desperate men
Garland Boyette surveyed himself in the mirror.
Boyette was not the idiot everyone above him seemed to think he was. He had accumulated a crew of seasoned ex-Army personnel, he had their loyalty and he knew exactly why.
They were loyal to him because at home on Earth, every enlisted individual in every service knew well the Commander-In-Chief was nothing of the kind, that donkeys and elephants meant nothing in the field, and that the most consistent betrayer of every grunt was the very population he or she was sworn to defend.
Garland Boyette was a grunt with stripes and his subordinates admired him for it.
He wore his uniform proudly. He polished his boots with his own spit & rags in the locker room with his people.
He glanced down at those very boots now.
They shone.
Once satisfied, he kissed his fingertips and brushed them against the picture of his family.
Gone now, his wife Darlene, their children Christopher & Sherri.
Garland Boyette was alone in space, alone with the secrets of why and how they died.
He whispered the same mantra he did every morning.
"I'll try to do better."
He left his quarters, a folder under his arm, and carried his impassive face high to avoid eye contact as he negotiated his way to Melf's office.
He nodded politely to Nancy Richardson, and she waved him in with a cheery smile.
He knocked at the door and heard Melf answer. "Come in."
He did so, closing the door behind him. "Good morning, Mr. Secretary."
Melf gave him his barely perceptible smile. "Good morning, Garland. I see you're in uniform. A special occasion?"
Boyette was bristling, as Melf well knew that when Boyette was in uniform, he should be addressed as "Major". "I'm implementing a new dress code. It's good for morale."
Melf was ignorant neither of protocol nor the need for a recognizable military presence come PlanetFall. "Excellent idea, Major Boyette, thank you for your initiative." Melf was neither insincere nor sarcastic.
Boyette allowed himself a little smile. "Thank you, Mr. Secretary. May I sit?"
Melf rose as a courtesy. "Please, Major, yes, this is a matter of some great importance."
Boyette sat, and Melf resumed his position behind the desk.
"In a way, Major, this is a morale issue we're dealing with here. The information Copernicus Nagas has is potentially devastating come PlanetFall, and we need to neutralize that effect before it happens."
Boyette raised his eyebrows. "Neutralize the effect?"
Melf sensed the choice of words was offensive to Boyette's plain speech. "Before we transited the Rift, he was a potential embarrassment if we got lucky enough to find a habitable planet. Now that it seems we have gotten lucky, his mysterious disappearance needs to be addressed as a solvable problem. We need Nagas either in our hands, or we need him dead."
Boyette understood perfectly. "Very well, but I will need your permission to talk to Dr. Stormer."
Melf visibly bristled. "As he is a member of the cabinet, you should make him your last avenue of pursuit."
Boyette scowled. "But, surely, he is the most likely person to co-operate with our investigation."
Melf composed himself with his hands on the desk. "This administration will survive PlanetFall, Major. Dr. Stormer will also. He is first and foremost Gvot, make no mistake, and to trundle without forethought into his office serves only to alert the Gvot population that we're redoubling our efforts to capture Nagas, plus it undermines the perceived power base of this government, in which he is a member in good standing." Melf lowered his voice. "Find another way."
Boyette was having none of it. "With all due respect to you and the President, Stormer is in all likelihood the avenue Nagas used to disappear into thin air. It is the logical place to start."
Melf squinted slightly. "The President? I don't recall mentioning him."
Boyette knew a lot about chain of command. "Allow me then to commend you on your own initiative in authorizing this without his approval. Perhaps you should clear this with him before we begin this phase of operations?"
Melf was seething inside. "I see the need for this operation as a matter for security forces loyal to the President. As he prepares to govern at PlanetFall, I am simply paving the way for a smooth transition."
Boyette wanted to punch him there and then. "Unless the chain of command has changed drastically since my last review, as Chief Of Staff you have no authority over the United States' Army."
Melf's answer was cold. "Unless conditions here have changed drastically since you walked in this room, there is no United States."
Boyette nodded his head, knowing the answer to his next parry in advance. "Until we reach PlanetFall and the United States is reconstituted, this mission is off the books?"
Melf's head was only 8 inches from the top of his desk. "Until we reach PlanetFall is all the time you have to bring me Nagas, dead or alive, and earn the right to keep those stripes on your uniform."
Boyette laughed uncomfortably. "Or else what? You'll bust me to private?"
Melf raised his head and placed his chin on his hands. "No, Garland, I'll arrange for you to be reunited with your family."
Boyette was not the idiot everyone above him seemed to think he was. He had accumulated a crew of seasoned ex-Army personnel, he had their loyalty and he knew exactly why.
They were loyal to him because at home on Earth, every enlisted individual in every service knew well the Commander-In-Chief was nothing of the kind, that donkeys and elephants meant nothing in the field, and that the most consistent betrayer of every grunt was the very population he or she was sworn to defend.
Garland Boyette was a grunt with stripes and his subordinates admired him for it.
He wore his uniform proudly. He polished his boots with his own spit & rags in the locker room with his people.
He glanced down at those very boots now.
They shone.
Once satisfied, he kissed his fingertips and brushed them against the picture of his family.
Gone now, his wife Darlene, their children Christopher & Sherri.
Garland Boyette was alone in space, alone with the secrets of why and how they died.
He whispered the same mantra he did every morning.
"I'll try to do better."
He left his quarters, a folder under his arm, and carried his impassive face high to avoid eye contact as he negotiated his way to Melf's office.
He nodded politely to Nancy Richardson, and she waved him in with a cheery smile.
He knocked at the door and heard Melf answer. "Come in."
He did so, closing the door behind him. "Good morning, Mr. Secretary."
Melf gave him his barely perceptible smile. "Good morning, Garland. I see you're in uniform. A special occasion?"
Boyette was bristling, as Melf well knew that when Boyette was in uniform, he should be addressed as "Major". "I'm implementing a new dress code. It's good for morale."
Melf was ignorant neither of protocol nor the need for a recognizable military presence come PlanetFall. "Excellent idea, Major Boyette, thank you for your initiative." Melf was neither insincere nor sarcastic.
Boyette allowed himself a little smile. "Thank you, Mr. Secretary. May I sit?"
Melf rose as a courtesy. "Please, Major, yes, this is a matter of some great importance."
Boyette sat, and Melf resumed his position behind the desk.
"In a way, Major, this is a morale issue we're dealing with here. The information Copernicus Nagas has is potentially devastating come PlanetFall, and we need to neutralize that effect before it happens."
Boyette raised his eyebrows. "Neutralize the effect?"
Melf sensed the choice of words was offensive to Boyette's plain speech. "Before we transited the Rift, he was a potential embarrassment if we got lucky enough to find a habitable planet. Now that it seems we have gotten lucky, his mysterious disappearance needs to be addressed as a solvable problem. We need Nagas either in our hands, or we need him dead."
Boyette understood perfectly. "Very well, but I will need your permission to talk to Dr. Stormer."
Melf visibly bristled. "As he is a member of the cabinet, you should make him your last avenue of pursuit."
Boyette scowled. "But, surely, he is the most likely person to co-operate with our investigation."
Melf composed himself with his hands on the desk. "This administration will survive PlanetFall, Major. Dr. Stormer will also. He is first and foremost Gvot, make no mistake, and to trundle without forethought into his office serves only to alert the Gvot population that we're redoubling our efforts to capture Nagas, plus it undermines the perceived power base of this government, in which he is a member in good standing." Melf lowered his voice. "Find another way."
Boyette was having none of it. "With all due respect to you and the President, Stormer is in all likelihood the avenue Nagas used to disappear into thin air. It is the logical place to start."
Melf squinted slightly. "The President? I don't recall mentioning him."
Boyette knew a lot about chain of command. "Allow me then to commend you on your own initiative in authorizing this without his approval. Perhaps you should clear this with him before we begin this phase of operations?"
Melf was seething inside. "I see the need for this operation as a matter for security forces loyal to the President. As he prepares to govern at PlanetFall, I am simply paving the way for a smooth transition."
Boyette wanted to punch him there and then. "Unless the chain of command has changed drastically since my last review, as Chief Of Staff you have no authority over the United States' Army."
Melf's answer was cold. "Unless conditions here have changed drastically since you walked in this room, there is no United States."
Boyette nodded his head, knowing the answer to his next parry in advance. "Until we reach PlanetFall and the United States is reconstituted, this mission is off the books?"
Melf's head was only 8 inches from the top of his desk. "Until we reach PlanetFall is all the time you have to bring me Nagas, dead or alive, and earn the right to keep those stripes on your uniform."
Boyette laughed uncomfortably. "Or else what? You'll bust me to private?"
Melf raised his head and placed his chin on his hands. "No, Garland, I'll arrange for you to be reunited with your family."
