Jethro Goes to War (Wandering Engineer Jethro's tale) (14 page)

“
Men
honestly,” she said in exasperation. The orderly snickered a
little. Both of the cats flicked their ears at each other in
amusement. She shook her head and walked out head high as the men
snickered again.

“
Well, I guess
you’re on the mend if you’re harassing the staff,”
a tired Thornby said coming into the room. She shook her head.

“
Yes ma'am. I
think I'm on the mend. Just need better coordination.”

“
And your
integration. Swelling is down,” she nodded. “I just
checked your stats.” She tapped her brow. “See implants
do have their uses,” she said as she smiled.

“
So why the
tablet?” he asked pointing to the one in her hand.

She looked down to
it then back up. “Old habits and all that. And it's easier to
use,” she admitted. “How far along are you in the
classes?” she asked. She turned to Sergei to include him as
well.

“
Um... Classes
doc?” Sergei asked, confused.

“
The sleep
teaching.” she said indicating the bed.

“
Oh that. Ah.
I've ah, gotten to rank structure, TOE and started the uniform code
of military justice. Fortunately gunny gave us some of this before so
it's easier to understand.”

“
The high
points you mean. Not bad,” she said with a nod. She turned to
Jethro. He grimaced.

“
I've finished
it and hit a wall ma'am. It went back to military protocol and how to
fill out forms.”

“
The navy
lives on paperwork,” she joked shaking her head. The orderly
nearby snorted.

“
You do too if
I recall doc,” he teased. She gave him a look and then nodded.

“
True, all too
true. You need to document progress, or problems so you can fix
things or learn from them,” she said in her own defense and
then shrugged. “At least that's one way of looking at it.
You've gotten a bit further along than the others, the UCMJ is a
three night course normally.”

He realized she was
refering to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Fortunately for him
he had an answer to that. “I had it memorized ma'am. I've got a
copy in my locker,” he said watching her face change.

“
You do?”
she asked, surprised. “Where did you get one?” she asked,
sitting back against the wall.

“
My ancestors
were marines ma'am. I'm just carrying on the tradition.”

The gunny's eyes
slitted open at that. His nostrils quivered in a suppressed snort.

“
Okay...”
she said digesting that. After a moment she put it aside and
shrugged. “Good for you,” she nodded. She looked up.
“Well, let’s see, since you've got that down, hmmm.. you
can, no...” she turned to the gunny. “Any ideas gunny? I
happen to know you're awake.”

He snorted for real
at that and opened his eyes. Both eyes. His right eye was still a
little blurry but it was beginning to focus. Instinctively it slitted
to protect itself. “You said you've got the UCMJ down? You’re
on paperwork and protocol?”

“
Sir yes sir,”
Jethro said, trying to sit up. Doc came over and tapped a control and
then set it in his hand. He fumbled with the remote and then got it
to raise the back of his bed.

“
Hmmm,”
he thought about it and then shrugged. “If you think you’re
up to it, download the manual for his implants. Run that and then
give him a run down on corps history, culture, and first aid. You
think you can handle all that?”

“
Sir this
recruit knows some of it sir.”

“
I figured as
much. Let’s see how much you know jives with what we've got, I
look forward to your test results,” the gunny said as he nodded
to the doc. She shrugged.

“
All right,
I'm game if you are,” she said tapping the tablet. She turned
to the others. “Most of the others have gotten over the
swelling and have run their first therapy session with mixed results.
The download is in your inbox gunny.”

“
Thank you
ma'am,” he nodded. “I was reading it.”

“
Figures,”
she shook her head. The doberman ate slept and breathed being a
marine. Even when off duty. “All right. Get some food then some
rest. The nanites will need a recharge soon.”

“
Nanites
ma'am?” Sergei said, sitting up, eyes wide and ears flat. She
looked over to the Liger.

“
Didn't anyone
tell you?” she asked amused.

“
Ah, no ah
ma'am.”

“
Figures,”
she said dryly. She shot a dark look at the gunny. “Your
implants are inserted by surgical means but the fine connections are
set up by nanites. The nanites weave your organics and implants
together into seamless connections.”

He grimaced and
shivered a little.

“
Oh stuff and
nonsense young man! You’re a big guy, act like it, not like a
pissant.” She shook her head. “And up till now I thought
you were a marine,” she growled.

He stiffened at
that. “Yes ma'am,” he said in a different tone.

“
A nanite is a
robot. Organic or inorganic, it doesn't matter. They do the job then
leave. Or shut down and your body recycles them. These are surgery
nanites, the same used in the regen tank for major surgery,”
she waved. “Hell, replicators use them too. The food... 
You've had replicators in you for weeks cleaning out your systems and
building up your bones, and muscles. That's how come you could bounce
back after the drubbing the sadist over there gave you everyday! Ah I
give up,” she shook her head throwing her hands up in the air.
“You are getting a download about nanites to your dream list.
Expect it,” she said firmly. She shook her head and tapped at
the tablet again. “There and there. Night,” she said and
stalked out.

“
Good night,
Chester Puller, Wherever you are!” Valenko said into the quiet
bay as the nurse turned the lights off. She paused, confused and then
finished flipping switches.

“
Chester
Puller?” The gunny asked. “A boyfriend?”

“
Hardly sir,”
Valenko replied then hesitated. He looked over to Jethro who
shrugged. “Major General Chester Puller. American Marine.
Highest decorated Marine until 2016. Five navy crosses for valor
under fire.”

“
Oh,”
The gunny's eyes locked onto the giant shaggy bear body and then back
to the panther.

“
It's
tradition to say that sir. A marine corps tradition. One of them
anyway. One we'd like to keep,” Jethro said softly.

“
Oh. I take it
you told him about the general?” the gunny asked amused.

“
No sir. He
apparently already knew. Chester's biography, well, I've got it too.”

“
I read it one
winter when I was a cub,” Valenko softly growled. “A long
long time ago.”

“
Puller had
some influence in twentieth century marine traditions and training.
Many of those carried over into the twenty first century and the
formation of the Federation Marines. He also had some rather famous
and somewhat funny quotes attributed to him sir,” Jethro said.

Hurranna snorted. “I
still think my favorite is when he saw his first plasma... I mean
fire thrower and asked where the bayonet goes.”

“
Flamethrower,”
the gunny corrected automatically. “World war two... So you've
heard of him as well?”

“
I saw Jethro
snickering at some of it so I sneaked a peek at Jethro's copy when he
wasn't looking sir,” Hurranna admitted. Jethro mock growled and
then snorted a laugh.

“
Why am I not
surprised,” he chuckled. She gave him her best innocent look.
He snorted again.

“
Can I fly a
piranha? Or a Stellar Eagle? I mean when we have them?”
Hurranna asked, shoulders hunched at her stupidity of asking.

“
I dunno, can
you?” Jethro asked amused.

“
I don't... I
mean I don't know. I've never tried to do something like that. But
well, I'd like to try,” she grimaced. “I'm not sure about
being much use as a pack mule.”

“
We're going
to need pilots,” Jethro said, nodding. “I didn't know we
had the blueprints to a piranha though.”

“
The Admiral
did. He dumped the file into the database,” the gunny said
absently, watching them talk as he tested his night vision. “Also
the Albatross heavy transport, and Firefly had a blueprint of the
Stellar sea eagle on file. And yes, recruit, you can take the
piloting introductory application.” He felt a sense of relief.
She had high scores in kinematics but only had mediocre tactical
sense. They hadn't been sure where exactly to plug her into the
growing corps.

“
Thank you
sir,” Hurranna grinned.

“
I work for a
living. Don't call me sir,” the gunny growled. They both looked
confused. He rolled his eyes then sighed. “I keep forgetting,
you're still technically boots so go for it. But FYI, noncoms aren't
called sir after you graduate. That's an officer prerogative.”

Jethro snorted. “Sir
yes sir.” Valenko's side rumbled with a suppressed laugh.

“
And don't you
forget it,” the gunny said sitting back onto the bed.

...*...*...*...*...

“
So you
understand private, due to your blood lines...” She shook her
head leaning against the Liger's bed.

“
I understand
ma'am,” Sergei said softly. She shook her head and crossed her
arms. Jethro listened,trying to remain quiet.

“
It isn't all
doom and gloom son. We can screen for the heart trouble and blindness
that crops up. Joint pain we can treat. But you will need regular
check ups,” Thornby said softly, trying to sound encouraging.

“
Yes ma'am.”

“
I... In order
to fix the problem permanently we'd need a gene insert. I or doctor
Martel would have to insert a gene splicer, either a nanobot or a
modified rhino virus to fix the missing stop growth linkage. But to
do that...” She shrugged.

“
I
understand,” he said flatly.

“
The growth
dysplasia has been handled. The nanites have reconfigured your
pituitary gland to stop secreting hormones to continue your growth.
We'll monitor it though.”

“
So I'm not
going to get any bigger?” he asked, curiously amused.

“
Aren't you
big enough as it is?” she asked burbling a laugh and indicating
the bed.

“
True.”

“
At least we
won't have to keep making clothes for you.”

“
Yeah but I
can't use the excuse that I'm a growing boy any more,” he said
with an ear flick.

She had to laugh at
that. She wiped her eyes and shook her head. “That's too
funny,” she chortled. She paused for a moment, taking a deep
breath, still chuckling.

“
We can do
something about the sterility problem,” she said after a
moment.

“
You can?”
he asked surprised.

“
Yes,”
she nodded and patted his cloth covered leg. “Not a problem. We
can insert a randomized copy of your genetic sequence into a partner
through in vitro fertilization when you get that far.”

“
You've got to
get to first base before you can get to home plate doc,” Sergei
growled softly. “Most of the females avoided Liger males unless
they wanted something. They know we're not going to live long and we
can't breed.”

“
I'm sorry to
hear that. You sound bitter. Cynical.”

“
It's the way
things are run ma'am. It's the hand I was dealt. I can't change it
but I can try to understand it.”

“
Good
attitude. Well, we'll see how things run from here.” She looked
over to Jethro who was staring at them. “Something to add?”

“
No ma'am,”
he said with an ear flick. He glanced at Sergei. The big white
Liger's ears went flat in embarrassment and then went up again
slowly. “Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop.” He nodded to
the Liger and then to the doc.

“
But since you
have...”

“
I... we knew
about the problems ma'am.” Jethro glanced at the Liger and then
to the doc. Most male Liger cubs didn't live to puberty.”

“
Yeah well,
that bastard Leo had something to do with it too,” Sergei
growled.