Chapter 2

Minot's operational bomber squadron resided in the PRIDE building. Long ago, in the era of Strategic Air Command, everything had an acronym, even PRIDE. However, years passed until everyone who knew what "PRIDE" stood for had retired. Now the new lieutenants chuckled over the name and no one knew why anyone would call a building "PRIDE."

Stahl parked and walked swiftly into the aging building. He wondered how to broach the subject of being a paw-pal with Capt Grove. He was his trusted third in command, a spot shared by three men. However, the squadron knew him as gruff, a little cold, and lacking in empathy for screw-ups. Stahl shook his head. He figured the best method was to be upfront and he hoped that Lt Will Puckett was smart and thick-skinned.

"Good afternoon, Beth, Bender." Stahl greeted his secretary and executive officer, Captain Justin Voss. "Anything on the schedule for this afternoon?"

"No sir." Beth told him.

"Good. I'll be meeting with Capt Grove for the next few minutes. Also, could you track me down a calendar with the phases of the moon on it?" She looked at him, confused but nodded and Capt Voss gave him an odd look. "Thanks!"

Stahl stepped into his office and closed the front door. He walked towards that back of the room and poked his head out the back door. As it did almost every time, he startled the three men occupying the next room. They gave him slightly exasperated grins. Good, he thought, glad I'm interrupting something.

"Clean, you got a moment?"

Capt Grove's callsign was Clean due to his striking resemblance to the Mr. Clean character on detergent bottles. He stood 5'10" and 210 pounds of muscle, shaved bald. His blond hair started thinning in college so rather than clinging to wisps of hair, he succumbed to the inevitable and shaved it off. He had blue eyes, like Mr. Clean, but unlike the friendly detergent hawker, he had a cool and piercing stare.

"Sure thing boss." He stood, raising his bulk out of his chair with more grace than one would expect from someone so big.

Clean settled himself quickly into the chair opposite Lt Col Stahl. "We aren't here to talk about the weather are we, sir?" he asked without preamble.

"No." Clean had a knack of throwing people off guard by going directly to the point. Lt Col Stahl paused a moment to compose his thoughts. "When was the last time you re-hacked your Lycanthrope Liaison training?"

Clean's eyes narrowed slightly and he answered cautiously, "Three months ago. Does this have anything to do with the class that's arriving this week?"

"You are as astute as always, unnervingly so." Stahl let out a rushed breath. "Yes. Lt Will Puckett, a new copilot, should be arriving tonight or tomorrow. Lt Puckett is a wolf variety lycanthrope and I'd like you to-"

"No."

"No?" Stahl's eyebrows rose.

"No sir, Lt Adams is trained as well. Please, don't ask this of me."

"Capt Grove, Lt Puckett is a lycanthrope and I'd like you to pair with her," he paused, "because Lt Adams cannot." He let the weight of his words sink in. "I just need you to get her through the first months. Then I can better assess who we can send to training to be her paw-pal."

"I..." he floundered helplessly. "Sir, I can't do this." Clean shook his head and looked at the floor.

"Please, Jamie. It'll be a few months at most, and then I'll get her out of your hair." He chuckled, "Or scalp, whatever."

"She's what? Twenty four, maybe twenty five?" Stahl nodded. "And a first lieutenant? Yes, I'm sure she'll be thrilled to have an old man, about to pin on major, keeping tabs on her."

Stahl listened and nodded. "That may be true but neither of you has much of a choice. I don't have another Liaison I can pair with her." His mouth quirked in a half grin. "Does it help that she's pretty?"

Clean gave him a blank stare.

"Fine. Give it six weeks, and then I'll have someone I can get into training. Deal?"

"Six weeks? And the deployment?"

"We can go one person short while they train if we have to."

Clean's eyes narrowed. He knew how hard it would be to go out even one person short but he trusted Lt Col Stahl. "Deal."

Stahl nodded and the meeting was over. Clean left out the back door while Stahl went to the front. Beth was on the phone, nodding and scribbling down a note. "One moment please," she told the person on the other end of the line.

"Any luck tracking down a calendar?" Stahl asked her and Bender when she put her hand over the phone and held it away from her ear. They both nodded.

"Yes, I should have it to you tomorrow morning. Also, there is a Lt Puckett on the phone. She says she just checked in to the base hotel and would like to know if she should come in-process today or tomorrow?"

Stahl checked his watch. "It's only 2:30, there should be enough people around to get her started today."