Some slices of life chapters. Enjoy.
Chapter 38
That night, Rachel flopped onto the couch in the ward room of Matt's dorm. Hipper drifted across the room to watch two cadets play backgammon. He was interested in the game with colored circles and a rolling cube.
"Rough day?" he asked.
She massaged her temples and sighed. "They're lost and confused. It's going to be worse tomorrow."
"I dunno, it might be kind of fun to see them blasted out of a dead sleep by general quarters sirens," Lew said.
"I have to hear it too," she noted.
"How long will they do that?" a cadet across the dorm asked.
"Until no one is late for formation, it should only take a couple of days," she replied.
"Ugh, one morning of that racket should be enough to get the point across."
"I hope so."
"Are you free to talk?" Lew asked.
She shrugged. "Sure."
She gave Matt a buss on the top of his head and followed Lew outside to a bench in the dorm's courtyard. Lew was uncharacteristically nervous about something.
"How would you feel about one of your sisters becoming involved with someone not from Grayson?" he asked.
Well, that caught her for a loop.
"Um… From what I've seen, there's a lot of Graysons pairing up with off-world people, so it's not a big deal. I have no control over who my sisters become involved with. However, I love my sisters and if the someone was unsuitable, I'd say something."
"And your father?" he pressed.
"Again, it would depend on who it is. If it was someone unsuitable, he would speak up. Aside from that, if the sister in question is of age and is interested someone, there's little my dad can do."
"What if the someone was me?" he asked.
Her eyebrows rose. "You? Which sister?"
"Jeanette."
She giggled and laid a hand on his arm. "We had a conversation about this over breakfast not too long ago. Momma was riling us up, it's one of her favorite past times. Theresa was worried that she'd never find anyone, and Jeanette just shrugged and said no man would be in her immediate future."
"Why would she say that?"
"In her mind, she's thinks she so busy as a steadholder that the only men she sees are our dad, her regent, and her armsmen. That's a silly notion, as our dad managed to find the time to marry twice and have eight kids, as the Protector of Grayson. You also have to understand that we were very sheltered growing up. We didn't date."
Lew was dumbfounded. As smart, pretty, and sweet as the Mayhew girls were, he thought they were surely beating off men with a stick. Matt was a very lucky man, no doubt.
"So how did this come about with Jeanette? I don't recall anything happening between the two of you over the summer," she asked.
"It was after you left to return here. Matt and his parents met with your parents a couple of times, and I tagged along. They didn't mind; your parents said that friends of yours were always welcome. When I had lunch with them, Theresa and Honor were teasing Jeanette about something."
She rolled her eyes. "Of course they were."
"When I got up the guts to ask her to dinner… well, that's what her sisters were teasing her about. She had been paying attention to me, which I was clueless about, while I was wondering if your father was going to throw me out on my ass for being interested in her."
"If there's one thing you need to know about us, it's that we're a pragmatic, straight-forward bunch. And with such an out-of-whack ratio of women to men on the planet, you have to make a move before someone else does."
"So you approve?" he asked.
She smiled sweetly at him. It was no small wonder Matt fell for her so hard. All the Mayhew girls had a sweet smile and a way about them that a man would be hard-pressed to ignore.
"I approve, wholeheartedly."
He sighed in relief.
"Did she go to dinner with you?"
He nodded. "Your parents said, 'have fun' and we went to a place called Randleman's. There were some reporters and such there, but she assured me that we wouldn't be bothered. She's got some very protective armsmen."
"If you're going to be in a relationship with her, that's something you're going to have to accept. She's a Mayhew, daughter of the Protector, and one of the few female steadholders on the planet. The armsmen and attention from the media is unavoidable."
"I'm still surprised she gave me a second look, I'm nobody," he admitted.
"You need to give yourself some credit. She saw something she likes, so my best advice is be yourself, take it, and run with it."
After the conversation, Lew left to talk a stroll about the Quadrangle, and Rachel returned to Matt to say good night.
"Was it about Jeanette?" he asked.
She nodded. "I'll try to see you at breakfast," she said and gave him a hug.
He poked her gently in the side. "Have fun in the morning!"
She smiled ruefully. "When you hear the general quarters sirens, think of me."
September 1, 1924
Shortly before 5:00 am, Rachel and Trent Hutchins ascended the second deck stairwell of Dorm 12. Hipper and her armsmen were outside and she could feel Hipper's amusement.
"Ready?" he murmured.
"As I'll ever be," she replied.
They stood at the head of the hallway and glanced at the clock, bracing themselves for the general quarters siren about to start and the new cadets that would be startled out of their sleep. When the siren started, startled shouts and thumping of feet was heard. Half-dressed, half-asleep first forms poked their heads from their rooms and saw Rachel with her hands on her hips, and Trent with his arms crossed.
"That's your wake up call!" Rachel shouted and took off down the corridor. "Up and out of the rack!"
Cadets dashed from their rooms to the latrine, running into each other and dropping their toothbrushes and wash towels.
"You heard her! Finish dressing, quickly now!" Trent shouted.
A Grayson cadet came to attention outside of his room, dressed incorrectly. Rachel stopped in front of him. "This is not your physical training uniform."
"Uhh…"
"Do you see what I'm wearing?" she asked.
He swallowed and bobbed his head.
"Fix yourself!"
He squawked an awkward, "Yes, m'lady!" and dashed back inside his room.
"Formation outside in fifteen minutes!" Trent shouted. "Trust me, you don't want to be late!"
Rachel and Trent looked at each other, grinned, and shook their heads. A minute later, the cadets stood at attention outside of their rooms while Rachel and Trent stalked up and down the corridor.
"Tie your shoe!"
"Where's your other sock?"
"What happened to your shirt?"
They both stopped at one that didn't have his running shoes, at all.
"Forget something?" Trent asked.
"I don't know where they are," the cadet replied miserably.
"Then go put on your service boots," Trent instructed.
Rachel whipped around and marched up the hallway. "If someone has that cadet's running shoes, bring them here now! Prank or not, theft is not tolerated at this academy!"
When the cadet reappeared in his boots, Trent pointed his thumbs over his shoulders. "Everyone outside! Quickly now! Watch the stairs!"
Rachel jogged back down the hall and did a check to make sure no one was left in their room or the latrine. She jogged back outside, saw her armsmen and Hipper, and saluted a first form advisor, Commander Brownfield. He was observing a lieutenant and two Marines ushering the cadets into squads.
"Sir, all cadets are accounted for!" she reported.
He returned the salute. "At ease. Where's his running shoes?" he asked, pointing at a cadet in the second squad in his boots.
"He said that he didn't know, sir," Rachel replied.
"Well, instruct him to get another pair sometime today."
"Yes sir!"
"They're all here, on time. Good work, cadet. Carry on."
"Aye aye, sir."
He turned to the lieutenant and his lips twitched "They're all yours… good luck."
The lieutenant repressed a grin and saluted. "Aye, sir."
Rachel moved to the back of the formation with a corporal and Trent was at the front of the formation with the sergeant. The commander moved toward the next dorm and the lieutenant nodded to the sergeant next to him, who stepped forward and began.
"Cadets, look to your left and to your right. You are in what's called a formation. You will do this every morning for physical training. Understand?"
A few murmured replies were heard, prompting Trent to step forward. "The proper reply is yes sergeant!"
"Yes, sergeant!" Rachel called out, which prompted the cadets to repeat her reply.
"Riiight face!" the sergeant called out. A few performed the command correctly, some moved to the right, but most just turned to their right.
"Cadets, face me," he said a long-suffering voice. It was expected. "Corporal Martinez, Midshipman Hutchins, and Midshipwoman Mayhew will demonstrate how to correctly perform the command."
The corporal, Trent, and Rachel came to attention in front of the formation. The sergeant gave them a wave. "Observe. This is a picture-perfect position of attention."
The formation came to a position of attention. He stepped back.
"Riiight face!"
The three performed the right face command.
"I hope you all saw that, because that's how it's done. Don't worry, you're going to get lots of practice. Listen up… riiiight face!"
The sergeant sighed and continued. "Forward, march!"
Rachel jogged to the right of the formation, Trent stayed to the left with the sergeant, the lieutenant took the front, and the corporal fell to the back of the formation. Hipper hopped on her shoulder as the formation marched, or tried to, at least.
"Remember when I didn't know my left from my right?" she murmured to Hipper.
At athletic field #6, Diego and Matt stopped and watched a group of first forms jog by, if it could be called that. Trent, Sergeant Prescott, and a lieutenant were keeping pace with a group that was jogging so slow that it barely more than a walk. Behind them, Rachel was encouraging a group of stragglers to "don't stop and don't give up!" while a corporal was with a cadet who had stopped completely, bent over with his hands on his thighs.
"Fifth division, listen up!"
Matt and Diego turned around and came to attention at the sound of Master Sergeant Lane's voice. "Let's give these first forms some room! Move it over to field three and get started on the ropes!"
"Aye sergeant!" they shouted as a whole and shuffled into formation.
#
After physical training, Rachel's exhausted first forms stood in formation outside of their dorm. The lieutenant looked at his chrono, paced, and spoke. "Not bad for your first day, but not that good either. Now, this is where you start learning time management. It's now zero-six-thirty. Your classes start at zero-eight."
He stopped in front of a cadet. "What are your assigned mealtimes?"
When the cadet looked puzzled, the lieutenant held up his own identicard for everyone to see. "In case you forgot yesterday's briefing, your mealtimes are clearly marked on your identicard."
He gave the cadet a questioning look. The cadet pulled his lanyard from under his shirt and looked at the indenticard. "It says breakfast is zero-seven-fifteen to zero-seven-thirty-five, sir."
"Correct. That means all of you have to figure out how to shower, dress, eat, and get to class on time. The faculty has a wager on how many first forms get demerits for tardiness the first day. Don't let me be the winner."
Rachel and Trent grinned at each other.
"Dismissed!"
The cadets scrambled into the dorm and the lieutenant waved them over. "Bring back memories?"
"Yes sir," they chorused.
"Some hard lessons will be learned today. It'll be better tomorrow. Carry on."
"Aye sir."
#
Rachel and Trent slowed from a jog to walk as they entered their first class of the day, Fourth Form Naval Operations. All the instructors knew that the fourth form mentors might be late to class due to herding the first forms, so tardiness was excused. She saw Theresa and Lew nod her way and knew they had saved her a seat. She sat down and took a breath. Hipper hopped on the tabletop and bleeked quietly at her. The emotions from the frantic first years was affecting him too.
"Fun with the first years, Miss Mayhew, Mister Hutchins?" Commander Rossi asked.
"I don't know about fun, but it's been interesting, sir," she replied.
Hipper started signing. Will be better soon?
She nodded and signed back. Yes, soon. I was the same, remember? He bumped her chin and settled down on the table.