Disclaimer: Last time I checked I still don't own anything but who cares?

I only discovered that fan fiction existed a few months ago (yes I know I'm a bit slow) but since I have had stories going around in my head for years I finally have an outlet – YAY! Better than therapy and so much cheaper. I'm not totally sure where I'm going with this one yet but suggestions are always welcome.

My apologies to Joxer beforehand if you are still with me – you get Ben but he's gonna have a few, um … problems. So you may not want to kiss my feet anymore (which is probably a good thing). Consider yourself warned!

Chapter One

Lucas felt like throwing something at Ben. Preferably something large and heavy that would really hurt. There didn't seem to be any other way of getting through to him. This whole situation seemed so unreal that Lucas had almost pinched himself to check he wasn't dreaming. He was jolted back to reality by the fury in Ben's voice.

"Just drop it will you?" Ben growled at Lucas through the bars. He paced up and down the small holding cell and looked fit to explode.

Lucas watched him pace and opened his mouth to argue again but one look at Ben's face made him close it again quickly. He glanced at the guard on duty but he steadfastly ignored both Lucas and Ben. Lucas vaguely recognised him and guessed it would be pretty hard to have to lock up one of your own crewmates. It wasn't like Ben was some enemy soldier or anything.

Finding it impossible to stand still, Lucas walked up to the bars and grabbed hold of them with both hands.

"Ben, I …"

"Lucas, do me a favour will ya?"

"Yeah?"

"Leave me alone!"

The teenager threw his hands up in exasperation and turned to walk out the door. He stopped and turned back to try one last time to get some sense out of his friend who was still pacing up and down.

"Ben?" he shook his head. "I don't know why you blew a fuse but I'm trying to help you." Ben stopped his pacing in front of Lucas and glared at him.

"Listen kid, I don't need your help and I don't want your help so get the hell out of here and leave…me…alone." Ben turned his back and walked to the far end of the cell. Lucas felt like screaming at him but instead he turned and walked out of the brig, wondering just how things had come to this. It had never bothered him before when Ben called him "kid". In fact it had always seemed affectionate but just now it sounded insulting.

He shoved his hands deep into his pockets and turned down the corridor towards his quarters. His shoulders were slumped in defeat and he dragged his feet as he walked. Something more was going on here that he just couldn't grasp at the moment. He hadn't gone far when he looked up to see Captain Bridger coming towards him.

The captain's face looked like thunder and he realised this wasn't going to be something Ben could talk himself out of. As the captain stopped in front of him, Lucas tried to stay calm but his eyes kept dropping to the floor. It wasn't often he saw Bridger really angry but right now he was livid. He seemed surprised to see Lucas coming down the corridor but there was only one place he could have been coming from.

"Lucas. Stay out of the brig and away from Lieutenant Krieg. Is that understood?"

"But…"

"Is that understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

Lucas began to edge around the captain as he resumed his march to the brig.

"It's not like he wants me there anyway!" he muttered under his breath.

Lucas tried to walk on casually but as soon as he had made it around the next corner and was out of Bridger's sight, he bolted for his quarters. He raced through the door and locked it behind him before throwing himself on the bunk. He looked up to see that Darwin was already there as though he had been waiting for Lucas to come back. Lucas rolled over to grab the vocorder and then dropped it back on the bed where it had been lying.

He had no idea what he could possibly say to Darwin right now. How was he supposed to explain that his best friend had completely lost his mind and taken a swing at a superior officer? Commander Ford, no less! The commander was sporting a nasty black eye but Ben had quickly found himself being hauled off to the brig. If Lucas hadn't seen it with his own eyes he never would have believed it.

Earlier that evening he had been in the mess with Tim. They had long since finished dinner and had stayed to talk when Ben had stormed in and approached the commander. Ford was sitting at another table reading a pile of reports and he looked annoyed at being interrupted.

Lucas knew straight away that something was definitely off by the furious look on Ben's face. He couldn't make out the words but the anger in his voice and gestures was clear, even from across the room. Lucas and Tim exchanged worried glances but before they could do anything to intervene, Ford had angrily pushed back his chair and stood to confront Krieg.

"You bastard! You always wanted me out, so congratulations, you win! But I'm not going without giving you something to remember me by!"

Lucas stared in horror as Ben pulled back and let swing at the commander. He was out of his chair before he knew it but it was too late. Ben's fist connected with a sickening thud and Ford reeled back. His hand involuntarily clenched as though he was going to return fire but he pulled himself up in time. Gingerly he ran his fingers over his cheek and felt the blood beginning to trickle down.

He straightened up and stepped closer to the lieutenant before calmly stating, "That was the last thing you will ever do as a UEO sailor. Consider your career to be over Lieutenant!"

A security detail had appeared as if out of nowhere but obviously someone had already realised trouble was coming and had called it in. Quickly sizing up the situation, one of them moved behind Ben and grabbed his arm.

"Take him to the brig!" Ford spat out. "If he tries anything, shoot him!"

Krieg glared at his commanding officer.

"You'd like that wouldn't you?"

Ford ignored the question and the security officers moved to escort Ben out the door. He angrily shrugged off the hand on his shoulder but didn't put up any further resistance. Without looking at anyone else in the room Ford quickly gathered up his reports and headed out himself.

Lucas sat back down heavily on his chair and stared at Tim. O'Neill looked just as stunned by what they had just witnessed. Suddenly the room was abuzz as everyone started talking at once.

"What do you suppose that was about?" Lucas asked hesitantly.

"No idea, but it's the end of Ben's career so I hope it was worth it."

Lucas stared at Tim; the implication sinking in as he realised just how much trouble Ben was really in. Suddenly Ben's behaviour over the last few days began to make sense.

"Something has been brewing for days but Ben wouldn't tell me what. He's been really edgy. I wish now I'd pushed a bit more to find out why," Lucas said, his voice full of regret.

Tim nodded. "Yeah, something's been bugging him but he just brushed it off when I asked him yesterday."

Lucas decided he urgently needed to get to see Ben but he didn't know if he was going to be allowed to. Making some excuse, he left Tim sitting at the table and started off towards the brig.

After the frustrating conversation with Ben, Lucas decided he needed answers. What was going to happen from here? He sat up and reached over to pull out his laptop and began a search on military discipline. As he scrolled through the pages of UEO information coming up he tried to narrow the search a little.

Finally he found what he was looking for – a list of military offences and potential disciplinary action. He whistled under his breath as he read down the list. Scrolling down a bit more he stopped and stared at the screen. He had hoped the Commander was just angry when he said Ben's career was over but as he read further, Lucas realised it wasn't an empty threat. There it was in black and white.

Assaulting a superior commissioned officer

"Any person who strikes his superior commissioned officer or draws or lifts up any weapon or offers any violence against him while he is in the execution of his office shall be punished. If the offense is committed in time of war, by death or such other punishment as a court martial may direct and if the offense is committed at any other time, by such punishment, other than death, as a court martial may direct."

Lucas stared at the screen wondering how long it would take to convene a court martial. The idea of Ben staying in the brig didn't sit comfortably with him but as he read back over the information another thought dawned on him.

"Thank God we aren't at war or Ben could be facing the death penalty."

He needed to speak to the captain. Maybe if he could somehow remind Bridger of all the positive aspects of having Ben around, he might be inclined to go in to bat for him. He was a reasonable man after all, who made most decisions with a cool head. Wasn't he?

"So why do I feel like I'm stepping into the lion's cage?" Lucas wondered to himself.

He had never been hesitant to speak to the captain before but he had never seen such a furious look on his face before either. He checked his watch and realised that it was too late now to be going to see him tonight. He almost felt relieved that he could delay this uncomfortable conversation but then immediately felt ashamed that he was relieved.

"Ben would be breaking down the captain's door for me, no matter what time it is."

He sighed as he thought about how many times Ben had covered for him or how he always had time to spare for his young friend. Lucas decided that if he couldn't speak to the captain then maybe he could go and see if Ben was all right. It was highly unlikely he'd be asleep.

As he thought about heading back down there to see Ben he remembered Bridger's angry warning and wondered if he should go after all. The fact that Ben didn't seem to want to see him anyway helped make up his mind. He frowned as he remembered the dark look on Ben's face. Where did that anger come from? What did Ford do to make him lose his cool and do something so utterly stupid?

He turned the laptop off and lay back on the bunk. How did a day that started off so normal get so screwed up?