"Battle stations, Battle stations. All hands to battle stations." The sound woke Mac up. She knew they were still off the coast of Italy so they wouldn't have gone to war. There was a banging on Mac's door.

"Yes?" Mac sleepily opened the door.

"Colonel, where are we supposed to go?" Jen who was still half asleep.

"I seriously don't think that we're at war with Italy."

"No ma'am, someone told me it's a drill. I was just wondering if we were supposed to go anywhere."

"We're going to the bridge. I'd like to know what's going on."

"Yes ma'am." Jen replied.

~

"JAG on deck." Someone called as Mac hit the bridge. Mac looked around and found the XO seemed to be in charge.

"Would you like to explain to me why it appears Italy has declared war on us?" Mac demanded.

"They haven't." The XO replied. "It's an emergency battle stations drill. Someone get those tomcats up to guard the ship now." He yelled.

"And you decided the middle of the night was the best time to run a drill?"

"We have to run drills at all times of day and night ma'am. You never know when we'll need to go to emergency battle mode ma'am." The XO was paying little attention to her.

"Where is the Captain exactly?"

"In his quarters ma'am, he asked me to supervise the exercise in case the situation arose when he was incapacitated."

"And just how close to Italy are we?" Mac asked. He told her. "And I presume that Europe has been warned about the exercise, so they don't pick up on you scrambling F-14s for no apparent reason."

"They were sent a fax ma'am a few days ago warning them of our plans."

"Did you get an acknowledgement?" She crossed her arms.

"Not that I know of ma'am."

"But you followed it up with a phone call just to make sure?"

"I presume the Captain did ma'am." He replied.

"First fighters up and away." The Air Boss called.

"But CNO knows about the exercise right and authorised it?" Mac questioned.

"Again I presume so ma'am, you'd have to ask the Captain."

"So let me get this right. You're sending fighters which could be viewed as hostile act and a possible declaration of war without actually knowing if the country that you're five miles too close run such an exercise off the coast of knowing that it is just an exercise. Also that CNO may not even know what's going on, so if they Italians call for information they can't tell them anything? The Captain left you in charge, who doesn't seem to have the relevant information to hand."

"Er yes ma'am." He said hesitantly.

"Other facts you should have been aware of. The carrier JAG should be here, I should have been advised, as should the members who are still aboard that this was being planned so not to cause alarm, and so that we'd stay out the way and not interfere. There are several other breaches of protocol for such exercises, that I won't go into right now, but to sum up you've pretty much screw this up."

"Ma'am, I'm just following orders."

"We'll if you'd had your carrier JAG here and to check over the paperwork you would have know about this. Petty Officer Coates?" Mac said.

"Squadron deployed." The Air Boss called.

"Yes ma'am?" Jen who'd been standing back out of the way stepped forward...

"Go and advise the members what is happening and that is just a drill."

"Yes ma'am."

"Then go back to bed."

"Aye aye ma'am." Jen turned and left to follow her order.

"XO, there is a General Armani from the Italian Air Defence Command on the horn." The communications tech informed him. "He'd like to know why we've launched a squadron of F-14's in their airspace with out warning."

"I'll be in my office." Mac said turning away.

"Colonel, we still need a JAG representative on the bridge." The XO said.

"That's why you have a carrier JAG." Mac called as she walked off the bridge.

"Someone find Hickson and get the Captain up here." She heard him command.

~

"Come on someone still be there." Mac muttered as she waited for her call to be connected.

"Chegwidden." AJ answered.

"Admiral, it's Colonel Mackenzie, I need you to get on the phone with the CNO and the SecNav we have an incident." Mac said urgently.

"What happened Colonel?"

"The XO ran a battle stations exercise and launched a squadron of F-14's; the Italians didn't acknowledge the fax that was sent warning them of the exercise, the XO doesn't know whether a follow up call was made, he's not even sure if the CNO knows such an exercise was taking place. The other problem is that we're five miles too close to the coast of Italy and there is someone on the ship to shore phone from the Italian Air Defence Command wanting to know why they launched the squadron in their airspace."

"Why is the XO running the exercise?" AJ asked.

"The Captain apparently wanted to let him try running the ship in case he was incapacitated."

"Didn't you or the carrier JAG check the paperwork before they ran the exercise?" AJ asked.

"Admiral, I didn't know about it until I was woken up by the cry of all hands to battle stations. I don't think the carrier JAG even saw the paperwork. This is a monumental screw up. I'm even going to have to dismiss the charges because everything has been tainted including the members."

"Stay out the way Colonel, I'll call the CNO and the SecNav. I'd also appreciate it if you'd stay and help investigate what happened. I'll send Commander Turner out on the first available flight to assist."

"Aye aye sir."

"Thanks for the heads up Mac."

TBC

A/N: I know battle stations is probably the wrong word but I've been racking my brains and it was the only one I could think of. I think it's probably what they say in Star Trek, but the principal is there.