Dr. Chandler replied, "Captain Gains has been aware of the diminishment of her magical capacity for a couple of years. She has apparently heard the rumors that a rigorous physical training regimen could increase magical capacity of aging witches."
"Is there any truth to those rumors?" General Cassidy asked.
Dr. Chandler sighed and emphatically shook her head. "None whatsoever, General" she declared. "It's one of those old Witches' tales that have been around for a long time. Magical capacity, the amount of magic a witch can call on, is innate. It's something a witch is born with, and there are no known ways to increase that. Magical utilization, the ability to use what magical capacity a witch has, can be enhanced by good physical conditioning. Apparently, Captain Gains mistook an increase of magical utilization for an increase of magical capacity, a common misconception."
Dr. Chandler continued. "Right now, in her current physical condition, Captain Gains' magical utilization is around 96-97%. That's about as high as it will ever get. Her magical capacity though, is about 85% of what she had at age 16, the age when the magical capacity and utilization of a witch normally peaks. Magical capacity diminishes with age; no one can explain why. We normally see the greatest drops in magical capacity between the ages of 19-23. After that, the magical capacity of a Witch tends to levels out between the ages of 25-30, although large drops in capacity are not unknown in that age bracket. After age 30, magical capacity of a Witch stabilizes, and normally no significant changes of capacity are seen, until a witch is in her late 60s-early 70s."
"Doctor, you mentioned the figures for Captain Gains' magical capacity and utilization. What effect would those figures have on any combat role for Captain Gains?" General Cassidy asked.
Doctor Chandler hesitated, and then spoke in a formal detached tone. "Captain Gains has diminished magical capacity from just two years ago. However, she is able to maximize the utilization of that capacity. The greatest effect is the diminished ability for Captain Gains to put up effective shields in a combat situation. The old saying from the First Neuroi War was 'the shields are the first to go', and it's been true for any witch deployed in any combat role beyond a certain age."
She continued. "Right now, tests show Captain Gains can only summon up enough magic to produce shields that are 75% effective compared to the ones she could produce 2 years ago, and her ability to sustain them against continued attacks has similarly diminished. As her magical capacity decreases, there will probably be a steep drop in the effectiveness of her shields. The greatest fear is that her shields will fail at a critical moment and that she will be killed or critically wounded as a result."
"Doctor, given the results of Captain Gains' flight physical, what are your official recommendations?" asked General Cassidy, his face unreadable mask, his tone remote, formal and official. A cold hand squeezed Audrey's heart and gut. NO! Dear God, please don't discharge me! I won't know what to do! she prayed.
Doctor Chandler closed the folder on her lap and returned it to the briefcase. She took off her reading glasses and put them in a pocket of her lab coat. She straightened up, lifting her chin as she faced General Cassidy, and began speaking in the same remote, formal and official tone. "These are my formal recommendations. I am recommending that Captain Gains be restricted from any combat role, or any role where there is a possibility she could see combat. I further recommend that she be permanently grounded. Finally, I recommend that Captain Gains be processed for an honorable discharge, with full benefits and pension at her current rank."
Doctor Chandler relaxed her stance and continued in softer voice. "Unofficially, I would hope that Captain Gains would seriously think about settling down, getting married and starting a family. I think she would be an excellent mother." She continued, shooting Audrey a sympathetic look.
Audrey was starting to hyperventilate, her mind a swirl of despair. So, her Air Force career was over, just like that. Tossed away like so much trash, she thought. The thought of going from a Combat Witch to a housewife left a sour taste in her mouth. She wouldn't be able to use her degree, having seen the contractors' attitude towards their female colleagues. What hope would she have? She had spent more than half of her life in the Air Force, surrounded by its structure and discipline, in the company of like minded girls and women. None of her accomplishments would mean anything on the outside. Is that all I'm good for now, the bearing and raising of the next generation of Witches? She thought bitterly.
General Cassidy's expression was still stern and unreadable. In the same remote, formal and official tone, he said, "Thank you Doctor, for your recommendations. You're dismissed." Doctor Chandler stood up, picked up her briefcase, saluted General Cassidy, shot Audrey another sympathetic look and left the office.
Audrey was sunk in her misery and pain. This had to be a nightmare. When was Juggs going to wake her from this? She was concentrating so much on her own despair, she never saw the general get up from his desk, poke his head out the door to say something to his secretary, close the door, pour a glass of water and offer it to her. Pulling herself back to the reality, she pasted on a smile to hide the pain and misery, accepted the glass of water, and sipped it carefully.
General Cassidy went back around his desk, and sat in his chair, straight and upright, as if at attention. His face was still a stern, unreadable formal mask. "Captain Gains" he said in that remote, formal, official tone. He paused for a moment. He leaned forward, his forearms on his desk. His expression softened with a look of concern, and he said in a softer, less formal tone, "Audrey" Audrey's head snapped up to look at him in surprise. In all the time she'd been a member of the 355th, this was the first time he'd ever addressed her by her first name.
"Audrey" the General continued in that soft tone. "The Air Force needs you, if you are willing to accept a different role. You can't always be the one to 'squeeze the pickle'." referring to triggering the bomb release, known to close air support witches as 'squeezing the pickle' . "You've got at least 2,500 flight hours, with nearly half of those in combat. The Air Force needs what you know, what you've learned in all your flight hours and two tours in Nam against the Neuroi."
"What can I do, Sir? I'm just a 'mud mover'", giving the derogatory nickname air-to-air fighter witches had for those who flew close air support. "I even got shot down for all my troubles." Audrey almost wailed.
General Cassidy's expression settled into a slightly sterner one, and his voice took on a slightly sterner tone, reminding Audrey of her father, when he was 'laying down the law in no uncertain terms'. "Captain Gains, remember your first mission with the 166th on your first tour? The squadron lost 3 witches trying to hit a concentration of Neuroi walkers attacking an outpost on the Laotian border. What did you and Lieutenant Williams do? You found the walkers, hit them with enough napalm to slow their regeneration, letting the Marine gunners destroy their cores. Can you see Lieutenant Maxwell doing that on her first combat mission?"
Beverly Maxwell had just joined the 355th last month, and had been assigned to the 357th Squadron. She was 12 years old, a magical prodigy, who took great pride in being a hotshot flying witch, while pointing out how the older witches were "about to be sent to the glue factory". In reality, she was a wild card, reckless and unpredictable. She was also nervous, twitchy, high-strung,emotionally volatile, self centered and a general pain in the ass. She did have great magical capacity, but too often she relied on it to bail her out of situations that she could have avoided with some discipline and focus.
Audrey looked down at her feet. "She'd probably freak out. Land at Da Nang as fast as she could, and be on the first Pan Am flight back to Iowa, crying and screaming that she didn't sign up for this shit, sir" she said in a low tone, with a slight smirk.
General Cassidy's face split in a big smile as he roared in laughter. His laughter stopped after a bit, and his voice became serious and somber. "And that's why the Air Force needs you. The Air Force needs you to teach what you know and what you've learned, so that never happens. You'll be flying enough as it is, but not in combat. You'll have to teach them how to find the target, even though it's cloudy, rainy and camouflaged so well you wouldn't find it unless you tripped over it. You'll need to teach them how to carry on with the mission, even though half their squadron mates have been blown out of the sky. They need to learn how to outmaneuver a Neuroi fighter that bounces them at takeoff, when they're loaded down with munitions. That and a thousand other lessons that are best learned from you, and not by their own personal experiences."
Seeing Audrey's thoughtful expression, General Cassidy continued. "There's no need to decide right away. I'll give you some time to think about it. Again, you won't be flying strikers in any combat missions, unless absolutely necessary." The General's smile turned sly. "But there isn't any reason you can't fly combat missions like us poor non-magic folk, in a conventional aircraft. Unfortunately, if you do, you'll have to give up the bikini shorts and wear full flight suits like the rest of us."
Audrey was intrigued. It wasn't what she was currently doing, but it would keep her in the Air Force, she'd keep flying strikers on training missions, and maybe she'd fly combat missions in a real aircraft. She asked, "If I accept, what happens next, sir?"
General Cassidy smiled, a genuine smile this time creasing his normally stern face. "You'll be detached from your current squadron and assigned to the Wing's 'Train the Trainer' 16-week comprehensive course. Once you pass that, the Air Force will decide your next assignment. The Air Force has a fighter weapons school, based at Nellis AFB, an Air Force equivalent to the Navy's Fighter Weapons School that they call Top Gun. The Navy is only teaching air-to-air combat, while we are also teaching Close Air Support, as well as training the next generation of Wild Weasels. That's your probable destination, but it's up to the Air Force to decide. You now have a 5-day pass. Give me your decision next Tuesday. Dismissed, Captain."
Audrey stood, came to attention, and saluted sharply. General Cassidy also came to attention, and returned her salute just as sharply. She did an about face and strode out of the General's office. She put on her baseball cap as she left the main admin building. She checked her chronometer. It was almost 1200. Time files when major changes come into your life, she thought.
Her mind started laying out her schedule for the rest of the day. Have lunch with Juggs, and tell her about the General's offer. Talk with Colonel Donovan about what she discussed with the general. Catch a nap after lunch. Then dinner at the O club with Juggs. She'd buy, since she owed Juggs for last night, especially since it was steak night. Pack a light bag and drive up to Flagstaff. Unwind a bit and call her parents while she was up there. And then be back by next Tuesday morning reville.