Noelani was offered a hand as she stepped out of the limousine. The young man was wearing a soldier’s uniform that identified him as one of her army. He briskly saluted. She returned it without the same level of enthusiasm. Her mind was on the task at hand.
"General O’Brien." An important looking man greeted her with another stiff salute. She sighed and returned it before signaling him to go on. "General Merquise informs me that everything is in place and ready for your inspection. If you’ll follow me ma’am, we can begin with the barracks." Noelani nodded formally and followed the men without speaking. He led the way to a complex of several large buildings. "Would you care to see the men’s barracks or the women’s to start?"
"The men’s." She would kept her sentences short and to the point today. There was much to be done. The man nodded and led the way to the left side of the complex. A large sign above the door read ‘Men’s Barracks’.
He held the door open for her and immediately called "At-ten-tion!"
The ensuing chaos lasted only seconds. Men that were lounging and talking scurried to the feet of their beds and froze in a rigid salute. Her heeled feet hitting the hard floor resounded through the long room full of soldiers. It was deathly silent. "At ease!" There was a brief shuffle of feet and then silence again. Noelani was pleased with their swiftness. She made a mental note of it and went back to her task. She came to a younger man that she recognized. It was her secretary’s boyfriend, or something to that effect. She stopped in front of him. "Private Gulliani, open your foot locker." He did so and she found it to be immaculately organized. "Thank you." She turned to start walking again. "As you were." He returned to an at ease stance.
Noelani went through the normal inspection process. Checking random soldiers for their dog tags, or properly carried fire arms, or inspecting foot lockers had become to easy, almost mundane to her. The woman’s barracks were almost identical in the way it performed. And later, the real fun began.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
More than an hour later she was done with the barrack inspections and seated behind her desk. Her secretary, Claudia, knock and waited for instructions to enter. "Come in." Noelani called from behind the large mahogany desk.
"The files you asked for miss." She nodded to a spot on the desk, where Claudia set them down. She turned to leave when Noelani said, "Claudia, send General Merquise to my office. Tell him it is of great importance." Claudia nodded and shut the door behind her. She sighed heavily, rubbing her temples. Picking up the top file, she merely stared at it for a moment. On the tab it read "Chang, Wufei."
She opened the file and took out the picture. The Chinese man staring back had a rigid expression on his face. {He looks like he has a pole shoved up his ass.} She cocked an eyebrow, smirking. {He’d fit right in ‘round here.} A knock on the door pulled her from her musings. "Enter."
Her tall, blonde, second in command entered through the large doors and saluted. Noelani did not return it. He let it fall, slightly worried about the half smug, half pissed off look on her face.
"Have a seat." She said in a rather cocky manner. Zechs sat without averting his eyes. Noelani rose, taking the folder with her. She handed it to him while heading for the door. "Read it."
"And I’m looking for what?"
"Just read it." She opened the door and asked Claudia, "Could you bring in some coffee, please?" She nodded and Noelani retreated into the office once again. Noelani moved to sit on the edge of her desk, crossing her legs once she did. She watched Zechs read through the folder.
"You had me all worked up for a Preventer?"
"Not just any Preventer. He’s helping them." Noelani said. She picked up her letter opener and turned it over in her hands.
"Them?" Zechs questioned, half confused, half annoyed at being bothered.
The letter opener was imbedded into the wood with a loud ‘thwack’.
Claudia entered with a coffee pot and two mugs; for a moment the tension in the room thinned. Both remained unmoved and silent as she poured the liquid into the cups. She left the pot on the desk and shut the door with a resounding boom. The sound hung in the air.
"You know who." Noelani spat at him, putting an end to the prolonged silence. Realization briefly showed on his face before going back to rigid. "We don’t need the Preventers in on this. If this gets to them before we want it to we could be seriously fucked."
"And that has what to do with me?"
"Don’t you take that tone with me. I got enough in my mind without this shit." She made a gesture in the direction of the folder. "You fix it. I don’t care how."
Zechs sighed. "The Preventers won’t get here first. You know we have people there. It’s under control." Noelani got off the desk and walked briskly to the window the looked over most of the base. There were people scurrying about to do their tasks. "Remember. You still have routines to inspect. The troops are looking forward to your praise."
{Like dogs to their master.} There was venom in her thoughts. She turned to look at Zechs, her eyes all but shooting daggers. "Have your troops ready to go in one hour, General. Do not keep me waiting. Dismissed."
"Noelani." Zechs was trying his luck.
"Maybe it’s been to long since you’ve served under someone, General. Let me refresh your vocabulary." The words left her mouth like a whip crack. "Dismissed, is just a fancy term for Get Out."
He stood. "Understood. Troops will be prepared in one hour." Before he moved to the door, he saluted rigidly. And then he was gone.
Wow. That was really short. Sorry. I'm in a groove again, so there'll probably be more later. Ta tah for now! ~-~
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