(Six)
Center House, Marine Barracks
Eighth and I
Washington, DC,
USA
1900
At 1900 promptly, McQueen and Kylen arrived at Center House, Eighth and I: The appointed time, in the appointed dress, with the appointed gear. A corporal saw to her coat, his cover and cloak, and they were shown into the anteroom for introductions, cocktails and conversation. Kylen was pleased to see some familiar faces: General Weirick and the Commandant, both of whom she had met in November. Major Howard was present, and Kylen caught a glimpse of Captain Armstrong standing on the sidelines.
"One to read my reactions and one to make sure I toe the line," Kylen thought with wry amusement.
General Radford crossed the floor to greet them. As the junior officer it fell to McQueen to make the unneeded introductions.
"Good evening, General Radford," he said, taking the general's proffered hand. "Of course you know Ms. Celina."
"Good evening, Colonel McQueen. Yesterday was a fine day for the Corps." Turning to Kylen the general spoke in an easy tone. "Yes, it is always a pleasure to see Ms. Celina. I see that New England has agreed with you. You look terrific, Kylen. But we could have given you a tan in Arizona. Come, let me introduce you to the Ambassador. Colonel McQueen, come along and 'make your number' as well."
Radford led them toward the Ambassador. Kylen felt self-conscious, but thought: "I'm going to have to learn to swim in these waters soon enough. No time like the present, I guess."
"General Radford, are Martin and your sister here this evening? " she asked, holding out a hope that there would be another real friend to buffer the evening.
"No," he said. "We thought that this might be a bit much for Martin. He and Dawntreader are attending the concert at the Kennedy Center. They have seats close to your family."
"Radford, Howard and who knows who else know the color of my underwear. I shouldn't be surprised that he knows what my family is doing tonight." Kylen looked around the room and did not see anyone else from either the Tellus or Vesta missions. "I guess - as well as being the new kid on the block and company for Six - I'm this evening's trophy'survivor. Try and look heroic, Kylen," she told herself. "Maybe I shouldn't have gotten the manicure. Too bad for them I don't look more like a victim." She was immediately ashamed of her cynicism.
Heikki Virtanen, the Honorable Ambassador from the Republic of Finland, and his wife were standing with Lieutenant General Becca Green, the Deputy Chief of Marine Corps Aviation. Her title was misleading: Deputy Chief did not imply that there was a more senior Chief of Aviation. Her title said that she was a deputy to the Commandant, and that she was THE head honcho for USMC aviation.
General Green had become something of an institution in the Corps. She had come into the officer corps out of Annapolis, but it didn't make her one of the good old boys. She had gotten into the academy the hard way - after putting in four years as a grunt. She had been in well over her thirty years. If it hadn't been for the War, Green would have been in the Outer Banks fishing off of the piers and hang-gliding off of Jockey Ridge. It had been her plan to retire this year, but plans change.
Years ago her brother officers had called Lieutenant Colonel - and then Colonel Becca Green - 'Sister Mary Zelda Zoomie' or 'Mommy Dearest' behind her back. It had bothered her briefly, but had not changed the way she did business. After she had become General Becca Green they called her 'Becca Boyington' or 'Mom' - the terms were of affection and respect. Becca rather liked those. There were worse things than being compared to the legendary commander of The Black Sheep Squadron, and she was actually a grandmother. She got a kick out of the fact that none of her brother officers knew that her husband, who was not in the military, called her 'Cookie.' "Wouldn't they all just love that."
General Radford made his introductions. "Mr. Ambassador, Mrs. Virtanen, General Green, may I present Ms. Kylen Celina. Ms. Celina has been in the process of briefing us on her time spent off planet these last two years."
Kylen was under no illusions that General Green, at least, knew exactly where she had been and what she had been doing, and on what subject she had been briefing Marine Intelligence. The Ambassador may or may not have been out of the loop. Time will tell. "I've just been shown an example of plausible deniability," she thought. "How to tell and not tell." Kylen also felt that General Radford's wording was probably the nicest way that anyone could describe her life. She smiled honestly and warmly. Then she spoke.
"This is an honor, Ambassador. My fiancé is a member of the Fifty-eighth Squadron. In his letters to his parents he told of his friendship with and admiration of the Finnish Twenty-third Squadron. We deeply regret their loss, Sir, and will never forget their bravery. Nathan described it as something called 'sisu.' Perhaps the Ambassador would be kind enough to favor me with a better explanation of that term?"
Generals Radford and Green noted how effortlessly Kylen had changed the topic of conversation, shifting it off of herself and onto another subject entirely. McQueen, who had been the victim of what he thought of as a 'Kylen maneuver,' was used to it. Radford was extremely satisfied. Green's estimation of Kylen went up, and she was sorry now that she would not be seated on Kylen's right during dinner. The young woman could perhaps offer a shortcut.
Before the Ambassador could answer, General Green spoke: "Ambassador, I would have trouble explaining that, but I do know sisu when I see it," she said, looking indulgently at Kylen. The Ambassador, Radford and McQueen broke into polite and expected laughter. General Green continued: "If you will excuse Colonel McQueen and me for just a moment? There is something we need to attend to before dinner. Your Excellency. Mrs. Virtanen. General." With that she steered Colonel McQueen away while Heikki Virtanen attempted to define a Finnish term that has no direct translation.
"Sisu is that quality that makes our nation unique. It is a combination of courage, intelligence and the determination to get things done in the face of impractical or even impossible odds. But it is more than that. You must remember that in Finland we will bake in a sauna at 185 degrees and then run outside and roll in the snow. This is for us entertainment. This is part of sisu...."
The Ambassador's explanation faded into the background as Green and McQueen walked out of earshot. They had reached the seating diagram. General Green touched the chart with her finger. McQueen saw that the Ambassador was seated on the Commandant's right and Kylen on his left - the guests of honor. He then saw that he was seated between the ambassador's wife and General Radford - across from General Weirick, the Supreme Commander of American Forces who was seated next to Kylen. In short he really was a guest of honor. Armstrong hadn't been kidding. It was a nightmare for a person who did not enjoy being in the spotlight.
"Kylen Celina is an interesting young woman," Green remarked almost too casually, hoping to play the shortcut.
"She is a survivor, Ma'am," McQueen replied, as if that should be explanation enough.
"And you have known her...?" the general left the question hanging in the air.
"Since the evacuation, Ma'am."
"Tell me, Colonel, in your estimation, does she have the brains to match her balls?"
McQueen choked on her question and was forced to spit the wine he had been sipping back into his glass.
The question had been asked in order to establish a different and more personal level of communication between the general and one of her men. A joke. General Green had read up on McQueen - everything she could get her hands on. It had been an idle question actually - she knew the answer. She knew from his reputation that T.C. McQueen would not waste his time being chivalrous to a bimbo - no matter what the connection. And she also knew he had a reputation for irony and a rather sardonic wit. No. The question had not been an idle one so much as it had been a calculated risk. Time was short. She needed to establish a connection to one of her 'kids' quickly. She needed to get to know T.C. McQueen fast.
McQueen was a Marine and belonged to the Corps, but he was also an aviator - one of the most talented -and that made him HER Marine. General Becca Green was known to jealously watch over her brood. She made sure that her talented officers were brought along and given challenges just outside their grasp. She liked to see them stretched, and hated to see them fail. General Green got the job done. She was still not sure where it was best to place this Marine aviator, but she didn't want anyone else to steal him away from her command - not without her approval.
Returning the general's gaze, McQueen could see that she was not being insulting. He got the joke. He gave an honest chuckle this time, giving her a tolerant smile. "That's a toss up, General. She does have big brass ones, but she is extremely bright and learns quickly." He paused for a moment. "She is in an untenable position," he explained.
"Aren't we all, Colonel. Aren't we all, " the general said, with an irony that could not be missed. "Ah, well, we can speak more after dinner. We have things to discuss. Go retrieve Celina and then make your number to the Commandant and General Weirick. You had also better check in with our efficient little Captain Armstrong before they begin escorting people into the dining hall. She looks like she is about to pee her pants over there." The general gestured in the direction of McQueen's protocol wizard as she moved off to do the 'Meet and Greet.'
"Why do I feel that the general had somehow just described an obstacle course? Sodom on the Potomac. I don't like Washington and that is a fact." Colonel McQueen moved out to fetch Kylen.