Title: Afraid VI
Author: Nan
Rating: PG-13
Classification: vignette, AJ
Spoilers: Touchdown
Summary: At the end of Touchdown, the scene changed to the JAG bullpen and we saw the entire office watching the ZNN news clip of the landing of the oversized C-130 on the aircraft carrier SeaHawk. The final image of Harm holding the young Libyan girl and smiling made a wonderful picture. So what did everyone at JAG think of that? This had been the first time they had seen their former colleague in four months.
In my twisted world, this is what Admiral Chegwidden was thinking as he watched his former subordinate from the bullpen floor...
Somehow, Admiral AJ Chegwidden wasn't surprised when Petty Officer Jennifer Coates opened his office door unannounced and told him there was something on ZNN he would want to see. Choosing to take the eight steps into the bullpen rather than fumble with the remote for the screens within his office, he got up from behind his desk and followed her out. He had already guessed what he was about to see. No, scratch that. He didn't know what it was about but he did know whom it was about. Rabb.
Just half an hour earlier, BUPERS had called. They were inquiring about Commander Harmon Rabb's personnel file. Was their file copy of his medical history up-to-date? Were there any last minute additions to health history before his termination? When AJ asked why they were checking, they had been evasive. There had been a request for the file but they were not at liberty to discuss the details.
AJ persisted. Was the former commander ill? No but there might be a need for the file. The answer was vague and he was left with an unsettled feeling as he set down the phone. He contemplated phoning the CNO's office. He snorted to himself. Not a good idea. There had been widespread controversy over Rabb's resignation at upper levels and he wanted avoid opening the issue again. Besides, this might look like AJ was second-guessing his decision. Webb? Considering how forthcoming the CIA had been regarding Rabb over the last couple of months, he knew he would only hit a brick wall. 'You fired him, remember?' thought AJ.
As he stepped into the outer office, he could see every eye on the bullpen floor trained to last screen of the bank of monitors across the far wall of the office. The words "late breaking news" was crawling across the screen. AJ squinted his eyes to try and decipher the dark, grey images on the screen. Someone must have flicked the master control switch. All of the monitors in the room flickered over to the ZNN news feed. AJ's eyes went to the closest screen.
It was a carrier deck at night. Someone again flicked another switch and the volume increased. AJ heard a reporter talking about the SeaHawk stationed near the Gulf of Sidra. There was a fuzzy picture of an out of scale aircraft approaching the end of carrier's flattop. AJ squinted. 'That's a C130,' he thought, his mind searching for the significance of it.
He heard a reporter say, "...large wingspan and no tail hook means the pilots will have to land the plane with reverse engine power and precision flying. This type of maneuver had been tried in 1960's but then abandoned as the aircraft was deemed to be too big for carrier work..."
The usual carrier flight contingent of sleek fighters, CODs, tankers and surveillance planes made the SeaHawk look like a massive ship. This approaching aircraft put the large carrier into perspective. The available real estate needed for landing was pitifully small.
The TV cameras caught the last minute of approach. AJ breathed slowly as he watched the lumbering plane slowly approach the deck. He could see a trail of fuel dump from its tail. He felt his heart race. Any chance at a second attempt at landing was now gone. They're afraid of fire.
He could hear the news reporter. "All we've been told is that the unmarked aircraft experienced engine trouble in the Gulf of Sidra off of Libya. The pilot, Harm Rabb Jr. is a former Navy commander trained on F-14s fighters. Unable to make the distance to a friendly airfield, he chose instead to attempt this landing on the SeaHawk. For the last twenty minutes, activity aboard the carrier stepped into high gear as it prepared for the crippled plane. All fighters and aircraft have either been launched or stowed to a safe distance. Unessential personnel have left the deck area."
'Experienced engine trouble, my ass,' thought AJ. 'What the hell kind of trouble did Harm get into this time? In Libya, no less.' He tried to remember if he saw anything in the intelligence reports from Libya that might reveal what the CIA was up to.
The plane touched down at the bow end of the carrier and AJ could see the engines strain against the sudden reverse thrust. Sparks lit up the night scene as it moved jerkily along the deck. The stern was fast approaching as the craft lumbered forward. AJ held his breath as he watched the distance to the end close.
They rolled to a gentle stop. It was close. He could see the nose of the plane hanging over the end. Below was the churning wake of the big ship. A few more feet and they would have ended up in the engine's large screws.
He could see the multi-colored flight personnel swarm to secure the craft. Firefighters waited, equipment ready for any sign of an engine fire. AJ shook his head in wonder and for a brief moment, felt pride at the accomplishment of his former officer. 'Rabb, you son of bitch,' he thought.
The admiral stole a glance around the brightly lit bullpen. Every eye was glued to the unfolding drama on the screens. They all watched together as the side door to the plane was opened and a motley assortment of passengers disembarked. They looked like Libyans, which confirmed what AJ had suspected. This had been some sort of CIA rescue mission.
At the end of the pack, he could see a tall man in a blue aviator jumpsuit, step through the door and scoop up a small girl trailing the pack. There were sweat stains on his flight suit to indicate the strain. But other than that, Harm looked good. There was a spring to his step and the camera caught him as he gave a large grin to Captain Johnson waiting on the flight deck.
In that instance, the entire bullpen smiled back at the grainy image of Harm as he walked off six thousand miles and two oceans away. There was more than just a sense of relief for a job well done. For the first time in six months, they felt good about their association with the former commander.
It had all started with the murder trial of Loren Singer, his resignation from JAG to follow Mac to Paraguay and the subsequent confirmation of his severance from the service that followed. For all of the mixed bag of drama that had swirled around JAG for the last six months or more, everyone knew it was something special to see Harm smile.
And what a smile it was. It made AJ wonder how long it had been since he had seen the commander so relaxed and confident. Shamefaced, he realized it had been awhile.
He turned to leave the bullpen sweeping his eyes around the room. Immediately, the younger enlisted averted their eyes and turned to go back to their desks. 'They feel guilty,' thought AJ, 'they think I'll be mad that they actually enjoyed that.'
Now it was AJ's turn to feel guilty. What did he expect? He deserved that. He had done nothing but complain about Rabb for the last four months. Why was he still mad at the former commander, anyway?
'I don't know,' he thought. Then he groaned to himself as he entered his office and shut the door. That wasn't true. He did know why he was mad. Since Singer's trial, Harm had acted atypically. Somehow, sitting in the brig for two weeks had done it. Not for the first time, he cursed Lindsey and NCIS.
Although in retrospect, AJ should have suspected that Harm might quit when Mac went missing in Paraguay, he was still surprised. But there was one subsequent incident that surprised him more.
When Harm had returned and asked to be reinstated, AJ had refused. Although Harm had rescued Mac and Webb and destroyed the missiles, AJ had been angry that he had tossed away his commission with so little thought. It had showed disrespect to both the Navy and his command to have such a disregard for an order.
But what had surprised AJ more was the fact that Harm had left JAG and the Navy without a fight. Hell, the man had two DFCs, a Silver Star and more connections across Washington than most two star admirals. And his accomplishments in Paraguay had been substantial.
Rabb was fighter. Why had he given up so easily in the fight? Why had he gone so completely overboard?
And now, in an even more astonishing turn of events, from what he saw today, it looked like Rabb had found a measure of satisfaction in a most unlikely place, the CIA. Harm, who more than anyone he knew, demanded a moral center to his workplace, actually liked the spooks.
AJ walked over to the window behind his desk and stared out. There was no doubt that over the years he had been harder on Rabb than anyone. 'I put a lot of pressure on the man,' he thought guiltily. 'Some of it unfairly.'
Hell, he put a bit of pressure on Sturgis to watch his performance and this last week was the first time in months that he saw chink in the commander's armor of resentment. He can really hold a grudge. Just ask Roberts.
Flare-ups with Rabb were different. They came quickly but also dispersed quickly. The commander rarely held a grudge. Until now.
He was still staring out the window, when he heard a gentle tap on the oak door. "Enter," he said, not moving from his position.
It was Coates. "Admiral? We all thought that we would send a congratulatory message out to the former commander on the SeaHawk. I was wondering if you would like to have your name on it too?"
He turned to look at her. PO Coates was nervous. She had a lot of courage to beard the lion in his den, so to speak. As far as the office knew, the admiral considered Harmon Rabb disloyal and a bad influence.
He continued to stare at her. "Sir?" she said timidly.
He snorted and spoke. "Sure, Coates. I'd be proud to sign a letter of congratulations. That was an incredible accomplishment of the commander's."
She stared at him, unsure of the meaning of his response. "Is there anything else, Coates?" he asked.
"No sir."
"Then close the hatch behind you when you leave."
Author: Nan
Rating: PG-13
Classification: vignette, AJ
Spoilers: Touchdown
Summary: At the end of Touchdown, the scene changed to the JAG bullpen and we saw the entire office watching the ZNN news clip of the landing of the oversized C-130 on the aircraft carrier SeaHawk. The final image of Harm holding the young Libyan girl and smiling made a wonderful picture. So what did everyone at JAG think of that? This had been the first time they had seen their former colleague in four months.
In my twisted world, this is what Admiral Chegwidden was thinking as he watched his former subordinate from the bullpen floor...
Somehow, Admiral AJ Chegwidden wasn't surprised when Petty Officer Jennifer Coates opened his office door unannounced and told him there was something on ZNN he would want to see. Choosing to take the eight steps into the bullpen rather than fumble with the remote for the screens within his office, he got up from behind his desk and followed her out. He had already guessed what he was about to see. No, scratch that. He didn't know what it was about but he did know whom it was about. Rabb.
Just half an hour earlier, BUPERS had called. They were inquiring about Commander Harmon Rabb's personnel file. Was their file copy of his medical history up-to-date? Were there any last minute additions to health history before his termination? When AJ asked why they were checking, they had been evasive. There had been a request for the file but they were not at liberty to discuss the details.
AJ persisted. Was the former commander ill? No but there might be a need for the file. The answer was vague and he was left with an unsettled feeling as he set down the phone. He contemplated phoning the CNO's office. He snorted to himself. Not a good idea. There had been widespread controversy over Rabb's resignation at upper levels and he wanted avoid opening the issue again. Besides, this might look like AJ was second-guessing his decision. Webb? Considering how forthcoming the CIA had been regarding Rabb over the last couple of months, he knew he would only hit a brick wall. 'You fired him, remember?' thought AJ.
As he stepped into the outer office, he could see every eye on the bullpen floor trained to last screen of the bank of monitors across the far wall of the office. The words "late breaking news" was crawling across the screen. AJ squinted his eyes to try and decipher the dark, grey images on the screen. Someone must have flicked the master control switch. All of the monitors in the room flickered over to the ZNN news feed. AJ's eyes went to the closest screen.
It was a carrier deck at night. Someone again flicked another switch and the volume increased. AJ heard a reporter talking about the SeaHawk stationed near the Gulf of Sidra. There was a fuzzy picture of an out of scale aircraft approaching the end of carrier's flattop. AJ squinted. 'That's a C130,' he thought, his mind searching for the significance of it.
He heard a reporter say, "...large wingspan and no tail hook means the pilots will have to land the plane with reverse engine power and precision flying. This type of maneuver had been tried in 1960's but then abandoned as the aircraft was deemed to be too big for carrier work..."
The usual carrier flight contingent of sleek fighters, CODs, tankers and surveillance planes made the SeaHawk look like a massive ship. This approaching aircraft put the large carrier into perspective. The available real estate needed for landing was pitifully small.
The TV cameras caught the last minute of approach. AJ breathed slowly as he watched the lumbering plane slowly approach the deck. He could see a trail of fuel dump from its tail. He felt his heart race. Any chance at a second attempt at landing was now gone. They're afraid of fire.
He could hear the news reporter. "All we've been told is that the unmarked aircraft experienced engine trouble in the Gulf of Sidra off of Libya. The pilot, Harm Rabb Jr. is a former Navy commander trained on F-14s fighters. Unable to make the distance to a friendly airfield, he chose instead to attempt this landing on the SeaHawk. For the last twenty minutes, activity aboard the carrier stepped into high gear as it prepared for the crippled plane. All fighters and aircraft have either been launched or stowed to a safe distance. Unessential personnel have left the deck area."
'Experienced engine trouble, my ass,' thought AJ. 'What the hell kind of trouble did Harm get into this time? In Libya, no less.' He tried to remember if he saw anything in the intelligence reports from Libya that might reveal what the CIA was up to.
The plane touched down at the bow end of the carrier and AJ could see the engines strain against the sudden reverse thrust. Sparks lit up the night scene as it moved jerkily along the deck. The stern was fast approaching as the craft lumbered forward. AJ held his breath as he watched the distance to the end close.
They rolled to a gentle stop. It was close. He could see the nose of the plane hanging over the end. Below was the churning wake of the big ship. A few more feet and they would have ended up in the engine's large screws.
He could see the multi-colored flight personnel swarm to secure the craft. Firefighters waited, equipment ready for any sign of an engine fire. AJ shook his head in wonder and for a brief moment, felt pride at the accomplishment of his former officer. 'Rabb, you son of bitch,' he thought.
The admiral stole a glance around the brightly lit bullpen. Every eye was glued to the unfolding drama on the screens. They all watched together as the side door to the plane was opened and a motley assortment of passengers disembarked. They looked like Libyans, which confirmed what AJ had suspected. This had been some sort of CIA rescue mission.
At the end of the pack, he could see a tall man in a blue aviator jumpsuit, step through the door and scoop up a small girl trailing the pack. There were sweat stains on his flight suit to indicate the strain. But other than that, Harm looked good. There was a spring to his step and the camera caught him as he gave a large grin to Captain Johnson waiting on the flight deck.
In that instance, the entire bullpen smiled back at the grainy image of Harm as he walked off six thousand miles and two oceans away. There was more than just a sense of relief for a job well done. For the first time in six months, they felt good about their association with the former commander.
It had all started with the murder trial of Loren Singer, his resignation from JAG to follow Mac to Paraguay and the subsequent confirmation of his severance from the service that followed. For all of the mixed bag of drama that had swirled around JAG for the last six months or more, everyone knew it was something special to see Harm smile.
And what a smile it was. It made AJ wonder how long it had been since he had seen the commander so relaxed and confident. Shamefaced, he realized it had been awhile.
He turned to leave the bullpen sweeping his eyes around the room. Immediately, the younger enlisted averted their eyes and turned to go back to their desks. 'They feel guilty,' thought AJ, 'they think I'll be mad that they actually enjoyed that.'
Now it was AJ's turn to feel guilty. What did he expect? He deserved that. He had done nothing but complain about Rabb for the last four months. Why was he still mad at the former commander, anyway?
'I don't know,' he thought. Then he groaned to himself as he entered his office and shut the door. That wasn't true. He did know why he was mad. Since Singer's trial, Harm had acted atypically. Somehow, sitting in the brig for two weeks had done it. Not for the first time, he cursed Lindsey and NCIS.
Although in retrospect, AJ should have suspected that Harm might quit when Mac went missing in Paraguay, he was still surprised. But there was one subsequent incident that surprised him more.
When Harm had returned and asked to be reinstated, AJ had refused. Although Harm had rescued Mac and Webb and destroyed the missiles, AJ had been angry that he had tossed away his commission with so little thought. It had showed disrespect to both the Navy and his command to have such a disregard for an order.
But what had surprised AJ more was the fact that Harm had left JAG and the Navy without a fight. Hell, the man had two DFCs, a Silver Star and more connections across Washington than most two star admirals. And his accomplishments in Paraguay had been substantial.
Rabb was fighter. Why had he given up so easily in the fight? Why had he gone so completely overboard?
And now, in an even more astonishing turn of events, from what he saw today, it looked like Rabb had found a measure of satisfaction in a most unlikely place, the CIA. Harm, who more than anyone he knew, demanded a moral center to his workplace, actually liked the spooks.
AJ walked over to the window behind his desk and stared out. There was no doubt that over the years he had been harder on Rabb than anyone. 'I put a lot of pressure on the man,' he thought guiltily. 'Some of it unfairly.'
Hell, he put a bit of pressure on Sturgis to watch his performance and this last week was the first time in months that he saw chink in the commander's armor of resentment. He can really hold a grudge. Just ask Roberts.
Flare-ups with Rabb were different. They came quickly but also dispersed quickly. The commander rarely held a grudge. Until now.
He was still staring out the window, when he heard a gentle tap on the oak door. "Enter," he said, not moving from his position.
It was Coates. "Admiral? We all thought that we would send a congratulatory message out to the former commander on the SeaHawk. I was wondering if you would like to have your name on it too?"
He turned to look at her. PO Coates was nervous. She had a lot of courage to beard the lion in his den, so to speak. As far as the office knew, the admiral considered Harmon Rabb disloyal and a bad influence.
He continued to stare at her. "Sir?" she said timidly.
He snorted and spoke. "Sure, Coates. I'd be proud to sign a letter of congratulations. That was an incredible accomplishment of the commander's."
She stared at him, unsure of the meaning of his response. "Is there anything else, Coates?" he asked.
"No sir."
"Then close the hatch behind you when you leave."