. Simply put, the newest addition to VFA-16 was a
bombshell, even in her summer white uniform. And Macho didn’t see any rings on her fingers.
Macho did not fear female competition from Shane. After six months in the squadron, Trench and his sidekick, Coach, had established themselves as near mortal enemies, but her fellow nuggets were like kid brothers. None of the junior officers in Carrier Air Wing SIX was of interest to her, but she instinctively knew any attention she had hoped to receive from them would now be superseded by the arrival of Wonder Woman. Then it dawned on her — the squadron thinks Ensign Shane Duncan is a guy, a geeky intel guy they can abuse. Were they ever in for a surprise.
“Look!” Shane exclaimed as they drove along the summit, which offered a magnificent view of the harbor roadstead. “Is that the carrier?”
Macho glanced at the ship and answered her. “Yep. Coral Maru, all 100,000 tons of her. And I think she is the only carrier around here.”
“Goodness! A real carrier! I’ve never seen one except in pictures! Oh, Tiffany, this is so exciting!” Shane was almost beside herself in excitement, sharing this moment with her new-found sister. Macho, giving in to a dark impulse, decided to have some fun at the FNG’s expense.
“Yes! And wait till you meet the guys! You’ll love them! True officers and gentlemen who open doors for us and pull out chairs for us in the wardroom! Our XO is a woman. And one of the hinge-heads, I mean department heads, is a woman, too. She goes by Olive. The guys absolutely adore us, and we have so much fun together! And they are all McDreamy!”
Shane squealed and hunched her shoulders together. “Ohhh, I can’t wait to meet everyone!”
“Yes, and they treat us like the ladies we are. Now, mind you, we are a working squadron. The pilots are going to depend on you to teach us about the enemy order of battle and what the bad guys are up to. The Firebirds are a team, and we need you to be a contributing part of it.”
Shane’s big eyes became serious, and she nodded emphatically. “Oh, I will! You can depend on me!”
They pulled into the resort parking lot, and Macho led Shane to the admin as she lugged her sea bag up the steps. Mercifully, her CO was up and dressed in shorts and a polo shirt. Wilson stood as they entered, and Macho introduced him to his newest officer.
“Skipper, allow me to present Ensign Shane Duncan.”
“Welcome aboard, Shane. Jim Wilson,” Wilson extended his hand.
“Thank you, sir!” Shane gushed. “I’m honored to be here!” Wilson immediately noted her height and the fact that he had to look up to her. Because the others were lounging at the pool or sunning on the beach, they were the only three people in the condo