Rage & Fury

by Darryl Hadfield

  8 DEC 2127

  Forwarded Message Follows

  8 DEC 2127

  Re:General Wolf

  By Intendancy order, General Wolf is confined to base effective immediately pending court martial. Further instructions will be provided through alternate channels.

  End Forwarded Message

  Commander Alfred Neuman

  US Consolidated Army

  “They need a scapegoat, James, and since you’re the obvious one, they need to make a public example of you. They’re aware of how well your troops regard you, however, and also don’t want to piss you off – did you think I would willingly share my wife – and daughter – with just anyone?”

  “Bluntly, sir? Yes. You seem like the kind of guy who ‘willingly’ does whatever he’s told. Not that I blame you, of course, your wife and daughter are both very attractive.”

  “It does sound to me, though, like the Intendancy was pulling the strings here, and not you. So, Alf,” I intentionally used his first name since we were in private, “tell me. How much of this was your idea at all?”

  “None, James. As you can guess, I just sign whatever they tell me to.”

  “I figured, you spineless fucking cuckold.”

  “Thank you sir.”

  That stopped me momentarily. He actually liked it.

  “Get Olivia in here, I need a blowjob.”

  “I can…”

  “I told you, call Olivia in.”

  He did, and she knew exactly what I wanted before I said a word. She was on her knees, undoing my belt and fellating me like the proverbial… goddamn. She WAS the General’s Secretary!

  I wrapped my fingers through her hair and forced her all the way down onto me – and she didn’t gag, didn’t choke, she just took it like a champ. I was, honestly, impressed. I set her into a rocking motion, taking my hands and putting them behind my head as I continued my conversation with her father and boss while she fucked me with her face.

  “Alf, I’m tired of this shit. Cut to the chase, give me the bottom line here.”

  “You’re going to be forced out, secret court martial for which you will be found guilty, some unpleasant things said about you in private, a classified note added to your PER. Your retirement will be classified as honorable, and the Intendancy will take the hit socially, while also indicating that you’ve both been removed from command, and have retired so that you’re no longer a threat.”

  Well shit. That’s far better than I was expecting.

  “Olivia, do you think I should make your father formalize the brevet promotion?”

  She nodded in the affirmative, bobbing her head on my cock even faster.

  “Sounds like you need to make that brevet permanent, Alf.”

  “Yes sir.” His eyes glazed over as he stared at the wall.

  8 DEC 2127

  In Re:Major General James Wolf

  S/N 20690401142857

  You are hereby promoted from O8 to O9.

  You are transferred effective immediately, to the Commander’s staff.

  //signed//

  Commander Alfred Neuman

  US Consolidated Army

  “Congratulations, James. You are now the first four-star general who hasn’t actually commanded a branch of the army. Regarding the Intendancy, well, they’re also the ones who had the civil lawsuit thrown out, as a goodwill gesture.”

  “This is all well and good, Alf, but explain to my why the Intendancy isn’t pushing the issue harder.”

  “That’s easy. They’re scared of you, James.”

  I was a little frustrated about this whole mess, and, I realized there was more information that I didn’t know, than what I did know. I needed to operate from a position of power, and not from a position of ignorance.

  I pulled Olivia off of my cock, told her to zip me up and that I’d have her finish later. She did while pouting slightly, then walked out, hips swaying nicely. I watched her leave, ogling her ass. I definitely will have another go at that.

  “Fine, let’s get this over with.”

  “The hearing is scheduled for-“

  “Did I say at some future date? NOW.” I raised my voice slightly, just enough that he knew I wasn’t about to tolerate anything utter than total obedience.

  He looked chagrined, before his gaze faded out. A few moments later, an irritated woman’s face appeared on the wallscreen, replacing all of the details about me.

  “So I see that you’ve brought our pet Myrmidon home, Alf. Let me get the others, to watch the downfall of the modern-day Patton.” The screen paused, her face unmoving, and was then replaced by a segmented screen, her face active in one of five positions. I’m sure it wasn’t often that someone could command the presence of all of the intendants at one time.

  “Let’s get this over with. You have something to say to me?”

  The woman who’d first appeared on the screen seemed to be a bit hesitant to begin – and another hawk-faced woman with her hair pulled back in a severe not spoke up.

  “General Wolf,” she started, making the rank sound like an insult, “You have been found guilty of insensitivity towards those who are less resource-privileged. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

  “Yes. Who are these less resource-privileged?”

  She snarled. “The Chinese, you imbecile!”

  “Watch your tongue, cunt. The Chinese have more natural resources than the US does, ergo, they are not ‘less resource privileged.’ Next charge?”

  Her face froze in shock. Clearly, no-one had spoken to her like that in a long time.

  A Mouse-faced man was next to speak. “You used excessive force against your own troops, you KILLED one of your own men!”

  “He ran away. He shamefully abandoned a command that it was his duty to defend. He disobeyed the safety of the command. He threw away his rifle as he ran. He did so in a cowardly fashion. He caused a false alarm in the troops that were coming to reinforce. He willfully failed to do his best to engage enemy troops. His conduct was textbook pusillanimous conduct in the face of the enemy, punishable by death, under Article 899 – or, for those of you who are unfamiliar with it, 10 U.S. Code § 899. The only two items that he DIDN’T do, were pillage/plunder, or fail to afford practicable relief to friendly forces. I expedited the sentence, as was my authority in the theater of combat. Shut the fuck up, pussy.”

  Again, a shocked face, but this time, one of fear mixed with it.

  “The next person who speaks better have a legitimate complaint, or I am going to get angry. Very angry – and you don’t want to see me when I’m angry. You claim I’m guilty without giving me the opportunity to present evidence – you haven’t even bothered to review the pertinent regulations.”

  PRIORITY MESSAGE – Additional costs borne by sender

  8 JAN 2127, 113807h (E)

  Steve, how much do we control government security?

  James

  They were silent.

  PRIORITY MESSAGE – Additional costs borne by sender

  8 JAN 2127, 113813h (E)

  Everything, lock stock and barrel, why?

  Steve

  “Very well, I will take your silence as compliance. I understand your intent was to force me to choose retirement, or dishonorable discharge. I think I’ll modify that and give you slightly what you wish, while I take what I want.”

  “I will voluntarily retire, honorably, and will not seek political position. You will order my ‘court martial’ record sealed, and it will be visible only to the five of you, Commander Neuman, and myself – with penalty of death for anyone releasing it to anyone other than who is actively involved in this discussion right now.”

  PRIORITY MESSAGE – Additional costs borne by sender

  8 JAN 2127, 113815h (E)

  Thanks. Tell you more, shortly.

  James

  “Are there any questions?”

  “But you-“ The mouse-faced man started to speak.

  “PERTINENT questions?�
� I interrupted him.

  He fell silent. No one else spoke up.

  “I will retain all rights and privileges of any honorably discharged soldier.

  “I will retain my military access on my implant, and will not use it to effect any political advantage or influence.”

  “None of you will interfere, directly or indirectly, with my retirement activities. This means any and all of my businesses, regardless of what level of control I exercise in them.”

  “You will clearly and publicly advocate your thanks – each of you, independently of the others, as well as together as the Intendancy – for my service to the country, and will refrain from making any disparaging comments about my actions or conduct.”

  “All of this, in perpetuity, binding on not only you, but any others who rise to the intendancy as well – you will assure this.

  Or I will see you all dead.”

  The silence was palpable, and the hawk-faced woman spoke up. “Very well, General, agreed – we will expect your retirement announcement by the end of the week.”

  “You’ll have it. Alf, get these fuckheads off the screen.”

  I strode briskly out of the office, stopping only to tell Olivia to tell her father to go to my house, and that I would be over at their house to see her mother, at 9pm local. “Yes sir! May I come too?”

  “Yes. You aren’t finished.”

  It was… a very odd way to retire, but I wrote my resignation letter in my implant while I was fucking my commanding officer’s wife and daughter, in his bedroom. Kinky people, there was more leather and stainless steel there than I’d ever seen in one place before.

  When I finally went to my temporary home in the wee hours, I was relaxed and thinking fairly clearly.

  Walking in the front door, Alf was sitting there, wide awake, fully dressed and sitting in the comfortable chair. “Go home, Alf. I’m done with your girls for now; make sure you tell security that I’m no longer restricted. I’m going home tomorrow.”

  And that was it. December Twelfth, 2127, I retired from military service. I actually left the base on the ninth, in a private convoy with military police – we blasted through the highways, ignoring traffic laws, you name it – all of it – till we got to the base of the America Arkscraper, where they escorted me inside, and into the first set of elevators.

  “I sure hope you boys aren’t a hit squad. That’s really gonna wreck your day, if so.”

  One, a Master Sergeant in the MPs, looked back at me in alarm. “Oh no sir. Perhaps you don’t understand why we’re here – this wasn’t by orders; we’re all AWOL right now, except for the driver of the limo, and he was ordered only to take you to the hyperloop terminal.” He pulled his collar up slightly, and there was that damn rattlesnake again, and I laughed.

  I looked over at the other MP, a sergeant major. “And you?”

  He looked blankly back at me. “No idea what he’s talking about, sir.” He pulled a combat knife off of his MP belt, and stroked the blade, flat, along his palm, his eyes never leaving mine. He re-sheathed it and with an utterly deadpan tone, continued. “No idea at all.”

  It was an amazing thing to have that kind of respect from troops you’ve never led, who have never met you, but who share the same kind of bond.

  “Since you’re here, come inside for a moment, gentlemen.”

  They followed me in, standing near the door after they closed it. One stepped forward and put down my solitary duffel bag. By then, I’d strode over to my desk, and opened the top drawer, pulling out a handful of larger coins.

  They looked like the kind of coins you’d see on the street, worn and faded.

  One side held a nearly invisible tree, with a very faint writing around it. “Blood of Patriots and Tyrants.” The other side held that infamous rattlesnake, with “Don’t Treat On Me” around it. All of it faded as if it had been in circulation with other coinage, or as if it had been roughly handled for a long time. They had been made, new, by my request, and then tarnished and faded by intent – so that they wouldn’t stand out.

  I handed one to each of them, and gave the sergeant major several more for the members of the convoy below. “These aren’t for public display, boys. Just something you can keep with you that’s not necessarily as obvious as the rest –but realize that while the outside is tarnished metal, that covers up the rest of the coin, which is platinum. Thank you. Stay Safe. Now get the fuck out of here; if anyone gives you shit, tell them that I ordered you to drive me here, verbally – since we can’t get a timestamped message through the implants for the several hours ago when I would have done that.”

  They were effusive in their thanks, and after shaking their hands, I opened the door and let them out, closing it and noting with my implant what their names and IDs were, for later reference.

  It had been a long day.

  Chapter 40: What Next?

  I spent Christmas 2127 by myself, and ushered in the new year by watching the fireworks on display, as they launched horizontally off of the arkscraper’s top floor. Apparently, from other arkscrapers, the appearance looked like a ball, descending down the outside of the arkscraper I lived in. I’d never seen it from the outside before, and only a few times had I been home to see it from inside, over the years.

  I felt a little sorry for myself; leaving the military was easy to do, but hard to live with. I was 58 years old, I’d be 59 in a few months.

  I’d gotten harassed by that stupid kid’s family – the one I shot in Africa. I can’t even remember his name now, just that he was the source of some of my frustration.

  The other person, though… Corporal Lenoir. His name I would remember – because I had plans for young Mister Geoffrey Lenoir.

  I’d already explained to Steve what had happened, and his mouth literally popped open when I told him how I’d strong-armed the Intendancy. I didn’t understand his amazement; it was his actions that had made the company as powerful as it was – okay, with my guidance and direction at a higher level, but still, he shouldn’t have been surprised.

  He looked at me a little disapprovingly when I told him of my plans for Lenoir, though.

  “Steve, I’m sure you’ve got a list of possible problem people that the government keeps a close watch on. I want someone added to that list.”

  I wasn’t doing anything to directly infringe on that stupid kid’s life – I was just adding someone to the list who probably should have been on it, anyway.

  Last I heard, he was getting stopped by all kinds of people whenever he tried to go somewhere – he tried to suggest they were racist (I probably forgot to mention, he was black) whenever it happened, but they ended up just laughing at him since that had absolutely nothing to do with it – it had everything to do with the fact that he was an idiot who did stupid shit to draw attention to himself. That, coupled with the fact that he was already on the watch list meant he created his own trouble, and had no-one to blame but himself.

  That of course, entirely ignored the fact that he couldn’t get a job at any of my companies – he was blackballed from being hired, because of his act of leaking information to the public that should have gone through a public affairs officer review before it ever saw the light of day. Again, he created his own issues – I just made sure he was held accountable to that standard – and then I forgot about it.

  I probably should have paid more attention to the kid I shot, though. It seemed like not a week went by that his father, mother, or other family or friends were knocking on my door, pounding really, demanding to speak with me. I got into the habit of simply not answering the door unless it was a polite knock.

  I spent a lot of time travelling, either down to Fayetteville where Steve lived – he was, after all, my chief operating officer – or to Africa, where a lot of our imports came from. Europe was a write-off, and had been since even before I’d been there with my very first unit, forty years ago, the 148th Regiment. Sometimes I invited friends over – Pangan, when he wasn’t busy making a fa
mily with some hottie down in Louisiana, or Breshears, who apparently had just had his third grandbaby.

  I had also started doing some additional looking into the rest of the world – and beyond. The private space industries had long ago started enabling people to emigrate – there was always talk about finding another habitable planet, and of course, there was a lot to be said for simply taking a trip up to any of the several space stations in orbit. You could spend time up there as a tourist, which I did on several occasions, or you could apply for and emigrate entirely. That didn’t happen often, because of the legalities involved. Some of my companies (which had continued to grow at a ridiculous pace) were even on the verge of a breakthrough on how to manipulate and control gravity. That had huge ramifications for not just space, but for all industries, depending on how we could commercialize it.