Regarding the Junior Non-Commissioned Officer's Benevolent Protective Association...
Lt. Spurgle and This Thing of Ours
Shaifennen Roeh might not be ten feet tall and bulletproof, but she is ten feet mean and ornery. She’s come up against bandits, snow-haints, skizzers, more bandits, and she’s whupped them all. As a freshly minted corporal in a newly formed militia, Shai learns there are some problems you can’t just punch, shoot, light on fire, or stab.
Problems like a brand-new Second Lieutenant who’s dumb and nasty as a leaky sack of runny cat poop, and nowhere near as useful…and who lives to make the life of one little supernumerary corporal miserable.
Oh, Shai could whup Lt. Alexandria Parker, no doubt about it, but that’d get Shai cashiered. Shai’s mother would then be very disappointed. Since Shai’s powerfully fond of eating solid food, she really doesn’t want to disappoint Mamma by getting drummed out of the militia.
Fortunately, Shai’s about to learn that the real treasure is the friends she’s made along the way. Particularly when those friends induct her into an ancient and mysterious order. This secret society has been known by many names. On Hesperides Colony, they’re known as The Junior Non Commissioned Officer’s Benevolent Protective Association.
On ancient Terra, they were called the E-4 Mafia.
Lt. Spurgle and This Thing of Ours appears in What! You Again?: The Spurgle Chronicles.
Delightful story, part of a wider universe and future novel I hope. I was a Navy man. If there was a junior mafia at all it was the E-5's. Many thought that paygrade E-5 was the best place to be. Not too senior, not too junior. Just right. Many were content to ride out 20 years in that paygrade. I always thought the best rank was Chief Petty Officer or Chief Warrant Officer. Still, the best paygrade is the one you are in, doing a fantastic job and the bosses like and respect you and push good things your way.