FIRE ON HIGH
“Fire On High” is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. All characters and settings © Tigermark 2003-2005 unless otherwise noted. Request permission before using them, please.
The characters of Anatol Altaisokova and Melinda Altaisokova are my names for characters © Max Blackrabbit. They appear in this story with his permission. The characters of Brandy, Maxwell, and Tonya are also © Max Blackrabbit and appear here with his permission. Events and information relating to Tonya, Anatol, and their family are presented here, but are not to be considered canon to those characters or any other story but this one. Matt Barstock and Intermountain Charter © Silver Coyote. See their story HERE. Capt. Jonathan “Jedi” Foertsch is © his player. Several names and words in this chapter are Danish, so an approximation of how to pronounce them will be enclosed in parenthesis after that word or phrase. If you want a translation, look it up *grin*. All of the Danish characters were developed with the help of Joan Jacobsen, and I would like to thank her for all her help. Aslaug Jacobsen © her player.
CHAPTER 19
Break of Dawn
Jenna placed the last of their bags by the front door. As soon as Anton was up and about, she planned to leave for Winchester. Penny Panelli had called and said that there was an opening for a part-time IT fur where she worked, and that if Jenna was interested she should come to work with her Tuesday morning. Jenna was in a hurry to go home and prepare for the application and possible job interview. She had the cubs up early, and now Tia sat in the living room looking at a book on basic aerodynamics while Andrew, for once without his Game Fox in his paws, watched a TV show on computer design. Jenna wouldn’t intentionally wake her father-in-law, but she was ready to go as soon as he was up and she made sure he had breakfast.
Jenna found herself pacing. She didn’t think she’d be this nervous about going back to work, but it had been quite some time since she’d been in an office environment dealing with adults on a routine basis. She was excited and a bit scared at the same time.
Tia looked up from her book and commented, “Mom, you’re going to wear a hole in the floor.”
Jenna stopped and looked at her daughter. Tia had a mirthful expression on her face. Jenna had a rather “in-the-headlights” look.
“Hey,” the younger tigress said, putting her book in her backpack and rising, “why don’t we go ahead and load the van while we’re waiting for Grandpa?” She turned toward her brother and said, “Sound good to you, Cubby?”
Andrew’s head snapped around at the hated nickname. “Huh?” he managed to say.
“Tia said maybe we should go ahead and load the van,” Jenna said firmly, diffusing the potential fuss.
“Uh, all right Mom,” Andrew replied as he stood and reluctantly turned the television off.
Together they made short work of loading their bags into their minivan, and by then Anton had awakened and made his way to the kitchen. Jenna walked in to find him sitting at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of coffee.
“Good morning Dad, how are you feeling?”
“Pretty good. I just realized that I’m over halfway through my chemotherapy treatments now, and I’m feeling as good today as I did yesterday. All packed up, I see. Is my company that bad?” he said the last with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
Jenna batted his arm playfully, saying, “Dad! You know better! I’m just anxious about this chance at a job where Penny works.”
“I know, I know. I wish you the best of luck and Godspeed.”
Jenna hugged him where he sat, and Anton smiled up at her.
“I can smell that breakfast is ready. I can feed myself. Send Tia and Andrew in to give me a hug, and then get on your way.”
Jenna smiled and kissed the older tiger on the head. She said goodbye and headed out of the kitchen. She told her two cubs to go hug their grandpa goodbye. She then went on to the minivan and got herself situated for the drive back to Kentucky, her mind already mulling over the next day’s prospects.
# # #
Alex carefully poked his head into the makeshift party room, Jedi and Aslaug right behind him. It was 0730, and the Nellis sun had not quite risen to full intensity yet. As he scanned the room, Alex didn’t see as many passed out furs as he’d expected. The odor of stale beer, vomit, and severe morning breath assaulted his nose.
He motioned for Jedi and Aslaug to quietly follow him, and then set out for the now-upturned snack table. There he found three large metal bowls that had been used to hold various snack chips the night before, and three wooden spoons.
“Follow my lead,” Alex said quietly to the other two. They nodded in response.
“Okay, on three, make some noise. One ..two..three!”
To the hangover-laden, still unconscious occupants of the room, it suddenly sounded as if the world was ending.
“RISE AND SHINE! TIME TO CLEAN UP AND GO GET READY FOR DEBRIEF! EVERYBODY UP!!” Alex bellowed at the top of his lungs, all the while enthusiastically clanging the metal bowl with the spoon. Aslaug and Jedi almost felt sorry for their fellow pilots. Almost. They joined in the bedlam with their improvised noisemakers.
In one corner, Uffe Jaerv shot to his feet. He hadn’t overindulged too much, and was instantly awake and alert. Once he realized what was happening, he grinned wickedly and began to shout his own admonitions to the room in Danish.
Some of the Americans stumbled blearily to their feet. Others seemed to be trying to melt into the floor. The Danes were overall fairing better, except for Hroar Hare. He had overdone drowning his sorrows at his lack of success. He was lying in the middle of the floor by himself, whereas most of the others were clustered together where they had passed out or fallen asleep. At Alex’s thunderous aural assault, the rabbit had gone from flat out on the floor to fully upright in a fighting stance with every hair on his body standing on end.
As Alex, Aslaug, and Jedi ceased their noisy hammering and began to go group to group to insure the condition of everyone, Hroar pulled his ears down around his chin and sank to his knees. He cradled his head and gave a slight moan. Then he suddenly jumped to his feet and ran for the bathroom in the back of the hangar. Everyone was silent, waiting for the sound they expected to hear. Instead of the sound of the rabbit emptying his stomach, though, the sound of him emptying a bladder overfull from the night before’s intake came to them. Everyone managed a chuckle.
Shortly, Hroar returned, and Alex gathered everyone in the center of the room.
“All right, glad to see everyone made it through the night,” he boomed out, much louder than needed. Many in the group held their heads and ears. Aslaug and Jedi looked at each other, and then at Alex quizzically. Was he going to torture the hungover furs the whole time they were there?
Alex looked back at them and winked. He’d made sure everyone was awake, and that no one was in need of any emergency medical aid. Anyone still down after his wakeup routine would probably be in need of a doctor. He was sure the older pilots could handle their alcohol intake, but he wanted to make a lasting impression on the younger ones who’d overindulged. The memory of the rude awakening and hangover would remind them to watch their consumption in the future.
In a much quieter tone Alex said, “We have about one hour to get things here cleaned up and another hour for you to go shower and get dressed for the day. It is now 0745. The debrief starts at 1000. In the lockers in the back corner, you’ll find acetaminophen, aspirin, Alka-Seltzer and Tums for any who need them. There’s bottled water back there too. Everyone grab a bottle and get started re-hydrating while you work.”
Slowly the group began to pick up tables and chairs and sweep up. Someone came up with mops and a bucket and several furs started cleaning up the spots where alcohol had overruled stomachs. As they moved about, and medicine and re-hydration began to take effect, they found they were feeling much better. Alex spotted Zapper helping pick up chairs and motioned him over to a corner out of earshot from the rest of the group.
“Zapper,” Alex began, “I have a special duty for you. You are to go clean the bathrooms. Insure everything is cleaned up and washed down as needed.”
“Uh, yes sir, but just me?”
“Yes.”
“May I ask why?” Zapper said this respectfully, without the edgy tone he’d used during that first meeting earlier in the week.
“Because Lieutenant, I want this extra duty to remind you to keep your wits about you. You’re a good pilot, with the potential to be a great one, but two things happened during this exercise that show a lack of concern for the details. First, it was you who gave away our ship-to-ship frequency to the Danes.”
“Huh! But sir,” Zapper began, but Ice’s steady gaze cut him off.
“Yes, it was you. Do you remember the procedures briefing on Saturday? You’d started to fill out your comm card just before we left for the briefing.”
“Yes sir, and then I—,” Zapper stated, and then the white Persian’s eyes narrowed. “I put the card on my planning book, instead of in it. Oh crap!”
“Exactly. Any guesses as to who read it?” Ice asked, allowing the Lt. to find his own errors.
“Well, I talked with several of the Danes, but mostly it was Tails and I talking to that ..female…Danish….uh oh.”
Zapper looked quickly around and spotted Aslaug helping some of the Danes with the tables. She caught eyes with him and gave a small, rueful smile and a shrug of her shoulders, and then went back to what she was doing.
“Uh oh is right. Zapper, the time is coming when you’ll see female combat pilots in the U.S. Air Force. You can’t let a pretty face or a fluffy tail override your training, or your brain. She read your comm. card, and it was only lucky timing that you’d just put down one frequency. You’ll also be getting a refresher class in security procedures when we get home. Now second, what was the last thing I said during the preflight brief?”
“Uh, not to get pulled into a maneuvering fight with the Danes, keep using speed and climb to make passes on them,” Zapper replied.
“And what did you do to get sacked yesterday?” Ice asked.
“I, uh, got too intent on getting the one Viper and started trying to maneuver with him, and one of his mates took me out. I know sir, I realized that when it happened. I got overeager.”
“The Eagle is a fantastic fighter, but there are a couple of things it just won’t do. Turn with a Viper is one. I’m glad you see your error. Let it be a lesson that’ll keep you in the fight next time. Go get to those bathrooms, Lieutenant.” Alex then turned and started to walk away.
“Yes sir. Ah, Ice?” Zapper asked.
“Yes?” Alex said as he stopped and looked over his shoulder.
“Thank you for not making a big scene and for the advice on pretty faces. I guess I have a lot to learn.”
Alex smiled and said, “That’s true of all of us. Find yourself a good officer and pilot, and see if they’d be willing to be your mentor. Jedi would be a good choice.”
“Thank you. I’d, ah, better get started on those bathrooms,” Zapper replied as he headed toward the back of the hangar.
Alex smiled to himself as he walked on toward the center of the room. Zapper had taken the consequences of his actions to heart, so no further mention need be made of them.
By 0900, the hangar had been cleaned, and everyone who’d spent the night there began to depart to get themselves cleaned up. Aslaug excused herself and left to go start her normal duty day. She would join them for the debriefing later.
“Ice,” Jedi said as they made ready to leave also, “I know you needed everyone to help with the cleanup, and the way you woke them up was very effective, but I got the impression you were enjoying their misery. I haven’t known you long, but that doesn’t seem like you.”
Alex looked at the feline a second, and then decided to explain. This was his wingfur, after all, and they had to be able to trust each other’s reasoning.
“Jonathan, I did, in a way. I enjoyed seeing them deal with the immediate consequences of their overdoing the drinking. If I can make one young fur think twice about the outcome of drinking too much alcohol, I will. You see, I lost my mother to a drunk driving a semi about ten years ago. He had been caught for DUI three times before, each in a different state, and never while driving a truck. He had played the system, as it was then, holding driver’s licenses in five states. He dodged the consequences of his actions up until he ran over my mother while she was stopped at a stop sign. He was convicted of vehicular furslaughter, and spent two years in jail. That finally brought home the consequences of his drinking, and he’s been sober ever since. I’ve always felt that if the consequences had been more direct earlier in his life, my mother would still be alive. I don’t want that to sound bitter, it’s not meant to be, I forgave the guy long ago, but I still don’t like to see preventable mistakes repeated. I indulged in beer before that, never to excess. Well, almost never, but afterward I just couldn’t, and I haven’t had a drop since. Yes, I’m hard on hung-over furs, but it’s with the hope that the immediate consequences of overindulging will remind them to think before they drink.”
Jedi looked back at the hangar as they got to Alex’s rental car. “You kind of set them up.”
“No, all I set up was a place where their party wouldn’t involve anyone having to drive anywhere because they got kicked out or the place closed. Their amount of consumption was entirely up to them. I noticed Jolt and a lot of the Rocketeers weren’t here this morning. He arranged for a bus to come by just after midnight and pick up whoever wanted a ride to the VOQ. Jedi, I know the Danes, and most other fighter pilots. They were going to have a party somewhere. This way, no one ends up in detention, the hospital, or the morgue.” Alex replied as he got in. He’d arranged for a bus to take the rest of the Tigerkaht’s and Danes who needed a ride back to the VOQ, and it was just pulling out.
Jedi nodded, thoughtful, as he got in and they prepared to go to the debriefing.
# # #
It was around 1300 Central Time as Jenna pulled the minivan into the driveway at their home in Winchester. She mused to herself about how she still operated on the military’s twenty-four hour timeclock. She parked and the cubs got out and automatically went to the back and fetched their bags to take inside. Jenna got the carryon that Andrew couldn’t carry, and then went and unlocked the door.
Once inside, Tia and Andrew took to their rooms to unpack. Jenna went to the phone to check the messages. There were several on the caller ID, but only two actually left a message. The rest were probably telemarketers, and since Jenna didn’t use a name on the out-going message, most didn’t bother talking to the machine. She punched the button and listened to the first message.
*Hi Jenna, it’s Penny Panelli. Things look good for the job I mentioned. Be ready and meet me at Kentiger at 0800 and you can ride in with me. Hope that’s okay, it’d be great working with you. Bye!*
Jenna smiled to herself. Looked like an early morning of it. She’d look over her resume’ and make sure she had any document they might want in her briefcase this evening. She then listened to the second message.
*Hello Mrs. O’Whitt, my name is Brother Ron Goodland. I’m pastor of the Winchester East Community Church. Pastor Jackson over in Versailles, ah, I believe you’ve been to his church a couple of times? Anyway, he gave me your number. I’d like to invite you and your family to join us for worship. Sunday school is at 9:30, and morning service is at 11.*
The pastor then quickly gave the address and phone number of the church and managed to fit in, “Hope to see you all soon!” before the time limit on the message ran out.
Jenna smiled. She and the cubs had gone to church with the Panelli’s a couple of times, but she had been planning to start looking for a church in Winchester to attend. Brother Goodland sounded friendly, and it wouldn’t take over fifteen minutes to make the drive from their home. She wrote, “Church 1100,” on the main calendar beside the phone, and then took her bags to her room to unpack. All-in-all, she was happy with the way things seemed to be going, but she could feel loneliness starting to slowly creep in on her. She missed Jason terribly, but it had sunk in that he would never be there for her again in this life.
“Ah well,” she mused. “The Lord will show me if and when that should change.”
# # #
The electronic display room for the Nellis Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation System was full to overflowing with pilots and aircrews of the various units that took part in the Green Flag exercise. Alex and the Tigerkahts took up one side of a three-row section of seats. The Rocketeers sat next to them, and the Danes sat toward the front. The rest of the units, ranging from an A-10 squadron to a Maine Air National Guard tanker unit, had all flown their part of the overall exercise, as well. Major Pulaski, the cougar in charge of the electronic system and the ranges at Nellis, stood by to lead the debriefing. They were all awaiting the arrival of the general who commanded Nellis.
Shortly, the officer arrived and everyone stood to attention. He called them all to their seats, and the debriefing began. Every part of the exercise, down to individual air-to-air battles and flight performances were recorded in the data on the computers at the back of the room. The information was displayed on three large screens at the front of the room, with several smaller terminals below them. This allowed a 3-D image of every aircraft’s movements, and each crew’s performance. Tapes would be made and sent home to each squadron of their performance, along with an evaluation score for their participation. As Major Pulaski gave a play-by-play of the action, it was clear that the attacking force had succeeded in its mission to debilitate the fictional country of Red. The cost, however, had not been cheap. Overall, the Blue force had lost eight aircraft, four of which were Tigerkahts. On the upside, the Tigerkahts had accounted for five of the defending aircraft, with the Rocketeers downing an additional one.
As the individual combat encounters were replayed, Alex noted the good, bad, and just plain ugly of how he and the Tigerkahts had performed. Jedi was the outstanding Blue force pilot, downing three of the Danes. The first was a long range missile shot just after the start of the battle, the next a missile shot that got a Dane off Alex’s tail, and the third a guns-only shot after his radar failed. Hroar Hare looked back at the spotted feline from where the Danes sat and nodded, a look of grudging respect on his face. He then made a sour expression and turned back around. It had been he who was setting up on Alex when Jonathan suddenly turned toward him and gunned him out of the exercise.
The outstanding Red force pilot was Markus Raev, who took down two of the Tigerkahts before coming up with a draw against Alex. All the Danes whooped and patted the fox on the back while Major Pulaski glared at them, waiting for order to return.
The first of the Kaptajn’s kills came when Zapper let himself be lured into a tight, maneuvering pursuit of Lt. Bådjer, and RAE put a simulated missile up his tailpipes. Then the fox managed to get a long-range, off-angle lock on Stick. Major Jaerv picked off Fuzz the same way, after a long and patient bit of maneuvering. BAD had followed suit and done the same to Tails. With all the activity all over the sky, Alex couldn’t see much the last three could have done to avoid being hit. There were just too many possibilities to keep an eye on. Lt. Roue, on the other paw, had done exactly what Alex had warned him not to. The white Persian looked on sheepishly, but Alex made no comment, having talked to him about it earlier.
Alex now smiled. He’d returned the favor to JAE, eliminating him with guns as he looped around to try a shot on Ron Jon. Alex’s other kill had come on the heels of Jedi’s first as he missiled a Viper that was coming in behind Fastball. The rest of the Tigerkahts had worked their teams and battle plans well, keeping the Danes occupied while the Rocketeers flew on to their target. The Mud Hens had not lost an aircraft, and had scored one kill on the Danes. Their simulated AGM-130’s had been scored as direct hits.
Overall the exercise was rated a success, and all aircraft had completed their missions without any major safety concerns. The rest of the crews went through their debriefs, and then the General dismissed them to their unit commanders.
As Alex gathered the Tigerkahts to give them instructions for the rest of the day, a familiar feline form appeared out of the crowd.
“Hello Ice.” Scatcat Higgins grinned broadly as he walked up.
“Scatcat! Came out to check up on me, eh?” Alex returned the grin as the two saluted.
“Of course, can’t let you out of my sight for a minute, now can I?” the lion said in a teasing voice, but then he took on a serious look. “Seriously, though, when you gather them all together, I’d like to say a few words to the Tigerkahts.”
“Sure thing.” Alex turned and looked at the group of pilots who now stood there awaiting his instructions. All eleven had expectant looks on their faces.
“Tigerkahts, before I start, Colonel Higgins would like to speak to us. Colonel?” Alex spoke with enough volume to be heard over the noise in the room.
“Thank you, Ice. Tigerkahts, I want to commend you on an outstanding performance on a tough assignment. I know this was short notice, and that you didn’t have any time to get acquainted with your new CO. You rose to the task, and I am very proud of all of you. After you return to Langley, I’m putting the squadron on stand down for a week. After that, it’ll be back to your normal routine of training and alert schedules. Congratulations again on a great job. Ice, back to you.”
“Thank you, Colonel. Okay ‘Kahts, I want to say how proud I am of you, too. That was some really excellent flying and fighting. You all stayed with it and fought as a unit, despite the circumstances. It speaks volumes about your professionalism. I look forward to the next few months being some of the best I’ve had. Now, until 1600 local, go help the maintenance furs find any gigs you came back with. After that, stand down and get some rest. Be at the Transient Flight Briefing room at 0800 tomorrow morning, ready for the flight home. It’ll be a long one, and if the weather’s questionable anywhere along the way, we’ll stop for the night and RTB on Wednesday. That’s all I have, any questions?”
No one said anything, so Alex snapped to attention and raised a salute, calling, “TIGERKAHTS, GO!”
“TIGERKAHTS, GO!” the 412th pilots responded as they snapped to attention, saluted, and did an about face.
As they began to make their way out toward their ride, Alex noticed Bart Higgins hanging back. He was about to ask the lion why when a group of the Danish pilots stepped up to them.
“Ice, we wanted to stop and say goodbye. It was great seeing you again, even if you did kick our tails.” Major Jaerv extended a paw to shake as he spoke.
“You too, JAE. Ah, we both did what we were supposed to do. If we were in
“Absolutely,” the wolverine replied. “Oh, and by the way, thank you for the novel wake-up call for my pilots this morning. I’ll have to remember that one.”
Alex just grinned as Kaptajn Markus Raev extended his paw to shake.
“Ice, thank you for the lesson. I learned a lot from our encounter.”
“You’re welcome, RAE. I’m glad I could. It’s great to see young pilots like you in line to replace me when I retire.” Alex gave the fox’s paw a firm shake.
“Not too soon, I hope.”
“In a few months.” Alex felt a bit sorry he wouldn’t see the todd again, unless they had a chance meeting while he was doing reserve duty.
“Then I am sorry I won’t get to fly with you again.” A note of true regret sounded in RAE’s voice.
“Ah, who knows? I’m going into the reserves, so we may cross paths again. Fly safely going home.”
The todd nodded as he stepped back, allowing a familiar all-white rabbit to speak.
“Ice, I’m sorry to hear that you are retiring. I’d have liked to kick your tail, either on the ground or in the air. Let us part as respected fellow warriors, then. I hope to one day learn enough patience to fight as effectively as you do, waiting for my adversary to make the first mistake, instead of rushing in and making the first one myself. Goodbye, and good hunting.” The rabbit extended a paw and gripped Alex, forearm to forearm, in the traditional warrior’s clasp.
“Goodbye, Hroar, and to you also. Safe journey and good hunting.”
Finally, Aslaug Jacobsen stepped up.
“Colonel, ah, Ice. It was a pleasure meeting you.” The vixen went to shake paws, but instead of releasing his paw, she pulled Alex closer and whispered in his ear. “Don’t be too hard on Lt. Roue, just tell him to be more careful. I hope to see you again before my tour is up.”
To Alex’s surprise, she gave him a quick hug, and then stepped back.
“Ice,” she said as she and the rest of the Danes turned to go.
Alex was blushing slightly, surprised by the hug. He was sure it was only a friendly gesture, but it had caught him off-guard, much to the delight of Scatcat.
“You know Ice, I could arrange for you to be back out here before you retire, if you’d like.” The lion had a gleam in his eye.
“Ever the matchmaker, eh Scatcat? She’s a lovely vixen, and very good at her job, to boot. But please, quit trying to find a mate for me. When I find the right one, I’ll know it, and I might even invite you to the wedding.”
Scatcat looked at him askance.
Alex grinned, a mischievous gleam in his eyes now. “Don’t give me that look! In a few months, I’ll be retired, and I won’t need your permission, or help, to get married.”
Scatcat harruphed, and then looked serious. “Uh, well, that’s why I was hanging around. Your retirement, I mean. You know the notice clearing you of any and all suspicions came down from General Mastifson himself, right?”
“Yes, but his nephew is still gunning for me, so I just took it as a ploy to get me off guard.”
Scatcat shook his head emphatically, causing his mane to fluff out for a second.
“No. I’m not sure why, but apparently the General and his nephew had some kind of falling out. My contact in Personnel said Friday that Jefferson Mastifson put in his retirement paperwork. He’s also been relieved of command and taken off flight status.”
“I can supply the why,” a voice from right behind them said. Alex and Bart turned to see Major Pulaski standing there. Scatcat arched an eyebrow at the cougar.
“Sorry for eavesdropping,” he continued with a sheepish look, “but you two are standing right beside the control terminals, and I couldn’t help but overhear. Lt. Col. O’Whitt, my condolences for your brother. He was truly one of the best I’ve seen out here.”
Alex nodded. “Thank you, I appreciate that. What were you saying about Mastifson?”
“Lt. Col. Mastifson screwed up royally right in front of his uncle. He nearly got himself, his wingfur, his uncle, and one of my FAC crews killed out on the range. His uncle didn’t yell at him during the debrief. It was worse. He was icy cold, calm. He relieved his nephew of his command, his flight status, and his career right here. Personally, I don’t think it could have happened to a nicer guy.”
Major Pulaski then turned around and went back to his work.
Scatcat looked thoughtful a few seconds, and then spoke. “You know, that means you can withdraw your retirement. I might even be able to keep you in command of the Tigerkahts.”
Now it was Alex’s turn to look thoughtful. He motioned for Scatcat to walk along so they could catch up to the squadron.
“I’ll think about it, Scatcat. I’ll think about it.” he finally said as they left the building.
# # #
“Jenna! Over here!” Penny was standing beside her car in the parking lot of Kentiger Executive Air. Jenna had pulled in and slowed to a stop, apparently looking for the tiger-fox. She now saw Penny and waved before pulling into a parking spot next to where she stood.
As Jenna got out, Penny nodded to herself in approval. The tigress was dressed conservatively, but not so buttoned down as to appear old-fashioned or dowdy.
“Hi Penny. Hope I’m not late.”
“No, plenty of time. You look great, by the way.” Penny gave her a friendly smile, trying to put her at ease.
“Thank you. I hope it’s not too casual. I don’t have a business suit-dress.”
“No, not at all. Jeremy maintains a pretty casual workplace. He says furs are more creative when they’re relaxed. I’m Office Manager, taking care of the administrative side of things, but as you can see, even there we stay pretty casual.” The lovely tiger-fox was wearing slacks and a scallop-necked blouse.
“Sounds good.” Jenna was relaxed and smiling, briefcase in paw.
“Then let’s go. I’ll fill you in about the job on the way.”
Penny opened the car door as Jenna went around and got in on the passenger side. They left the parking lot and headed for US 60, turning right onto the road where it went past the airport.
“So, your degree is in IT work? How current are you?” Penny was asking questions and watching traffic at the same time.
“Yes, it was. I’ve tried to stay up with the latest stuff in the field, but I’m afraid I’m probably pretty out of touch with the newest software.” Jenna replied a bit nervously. They were heading around the onramp to New Circle Road, the loop that surrounded downtown Lexington. It had a long, curving onramp, with a very short merge area at the end. Traffic was also merging off to exit right there as well, making it a bit tricky to get on the road at times. Penny seemed non-plussed at the traffic.
“That’s fine. We don’t have the newest software. What we need is someone to help our full-time IT guy with his workload.”
“Is he that swamped?” Jenna felt unsure of herself for a moment.
“Sometimes, but most times not. Don’t worry, you’ll do fine. The job also could entail some gofering, admin work, running errands. Heh, maybe even a little acting.” Jenna looked a bit askance at that, but said nothing, so Penny went on. “We make commercials and some training tapes for businesses in Kentucky and southern Ohio. We also mass-produce tapes, and the new DVD formats, for several companies.”
Penny had laid out most of the job’s expectations in those few brief sentences. They took the second exit off of New Circle Road and turned north, wending their way through a maze of businesses and warehouses. As they pulled into a parking lot in front of a warehouse-sized building, Jenna could see a large sign stating that this was Bluegrass Advertising and Productions. Penny parked in a reserved spot, and then got out and led the way in, with Jenna right behind her. They entered the main doors and walked into a spacious lobby.
“Penny! Perfect timing.” A slim, tall border collie had called out from one corner of the room. A mongoose with small round spectacles on his muzzle stood with the canid. Penny led the way over to them.
“Hi Jeremy, Sari. Let me introduce you to the lady I was telling you about,” Penny said in greeting to her boss and the company IT manager.
“Please do!” Jeremy replied with enthusiasm. The border collie was a good four inches taller than Jenna, and he had the dual eye color that was common in his species, one brown and one blue. He seemed to radiate energy and enthusiasm.
“Yes, please do,” the mongoose echoed in a thick Indian accent, a smile on his muzzle. A slight bit shorter than Jenna, he was very slim, and looked to have the quick, nervous energy typical of his species.
“All right,” Penny said as she stepped aside and made a grandiose wave toward Jenna. “Jeremy Brand, Saramundi Idiri, may I present Jenna O’Whitt.”
Simultaneously, Jenna and Sari spoke.
“O’Whitt?” “Idiri?”
Jeremy blinked, looking from one to the other. “You know each other?”
“Ah, no, we’ve never met.” Jenna was a bit taken aback. “But I think maybe our son’s have. Do you live in Winchester, Mr. Idiri?”
“Yes, yes I do. My son’s name is Saloman, but his friends call him Sal. Your son is Andrew, correct? This is very good!”
Jenna could see where her son’s friend’s speech pattern came from. The mongoose hadn’t stopped to take a breath.
“Yes, that’s right,” she replied.
Jeremy slightly cocked his head to the side and perked his ears up as he said, “Wonderful! Glad you already have a connection here. Ready to start work?”
“Wha?” Jenna said, surprised. “But I thought I’d just fill out the paperwork, leave my resume’, Maybe interview, but start?”
The collie shrugged. “Suit yourself. The job is yours, if you want it. I can usually judge folks pretty well, and I think you’ll do just fine.”
“May as well take the time on the clock to fill out the paperwork and get you oriented to the place,” Penny said with a serious look on her face. Her broad smile and teasing wink told Jenna she wasn’t nearly as serious as she looked. “You rode in with me, remember? And I’m sure I won’t be able to get away until lunch. The cubs’ll be okay until then, right?”
Jenna thought for a few seconds, and then smiled. “Sure, they’ll be fine. I’ll call and check on Tia in a little while. Andrew was going to stay at his friend Daniel’s house today.”
“Ah, then he is with Saloman, as well,” Sari said with a quick nod.
“Great! Then it’s settled,” Jeremy said as he smiled broadly and clapped his paws together. “Welcome to the company. Sari can show you around now, and Penny can get with you on the paperwork after while.”
Sari put on a smile of his own and turned to go. “Jenna, follow me please, and I will show you to your workstation. Then I’ll show you around the rest of the place.”
“Right behind you,” Jenna replied. She gave Penny a quick look and mouthed, “You set me up. Didn’t you?”
Penny just smiled and mouthed back, “Of course, what are friends for?”
Jenna playfully made a face and stuck her tongue out as she turned to follow the mongoose. Jeremy, who seemed a bit fidgety to Jenna, had already walked quickly off up the hallway leading out of the lobby.
“Looks like I have a job,” Jenna mused.
“What?” Sari turned almost around to look at her. Only thing was, he kept walking the same direction without even breaking stride. Jenna had almost forgotten how flexible members of his species could be.
“Uh, nothing. Lead on, Sari.”
As the mongoose turned back forward, Jenna just smiled. She was enjoying her new workplace already.
END OF CHAPTER 19