Chapter 15 – Count the Cost

Chapter 15 Draft (06-26-09)

The trip through the point had been a little unsettling; the Command Crew had not even thought about slowing down and proved that a .5C transition was possible. Enterprise was the designated Critical Care Hospital vessel and as such carried the most vital patients as well as the four individuals in stasis chambers. This also meant that they carried the Chief of Medical Services for the Provisional Government Forces.

The CAPT. had decided that pissing off LTG Muriel Webb was not on his list of things to do today!

The trip back to the planet seemed to take forever. Muriel wanted to will the ship to go faster…but it didn’t appear to be listening to her. What she could do was call ahead, have the full body scans set up and all four operating rooms prepped and ready for business. Having Megan in stasis was unnerving and was making Muriel edgy as hell.

The instant all four patients landed on the planet, Muriel was issuing orders left and right. Muriel had to check the scan for a third time, before she allowed herself to breath. Megan had kept a huge secret from her. A mixture of emotions flowed over her, but she had work to do.

“Get me Megan’s Safety Deposit Box and make it yesterday!” Muriel ordered.

While the doctor was waiting, she glanced at the monitor’s for the other three teams. They had already read their scans, the OR’s were prepped and they were waiting for their patients to be removed from stasis. Just as her eyes left the monitors, the box was delivered. Muriel quickly opened the box. There on top, was a piece of paper. The blood drained from her face.

At the top of her lungs the doctor shouted, “Find me GySGT Anthony ‘Tony” Chiba and I don’t care where he is!” The surgeon that was going to assist Muriel walked over and asked, “Why aren’t we working on your daughter?”

Staring at the scan, all Muriel said was, “I no longer have the authority to do so.”

“But you’re her mother.”

Slowly Muriel shifted her cold eyes to meet his…and didn’t say a word. Hell just froze over. He swiftly backed away.

Out at the Point the Bulk of North Carolina slipped through the distortion in Space followed by the Roughneck carrying GEN Andrew Webb, last out as He had been first in He was back to the Rock the Fleet expected. “Comms, get me a Channel 3 to Provisional President Robert Williams, Provisional Secretary of War and Provisional Chief of Security Henry “Hank” Carling and Time Stamp it for a chip!”

“Done Sir, ready to record.”

“Sirs this is General Andrew James William Webb and I am declaring Operation Endgame officially complete. All objectives have been met! The Federated Government has no teeth; the Islamic League no longer exists, period! All the Military has left to do is heal our wounded and bury our dead. On you falls the task, build us a Government worth the risks we took. I will not be available until I have finished the first two tasks of a Military. We won it for you, now make it count!”

* * *
“Well he did it,” Rob Williams said. “And pretty much dotted every ‘I’ and crossed every ‘T’ along the way.”

“And it looks like he is trying to give me a promotion as well,” Hank said. “Provisional Secretary of War—Fat Chance! Though I predict you know something about it already. Even Andy wouldn’t go that far without your support Rob. Andy has been our real Secretary of War, if that’s what we are calling it, ever since this thing got underway. For some reason I don’t see that changing no matter how much he wants to move a few titles around. And I am surprised you didn’t give me a chance to turn you down earlier.”

“We have it rigged Hank, you won’t be able to get out of this one.”

“Just watch me Rob, cause the minute you turn away I’m outta’ here. Oh I’ll stay on at Plans and Intents if you want me too, but as a consultant and not in charge. Emmet Clark’s earned that spot and welcome to it.”

“I wish Andy hadn’t addressed his last message just the way he did but let me tell you what’s behind it.”

“Don’t bother Rob; it’s the Alien threat, or the perceived threat.”

Williams was visibly taken aback, not exactly stunned but on the edge, “How do you do that Henry? Neither Andy nor I said a word about this to anyone, and only discussed it ourselves inside of one of his secure rooms.”

“Because with the military threat from Earth a thing of the past there is nothing else on the horizon that even remotely qualifies as threat enough to make even a lifelong paranoid think a War Department should be funded and maintained.”

“Hank, that threat is real though, at least potentially. And besides, with the Federation Government removed from the picture I believe it becomes our responsibility to do whatever we can to get those humans they have captured released and returned.”

“Sure—and because we don’t know what the Aliens are capable of and what they are going to do next, you and Andy figured who better to find out but good old Hank and P&I. And we’ll throw in the War Department as well, just in case. I’ll tell you what’s wrong with that scenario. Given that the Chelmurians are the kind of a threat that should keep us on a war footing, what you and Andy both need in a War Department head is someone with experience in preparing for a war and then winning one. That sounds more like Andy Stuart or Walt Davis than it sounds like Henry Carling.”

“The one field I pride myself with a little knowledge about is intelligence. On a national or world level it will almost always be a mistake to combine the functions of defining the threat and dealing with it into one person. Even if the man at the top is dispassionate and objective, over time the bureaucratic imperative means one side of the job feeds the other. What you ought to be doing Rob is thinking about setting up some kind of Department of Alien Affairs, one outside of any other chain of command.”

“That sounds like a State Department by another name Hank. Except in times of a declared war don’t they always go native? The people inside identifying with those they study or deal with until they come to view their function as protecting their clients from the whims of their employers?”

“Yeah, it tends to work that way. Most of the people attracted to work in that kind of area spend years trying to think like those they are studying and start seeing things from that point of view. That’s not necessarily bad if you know it’s happening and can break the mindset long enough keep your reports and analysis honest. Make sure you put the stress on what an outside agency actor is capable of doing not only what you think it will, or should, be doing.”

“You said you would stay on or at least continue to work with P&I in some kind of consultancy basis. What if I gave Emmet Plans and Intents then got the government to agree to a new Department of Alien Affairs? Would you take the top slot if I offered it?”

Hank went into a deep study, like always when in this state his expression was blank and unreadable. Rob had only ever met a few others who would react this way to an immediate question. And in each of them the pause was a matter of seconds. He had seen Hank maintain the same process for a minute or more on several occasions. He was almost finished with his cigar by the time Hank answered.

“With some preconditions in place I think I can deal with that Rob,” then he offered his hand and smiled.

* * *
When the GySGT finally arrived, Muriel grabbed the big man and placed him in front of the scan. “Since neither of you seemed fit to tell us you were married, I need your permission to operate.” Taking a quick breathe, she continued. “I can fix the damage and Megan has a survival rate of 95%, but a 100% chance of losing the fetus.

“Option two: Is to take the fetus and place it in The Tank, then placing Megan back in stasis. The fetus survival rate is 90% and Megan’s is 75%.”

“Ma’am, I swear to you I had no idea she was pregnant. I would have broken my word and ratted her out to you or the Boss before I would let her make that assault pregnant. I will plead guilty on keeping the marriage secret but, she wanted to break the news after the fight was over. I just don’t know what to say, I really have no idea what she would want in this situation!”

“Did she give you any hint Son?”

“Only that if I was ever in doubt to talk to Gramma Linda!”

Muriel grinned for the first time in days, “Boy, I really don’t want to be you. She just happens to be on the way here at a high rate of speed and the last person who was a threat to her family happens to be missing most of his head! You got about a day and a half to figure out what you are going to say to her. Meanwhile, I have an idea and we need to practice!”

Tony spent the next day and a half watching two medical teams practice various choreographed moves over a dummy. Two lead people who did not appear to give a shit what the other thought, finally his constraint broke. “Listen you Assholes, that is my Wife and my child you are practicing for. Dr. Calhoun, I don’t give a shit what you think; you listen to Momma Webb or I will come in there and stomp you into a mud puddle!”

“And you thought you needed to talk to me; Boy you know what my Granddaughter wants or she would never have married you!”

Tony turned to the voice and saw the tall statuesque Redhead known as Linda Webb still in her SOCOM Assault Uniform. He tried to speak and his voice broke several times until he finally choked it out. “Gramma Linda, I can hear her screaming ‘ You Redneck Son of a Bitch you save my Baby’ but, I take a chance of losing her if I do!”

“And she picked you out of all the hounds chasing Her WHY REDNECK?”

Tony merely stared at the face of the calmest person he had ever met and knew he was seeing the last thing Richard Redmond had ever seen! All he could do was reach back into his memory and recite a conversation he had once had. “Tony, I can’t back down! Did you not notice that the name is Webb; the universe has to wait its turn behind Family. It’s the only way I know and the only way I can be!”

Linda’s face softened and a knowing grin came onto her face, “So what are you going to do Son?”

Tony merely picked up his wrist and touched a key. “Connect to Dr. Muriel Webb, Channel 3 and tight! Doctor, you may proceed at your discretion, I will authorize what ever you see fit. You are officially the Physician of Record and you may tell Dr. Calhoun to go to Hell! Save her for me please!”

He was stunned at the immediate reply and the stare from Muriel, “Boy, you have no idea how I hate to lose!” Muriel immediately chopped the comms and walked across the room and slammed a body against the wall. “Now Chester here is the deal, we do it my way or I get someone else. I no longer need to listen to your fucking ego! My way or the gods damned Highway, what’s it going to be?”

The high pitched strained voice was barely audible, “Whatever you say Doctor Webb!”

“Get the second team ready. This isn’t going to be easy,” Muriel stated.

Chester wanted to argue, but he knew she was right. Getting the fetus out safely and into The Tank was only half the task. Keeping Megan alive was the other half. If there was anyone person that could pull this off, it was the LTG in the room. The practice sessions were brutal and Calhoun was stunned!

Muriel Webb was as vicious on her team and herself as she was on any of Calhoun’s team. She really was like her husband, only results counted! By the end of the intense planning / training session there was only respect between the two teams! Chester was actually pleased when Muriel turned towards him and asked, “Think we need to get everyone some sleep before we try this?”

“Ten hours from now sound good Doctor?”

“Best idea I’ve heard lately Doctor!” The occupants of the room filed out in normal order leaving only Tony Chiba staring in through the window from the Observation Room.

Anthony Chiba was still there ten hours later when the teams came back in.

When everything was ready, Megan was removed from stasis and speed prepped. The action was fast and furious as the preparation sub-teams readied the equipment and the patient to begin. Muriel glanced around the OR with the burning question in her eyes, everyone gave a nod. “Let’s begin!” she said.

Calhoun was the next best OB/GYN surgeon on the planet and that’s why Muriel wanted him in this operating room. She wanted Megan and the baby to have the best chance of surviving.

“We know there are going to be bleeders. I want that supply of clamps kept up to date, Christine you have the clock, 22 minutes starting NOW, Chester do your thing!”

The pace was more rapid than anything Travis Central had ever seen! Hands were moving in a visual blur on both teams, the video was going out to every Medical classroom on the Planet and was being chipped for the Out Planets.

Chester Calhoun was able to extract the fetus, prep it and get it in the Tank in less than 10 minutes. He stared and the read out from the Tank and out of the side view of his vision he could see the red eyed stare of Tony Chiba on those same readouts! Slowly every line on the screen crawled up into the Green and the cheers from his team started to fill the room.

Dr. Chester Calhoun had been the driving force behind the development team that developed a thing the called the Tank, it had just worked on its first try. Research Outlawed by the FG had just saved a life. He turned from the readouts and told Muriel, “All signs are good. Now we need to finish the repair work!” She gave him a quick nod.

Her team had been working frantically, trying to repair as much damage to the thorax area as they could accomplish in the time they had available! At the 17 minute mark Chester announced, “We’re done!”

The rest of his team backed a few feet out of the way. He only moved a couple of steps back. It never ceased to amaze him just how fast Dr. Webb could work. It was like magic, the way she could guess where the next bleeder would appear. Chester knew he was a damn good surgeon, but would always have to settle for being second best around her. At first he was envious, but that quickly changed when he watched her work.

If there were two ways a procedure could be done, it seemed Muriel would ALWAYS pick the best way to approach the problem. Clamping off bleeders to cauterizing them, she was head and shoulders above everyone else.
Less than two minutes later after Chester had called the ball Christine Griffin chimed up, “Three Minutes!”

True to Muriel’s word, there were a lot of bleeders. They only had 22 minutes to work on Megan before she needed to be placed back in stasis. Just before the Two Minutes call, Muriel raised her hands out and called, “Got the big one, close up!”

Her team accomplished more work on her daughter than she thought was possible. Before they started, she only hoped to complete this much repair work.

Just before Megan went back into stasis, Muriel leaned over her daughter and whispered, “The fetus is fine. The next time you wake up, you and your husband can begin to spoil your child. You know, that’s a hell of way of getting out of going though child birth. But, let me tell you something young lady…if you ever do anything like this ever again, I will kick you butt up between your shoulder blades.” She lightly kissed Megan’s forehead.

After Megan was in stasis, Muriel shifted her gaze to the observation window. There was Tony. Her eyes grew deadly cold. He involuntarily took two steps backwards. As he did the door behind him opened, Muriel could only grin as Tony stopped and his head swiveled as if looking for a place to run. The door was filled with her husband and Tony could feel it. “Hell, she thought, if Andy don’t kill him maybe dumbass Daughter may have picked the right one!”

After he was also sure in his own mind that Megan was back in stasis, Chester followed Muriel’s eyes. He wouldn’t want to be in that young mans shoes for the gold in a dozen planets. Both team members began to clean up…the scrubs were discolored with blood. Chester turned and discarded his gloves, than moved off to a corner. He knew Muriel would want a quick debrief on what he was able to do. He didn’t have to wait very long.

In the corner, Dr. Webb demanded, “Give it to me straight.”

“The fetus should survive. It was about the strongest one I’ve ever seen at that stage of development.” He glanced back to the stasis chamber. “If I had to give it a percentage, I’d put it at almost 100%. You and me both know that we can’t always guarantee a 100%, but I honestly think that kid will make it.”

That put a smile on the mothers face. As she studied his face, “What are you not telling me?”

Damn, she had figured out something was up. “Alright.” Chester swallowed hard. “We did a lot of repair work.”

“Keep talking.” Muriel looked him dead in the eyes. “Will she be able to have any more children?”

There was a deep sigh. “She will be able to conceive, but I don’t think Megan will be able to carry it full term.” Chester rubbed his chin. “My best guess would put her being able to carry the baby to about five or six months.”

Relief flowed through Muriel. “That’s an easy fix, thanks to The Tank.” She was turning to leave, when Dr. Calhoun reached out to stop her. “I know there was a lot of damage done between her hips to her shoulders. I repaired everything I could. What about you?”

She took a quick glance at her daughter, “We repaired a lot more in those 20 minutes that I thought we could. The wound under her right arm did the most damage. It’s good thing the right lung has three lobes. There’s next to nothing left of that top lobe.”

“But that’s the smallest lobe, so that shouldn’t cause any concerns.” He continued to ask questions. “What about the rest of the damage and what are her chances of surviving?”

Muriel had to rub her face. She felt drained. “A projectile just grazed her heart, but we fixed that.” There was a quick sigh. “When we first started, I would have given her about a 75% survival rate. After what we both did, I would up that to 85% or maybe just slightly higher.”

In the observation room Tony Chiba had finally decided there was no place to run so he just stood still and continued his stare into the operating room. He did not ask who the large figure beside him was nor did he look, he did not need to the wrath of Andrew Webb was a living thing in the room.

Still in full combat gear the General pressed the transmit key on his suits comms. “Operating Room four and secure; OK sweetheart, how bad is it?”

Muriel walked to the wall and elbowed the intercom on, “Not as bad as I feared, we need to reconfigure the room before we bring her out to finish. By the way have you heard we are going to be Grandparents again?”

“I heard a rumor, so I take it the Tank worked first try. Have you heard who hit her?”

“No, I was already in the retrieval vehicle strapping down the kid and we had to lift!”

Andy leaned forward until his forehead was touching the wall. “It was SOCOM team D, the ones we lost track of. They were moving to secure the compound, that’s how close we cut it! I almost sent a team of kids up against the FG’s most die hard true believers. I was going to go back while we were waiting for the Relief Fleet and get those assholes until I read the report from the last retrieval pilot. Seems somebody beat me to it and the pilot seems to think it could only be someone who could possibly have a better grasp of Redneck Cussin’ than the Boss! This goombah also grabbed Megan’s ammo and the ammo of the medic because they were boosting straight for the Enterprise and was the only goof off in SOCOM to show up in orbit Winchester for Ammo!”

Muriel faked turning to read the Tank readouts as a completely routine beep occurred in order to hide her almost laugh, regaining control she turned back around. “And how long did it take this obviously worthless punk to take out Team D?”

“Three minutes and 25 seconds!”

Muriel grinned at the pair, “Sorry chuckles you are 55 seconds off of the record and he did not come back Winchester either! Oh, and he took down 15 not 12! Andy, take that boy to the townhouse and get him a bath, then drunk! And I mean in that order also.”

The next morning Andy Webb walked into his office in uniform, he still had to play Chief of Staff; even with his blazing hangover! Just as expected the first call was from Walt Davis.

“I don’t know if you heard Andy but, I got stuck with this Secretary of War thing you bleeping asshole!”

“Great, as long as the threat of the job was enough to get Hank to agree to handle the Alien problem! I still owe him for a bet we made years ago, and I still debate over whether I should have let that scum have a shot at Hank! Nah, it wasn’t worth it then and ain’t now. We need that mind to unravel those aliens for us!”

“That farm still bothers you?”

“The farm no, it’s losing the damn bet!”

Walt had to wait for his own laughter to subside before he could speak again. “So exactly what the hell is a Secretary of War going to do during the peacetime we are looking at?”

“Easy, get ready for the next one and somehow manage to stay ready. Modernize the Force, recruit young Reservists and keep the current ones in shape. I gotta stay as Chief of Staff for a while and run the business; three jobs just ain’t in the books!”

“So we take two jobs apiece and get ready for some unforeseen next one?”

“And one other thing Walt, pray like hell it never comes!”

* * *
Hank came in high for a better view and then set the government owned aircar down in front of his ranch house. The top level view with the help of a little magnification by the forward camera showed him the cattle grazing on the section of land he had won from Andy on that ‘You will never keep your nose out of Intel’ bet placed years ago.

“But I needed to stop that assassin in order to save your life,” Andy had protested.

“I don’t recall that as an escape clause, and I could bring up another few instances if I needed to,” he had replied and Andy paid up without another word. It had made a nice addition to the spread and was all that the family could handle with him spending all of his time on his ‘Government Job.’

Katharine Bell and children (well they weren’t children anymore) in his absence had turned the ranch into a very respectable operation. Small compared to some but more than sufficient for the life he was ready to begin. Now he had to break the news and it wasn’t going to be easy he thought while walking the short distance to the new porch and the houses front door.

“I heard the aircar. I didn’t expect you home so soon,” Kaybe’s voice sounded clearly from the kitchen. “Come on back here and you can give me a hand.”

She was standing at the sink with a half dozen of the medium sized fish, genetically unmodified Bass from Earth that seemed to thrive so well in creek fed pond at the base of the mountains behind the ranch house laying on the sideboard and needing cleaning.

Hank picked up the filleting knife and ran his finger along the edge drawing a little blood, and sticking his hand under the flowing water said, “I appreciate all the work that went into that pond but Bass never were and never will be my favorite fish. Might as well feed them to the hogs as ourselves.”

“They’re good for you Hank, and you could use a little less fat in your diet,” she said looking at his still lean form, a twinkle in her eyes. “I was about to clean these and take them out to Ezra Pullings at the Blue Creek and cook them there. He says he loves them and can’t get enough. And at his age I worry about how he is getting along cooking for himself.”

“Not to worry, Ezra has enough canned goods and military rations to last not only his lifetime but a few others as well. Just make sure to bring some butter when you go to see him.”

“Butter? What ever for? Ezra must more than he can use. He still milks his cow every morning.”

“Take a kilo or two just to be sure. That way after the fish are fried you can pitch them and lick the pan!”

“Enough Hank! Now tell me how it went when you turned Rob down. . .”

* * *
Andy was back behind his huge desk trying to get in a few days work for his civilian side during the hiatus when a voice came from the door, “Got a few Andy?” The voice of Rob Williams was a shock; he had a Class A pass but had never used it.

“Sure Rob, what brings you up here?”

“We finally got word from all of the Families of the KIA, they want them buried here, they are coming for the ceremony and they all agreed to closed caskets!” Rob was stunned when Andy dropped his head in his hands and let out a huge shuddering sigh. When he looked up their were actually tears running down his cheeks.

“Thank the Gods! That means I don’t have to tell three of those families why there are only sandbags inside.”

“Andy, I thought. . . Chris said they brought everyone home?”

“Where a body still existed Rob, three were just mist in the air. One of my ground troops was the exact ground zero for a 155MM cannon shell and two of Chris’s Eagles got hit square in the ammo feed mechanism. Rob, there was just nothing left of any of them. Hell, there are ten others that only have parts or are beyond any recognition other than a DNA test! No way in hell did I want to subject those people to that. They get to bury the memory of the one they loved and see them that way in their mind!”

Rob leaned back in the plush chair and asked calmly, “Have you ever let your troops, as you call them, ever see the soft side of your supposedly Hard ASS?”

“Rob, my kids have never even seen it. You have joined an exclusive club that heretofore was only female and numbered exactly two!”

“Let me guess, they are both named Webb. One is significantly older than you and the other you sleep with?”

“Yeah, named that tune in one note! Anyway, when can the families get here?”

“Last one is coming in next Monday, gonna be any problems with maintaining the remains until then?”

“Not a bit, we have them all in Stasis chambers. We can keep them there as long as needed,” Andy mumbled as he stared at the calendar on the wall. “They are going to be here on Monday you say, why not give them a day to rest up and do the ceremony on Wednesday?”

Rob turned and looked at the calendar and froze, the significance of that date had escaped him until he actually saw it. “July 4, 2497 Andy, could they get better as a memory?”

“Warrick might argue with you just proforma but, I don’t think anyone else will!”

“I’ll put it to the Council but, make the plans as it’s going to pass!”

(6-26-09)

Page Author | OldDog June 26th, 2009