Looking through her binoculars, Terra smiled as a slim finger was waved defiantly in her direction. She doubted either one of her bratty soldiers would realize it, but she felt only pride. Cadet and Sarah had breached enemy lines in plain sight without a single shot being fired. No small achievement for a couple of renegades.

As she watched them talk their way further into the camp, she felt a shift in the wind within her heart and mind. It was an instinct which told her that this was not the end of everything, but it was the end of the beginning.

From an awkward naughty cadet who could not pass a single test, to a confident and brave soldier, Terra had watched her charge grow up swiftly. Though she would of course have to have words with both Sarah and Cadet about drinking on missions, not to mention flipping off her position and potentially giving it away, she could not help but be proud of both of them.

The future held danger, and trouble. The success of their mission was not certain. She could not be sure that any of them would survive the day. That was the nature of their work. To go where they should not go, do things they should not do, and hope that in the end some greater good had been served.

She watched as Cadet and Sarah were escorted into the building, beyond the scope of her binoculars. From here on out, she would only know if they were in trouble if their emergency sensors were activated. If that were the case, Grisham and Gray stood ready to make entrances. Unlike the young ladies in their skimpy undercover clothing, they were armored and armed to the teeth, bristling with tactical weaponry.

For the moment, Terra could do nothing but reflect on her crew. Two young women so rebellious and out of place that neither of them would ever have been accepted into the military mainstream, and a pair of estranged lovers whose reconciliation seemed as inevitable as the clash of their strong characters. It was Terra’s honor to watch over all of them – and hope to the very core of her being that she would not lead them into more danger than they could handle.

Her mission had begun out of a desire to save those who shared her DNA, to right the horrible wrongs done to them and to herself. It had been a mission of mercy in the name of the genetic family she had been denied. But now, as she sat perched above the rebel base, listening to the strains of song Sarah and Cadet had started among them, she found that she had not been denied a family after all. This was a family. A messy, rebellious, naughty, troublesome family – all traits that made it as real as could be.

There was still one missing soul out there, a part of Terra which would remain missing until she was found. But when she did find her final daughter… she would have a home to bring her back to. A home where Sarah and Cadet bickered and squabbled and got themselves into trouble, a home where Gray brooked no nonsense and demanded the absolute best, a home where not so gentle giant Grisham made tea after well deserved spankings were delivered – a home where she would fit in even if she didn’t, because that was the kind of home it was.

*****

Thanks for reading!

I started this series way back in January, and it’s been a fun and exciting nine months or so. There are no doubt many more stories to tell of Terra and her motley crew, and I’m sorry to anyone who might be disappointed at the end coming so soon / suddenly, but due to some very whelming (not quite overwhelming, but well within the realm of whelmness) personal and professional commitments, I need to take a break. It could be a while, so I wanted to at least write something that felt vaguely endy-ish rather than just wandering off.

Also, as is expressed above, I really do feel as though Cadet and Terra have both come a very long way from where they were in the beginning of the series where readers played the role of the button pushing cadet. Though their stories are far from over, they might not have gotten exactly what they wanted, but they’ve gotten what they needed. Terra has the family she never thought she would find, and Cadet has the respect of the woman she adores, not to mention the career she worked so hard for. I can’t help but think that given enough time, Cadet may very well end up just as distinguished and decorated as Terra, if not more so.

Well, that’s it for now. Until next time, be well and stay bratty. (I know you will ’cause you can’t help it.)

-Loki

(P.S A Witch’s Love, which is effectively the 15,000 word ending of the Lesbia series is still available, it’s having some adjustments made to get it into the Lesbia series page where it belongs. I’ll tidy up the blog in a bit so it all makes sense. The Cadet series will stay online here and free to read.)