Address criticisms to [xazqrten@cox.net] ****************************** It was Monday morning, and the President’s cabinet members were getting comfortable. Walter Egan, Secretary of Defense, was just taking his first sip of his coffee when President Luchenko entered the room. “Good morning, Walter. How was your date with General Wayne?” “With all due respect, Madam President, It wasn’t a date. I rode along with her when she flew down to engage the present class of the Top Gun School.” “How did she do?” “She made them look like untrained children. For some reason, she simply makes them look terrible. She could kill all of them and never even have to try hard.” “It seems that a number of people have made that ride with her. I think I’ll do the same. After all, I should know what my best fighter pilot can do.” “I’ll set it up, ma’am.” ****************************** Colonel Pearson looked at the display. “You have to be kidding, major.” “No sir. I’m not. Secretary Egan sent the word down that she wanted to make the trip. You should be getting the official notification sometime later today your time.” “When does she want to do this?” “The proposed date is 11 December. It’s the earliest that she can work it into her schedule. I understand that General Wayne is going on a tour of her outlying installations over Christmas and New Year holidays. So, it’s either then or she waits until sometime in January. The campaigning for reelection will also be gearing up then. You do see her position.” “Yes. I’ll be waiting for the official notification. Somehow, I feel like I should get combat pay for mentioning this to General Wayne.” “Better you than me, Colonel Pearson.” ****************************** 10 November: Susan had just finished reading the morning message traffic. One message concerned President Luchenko’s desire to do the TGS tour. Even though she had a month to get into the proper frame of mind, it irritated the hell out of her. She looked at the communications display. “I see. Leave a message for General Cone that I want to see him in my office next week. He can pick the day, but I expect it to be before noon next Friday.” “I’ll give him the message, sir, but he is extremely busy, lately,” replied the image. “So it seems, sergeant. So it seems.” Susan no sooner hung up on the sergeant than she directed her secretary to get the director of senior/flag officer assignments on the line. She was convinced that if General Cone was too busy to see her, he needed to be moved to a less strenuous job – something that would allow him to have free time. While she was entertaining that train of thought, her phone rang. The face looking out of the display at her was unfamiliar to her; however, the rank insignia wasn’t. “What can I do for you, colonel…?” “Colonel Burks, Inspector General’s (IG) office, General Wayne. I need to meet with you at your earliest convenience, if possible, sir.” “Name your poison, Colonel Burks.” “This afternoon in your office, sir?” “Is 1300 hours too soon?” “No, sir. I’ll see you then.” Susan hung up and immediately summoned Colonel Pearson. Pearson appeared in her doorway almost immediately. “Something wrong, General Wayne?” “You tell me, Mark. I have a colonel from the IG office coming to see me at 1300 hours today.” Pearson was obviously caught unaware. His surface thoughts were in a turmoil wondering what an IG colonel could possibly want with his CO. “I’m sorry, general. I don’t have a clue.” “Thank you, Mark,” Susan said in dismissal, obviously distracted by something. ****************************** Colonel Burks looked at Susan from across her desk. “I get the impression that you aren’t too pleased to see me.” “I don’t even know you, colonel. I did a quick background check on you, after we talked earlier today. You seem to be genuine. Exactly what brings you here?” “Actually, you do. Let me explain, please?” Susan motioned for him to continue. “You initiated investigations into the business operations of several corporations, one of which is Playton Aviation Industries.” “That was barely two weeks ago.” “I know. It seems that your people found something that didn’t track. They immediately notified us and turned over what they found to us. It’s our ball of wax now.” “Are you going to enlighten me, or am I part of the problem?” “Not all, general. There are some very questionable things going on there with the SF-400 program. The immediate questions are when did they start and how? Have you reviewed the SF-400 contract?” “I’ve read it through, but I’m not a contract specialist. I had a meeting with some of the people involved with the program’s administration. General Cone didn’t attend the meeting.” “No, you aren’t, but something in the contract and/or the meeting must have struck you as a bit odd, or you’d never have had your people take a look at it. The people working for you are very, very sharp. They don’t seem to miss anything – much to the chagrin of the people they’re investigating.” “So, what are you investigating?” “How the various contracts are being administered and how some of the more recent ones have been let; also, there seems to be some missing money – a lot of missing money.” “I’ll help any way I can. What do you want me to do?” “For the time being, leave General Cone where he is. Considering you had a meeting with a group of people who would like to see the SF-400 program shut down, and he has been in his billet several years too long, I figure you probably want to transfer him out, but it’ll help us more if you don’t.” ****************************** 12 November, in Susan’s office: Susan was reading the latest report on what was transpiring with the LtCol. King investigation. She was definitely feeling warm and fuzzy. When confronted with his own e-mails as evidence of his involvement with Nightwatch, King had begun talking almost non-stop. In order to try and save his own ass, he was willing to sell out everyone he had ever dealt with. It was almost as if King was the pivot point for many illegal activities. He wasn’t that important by himself, but his knowledge of his associates was astounding. Almost everyone he had named was willing to ‘cut a deal’ to save themselves by implicating others. Susan was amazed that he had managed to get under the radar of the original investigators. It made her wonder just who had been his protector. She was hoping that the present investigations would answer that question. She switched to reading a list recommending the acquisition of ten more members for her review committee. Every name on the list was an experienced accountant with a background in corporate accounts analysis; the kind of people who could wade through the accounting morass of corporations like Playton Aviation Industries. She signed the list and forwarded it to Colonel Pearson for action. As she tossed the list into her out basket, her phone rang. It was her secretary announcing that her agent, Brad Gordon, was holding for her. ****************************** Major Cone’s office: Cone read the message from General Wayne. She had essentially ordered him to come to her office. He was aware of her reputation and he, in spite of being a permanent two-star general, did work for her – her temporary three- star rank notwithstanding. He learned in his delving into her available background that she was a high- level telepath, and while he didn’t think he had done anything wrong, he didn’t relish the thought of her being able to detect it, if he tried to lie or shade the truth about his past activities. He considered what she had asked his support personnel and began to feel a knot of uneasiness start to grow in his belly. ****************************** It was Tuesday, 17 November 2266 and Susan was standing in the open hangar bay doorway watching the construction crew putting the finishing touches on what appeared to be a medium size sound stage. It would be used for shooting scenes for commercials and recruiting spots. She had been told that the first commercial would begin shooting on Saturday, 21 November. She was looking forward to the occasion. Brad Gordon had scheduled a meeting for Susan with her ghostwriter, Elaine Perry, for Friday evening. It would be their second meeting. Susan was also going to be meeting with Willard Eckland sometime during the weekend to discuss details for some music videos. It was beginning to occur to her that she had too many irons in the fire and she had no idea about how to cut back. According to her agent, the music that she had recorded in Eckland’s store was selling extremely well. She had received an invitation to appear on the music-video channel program “Upcoming Stars”. She had also received an invitation to appear the very popular talk show, “The Barry Kelly Late Show”. Brad Gordon was in negotiations for her to appear on several weekend news shows and the morning talk-news shows. Susan was going to be very busy between now and Christmas. She looked at her long-range schedule again and belatedly realized that she would be spending the Christmas and New Year holidays on the road, so to speak, visiting several orbital shipyards that came under her command. The new shipyard in orbit around Jupiter, repair shipyards orbiting Orion Colony, Proxima 3, and one that had been built as a joint project in orbit around Narn. She saw one bright spot in that schedule. It would allow her to spend time with Charles. She hadn’t told Mary, yet. It was going to be a family affair. Her quarters would be left in the care of the base housing authority. Her security detail would be living there while they beefed up their surveillance capability there and throughout the base. ****************************** Wednesday, 18 November: Susan looked across her desk at Major General Oliver Cone. She waited for him to speak first. She could see his anger in his eyes. “Why did you set the IG on me and my people?” “Actually, I didn’t, at least not directly.” “Either you did, or you didn’t?” “Don’t get testy, General Cone. I won’t stand for it. I could have just fired you outright – that’s still an option – but the IG asked me to leave you in place for the time being.” “Why would you want to replace me in the first place?” “Normal rotation. You should have been reassigned some time ago. My inquiries indicated that your next assignment should have been relieving General Zaleski. Maybe a better question is why didn’t JCS order you to relieve him. Why wait until I became available, especially considering I’m not in the supply business. Have you ever asked yourself that question?” “It never occurred to me?” “I read the SF-400 program primary contract and all its change clauses. After meeting with your people, I had some questions that they couldn’t answer. You didn’t bother to come to the meeting and you didn’t return my calls. I met with some people who think the SF-400 is a waste of time and money, which is nothing new. Since you saw fit to ignore me, I asked my investigative team to look into several programs that have very large budgets and beg not a few questions. They turned what they found over to the IG and JAG. I myself questioned the IG about what was amiss and they said it had to do with letting some contracts. That’s all I know. Would you care to fill me in, or do I wait until the IG and JAG finish whatever they are doing?” Cone didn’t immediately respond. As he thought the matter over, he realized she was probably telling him the truth as she understood it. Her telepathic abilities made him hesitant to try any explanations, because there were some things he wasn’t really sure about. “I think I’ll wait for the results of the investigations. Anything I say at this point will probably be taken out of context anyway.” “As you wish. Another item I wonder about is how did you escape being replaced by Nightwatch?” “I asked them that very question. Their response was that I made the perfect patsy. They replaced the contracting officer, who has real control of what gets paid, and they replaced my secretary with one of their own to keep an eye on me and report whatever I did. After Clark was deposed, the JCS left me in the position. I’ve done things a bit differently since then – all of which I’m convinced are legal – but as I’ve already said, I’ll wait for the investigation reports and conclusions.” “Fair enough. Thank you for coming, General Cone.” As she watched Cone leave her office, she wondered what she might have done if she had been in his position during the Clark administration. She conceded to herself that without actually having been in that position, her thoughts would never be more than idle speculations. ****************************** Thursday morning, in an Earthforce Intelligence office: Major Harold Brown studied the message thoroughly. It was the message finalizing President Luchenko’s trip to Stockton and her flight with General Susan Wayne. He had contacted personnel whom he was hoping to use for his project, immediately after having been given a copy of the first message that been addressed to General Wayne, outlining the president’s desire to accompany her on a flight to skirmish with the Top Gun School (TGS) students. His present plans called for him and his associates to attack her shortly after she and General Wayne finished their exercises with the TGS students. His sources had assured him that General Wayne’s fighter would only be armed with its thirty-millimeter cannon and standard training ammunition. He and three of his associates would be flying AF-328 standard configuration fighters, while the remainder would be flying four F-350 fighters, and the second prototype SF-400. He and his associates would be armed with AA-3475 Reliance medium-range air-to-air self-guided missiles utilizing 20Kg vice standard 10Kg warheads. In addition to its missiles, the SF-400 would be armed with a new pulse cannon. He smiled to himself. The AA-3475 was a good missile, but the heavier warhead and modified tracking system were EA Intelligence additions and not known outside that entity. His only regret was that he would not be able to see either President Luchenko’s or General Wayne’s faces as they realized that they were doomed. ****************************** Thursday evening, Susan’s quarters: Reading the scripts for the commercials was similar to what she did for the Voice of the Resistance (VoR) broadcasts; the differences being that she hadn’t written or edited what she was presently reading. She stood in front of her full-length mirror and repeated the dialogue she had just memorized. She changed her stance with each repetition. She had been rehearsing for about thirty minutes when she heard a voice from the direction of the doorway. “Not bad, Susan, considering you’ve never done anything quite like this,” said Mary Evans. “We’ll see, Saturday. Reading the news on the VoR broadcasts was entirely different.” “How? You were selling something then; it just wasn’t lipstick.” Susan sighed. “I suppose so. I’m not sure I like where this making commercials is going.” “Why not? They aren’t asking you to do anything to compromise yourself.” “True enough, but I’m still not happy about it. Do you realize they want me to play my adult self, if they make a movie out of my autobiography?” “Sounds like a winner to me. Properly made up, you might even pass for a college freshman.” “You are daft, Mary.” Laughing, Mary replied, “We’ll see.” ****************************** Friday, 20 November 2266: Susan had received and read the file that was her ghostwriter’s first efforts at putting together her autobiography. She was pleased with the woman’s efforts. Looking across the table as she took a sip of coffee, Susan said, “I’m impressed with your first draft, Ms. Perry. You’ve gotten the tones of the characters’ personalities pretty accurate.” “I still haven’t got all the interviews I wanted. President Sheridan and Delenn have granted me time, but getting to Minbar isn’t the easiest thing to do.” “I’ll be going that way in a few weeks, you’re welcome to accompany me. You can work on the trip.” “Will you be available for consultation?” “I think I can arrange that. Besides, I’ll have some more information for you by then.” “I’ve researched your background until I’m worn out and written what I think is, so far, one hell of a ‘bio’. Some of the things you’ve done border on the impossible, but they’re all well documented. I’ve studied a number of people over the years, both living and dead, but you are by far the most interesting.” ****************************** 0600, Saturday, 21 November, in Stockton: Susan had finished her early morning workout and showered before showing up in the hanger that was doing duty as a soundstage. Upon her arrival, she was hustled into ‘wardrobe’. “You need to change into these clothes, General Wayne,” said Jorge Norton, her wardrobe attendant. “Please, call me Susan. I’m only General Wayne when I’m functioning in my official capacity.” “Only if you call me Jorge.” Susan smiled, “Deal. Now, do I keep my own underwear, or do I need to change it too?” “You need to change your bra. It doesn’t match the outfit you will be wearing first. Besides, I need to check the fit. If necessary, the seamstress can make adjustments while you’re in make-up.” Susan removed her bra without giving it another thought. Jorge commented, “Nudity doesn’t seem to bother you.” Susan turned toward him and took the offered undergarment. “When you’ve gotten used to sharing shower facilities with a bunch of fellow pilots, modesty isn’t a big deal anymore,” she replied as she fastened and positioned the garment. “It’s rather sheer, isn’t it?” “It’s all part of the image they want to project. I understand you’re thirty-six years old. Take it from me, Susan, you have a body and figure that women half your age would actually kill for.” “I suppose it’s genetics. I work out, but it has to be more than that.” “I’ve seen videos of some of your workouts. Your regimen would leave most people begging to be taken to the emergency room. You’re unbelievably strong for a female. You’re extremely strong when compared to eighty or ninety percent of the men I’ve ever met. If I weren’t gay, I’d be a drooling mess, after seeing you like this.” Susan chuckled at the last statement. “What do you think? Is this fitting correctly?” “Now try the skirt and blouse.” Susan complied. “This outfit is almost see-through.” “That’s the operative word, almost. It’s meant to get the target audience’s attention. Believe me, you will do that. Try on the shoes, please?” After putting on the high-heel shoes, 12-centimeters if they were a millimeter, she walked around the room. “Well?” “Wait a moment,” replied Jorge, and then he stepped out of the room. A minute later, Jorge returned with the producer in tow. Gary Hill, the producer for the commercial, took one good look at Susan and whistled so loud it was heard throughout the building. “Susan, you are killer gorgeous!” “As long as I look acceptable.” “Oh, you do. Believe me, you do. Are any alterations needed?” Jorge nodded his head and replied, “No. It all fits perfectly. She can go to make-up.” Susan took off the shoes, skirt, and blouse. “If you don’t mind, I’ll keep the bra on. It feels good.” Jorge smiled and took the offered clothing. “No problem.” Hill looked at Susan as she put her own clothes on. “I think we might just give you the clothes used for this series of commercials, Susan. We don’t usually do that, but you and your agent have been so damned easy to work with.” “I’ll never be a diva, Mr. Hill. I’ve seen too much to be self-obsessed.” “So I understand. I’m looking forward to your autobiography. I keep hearing little snippets - you know, pieces, just enough to whet ones appetite for more.” ****************************** On the way to Make-up: Susan smiled. “I’m not responsible for those snippets. I have a feeling the publisher is trying to drum up interest in it.” “Well, it’s working. Everyone I know wants to get their hands on a copy. Do you know how long it’s been since there has been anyone who could be called a real hero has had their life story published?” “Actually, no.” “I don’t know either, because I can’t remember it.” Susan and Hill entered a room labeled Make-up. There was a male-female make- up team waiting for her. The female waved her into one of the two barber style chairs available. “Good morning, General Wayne. I’m Les Fuller,” said the male. “This’s Dale Reed, my partner. The first thing we need to do is remove the make-up you’re wearing.” Susan sat down in the offered chair and said, “Note to make-up personnel, I’m not wearing any make-up or lipstick.” Both of the make-up specialists looked at her very closely, then they looked at Hill. “She’s got perfect skin, Gary. How do you manage it, General Wayne?” asked Reed. “Call me Susan and I’ll tell you my secret.” “Okay, Susan; deal,” replied Fuller. “I’ve spent the last eighteen years on starships and space stations. In short, I’ve had very little exposure to natural sunlight and the ultraviolet rays that come with it. Also, I was never a sun worshipper when I was a child.” “It has paid off handsomely,” said Reed. “It makes our job a piece of cake.” “You seem to be getting popular in a hurry, Susan. I’m needed elsewhere. I hope we can talk more later,” said Hill. “We can do that,” replied Susan. ****************************** Susan was still in the make-up chair when the male model to be used in the commercials entered the room. She looked at him, but said nothing. The image he projected turned her off completely. His stance, expression, and overall aura were that of someone who was in love with himself. She wasn’t disappointed in her assessment. The first time he spoke his voice tone made it obvious her first impressions were correct. “Are you the female half of this commercial?” “I’m not sure. Why do you ask?” “You look like the type they like to use.” “Really. What type is that?” “Lots of looks; lots of tits and ass; short on brains.” “Ah! I see what you mean. Exactly what are your qualifications for this job? I mean besides the male model look?” “I do a lot of this kind of work. I’ll have you know I’m a very accomplished professional.” “I don’t doubt that for a minute. This is my first commercial.” He sat down in the other make-up chair. “Let’s get busy. I want to get this over and done with.” “I never got your name,” said Susan. “You’ve got to be kidding or are you that much out of touch with reality.” “Since I don’t know you, I think it’s a legitimate question.” “Bret Juner. I can’t believe you haven’t heard of me.” “Welcome to the real world, Mr. Juner. Do you know who I am?” Twisting his nose, he replied, “I have no idea.” “For starters, I’m the brainless female who’s going to get your ass fired off this job. If I have my way, you may find your services are not as much in demand as they used to be.” About that time, Gary Hill walked into the make-up room. “Mr. Hill, is it possible to arrange for this arrogant ass to vanish from this set, permanently?” “Why?” “I don’t like him or his attitude.” Hill looked at Juner, “What’s she talking about?” “He said the only reason she was on this shoot was that she was ‘lots of looks; lots of tits and ass; and short on brains’,” said Reed. “Gary, I was just putting her in her place. She didn’t even know who I am.” “Did she ask?” “Yes.” “How did she ask?” “Politely.” “How did you answer her?” Juner remained silent. “I thought as much. Do you know who she is?” “No.” “Let me introduce you to Lt.Gen. Susan Ivanova-Wayne. She is in command of most of the west coast Earthforce installations and some shipyards scattered throughout the Earth Alliance. Do you know her now?” “Uh, yeah. I’m sorry, General Wayne.” “I don’t ever want to see you again, Mr. Juner.” Hill looked at Juner, who was not looking so arrogant now. “You can go, Bret. We won’t need you on this project.” Looking at Susan, Hill said, “We have several commercials to shoot that don’t have men in them. We’ll shoot those scenes first and I’ll get a replacement for Juner.” “Thank you, Mr. Hill.” “Please, call me Gary. I assume you are ready to go.” “I’m waiting for you and the director to tell me what to do.” Hill started to leave and said, “Get out, Bret. Susan doesn’t want to see your face again.” As Juner got up to leave, Reed and Fuller stuck their tongues out at him. ****************************** Juner was outside the building and walking toward his car when he met his agent, Marvin Calis, coming in the opposite direction. “Where are you going, Bret? Aren’t you supposed to be in make-up?” “Why are you here? I was canned off this project. I’m gonna wanta sue Gary Hill and company.” “I’m here to watch the shoot and see whether the Wayne woman is any good. Why were you canned?” “I had a run-in with the Wayne woman?” “Really. Some of my friends have met her and say she is quite nice, very intelligent, a real looker, and she has no patience with fools. What stupid thing did you say or do?” “I was pissed off that she didn’t know who I am and I told her that she only got the job, because she was all tits and ass and brainless. I didn’t have a clue as to who she was.” “Do you have one now? Clue, I mean.” “Yeah. She doesn’t want to see me again, ever.” “She’s obviously oblivious of your natural charm…Oh, that’s right, you don’t have any. Let’s go see Gary.” ****************************** Juner and Calis found Gary Hill on the set of the first scene to be shot. Hill saw them first and approached them. “I told you to vanish, Bret.” “Let’s step outside and talk, Gary,” said Calis. Hill followed the two men out of the building into the early morning sunlight and said, “What’s on your mind, Marv? Your boy shot himself in the head a few minutes ago. He badmouthed and insulted General Wayne in front of the make-up staff. She wasn’t too damned impressed with him.” Holding up his hand to stave off an immediate response, he continued, “She’s calling the shots. It’s because of her that this project is being done. Earthforce Headquarters is allowing her to participate.” “We have a contract, Gary.” “I know. I suggest you read the fine print on the modification clause very carefully. It’s not the standard spiel.” “Exactly what do you mean?” “It says that the Earthforce representative, that would be Lt.Gen. Susan Ivanova-Wayne, has final approval over all aspects of the project, including all production staff and contract artists. Specifically, anyone not deemed acceptable for any reason will be dismissed and their contract terminated with all salaries earned up to that point being immediately payable.” “I read it, but I didn’t get that from it.” “Come around back to my office trailer; I’ll give you a drink and show you what you missed.” ***************************** In Hill’s trailer, Juner and Calis nursed drinks while Hill pulled a folder from a file cabinet. He handed the folder to Calis. “Pull out the modification clause, that’s Appendix C, page 1A, then read it aloud.” Marvin Calis sorted through the contract sections and took out Appendix C. He looked over the first sheet and then turned the page and read the modification clause aloud. After he finished reading the clause, he looked at first Hill then Juner. “I missed this. On the surface, it looks like a routine clause. The dirt is hidden the wording and particularly the punctuation.” “Yeah, it’s a real gotcha, isn’t it? You can thank Jake Carns for that little touch. He’s the PAO for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at Earthforce headquarters. I think this is one neat piece of work.” “According to this, and we both signed it, Bret, you get paid for today and that’s all.” “I can still sue,” said Juner. “You can waste your money, Bret. But, it’s your money,” commented Hill. “You pissed off the wrong person this morning, Bret. Take your money and go home. I know Jake Carns. You don’t want him gunning for you,” said Calis flatly. “My sentiments, exactly, Marv. You can stay and watch the shoot, if you wish. You can watch too, Bret. Just stay out of Susan’s sight.” ****************************** 1100 hours, Saturday, November 21 Calis and Juner were leaving when Jay Kaul, the director of the commercials, approached them. “Hi, Marv, Bret. I’m sorry about Susan’s reaction to you, Bret. Gary told me you were watching the shooting. What’da ya think?” “She’s very good, Jay. It’s hard to believe this is her first time in front of the cameras,” replied Calis. “Actually, it isn’t. She was the face of the ‘Voice of the Resistance’ transmissions during the Clark period.” “I didn’t know that,” responded Juner. “Why am I not surprised by that statement, Bret?” asked Kaul. “Let’s not get started on that again, Jay. Everyone knows Bret doesn’t follow the news,” injected Calis. “We’re going to use some of these same shots in the Earthforce recruiting commercials. More bang for the buck, so to speak. We’re saving a fortune on space rental by using this facility,” said Kaul. “Good luck with the project, Jay. I’ll see you later,” said Calis. ****************************** Calis and Juner continued walking toward their cars, while Kaul headed back to the sound stage area. “I hope you realize how much your mouth cost us this morning, Bret.” “How’s that?” “These commercials are going to be shot over the next year or so. There is talk of a movie about the general’s life. It’s just possible that you would have had a steady gig for the next year or so. I figure that you may have trashed the possibility of future earnings of a million or so credits this morning, maybe even more. The exposure would have been one hell of a boost for your career. This woman knows a lot of powerful people. She can shut your career down like water puts out a grass fire.” Juner didn’t reply to the statement. ****************************** As he walked back to the sound stage, Kaul thought about Juner to himself, [What an idiot. It wouldn’t be so bad if he was a third as good as he thought he was. I won’t be using him anymore.] Then he thought about the morning’s shoot and Susan. [It’s hard to believe she is this good. A professional, if I ever met one.] His thoughts wandered to how she behaved with the crew. It was obvious that she assumed that they knew how to do their jobs and acted accordingly. A prima donna, she was not. Then he considered that she ran all the Earthforce bases on the west coast and much more, and realized that she didn’t need to prove anything to anybody. She really was someone very important. In spite of that fact, one wouldn’t know it to see her interact with his crew. She had directed the base galley to handle the catering for the entire shoot and smiled. It put money in the galley coffers and saved him a pretty credit at the same time. Not to mention that the food was first rate. A shout interrupted Kaul’s thoughts. “Hey, Jay! Wait a second.” Kaul turned to see who had called out to him. It was Jake Carns. He wondered what he was doing here. “Let me guess? You want to know what I’m doing here. I simply want to watch some of the shoot to see how General Wayne is doing.” “She’s doing just fine, Jake. She’s very good and she is every inch a consummate professional. I’m enjoying working with her, so is the crew.” “Just remember, she can be real hell on wheels, if the occasion arises.” “I don’t expect any problems. She knows what I want, and if she isn’t sure she asks. She doesn’t even mind a dozen retakes.” “I thought you said she’s good?” “She is, but having those different takes allows me to edit them and reuse them in other settings. I don’t have access to her services like I would a regular actress, so I have to make the best of my opportunities. I explained this and she understands. Remember, this is just a sideline for her. She already has a day job.” “Believe me, I know.” ****************************** Susan exited the building and looked around until she saw Kaul and Carns. “Mr. Kaul, the cast and crew are ready when you are. Hi, Jake. Slumming?” “No. Just satisfying my curiosity and checking on my idea.” “We’ll be there in a minute, Susan.” In a low voice he continued, “I told you she’s a pro. Get the job done, then play.” Susan was too far away to hear Kaul’s comment to Carns. ****************************** It was 1300 hours and the cast and crew were having lunch around the tables set up by the galley personnel. Jay Kaul stood up at his seat and said, “This is being catered by the base galley. Susan arranged it. I hope you have noticed the quality of the food. It’s several cuts above what I accustomed to receiving from the catering services.” Susan responded, “Jay’s paying for it, nonetheless. Nothing here is for free. The powers that be keep me on a short leash.” Jake Carns noted, “It should be pointed out that in this part of the world, she is the power that be in question.” Jake’s comment elicited laughter around the tables. Josh Nator asked, “Boss is it true that Bret Juner was fired off the project?” Gary Hill replied, “He insulted Susan very badly and acted like an ass toward her. I told him we didn’t need his services. Susan’s going to choose his replacement.” “I am?” inquired Susan. Kaul whispered to an aide who disappeared and returned a minute later with what looked like a scrapbook. “This book is head shots and full figure shots of a number of actors who might be free to work with you, Susan. I want you to look them over during lunch and pick out four or five candidates. I’ll have Gary contact their agents.” Susan took the offered book and opened it. “This is loose leaf. I’d like to pass the photos to the women here after I look at them and have them pick three candidates each. I’ll abide by their choice; after all, they know more about which ones might appeal to the average woman than I do.” “Deal,” responded Kaul. ****************************** The meal was ending, and Susan was tallying up the choices of male actors the other women had made. One of the women, a lighting technician, Juana Salas, asked, “Are you really a fighter pilot?” Susan smiled and replied, “Yes. I started out as a fighter pilot about eighteen years ago. I wasn’t quite nineteen when I entered flight training.” “Have you ever killed anybody?” “Unfortunately, yes. It’s more or less what being a fighter pilot is all about.” Gary Hill looked thoughtful, and then asked, “How many enemy pilots have you dispatched?” Susan said, “Jake. Why don’t you answer that one.” Carns hesitated, looked at Susan and the others at the tables. They were quiet now, little whispering, and no joking – just mostly silence. “Several hundred at last count.” Carns’ reply was greeted with total silence. “It’s not something I care to talk about,” commented Susan. “How much do you make?” asked Josh Nator. Without hesitation, Susan replied, “Base salary is seventy-five thousand credits annually; a hundred credits monthly for uniform maintenance and replacement; a hundred credits a month for rations in kind; two hundred credits a month flight pay, as long as I’m in a flying status; five hundred credits a month for housing. I forfeit the housing allowance because I have housing provided on base. I’m provided one steward/butler to assist in military matters at my assigned quarters. For that remuneration, I’m expected to run a military operation that has a two hundred billion credit budget, more that a quarter million employees, consisting of both military and civilian components, and several space borne shipyards scattered from here to the Orion colonies.” “Wow! That’s not very much,” was Nator’s reaction. “I’m glad you noticed that,” replied Susan smiling. “You should see what they want me to do for that pay.” “Okay, people. It’s time to hit it again,” said Kaul. As people left the tables, Kaul whispered to Susan, “I’m sorry about the questions.” “No harm, done. They’re curious. I know I would be,” replied Susan. “It’s not everyday, they get to rub elbows with a real life three-star general, Susan. They’ve seen you in uniform in some of the scenes we shot this morning, but it doesn’t seem real,” commented Hill. “Today, I’m not being a general. Today, I’m just another actress,” replied Susan. “True. They all seem to like you,” said Kaul. “As long as we get the work done,” responded Susan. “Whom did they pick?” asked Hill. Susan handed him three pictures that she had removed from the headshot album. “It seems that their choices pretty much matched mine. Maybe my tastes aren’t too much outside the mainstream after all.” “Why this one?” asked Hill. “He looks like the man who literally gave me his life, a member of the Anla’shok named Marcus Cole. Someone I didn’t appreciate until he was gone.” Susan walked away toward wardrobe. ****************************** Susan walked out of the modified hangar accompanied by Willard Eckland. He had showed up just before 1600 hours and had been cooling his heels observing Susan’s ‘shoot’. “You’re performances were impressive. You seem to be a natural and the camera loves you.” “It’s just a sideline. It only lasts until it interferes with my day job.” “I don’t think that’s likely to be a problem. After seeing what you’ve had done with this hangar, I’d like to propose using it to film some music video scenes.” “I take it you’ve broached this with my agent?” “Of course. You’ll be hearing from the video producers shortly. I say producers, because you’ll probably be filming several of them simultaneously. Due to your day job, we have to do a lot of planning before we even attempt to shoot anything. When we do shoot, it’s likely to be something like is has been today. It might even include some night shooting.” “This is beginning to sound like real work.” “Wait until you see some of the things they want to do on location. You’re going to be one very busy young woman.” “What do you mean ‘on location’?” “Some things can’t be shot on a sound stage. Don’t worry, the location shoots won’t interfere with your day job.” “Why don’t you come to my quarters? We can have a light supper and you can tell me some of the particulars of these music video ventures.” ****************************** Susan finished reading the last music video proposal and handed it back to Eckland. “You are serious about these. I won’t be a part of anything that makes me appear to be a ‘boy-toy’ or anything even close to that.” “They’ll be lost before we get around to shooting anything. I think it might help if the people involved in generating these ideas actually met you in person.” Susan thought about the idea for a minute. “Okay, but it has to be on a non- interfering basis with the other things I have going on now.” “It won’t interfere. It’s late and you have an early start in the morning.” ****************************** It was 1300 hours, Sunday, November 22, and Susan had just finished lunch. She was still sitting at the lunch table waiting for Gray Hill. He was supposed to be bringing the three actors who had been selected the previous day for use in the commercials she was filming. “Ready for the meeting, Susan?” asked Gary Hill from directly behind her. Susan got up and followed Hill to his trailer. Inside sat the three actors and their agents. Jay Kaul sat behind a small table in the middle of the group. Hill made introductions. “These gentlemen have a few questions of you.” Susan looked the group over carefully. She didn’t see anything that bothered her, so she said, “Ask away, gents. I’ll answer if I can.” The first to speak was Jeff Ganger, the agent for the actor who resembled Marcus, Kyle Nabor. “I’ve been reading the offered contract, Mrs. Wayne. There is a section that bothers me.” Susan waited for him to continue. “I have a problem with Appendix C, page 1A.” “Go on.” “Jay says it gives you the final say in firing personnel off the project.” “Yes, it does.” “I can’t in good conscience sign this or recommend that Kyle sign it either.” “I see. How about the rest of you? Do you think it needs to be changed? If so, how?” She wondered if they had read the entire contract, but if they had they would already know the answer to that question, but she said nothing. Ganger looked at Susan all the while he had been talking. He had seen her eyes harden when he had voiced his complaint. She looked so young and beautiful, and then there were her eyes, very hard, very unforgiving. He had never seen a woman with eyes like Susan’s - then again, he had never met Lyta Alexander either. Both of the other agent’s agreed with Ganger. “Have you contacted Jake Carns about this?” asked Susan, now realizing that they really hadn’t read the entire contract. “Not yet,” replied Hill. “He, not I, writes contracts. Exactly what part of that appendix bothers you the most, gents?” “It doesn’t enumerate the reasons you might use to fire them.” “You’re correct. It doesn’t. Are you familiar with what happened to Bret Juner?” “Jay explained it to us,” replied Ganger. “Do you have any heartburn with my reason for dismissing him?” There was no immediate response. She waited two full minutes. “I see. It’s been nice meeting you. Mr. Hill, I’ll use females instead of males in the commercials. They’ll work just as well that way, maybe even better. After all, it’s women we’re pitching to.” Susan turned to go and stopped and turned back toward the men. “Pay them for their time and trouble. Goodbye, gents, the meeting’s over. Mr. Hill, you can tell them what the job would have been worth to them after I leave.” Susan exited the trailer, leaving the actors and their agents looking at Gary Hill. ****************************** “What did she mean, Gary?” asked Ganger. “Didn’t you read the contracts? The monetary offers were delineated there.” “I didn’t ask her but one question. It’s not fair.” “It’s her marble game, gents,” said Kaul. “Jake Carns negotiated one hell of a contract for her with Worthym Cosmetics. She has been using their products all her life. From their point of view, she makes the perfect pitchman.” “She just blew us off without hesitating?” complained Kurt Hunt, the agent for Mark Dozier. “Do you guys realize who she is? I thought we made that clear,” said Hill. “You told us her name, Gary, and that’s all. You said she would possibly be involved in making a movie about General Susan Ivanova-Wayne.” “I should have been more specific. She is Lt.Gen. Susan Ivanova-Wayne. She doesn’t screw around. That’s why Bret was fired on the spot. You don’t tell someone like her that the only reason she is here is she has looks, tits and ass, and no brains. She takes it rather personal, especially when you do it in front of members of the crew,” explained Hill. “Your silence when she asked you how you felt about it conveyed the idea that you felt that Bret had been treated unfairly,” said Kaul. “If I’d heard about it and had the opportunity, I’d have fired his arrogant, sorry ass. There was absolutely no excuse for his behavior. He had no idea who she was.” “That’s different, Jay,” said Ganger. “It’s a moot point now. I’ll have funds transferred into your accounts to pay for your time and travel expenses. Just leave your account numbers with Bonny Graham on your way out,” replied Kaul. “I’m sorry to have wasted your time.” “You mean that’s it?” asked Nabor. “I’m afraid so, Kyle. The woman is all business. She doesn’t play ego games. Oddly enough, the entire crew has fallen in love with her. She is also a pleasure to work with,” replied Kaul. “I’ve got to go fellows, or she’ll be coming back in here and reminding me we have work to do.” Kaul had left, and Hill looked at the other men. “Your silence cost you all one hell of a lot of money. Is Bret Juner worth that much to you?” Hill left the men looking at one another as he left the trailer and headed back to the soundstage. ****************************** Ganger gave Bonny Graham his account number and asked, “Have you met the Wayne woman?” “Yes. I met her at lunch yesterday. Did you know she’s a fighter pilot? We asked her if she had ever killed anyone. This guy Jake Carns said she had killed several hundred enemy pilots during her career. You’d never guess that from being around her. She’s just so nice to everyone…except that arrogant asshole, Bret Juner. She fired his ass. Good riddance to bad trash if you ask me. She had us women pick out the men who would be working with her on these commercials. She agreed with our choices. That’s why you guys are here. Did you meet her, yet?” “Yeah. We met her,” said Nabor. “We’ll be faxing you the expense receipts for payment later this week,” said Ganger. Graham looked confused. “Aren’t you guys going to be working with us?” “No,” replied Nabor. “We weren’t what she was looking for after all.” Graham made no comment. She simply inputted the account information into the computer. ****************************** As the six men walked back to their rental cars, they ran into Susan, who was standing outside the soundstage talking into a cell phone. She was wearing her white Earthforce uniform. They could hear some of what she was saying from twenty meters away. It was obvious that she was in a serious argument with whoever was on the other end of the call. Susan was just finishing up the call when the men were about to pass her by. She noticed them, and said, “I think it’s my turn to ask you gents a real question.” The men stopped and looked at her. “Did you read the monetary offer part of the contract?” she asked. “Yes,” they answered as one. “Including Appendix D, pages one and two?” “What do you mean, Appendix D?” “It was added by Jake Carns at my insistence. I wanted the cast and crew to reap the benefits of whatever might be negotiated after we see whether the spots actually influence the gross profits of the pertinent division of Worthym Cosmetics. I thought it was a very generous gesture from a monetary reward perspective. What really makes me wonder is that you never even asked why Appendix C was added? You simply rejected it out of hand. It became obvious to me you hadn’t bothered to read the entire contract or you would have realized that Appendix F section 2 answered your questions about Appendix C. Jake has put the damned thing together the same way he would an Earthforce instruction manual. Everything doesn’t necessarily flow in order the way you civilians are accustomed to seeing such things. You should have had the contract reviewed by an attorney. Since you refused the contract, it’s a moot point. You should know that both Mr. Hill and Mr. Kaul have signed the same contract.” “They never said anything about the parts you just mentioned,” said Ganger. “I suppose they thought you were competent to read them through. Their error, your loss.” “You really are a Lt.Gen.,” said Kurt Hunt. “Of course,” replied Susan. “You were arguing with someone about a half-billion credits. That’s a hell of a lot of bread,” noted Mark Dozier. “It takes a lot of ‘bread’, Mr. Dozier, to overhaul the Ares. Replacing eight fusion reactors isn’t exactly cheap. CJCS was just telling me it’s going to have to be delayed for at least six months. An overhaul that was estimated to cost five hundred million credits is about to bloom out to an even billion give or take a few tens of millions of credits. That’s my department’s budget that is going to take the hit. I’m not a happy camper.” The men were silent for a minute, trying to get their minds wrapped around the figures she had just spoken about. It was then that they realized just how unimportant the contracts they hadn’t accepted were in her scheme of things. They knew the same could probably be said about the whole commercials project. For her, the commercials were definitely a sideline, a very unimportant sideline. “Could we talk about these contracts a bit later today, General Wayne?” asked Hunt. Susan got a lost look on her face. “I suppose so. It’ll have to wait until we finish for the day, though. Can you live with that?” “Most assuredly,” replied Hunt. “If you gents’ll excuse me, I’m holding up production. You are welcome to watch if you wish.” Susan then turned and walked back into the building. ****************************** “Let’s go back to Jay’s trailer and abuse his alcohol while we read these contracts over again,” said Ganger. The men then walked back toward the trailers. ****************************** END PART 37chapter 38or