The Bear

San Diego Naval Station

“Commander Lewis reporting as ordered, ma’am. ” Lt. Commander Jennifer Lewis pulled up a smart salute before sitting down across the desk from her commanding officer. “What gives? I’m not in trouble again. I’ve been a good girl.”

“This month, Commander.”

“What’s this about, Admiral?”

“I have rush orders for you. You are to report to Washington for special assignment.”

“As in the state of?”

“DC.”

“Any idea what this is about?”

“None.” Rear Admiral Danielle Howard tossed the papers on her desk. “The Navy doesn’t tell me everything, Commander. Sometimes I just pass along the paperwork.”

“How much time do I have?”

“None. You leave in two hours.”

“Two hours? I won’t have time to pack.”

“Then don’t. Grab a bag of necessities. I’ve put a call into my counterpart at Edwards. You’ll hop a Hornet up to Edwards where an F-15 is taking you directly there.”

“Why don’t I just ride a Hornet all the way?”

“With the Vinson deployed, I can’t spare the fighter. You’ll have to ride with the Air Force.” Admiral Howard leaned back as she assessed her commander. “Jen, this has the feel of something big. I don’t know why, it just feels that way.” She straightened and locked her fingers as she put her forearms on the desk. “You have top-notch credentials, Commander, but you’ve always fallen short of your ability. You need to nail this one, and I mean nail it hard.”

“No matter what it is?”

“No matter what. Shove off, Commander.”

“Yes ma’am.” Jennifer Lewis saluted crisply, turned in order and was out the door. “What the hell am I going to do in Washington?”

The Falcon slipped in below the KC-135, the boom steady as it hung in the rushing winds. Captain Will Jenner swallowed hard. He hadn’t done this in a very long time. He gripped the stick tightly with his right hand, and wrapped his left around the thrust control as much out of nervousness as it was to keep it from shaking. The voice in his headset helped to steady his nerves.

“That’s it. Just keep ‘er steady Captain. You’re doing great. Just a little closer.”

“Why am I doing this? Why aren’t you piloting this thing?”

“Those are my orders, Captain. You are to fly, and we’re too far away from DC to make it without refueling.”

“Even with the extra tanks?”

“Even with tanks.” The voice in his helmet went quiet for a second. “You know that.” Silence filled the cockpit again. “Almost there Captain.”

This is the part Jenner hated the most. Some fighters slipped up behind the fuel cone and pushed their nozzle in. They controlled it all. Falcons were different. The boom operator controlled the hookup because it was behind the cockpit and out of sight. Jenner watched as the winged boom eased over his cockpit. Five seconds later he heard the clunk of metal on metal and his panel told him the connection was made.

His flight screens took their agonizing time registering the added fuel. In-flight refueling was a dangerous but required procedure. Every pilot was rattled in his first attempt, and although he had done this many times, this felt like his first. The rush of fuel at last stopped and the boom disengaged. Jenner dropped a few feet before backing away. He looked up as the boom retracted into the massive plane, the Stratotanker’s shape silhouetted against bright sky. He breathed a sigh of relief as he flexed his hand, his palm now wet.

“Nicely done, Captain. How long has it been?”

“Two years. Two, long, damn, years.”