A/N: I know my responses are taking longer than they were at the beginning of this story, so I apologize for the wait. I am trying to make sure my information, both historically and with the show, is correct. Also, I want to make sure my newer chapters are tighter before I publish them. And since I am already about halfway through my next chapter, I hope for it to be up by the end of the week. However, I do love the continued feedback. The more reviews the better as far as I'm concerned. If you have questions or suggestions/recommendations, please don't hesitate to send them my way. I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 7
His cousin is Danny O.? thought Harm. No wonder why he looks familiar. I can see it in the face. And he had to bring up that whole mess with Meg. This is just one more aggravation I don't need.
"Ah, I see," Harm finally said out loud, releasing the younger man's grasp. "How is your cousin?"
Tom shrugged. "I'm not really sure at the moment, sir. You know how it is with him. He's with the Rangers, and I don't know if he's here in Iraq, over in Afghanistan or somewhere else."
Harm nodded in understanding. His old friend was hard to pin down. He was almost always on the move with the Rangers or some other Special Operations team. Well, at least since the collapse of his marriage to Meg. Geez Meg, he thought. You are the last person I thought would do that, especially while your husband was deployed.
Then he got the impression that he was under intense scrutiny from the surrounding group and shook himself from his reverie. He saw Mac looking at him with unspoken questions on her face. Harm gave her a small look that said they could discuss it later. Turning back to the three Army officers in front of him, he saw that Sean Stallworth was looking at him with thinly disguised suspicion. Bennett wasn't paying much overt attention to the exchange, and Daniels was kept a neutral expression on his face.
Turning to Stallworth, Harm said, "Well it appears that it's a real small military. Anyway Colonel, I believe we had a series of questions for these gentlemen."
Still looking a bit suspicious and a little puzzled, Stallworth nodded and stated, "Quite right Commander." Turning to Daniels and his platoon sergeant, he continued, "Lieutenant Daniels, we need to ask your platoon leadership some questions about the night of the incident."
Daniels turned his attention to the tall, lanky lawyer and snapped to attention. "Sir, my squad leaders and platoon sergeant will be available for interview at your discretion. However, if I may make a request?" Receiving a gesture to proceed, Tom continued. "I would prefer if you start with me and give my NCO's a chance to notify their Soldiers of the where and when to give their statements."
This set off an alarm in the back of Mac's mind. She stepped forward and addressed the young officer. "Lieutenant, this is our investigation. We are perfectly capable of deciding who we want to talk to first and how we plan to take statements from your troops. Have any of us given you the impression that we need you to tell us how this is supposed to go?"
Drawing himself to his full height and locking eyes with the striking Marine officer, Capt. Cunningham's warning came back to Tom briefly. Well she sure as Hell is no-nonsense, he thought. However, Tom Daniels was not about to let his intention or integrity be questioned by an outsider, particularly in the presence of his own men.
"Ma'am," he began slowly, not removing his gaze from her dark eyes. "With all due respect, it was not my intent to undermine your investigation in anyway. I did two things: one was to ask permission to make a request, which was granted. And the second was to volunteer to be your first interview and to allow my NCOs to round up the platoon according to your schedule. I do not see how my requests were either unreasonable or subversive to your authority. If I gave that offense, I do apologize, as I was only trying to facilitate the interview process. My Platoon and I only want to assist in any way we can."
Mac, having realized she may have been a tad overzealous in her response to the young officer's request, acknowledged the logic of his reply. "We appreciate the support, Lieutenant. You must understand, that we cannot, in anyway, allow anything that even looks like impropriety to happen in this investigation. And I'm sure your desire to help was genuine, but we have to do things by the book, to prevent this from turning into a disaster."
A voice grumbled from the collected NCO's in the back, "You mean this isn't already one?"
Stallworth snapped his head around, and before Mac could respond to the comment herself, he bellowed, "That is quite enough! Lieutenant, I want to know who said that immediately! There is absolutely no excuse for disrespecting a senior officer."
Tom stepped towards Stallworth, ready to take full responsibility when his platoon sergeant beat him to it. "Sir, you talk about disrespect, but the three of you come in here and talk down to the NCOs and cut the legs out from under the platoon leader in front of his subordinates. And then to infer that this incident isn't already a disaster is nothing short of insulting."
Stallworth locked eyes with the battle-hardened non-commissioned officer. Sergeant First Class Wesley Corcoran was not one to take disrespect of his Soldiers lying down. In fact, his men had given him the nickname "Mastiff," because he was big, strong and relentless. The powerfully-built platoon sergeant did not flinch under the gaze of the Army's top litigator. After seventeen years and over two hundred jumps, including combat drops in Panama and Iraq, "Mastiff" was not about to let a DC desk jockey belittle his troops.
The fierce glare coupled with the craggy, battle-worn features of Corcoran began to unnerve Stallworth just a bit. He was able to hide it from most, but Mac, Harm and Corcoran himself noticed. It was clear to the veteran paratrooper that despite his rank and reputation, Sean Stallworth was definitely not a combat veteran. However, when he ventured a quick glance at the Navy and Marine lawyers, it was clear that this was not their first time in a warzone. Interesting, he thought.
"Sergeant," Stallworth began slowly, trying to reclaim a measure of control over the situation. "We have a very important and time-sensitive job to do right now. There is no time to sugar-coat anything. It should be readily apparent that we have to get to the bottom of this investigation as soon as possible, due to the precariousness of the tactical situation."
It was not any sort of apology and that was readily apparent to Corcoran. However, Stallworth continued, despite the narrowing eyes of the platoon sergeant boring through him. "However, I understand that this has been an extremely difficult situation for all of you. And I am quite sure that Colonel Mackenzie was not saying that this whole incident was not a tragedy. Our purpose here is to ensure that this does not become an even bigger disaster than it is already is. Blue-on-blue incidents are among the most regrettable situations that happen in combat."
Tired of the posturing from all sides, Tom Daniels walked over and inserted himself between Stallworth and Corcoran. "Sir, what do you need me to do in order to help facilitate your interviews with my platoon?"
Taking his eyes off of the grim-faced platoon sergeant, Stallworth said, "Lieutenant, we will want to talk to you and your leaders first, then we will need to go over the statements from the rest of your platoon, starting with the lead squad. Believe me, son, we just want to find out what happened. I know your platoon took losses and you want answers, but this is way we have to go about it."
Tom just nodded at what Stallworth had said. The colonel's explanation and guidance had diffused the situation a little bit. "Roger sir. Shall I have my leaders gather the rest of the platoon here?"
"Yes Lieutenant," the colonel responded. "Have all members of your platoon not in the aid station meet here ASAP. Once they are gathered, have your platoon sergeant report their assembly to Major Bennett and he will then join us. As soon as we are done with you and your platoon sergeant, we will start on your squad leaders. Major Bennett will stay with your platoon and start interviewing them as soon as we are done debriefing you and your platoon sergeant. Any questions?"
Tom Daniels shook his head and affirmed that he had no questions. With that, Stallworth dismissed him to disseminate the information to his platoon. The lieutenant acknowledged the dismissal with a respectful inclination of his head and Stallworth walked back to where Harm and Mac were standing. Tom guided Corcoran back towards the collected squad leaders. Turning to face his platoon sergeant, Tom said, "Looks like you and I made a Hell of a first impression, doesn't it Mastiff?"
The gruff old Soldier grunted a slightly amused sound. "Heh, most likely. I don't care what that guy's reputation is, it's pretty obvious that he hasn't spent any time in a combat zone. I hope that lack of experience doesn't affect the investigation too greatly." He paused for a second and then looked back at his platoon leader. "After meeting that Commander Rabb, are you still nervous about his motives?"
Giving a weary sigh, Tom said, "Wasn't really much to go on. But it definitely caught him off-guard when I mentioned my cousin and his ex-wife. However, despite my earlier misgivings, one of the things I remember Danny saying that was the most impressive about Rabb was his determination to get to the truth. We know we did everything according to our orders and those orders were sound. When the shit hit the fan, we did what we were trained to do, so as long as we make it clear that's what we did, then I think we will be alright."
Corcoran nodded absently as his platoon leader finished his point. "Tracking sir. Well remember, no matter what, we are a team here, and I have your back. This platoon did everything right as far as I'm concerned, and I will be damned sure I let those legal weenies know it."
Chuckling softly to himself, Tom shook his head. Turning to look at his squad leaders who were quietly talking amongst themselves, Tom came to his decision. "Alright Mastiff, have the squad leaders round up the troops and report to Major Bennett when we've got them all assembled. Once the platoon is all together, Major Bennett will direct you to where they are interviewing me, and they will finish our statements together. When we are done, they will talk to the squad leaders while we support Major Bennett's interviews with the platoon."
"Mastiff" Corcoran nodded in assent with his platoon leader. Despite the lieutenant being out of college and ROTC for just about a year, Mastiff had seen enough of him to realize that the young man was truly a rare kind of leader. There was an immediate trust between them, as the lieutenant was smart, respectful, motivated and tough. He, without fail, put the needs of his men first, and listened to the advice and recommendations from his non-commissioned officers, especially Corcoran himself. The kid has fire, Corcoran thought. Those lawyers better watch out.
"Oh and Mastiff," Daniels said just before he headed over to the three senior field grade officers. "Take Mitch aside and have a little chat with him about thinking before speaking."
With a devilish smirk on his face, Corcoran gave his platoon leader a look that said they were on the same wave length. Trying to repress a small smile himself, Tom nodded and walked over to Stallworth, Rabb and Mackenzie. Tom steeled himself, knowing that this was going to be a long and drawn out process, but one that was going to be completely necessary.
Corcoran gather the squad leaders around and gave them their marching orders. They had fifteen minutes to gather their squads back in their current location, in the center of the platoon's area. He didn't want any issues or anyone being uncooperative with Major Bennett. If any Soldiers caused any unnecessary problems, then they would be dealt with personally by Mastiff himself. Once his point had been made, Corcoran sent the squad leaders out to get their squads.
Just as Staff Sergeant Mitchell was heading towards where what was left of his squad was resting, he felt a huge arm wrap around his neck and halting him in his tracks. "Uh, something I can do for your Sergeant," he asked, already figuring he knew what was coming.
"Mitch," Corcoran began, in a low growl. "I know this situation sucks and you've lost half your squad, but you really put the L.T. and myself in a bind. I sure as Hell wasn't going to let the PL get nuked for your big mouth. And while I don't have a problem backing down a pencil-pusher, if you ever pop off like that again, I will fucking break you in half. You tracking?"
While Abel Mitchell was a well-respected squad leader and a fitness stud, he knew that Corcoran could crush him, literally. Fighting back a gulp, Mitch turned as much as he could in the firm grip of Mastiff's arm and croaked out a frustrated, "Roger, Sergeant. Won't happen again."
Releasing his grip on Mitchell's neck, Corcoran just nodded, knowing that Mitch had learned his lesson. Watching as the squad leader moved off to round up his men, Corcoran put his hands on his hips. His platoon had taken a beaten, and its members were tired and frustrated, but he wasn't about to let them lose their edge or their professionalism. Doesn't matter what anyone says, he thought. The enemy isn't beaten yet, and we need to be ready.
Harm and Mac stood silently with Sean Stallworth watching the First Platoon leadership give out their instructions for the interview process. Mac noted that the platoon leader and platoon sergeant seemed to be a pretty effective team, feeding off each other and staying on the same page. It reminded her of the way she and Gunny Galindez used to work together when he was still at JAG. They definitely could have used his investigative skills during this operation.
As they watched, Mac leaned towards Harm and quietly said, "So Lieutenant Daniels is the cousin of that crazy Army buddy of yours?"
Harm sighed and replied, "Yeah Mac, looks like it. I thought there was something familiar about him when I first got a look at him. I can see the resemblance in the face. Of course Danny O. is taller, but there is also something similar in his leadership style."
Mac thought back to the early days of their partnership. Harm was going out to dinner at McMurphy's Tavern with a friend who was in town and had invited her to come by. Mac had come by later in the evening, having worked late that night, but when she got there, the two had already thrown back a few and were knee-deep in swapping war stories. The man, introduced to her as Army Captain Daniel O'Brien, had a warm smile and an easy-going demeanor, but there was a toughness about him that she couldn't quite place. Despite being in a well-travelled bar, with friends and even after about half a dozen drinks, the younger officer had a constant vigilance about him that made Mac a bit tense. Harm would later explain that Danny O. was in a Ranger unit and had an uncanny situational awareness that had served him well in his field.
There wasn't a lot of mention of a home life when Harm and Danny got together, mostly relieving some interesting times related to the Academies and a couple run-ins later in their lives. However, Mac was shocked to learn that in the year before she arrived to JAG, Harm and his previous partner had investigated a joint-training mishap between the Army and the Marines. It turned out that Danny was in an Army unit that had been hit by live-fire Marine artillery, leading to the wounding of several Soldiers. While the cause of the incident was an error in the new fire control system being used, it had put Harm and Danny on opposite sides of the issue for a while, stressing the friendship. It generally tended to be a big topic of discussion during their subsequent get-togethers.
"So it seems like whenever you investigate Marine-on-Army accidental fire incidents, it just so happens to include Army officers from the same family?" she asked him, somewhat incredulously. "Looks like an odd coincidence, Flyboy."
That drew Harm up short for a second. The discussion had obviously piqued Sean Stallworth's interest. "Wait, did I hear you correctly Mac?" he asked. "The lieutenant's cousin was involved in a similar incident? Doesn't that strike you as somewhat suspicious?"
Harm turned towards Sean and said, "It really isn't, Sean. The incident with his cousin was about eight years ago, and it was a joint training exercise. A bug in a new fire control system caused Marine artillery fire to go off course and impact near an Army infantry company. There were several wounded and the lieutenant's cousin was the company commander at the time. The results of the investigation were computer and operator error."
Stallworth nodded as he processed the information. "Do you feel there is any conflict of interest with you, having a connection with one of our witnesses?"
Trying to look at this from Stallworth's position and managing, mostly, to not take offense, Harm replied, "I've known Danny O'Brien for nearly fifteen years. He has no connection to this incident and I have never met his cousin before. Nor had I even heard the kid's name before yesterday."
"Alright," Stallworth said after a moment of thought. "That works for me. But we need to approach this cautiously. These men are extremely edgy and bordering on hostile."
Mac snorted at the comment. "Well wouldn't you be, Sean? They've been out here alone and unafraid for two months, fighting without much support or rest. To make matters worse, they possibly get caught in a crossfire between Iraqi military and US Special Forces, with the topper being accidentally hit by a Marine airstrike. I sure as Hell would be edgy and hostile."
Her last sentence hung in the air between the three senior attorneys for a long moment. Each processed the situation they currently found themselves in differently. They all had different views on how to proceed with the investigation, but were unsure how they would be able to reconcile their views of the events with the constantly changing picture of the incident.
They were pulled from their thoughts by the approach of Tom Daniels. "Ma'am, gentlemen, my NCO's are rounding up the platoon. Sergeant First Class Corcoran will be joining us soon, but I am ready to go and at your service."
"Ah yes, excellent Lieutenant," Stallworth said, coming back to the situation at hand. "As mentioned earlier, we will need to go over your statement of the incident. There are some discrepancies in our information and we were hoping you could help clear some things up for us. "
"Yes sir," Tom replied. "Anything I can do to help. Where to?"
Harm spoke up. "That's a good question. We've been using the Brigade legal tent as our workstation, but it's on the other side of camp. It really would be a lot easier for us and for your platoon if we could find a place close by to conduct our interviews. Any suggestions?"
Turning towards the tall naval officer, Tom regarded him quietly. After thinking for a moment, he faced the collective group of officers and said, "Roger sir, we can use the tent behind our command post. It's where our company and Bravo Company have been holding meetings since we settled in to this location last week. If you will follow me, it's just around the corner."
