Have Your Cake and Eat It

[RAAF Spitfire Girl]

Toddy came running up to Biggles, his face displaying considerable agitation.

"Sorry, sir," he announced, "I'm afraid the Air Commodore is waiting on the phone and wants to talk with you personally."

[Fairblue]

Biggles cursed but ran to the office. Before the Air Commodore could speak Biggles waded in with what had just happened at his airfield and respectfully asked if the Air Commodore's business could wait.

[StoneRoad]

"In that case, Bigglesworth, I'll come down to Rawlham" Raymond announced "as quickly as I can"

[Fairblue]

Biggles groaned, but at least he was spared the trip to London. He went outside again and hoped it wasn't long before his squadron turned up. A few of the Lancaster crew were found to have had injuries they hadn't bothered reporting and the escort planes had been badly shot up too.

[StoneRoad]

Symth and his ack-emmas did a certain amount of shuffling to get the visiting planes under cover, the Lanc proving difficult being much larger than anything else, but hanging some spare netting over the nose and cockpit helped.

[kylie_koyote]

By the time Raymond showed up, order had - more or less - been restored. As much as it ever was at 666 Squadron.

[RAAF Spitfire Girl]

Biggles returned to his office, confident that Algy, Bertie and Angus were overseeing the return of the rest of 666 from their exercise around the local countryside. He thought he'd have time to have a "chat" with Taffy before Raymond arrived and asked Toddy to collect and deliver the wayward squadron member.

Taffy entered Biggles' office, saluted, remained at attention and awaited his doom. At least this time, there was no audience.

[Fairblue]

Biggles regarded Taffy for a moment before he spoke. When he did, Taffy felt Biggles' tongue was cutting him to flinders.

[RAAF Spitfire Girl]

"Since you cannot possibly excuse your escapade," Biggles finally finished, "and continue to behave like a school boy rather than a responsible, commissioned officer, I shall treat you as one."

[Fairblue]

Taffy almost visibly trembled. He definitely hadn't foreseen that and only hoped Biggles wouldn't make him wear short trousers.

[RAAF Spitfire Girl]

But Biggles had more dire plans for Taffy's immediate future. He hid his satisfied grin as he watched the unfortunate younger man squirming.

[Fairblue]

"You're not serious, sir!" Taffy protested, as Biggles outlined what exactly that would mean.

[kylie_koyote]

Biggles assured Taffy that he was quite serious.

"But the other chaps will laugh at me!" Taffy cried.

A slow smile spread across Biggles' face. "Yes."

[Fairblue]

"Except when you're on Ops, of course," Biggles added, in a serious tone. "I rather think we need you to be Pilot Officer Hughes for those."

[RAAF Spitfire Girl]

“But...” Taffy’s further protest died on his lips as he saw the completely uncompromising expression on his C.O.’s face.

“When do I start?” He asked weakly.

[Fairblue]

"Right away," Biggles replied. He looked at his watch. "You might just have time to do those lines before you have an early tea."

[RAAF Spitfire Girl]

Taffy saluted and dolefully returned to the Mess, having retrieved a copy of the King’s Regulations relating to behaviour of commissioned officers in the RAF. He wondered if he could complete today’s number of lines without anyone noticing.

[kylie_koyote]

In this, he was doomed to disappointment.

Ginger, at least, was sympathetic.

[Fairblue]

Taffy confided to him what Biggles had lined up. "100 lines!'" he protested. "I have to copy this line 100 times ," he showed Ginger the appropriate reference from the King's Regulations. "In my neatest handwriting. And that's only the beginning, look you!"

[RAAF Spitfire Girl]

Ginger, although sympathetic, had difficulty hiding his grin. He also found it was very hard not to say, yet again, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Just then Tug walked in followed by the rest who had been called back to base from their exercise.

[Fairblue]

"What's this? Writing to your girlfriend?" Before Taffy knew what was happening Tug had whisked the sheet of paper away and was reading it avidly.

[StoneRoad]

"Give that back, now" snapped Ginger

[Fairblue]

"Who made you the boss?" Tug retorted to Ginger as he moved away from him.

[RAAF Spitfire Girl]

"Why on earth are you writing out the King's Regulations?" asked Tug after a few seconds of incredulous reading. He still held the paper annoyingly out of reach.

[Fairblue]

Taffy made an uncomplimentary reply just as Biggles walked in with the Air Commodore.