Military Beginnings

Clear skies, dotted with light clouds, stand over the grassy field on the outskirts of the city.  A straight gravel path crosses between two lines of hangars.  On top of a five story building beside one of the lines of hangars, sits a two story cupola.  Within the cupola, stand a half dozen officers, monitoring the flight of the pilot currently in the air.  An older gentleman, with salt and pepper hair, had set his binoculars on the edge of the viewing area long ago, having given up with trying to follow the pilot's manuevers very closely.  He begrudgingly contented himself to watch the series of arcs and loops the pilot was taking in the distance, as fast and tightly as he could, as he became familiar with the vehicle and its limits.  On either side of him, stood another officer, each of them also watching as they could with binoculars and occasionally noting something on a clipboard they held.

The three remaining officers, all of them lieutenants, watched as their friend, also a lieutenant, put the machine through its paces.  A medium height, bespectacled man with short blond hair, leaned against the short wall of the cupola, not even trying to keep up with his friend's aerial antics.  He knew him well enough that he understood why Colonel Baines had set his binoculars down long ago, and slightly pitied the poor major and lieutenant colonel who were now trying to track his friend.

Beside him, a woman of about the same height stood, more excitedly than he, trying her best to observe the pilot's moves, and identifying them.  She looked at the man next to her.  "Looks like he's having fun," she commented.

He nodded.  "Mmm-hmm."  It was no surprise to either of them that the pilot was enjoying himself.  The three were childhood friends, and had spent every spare waking moment with each other, as much of it as they could manage being in the air.  Now, they were being tested as pilots in the Imperial Aether Forces, which had been a long standing dream for all of them.

Raelynn, or Rae, as she preferred to be called, continued watching Lance pilot the aircraft.  "Is that all you can say, Stan?"

Stan nodded again.  "Yep.  Impressive, though.  I can't keep up with trying to watch him."

Rae laughed.  "A-ha!  But I'm sure you'll keep up well enough."

Stan smirked.  He couldn't argue the point.  He had lost count of the number of times that they, as teens, had raced through the air on their vehicles.  Lance would start them, and Stan would be forced to keep up as he tried to talk Lance into not racing.  Many of those times, they had outrun law enforcement officers who they crossed.  At least what he did now, was sanctioned by the military forces of the empire.

"Uh-oh."  Rae's smile was replaced by a look of concern, and her voice reflected the same as she pointed in the distance.  "Stan ..."

His face fell.  Lance wasn't doing this, not with the base commander and his adjutant watching.  He was brash, but not stupid.  Yet, the cupola was straight in the aircraft's trajectory.  "Oh, no."

The colonel watched, impassively, and was encouraged by the major and lieutenant colonel to move, rather quickly, from the cupola.  Meanwhile, Lance's plane continued on its deadly trajectory.  The colonel's aides ducked, just as Stan and Rae did, while Baines remained standing.  He was the only one that saw Lance turn the plane sideways at the last minute before impact, to avoid a collision.

The quiet engine's roar was but a purr, as the vehicle raced past the cupola, not two meters away.  The wind from the passing craft blew the colonel's hat off of his head.  Once Lance passed the cupola, everyone who had ducked, stood again to see him turn at the end of the row of hangars, and execute a perfect landing in front of the command building.  They also saw the colonel's face set in a deep frown.  Stan and Rae ran down the stairs from the cupola to the ground, to greet Lance, while the officers standing by the colonel made some final notes.

Outside, Lance hopped outside of his aircraft as Rae and Stan exited the command building.  "Nice footwork!" Rae called.

Grinning, Lance waved.  "Thanks!"  He walked toward them and continued when they met.  "These things handle beautifully!"  He quickly added, looking at Rae, "Well, not so much as the ones you've fixed," then continued, "but still, for something new, off the line, and not tuned, they work well."

Rae eagerly approached and started to look over the vehicle.  "Not bad, pretty aerodynamic.  Definitely has potential," she said about its sleek, bullet like shape.  She put her hand over the engine compartment.  "Runs cool," she added, "pretty efficient, then.  I wouldn't know you just put this through a workout not ten minutes ago."  She restrained herself from opening the compartment.  This was, after all, a military owned vehicle.  She was a qualified mechanic, but hadn't been cleared to work on the new aircraft yet.  That was well for her; she could work better with them after having a chance to drive them.  She was interrupted in her observations when she heard a voice behind her.

"Rae?"  Stan stood beside her.

"Yeah?"

"You're going to be working on your vehicle tonight, aren't you?"  Rae had a tendency, when she couldn't get to work on an aircraft she wanted (usually because it was military equipment she hadn't been given access at that time), she'd work on her personal vehicle.

"Oooh, yeah," she said, wistfully.  Once again, she was interrupted in her thoughts.

"Davis!"  Turning, she found the major who had been in the cupola with the others, and Stan was now standing at attention.

"Sir!"

"Saddle up, you're driving.  Wait for the signal.  Cobb!"

Rae stood at attention as Stan started moving.  "Sir!"

"You're next.  At ease."

"Thank you, Sir."

The major turned to Lance.  "Polsic."

Lance now stood at attention.  "Sir."

"The colonel would like to see you."

"Yes, Sir."  Lance marched smartly back to the building, followed by the major.

Colonel Baines had two offices; one was on the first floor of the cupola.  It was to this office that Lance was escorted.  The colonel was facing away from the door watching through the window as Stan started his rounds in the aircraft, when the major guided Lance inside.  "Sir, Lieutenant Polsic, as you requested."

"Thank you, Major," the colonel's hands were behind his back, and he didn't turn to face the people who entered.  "Leave him here."

"As you wish, Sir."  The major exited and closed the door.

Beside Colonel Baines, Lieutenant Colonel Stohl, his aide, stood facing sideways to the colonel, but he eyed Lance, then turned his attention back to the window.  It felt like ages passed before anyone spoke.  The commander and his executive officer were watching Stan's flight.  From what Lance saw, Stan was doing quite well.  When Stan finished, Baines and his aide turned.  "Now, then, Lieutenant Polsic, what am I to do with you."

Lance emerged from the colonel's office roughly a half hour after the colonel started, and sighed slightly.  Buzzing the tower had been "unacceptable," to use very light terms compared to what were used by the colonel.  Without once raising his voice, Colonel Baines had questioned Lance's mental facilities, capability of sound judgment, fitness for flight or even being a member of the armed forces.  After that, he said that Lance showed evidence that none of that should be questioned, so why would he do something so foolish and juvenile as to buzz the tower?  He could have faced a court martial and possible dismissal, and Baines had seriously considered NJP, but instead opted to have a conversation with Lance about his actions.  Of course, Lance knew that the reason he faced no punishment, other than being impressively chewed out in a very calm manner, was his own responses to Baines.

Colonel Baines was impressive, but those serving under him recognized what he did for them, and respected him.  Lance, like anyone who would have been in his situation, was truly bothered that he had disappointed the "old man."  Breaking regulations was not always the most serious thing a person could do, when compared to disappointing the colonel.

When he exited the building, he was greeted by the command sergeant, who was supervising the ground crew.  "Afternoon, Lieutenant."

Lance returned the salute.  "Sergeant."

The sergeant offered Lance a cigarette.  "Smoke?"

Lance took it appreciatively.  Like it as not, the conversation with the colonel had been stressful for him.  While he lit it, the sergeant spoke again.  "I can speak freely to you, right?"

Lance nodded.  "Anytime."

"So you got the 'KP 'til 3 days after doomsday' speech."

Lance raised an eyebrow as he inhaled.  "Yeah," he said, "how'd you guess."

"Easy," replied the sergeant, holding his own cigarette, "I saw what you did.  I also saw where you went when you landed."

Lovely, Lance thought.

"So you know," the sergeant continued, "there's no shame in it.  Probably everyone's had that speech at least once.  Never held anyone back from anything.  And nobody, even the few who haven't had the speech, look down on those who have."

"Huh."  Lance mused.  "Thanks, Sarge."

"Anytime, Lieutenant."

The two saluted before Lance saw his friends.

Back in the colonel's office, Baines sat behind his desk as he spoke with his aide.  "Other than that stunt, would you agree the flight went well?"

"Very well, Sir."  Reflexively, Stohl glanced at some papers on a clipboard, until he saw the notes made during Lance's flight.  He separated them as there was a knock on the door.  "Enter!"

"Captain Jefferson, reporting as requested."

Baines acknowledged him.  "Thank you, Captain."  He turned to Stohl.  "Stohl, do the men have respect for Lieutenant Polsic?"

Stohl nodded.  "Yes, Sir.  Very much so."

Baines closed his eyes momentarily as he thought.  "You said the officers do, as well, correct?"

Stohl nodded again, then Baines took his next question to Jefferson.  "Captain, would the other officers work with Polsic?"

"Indeed," Jefferson replied, without any hesitation.  "We'd look forward to it."

Baines dismissed Jefferson and looked back at Stohl.  After the door closed, Stohl answered the unspoken question.  "He's definitely capable, both as a pilot and shows signs of command capability.  I don't question that, at all.  But after that stunt, I do wonder if he's ready."

Baines chuckled softly.  "Well, if it were just that stunt, I'd agree.  But you saw his reactions to what I was saying.  I think he grew up quite a bit during our conversation."

"Agreed," Stohl yielded.  "However, if I may offer this, I think to give him a group right now, just after you've given him what amounts to a verbal warning, would be nuts."

"True," Baines admitted.  "But my judgment is that he'll be fine if I do."

Stohl approached a cabinet to retrieve some papers.  "If you insist, Sir, I would recommend something."

"What's that?"

"Based on observations that others have made about how everyone interacts and works together, I would recommend that no matter what you do, keep Polsic, Davis, and Cobb all on the same team.  I've never seen teamwork like they have."  Stohl gathered the papers he needed, then placed them on the colonel's desk.

"Have we tried separating them into other teams?"  Baines began completing the form.

"Yes, Sir.  They have a history, so they work best, together."

Baines hesitated for a moment.  "Hm.  Very well then.  Lieutenant, please ask Major Williams to fetch Lieutenant Polsic."

"Yes, Sir," Stohl closed the door behind him as Baines lowered his head to complete the paperwork.