She had successfully finished removing her third investment when the lad cast her a quick glance and then said, “Computer, please vitalize this patient,” and, to her shock, both her comp and the lad's began speaking,
Your patient’s name is Drendi so-Trenzo, and is the adopted son of Mid Ranker Festin Trenzo and Sussan Trenzo-a, both of whom were killed in a recent raid on the barracks of the First Century of the First Batallion. He was adopted when he was two years old. He was born to Mid Ranker Czellin Krenda and Jillian Krenda-a. He is four years and three months old. He is above average in artistic skill and shows a nascent interest in medical.
He has no surgical history, and was born via uneventful vaginal birth. He has a slight tendency toward seasonal allergies, mostly to plants not present on this planet….
“His parents were killed?” Illoia asked, appalled.
“Yes,” the lad replied. “I would have guessed that from his age. Most prisoners are from front line barracks, which hold mostly rankers and recruits, with a few Middys and Top Rankers… and the occasional leader. At four years old he is a bit old to be an original child.”
“But you are…”
“Yes, Ma’am, I am adopted as well. Three times.”
“Three times…?
“Well, my fathers died three times, I still have my original mother.”
“I didn’t know… I’m sorry…”
“Not your fault, Ma’am,” he said. “As I say, pretty much everyone over two or three years old is adopted, at least on one side. Usually the father.”
Illoia continued her work, as the comps started up telling them more about the patient, but she had to wipe her eyes frequently. The lad eyed her nervously, but still managed to at least double her speed at clearing these ‘investments’.
“Report?” she heard a quiet voice ask, and looked up to see a lass, a Top Ranker's wife, staring down first at their patient and then at the lad, who was pulling an investment out of the patient’s pitifully small stomach muscle.
“Vitals have been stable, no complicated removals so far. I have a green partner,” he added.
“Yes, I know. I assigned you to her, and this patient to the two of you. It seemed a very stable patient, not very far along. We already lost beds one through three, but I’m hoping we will get to keep four.”
“This poor lad,” Illoia said, “He’s lost his parents!”
“Yes,” the lass said. “His father died protecting the barracks and his mother was tagged dead during the recovery. That’s another reason I assigned him to you.”
The lass walked off with Illoia staring after her. “What did she mean?” Illoia asked the lad.
He quickly looked down at what he was doing, “You… you have no children, Ma’am.”
“She wants me to adopt this lad?!”
“You have no children, Ma’am. It is our way. You don’t have to…”
“What…? I have no idea what Tom would think?”
“Leader Tomirosh, Ma’am?!”
“Yes, my husband. He would have to approve, no?”
“I suppose, technically,” the lad agreed. “But Leader Tomirosh would approve, Ma’am. I don’t have any question about that.”
“How do you know?”
“I… we know leader Tomirosh, Ma’am. All of us do. We lower rankers… not that I am a ranker, I mean, but I’ve lived all my life in the lower ranks, and we know him. No way he’d turn down an adoption, no way, Ma’am.”
Illoia turned back to her work, shocked. She and Tom had been married almost seven months, now, and she wasn’t pregnant. It wasn’t odd, or even disrespectful, for people to be talking about adoption. And it sounded as if it was a frequent thing, here. Indeed, it sounded as if it was expected that she and Tom would adopt this lad!
“How… how would I go about it?”
“You register, same as marriage. Next higher rank has to approve, which would be the sub-commander.” He chuckled, “No way that one’s going to disapprove of anything Tomirosh wants to do.”
Article 17
Article 17 is a military science fiction story with aliens and romance. It is set in a future reminiscent of Napoleon era Britain. The war was going very poorly until the military installed a dictator. This story follows one of the dictator’s great men: Cladin Tomirosh, Leader, and thrice decorated hero.
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Thank you for reading Von’s Substack. I would love it if you commented! I love hearing from readers, especially critical comments. I would love to start more letter exchanges, so if there’s a subject you’re interested in, get writing and tag me!Thank you for reading Von’s Substack. I would love it if you commented! I love hearing from readers, especially critical comments. I would love to start more letter exchanges, so if there’s a subject you’re interested in, get writing and tag me!
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Von