Chapter Five- part three

    It was over, but neither of them relaxed for a long moment. It had been only a few minutes in duration, but James felt like it had lasted for hours. He finally let out a long sigh and leaned back. He looked over in surprise when he heard giggles coming from Aadila. When she saw him looking she just giggled more. Finally, James managed to ask the question in his mind. "You think that was funny? The superintendent of the entire Academy, a three star general, just came to see us! He just told us that he will be watching us constantly! How can you possibly giggle about that?" Aadila struggled to stop giggling for a moment. When she did mange it, she spoke quickly. Her face was still almost glowing with her happiness. "Yes, I was giggling because a three star general came to see us, but not because it was fun or funny. I giggle with joy. Don't you understand? He told us we will be joining Mach One. We made it! We are still in the Academy! We have a three star general watching over us! They might not fear us, but they will fear him! Now do you see why I giggle with joy?"

    James sat there looking at her as she continued to grin and giggle. Then slowly he began to shake his head and grin back at her. He didn't say anything, but he had to admit to himself that she was right. They were still in. They had indeed made it. As he sat there thinking about all of it, Aadila began to softly sing a tune of some sort. It was in a language he didn't know, but it was clearly a joyful, happy song. The only interruption to her singing was when she would take another bite of her pancakes. James listened and thought for a short time before he too began to finish his breakfast. The eggs were getting cold, but that appetite he had thought lost for good was returning. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing after all. He hadn't planned on doing anything that might get him in trouble, so why should he be concerned that Lt. General McBride was watching him? Maybe that would make others hesitate before doing something that might draw the superintendent's attention. James almost felt like singing too. Maybe the worst was over. Then again maybe it wasn't. Oh well, either way Aadila was right about one thing... they were in!       

      Lt. General McBride walked quickly out of the hospital. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He wanted to think. He had a lot to think about. Once outside he stopped by his car and told the driver to go on back. He wanted to walk back. Only after he had spoken to the driver did he look over at Colonel Roberts and speak to her for the first time. "Walk with me, Roberts." That was all he said. She didn't even bother speaking. She gave him only an affirmative nod. She had known him for many years and knew he wanted to think, not talk. He would let her know when and if he wanted to talk. It was a long walk back to his office. There would be few people out making that walk today or any day for that matter. Even if they did run into someone it was highly unlikely they would want to do more than salute and put distance between them and a three star general.

    Colonel Roberts had spent several years now serving directly with McBride. She thought she knew him well, but now she wasn't so certain. She had been able to hear everything said inside that room from her position in front of the door. McBride had given her very specific instructions before they had left his office. He had wanted her to hear what was said, but nobody else to be able to. She had expected a lot of possible outcomes from this meeting, but she hadn't expected what actually did take place in that room. She had expected him to ask questions and listen to their answers carefully. After that she had expected him to do one of two things. Send one or both of them packing would have been her first expectation. She had thought it might be possible that he would allow both to stay, but not together. She had expected him to put a lot of separation between them if he did let them stay. She had also expected him to put so many restrictions on them that it wouldn't be possible for them to get into further trouble or remain at the Academy if they did. The fact was that he had done none of that. He had put them together and was sending them into the hotspot at the Academy for religious intolerance. He hadn't even raised his voice or come down on them at all either; not to any major extent. He had almost seemed to be gently trying to reason with them. It made no sense to her.

    McBride had won medals for his courage and daring during numerous actions while still a pilot. Since giving up his plane he had proven himself to be a good leader and a brilliant strategist. He knew how to win battles and to win wars. He didn't make needless sacrifices, but he understood that there was often a cost to be paid in blood if you wanted to end a battle or war. He had never hesitated to take chances of making that sacrifice when he was in the cockpit and wouldn't tolerate those who did hesitate under his command. However by the same token, he was even more severe about dealing with anyone who took unnecessary risks. One of his favorite statements was, "Wars are seldom won by fools, but they are often started and lost by them." More than once she had heard him say that and she knew that he truly believed it. Why he had never mentioned that today was a puzzle to her. What these two had done had clearly been the acts of fools. Farah had allowed herself to be pushed into making that run in new boots that were two sizes too large. She would have taken some heat for losing her boots, even though they had been hidden from her.  In the end though, it was doubtful that she would even have been put on probation. Cooper had not only refused orders; he had openly threatened a superior. That alone had been enough to make her believe he would be dismissed or at the least put on probation. Roberts studied the man walking just ahead of her. What was he up to? He would never have let something like this slide without a very good reason. Unfortunately, she couldn't think of what that reason might be.

    As McBride walked along the dirt path he could feel Roberts watching him. He knew she didn't understand what he had done or why. That thought made him grimace. He wasn't even sure that he understood his decision. He had gone there planning to ask a few questions and then probably skin them alive.  At the least, he planned to make them regret everything they had ever done, including being born. He wasn't happy with any of this, but it was also one of the problems that he knew all too well was facing the entire military. The whole issue of religious freedom had become a huge pressure cooker. He had seen the heat being increased each year and the pressure building. At first, he hadn't believed it to be a major issue. Now, well he wasn't so sure about that now. In fact, he was beginning to think it might be the main issue behind all of the rest of the issues he had to deal with. He had spent the days and the nights since this incident trying to sort it all out and get a handle on all of the who, what, when, and where behind it. He thought he had it pretty well worked out in his mind. Then he had walked into that room. He had always been a good judge of people and especially warriors. He knew he was looking at a real warrior the moment he laid eyes on Cooper. That alone had been enough to make him hesitate. Warriors, true warriors, were very rare these days. McBride couldn't and wouldn't just throw one out of the Academy if it could be avoided, but that had just been the beginning.

    When they had stepped up to the door of that room he had expected to enter a room with two shocked and terrified Doolies in it. The shock had been there, but the terror hadn't. At least not the sort he had expected to see and feel. Farah had clearly been shaken when he stepped inside. Cooper had never seemed to be. In fact, he had only been shocked for an instant. Farah had been frozen by fear at first. Cooper hesitated for only an instant before starting to move when he first saw them standing in the door. That young man would have been out of his bed and saluting if not told to remain where he was. McBride shook his head as he remembered the way that very young Doolie had looked into his eyes. There had been no real fear in those eyes. Caution and concern yes, also respect, but no sign of fear. He swore softly as he remembered the way he, a three star, had stiffened and straightened under the eyes of that young Doolie. There had been something there, nothing that could be defined or explained, only felt. Something that spoke of great courage and determination, something that had made him feel a need to be at his best. That young man could be a great leader one day, if he survived long enough. McBride had seen that look, that presence in others, though none so young or untried before this. It was the look of a leader and a hero, the look that he himself had once had.

     He walked on in silence going over the entire meeting in his mind. He also considered all that he had been told before hand about those two Doolies. Colonel Madison had definitely been right, that young man did have a will of iron. Actually, it was more like steel than iron. Iron was softer than steel. It could be shaped even after it had cooled, steel was harder, stronger and once it had cooled it was almost impossible to change the shape of it. That young man had only looked away that one brief moment while he held his Bible. It hadn't been fear or doubt that had made him lower his eyes. He had been thinking, considering his words. McBride laughed as he wondered for the first time if Cooper had lowered his eyes to pray before speaking. That would be like the man Cooper appeared to be. He was clearly a man of great conviction and great faith. How did you deal with someone with that much conviction to do what was right in their eyes? Someone with enough faith to not let the possible consequences divert them from doing what they believed to be right no matter the cost.

    Lt. General McBride was oblivious to his surroundings. He just walked along the path and thought about what had happened back in that room. It hadn't gone at all the way he had planned for it to go. That made him smile. Battles and wars seldom went the way they were planned to go. That was what this was, a battle. In fact it was turning into a major battle, but still just one battle in a war that had been going on for a long time. That also made him smile in spite of how serious this battle and war were for everyone. A lot of people currently involved in the fight believed that this was something new. It wasn't new at all. In fact it had been going on since the very beginning of civilization, perhaps even before then. It also wasn't something that could be avoided or ignored. This wasn't a battle or a war being fought in any conventional sense of battles and wars. It was, however, a very real fight and a very real war. There would be winners and losers. There would be casualties. That was what was at the heart of his concern, the casualties. This war could and indeed would affect every single person in the world. It very well could end up becoming a real war in every sense of the word, with very real casualties too.

    Colonel Roberts had watched closely while they walked. She had seen Lt. General McBride give salutes to the few people they had seen since starting this walk. He hadn't even been aware of them though, it was just purely automatic for him. His mind was clearly focused on other things. She wondered to herself what had changed when they had arrived. As his executive officer, she was his eyes and ears, hands and feet. She had been since before he received this command. She thought she knew his mind and methods as well as anyone could, but none of this made sense. Something was clearly wrong, but she had no real idea of what it was. Oh she understood the issues facing the military concerning religion. That was becoming a major issue and would have to be dealt with. The simplest and best solution should have been obvious to him though. There was simply no place in the military for this nonsense. The military had one and only one purpose, defense of this nation.

    There was no place in the military for politics or personal beliefs. The only way the military could or would be able to function properly was if all such things were removed from it. The military was, when operated as it should be, a machine. Machines had no feelings, no beliefs, and no rights. Machines were simply given instructions and they followed those instructions to the letter. Anything that could or might even possibly interfere with those orders being followed to the letter had to be removed from the machine. That was what she loved about serving in the military. There was none of the disorder and chaos in the military that was so common out in the civilian world. The military was, by its very purpose, order and organization. She had grown up in a world filled with the chaos and fear that were common to civilian existence. Since joining the Air Force she had seen what it meant to live with real order. Of course there were still issues to be dealt with and conflicts to be resolved, but those were mostly to do with how best to carry out the orders that had been given. McBride had been and still was the perfect example of a commanding officer to her. He never let personal opinions or feelings influence him. He always made his choices according to what was best for the command. He did whatever it took to get the job done, to carry out his orders. It was true that he didn't always do things according to the book, but he only did that when he saw a better way to do things. The basic orders were never changed, he might get them done a different way, but he had never failed to carry out his orders. She had to wonder though, why he had done what he had done today. Leaving those two in the Academy was wrong. They had caused a break in the proper order of things. Cooper had actually disobeyed orders. He clearly didn't belong here. Order was what held everything together. There was no room for anyone who dared to disobey.