“Touché, ma’am,” Olive responded with a smile.
Annie changed the subject. “How’s our Ensign doing these days?”
“She seems to be okay, liked by all, has a smile on her face.”
“She’s okay with being Wonder Woman?”
“Doesn’t seem to faze her. Macho has her under her wing and is only too happy to blast anyone who shows disrespect.”
“Like Trench and Coach?”
“Yes, ma’am. I keep watch from afar, and they seem to be behaving.”
“How about the rest of the air wing guys?”
“So far, so good. She knows her job and she’s nice…. And looks like Miss America. Don’t you hate her?” Olive said as she smiled.
Annie smiled back, and then added, “I just don’t want to see her get hurt. She’s pleasant, but she also seems naïve. And her flight deck jersey and khaki uniform show too much of her figure. Let’s get her a flight suit.”
“Yes, ma’am, but she’s still six-feet tall and built. Hard to hide that — even in a flight suit.”
“Yes, but I think she also needs a motherly talk from me. I’m not sure things are as rosy as they seem for Ensign Duncan, and she needs her shields up. You, too, need to watch out for her.”
“Always.”
“And Macho and Trench… are they still at each others’ throats?”
“Probably, but, from what I can see, it hasn’t spilled over into their jobs.”
“Good,” Annie said as she nodded. Good order and discipline for all hands was a key part of her job as squadron XO. As the senior woman in VFA-16, an unwritten part of her job was to look out for the fifteen percent of the squadron who were female, most of whom were young sailors, many of them right out of high school. While the junior officers had a few more years of maturity under their belts, it wasn’t that many more, and she was glad to have Olive as a wingman to help keep everyone focused on their jobs. Shane Duncan, in particular, had a bright future as an intel officer, and while it wasn’t her fault, she could also be a distraction.
* * *
Fifty frames aft, Coach couldn’t believe his luck.
Yes!
Before him on his computer screen was an email with a special attachment sent to him by a stateside buddy. Coach opened it, and before him were three photos of the squadron Intelligence Officer wearing blue jeans — and nothing else.
At that moment Trench walked in. “Dude,” he said as he flicked on the light to his desk.
“Just in time,” Coach replied. “Lookie here. We got skin. We got ink.”
Trench walked over to Coach and checked the screen. “Yes! I knew it!” he said as he peered in close. In the photos Shane wasn’t wearing her glasses, but her arms covered her breasts. She appeared withdrawn if not perturbed, and one photo displayed her bare back with a tattoo design over her waistline. While the images were not R-rated, the pilots knew they weren’t anything Shane would want shared.