her settled in, Ezra and Jamal went to check on Darius.
"Something feels off. Maybe the mother has a new boyfriend. Sabine nearly killed the last one after he threatened me and her. He's locked up awaiting trial after she arranged to have a squad of Stormtroopers meet him. Darius once told me that if he didn't go to school, he would have been locked up by now. I cut him a lot of slack. Good kid in a horrible home." Ezra said to Jamal as they reached the door to the apartment they were looking for. Ezra knocked on the door.
"Darius, it's Mr. B. You alright?" Ezra asked.
"Get lost. Don't need no teacher around here." A gruff voice replied. Jamal knocked this time, a much harder knock while Ezra sent something to Landon.
"Police. Need to open the door."
"Landon said there's people in the area and Felth's sending them here." Ezra whispered as Jamal readied his blaster.
"Today was the fourth day he missed?"
"Yep." Ezra replied and took out his Lightsaber.
"Good enough." Jamal said as a group of four Stormtroopers arrived. The troopers stood ready as Jamal kicked down the door and then the six rushed inside with Ezra on the rear. An older man around Tevin's age was stunned as he reached for a handgun and then handcuffed by Jamal. Ezra ran to where he knew Darius slept from a previous home visit.
"Jamal!" Ezra yelled. Jamal and two of the troopers ran to where Ezra was. Darius was lying on his bed unconscious. Jamal checked for a pulse and found a weak one. Ezra was a on the verge of tears.
"Call for a bus and get that hump out of here." Jamal said to the troopers then went back to Ezra. An ambulance arrived and rushed Darius to a hospital while Darnell Hollister and a CSU team searched the apartment for evidence and interviewed Ezra.
"Was there a history of this from him?" Darnell asked.
"Darius didn't give that kind of trouble. His thing is walking into a classroom and getting the students going. The mother brought the last twit boyfriend to a parent-teacher conference. He picked a fight with me and the art teacher which ended up with boyfriend in jail to make a long story short." Ezra told Darnell.
"Does Darius have any other family in the city?"
"None that I would put him with. A cousin attacked a teacher in Hollis."
"Thank you. They're taking him to Lincoln. It's on 149th Street before the train tracks if you're traveling from Third to the Concourse. I'll see if Max ca help me find some family." Darnell said. The next day, Jamal told Ezra and Sabine that an arrest warrant had been issued for Darius' mother which meant that she would have to explain her taste in boyfriends to a judge and everyone they worked with hoped both of them ended up in front of Judge Khayman which came true. Ezra, Jamal, Reggie Dobbs, and Sabine had gone to visit Darius in the hospital later that day.
"Glad to see you awake. I got your phone and stuff from the math teacher who took it away without bothering to ask me why you're allowed to use that in class." Reggie said.
"They said they were trying to find me a place to go." Darius said.
"Judge Khayman was not entertaining anything about bail for your mother and her drug dealer boyfriend. They got her for trial too which means they are facing life or worse." Jamal said.
"She's not one for giving out slaps on the wrists. Identity theft got someone life when they ended up in her court. Another person got the death penalty for happened to him over the summer." Sabine added.
"We brought you some stuff to do. No huge hurry for any of the schoolwork. Just don't want you to fall too far behind. General Felth's office found out your grandparents are still around and willing to take you in so you can stay with us as opposed to being put somewhere with someone who isn't as open minded and sends you packing to the Remnant's Junior Academy within a month as a behavioral problem. Also between us, your science teacher said your mother is the second parent he thinks would be worth getting fired for slapping across the face." Ezra said as he put a bag on the table.
"They treat you better when they hear you're there for over-achievement." Reggie said.
"They threw my cousin in jail again for attitude. I warned her not to fight with them there. Told her what you told me about them. Mouthed off at a Colonel and got three days in solitary." Darius said as a woman walked in followed by a man.
"Darius?" The woman asked.
"Grandma? Over here."
"You must be Mr. Dobbs, George Carpenter and this is my wife Etta. Would these be some of Darius' teachers?" The man said.
"Detective Jamal Wilkins, he's unofficially working this case. Sabine Wren and Ezra Bridger. He teaches History and has Darius in his Homeroom. She's my Art teacher."
"Mom said you moved out of the city."
"We didn't. We raised his mother better then this. All this started when she ran off with that fool, then came back a year later with Darius. She was all of sixteen and pregnant by a thug who had her turning tricks and selling dope. I hear he's upstate doing hard time and his family isn't wrapped too tight. Darius tried to rise above that and they did this to him." Etta said.
"We know all about the cousin who thinks the Remnant's DIs will take the abuse like some of our fellow teachers do. This explains a great deal of his behavior. he was getting Detention to avoid going home to that. His Science teacher picked up on this and brought it up at a staff meeting, then Ezra and Sabine found out what was really going on. The child welfare system is known for making fatal mistakes. General Felth's people are not." The conversation continued as George and Etta signed papers for Darius and provided Reggie with their information.
A few days later, all the decorations were hung at the various places and Darius was released from the hospital and returned to school in much better spirits. Ezra mentioned the change in his attitude to Tevin one day.
"How did you find the grandparents?"
"His mother's Yellows for all the times she crossed paths with Vice and cross referenced the addresses she gave with public tax records and Darius' birth certificate. Darnell went out, did the interview, and said they checked out. How is he doing?"
"Much better. He's a different kid then he was at the beginning of the year. Sabine noticed it too. He's more engaged now in class discussions and Chopper hasn't been chasing him around the school."
"That's good. Looks like Christmas came early for him."
"School's doing the holiday show on the 20th. Landon said the Academies were having their event the next day. Darius is doing something at the encouragement of just about everyone. Jamal's going to be there. It's at Noon."
"Academies are on the 21st. Ed Sullivan Theater at 6PM. Jamal's grandmother is a well known singer and I'm having her close out the show like she did for Letterman until he retired. Ironic, Letterman was filmed at the same place." Tevin said as he and Ezra exchanged event invites.
"Give this to Darius unless Reggie put him in Detention." Ezra laughed.
"His detentions are cancelled now that the whole school knows he was getting himself thrown in there to avoid going home to his mother's jerk boyfriend of the month. This one's lucky Sabine didn't show up. Boyfriend went for a gun, she would have killed him."
"Ryan said there might be a problem with the search, but that won't reach Khayman's calendar until after the new year. Jamal had no warrant to go in there. Ryan's going to argue that it was believed that Darius was in danger and it gave Jamal a reason to kick the door in and we all know Khayman has it in for horrible parents." Tevin said.