by Dale Brown
“Because you knew that Gryzlov was going to launch more attacks on you.”
“Yes, sir, but mostly because I wanted to hurt Gryzlov,” Patrick admitted. “I wanted to defeat his bombers on the ground. I wanted to strike into the heart of Gryzlov’s bomber force. I had the weapons and the opportunity, so I took it.”
Thorn looked at each of his advisers in turn, then said angrily, “That’s why we’re paying reparations to the Russians, folks. America might be accused of being a bully every now and then, but when we screw up like that, we should at least have the guts to admit to it and pay for our mistake.” He and everyone in the room fell silent. “That will be all, everyone.”
Kevin Martindale stepped up to Thomas Thorn, looked him in the eye, shook his head, and said derisively, “You’re going to be a pushover next fall, Mr. President.” He turned to Patrick and said, so everyone including Thorn could hear him, “Don’t let him get to you, Patrick. Gryzlov is right — but it doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. Keep on fighting the way you know how to fight.”
Finally it was just Thorn and McLanahan left in the Oval Office. Thorn looked at the two-star general. “You’re dismissed, too, General,” he said. Patrick looked as if he was about to say something, but Thorn held up a hand. “Don’t say anything, General — I know you won’t mean it anyway. Just get out. Go home and give your son a hug. Take him to the beach. I’ll decide what to do with you later.”
Patrick left the White House and made his way to the West Wing gate. As he waited to be let out, he heard a car horn beep behind him. Maureen Hershel rolled down her window in the backseat of her limousine. “Give you a lift somewhere, General?” she asked.
Patrick looked at her, then stood and looked back toward the Oval Office — and was surprised to see Thorn looking back at him through the window, the phone to his ear but still watching him intently. Patrick took a deep breath, confused and, yes, a little uncertain.
“C’mon, General,” Maureen said. “I could use a drink right about now — and you look like you could use one too.”
Patrick McLanahan stood at attention and saluted the Oval Office. The president saluted back, then returned his attention to his phone call. Patrick dropped his salute with a snap, smiled, and nodded. “I’d love to, Maureen,” he said. “I’d love to. Let’s go.”
E-BOOK EXTRA
“Death of the Dogfight”:
An Interview with Dale Brown
Interviewer: You began your first novel, Flight of the Old Dog, while you were still serving in the U.S. Air Force. What did your colleagues think of this?
Dale Brown: I never really told anybody what I was doing. Most of them thought I was just playing computer games. The others thought I was wasting my time. I enjoyed proving them wrong!
Interviewer: To what degree do you plan your novels before starting to write?
Dale Brown: Probably not as much as I should. When I get an idea, I research it, and if I get some exciting info or background, I’ll write a short outline for my editor, tweak it a little, then get busy.
Interviewer: Is there such a thing as a typical writing day for you? If so, what form does it take?
Dale Brown: Most days start at nine a.m. and go to four p.m., then restart at nine p.m. and go to eleven p.m. I usually rewrite in the morning and write new scenes in the afternoon and evenings. But every day is different. Some days the scenes flow like water — the next day it’s as dry as a desert. But the important thing is to be in the seat with the computer on, ready to go.
Interviewer: Dreamland is the first novel in a new series you’re co-writing with Jim DeFelice. Can you give us an idea of how the writing process works?
Dale Brown: It should be bylined “Jim DeFelice with Dale Brown,” by the way. I invented the basic backdrop of the “Dreamland” series — the time, place, circumstances. I help develop the plot and the characters, and I review the manuscript. Jim does everything else. He’s an incredibly talented writer and we work well together.
Interviewer: As well as describing the development of the weapons and their use in combat, Dreamland also details the crucial political background to the military action. Which part do you prefer writing?
Dale Brown: I prefer describing weapons and technology by far. But the fighting is actually just a tiny fraction of the conflict. The political/diplomatic stuff is not as exciting sometimes, but it’s every bit as important to the story.
Interviewer: Dreamland’s characters — “Dog” Bastian; his daughter, Bree Stockard; her husband, “Zen”; Mack “Knife” Smith — all face different challenges and all have different goals in mind at the beginning of the novel. To what extent are they based on real people?
Dale Brown: We all know characters like these — the hot dogs, the dedicated ones, the smart ones, the obsessed ones. So all of my characters are based on folks I know. But it’s also true that the characters take on a life of their own. Jim DeFelice and I talk about the characters as if they’re real persons: “Bree wouldn’t do that”; “Mack would say this.”
Interviewer: The novel depicts certain rivalries among those on the ground and those who take to the air. It’s the latter group who get the glory, yes?
Dale Brown: No one likes to admit it, because it doesn’t fit in with the “whole force” politically-correct concept, but the pilot is and will always be king of the U.S. Air Force. Only seventeen percent of USAF personnel are pilots, but they make up most of the unit commanders. Even if in ten to fifteen years most USAF combat aircraft will be unmanned, the pilot will still be king.
Interviewer: Life in a secret establishment such as Dreamland — or even on a “normal” military base — must be hard enough without the staff having relationships. In your experience, do these relationships lead to difficult situations?
Dale Brown: All the time — that’s why we authors put them in our stories! We are always looking for conflict. It’s another complication in wartime.
Interviewer: Since the end of the Cold War, threats to “our way of life” are not so neatly geographically placed. Nor, aside from Saddam Hussein and various terrorist groups, is it clear where we should place our military priorities.
Dale Brown: There are plenty of bad guys out there — but it sometimes takes more background to explain why they are the bad guys. Fifteen years ago, everyone understood why we were fighting the Soviets. But if you set a war story in Ukraine or Lithuania or the Philippines, you need to take some time and explain why we’re fighting there.
Interviewer: What effect has the advent of improved technology had on the art of being a fighter pilot?
Dale Brown: It has changed it completely. The “dogfight” — two pilots, two planes — is all but dead. Life and death takes place in split-second battles that happen across dozens of miles, usually without either adversary ever seeing the other. Pilots are more systems operators than fliers nowadays. Sooner than most folks think, our fighters won’t even have pilots in them!
This interview was first published, in a slightly different form, at www.fireandwater.com, the website of HarperCollins UK.
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