A/N: Feel free to point out oopses but please leave thoughts on sections also. I love both and want to know what others think. If you don't I might make you wait for a time before the next chapter...
~~~ CACO – Casualty Assistants Calls Officer
Before the CACO reported to Jace's parents she reviewed the information the military had on his family. The parents were divorced, and the father was against any sort of mating between humans and supernatural. From what their records indicated the first woman in his life had ended up with a mate shortly before they were due to get married. He hadn't taken it well and became almost rabid against matings. Not against the supernatural, but mating with them. That was going to be an interesting visit. She was still going to need to inform him no matter what.
His mother was far less worried about it and her oldest girl ended up with a wolf mate and both had gone to the Academy. They'd graduated about a year and a half ago and was stationed aboard one of the space stations. She sent a request for emergency leave to their Officer in Charge due to the loss of her brother and his mate. His other sister had gone enlisted and had been on active service for several years. She was stationed Earth side which made it much easier to get her home. Again, she sent a request for emergency leave for Sarah. It was going to take about two days for everyone to arrive.
Due to that she delayed contacting the family. She wanted everyone home if possible. Once the orders were cut, she considered what the best way to inform everyone. After a great deal of consideration, she decided to start with their father and then inform his mom and sisters. She knew about Mila but that was already dealt with.
Before everyone was home, she contacted the pack the two wolves were members of, "Good morning, this is Lt. Olham and I need to talk to the Luna please. It's urgent and I'll explain it to her."
"Yes Ma'am, give me a moment." Her assistant contacted her and told her what she knew.
Moments later Lt. Olham was transferred over, "Good afternoon Lt. Olham. How may I help you?" She was rather curious since she had no idea what the call was about.
"Luna, I wish to request one of your elders accompany me to Jace and Janel's house. Jace and his mate Danal were lost in action and I assume having an elder with me will help Janel and Carie. They'll be there in the morning along with his youngest sister Sarah. It hasn't been mentioned but Lt. Holcum Whitewater was also lost in action. I know they were close and wish to have support for everyone there."
"Please call me Zoe. I'm so sorry to hear that. I'll send an Elder and an extra wolf so they both have someone to help. What time do you need them there?" This was horrible. The loss of three supernatural? It was almost shocking to hear. They'd howl later for everyone.
"I'll send you my address and if you can have them here about 10am I'd appreciate it. I have to inform his father before I inform his mother and sisters." She didn't bother explaining why since it didn't matter in this instance.
"I'll do that and will leave my morning clear in case I'm needed. I'll let you go and talk to the Alpha and several elders. Thank you for calling and it's a very good idea to have an Elder available for the two." She disconnected and lifted her face in a howl of loss. It was picked up by her mate and then the pack though they weren't sure why the Luna was howling out her loss.
The next morning Lt. Olham ensured her uniform was looking sharp and after checking, the priest and enlisted going with she climbed into a vehicle and set the location needed. When they arrived, they found it wasn't the nicest of apartment buildings. It wasn't bad but it was old, and the age showed.
They walked up to the door of his apartment and she knocked. After several moments she knocked again and louder. From the inside she heard something and whoever didn't sound very happy. From what she understood he worked the evening shift at his job, so he was either asleep or just waking up.
The door was jerked open and the man stared at her, "What the hell do you want?" He had no love of the military any longer. They'd condoned the mating and even made the other an officer. It was wrong and unnatural.
"Mr. Masterson, it's with a heavy heart I'm here to inform you of the loss of your son and his mate while underway. May we come in and explain what's happening?" He was coming across as a very unagreeable person. He hadn't shaved in several days, was overweight, and at the mention of his son a look of fury crossed his face.
"No, I don't have a son any longer. Go away and leave me alone." He slammed the door in their faces and the sound of locks could be heard.
She had a feeling it was going to be ugly like that so she'd already mailed paperwork about the loss and what benefits he might have access to before they'd left this morning. When they settled in the vehicle, she shook her head, "Well that was interesting." She directed the vehicle back to her office. It was earlier than 10 am and she was going to ensure she had everything needed.
Shortly after she arrived at her office, she was informed the Elder and an Enforcer was there. She told her secretary she'd be out momentarily. She stuck the last of the files needed into her briefcase and walked out, "Elder, Enforcer, thank you for coming. Shall we?" She led them out to the vehicle and smiled as the enlisted helped the Elder in and she was followed by the Enforcer and enlisted. She and the priest settled in the front and soon they were headed to the house.
When they arrived, she quietly explained how she wanted everyone organized. Once they were ready, she walked to the door and knocked. When it was opened it was Janel, "May we come in? I need to talk to all of you about an issue of great importance."
Janel paled even as she moved to the side, "Please come in Ma'am. Morning Elder." She recognized the badge indicating the officer was part of the CACO department. Once they were in, she closed the door, "Please have a seat and would you like something to drink?"
"Not at the moment." She settled down and was pleased there was enough seating. Everyone was in the living room thankfully.
Gladys had to swallow, "Jace and Danal?" She had to assume that was why the officer was there as well as the Elder and Priest.
Lt. Olham gave her a sharp nod, "It is with a heavy heart I have to inform you Jace and Danal were lost during the cruise. Jg. Holcum was also lost at the same time. I can't tell you why since I wasn't informed as of yet. As soon as we know you will be informed. I've brought the Elder for Janel and Carie and the Priest for you and Sarah if you wish to talk to him."
Carie and Janel started howling out their loss and sadness. All three were going to be badly missed. Sarah leaned against their mom and started crying. They'd known the ship was late coming back but this was unexpected. It was totally out of the blue.
Elder Lina moved over and settled between the four, "Alpha Lorn wishes to invite all of you to the pack so they can support you and be there to comfort everyone. Will you come to the pack?" She lightly stroked the two officer's hair before giving the other two a light hug.
As they were talking the Enforcer was sniffing and sighed. He could tell Sarah was going to be his mate if she accepted. Right now, wasn't the right time to talk to her about it. They needed to grieve. Both he and his wolf agreed with the feeling. He'd be close in case she needed something. He'd support her family also and show he was worthy of being her mate.
Gladys leaned against Lina and nodded. She couldn't speak right now due to what they'd been informed about.
"What about Mila? How's she doing? If she needs our support I'd prefer to go and do what we can to help her." Mila and Holcum had been fun to spend time with.
"Mila is with her Pride and being retired this morning. Due to the loss of her mate she can't remain on active service. She has three kittens which is helping her stay with us." She pulled a picture up on her tablet and showed them. It showed Mila and Nacy with the Marines and Pilots holding the kittens.
All of them cooed at the kittens, "We will come to the pack and I'm going to contact Raven about coming out and when would be best. Sarah go and pack for a week. If we need more the pack will provide as you know. I'm going to go and pack myself." She looked at the priest, "If it would be okay, I'll contact you later this week. Leave a card with your contact information." She stood and the Elder wrapped an arm around her, and they left the living room.
Lt. Olham leaned back in the chair she was in and waited. She still had some documents they needed to read. It dealt with the life insurance and benefits. Once it was handed over, she'd leave them to go to the Pack.
When Gladys came down, she stood, "Ma'am, I have a folder with important information for you. Take your time to read it. It talks about the insurance and benefits. Our cards are inside and do not hesitate to call. If I'm not available someone will be to help you. I do mean it when I said it's with a heavy heart, I had to inform you of this. They meant a great deal to the military. More supernatural have joined since they made their presence known than in the last fifteen years."
She turned to the Elder, "Take care of them and the same goes for you and the pack leaders. Call if you have any questions or need any help." She nodded and glanced at the priest.
He looked at them, "I'll say prayers for you this evening. As asked my card is inside. Call and I'll come and visit you." He nodded and when Lt. Olham left he followed along with the Enlisted. He might be an officer but his calling came first in many cases.
~~~ Two and a half years prior Pt 2
Holcum took a break and slurped down some of the lovely protein paste. He was reviewing what their status was and started standing down part of the crew and Marines to eat and relax for a short time. Danal and Jace were doing a good job with the inventory though it was going to take time. The shuttles weren't small and were designed for extended operations since they were Marine shuttles.
As the others were taking care of business the shuttles had been scanning the landing bay and was generating a 3D rendering. Each time the scan ran again further details were added. The scans were in different frequencies and wave lengths. He'd instructed the crew to keep scanning until they had every possible nook and cranny identified. He glanced at the rendering and nodded to himself. One thing they did need to do was identifying what was in the various crates. There were a number of containers which were neatly stacked around the sides of the hanger bay.
He looked at his available troops and sighed. The Navy was still welding the door shut, squad A was still guarding the other entrance. C was manning the heavy weapons, and B was covering the second entrance. The second entrance looked like it was for crew to come and go and wasn't all that wide, "Team B, break up into two teams. One maintains watch on the entrance. Second team see if you can open the crates and try and identify what's inside. Avoid using explosives unless you talk to me first."
That would just suck. Use a small explosive and cause some sort of chain reaction and blow up half the hanger. That would just cap his day. Well, everyone's day. Even torching the doors to the containers open could be dangerous until they could identify what was inside, "As you open the crates and containers, scan any sort of labels or writing into the system." It might take time, but they might be able to get an idea of the written language. Hell, if nothing else they might find something of use. Right now, anything they could find of use would give them a better chance of surviving long enough to fuck with the captain of the ship.
As the crew was starting to settle into the orders and working, he had to consider what to do next. He wasn't going to simply sit around and not do anything. The question was which of the two usable entrances should they consider testing? Based on their current location they were near the hull. Two of the exits appeared to parallel the hull and they had no idea if they'd been damaged. It didn't help not knowing if the entrance doors were double doors serving as an airlock. If they weren't designed as an airlock and the p-way was exposed to space it could get sticky. What they might need to do was install one of the e-lock and once verified it could be removed.
The small entrance went into the ship and that might be a better choice. The one problem with that was only one person in armor could go down it at a time. So far, they hadn't come across any weapons which could do more than maybe scratch the armor. He didn't want to know if they had heavier weapons which could damage or penetrate their armor. His job was to do his best to ensure all his Marines, and the Navy crew made it home alive. If they couldn't do that, they had to spend their lives carefully to ensure the ship didn't move. So far, they hadn't translated to FTL though why he wasn't sure. He was going to make it his job to ensure that didn't happen. If possible, he was going to destroy any communications ability also. Not knowing how many ships or planets might be involved he had to do his best to keep any messages from being transmitted. If they were, he needed to keep them from finding the location of Earth. The longer he could delay them the more time it would give Earth time to get ready for a potential storm coming their way.
"All crew and Marines do not leave the shuttles unless you are in armor. Not knowing if there are any hidden weapons, I won't chance losing someone for something as stupid as stepping out for a stretch right now. Once we're sure all weapons have been identified and neutralized it might change." He didn't realize it was going to impact on the queen. If he'd known, he would've kept everyone in their armor at all times.
As he was passing out orders the queen was watching as much as possible on the few cameras, she had left in the landing bay. Thankfully one was focused on one of the two shuttles so she could see some of the comings and goings. She wanted to see what the aliens looked like, but they seemed to make extreme usage of a variety of bots. Several ones appeared to be some sort of repair bots since they were welding the doors shut. The first batch were obviously some sort of security bots. One question which was bothering her was the coloration of that one bot.
Considering the majority of the security bots were of a uniform gray color what did the blue and pink indicate? Did the bot controlling the others have a different set of colors and if so why? What was the purpose of it having different colors? If one bot was in charge or sent commands to the other bots wouldn't it be as simple as a code change. The smaller bots did have some color differentiation but nothing like the one bot. Even the shuttles were of a uniform color. It just didn't make sense to her.
Damage Control was already hard at work on repairs. She wasn't happy since it was going to take a good two weeks or more to make enough repairs to be able to jump to quantum space. It wasn't just the damage to the hull but damages to the power systems and subsidiary systems. The small fast shuttles of the others had either gotten lucky, it wasn't something she believed in, or their sensors were highly advanced. The weapons seemed to have been aimed at the locations which were most sensitive.
As she was contemplating the bots one of her servitor bugs was feeding her. She didn't even think as she was eating. As she was considering the bots one of her searches came back with a possible match. She kept eating as she turned to a different monitor and called up the information. She reviewed the information and if she could have, she'd have frowned. There was something familiar about the information given but she wasn't able to bring it to mind.
Based on what her systems were showing it was an energy weapon which used a type of dark matter. It was a very rare type of weapon due to the complexity of generating the dark matter and then controlling it. Only some of the most advanced species were capable of it. That was a concern to her since it indicated those who jumped were highly advanced. She would need to consider this and consider informing the other queens. Each queen has a section of space which belonged to them. If another queen entered the space without request there would be a fight for dominance.
The winning queen would take over the others territory. If the losing queen was still alive the winning one would subjugate the other and she would belong to the winner. The species the other had would belong to the winning queen also. Most queens were very careful about subjugating other queens because it could look to the others as if the one was looking to try and take over. The non-subjugated queens would come together and eliminate the other queen. The territory would be divided amongst those who removed the power-hungry queen.
If two queens needed to meet it would be at the edges of their territory and they were very careful. They might have the queens ship but there would be a number of other ships along with. Queens were very careful when meeting other queens. It was rare but it had been known for a queen to fabricate a reason to meet and try and take out the other to take over more territory. If a queen had to much territory, they'd hatch a junior queen to control some of the territory.
Even as she was considering contacting the other queens, she was trying to identify what species might have created the weapon. She keyed another command into her systems to list all species who had the abilities.
One of her other commands returned results. Based on what the computer was saying the weapons the bots had were very powerful. The rail guns were estimated to be able to accelerate a round as well over two or three times the speed of sound. It was very possible they had different types of projectiles. She didn't have any armor capable of stopping much less even slowing down the rounds. With the weapon with the short wide barrel the computer couldn't find a match. As far as the weapons which appeared to be integral to the bots, they were smaller but appeared to be similar to the larger weapons.
The armored airtight internal doors should hold for even a short time. She was going to need to consider ways to mitigate the power of the weapons. It was something which was going to require a great deal of consideration. She still wanted to know what the aliens looked like. Based on their use of the bot's chances were good they were a small frail species. Eliminate the bots and it should be very easy to take over the aliens. The hard part was taking out the bots.
As the queen was watching the activity in the hanger bay was remaining hectic. The door was almost finished being welded. Once they were done, he'd have them start looking for any viewing or sensors they might have missed in the rush of securing the hanger bay. Several more hours of work and he'd start standing down the crew and troops to eat and sleep. Water wasn't a problem as long as they were careful. It was recycled as used so they could take showers and have water to drink.
"Jg. Holcum, some of the crates appear to be unprocessed metals. They've been converted to bars but that's it. Looks like normal types of metal. Might make some good defenses to hide behind if they attack. We're still working on getting into some of the other containers." The crates were large and would take several of the troops in their armor to move but it was possible.
He left the shuttle and walked over to where the others were and looked into the large crates. It was as they'd said, raw ingots of metal. There were different types, but he wasn't worried. If they had a weapon which could penetrate the crate and the bars they were screwed anyways, "Good call. Start moving them to the other large door. If there are enough then the smallest door. Let me know when you're done and I'm going to start standing people down soon. Unless there is an attack, I'd prefer everyone fed and well rested."
One of the Marines gagged, "Think a rat burger would be better than that damn paste. The mashed potatoes and roast beef still taste like the pork and sweet potatoes, which tastes like crap. Well processed crap but still crap." The corporal groused.
Holcum had to make a slight face, "Even my cat agrees with you on that. Mind you when the cook on the ship gave us the protein stuff designed as a rat burger, I was a bit offended. Now? I'd cheerfully eat one or two. Wonder if they have rats on board? It would give us protein and extend our supplies." He slurped down some water since he was thirsty. Knowing anything with even some water was processed to keep the water tanks full wasn't pleasing but you did what you had to.
Over the radio there was a gag and a sigh, "Not sure about eating space rats. Who knows what we might catch from them even if well cooked? Might not make you sick but I'd hate to end up tossing my cookies or with my luck some other weird disease which made me like guys or something." She grumbled again.
One of the other Marines snickered, "Or both. That could be interesting. You do have a hot girlfriend."
Holcum wanted to facepalm but in armor it wouldn't do any good, "Down boys and girls. Focus on not dying before you focus on other issues. He examined his HUD and broke everyone up into groups of three, "I sent everyone a rotation schedule. First two teams off starts in two hours. Eat, sleep, do maintenance. For the moment we are running a schedule of six hours on per section. That is going to be tiring but may change soon. It depends on how the enemy reacts. Squad leaders send a report to me on where you are with the orders."
He started walking around the hanger bay and looked at everything in the room. It wasn't just the containers but checking for any sort of openings including additional potential entrances. Partway through the inspection he felt the bonds break and he froze. He'd already blocked the bond, but he felt it break and even knowing Mila was alive and would have their kittens didn't help much. He clenched his jaw and struggled not to scream. It was worse than he'd expected, and he felt that piece of her ripped from his mind.
Jace felt his reaction, "Holcum, come to the shuttle. You need to take some time to deal with the broken bonds. Right now, you won't be able to focus or function. If needed I'll talk to Cmdr. Wild and have her make it an order." He couldn't do anything for Holcum since it would require changes to the world threads which would have very wide-ranging effects. Some would be very bad.
"Staff, you're in charge. The Enterprise just translated to FTL and the mating bonds broke. I need to lay down for a time." And maybe scream his lungs out for a time. He barely made it to the closest shuttle before he folded his head armor back and barfed. Thankfully Jace was already holding a bag for him. By the time he was done it felt like he'd turned his stomach inside out, "Thanks."
He backed into his armor slot and ensured it was connected before he opened it and backed out. Jace and one of the others helped him over to a folded-out cot. Holcum laid down, "Need something to cover..." Jace draped a cold cloth over his eyes, "Sometimes I hate you Jace. At least wait for me to ask before you do something damn it."
Jace laughed at him, "Deal with it or I'll change your fur and hair color." He rested his hand on Holcum's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze, "Try and get some sleep. I'll wake you if needed. Danal or I'll be here when you do wake." He tweaked Holcum's world threads and moments later he was snoring, "Poor bastard. Maybe I should say poor bastard who took us. He's bad enough normally but now? Can you say a Liger blender?"
Danal laid down on Holcum's chest, "Will take care of him. Wake when he does." She closed her eyes and was quickly asleep.
~~~ Sanji and Carol's Alpha
When Sanji and Carol originally made it to their Pack they searched out the Luna and damn near crawled in her lap. Both started crying due to how Mila was doing.
The Luna was somewhat startled, but she could tell they were horribly upset, *What's wrong? What has you so distraught? Problems with the cruise?* They'd been expecting them back much sooner than they'd been.
Carol finally answered, *Mila Whitewater lost her mate due to being captured by some aliens. We had to leave the system without them, and it sounded like they ended up in a firefight. It hurts Luna. Goddess it hurts so much. Only reason she's still with us is because she had kittens to care for.* They kept crying out their horror at what she was going through.
She was horrified by what she'd been told, *Zander, come to my office please. It's urgent and Sanji and Carol need us. They informed me Mila Whitewater lost her mate while underway. They need our attention.* She was holding them as close as possible.
Zander stiffened since it hadn't been on the news, yet which made him wonder, *Give me a few minutes. If you want take them to the suite and I'll be up in a minute.* He looked at his senior Beta's, "Excuse me. Two pack members need my attention. It doesn't get spread around but it appears Mila Whitewater lost her mate during the cruise. Sanji and Carol are horribly upset. We'll pick this up tomorrow. Brandon, you're in charge for the moment." He stood and left his office and headed towards the suite.
He stopped one of the junior wolves, "Tell the cook to send four of his best meals to my suite. I have two very upset wolves I need to deal with. Thanks." He ran up the stairs and to their suite. He entered quietly and closed the door behind him, "Come here Carol and let me give you a good hug." Zander held his arms out to her.
She stood and slowly moved over and into his arms. She was still crying, *We thought we were going to lose her Alpha. I think the only reasons she didn't was because of her kittens and the Marines and other supernatural loved her into living. We almost never left her alone. The Marines set up several mattresses in their lounge and there were usually three or four Marines curled around her. They helped her with the kittens including diapers. Well most of them. There were some who just couldn't do them.* She gave a watery laugh, *Watching a senior Marine gag and vomit when he tried was rather amusing.*
Zander gave her a light squeeze, "Proud of you both. I hope you ensured she knew she'd be welcome here if she needed to get away." He'd look the Pride up and give the leader a call and extend an invitation. If nothing else, he'd have Carol and Sanji flown out to spend time with her.
Sanji gave him a quiet laugh, "Alpha, every Marine and the pilots of the White Fire flight offered. They said even if they weren't home, they'd ensure their family knew about the invite. I'd also like to contact Jace and Danal's family and invite them out. We lost them also. If nothing else, we're going to go and visit."
"I'll give them a call in the morning. Right now, relax in our comfort and food will be here soon." He'd given both a good look and both looked somewhat on the thin side. His assumption was their grief was keeping them from eating enough and he was going to do his best and stuff them full and tuck them in, "The pack is grieving for you and your loss. Now, we're going to take you into the tub and soak with you. I can see how your sadness has impacted on you and we are going to take the time needed to comfort you and help you recover as much as possible." He ran his hands up and down Carol's back.
One of their junior wolves quietly walked into the bathroom and started the water. Based on their scent and sadness she added some salts to help them relax and feel better. Scent was very powerful for wolves and it would help them. She pulled some towels out and smiled as her mate quietly brought night clothing for Sanji and Carol from their rooms.
It would take a bit of time to fill the tub, but they could get in whenever they wanted. Even if it was after they ate the water would be kept at the best temp due to built in heaters. Once everything was ready, she gave her mate a good hug and both held each other for a time as the water was filling the tub. They finally moved away from each other and walked out of the bathroom, "Alpha, Luna, Sanji, and Carol the bath is filling. There should be plenty of time to soak before the food is ready. We'll be here in case you need anything."
Sanji slowly stood and walked over to them. He gave both a good hug, "Thank you. We shouldn't need anything but thanks. We should be fine with the Luna and Alpha. Unless they need anything relax with your mate until dinner time." They weren't all that much more dominant, but they weren't junior wolves or they wouldn't be officers.
The next morning Haskin slipped out of bed and grabbed some clothes before heading to his offices. Both wolves were still deeply asleep, and he didn't want to disturb them. They needed the sleep and food would be brought up when they did wake.
Once he reached his office he changed and set his sleep shorts on the couch and would take them up later. He settled behind his desk and quickly found the number to the Whitewater Pride. He placed a call and when answered asked for Raven or Leo. It sounded odd the women were in charge but then again cats were odd to most wolves as it was.
He was passed over to Leo, "Morning Alpha Drax, how may I help you?" He knew who he was since Mila and Holcum had introduced him to the two wolves.
He howled for a moment, "My deepest sympathy for the loss of your son. Sanji and Carol informed me of his loss yesterday. I'm calling to give you my sympathy but also to invite Mila out if she needs a change of scenery or to see if it would help having my wolves come out for a week to be with her."
Leo looked down and then back up, "Not sure when Mila might be ready to visit anyone, but I know she likes and cares for your wolves. If they wish to come out let them and we'll take care of them. I know how much they and many others helped her. I can't see her leaving the Pride to visit anyone for several months. We have several Marines and Pilots here helping. A few more won't be a problem. I was going to call Jace and Danal's family and invite them out also. Jace and Danal were Pride friends and we'll do what we can to comfort them."
"Understood and understandable. Most who lost their mates yet remain behind rarely leave the pack or pride for months or even years. I know Mila and even Nacy have been invited to a number of homes to spend time and relax as much as possible." He sipped on his coffee, "If they want to come out we'll cover the shuttle flight." He was doing his best to show a positive side.
"We were going to invite his family out also. In this case, since they are Pride friends invite them out and we'll do so later. I'm going to let you go since I do have work to do. Right now, my two wolves are sleeping with the Luna. Later Leo." He disconnected.
~~~ Leo contacts Janel's pack
Once they disconnected, he leaned back in his chair and considered what to do. He had a feeling Jace's family was at the pack for support. The pack would have extended an offer for them to come out and relax and be comforted. He finally called up the pack information and placed the call. It was quickly answered since it would show the call was from a Pride leader. It was how wolves thought, "This is Assistant Pride Lead Leo. I need to talk to Alpha Lorn. Please connect me with him."
Moments later he was looking at the Luna, "My mate is dealing with Jace's family. How may I help you Leo?" He was getting them settled in with the help of the Elder and Enforcer. He'd been informed by his Enforcer about the mating pull with Sarah.
"I wish to extend our wishes for them to come out when they are ready. Their son and his mate were Pride friends and I'm sure they'd love to meet Mila and Nacy's kittens. We, all of us, need to provide support to the families of those lost and those impacted. Nacy's family has been flown out and are helping but I think having Gladys and her children and mates here would be helpful also. Let them know they are invited out and we'll cover the flight and any bills the time off might generate. They might as well be family."
Haskin lifted his head and howled for a moment, "They are here, and I'll let them know of the invite. You are right that we need to support them. They are my family also, so I do understand. You and your Pride have our deepest sympathy for the loss. I'm going to let you go and talk to them. They were just informed of the loss. Please excuse me Leo."
"Take care of them until they feel they can come out. Give them our love please." He disconnected.
~~~ Mila in her room
When she walked into her new suite, she found Holcum's dress uniform was hung as asked. It was in a box similar to the shadow boxes. It had been neatly folded, so it was showing from the waist up and had his awards, recent command name on it and his rank and name. Above the box was his dress sword parallel to the top of the box.
She also found there were mounts on either side which she assumed was for the shadow boxes. She was almost clenching them to her chest as she was looking at his uniform. Her friend, Cassie, wrapped her arms around her even as Luke walked in and gave her a light hug.
He leaned back, "Mila let me hang them for you. His on the left and yours on the right. I'll be very careful to hang them, so they won't fall. Will you let me do it for you?" He waited to see what she'd do. How those who lost mates reacted was erratic at times and he wasn't going to push.
She leaned back against Cassie and finally, slowly released her grip on the shadow boxes, "Please. I can't do it." It was getting to much for her.
He gave her another hug before taking the boxes from her and set one on the bed before hanging the first up. Once he was sure it was mounted solidly he hung the other. After ensuring both were straight, he lightly touched them, "It's a good picture of him. We are going to curl up with you and hold you Mila.
There were several more mounts since some of the certificates were going to be framed and hung. The Pride deserved to know what they'd accomplished. It was also the retirement certificate, awards, and others.
Cassie gently urged Mila towards the bed, "Come and relax for a time. We're here for you Mila." She settled on one side even as Luke settled on the other side. They held her as she started crying again. Raven had contacted them, so they knew this morning was going to be hard on her.
Even as they were comforting Mila, Nacy's parents were relaxing with her and her two kittens. Her father grumbled when he was bit by one of them. Sulong snickered at him, "The kittens seem to like the taste of man blood. I've been bitten several times the last few months." He was going to call his family soon. It'd been two weeks and he needed to talk to them. He was going to go home and get away for a time. The emotions were starting to really hit him and hard.
Her father snorted, "I remember one time when I was holding a certain child while her mother was getting ready to nurse. Shocked the fudge out of me when she noticed my nipple and nailed it. I damn near screamed like a girl it was so unexpected. It didn't help having my wife laughing her ass off at me." He glared at Nacy for good measure.
She made a face, "Not information I need toknow. I might go and scream in horrornow." She returned the glare even asseveral others snickered at her. Thereceived a glare for good measure.