moment. Besides, the admiral had a talk with me about it last night. He was alright with me taking out his daughter, if I wanted.”
“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Okay, I’ll consider myself warned. Thanks.”
Kelly and LT Bell left together and caught a shuttle to the Q. Kelly used the time in his quarters to clean up, change for the party at the O Club that night, and catch up on messages. His message queue contained a video file from Angie. He clicked on it and her face came up on the screen. “How you doing, wingman? I waited to give you time to get settled in with your new unit. How did it go? Who are you with now? Old Bugger Off didn’t screw you too badly, did she? Send me a message and let me know how you are doing. CPT Willis, John, and even LTC Matthews have been asking about you.”
“I have some good news for you. Old Bugger Off is being reviewed for mandatory retirement. Seems she is beyond retirement age and the Fighter Force Personnel Center has her up before a board looking at whether she should be kept on active duty. We’re all rooting for her retirement. There is a rumor running around Flag Country that a number of Flag Officers complained about her and this board is just a way to move her out. You may be famous for being the last officer she cast aside.”
“Send me a message and let me know how you are doing. I miss you watching my six.”
As she signed off, she backed up from the camera, turned around, and was wearing something less than she had ever worn around him on the Bolivar. It was a shame she was several hundred light years away.
Kelly sent Angie a quick synopsis of his current situation, cut and pasted the earlier video of him in his mess dress uniform, and sent it off. He finished clearing out his message queue, looked at his watch, and realized he was going to be late for the party, if he didn’t get a move on. He closed out his terminal and went out to catch the nearest shuttle.
He got lucky again and found a shuttle waiting for him at the nearest lot. He climbed in, punched in his destination, and headed off.
* * * * *
When Kelly arrived at the junior officer’s bar, the party was already going strong. He walked in and Ensign Nielsen called out to him almost immediately. Young male officers surrounded her, but she shrugged them off and came over to Kelly.
She flashed that dazzling smile. “It’s about time you got here. I thought I was going to have to hold off all those guys by myself. Here, let me wrap my arm around yours and maybe they’ll take a hint. It’s a real zoo in here tonight. I forgot that the landing ship crews had arrived to take their ships out of the yard. There must be ten guys to one girl in there. Come on, let me buy you a drink.”
They walked over to the bar, Tammy never letting loose of his arm. Several landing ship officers looked at him with a mix of envy and anger. He wondered how long it would be healthy for him to be here. Tammy asked him what he wanted with a mischievous look in her eyes. He disappointed her by saying, “Just a beer.”
She got them each a beer and they retired to a table away from some of the more boisterous landing ship officers. The gators, as they called themselves, were engaging in some bar games that had the potential to cause major mayhem. One, called Assault Landing, involved two officers each carrying as many other officers as they could the distance of the bar. Two of the bigger male lieutenants were carrying five officers each and waddling to the end of the bar. This was accompanied by yells of encouragement, or derision for the opponents.
The junior officers’ bar was designed to
“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Okay, I’ll consider myself warned. Thanks.”
Kelly and LT Bell left together and caught a shuttle to the Q. Kelly used the time in his quarters to clean up, change for the party at the O Club that night, and catch up on messages. His message queue contained a video file from Angie. He clicked on it and her face came up on the screen. “How you doing, wingman? I waited to give you time to get settled in with your new unit. How did it go? Who are you with now? Old Bugger Off didn’t screw you too badly, did she? Send me a message and let me know how you are doing. CPT Willis, John, and even LTC Matthews have been asking about you.”
“I have some good news for you. Old Bugger Off is being reviewed for mandatory retirement. Seems she is beyond retirement age and the Fighter Force Personnel Center has her up before a board looking at whether she should be kept on active duty. We’re all rooting for her retirement. There is a rumor running around Flag Country that a number of Flag Officers complained about her and this board is just a way to move her out. You may be famous for being the last officer she cast aside.”
“Send me a message and let me know how you are doing. I miss you watching my six.”
As she signed off, she backed up from the camera, turned around, and was wearing something less than she had ever worn around him on the Bolivar. It was a shame she was several hundred light years away.
Kelly sent Angie a quick synopsis of his current situation, cut and pasted the earlier video of him in his mess dress uniform, and sent it off. He finished clearing out his message queue, looked at his watch, and realized he was going to be late for the party, if he didn’t get a move on. He closed out his terminal and went out to catch the nearest shuttle.
He got lucky again and found a shuttle waiting for him at the nearest lot. He climbed in, punched in his destination, and headed off.
* * * * *
When Kelly arrived at the junior officer’s bar, the party was already going strong. He walked in and Ensign Nielsen called out to him almost immediately. Young male officers surrounded her, but she shrugged them off and came over to Kelly.
She flashed that dazzling smile. “It’s about time you got here. I thought I was going to have to hold off all those guys by myself. Here, let me wrap my arm around yours and maybe they’ll take a hint. It’s a real zoo in here tonight. I forgot that the landing ship crews had arrived to take their ships out of the yard. There must be ten guys to one girl in there. Come on, let me buy you a drink.”
They walked over to the bar, Tammy never letting loose of his arm. Several landing ship officers looked at him with a mix of envy and anger. He wondered how long it would be healthy for him to be here. Tammy asked him what he wanted with a mischievous look in her eyes. He disappointed her by saying, “Just a beer.”
She got them each a beer and they retired to a table away from some of the more boisterous landing ship officers. The gators, as they called themselves, were engaging in some bar games that had the potential to cause major mayhem. One, called Assault Landing, involved two officers each carrying as many other officers as they could the distance of the bar. Two of the bigger male lieutenants were carrying five officers each and waddling to the end of the bar. This was accompanied by yells of encouragement, or derision for the opponents.
The junior officers’ bar was designed to
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