Address criticisms to [xazqrten@cox.net]

******************************

   Susan had spent almost an hour trying on various outfits at an upscale 
women’s clothing store. The elder Eckland had recommended the store. Susan was 
looking at herself in a full-length mirror.

   “What do you think, Charley?”

   “Sweetheart, everything you’ve tried on has looked devastating on you. Pick 
whatever you like.” Charley took another sip of the latte that had been 
provided by the saleswoman who was working with his wife.

   Susan and the saleswoman went to the counter just in front of the fitting 
rooms and began negotiating in earnest. Charley watched them and wondered how 
much this little operation was going to cost. He had looked at a number of 
blouses, skirts and pants and complete outfits. The cheapest thing he had seen 
was a blouse with a one hundred and twenty-credit price tag on the sleeve cuff. 
He was thinking that even a brigadier general couldn’t afford clothing in that 
price range. Then he remembered that Susan had not been spending much of her 
pay during the last few years. Then there was the obscene amount of money in 
her ‘legal defense’ fund, but she didn’t have immediate access to that.

   Susan decided that she needed a leather glove for her left hand. Playing the 
bass an hour before had left the fingers of her left hand smarting. She didn’t 
have the calluses an experienced practicing guitarist would have. As it turned 
out, the saleswoman was able to show her a dress style leather glove that was 
very close to perfect for her purposes. The saleswoman promised that Susan’s 
purchases would be delivered to the station BOQ before 1500 hours.

******************************
 
   It was 1430 hours when Susan and Charley returned to the music store. Brad 
Gordon and Willard Eckland were already in Willard’s office. Susan knocked on 
the door and entered when invited to do so.

   “Sorry I’m late, Mr. Willard, but Charley and I just enjoyed a very good 
lunch. Besides, I figured that you and Mr. Gordon would want to talk 
privately,” said Susan.

   “Willard has been making me an interesting offer. I’ve listened to a bit of 
what you recorded this morning and I’m inclined to agree with his proposal,” 
offered Gordon.

   “Which is?” asked Susan.

   “Instead of dealing with a big music company, he proposes that you do your 
studio recording here, that you use Dave Eiser’s band ‘The Play Around Boys’ 
for backup. He has someone in mind to do the production work and he has a 
distributor he can use,” replied Gordon.

   Susan looked at Eckland then at Gordon. “Whatever works for you, Mr. Gordon. 
Just keep in mind that my day job comes first and foremost. Any personal 
appearances, if they become a reality, will have to be done on weekends. The 
weekday evenings are going to be subject to my having to be places dictated by 
my Earthforce duties and they will probably be subject to change on less than a 
day’s notice.”

   “Considering who you are, Susan, I took that as a given. That’s one of the 
reasons why I want to do this thing myself. The other is that we’ll be keeping 
all the profits, whatever they may be, and we’ll retain freedom to record 
whatever we wish, and we’ll own the copyrights to all the music. It’ll take a 
while, but I think we’ll all be happy we went this way,” said Eckland.

   “I assume by your attitude that you and/or some of the people you have 
helped get started in this business have been screwed by the big labels,” said 
Susan.

   Eckland leaned back in his chair and looked first at Gordon then at 
Susan. “You have said it very nicely, Susan.”

   “I want to make arrangements for the woman who will be working on your 
autobiography to sit down and talk with you, Susan. She has already done a good 
bit of background work.”

   Susan handed Gordon three data crystals. “These should give her everything 
she needs. After she listens to these, I’ll make an appointment to meet with 
her. I assume she’ll have a large number of questions. I want you to make sure 
she understands that I want this book to be bare knuckles honest, warts and 
all, with no soft-pedaling of any of the character flaws revealed. When people 
read it, if anyone does, I want them to know who the real Susan Ivanova-Wayne 
is.”

   “There won’t be any problem with that, Susan. You will have final approval 
of what gets published,” replied Gordon.

   “What’s in the bag?” asked Eckland, referring to the small shopping bag she 
had set on his desk when she arrived.

   “It’s a pair of gloves,” replied Susan.

   “Gloves?” asked Eckland.

   “Playing this morning has left my fingers sore. These gloves will keep me 
from tearing up the tips of the fingers on my left hand.”

   “Have you ever played a guitar while wearing gloves?” asked Eckland.

   “No,” answered Susan. “If you will let me, I’ll use the setup I used this 
morning to see if it works.”

   All three of them left the office and walked to the music room Susan had 
played in that morning. Ten minutes later, there was no doubt that Susan’s use 
of the glove on her left hand did not impede her fretwork. Susan said she would 
see them at the officer’s club on base at 1700 hours and left them to work on 
the recording contract.

******************************

   By the time Susan and Charley returned to their suite, her clothing had been 
delivered and put in the suite by the BOQ staff. Charley had a message waiting 
on the videophone recorder for him. It simply told him that a shuttle would be 
sent for him at 1400 the following afternoon. His ‘vacation’ was over. Not one 
to waste time, Charley slipped his arms around Susan and cupped her breasts. 

   “You’re a dirty old man, Charley. Is that all you think about?”

   “When I leave tomorrow, I have no idea when I’ll be back. I plan to make the 
best of the time we have.”

   “It’s just under two hours before I have to meet the band for rehearsal. 
Let’s not waste any time,” she said as she started to remove her clothing.

****************************** 

1700 hours at the officers’ club:

   Dave Eiser and his band were reserved toward Susan. Thirty minutes of her 
playing their music with them and fifteen of them listening to her play what 
she wrote convinced them that she would work out okay. Dave sat at a table with 
his band members and over drinks apprised them of what Eckland and Gordon were 
planning.

   “If their ideas work, fellows, we can start seriously building our 
retirement funds,” said Eiser.

   “You mean we’re finally going to make real money doing this gig?” asked his 
keyboard player.

   Eiser smiled. “That’s exactly what I mean. She has a daytime job that she 
can’t quit; so, she won’t be able to tour in the normal sense. We get to be her 
band and still work our regular gigs. Thing is, we may be able to charge more 
for our regular gigs.”

   Susan, Dave, and his band rehearsed for another hour. It was apparent to 
both Eckland and Gordon that Susan had ability. Now, all she needed was 
opportunity. They were hoping her regular job, since she couldn’t just quit it, 
didn’t make her musical career too hard to manage.

******************************

   It was 2000 hours and Susan and the band were doing final tuning adjustments 
on their instruments. The lights in the barroom were turned down low. Susan and 
the band could no longer see the club patrons. The spotlights being used 
blinded them from seeing anything else in the room except one another and the 
small area of the bandstand that they were standing on. It was Susan’s second 
experience in the spotlight.

   The first hour seemed to go by quickly. The band took their first break and 
Susan remained on stage playing solo. Her music covered a wide range. In the 
space of just over an hour she played fifteen pieces of music that no one in 
the club had ever heard before. As she finished the fifteenth piece, the band 
returned to the stage for another hour-long set. Susan played it with them. By 
the time the band members were ready to take their second break, Susan’s 
fingers were beginning to tire, but she continued to play. It would be her last 
set of the night. From her point of view, it might be the last set of her life. 
Not one person had applauded at any time during her solo efforts between the 
band’s breaks. Susan finished her second solo effort of the night. There was 
silence as the band retook the stage. 

   Eiser leaned over and whispered to Susan and whispered, “You’re damned good. 
The boys and I are impressed.”

   Susan’s only reply was a small smile. She was successful in hiding her 
disappointment at the lack of response for her efforts. Hell, she was thinking, 
even derisive remarks would have at least indicated that someone had been 
listening when she was playing. An hour and a half later, the band finished 
their last set. Susan put the guitar onto its stand and stepped off the 
bandstand. The spotlight had been shining into her eyes for several hours, and 
she was having trouble finding where Charley was sitting. One of the patrons 
followed her to Charley’s table and, after she sat down, asked her for her 
autograph.

   Looking up at the man, Susan asked, “Are you serious?”

   “You better bet on it, ma’am.” He then handed her a photograph he had taken 
while she was performing. It was a picture of her half sitting on the stool 
Eiser had provided for her solo act.

   Taking the photo and the pen the man offered her, she asked, “How do you 
want me to sign it?”

   “How about ‘to my first autograph request’ and sign your name?”

   Susan, smiling to herself, asked his name and signed the picture “All my 
best to David Powers, my first autograph, Susan Ivanova-Wayne.” 

   Taking the picture, Powers carefully slid it into a plastic protection 
sleeve. “Thank you very much Mrs. Wayne.”

   “Where do you work, David?” asked Susan.

   “I’m stationed in General Zaleski’s command. I work in the headquarters 
office.”

   “Then we’ll be seeing one another again in the near future,” Susan said, 
smiling.

******************************

   Unknown to her, Susan was being observed by two couples, which were sitting 
in the rear of the barroom. Two older men and their wives had arrived just as 
the lights were turned down. No one in the room paid any attention to them.

   “This better be good, Mark.”

   “The club night manager called me and let me know about this about 1730, 
general. He said that she’s good. If I pulled you away from something better, 
I’m sorry,” replied Colonel Mark Pearson.

   “It’s not that I had anything better to do. I didn’t. I just don’t care to 
come to the club anymore. The music and shenanigans of the younger officers is 
of no interest to me anymore. I think maybe I’m really getting too damned old,” 
replied General Zaleski.

   Zaleski’s wife shushed them saying, “We came here to listen to her play and 
sing. The least you two can do is shut up and listen.”

   Both men and their wives listened attentively, nursing drinks. As the band 
broke for it’s first intermission, Zaleski’s wife commented, “She’s pretty 
good. It takes nerve to sit up there and do that, especially if you aren’t a 
professional.”

   “I’m more interested in hearing her solo efforts,” commented Pearson’s 
wife. “She’ll be on her own. The band won’t be able to carry her.”

   At the end of Susan’s first solo session, as the band was returning to the 
stage, Pearson’s wife said, “She isn’t just good. She is very good.”

   “I wonder why she didn’t make a career in music instead of Earthforce?” 
asked Zaleski’s wife, rhetorically. 

   “Has it been worth your time, general?” asked Pearson.

   “It has, Mark. I think I want to sit here and listen to some more. It’s been 
a long time since I’ve heard anyone play such a wide range of music as well as 
she does.”

   The foursome stayed and listened to the band and Susan until the last song. 
They departed just before the house lights were turned up. No one except the 
club manager had been aware that they were there.

****************************** 

   Susan ended up sitting at her table and signing autographs for the better 
part of an hour. She was amazed that not one of the people requesting her 
autograph knew who she was. She had thought for sure that since she was 
relieving the big cheese in the region that her face would be known amongst the 
officers who would be working for her, but apparently it wasn’t. Then again, as 
Charley was sure to remind her, when she was in civilian clothing with her hair 
down, she didn’t really look anything at all like her official Earthforce 
photograph.

   Susan and Charley left the club very late. All Susan wanted to do was go to 
bed and get some sleep. Her fingers were aching and her legs were feeling the 
effects of standing up for the last several hours without being exercised 
enough to keep the blood circulating the way it should. She knew she was going 
to have to learn to move around more when she was playing. However, Charley 
would be leaving in about twelve hours or so, and he was not going to want to 
sleep very much in the interim. She resigned herself to a very long night and 
morning. She promised herself that after she saw Charley off she would, she 
would go back to bed and die for the remainder of the day.

   Thirteen hours later, Susan had seen Charley off and returned to her suite 
at the BOQ. She was asleep before her head got comfortable on her pillow. It 
had been one of the longest nights and mornings of her life, and it had also 
been the most pleasurable. Charley had no idea when he would see Susan again, 
so he tried his best to get ahead on his lovemaking.

******************************

0703 hours in Pearson’s office:

   Pearson looked up to see who had knocked on doorjamb. Seeing Susan Wayne 
standing there, he quickly stood up and came to attention. “Good morning, 
General Wayne. What can I do for you?”

   “Offer me a cup of good coffee and resume your seat. I assume that isn’t an 
oxymoron around here.”

   Pearson stepped over to his personal coffee urn and poured Susan a cup of 
coffee. “How do you take it, general?”

   “I like it with a bit cream, but black will be fine if all you have is the 
powdered junk.”

   Reaching into the small refrigerator under the coffee mess, Pearson put a 
small amount of real cream in her coffee. He sat down behind his desk and 
handed her the cup.

   “Do you have the charge sheet for Lt. Colonel King ready to sign, Colonel 
Pearson?”

   “It’s ready, sir, but I don’t have in here. My secretary will get it for you 
when she comes in. She usually gets here just before 0800.”

   “What time does General Zaleski usually arrive? I haven’t met him yet.”

   “He’s here now, General Wayne,” answered a pleasant voice from behind Susan.

   Pearson again quickly stood and came to attention. “Sit back down, Mark. 
General Wayne’s going to think you’re a jack in the box.”

   Susan stood and turned to face Zaleski.  “Good morning, General Zaleski,” 
she said offering her hand. “I’m Susan Wayne, but it seems that you already 
know that.”

   Zaleski shook her hand and answered, “Yes, I do. Mark and I caught your show 
at the club Saturday night.”

   “Oh. I was only trying to have some fun, sir. The last decade or so hasn’t 
left me much time for relaxation. The last five years or so have been rather 
hectic.”

   “I’ve heard that overthrowing your government can be like that. Fortunately 
for all of us, you had the opportunity to be so occupied. Not to mention the 
battle at Babylon 5, and the Mars attack, or anything, but you seem to be a 
magnet for combat.” 

   “I know. I’ve been told that I’ve seen more combat in the last six months 
than most Earthforce officers see in a long career. I’ve also been told that 
I’ve single-handedly killed more enemy pilots than any other ten fighter pilots 
in Earthforce. But personally, I think they’re just pulling my leg.”

   “No, General Wayne, they aren’t,” said Pearson. “I’ve been browsing the 
records and it seems that someone went to quite a bit of trouble to dig through 
all the old records for just that kind of information.”

   “Let me guess. You traced it back to the Earthforce POA office, correct?”

   “That’s right. How’d you guess?”

   “They want me to do recruiting commercials, colonel. It would appear that 
they are going to put me in front of the public and make me out to be a woman 
warrior.”

   “Maybe that’s just what you are, General Wayne. I’ve seen some interesting 
videos featuring you. All things considered, they are correct,” offered Zaleski.

   “That’d make a hell of a title for your autobiography, General Wayne,” said 
Pearson.

   “I like it, colonel. That’s what I’ll call it. ‘Woman Warrior: The 
Autobiography of General Susan Ivanova-Wayne’ as told to… then fill in the name 
of the writer who is using my recordings to put it down on paper.”

   “You’re serious,” commented Zaleski.

   “Yes, sir. I recorded three data crystals full of my life experiences in 
great detail. My agent, and yes I have one, is giving the writer those crystals 
to begin work with. I understand she has done quite a bit or research on me as 
it is, and I have final approval of the finished manuscript. So, even though 
she is writing it, the only thing that sees print is what I allow. Believe me, 
it’s going to have warts and all.”

   “Can we step over to my office, General Wayne. I’d like to have a private 
chat with you before you get caught up in the schedule that Mark has been 
working on for you. If you have your records with you, I’ll have them delivered 
to the personnel and disbursing offices. I’m afraid you’ll have to personally 
deliver your medical records. They’ll want to schedule you for a physical if 
you haven’t had one recently.”

   Susan laughed out loud.

   “What’s so funny?” asked Zaleski.

   “I was thinking that I’ve been hospitalized three times for major injuries 
including broken bones and worse in the last three months. Once in the main 
hospital at Earthdome, and twice in the infirmary at the Minbari embassy at 
Earthdome.”

   “I see your point,” replied Zaleski, with an amused expression on his face.

   Susan followed Zaleski to his office. “Is your coffee as good as Colonel 
Pearson’s?”

   “Help yourself. I like to think it is, but we use different blends. He’s 
into the dark more robust flavors. I like a cappuccino occasionally, but for my 
regular drinking, I like something that doesn’t staple my tongue to my desk.”

   Susan chuckled and taste tested the coffee before adding cream. “It’s not as 
strong as his, but it still has a good solid taste. I’ll simply use less cream.”

   “Would I be getting too personal if I asked what they’re doing assigning you 
to this billet?” 

   “If you’d asked me that question a few weeks ago, I’d have said I really 
didn’t have a clue. I was speculating that there is something they want done 
that they don’t think a supply officer can do. Why they might think that, I 
haven’t any idea. If I had to guess, and I already have, I’d say the fact that 
I don’t have any ties to anyone in the supply corps is the reason. I don’t owe 
anyone any favors or anything like that.”

   “Oddly enough, Colonel Pearson and I were discussing just that last week. 
After giving it some thought, I looked at the favors I owe to various people, 
and I realize that I’d have a tough time firing any of them if the occasion 
arose. With that thought in mind, I reviewed the most likely supply officer 
candidates for the position, and came to the conclusion that they all have the 
same kind of baggage. As you point out, you don’t owe anyone in the supply 
system anything. You can chop off whatever you think is necessary. I assume 
you’re going to target the additions engineered by Clark’s people first.”

   “That remains to be seen, general. I have some people who are generating 
databases and other information for me. I’ll wait and see what I learn from 
that before I begin any personnel actions. If I’m going to be cutting, I want 
to make sure I don’t cut any healthy tissue.”

   “I think it’s rather obvious that you have some very heavy horsepower 
backing you, even if it’s not immediately evident to most people.”

   “I’m sure we’ll see soon enough. When do I start my indoctrination, general?”

   “Mark has set up meetings and briefings to get you familiar with your 
command staff and your subordinate commanding officers. I hope you realize this 
isn’t going to be like commanding a ship. You have a slew of subordinate 
commands under you. Some of them are located in more than one place. You have 
people answering to you from all over the Earth Alliance. Even the shipyards 
located around Jupiter belong to you. I mean, they have a colonel or captain 
for a commanding officer, but they answer to you, and if that’s not bad enough, 
you even have a small orbiting repair facility at the Orion colonies. In short 
you have the largest command in Earthforce assigned to a two star general, and 
rumor has it that they are going to shoehorn in a few more smaller ones, make 
you consolidate them and upgrade your position to three stars.”

   “Tell me you’re joking,” Susan said slowly and very seriously, emphasizing 
the word ‘joking’.

   “I’m not joking. They’ve thrown you into the very deepest end of the swamp,” 
replied Zaleski with equal seriousness.

   Susan sat quietly sipping her coffee until the cup was empty, studying 
General Zaleski.

   “May I call you Susan?”

   “Of course.”

   “My first name is Ronald. If you don’t mind, I’d like for you to call me 
Ron.”

   “Sir, you’re old enough to be my father. Even if you didn’t outrank me, I 
wouldn’t call you by your first name.”

   “In less than two weeks, you’ll be wearing two stars. If we were civilians, 
and we were working side by side, you’d call me by my first name. It a couple 
of months, you’ll probably be wearing three stars and then you’ll outrank me. 
The only person around here now who calls me Ron is my wife.”

   “If you wish, sir.”

   “You look depressed.”

   “I’ve run a space station with a quarter million people on board and 
thousands coming and going everyday. I’ve dealt with ambassadors from more than 
a hundred worlds. This is going to be a ball buster.”

   “Even though you’re a female, I have it on good word that you have some very 
large ones, so to speak.”

   “I damn well better have.”

   About then, Zaleski received a videophone call from the base commander, 
Colonel Audrey Keller.

   “What’s on your mind, Audrey?”

   “I just read the weekend incident reports from security, general. We had a 
junior officer die of a drug overdose in the local civilian hospital. My people 
didn’t notify me because they said there was a General Wayne involved. They 
said that since she was involved they didn’t think it was necessary to bother 
me. What the hell’s going on over there, sir?”

   Zaleski looked at Susan. “Would you care to take this one?” Then he turned 
the video display-pickup unit to face her.

   Without missing a beat Colonel Keller blurted out, “Who the hell are you?”

   Equally quickly, Susan responded, “I’m the bitch who’s going to be your boss 
in less than two weeks. I suggest you develop a civil attitude.”

   This got Keller’s attention. “With all due respect, sir, who are you?”

   “I’m Susan Ivanova-Wayne. I was leaving the officers’ club Friday night when 
I heard a loud commotion coming from the club manager’s office. They were 
trying to control a young man. It was First Lt. Gordon Ellers. If you have read 
the report, you already know that we called the CDO and the medics, and you 
should have our statements in that report. The CDO called Master Sergeant John 
Jenkins to investigate the case. They were to let me know if there was anything 
of importance uncovered, otherwise I was to be given a report of the incident 
and its aftermath this morning. I’m General Zaleski’s relief. I’m guessing, 
colonel, that since I was on the scene, and seeing whom I was, your security 
people didn’t see any reason to mess up your weekend. After all, there wasn’t 
anything you or anyone else could have done about it, anyway.”

   Colonel Keller seemed to calm down and start thinking. “I accept your 
explanation, sir. Did they tell you that Lt. Ellers died Saturday evening?”

   “No. I was out and unavailable all of Saturday afternoon and evening. I 
didn’t check the ‘Q’ front desk for messages, either. It never occurred to me, 
since no one here knew me. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that I have a 
message to that effect sitting there now.”

   “That’s what I wanted to know, general.”

   “Colonel Keller, I don’t like losing my people to drugs. I’m going to want a 
complete briefing on the base’s drug problem and our efforts in that area. The 
Wednesday morning after I relieve General Zaleski seems to be about right for 
me.”

   “Yes, sir!” was Keller’s reply. Susan broke the circuit at that point.

   “I can see that people on this base and in this command are in for what may 
be a very unpleasant surprise,” commented Zaleski.

   “Is there anything else, sir? I’m anxious to get started on my 
indoctrination.”

   “There has been a change in the uniform regulations. It only affects those 
officers who are or have been commanding officers on major combat starships and 
large space stations. I believe you’re in that category. Colonel Pearson has a 
copy of the message.”

   “If you’ll excuse me sir, I have business with Colonel Pearson.”

****************************** 

   Susan knocked on Pearson’s doorjamb and entered when invited. She wasted no 
time.

   “Colonel Pearson do you have anyplace where I can sit down and use a 
computer terminal?”

   “I’ll have one set up in conference room four. It’s a small one, but it’s 
large enough to allow briefings for you. You can have most of the necessary 
briefings and you won’t even have to leave your terminal. It’ll take me an hour 
or so to get it done. I suggest that you drop by medical and give them your 
health record. They’ll probably want to schedule you for a full physical.”

   “One other thing, Colonel Pearson. Being a pilot means that I have to fly 
periodically to keep my qualifications current. If it can be arranged I’d like 
to do my flying with the local air National Guard detachment. Otherwise, I’m 
going to have to get my own starfury or thunderbolt.”

   “They come under your command umbrella for military purposes, and we handle 
their fiscal accounting needs. We should be able to arrange something.”

   “General Zaleski said something about a change to the uniform regulations. 
He said you have a pertinent message.”

   “By the time you return from checking in at medical, I’ll have that and a 
terminal you can use to pull up the whole manual. Is that acceptable.”

   “Yes. The general said it pertained to me.”

   “Considering your past assignments, I can assure you that it does.”

   “I’ll be back in a while, colonel,” said Susan departing Pearson’s office.

   Susan hadn’t been gone two minutes before Zaleski appeared in Pearson’s 
doorway. “What do you think, Mark?”

   “She seems okay to me. I’m not sure what I expected. She isn’t a fire 
breathing dragon.”

   “Colonel Keller might beg to differ with you.”

   Pearson gave Zaleski an inquiring look.

   “Apparently there was a drug overdose incident at the officers’ club Friday 
night, and Susan was involved. Colonel Keller only learned about it this 
morning, and called me to complain. Susan was sitting there when Keller called. 
I let her field Keller’s questions. Keller jumped at her, and Susan’s response 
was immediate. She smacked Keller down without hesitation. I can’t help but 
think that General Wayne is going to rattle a whole lot of cages before she is 
finished here. I also think there’ll be many fewer personnel here when she 
leaves than there are now.”

   “You make her sound like an ogre?”

   “I think it would be in your best interest if you don’t cross her. She 
doesn’t seem to take insubordination very well. I saw a message from the medics 
to HQ about a First Lieutenant Ellers dying this weekend. It didn’t say 
anything about a drug overdose, though. I suppose they won’t make that ruling 
until all the tests and whatever are finished by the coroner’s office. It may 
be a week or so before that is the official determination. It has Susan pissed 
that’s for sure.”

   “It would appear, general, that you are going to miss all the fun.”

   “I don’t think so. This woman will hang someone before I can get relieved 
and retired.”

   “I appreciate the warning, general, but General Wayne appears to be about 
what I expected. Remember, I spent two tours aboard starships and one aboard a 
space station when I was a junior officer. I know what these unrestricted line 
officers can be like. Now, I have to get meeting room four outfitted as a 
temporary office for her.”

   “Don’t forget a coffee mess. Oh yes, she likes your brand more than mine.”

****************************** 

   Susan had dropped her personnel and pay records off at the appropriate 
offices. The disbursing clerk who had taken her pay record quickly typed up a 
travel claim for her. Making and returning copies of her receipts to her, the 
disbursing clerk had only taken fifteen minutes to complete her travel claim 
and file it for her. Her last stop was the dispensary. 

   Susan handed the corpsman her medical record. “Is there a doctor here who is 
qualified to perform a flight physical?”

   The corpsman immediately replied, “No sir. We have a flight surgeon who 
comes in twice a month to give physicals to the reserve pilots who do their 
reserve training here.”

   “When is he or she due in again?”

   “Day after tomorrow, sir.”

   “Make me an appointment. I’m overdue for mine.”

   “You have to see our doctor first, sir.”

   “Where is your doctor?”

   About then a young male in medical garb entered the room. “I’m Doctor Lee, 
what can I do for you, general?”

   “I’m overdue for my flight physical. The corpsman tells me the flight 
surgeon is scheduled to be here Wednesday. I want to get it out of the way 
while I can. It looks like I’m going to be very busy very shortly.”

   “Not a problem, sir. You will be the only one scheduled to see him, unless 
we get a last minute request from the reserve squadron. Just be here no later 
than 0730 Wednesday morning. Make the appointment for her, Ken.”

   The corpsman made an entry in a diary. “You are scheduled, general. The 
doctor will be expecting you at 0730 Wednesday morning.” He then handed her a 
small schedule card.

   The doctor added, “General, if you have the time, we can get your blood and 
urine samples now. It’ll save time getting the final results of your physical.”

   It was 1000 hours when Susan returned to the HQ building.

******************************

   Susan stuck her head into Pearson’s office. “I’m back, colonel.”

   “Let me show you to conference room four, your temporary office.”

   Pearson led the way to a room that was almost eight meters square. It had 
been outfitted with a one by two meter desk. The desk was equipped with a 
computer terminal and a videophone. There was also a two by four meter wooden 
table set off to one side of the room. A couch, two chairs and a small 
refrigeration unit and cart/table outfitted as a small coffee mess completed 
the setup.

   “I’m impressed, colonel. It’ll do just fine. Now, I need to get busy getting 
myself up to speed for this job.”

   “I had a call from Colonel Keller. She wants to know if you would be free 
for lunch at the officers’ club?”

   “I was hoping to get to try out your galley. I’ve been told it has good 
grub.”

   “From what General Zaleski told me about your conversation with her this 
morning, I think she wants to mend the fence. However, I could be wrong. She 
may just want to shoot you.”

   “She wouldn’t be the first, colonel. She damn sure won’t be the last. I’ll 
call her. Now, how does the coffee maker work?”

******************************

   Colonel Keller was waiting for Susan when she walked up to the front of the 
galley.

   Keller saluted and asked, “You didn’t drive?”

   “I don’t own a car, and I don’t have a driver’s license, colonel. Besides 
it’s a nice day for a walk. Lead on. I’m the new kid on the block. Also, about 
this morning; I checked with the BOQ front desk and the CDO did leave a message 
for me Saturday evening. It told me that the soldier in question had died.”

   Sitting at the table smelling her lunch, Susan remarked, “If this tastes 
half as good as it smells, they’ll have me as a regular customer.”

   “I don’t often eat here, but every time I have, it’s been outstanding.”

   Susan took her first bite and was stunned. It was fabulous. She couldn’t 
understand why anyone would eat elsewhere if the food was always this good. 
Keller was watching Susan’s reaction to the food.

   “Next time you come in here, general, you might note that this mess hall has 
won awards for outstanding food and service for the last ten years in a row.”

   “I’m not surprised. I had supper at the officers’ club Friday night. Their 
steaks are excellent. After so many years off planet, I may need to thank CJCS 
for this assignment, if for no other reason than the excellent food. You won’t 
understand that until you have had to eat substitutes on a starship for a 
couple of years without a break. That duty will make you develop a real 
appreciation for fresh fruit, fruit juices, and coffee. However, I don’t think 
you invited me to lunch to discuss the quality of the food.”

   “No, general, I didn’t. I wasn’t aware that you were arriving Friday 
evening. It seems that just about everything that can go wrong did.”

   “To which part of Friday evening are you referring?”

   “I have read the duty logs for this past weekend. As I see it, the problems 
began with your experience at the BOQ. That was an unmitigated disaster. I also 
saw that you have put Sergeant John Miller on report. You may or may not know 
that this isn’t his first infraction.”

   “I was so informed by the duty MP Saturday morning. I was informed that 
Lieutenant Colonel Higgins routinely kills report chits written on Sergeant 
Miller. That’s unsatisfactory.”

   “He is in Higgins’ command and as such, unless he gets court martialed there 
isn’t much that can be done about it.”

   “I beg to differ with you, colonel. There is a great deal that can be done 
about it. By not proceeding against Miller, Higgins is guilty of dereliction of 
duty.”

   “Higgins is his commanding officer. How he disciplines his troops is his 
business.”

   “I suppose I’ll have to make an example out of him. Then the rest of you 
will get the message.”

   “That sounds like a threat, general.”

   “Not at all, colonel. There is a level of performance that Earthforce 
expects out of its officers concerning keeping good order and discipline, 
especially the ones who have their own commands. I get the feeling that around 
here that’s not accepted operating procedure. I will change that misconception!”

   “It’s been like this for a long time now, general.”

   “Every minute I’m here, I begin to get a better idea of why I was given this 
assignment. I thought it was only to pare down the excess fat. It’s evident 
that I have another job too.”

   “You’re going to make a lot of enemies, general.”

   “That’s the least of my worries, colonel. Your answers and cautions to me 
are noted; however, I will straighten this place out, even if I have to start 
by firing every commanding officer and XO under my cognizance. This command 
will bend to me, or I will break it.”

   “That’s rather harsh, general.”

   “I take it you really don’t know anything about my background, colonel. If 
you don’t, you should learn. I’m not a supply officer. My last command was EAS 
Ares. In case you don’t know, it’s the largest combat starship in Earthforce. 
I’m used to making enemies. I also have a reputation for destroying them. I 
don’t usually take prisoners either. My subordinates have two choices, Colonel 
Keller, they can work with me or not; it’s their choice. But, I make you this 
promise; if they can’t or won’t, I’ll make them go away.”

   “Be careful, general. Some of the people on this base have very powerful 
friends in the EA legislature.”

   Susan smiled at Keller. “So have I, colonel. I also have some very powerful 
friends in the civilian world who make and break members of the legislature.”

   “I’ll work with you, general. I just wanted you to know what kind of 
quagmire we have here.”

   “I’m learning quickly, colonel.”

******************************
   
   Outside the mess hall, Keller offered Susan a ride back to the headquarters 
building.

   “Thanks, but I’m off to the uniform shop.”

   “That’s almost two kilometers from here, general. Let me give you a ride 
over there. You need new uniforms?”

   “The ones I have are in very good condition, but I going to have to buy some 
different ones.”

   “Why?”

   “A while back a bunch of officers who commanded starships and space stations 
made a stink about wanting uniforms that made it easy to tell them from the 
ground-pounder and support officers. I was deployed out on the rim. I wasn’t 
interested in the first place, so I didn’t bother to keep up with it. Well, 
they finally got what they wanted, and now I have to buy a bunch of new 
uniforms. Of course, the first set is paid for by the service, but who only has 
one set of uniforms?"

   “Out of curiosity, what are the wings and broach for? And that thing on your 
belt, I’ve never seen anyone wear anything like it.”

   “I wear the wings on my left breast because I’m an active fighter pilot. If 
I were a former pilot, I’d wear them on my right breast. The broach is the 
insignia of my being a member of the Anla’shok, the IA military arm. The thing 
on my belt is a denn’bok, a Minbari fighting pike. And before you ask, the 
broach and denn’bok are listed as part of my official regulation uniform in the 
manual.”

   “You hold a commission in the Interstellar Alliance military?”

   “Yes. Because of my duties during the civil war and the Vorlon-Shadow War, I 
commanded a fleet of whitestars on more than one occasion. That and other 
things caused the IA to give me a commission equivalent to fleet commander. 
It’s real, and it’s been authorized by Earthforce command, the President, and 
the legislature. I’m the only Earthforce officer to presently hold active 
command ranks in two different military organizations. The IA even assigned me 
my own whitestar. It’s in orbit around Earth now. It’s mine to use for official 
functions or if I just want to go somewhere. Delenn and John say it gives them 
a reason to cycle the whitestar crews through what amounts to a stand down 
assignment. So, even though there’s a whitestar up there, which one it is 
changes on a random basis.”

   As they walked, other military personnel made way for them on the sidewalk 
and saluted them as they passed. One young man didn’t salute, and he didn’t get 
two meters past the two officers before Susan called him back.

   “What’s your name, corporal?” asked Susan.

   “Mooney, sir, Paul Mooney!”

   “You don’t salute officers?”

   “Yes, sir!”

   “You didn’t salute the colonel and me.”

   “Yes, sir!”

   “Why not?”

   “I wasn’t paying attention, sir!”

   “Whom do you work for?”

   “First Lieutenant Ashley, sir!”

   “He’s one of mine, general. Let me see your ID card, Corporal Mooney.”

   Mooney handed his ID card to Colonel Keller. “Do you know who I am, 
corporal?”

   “Yes, sir. You’re my CO!”

   “Tell Lt. Ashley to come see me before knock-off this afternoon. Make sure 
you’re with him.”

   “Yes, sir, colonel.”

   “You’re dismissed, corporal.” 

   “What are you going to do to him?” asked Susan.

   “I don’t know. I’m sure the lt. can find some extra duty for him to perform. 
I think you scared the crap out of him.”

   “Good. Maybe next time he will make himself aware of where he is and who is 
around him.”

   “You didn’t exactly drop rocks on him.”

   “He wasn’t paying attention. If we had been cars or trucks, he might have 
stepped in front of us and been injured or killed. Getting him to be more alert 
is the important thing.”

   “Here’s my car. Let’s be off to the uniform shop.”

******************************

   Susan and the clerk in the uniform shop were discussing the uniform 
regulations and what would be required for her to be reimbursed for her first 
issue of both the whites and the khakis. After they got that settled, the clerk 
took her measurements. After her measurements, they discussed the materials for 
the uniforms. Susan had a choice of cotton, several cotton-synthetic blends, 
wool and a few other full synthetic fabrics. She was promised the uniforms by 
the coming Friday.

   “Better you than me, general. You just dropped eight hundred credits on new 
uniforms, and they’ll only reimburse you for three hundred. That hurts.”

   “I don’t have any choice, colonel. I still have to buy white shoes and 
socks. One thing, though, it’ll make me stand out like a sore thumb on this 
base. No one else will be wearing either whites or khakis, unless some of my 
brethren come to visit me. My only consolation is that General Leftcourt and 
his cronies are getting stuck with the same regulations.”

   “You actually know him?”

   “Unfortunately, we are very good friends. He and President Luchenko are two 
of the people to blame for me being here.”

   “Maybe, just maybe, you’ll be successful here after all. Your heavy hitters 
seem to be a whole lot heavier than those of most of the people you’ll be 
knocking heads with here.”

   “I’m not going to depend on anyone but myself. That way I don’t have to 
second-guess anyone.”

   “Smart move, general. May I see that denn’bok thing? I’ve never seen one.”

   Susan handed it to her and warned her to not point the end at herself for 
safety reasons. While Keller was examining the closed denn’bok, several people 
stopped to watch her. She handed it back to Susan.

   “It looks to be very old, General Wayne.”

   “It is very old, colonel. It dates from at least nine-hundred years ago. 
It’s worth a small fortune.”

   “Can you show me how it’s used?”

   Susan stepped away from Keller and seemed to flick her wrist. The denn’bok 
snapped open and extended with a loud thunk. Susan made a few quick moves with 
it for demonstration purposes. With another flick of her wrist, the weapon 
closed up.

   “You’re very fast, general.”

   Grinning, Susan replied, “Actually, Colonel Keller, that was fairly slow. If 
I had moved fast, you wouldn’t have been able to follow the movements.”

   “Oh.” Then she asked, “I don’t suppose I could invite you to supper some 
time in the near future, can I?”

   “I try to never turn down free food, colonel. It’s against my ethics. I 
don’t suppose you could drop me off at the gym, could you?”

******************************

   Susan returned to her temporary office. She was pleasantly surprised to 
learn that the gym was very well equipped, only a five minute walk from the 
headquarters building, and it’s operating hours would allow her to workout 
before coming to work. She had no sooner poured a cup of coffee and sat down 
than Colonel Pearson appeared at her doorway.

   “What’s up, colonel?”

   “I have the charge sheet for Lt. Colonel King. Also, someone named Alex 
Collins called for you. He didn’t say what he wanted, but he left a number. He 
said it would be good until 1400.”

   “It might concern Col. King. If it does… Well, so much the better.”

   “The first briefing I scheduled is for tomorrow afternoon. Until then, sir, 
you’re on your own.”

   “Thank you, colonel.”

   “Sir, could you call me Mark?”

   “As you wish.”

   Susan called the number Pearson had given her. Alex Collins answered.

   “Mr. Collins, what can I do for you?”

   “I know you didn’t figure on hearing from me so soon. However, I have some 
news that you will like.”

   “I’m waiting.”

   “We haven’t completed our investigation of Lt. Colonel King yet, but what we 
have found is enough to put him away for the rest of his life. I say we haven’t 
finished yet, because what we found out about him has opened up a number of 
possibilities. We don’t want to move until we have the whole ball of twine 
properly wound up.”

   “I understand, Mr. Collins. I’m sure a certain general will be immensely 
pleased with your progress.”

   “Oh, he is, Susan. Believe me, he is.”

   “Is there anything else at the moment?”

   “No. we’re about twenty percent complete on your database requirements. 
Until later then.”

   Susan’s videophone screen went blank. She pondered what she had just learned 
and smiled a very wide smile. She felt very good, sort of warm and fuzzy. 

   She looked at the dry marking board on the wall opposite her desk. Someone 
had hung an organizational chart of her new command on it. She walked over and 
studied it for a few minutes. Compared to her past command experience, this 
chart depicted a bureaucratic nightmare. Whoever had cobbled this command 
together over the years must have been madmen. Some of the subordinate commands 
didn’t seem to have one damned thing to do with the parent command’s functions, 
as she understood them. She began to feel a headache coming on.

    Susan stuck her head into Colonel Pearson’s office. “Mark, who put up the 
organization chart on my wall?”

   “I had it done, sir. I wanted you to get an idea of just what you are going 
to inherit from General Zaleski.”

   Susan just looked pensive for a few moments then said, “And here I thought 
General Leftcourt was a friend.”

   “I’ve been told, sir, that with friends like that, one doesn’t need any 
enemies.”

   Still looking pensive, Susan replied, “Trust me, I can attest to that being 
a fact, not an old cliché. If anyone comes looking for me, I’ll be in my 
office, reading.”

   After Susan left, Pearson smiled thoughtfully. He was sure that Susan Wayne 
was just what this command needed.

******************************

In a high security facility somewhere on the North American continent:

   General Sanchez was sitting behind his desk looking at Major Brown. “Say 
that again, major.”

   “I’m hearing that there may be a couple of our people who are determined to 
kill Charles Wayne when his job here is finished. No, I haven’t been able to 
ferret out who the parties are.”

   “Assign someone trustworthy to shadow Charles twenty-four/seven. In fact, 
assign a team. If anything happens to him… just make sure it doesn’t. If we 
have rogues, get them found and make them disappear. Do I make myself clear?”

   “As glass, sir.”

   As Major Brown departed, General Sanchez said, “Do you believe this crap?”

   John Liu looked thoughtfully at Sanchez. “It happens, general. When you let 
men believe they can operate outside the law and not have to answer for it, you 
inevitably end up with a few like Major Brown described.”

   “You ever meet Lyta Alexander?”

   “No, and I don’t want to either. I only know of her by reputation, because I 
have some acquaintances who used to be in Psi Corps, but that is scary enough.  
Word is that she made even P-12 psi cops quake in their boots.”

   “If anything happens to Charles Wayne, she will come looking for someone to 
hold responsible.”

   “And, you’re afraid it’ll be you.”

   “Something like that, and I have some loose cannons running around.”

   “Better that they’re yours than mine. If you want, I can arrange to have 
some people work with Major Brown’s people in finding these loose cannons.”

   “I’ll have the major make an appointment to discuss it with you.”

******************************

End Part 24

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