CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Title: "Forever and Always: For Eternity"
Author: Michelle Heath
Rating: MA for adult situations and language
Summary: Story #6 in the Salvation, Forever and Always Series. The honor of your presence is requested at the wedding of Lana Palea and Chin Ho Kelly.
Disclaimer: I so do not own Hawaii Five-0; unfortunately! All original characters are the sole property of the author!
Date Written: June 19, 2011
(Sam is in her office going over the week's training exercise schedule with Lt. Cmdr. Monroe when a rather hard knock on her doorframe has her looking up in annoyance at the rude gesture. Not surprisingly, the guilty party is none other than Lt. Cmdr. Joel Thorne looking rather smug. Although she didn't say anything to anyone else, not even, Steve, Thorne was the first person who came to Sam's mind when Adm. Henderson told her someone had been making inquiries to JAG about her. The headquarters of the Judge Advocate General are located in Washington, D.C., and that's exactly where Joel Thorne has been for the past week. Although it could be a coincidence, Sam doesn't think so, and decides, right then and there, to find out just exactly who Thorne went to see in Washington. At the moment, however, she schools her features into a pleasant smile and invites Thorne to take the vacant chair in front of her desk. He complies immediately and that, in itself, is enough to cause Lt. Cmdr. Monroe to glance first at Thorne and then at Sam in disbelief. Sam, however, remains calm and even includes Thorne by asking his opinion on the proposed schedule although he is no longer in the chain of command. Monroe looks at Sam like she's suddenly sprouted another head and even Thorne seems somewhat surprised. After they've finished, Sam tells Thorne, who came to her office to officially report back for duty, to have a good rest of the day and jokingly tells him her squadron is going to beat his in the next day's simulated dog fight. Once the man has left her office and has had time to be well out of hearing distance, Sam glances at Lt. Cmdr. Monroe and almost laughs at the man's rather confused expression.)
"Before you say anything, Merlin, no, I have not lost my mind. I've decided that the best way to go about dealing with Lt. Cmdr. Thorne is to 'kill him with kindness'; sort of."
"If you say so, Ma'am."
"If we take the 'high road', Commander, we'll be able to hold our heads up no matter what; Lt. Cmdr. Thorne has already proved that he doesn't particularly care about his reputation. Why should we lower ourselves to his level?"
"You're absolutely right, Ma'am. I'll make sure this schedule gets posted immediately."
"Thank you, Commander, and don't forget the budget meeting this afternoon at 1500."
(Senior Chief Evans walks into Sam's office as soon as Lt. Cmdr. Monroe walks out and Sam asks him to shut the door to her office before taking a seat.)
"What'd you find out, Senior?"
"It appears there were at least three different instances of someone trying to alter data for three different training exercises over the course of the past several months. All three exercises involved your squadron. The first one you flew against blue squadron, the second was against yellow squadron, and the third was against green squadron."
"What data was altered?"
"The number of actual simulated 'kills' for you."
"Someone altered the number of my 'kills'?"
"Yes, Ma'am. In every instance, they decreased your number of kills."
"So, if anyone were to ever go back and review the outcome of the exercises, the computer data is going to indicate that I had fewer kills than what's listed in the official reports I've already signed off on and which have been submitted and approved?"
"Yes, Ma'am. Commander, it's starting to look like, at least to me, that someone's trying to set things up to look like you claimed more 'kills' than the computerized records indicate. Technically, that could be construed as…"
"Falsifying official government documents which would lead to providing falsified information in my personal service record, receiving a promotion and appointment based on falsified information, and so on, and so on, and so on. That son of a bitch!"
"Oh, yes, Ma'am, I'd bet a month's pay that Lt. Cmdr. Thorne is behind this, but he was off-base on two of the three occasions the data was altered including the last time while he was in Washington."
"Which is when he had someone he knows in D.C. make inquiries about my service record to the Judge Advocate General's office. So, in addition to Thorne, there are at least two other people, including one right here at Pearl, who are involved. We need to find out who these people are and we need some hard evidence against all three of them. The computer specialists from San Diego are due to arrive here at 1600 hours today, Senior Chief. Adm. Henderson and I will be in a budget meeting. However, I want you standing on the tarmac when their plane lands and the doors of their transport open, I want you to personally verify their identities as soon as they step off that plane, I want you to personally escort them to Flight Ops, and I want you to personally escort them here to my office. Once the three of you are inside my office, I want you to shut and lock the door and do not unlock or open the door until I am standing on the other side of it, understand?"
"Yes, Ma'am, but I'm not sure the personnel from San Diego are going to understand."
"Yes, they will, Senior. Adm. Henderson has explained to their C.O. that this is a highly classified investigation and that we're taking any security precautions we deem necessary. To that end, photos of the two officers were faxed directly to Adm. Henderson's office this morning. Here you go, you are expecting Lt. John Sanders and Ens. Tom Rogers, and Senior, Lt. Atkins will be on the flight line at the time of their arrival, as well. Do not hesitate to request his assistance if you encounter any resistance from anyone."
"Aye, aye, Commander."
