Disclaimer: I own none of these characters except Ryan
Part One – A Chance Meeting
Harmon Rabb Jr was twenty four years old, and was returning the Annapolis Naval Academy to do a fly over in an F-14 to welcome the new batch of recruits. He watched as most of the students milled around in groups of friends, probably having known each other as kids, or they had met a few days ago. He saw small, thin blonde-haired girl sitting alone reading. She was biting her lip nervously. Harm walked over to her and introduced himself.
"Hi, I'm Harmon Rabb. I graduated two years ago. I'm…'
The young girl looked up. Harm's eyes widened. She couldn't be more that seventeen. Harm held out his hand to her and she tentatively shook it, and pulled herself up.
"Meg," the girl replied softly. Harm smiled his flyboy smile at her.
"So…what are you planning to do in the navy?"
"Computers Weapons and become a JAG Lawyer."
"Good luck,"
"I have to go and assemble…"
"Meg, where's your family?"
Meg froze. "They couldn't come." And she darted off to get ready for the assembly. Harm sighed. She was cute, and had a child-like innocence about her.
Harm and his squadron flew over the crowd of new naval academy students. Harm looked out of the Tomcat and saw Meg sitting alone. As the planes turned to go and land, Meg looked up at them, remembering the young man that had come to her. He had been wearing a flight suit, so maybe he was up there. Meg picked at her midshipman's uniform absently as the new students stood up to go to their rooms. A part of Meg was sad – she wished her mom had come here, but Mrs Austin, who had grudgingly let her daughter enlist in the navy, and attend the Academy and OCS, wasn't ready to let her baby grow up. Meg found her room, and knocked on the closed door. Her roommate, midshipman Angela Arutti, looked up. She was studying to become a pilot like Harm.
"Hi," Angela said harshly.
"Hey," Meg replied gently, placing her cover on her bedside table, and checking all her stuff was in the right order. Angela watched her critically. She noticed Meg was highly nervous, so she lowered her harsh tone.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"Meg,"
"Hey Meg, I'm Angela." The two girls shook hands, Meg shaking.
"Something wrong?"
"This cute pilot called Harm came up to me before the ceremony."
"A pilot! Wow, what're you doing here?"
"Computer Weapons and I want to become a JAG Lawyer as well. You?"
"Fighter pilot." Angela watched Meg place a picture of her family on the bedside table, but decided not to talk about it. She watched Meg play with her pillow.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
Meg looked up. "Nothing, just missing home."
"Your parents?"
"Dad mostly…he died ten years ago. Mom never wanted me to come here."
Angela frowned. Her parents had been hesitant at first, but had eventually, after talking about it let her come. Meg's mother seemed overprotective.
"So, how'd you convince your mom?"
"My dad's old friend from the Vietnam War, Ollie North had to intervene. My mom's making him check up on me every few days." Meg made a face. "I'm seventeen! I can take care of myself,"
Angela smiled. "I can see that. Wow seventeen1"
"I'll be eighteen soon,"
Angela laughed gently and checked her watch. "Well it's almost time for dinner. You can sit with me and my friends."
"Thank you," Meg replied. She knew that her time at the naval academy would be made easier now that she had Angela's friendship.