"Good morning ma'am." Jen said cheerily as she handed Mac her mail on
Monday morning.
"Good morning Jen. Did you have a nice weekend?" Mac inquired.
"Yes ma'am." Jen replied.
"What did you do?" Mac asked as she entered her office, Jen followed.
"I spent Saturday running errands and doing laundry because Jason had to do a project for law school and then yesterday we spent the day watching movies."
"Sounds like fun." Mac smiled.
"How about you ma'am? Did you do anything interesting?"
"Harriet and I went shopping."
"Did you buy anything nice ma'am?"
"Some new shoes and a matching dress." Mac sat down. "So what's on the schedule today?"
"A mediation session between two members of Alpha platoon."
"Seriously can't the Marine's commanding officer fix the problem?" Mac muttered.
"He's tried ma'am." Jen replied. "The problem isn't big enough to warrant charges but he feels that talking with someone from the JAG corps would be beneficial. Admiral Chegwidden referred it to judiciary." Mac thought for a moment.
"You outrank who is it?" Mac asked.
"Sgt Decker and Sgt Bolton ma'am." Jen supplied.
"You outrank the Sgt's you can take the meeting."
"Ma'am?" Jen questioned.
"Jen you're perfectly capable of meditating a dispute between two stubborn Marines."
"Ma'am, with all due respect I think their CO and Admiral Chegwidden were expecting someone with more rank and experience."
"Jen, I trust you. You're perfectly capable of doing this. You have my full support, if there are any major problems you can come and get me, but otherwise you are more than qualified to deal with this."
"Ma'am..."
"Jen, believe in yourself as much as the rest of us. You can handle it."
"Yes ma'am."
"What else?" Mac asked.
"You're on stand by in case anyone needs emergency search warrants and other emergencies. So basically it's a day for paperwork ma'am."
"Good thank you. Let me know when the Sgt's get here. I'll explain what's going to be happening."
"Yes ma'am."
~
"Sgt Bolton and Sgt Decker reporting as ordered ma'am." The two Sgt's stood in front of Jen's desk.
"I'll let the Colonel know you're here." Jen got up and knocked on Mac's door.
"Enter." Mac called.
"Ma'am, Sgt Bolton and Sgt Decker are here."
"Show them in for a minute, join us to."
"Gentlemen, please go in." Jen said. They walked past Jen; she followed them in and closed the door behind her.
"At ease." Mac instructed. "In a moment Petty Officer Coates will show you to a conference room where she will lead your mediation session."
"Ma'am, we were led to believe you would be handling this matter." Decker said.
"I'm disgusted that this situation has gotten this far. That you couldn't work out the situation amicably between yourselves or with your CO's help. I don't want anything to do with the situation; you're Marine Sgt's you should know better than this. I see this as a waste of my time and the Petty Officers. But we were asked to do this and this we will do."
"Yes ma'am." Decker replied.
"You will show the Petty Officer the respect she deserves and if you can not resolve the situation to my liking I will have no choice but to recommend that you are both reduced a pay grade and lose your Sgt's stripes. Is that understood?"
"Ma'am, yes ma'am." Both Decker and Bolton said.
"Petty Officer?"
"Yes ma'am." Jen nodded. "Gentlemen if you please."
~
"We're going to take a break for thirty minutes." Jen said. After two and a half hours they still hadn't even been able to agree on the source of the dispute. "I don't want to hear of any arguments in that time. Is that understood?"
"Yes ma'am." They both replied.
"Go." Jen instructed. They both stood to attention before leaving. Coffee, Jen thought. She got her up and made her way through the bullpen to the break room. Gunny was already in there making coffee.
"Coates. Coffee?" He offered.
"Yes thank you sir." She thought for a moment. "Gunny can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"You've commanded Marines right?"
"I was a weapons instructor among other things if that's what you mean. Why?"
"Are all enlisted Marines given something to make them stubborn, pigheaded and unable to listen to logic?"
"Sounds about right." Gunny said with a chuckle "Why?"
"Are you familiar with Sgt Bolton and Sgt Decker?"
"The two Marines from Alpha company who can't get along. Isn't Colonel Mackenzie supposed to be meeting with them to mediate the situation?"
"She asked me to take care of it. I've been meeting with them for the last two and a half hours and have got no where. I wondered if you have any suggestions given your experience."
"I have one idea." He proceeded to explain.
"Is that even legal sir?"
"Maybe, maybe not. Get Colonel Mackenzie to sign off on it and I'm sure it will be fine."
"Thank you for the advice and the coffee."
~
"This is an interesting suggestion on how to deal with the matter Jen." Mac said as she read over Jen's proposal.
"It was Gunny's suggestion ma'am."
"I don't see a problem with it thought, but only until 1800 after that I'll need a recommendation on the resolution of the situation." Mac said signing the paper with a flourish.
"Aye aye ma'am."
TBC
"Good morning Jen. Did you have a nice weekend?" Mac inquired.
"Yes ma'am." Jen replied.
"What did you do?" Mac asked as she entered her office, Jen followed.
"I spent Saturday running errands and doing laundry because Jason had to do a project for law school and then yesterday we spent the day watching movies."
"Sounds like fun." Mac smiled.
"How about you ma'am? Did you do anything interesting?"
"Harriet and I went shopping."
"Did you buy anything nice ma'am?"
"Some new shoes and a matching dress." Mac sat down. "So what's on the schedule today?"
"A mediation session between two members of Alpha platoon."
"Seriously can't the Marine's commanding officer fix the problem?" Mac muttered.
"He's tried ma'am." Jen replied. "The problem isn't big enough to warrant charges but he feels that talking with someone from the JAG corps would be beneficial. Admiral Chegwidden referred it to judiciary." Mac thought for a moment.
"You outrank who is it?" Mac asked.
"Sgt Decker and Sgt Bolton ma'am." Jen supplied.
"You outrank the Sgt's you can take the meeting."
"Ma'am?" Jen questioned.
"Jen you're perfectly capable of meditating a dispute between two stubborn Marines."
"Ma'am, with all due respect I think their CO and Admiral Chegwidden were expecting someone with more rank and experience."
"Jen, I trust you. You're perfectly capable of doing this. You have my full support, if there are any major problems you can come and get me, but otherwise you are more than qualified to deal with this."
"Ma'am..."
"Jen, believe in yourself as much as the rest of us. You can handle it."
"Yes ma'am."
"What else?" Mac asked.
"You're on stand by in case anyone needs emergency search warrants and other emergencies. So basically it's a day for paperwork ma'am."
"Good thank you. Let me know when the Sgt's get here. I'll explain what's going to be happening."
"Yes ma'am."
~
"Sgt Bolton and Sgt Decker reporting as ordered ma'am." The two Sgt's stood in front of Jen's desk.
"I'll let the Colonel know you're here." Jen got up and knocked on Mac's door.
"Enter." Mac called.
"Ma'am, Sgt Bolton and Sgt Decker are here."
"Show them in for a minute, join us to."
"Gentlemen, please go in." Jen said. They walked past Jen; she followed them in and closed the door behind her.
"At ease." Mac instructed. "In a moment Petty Officer Coates will show you to a conference room where she will lead your mediation session."
"Ma'am, we were led to believe you would be handling this matter." Decker said.
"I'm disgusted that this situation has gotten this far. That you couldn't work out the situation amicably between yourselves or with your CO's help. I don't want anything to do with the situation; you're Marine Sgt's you should know better than this. I see this as a waste of my time and the Petty Officers. But we were asked to do this and this we will do."
"Yes ma'am." Decker replied.
"You will show the Petty Officer the respect she deserves and if you can not resolve the situation to my liking I will have no choice but to recommend that you are both reduced a pay grade and lose your Sgt's stripes. Is that understood?"
"Ma'am, yes ma'am." Both Decker and Bolton said.
"Petty Officer?"
"Yes ma'am." Jen nodded. "Gentlemen if you please."
~
"We're going to take a break for thirty minutes." Jen said. After two and a half hours they still hadn't even been able to agree on the source of the dispute. "I don't want to hear of any arguments in that time. Is that understood?"
"Yes ma'am." They both replied.
"Go." Jen instructed. They both stood to attention before leaving. Coffee, Jen thought. She got her up and made her way through the bullpen to the break room. Gunny was already in there making coffee.
"Coates. Coffee?" He offered.
"Yes thank you sir." She thought for a moment. "Gunny can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"You've commanded Marines right?"
"I was a weapons instructor among other things if that's what you mean. Why?"
"Are all enlisted Marines given something to make them stubborn, pigheaded and unable to listen to logic?"
"Sounds about right." Gunny said with a chuckle "Why?"
"Are you familiar with Sgt Bolton and Sgt Decker?"
"The two Marines from Alpha company who can't get along. Isn't Colonel Mackenzie supposed to be meeting with them to mediate the situation?"
"She asked me to take care of it. I've been meeting with them for the last two and a half hours and have got no where. I wondered if you have any suggestions given your experience."
"I have one idea." He proceeded to explain.
"Is that even legal sir?"
"Maybe, maybe not. Get Colonel Mackenzie to sign off on it and I'm sure it will be fine."
"Thank you for the advice and the coffee."
~
"This is an interesting suggestion on how to deal with the matter Jen." Mac said as she read over Jen's proposal.
"It was Gunny's suggestion ma'am."
"I don't see a problem with it thought, but only until 1800 after that I'll need a recommendation on the resolution of the situation." Mac said signing the paper with a flourish.
"Aye aye ma'am."
TBC
