This is my novel in progress; if you’re just starting, chapter 1 is here… https://okrahead.wordpress.com/2023/01/23/nobodys-heroes-1/
Chapter Four
Dark Waters Ahead
After I had enjoyed lunch in the campus cafeteria (I was truly annoyed that my sub-department’s money could not be spent on fine restaurant dining. Maybe I could requisition it as a nutrition program of some sort.) I met with my team again. Surprisingly enough, most of the office was set up, although not in the fashion I had expected. I had requisitioned enough walls for several cubicles, but my team had ignored them altogether. Instead they had six desks set up in a roughly circular arrangement, facing each other, with computer workstations on each desk. It was annoying that they would do something like this as soon as I left them alone for a couple of hours, but I could always get building maintenance services to fix the problem when and if they had time in a few months.
I had given thought to Jack and Ruth’s plan over lunch, and discovered I liked it better and better the more I thought about it. There was a big push from some areas of the executive branch and Congress to move towards “privatization”, which basically meant paying non-government contractors to do work previously done by the government. I personally thought the idea was ridiculous, since there was no way some private sector goofballs would handle public funds with the same care and efficiency as a trained bureaucrat like myself, but since the idea was popular at the top I could use it as a selling point for my next round of funding proposals. That’s the great thing about being a trained professional grant writer. Even if you don’t really believe an idea is any good you can still dress it up and sell it in such a way that other people will give you money. And after all, that’s your ethical duty as a grant writer.
“All right, people” I said, “let’s get started. Ruth, I’ve been thinking about what you said, and I suppose we might as well give this Darkwater group a look. What I need for you to do is contact them and get an estimate on the fees they would expect to train the six of you.”
“Yes sir,” responded Ruth, “which training areas should I contact them about?”
That caught me off balance, as I had just assumed there would be one standard training regimen offered. These people apparently had more than that. Well, my biggest concern right now was spending money, and I didn’t want to appear ignorant, so I responded “As many as you people can handle. You’re here for more training; let’s see that you get it. I want you to get this group signed up for as many courses as possible.” Ruth gave me a wide-eyed look at that, but I could tell from her demeanor, as well as that of the rest of the group, that everyone was impressed with my ability to make a tough decision on the spot.
“Yes sir,” she said, “I’ll get with the rest of the group and start planning a training schedule right away. What should I do once I have the quotes from Darkwater on their fees?”
“Just bring those to me,” I said grandly, “and I’ll see that everything is taken care of. Now let’s get this show on the road!”
The six of them got together and began gabbing away, obviously happy to plan their own training routines. Well, at least I was showing them I wasn’t the type of boss to micro-manage. I was happy to find that my own office was set up separately, just as I wanted, and that my computer was already hooked up and had wireless internet service enabled. In no time at all I was immersed in a little research project of my own on offshore gambling establishments with online poker tournaments. After all, it was only fair that I get in a little relaxation after the busy day in my department.
Only a couple of hours later (which was about two weeks quicker than the normal bureaucratic process) Ruth came into my office. “I’ve downloaded Darkwater’s course catalog and made copies for everyone in the office,” she said, “including, of course, one for you. Since you were busy we all went ahead and got together to decide which courses to take. The courses I’ve highlighted in green on your copy will be for everyone in the office. The courses that Loren and Jack will be taking on their own are highlighted in red, while the courses David and I will be doing on our own are highlighted in blue. Our computer guys didn’t really want to take any specialized coursework, they insist they’re fine doing most of their work with their computers and will be fine with just a standard field training package, if that’s okay with you.”
I briefly looked at the colorful graffiti she handed me, then acknowledged that it was “okay.” I’d have to keep an eye on this young lady, I got the feeling she was already angling for my job. If there’s one thing you’ve learned well by your GS-12 it’s that go-getters are more trouble than they’re worth. Usually I would start the process of weeding her out now, but since my proposal was to retrain this motley crew I decided to let it go for now. After a few weeks of trying to butt heads with the system she would learn on her own how futile her enthusiasm really was.
“There’s just one more thing sir,” she added, and for the first time seemed a bit hesitant. I wondered what could be inhibiting her ridiculous self-confidence and zeal.
“And what would that be?”
“Well, quite frankly, I don’t know if you’ll be accompanying us on our training or if you’ll be staying here at the office. I thought you might be going along, and if so you might want to take some of the classes alongside us. I realize you certainly don’t need any of this training, or else you wouldn’t be in charge of this group, but I thought you might want to observe us as we went through the program, just to make sure everything was going the way you like.”
I considered the course catalog again. Well, it was in rural North Carolina, out away from the city. It could almost be a vacation. The fresh air would probably do me some good, and my doctor had recently suggested I try and get out and do a little exercise (as if I had so much spare time on my hands). Well, I figured, why not? “Okay,” I decided, “go ahead and sign me up for the courses everyone is taking as a group.” Then, as an afterthought, I said “And while you’re at it, you may as well sign me up for some of the special classes as well. Why don’t you just put me down for the ones you and David are taking? I’m sure they’ll be interesting.”
She flashed me a dazzling smile. “Yes sir, I’ll get on it right away. I can also start arranging travel plans if you like.”
“By all means,” I said, trying my best to reciprocate her grin. As she strolled purposefully out of my office I caught myself briefly wondering what things could have been like if I were an elected official and she an intern instead of our current positions. I quickly shoved that thought aside, however. Now that I finally had my golden ticket, the last thing I needed was a sexual harassment complaint.
Next chapter is here….. https://okrahead.wordpress.com/2023/01/27/nobodys-heroes-5/
RSM’s mail of the day, plus the best guard dog ever… https://theothermccain.com/2023/01/26/in-the-mailbox-01-25-23/
MOAR off topic than anywhere else…. https://spawnyspace.wordpress.com/2023/01/25/my-life-as-a-selfie/
We’re all terrible parents, depending on whom you ask… https://sylg1.wordpress.com/2023/01/26/worst-parents-evah/
Run right to win… https://winteryknight.com/2023/01/26/big-wins-for-conservatives-in-florida-education-policy-and-right-to-life/
Unfortunately a false promise…. https://proof-proofpositive.blogspot.com/2023/01/quote-du-jour_01875695119.html
Free High Fantasy fiction…. https://www.scifiwright.com/samples/fic/phantasy/downfall-of-the-high-house-of-nechtan/
Well, I guess they’re on the list of things…. https://stageinthesky.com/2023/01/26/how-cat-calling-and-false-accusations-ruined-dating-for-millennials/
Sloppy, sloppy… https://theothermccain.com/2023/01/26/smoking-gun-did-hunter-biden-use-classified-documents-for-foreign/
okrahead 
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