Page 12 of Desperate Measures

“Excellent. I need to head to campaign headquarters and beg for an assignment.”

“I have another job for you, one right up a teacher and school administrator’s alley.”

Toni narrowed her gaze at the gleam in Stacy’s eyes. “Oh?”

Her sister nodded to Kuran, who said, “It seems an Earther orphanage based in the Galactic Council’s territory, dating from Armageddon, was somehow overlooked by Earth, Kalquor, and the GC itself when all Kalquorians were ordered to leave council space and we determined Earthers should evacuate too.”

“A whole orphanage? I suggest you fire the accounting staff.” A thread of anger colored Toni’s words.

“It’s in a far-flung area of the Galactic Council, but yes, heads should roll over them being missed. Especially since the orphanage’s staff includes about a dozen Kalquorians, mostly Nobek protectors.”

Toni whistled. “How many children?”

“About five hundred.”

“Why are there Kalquorians there? Far-flung or not, the GC’s border patrols would have kept the orphanage safe from attacks.”

Stacy explained. “The Kalquorians were initially put in place to defend the children back when the orphanage was on Europa. My understanding is the men have long-term relationships with the predominantly female staff. Plus, they regard themselves as parents for those who haven’t been adopted or fostered.”

“I’ve heard it said, the children and adults see themselves as a family, rather than merely as dependents and staff,” Kuran offered. “In any event, the Kalquorians ignored the order to vacate GC space when they learned of it. They won’t budge unless the whole orphanage is moved elsewhere.”

“Here,” Toni guessed. “They’re being brought to Earth.”

“Secretly, at least if the Kalquorian fleet can sneak them from enemy territory.”

“I heard the border is nearly impassable for your people. How are they going to manage to evacuate an entire orphanage?”

Stacy and Kuran exchanged a glance. Toni was once more reminded of how she’d been edged out of her sister’s innermost confidences.

“Never mind,” she told them, plastering an understanding smile on her lips. “We don’t discuss the unspeakable. How do you figure me into the equation once they show up? I take it the orphanage has their own teachers.”

“True, but the law dictates instruction for children on Earth must adhere to certain standards. It’ll be up to you to determine if the orphanage falls in line. If not, you’ll work with the administrators to bring them up to date in a reasonable timeframe. Bigger picture, you’ll be responsible for making sure they have the resources they need, including beyond the educational sphere.” When Toni gaped at her, Stacy asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Setting aside the scope of this undertaking, I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

Stacy chuckled. “It’s a major job, but yes, I’m about to propose something even bigger.”

“Okay. I’m probably not ready but tell me anyway.”

Stacy leaned back on her desk and met her eyes. “The refugees coming from the Galactic Council are the tip of the iceberg. Thanks to the trouble on Mercy, we’re receiving a deluge of immigration requests.”

“Considering it’s a free-for-all there, I’m hardly surprised.” Riots had erupted after a plot by corrupt government leaders had been revealed. The colony’s infrastructure had vanished overnight.

“Requests from New Bethlehem are flooding us too. People have had enough of the Earthtique viewpoint and governments similar to what we had on the original Earth. They’re clamoring to come here, where they won’t have to fight every minute of the day to keep the freedoms they’ve enjoyed since we were forced to leave our home world.”

Toni glanced at Kuran to see his reaction. The ruling regime on old Earth had been the reason most of its major cities had gone up in nuclear blasts, but it had been the Kalquorian invasion that had unwittingly set them off. Armageddon, and the war between the two worlds preceding it, was why Earthtiques continued to despise Kuran’s race.

His return gaze was equanimous. Having faced his fair share of dislike from those he’d worked to protect until relinquishing the job to Mike Adams, he’d no doubt made his peace with the situation.

She winked at him and gave Stacy her attention. “Let me get this straight. You want me in charge of getting these incoming children up to speed as far as Earth’s educational standards are concerned?”

“Before these latest events, we had a twelve-person committee overseeing education. It was all we needed since we had projections of arriving students and educators. Our scheduled resident intake parameters were settled, and we had a plan.”

“Which blew up when the Darks absorbed the GC.” Toni swallowed the uneasiness in her gut.

Stacy huffed her agitation. “We can’t put off granting asylum to refugees from the Galactic Council and Mercy. We need entire departments to settle them, and we need them now. I’d like to put you in charge of education.”

Toni gaped at her. “In charge?”

---