Air Battle Force

and special-operations battalion, and Russian officers still serve in many Turkmen military units as contract workers.”

“But we’re told the Russian military has completely departed Turkmenistan, and there is virtually no integration between the Turkmen and Russian armies,” Goff said. “What’s the threat, Patrick?”

“It’s a perceived threat, sir, not a real one,” Patrick replied. “Turkmenistan was an important Soviet republic, and it still is a major source of cheap oil that Russia relies on for its own use and for export. If Turkmenistan were lost to a bunch of Muslim extremist insurgents, with Russian officers in charge of the military and with Russian military forces still on the ground there, it would be a major embarrassment for Russia.”

Both Thorn and Goff fell silent, deep in thought.

“Interesting analysis, gentlemen,” President Thorn said at last. “Your observations seem to dovetail very well with CIA’s.” He turned to Hershel and added, “A diplomatic mission to Turkmenistan might be in order right away.” He nodded to Luger, Briggs, and Wohl. “Thank you, gentlemen. I’d like to speak with General McLanahan for a few moments.” He shook hands with each one of them, even Chris Wohl’s armored hand, as they departed.

Thorn, Hershel, and Goff conferred with one another apart from the military personnel; Patrick walked the others to the door so he could stay respectfully out of earshot. “What do you think’s going on, Muck?” Dave Luger asked.

“I think we watered their eyes,” Patrick replied, “and we’re going to be very busy in the next several weeks. I want a staff meeting set up for thirteen hundred hours. Let’s talk about what we have and what we don’t have.”

“You got it.”

“General McLanahan,” Secretary Goff called out. Patrick, Rebecca, and then John Long joined Thorn, Hershel, and Goff. “We thank you very much for the tour, General,” he said. “We’re on our way.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll see to it that your aircraft is brought up to the surface and made ready right away.”

“General Furness,” President Thorn asked, “what is your opinion of General McLanahan’s program here?”

“My opinion, sir?”

“What do you think, General?” Thorn asked pointedly. “Do you think he has something there, or do you think he was too far out in left field to come up with anything practical?”

Rebecca looked uncomfortable for a moment, then replied, “Sir, General McLanahan has always been an unconventional thinker. Ever since he first set foot on my base in Reno, he baffles, irritates, and frustrates me with the ideas he comes up with and the gadgets he devises to get the job done. I call it unconventional; some might call it innovative. I don’t know how he does it, but he gets the job done.”

“Damning with faint praise?” Goff remarked. “I’m not following you, General. Is this whole idea something that needs to be explored further, or do you just want to get your base and wing and planes back and put together your unit the way you see fit?”

“Sir, I don’t quite know what to make of this unmanned-attack-plane idea,” she replied. “I’ve been training and leading aircrews into battle for twelve years. In my estimation a human being behind the controls will always be better than a machine. Had we not been at the controls of that EB-1, I feel fairly certain — not positive, but fairly certain — that we could have lost a two-hundred-million-dollar plane.”

She paused for a moment, then added, “And yes, I’ll admit, I was very aware of the fact that it was my plane, one of only a few that belonged to my wing. This is my first wing-level command, something I’ve always wanted, and, frankly, I don’t relish sharing the spotlight with Patrick McLanahan. General McLanahan has an annoying habit of smelling like he came out of a French whorehouse even after emerging out of absolute train wrecks. Pardon me, sir, but what I meant to say is—”

“We know what you mean, General. We’ve been there,” Thorn said with a faint smile.

“At one point in our nation’s history, sir, they said a woman didn’t have what was needed to take a warplane into combat,” Rebecca went on. “They said women were too nurturing, not strong enough, not aggressive enough, too overcome by emotions and feelings and too ingrained as the ones who give birth and build nests to make effective destroyers. I’m happy to say we proved them wrong.”

“So what are you saying, General?”

“I’m saying that General McLanahan’s project needs more study and more experimentation,” she replied. “One test flight is not enough to prove his theories either way. And… and it only makes sense to use my wing’s aircraft, facilities, and budget to continue the experiments. General McLanahan and General Luger have been working with my wing’s aircraft for years. We’re still in the process of developing an EB-1C Vampire training program for instructors. We’re at least six months from finalizing a curriculum and training students. Our aircraft and facilities are underutilized.”

“So what are you recommending?” Goff asked.

“I’m recommending that my unit’s budget be recast and our mission redefined to make General McLanahan’s Air Battle Force concept operational as soon as possible,” Rebecca said. “If it works, we may never need to send an American into harm’s way again. The fliers I know consider it their duty to fly into harm’s way, and as long as they know and understand the mission and the objective, they’ll do it time after time. But that’s my old-school opinion. If the future of air combat means remotely piloted planes and satellite-guided, unmanned, bomb-carrying drones, then I’d be proud to have my wing lead the way.”

Robert Goff nodded in agreement — but Thomas Thorn looked at first confused, then angry.

“Listen, I’m sure I’m not getting the whole story here,” he said, “but I’ve seen what I came here to see. I’m still going to do an investigation on whether or not you misappropriated any funds, General McLanahan, or whether your use of private experimental aircraft puts the government at risk.” He looked at all three of them, then added, “I do like the analysis you did regarding Central Asia, and I think you might have some weapon systems here that can be of use if this incident starts to get serious. Secretary Goff, you handle this affair as you see fit.”

“Very good, sir.”

Thorn nodded, then looked the three military officers in the eye. “Maybe you kids aren’t as dishonest, backstabbing, treacherous, and confused as I was led to believe.” And then he paused, looked right at John Long, and stared at him long enough for everyone to fully understand exactly who it was that had led him to believe those things. Long squirmed, but there was nowhere to hide.

“I don’t know what to make of all this, but I can tell you one thing: I don’t like sidewinders. I like my fights out in the open. That’ll be all, Colonel.” Long saluted; Thorn did not return the salute. “Right now I pretty much feel like a damned gopher. Someone show me the fastest way to some sunshine.” David Luger and the head of the Presidential Protection Detail motioned toward the waiting electric cars. “Robert, Maureen, a word with you, please.”

Rebecca Furness went over to Patrick when Goff, Hershel, and the president stepped away to confer among themselves. “You know, I can’t figure you out sometimes, McLanahan,” she said.

“What do you mean?”

“Why didn’t you tell them what you think, Patrick?” she asked. “I know you don’t think the plane was in danger. I know for damned sure you don’t think there was a boom strike. In fact, none of the maintenance guys, at Diego Garcia or here, found any evidence of a boom strike.”

“It doesn’t matter what I’d tell them.”

“Doesn’t matter? You know as well as I do that if you told them, they might give you another chance to test your virtual-cockpit stuff….”

“Rebecca, they would expect me to say exactly that. They would expect me to support my program no matter what happened or what my staff report read,” Patrick said. “But I can’t ignore my senior officers. I may not agree with your observations, Rebecca, but I’m not going to tell the National Command Authority that you’re wrong and I’m right, just because I’m wearing two stars. I have more respect for you and your years of experience than that. If you say the test was not successful and the only argument I have is ‘I disagree,’ I’m not going to push a bad position. We live to fight another day.”

The president stepped on board the electric car after a few moments, while Robert Goff and Maureen Hershel went back over to Patrick. “The president is leaving it up to me,” Goff said. “I want this unit made mission-ready as soon as possible. How soon can you have your mission statement, timetable, and budget built, General?”

“We can have it sent to the chairman’s office in two days,” Patrick said.

“Make it one day, Patrick, and I’ll sit down with General Venti and get it moving,” Goff said. “And I want to