Chapter 9: Dana and Patty entertain the General

One of the things I couldn't reschedule was the General's entertainment for the next day. I had cleared Dana's and Patty's schedule for the entire day, but I couldn't free up their evening. The General would definitely have noticed, if I had messed with that. He had their exclusive use until the next morning.

They dressed in their 'fatigues' under their chador and each carried a case with their other required clothing. While they were on their way to his quarters, the General gave me a call. He was quick and to the point. "Are you watching the camera in my quarters?" Well, of course I wasn't going to admit I was, but his question turned out to be rhetorical. "You will turn it off and do not reactivate it until noon tomorrow. Is that understood." I assured him I understood perfectly.

"Do it now, while I am watching!" was his next command. I very dutifully took the camera off continuous sweep, used a joystick to swing it through a full cycle of its movement and then let it appear to power down. Which means I turned off the little red light on the top of the camera. It's amazing how you can condition people to "know" they aren't being watched with just a simple little light. As you can guess, the camera was still active and, as I've already mentioned, there were a few others in his room. If you're not supposed to watch something going on in a particular place, that's where you need to watch the most, I always figured.

The rest of the General's comments didn't take long: "Good enough! Your request for liaison work with the entertainment platoon has been approved. You have allowed your time to accumulate for an extended period. I am pleased to see you have a man's needs after all. Have a nice day off." And with that, I was dismissed.

I had an appointment I didn't want to miss, but I had a little time to kill. I couldn't resist checking to see what the General was going to get. I could probably have found a way to hide a recording of anything that happened after I left my "office", but live action is just so much fun.

As soon as the guard admitted the women, he ordered the women to remove their chador. The General ordered them to put on their "Millionaire" gowns and make up their faces in his private quarters, which attached to his office. They were to remain there until he specifically gave them permission to return. They were just beginning, when the guard at the door again buzzed the General. Permission to enter was given and in moments a delegation from the kitchen staff had transformed his conference table into a banquet table, covered with delicacies. A flagon of mineral water waited in a chiller. When their job was complete, the General informed them they would not be required to serve his guests at table.