Loader Girls

Lilly used this as a chance to address a couple of the now calmly resting loader girls, who had their power loaders parked in the walking trenches between the landing pads. Since the weather was hot, humid and mostly resembled a temperate oven, the tough looking women wore vacfoam bathing suits, and most if not all of their power loaders had cooling boxes. Those were kept fully stocked and one could find fresh sammiches, low-alcohol beer, hard cider or juice.

Many of their children were also roaming about, looking for chores, trying to make some credits in the spare time between whatever lessons their elders had provided for them. It was a wonderful way for the kids to both play together and earn some pocket money running errands for either their parents or some elder, too old to do simple menial stuff anymore. While their mothers were stomping around, piloting power loaders, moving cargo or resting, soaking up the sun, kids had as much fun as they possibly could.

Not that they were perfectly safe – such a thing did not exist for a Terran in this galaxy. 

Indeed, some would fall, scrape their knees, hit their elbows or maybe bump heads into something. Their faces, clothes and hands would get dirty, and after a long day full of play, learning and chores, they’d be tired. Something which their mothers and fathers will praise, for through this constant daily grind they became better, hardier persons.

You could not achieve anything worthwhile without going through hardship, without sweating and toiling for it. Terran kids learned this very early in life, they became stronger not only because it was necessary for the survival of their species, but because they embraced the whole process.

The loader girls shared a couple of amused looks, one of them chugging her ale, burping as she gave Lilly the thumbs up. These women knew what’s what and if anyone came here, to raid their homes and kill their families, they’d form a militia power armor battalion. There was a certain hangar, Dozan mentioned earlier of, where they now kept spare armor plating and weapons for their power loaders. Indeed, after equipping those, the loaders were combat effective, yet still not true power armors. 

That, however, was better than nothing and Applecrateans knew this oh-so-well.

This is an excerpt from my 6th Starshatter book, Final Liberation, which you can find here.