Address criticisms to [[email protected]] 
   
******************************

   Susan sat on the edge of the examination table naked, except for her 
bra and panties. The flight surgeon, a doctor who must have been in his 
late sixties, was studying her health record.

   "Young lady, according to your record, you haven't exactly been 
treating your body very well lately."

   "Believe me doctor, it wasn't because I have anything against it."

   The old doctor turned his head and regarded her with an amused smile 
at her reply. "I see here that you aborted a pregnancy a few weeks 
ago."

   "It wasn't my choice, doctor."

   "No, it wasn't. The translation of the Minbari records to standard 
English leaves something to be desired, General Wayne."

   "It's written in the dialect used by the religious caste, doctor. 
I'm fluent in all three of the major Minbari languages. I can try to do 
a better translation if you think it's necessary."

   "No. It's all right. I see the explanation for the aborted pregnancy. 
I'm sorry about that. I do have some other news for you before we 
continue with your exam."

   "Is it good or bad?"

   "That's up to you. Did you know you're pregnant?" 

   With raised eyebrows, she exclaimed, "I'm what!" Then she thought of 
the short time she and Charley had together. [Jesus, he must be potent. 
I never got pregnant with any of my previous lovers. Then again, I always 
used morning after pills with them.] 

   "The blood work they did for your physical revealed it. Because of 
that, I'm not going to test you to your g-force limits in the 
centrifuge. While I don't really know if it could hurt the developing 
fetus at this stage, I'm not going to take that chance. If you pass 
everything else, you'll still be in an active flight status. I'm simply 
going to restrict you from flying high performance fighter craft. You 
can handle A-328 attack bombers with no problems, but you will have to 
refrain from flying F-350s. Does that present a problem for you?"
 
   "No. The air national guard unit on the base flies modified A-328Bs 
and that will be sufficient to keep up my proficiency. Between you and 
me, doctor, I don't think they're going to let me go out and dogfight 
anymore, if they can prevent it. Oh, they'll feign disappointment; then 
they'll trot out the old 'you're too valuable to lose' excuse to keep 
me out of combat."

   "I know that must chaff you no end. After all, your whole career has 
been centered around getting shot at."

   "I suppose, I'll have to start seeing a gynecologist regularly now."

   "They have two Ob-Gyns on the medical staff here, general."

   "Are we ready for the remainder of my physical?"

   "Normally, I would do the internal exam if you were a man or a non-
pregnant female, but Doctor James is going to do yours. She's one of 
the obstetrician/gynecologists I mentioned."

   Almost as if on cue, a female in hospital greens opened the door and 
came into the room. "I'm Doctor James, General Wayne.  Doctor Winston 
tells me you're in the earliest stages of pregnancy and that you lost 
one a few weeks ago. After your exam this morning, I would like to meet 
with you, if you have the time."

   "I can do that, Doctor James," responded Susan.

   "Let's get your panties off and get you into the stirrups."

   Susan complied without hesitation. After all, she'd had sixteen of 
this type of physical over her career, and she knew that to these 
doctors she was nothing more than another piece of warm meat to be 
inspected, graded, and, hopefully, approved.

****************************** 

   Susan, with a light sheen of sweat glistening on her skin, looked at 
Dr. Winston. She had been running at full speed on the inclined 
treadmill for more than twenty-five minutes. The doctor looked 
frustrated at the body-function monitors that were both monitoring and 
recording the outputs from the various sensors placed all over Susan's 
upper body. The large tube in her mouth supplied the air for her to 
breath and a one-way valve shunted her exhaust breath into another 
sensor package. Finally, after returning the treadmill it to its normal 
horizontal position and giving Susan a cool-down period, he slowed and 
then stopped it.

   "I really would feel better if your pulse and respiration were 
closer to the norms, General Wayne. Your pulse never got above a 
hundred beats per minute and your respiration rate was only ten percent 
above your at-rest rate. It's as though your body is simply not having 
to work to pass these tests."

   "I've already explained that for almost two solid years, I worked out 
under heavy gravity conditions. That included an intense aerobics 
program for me and my marines, Dr. Winston. Do you really expect my 
body to function at what you consider normal parameters for a female of 
my age."

   "General, I could test half the population of the EA, and probably 
not find a man, much less a woman in better overall physical shape than 
you are in at the present time. You've obviously used your 
opportunities to maximum advantage."

   "What else needs to be done, or is the poke and prod completed?"

   "All that remains is to test you in the centrifuge."

******************************

   As the technician strapped her in for the last part of her flight 
physical, Susan asked, "Why no flight suit, Doctor Winston?"

   "By dispensing with the flight suit, general, we can conduct the 
tests at a much lower g-force. We have calibrated the monitoring 
equipment to compensate for the lack of the suit."

   "You said there were some other differences integrated with the 
basic tests."

   "Yes. You notice the two joysticks placed on either side of you and 
the heads up display (HUD) in front of your face. It simulates what you 
see and hear inside the cockpit of a high performance combat aircraft. 
By necessity, it's rather generic; the joysticks are intended to let you 
shoot at targets on that side of the HUD and it will give you a series 
of problems to solve as the g-force on you increases. The sensors in 
the suit you are wearing will measure your blood pressure at a number 
of points on your body, especially the lower extremes as the g-force 
applied to your body changes. The electrodes the technician is 
attaching will detect the amount of mental activity that's being 
expended in your efforts. The machine will automatically stop when you 
lose consciousness. In your case, because of your condition, I'll stop 
it before that point."

   "What kind's of problems will be presented, doctor?"

   "Anything that you might encounter on a sortie, can and will be 
simulated. There will be red and green dots appearing on your screen in 
a pseudo-random order. Shoot the red dots in the most efficient manner 
you can, but don't shoot the green ones. Good luck, General Wayne."

   Winston walked around and into a small control booth. Waiting there 
was Colonel Dave Stout, the commanding officer of the local air 
national guard unit. His command was a ready reserve unit that also 
functioned as a training command for pilots assigned to attack bombers 
and close-in air support units. He had been contacted by Colonel 
Pearson concerning the incoming general's desire to keep her flight 
status current. He was familiar with her record as a fighter pilot, but 
he knew that her bosses in Earthforce headquarters would never let her 
get involved in a firefight again, if they could prevent it. 

   Winston instructed the technician to start the test. Susan felt the 
machine start moving. At first, it was a slow rotation at one gravity. As 
she studied the HUD, she became aware of the display indicating that 
there were bogies inbound and used the right-hand joystick to target 
and engage the first red dot that appeared on her display. Before she 
finished that, a red dot appeared on the left side of her display. As 
she targeted it, the dot's color changed to bright green. She 
immediately disengaged tracking it. It now became obvious what the test 
was going to entail. Within two minutes, the bogies were coming at her 
almost too fast to engage, but she calmly worked her way through them. 
As she destroyed the last enemy, the speed of the centrifuge increased, 
and the targets began to reappear on what seemed to be a more nearly random 
basis. Susan handled the targets as best she could as the g-force on her  
increased. She didn't know how intense the g-force was, but she was 
beginning to have to really concentrate in order to destroy the enemy. 
She didn't think she was under that much stress yet, because she was 
able to handle all the enemy targets without killing any of the 
friendly ones. The engine problems that had cropped up toward the end 
of her test had been the most difficult problems to deal with of all 
those with she had been presented. 

   Inside the control booth, Doctor Winston looked at Colonel Stout. 
"What do you think, colonel?" 

   "She's already well past the g-forces that I or any of my pilots can 
tolerate, and it doesn't seem to have interfered with her performance."

   "I'm going to stop the test now, before she is put under too much 
stress."

   Susan felt the centrifuge begin to slow down. She hoped she hadn't 
embarrassed herself with her performance. The doctor had stopped the 
test before she had even began to feel any real stress. The tech was 
waiting to help unfasten her when the machine stopped turning.

   "Well, how did I do, Doctor Winston?"

   "It will be a few minutes before we know, General Wayne. The 
computer has to evaluate a number of things before it can generate a 
profile and deliver an overall evaluation. I'll show you where we can 
have a cup of coffee and wait for the evaluation results; there is 
someone here who needs to talk with you."

   As Susan followed Winston into a waiting room that was equipped with 
a coffee maker, Colonel Stout introduced himself.

   "I'm pleased to meet you, Colonel Stout. You're the commanding 
officer of the air national guard unit that's stationed here."

   "Yes, sir, I am. I understand you wish to use our facilities and 
aircraft to keep your active flight status current."

   "Yes, if it can be done without interfering with your normal 
routine."

   "I think something can be worked out to our mutual satisfaction. 
Every pilot likes to think he's the best there is. I really feel that 
your training with my people can only increase their proficiency, even 
as it bursts their ego bubbles," he responded grinning. "Make no 
mistake about it, General Wayne, I'm thoroughly familiar with your 
record and reputation as a fighter pilot."

   "Well, I think we both know my days as a hotshot fighter pilot are 
all but over. I'm pregnant; Doctor Winston is going to be keeping a 
damned close eye on me, and I just know the only way the good old boys 
in Earthforce headquarters are going to let me get near a firefight is 
over their dead bodies. Oh, they'll let me fly with you and stage mock 
dogfights. Hell, they might even let me go out and play with the pilots 
at Top Gun; but as surely as I'm a female, and I am, at the first scent 
of real combat, they'll glue my ass behind my desk."

   Colonel Stout laughed. "You know, doctor, she's telling the truth. 
Personally, General Wayne, I'd like to see you go up against those 
swelled heads at Top Gun. Maybe getting their egos brought back down to 
Earth wouldn't hurt."

   "I don't think there's much chance of EFHQ letting me do that, 
Colonel, although it might improve their chances of survival."

   Susan and the two men were finishing their first cup of coffee when 
the technician brought a data crystal and a chart recording to the 
doctor. Winston studied the chart for almost a minute. "It appears that 
you are fit for flight duty, General Wayne. You did well in all areas 
of the centrifuge test."

   "Then if you have no further need of me, Doctor James wants to see 
me before I leave, and I need to get dressed in my uniform. I'll be 
contacting you soon about my flying with your group, Colonel Stout."

   After Susan left, Colonel Stout looked at Doctor Winston. "How did 
she do, doctor?"

   "I'm not sure your ego can handle it, Colonel Stout." Winston handed 
the chart to Stout.

   Stout read the results and whistled. "When you stopped the test, her 
proficiency still hadn't started to decline. Hell, I was damned near 
unconscious by that point in my test and my proficiency, well. It 
wasn't."

   "After reading these results, it's very apparent how she's managed 
to kill so many enemy pilots. I think your suggestion about having her 
take the Top Gun School students down a few pegs may have merit. With 
her ability to perform under extreme g-forces, she should be able to 
use an A-328 and eat those Top Gun pilots and their F-350s for 
breakfast, to put it in your vernacular." 

   "Flying with her is going to be fun, Doctor Winston, and 
enlightening. I think I like her. She's real people."

   Winston laughed and agreed with Colonel Stout.

******************************

   "I suppose that my vodkas and ice are out for the duration," stated 
Susan.

   "Not necessarily, but you should keep them to a minimum," replied 
Doctor James.

   "It'll be easier to just eliminate alcoholic drinks altogether. That 
way I won't forget and drink too much."

   "This is a list of the vitamins and supplements I want you to start 
taking, General Wayne. You're in outstanding physical condition and you 
seem to have a good diet. However, a fetus can sap the nutrients from 
your system very quickly, and you may not be aware of it until you 
start having health problems. Saying that, I'm also telling you that 
every pregnancy is different for each individual. Even women who have 
gone through several of them are sometimes surprised by the way the 
latest one develops."

   "You have my promise to follow your instructions, Doctor James. 
There's no way, I'm going to do anything that might cause problems with 
this one."

   "I've reviewed your record. The last one was beyond your control. 
Concentrate on this one. I'm here for you every step of the way, 
general. If you have any questions, and I mean any questions at all, 
call me."

   Susan shook hands with the doctor and then went to pick up her 
prescriptions from the facility pharmacy. For a moment, the sincerity 
in the doctor's voice had almost made her not feel like a warm piece of 
meat.

******************************

   While Susan was still busy with Doctor Winston, a military air 
transport (MAT) flight landed at the base airfield and debarked the JAG 
team. As Susan exited the medical facility, she saw a car sitting at 
the curb with a driver in it and two stars displayed where a front 
license plate would normally be mounted.

   The driver started the engine as soon as he saw Susan exit the 
building. She walked over to the car. "Are you waiting for me?"

   "Yes, sir."

******************************
   
   Susan stopped at Pearson's office. "Mark, did you send that car for 
me?"

   "No, sir. The JAG team has arrived and we took them to the BOQ. 
General Zaleski arranged for the commander and his wife to use one of 
the VIP suites. The BOQ people weren't happy about it, but they 
complied."

   "I'm beginning to think that that outfit doesn't understand its 
place in the scheme of things on this base. I know they're an 
independent subordinate command, but maybe they are a little bit too 
independent. I'll be in my office. I want to confer with my 
skullduggery partner before we start questioning the prisoners we 
arrested the other night."

   Less than an hour later, Susan and Jenkins were conferring on the 
best approach for their project and settled for leaving the JAG team 
instructions to notify Jenkins when they could be ready for their 
clients to be questioned. It was almost knock-off when Colonel 
Pearson's briefing was interrupted by a knock on Susan's office door.

   "Enter!" Susan said.

   "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," said Commander Earl 
Jennings.

   "Come on in, commander. Mark and I can finish this later. What can I 
do for you?"

   "I've just come from the base security/detention facility. My people 
are in the process of meeting with their respective clients. I met 
Master Sergeant Jenkins and looked at some of the questions you two 
want to ask the prisoners. To be truthful, I can't make any sense out 
of them. They seem to be random and somewhat nonsensical. Just from 
reading them, I can't come up with even a wild ass guess as to what 
you're looking for, General Wayne."

   "Then, neither will they. We aren't really sure what, if anything, 
we'll find. Since you're prosecuting, I'll tell you this much. What 
we're looking for concerns the mystery that is, so far, surrounding the 
death of First Lieutenant Ellers. You wonder how in hell these 
questions could possibly manage that. Well, we're not sure of that 
ourselves. I do promise you this, commander; they have nothing to do 
with the attack on me."

   "I should hear from the defense counsels by tomorrow morning. Did 
you know that the civilian had already retained a civilian attorney?"

   "No, but it comes as no surprise. He'll be tried in a federal court. 
I wonder who the prosecutor for him will be?"

   "The chief security officer informed me that she is out of the San 
Francisco branch office of the Earth Alliance Attorney General. Her 
name is Lorin Hinton. I understand she has a reputation of winning 
difficult cases."

   "I don't see this case as being particularly difficult. The accused 
was all but caught trying to kill me with a knife."

   "I can see that you have never argued a case in court, General 
Wayne."

   "I can see you aren't familiar with the latest ruling by the federal 
appeals courts."

   "Oh?"

   "I can have a court appointed telepath scan me and the results are 
admissible in court. Also, my hearing his thoughts is admissible. The 
same applies to the young officers."

   "Looks like I need to do some more research, general. May I use your 
terminal?"

   "Be my guest. Keep in mind that I have to appear in an Atlanta court 
the Monday after I relieve General Zaleski."

   Commander Jennings twitched his nose as he entered search parameters 
into Susan's terminal. Susan got a cup of coffee and watched him work.

   "How long will it take you to finish up this briefing, Mark?"

   "About ten, maybe fifteen minutes, sir."

   "Do it while he's playing with my computer terminal."

   It took Jennings almost fifteen minutes to find and print out 
hardcopy of the data for which he was searching. Susan looked at him. 
"Well, commander?"

   "It's interesting, general. I'm going to have to review it and see 
if it's pertinent to us for this situation. It's going to require that 
I get some high level opinions. Everyone I need back at HQ is long gone 
for the day. I'll have to leave them messages. I can do that from my 
suite at the 'Q'. If you come around the club tonight, I'll introduce 
you to the other members of my team."

   "It's been a pleasure meeting you, Commander Jennings," said Susan 
offering a handshake. Jennings thought his hand was caught in a vise 
when he had accidentally squeezed Susan's hand a bit too hard.

   "You have a crisp grip, General Wayne."

   "I've never had anyone describe it quite that way before, 
commander."

   After Colonel Pearson and Commander Jennings left, Susan put in a call 
to an unpublished phone number.

   "What can I do for you?"

   Susan simply gave the respondent two names, Colonel Jun Sonn Lee and 
Captain Freda Ellison.

   "We'll get back to you."

   That ended the call.

****************************** 

   Susan heard a knock at her office door. "Enter!"

   General Zaleski entered the room. "I was wondering what you have 
planned for tomorrow night, Susan?"

   "Nothing at this time. I've been going to the club, practicing my 
keyboard and guitar work, all of which is being recorded, and having a 
few vodkas and ice. After seeing the doctor today though, I'm going to 
have to trade the vodkas in for orange juice or something similar. 
Why're you interested?"

   "My wife's planning one more get-together before we turn the house 
back to the base housing department. I thought it might afford you a 
chance to meet some of the people who'll be working for you. It's 
informal/casual, but you can depend on the junior officers being in 
uniform. You can dress like you were at the club Saturday night, if 
it's more comfortable for you."

   "Any idea what the menu's going to be?"

   "No clue. There are things my wife doesn't even tell me. It'll be 
catered, so it won't be too bad."

   "Catered? Isn't that a bit expensive?"

   "I keep forgetting that all of your experience as a senior officer 
has been aboard major combat starships. You don't get much exposure to 
the more enjoyable aspects of the rank. Since this is primarily a get 
to know your prospective boss occasion, it will be catered by the base 
mess hall. You've already tried their fare, and I hear you like it very 
much."

   "I do. They have a regular customer in me."

   "I'll expect you about 1900 hours. I'll send my car around to pick 
you up."

   "Did you send that car today?"

   "Yes. It's time for you begin to understand your status. You've been 
so isolated on your deployments that you haven't had a chance to learn 
some of the finer points of being a flag officer. In a little while, 
you're going to be assuming more responsibility than any one of your 
experience should have to shoulder. It's not right, but it has been 
decreed by the powers that be."

   "I thought up until now that my behavior was satisfactory. What've I 
done wrong?"

   "Nothing at all. You're the youngest Earth Alliance officer to ever 
be selected for flag rank. Hell, you've earned it in every respect. But 
think about it, you're at a point in your career that very few officers 
ever achieve, and those who do are at least ten to fifteen years older 
than you are when they reach it."

   Susan shrugged her shoulders and showed the palms of her hand in the 
universal sign of resignation. "Less than ten days doesn't give me much 
time to learn, does it?"

   "Susan, you've shown that you're a natural at handling the military 
aspects of your rank. It's those other aspects that need working on."

   "Will there be any civilians there?"

   "A few members of the local civilian power structure will probably 
be there. I feel it won't hurt for you to meet some of the people you 
may have to knock heads with in the future."

   Twitching her nose, Susan replied, "I look forward to it, sir."

******************************

   Zaleski took his leave and walked back to his office. [She's a super 
steel spring, coiled to unleash who knows what on an unsuspecting 
adversary, real or imagined. She's a combat hardened veteran, who has 
seen things better left unknown. I would like to meet her husband. I 
wonder if even he has seen a part of her that isn't always vigilant and 
expecting attack from all quarters without warning? Does she even have 
one?] He had heard what had happened the other night. She, without 
hesitation, went to face a group of men determined to kill her, just to 
make sure they were captured and prosecuted. He would never understand 
her attitude, even if she were a man? [Maybe I'm just too damn old to 
understand taking chances like that.]

******************************

In the security/detention facility:

   Ralph Gordon was looking across the table at his attorney, Jerry 
Halstein. "Where do you want me to start?"

   "At the beginning would be a good place. These people all but caught 
you swinging the knife at the victim."

   "Me and the guys were sitting at a table at the 'O' club. Allan, 
First Lieutenant Allan Meyers, went up to the bar and tried to make a 
pass at a good looking chick who was just starting to drink. She shut 
him down so fast it wasn't even funny."

   "And this important because."

   "Let me tell it my way." 

   The lawyer motioned for him to continue.

   "Well, he kept trying until she finally told him she was going to 
file a formal complaint against him. He finally got the message, but it 
was too late."

   His lawyer looked very impatient.

   "He came back to the table. It was then that one of the other guys, 
First Lieutenant Mark Todd, informed him that the broad he had tried to 
hit on was General Susan Wayne, Zaleski's replacement."

   "So far, I'm not hearing anything approaching a reason why you would 
have involved yourself in something that was none of your business."

   "A while back, I used to be an Earth Alliance supply officer. I used 
to run a club similar to this one about eight years ago. To make it 
short and sweet, I was caught with my hand in the till. My senior 
officers were 'nice' about it. They arranged for me to be allowed to 
resign my commission. The problem with that was the resignation was 
handled so it amounted to a bad conduct discharge. It's just that my 
papers don't actually reflect it. You have to dig into the records to 
find it. People who want to hire you to handle money always dig. They 
want to know why you quit a promising career. I was selected for major 
when it happened."

   "Let me guess, you didn't want to see it happen to some other young 
officer. Please. Give me a break. You tell that story in open court, 
and they'll jack up the prison and put you under it. As it is, you're 
facing at least fifty years without the possibility of parole. Now tell 
me the rest of this mess, and please, tell me it wasn't your idea."

   "Meyers was all but crying in his drink. I asked what he intended to 
do about the situation. That's when we started discussing how to get 
him out of the mess."

   "Somewhere in that discussion you brought up getting rid of General 
Wayne." As he spoke, the expression on his face left no doubt what he 
thought about Gordon and his predicament. He had to defend the man, but 
he didn't have to like it. He had faced stacked decks before, but never 
one stacked this badly against him.

   "I did, but at the time, I don't think that any of us took the idea 
seriously. Somewhere in there, over a bunch more drinks, we got down to 
serious talk. We left the club a few minutes before she did and waited 
for her. The rest is in the police report."

   Holding up a manila folder, Halstein asked, "Would you care to read 
it. Your friends have all made initial statements. Do you want to guess 
who they fingered as the man responsible for both the idea and 
execution of the attempt on General Wayne's life. The first four 
guesses don't count. You better tell me about the entire thing. The 
Earth Alliance prosecutor is already waiting to interview you. She has to 
wait until the JAG team arrives and the officers get to consult an 
attorney before she can question them. She has her own investigators 
with her. You can bet they're going over the security personnel with a 
fine toothed comb." 

****************************** 

   Lorin Hinton looked across the table at Ralph Gordon and his lawyer. 
"You do understand what charges your client is facing."

   "Of course, Ms. Hinton. What I don't understand is why the top gun in 
the San Francisco office of the Earth Alliance Attorney General is 
bothering with an open and shut case like this one?" replied Jerry 
Halstein."

   "I'm always skeptical of open and shut cases, Mr. Halstein. I've 
seen too many of them lost. I've read the arrest report. I'd like to 
ask your client a few questions."

   "Ask away, just don't expect too many answers."

   "Mister Gordon, you used to be a captain in the Earthforce. Is that 
true?"

   "Yes," replied Gordon.

   "Why were you discharged?"

   "I wasn't."

   "Ralph, don't answer any more questions about your past. She's 
fishing for a motive," advised Halstein.

   "Was this alleged attack personally motivated, Mr. Gordon?"

   "You don't have to answer that," commented Halstein.

   "What do you know about the woman involved in the Monday night 
attack, Mr. Gordon?"

   Halstein looked at Gordon and nodded. "Only that she is General 
Zaleski's relief."

   "So, you don't know that she is an expert in hand-to-hand combat?"

   "It's news to me."

   "I wonder why she didn't just kill you. It would have been self-
defense with a dozen witnesses. She wouldn't even have had to make a 
statement. I mean she's killed several people who meant to kill her 
over a period covering the last couple of months. I just learned that 
she spent the last two years or so teaching Earthforce marines how to 
kill an opponent using their bare hands. Do you have any idea why she 
didn't kill you?"

   "I don't know anything about that."

   "I'm going to be honest Mr. Gordon. The best you can expect, if 
you're convicted - and take my word for it, you will be convicted - is 
fifty years without possibility of parole or early release. You'll be 
so old you won't even remember what young women are good for, assuming 
you know now."

   "That wasn't necessary, Ms. Hinton," complained Halstein.

   "I know, but there may be a light at the end of the tunnel," stated 
Hinton.

   "And that would be?" asked Halstein.

   "It seems that the local constabulary, that would be Master Sergeant 
Jenkins, wants to ask your client some questions."

   "What kind of questions?" asked Halstein.

   "Strangely enough, they have nothing to do with the charges now 
facing your client."

   "What kind of questions, Ms. Hinton?" insisted Halstein.

   Hinton handed Halstein several sheets of paper. "They will be asked 
in a pseudo-random sequence that will be determined by a computer."

   Halstein read the sheets quickly. "These questions don't make any 
sense. What do we get out of this?"

   "There are some conditions attached to your client answering those 
questions."

   Looking very suspiciously at Hinton, Halstein said, "Continue 
counselor."

   "They want a telepath to monitor the questions and answers session."

   "They want to go fishing in my client's mind using a telepath. I 
don't think so. Get yourself another sucker," said Halstein.

   Hinton looked at Gordon. "Before you let your lawyer put you away 
for the rest of your natural life, I strongly suggest that you talk to 
the telepath who will be monitoring the session, Mr. Gordon."

   "I don't think so, counselor. I'll stick with Mr. Halstein's 
judgment."

   "Let me enlighten you, Mr. Gordon. Did Mr. Halstead tell you that 
the maximum sentence you can receive is life without parole in an Earth 
Alliance maximum-security prison. That means you come out of prison in 
a cheap casket. Try thinking of the deal from this point of view. You 
are already going to be getting life without possibility of parole, if 
I have anything to do with it, and I do. What could you possibly have 
to lose by taking the deal. I'll see you again in the morning before we 
transport you to San Francisco. After we leave for San Francisco, 
there'll be no deals."

   "You haven't told us what he gets out of this, counselor," noted 
Halstein.

   "You never gave me the chance. Before you accept anything, I do 
strongly suggest that you talk with the telepath involved. You will 
have the entire situation explained at that time. But you've already 
told me you weren't even interested in talking to her, much less any 
deal I had in mind."

   Hinton was opening the door when Gordon spoke, "Ms. Hinton, I want 
to talk to the telepath."

   Hinton continued out the door, without responding.

   After the door closed, Gordon looked at Halstein, "What's wrong with 
you?"

   "I can't help wondering just what's going on here. What can be so 
important to them that they'll deal about questions that can't possibly 
have anything to do with what you and your friends did the other 
night?"

   "We won't learn unless I talk with that telepath. You're going to be 
there."

******************************  

   Susan was getting ready to call it a day when someone knocked on her 
office door. "Enter!"

   A well-dressed woman wearing a power pantsuit came through the door.

   "What can I do for you, Ms.?"

   "I'm Lorin Hinton. I work out of the San Francisco branch of the EA 
Attorney General's office."

   "I'm Susan Ivanova-Wayne. I don't work anywhere at the moment. Now, 
what can I do for you?"

   Hinton was taken aback by Susan's response. "I thought you were a 
general, Mrs. Wayne."

   "A lot of people assume that, Ms. Hinton. I think it may be the 
uniform. It fools 'em every time. Now, again, what can I do for you?"

   Somewhere during the exchange, Hinton realized that Susan was having 
a laugh at her expense. "Maybe, I should start over, General Wayne."

   Susan said nothing.

   "I've been assigned to prosecute the civilian who is charged with 
attempting to kill you."

   "I know. Commander Jennings told me as much. If you wonder how I knew 
who you were before you introduced your self, it's simple. You were 
thinking very hard about the questions that Master Sergeant Jenkins and 
I want to ask those involved in the conspiracy, if that's the correct 
word for what they were doing."

   "You scanned me!"
 
   "Absolutely not, Ms. Hinton. You were thinking about it so intensely 
that I picked up your thoughts while you were at least ten meters away. 
I had my mental barriers at just the right level to keep out the stray 
thoughts of the people working within about five meters or so of me. 
Without the mental barriers, I'd go nuts in less than ten minutes. It's 
like being in a ten meter square room with five-hundred people 
screaming and shouting as loudly as they possible can, and you can't do 
anything to stop them. So, when you came down the passageway by Colonel 
Pearson's office the intensity of your thoughts was sufficient to 
intrude through my barriers." 

   "Oh."

   "So, what can I do for you, Ms. Hinton? If you want to know what we 
hope to find during the questioning of the officers and the civilian, 
the truth is we're hoping to learn something that will help us figure 
out what killed one of our junior officers this past weekend. Do these 
men have any knowledge that might be helpful? Your guess is as good as 
ours. It won't actually cost us anything to try this little experiment, 
and that's exactly what it is. One of our staff psychologists helped 
Master Sergeant Jenkins work up that list of questions. I really don't 
care what else we learn. If the information isn't germane to that 
investigation then I'm not interested in it at all. In other words, no 
one gets to use it if we can't. These men are facing extremely long 
sentences. A drug dealing or using charge is the least of their 
worries. Would you prosecute a man for dealing drugs, if he's already 
serving a life without possibility of parole sentence? Not damn 
likely."

   "So, this is a fishing expedition, but nothing like the civilian's 
lawyer suspects. I wasn't given any guidance on how to handle this 
situation. I'm willing to work with you within reason."

   "Have you ever been responsible for someone's death, Ms. Hinton? Have 
you ever personally killed anyone, either by accident or design?"

   "No. Why?"

   "Have you ever had a fellow worker get killed, by accident or 
design?"

   Hinton thought about the question for a moment. "My father died from 
lung cancer, but I don't suppose that counts?"

   "Do you remember how you felt when you received the news of your 
father's death?"

   "It was only six months ago, general. I still feel it every day. It 
hurts like hell, even though I know he's no longer suffering pain so 
intense that the drugs he was taking at the end were no longer 
effective."

   "I know you've never felt anyone die, because you aren't a telepath. 
I was in a Minbari ship's captain's mind when he was incinerated by my 
ship's main weapons systems. It almost killed me, and I spent several 
weeks in a coma. I was aware of what was happening in the first 
lieutenant's mind as it was going haywire just prior to his death. 
Those are experiences I wouldn't wish on anyone, but they give you a 
whole different perspective on Human existence. The one that leaves me 
crying sometimes in the night is caused by one of my associates 
literally giving his life for me."

   "I'm sorry; I don't understand. But I suppose that's your whole 
point."

   "I take the young man's death very seriously. I want to know what 
killed him, and I don't care if was something he took himself, or 
something someone slipped him. Why he died is that he quit breathing and 
his heart failed. That was caused by every neuron in his brain 
firing uncontrollably. The instructions to his autonomic systems 
cancelled themselves out and� his breathing and heartbeat just 
stopped. I have no way of knowing how much, if any, pain he was in 
before the end. Based on my experience with the incident with the 
Minbari Captain, I shudder at the possibilities."

   "What do you want from me, General Wayne?"

   "I'm hoping to get you to understand my point of view on this, and 
why it's important to me. As to how you can help me, what kind of deal 
are you authorized to negotiate?"

   "If Gordon is convicted for initiating the conspiracy, in addition 
to being the one who actually tried to kill you, he's facing life in a 
maximum security prison with out possibility of parole. What do you 
have in mind?"

   "If he agrees to my experiment, nothing he reveals can be used to 
prosecute him at a future date."

   "Is that all?" she asked incredulously.

   "No. He agrees to plead guilty to assault with intent to kill me and 
we drop the conspiracy charge; he is sentenced to fifty years in prison 
with twenty-five years suspended, and parole is a possibility. With 
good behavior, he can be out in something less than fifteen years. From 
where I stand, it looks like a really good deal compared to the 
alternative."

   Hinton thought about Susan's proposal. "We give him this deal and we 
don't even have any idea if he knows anything we might find useful. 
Seriously, I think it's much too good, all things considered."

   "Consider this, counselor; we only agree not to use anything we 
learn to prosecute him in the future. I never said anything about not 
using anything else we might learn to prosecute anyone else. If we get 
anything useful, I turn it over to you and only you. From what Master 
Sergeant Jenkins tells me, going to the local police would be a waste 
of time at best. I have an eidetic memory and can guarantee you that 
you will get everything I get from Mr. Gordon. You can use it however 
you desire as long as you don't use it against him directly. If you use 
the information to develop independent leads that might lead back to 
Mr. Gordon. Well, that's outside the purview of any agreement we make 
with him. You do see my point, of course?"

   "Of course," replied Hinton with a huge grin. "I suppose the same 
situation is going to be applied to the officers."

   "Of course," smiled Susan. "I'm not known as the 'Ice Queen' for 
nothing." 

   "I like doing business with you, General Wayne. I'll have to run 
this by the office, but it looks like a well thought out expedition to 
me. I just hope we get something useful."

   "I've been told that I'm a fair tactician. Besides, we're playing 
with their money."

   Hinton looked at her crookedly as she got up to leave and smirked, 
"Fair tactician, my ass."

   Susan was pleased with their meeting. They both stood to gain on the 
situation, and they didn't even have to play with their own capital. A 
quick call to Colonel Pearson's office to have him reschedule her 
driving lessons and she was ready to call it a day.

******************************  

At the Officers Club that evening:

   Commander Jennings, his wife and the junior officers that were part 
of the JAG team had eaten supper in the 'O' club dining room. 
Afterward, they had gravitated to the bar and dance area of the 
establishment. The only entertainment was canned music. It was 
Wednesday, the slowest day of the week for the bar.

   The younger officers had their attention captured by the good 
looking, well built chick who had walked in, and now stood at the bar 
exchanging what seemed to be small talk with the bartender.

   "Evening, Lon. It surely looks slow tonight."

   "Not really, ma'am. Actually, it's about normal for a Wednesday. You 
want your usual?"

   "Not tonight, and not for a whole lot of nights to come, Lon. I had 
my physical today and the doc told me I'm pregnant. So, if it's all the 
same with you, just fix me a very large glass of orange and grapefruit 
juice and put some ice in it."

   A minute later, Lon set a one-liter glass of juice and ice in front 
of Susan. She took a sip and walked over to the bandstand. She turned 
on the keyboards and amplifiers. At the bar, Lon switched off the 
canned music.

   At Commander Jennings' table, Lt. Eggleston commented, "Looks like 
we may have live entertainment after all." 

   "Any idea who she is, commander?" asked Lt. Brookman rhetorically.

   Jennings looked at his wife. "As a matter of fact, I do. She's the 
reason we're here."

   "I thought we're here because our clients tried to kill a General 
Wayne, commander," commented Lt. Roe.

   "Oh, we are. That's General Wayne, boys."

   All three of the young men looked at him, not quite believing him. 
They hadn't seen any pictures of General Wayne; so, they had no way of 
knowing what she looked like. It certainly couldn't be the knockout 
picking up the acoustic guitar.

   "If you guys don't believe me; then one of you walk up there and ask 
her what her name is."

   Lon had approached the table unnoticed. "That won't be necessary, 
commander. That's General Susan Ivanova-Wayne, General Zaleski's 
relief. Can I get you anything else to drink?" The young lieutenants 
ordered a refill on their pitcher of beer. 

   As Lon walked away from the table, Lt. Roe said, "That's the woman 
who told my client to take a hike. I can see why he was insistent. Too 
bad he didn't have enough sense to take the hint. By the way, did the 
rest of you get the same pitch from that Master Sergeant Jenkins that I 
did?"

   Commander Jennings spoke. "Yes they did. All things equal, I 
strongly suggest that you and your clients listen to her and consider 
her offer. To be blunt, I have your clients dead to rights. If they 
don't buy what she's selling, they won't ever set foot on a sidewalk 
again. Her way they'll still be less than thirty-five when they are 
released." 

   "Can we can the job talk, sweetheart. I really don't want to hear 
it," said Jennings' wife. Her husband nodded assent.

   Susan played for just over an hour and called it a night. As she 
finished turning off the equipment, she noticed Commander Jennings and 
some other people sitting at a table. After setting her empty glass on 
the bar, she walked over to Jennings' table.

   "Good evening, commander. I can't believe you brought your wife all 
the way out here to sit in the 'O' club and drink with a band of junior 
officers. I take it these gentlemen have been charged with defending 
the young men who wanted to do me bodily harm."

   Jennings introduced Susan to his wife and his fellow JAG officers. 
She took a seat when asked and ordered another juice. Looking around 
the table and seeing a questioning look on the faces of the three young 
officers, she said , "At my annual flight physical, the doctor told me 
I'm pregnant. So, I'm giving up booze until the baby's born. After 
that, I'll have to wait and see.

   Jennings looked at his wife. "Whatever it is, go ahead and ask her," 
she said.

   "General Wayne, would you explain to my fellow counselors what you want 
their clients to agree to?"

   Susan spent the next forty minutes and two more glasses of juice 
explaining what she was trying to accomplish. "So you see, I'm shooting 
in the dark, gentlemen. Your clients may not know anything of any use 
to us, but that's the chance you take when you make a deal like this. 
No matter whether we learn anything useful, the deal with your clients 
will still be valid. Honestly, I don't see any down side for them at 
this point. Tomorrow morning, I want to meet with them and the 
civilian. I want to make sure they understand exactly what is being 
asked of them, and I'll answer questions any they have, if I can."

   Susan bade them goodnight and left. The young officers pondered what 
she had told them and then discussed it amongst themselves. Jennings 
apologized to his wife, but she didn't seem to be miffed at all. 

   "Let me get this straight, gents. Your clients conspired to and did 
attempt to murder this woman. They're facing life in prison without 
possibility of parole, and she just offered a deal that could have them 
back on the street in about ten years or so. I suggest they grab it and 
hold on for dear life," commented Jennings wife.

   "There has to be a catch," said Lt. Roe. "But like the lady said, 
it's our clients lives. The least we can do is have them listen to 
her."

   Susan went to bed still wondering if they would learn anything that 
would put them any closer to an answer about what happened to First 
Lieutenant Ellers, and just before she drifted off to sleep she thought 
of Marcus, only this time the tears on her pillow weren't tears of 
sorrow or guilt. They were tears of gratitude for what Marcus' 
sacrifice was allowing her to do with her life.

******************************

End part 26

27

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