Sex and the High Command by John Boyd

Author:John Boyd [Boyd, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Charm keynoted the dinner.

The dining room, vaulted and spacious, reserved for the First-Lady-to-be, had a medieval atmosphere. Cowled and barefooted waiters brought trenchers loaded with viands and a delicate white wine from the monastery’s own vineyard. It was sipped before the catfish course, and a rich, full-bodied red wine before the marinated side meat. Three FBI agents, dressed as monks, joined them at the dinner table.

There was feminine charm in the coolly efficient, yet witty, nurse and the full-bodied Miss Barnard, dressed appropriately in a wine-colored gown of velvet with a medieval bodice laced across her white blouse. Her wardrobe had been donated by a Richmond theatrical costume house.

Conversation, carried on in the naval tradition of no religion, no politics, and no sex, was guided and controlled by the Father Superior whose self-immolation as a monk was relieved by his decisiveness of manner remaining from his old days as a Navy admiral, and it was limited to prearranged topics suggested by the FBI monitoring agent as those most likely to interest Miss Barnard.

Her interests were mainly curiosities, since her life in the cove had been restricted, so Hansen felt at home with her. Even the badinage among guests was woven around noncontroversial subjects. Miss Barnard spoke very little. “I’ll thank you for some more peas” and “I’ve had a sufficiency, thank you” constituted most of her conversation until McCormick drew her out in an animated discussion of how long mash should be allowed to cook.

Despite the charm of their hostess, Hansen found himself eager for the older folks to withdraw and leave the parlor to the young people. Religion had hammered at his attention ever since Admiral Primrose’s monologue in the station wagon. Now that he had heard the arguments of a flag officer who had deserted God in favor of the High Command, he was eager to hear the arguments of a former flag officer who had deserted the High Command for God.

Steward and the three Federal monks excused themselves, going, Hansen knew, to the communications room to warm up the monitoring equipment for Steward who planned to listen to the McCormick-Barnard tête-à-tête “live” while it was being taped. Over coffee, saucered and blown to spare Cora Lee social embarrassment, the Father and Hansen lingered awhile with the young couple to mitigate the discomfort of a sudden mass exodus.

Finally, alone in the passage with the Father, Hansen requested an audience and was pleased when the Father patted him on the back and said, “My son, I always have time for an old comrade.”

“I’m glad you put it that way. Father, for your comrade is transmitting May Day. All my life I believed in God, the Navy, and my family. Admiral Primrose has come up with some good arguments which have almost convinced me I’ve got to choose the Navy. My family is two girls, and the admiral is pessimistic about the female withdrawal. If he’s right, I’ll have to abandon my girls and go over to God or the Navy, but the Navy High Command’s been behaving rather strangely, lately.

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