"Good morning ma'am, sir." Commander Gil Restrick said as he walked into the room where they were taking the deposition from Mac.

"Commander." AJ said.

"Admiral Chegwidden I didn't realise that you were going to be here."

"I'm the Colonel's legal representation."

"I see. Let's begin shall we?" He asked.

"Commander, before we being I need to advise you that I need to leave for ninety minutes at 1045." Mac said.

"Why ma'am?" He questioned.

"I have a job to do too Commander. I have a meeting that I can't change."

"Very well ma'am, well keep an eye on the clock."

"That won't be necessary Commander; I'll know when it's time to leave."

"Yes ma'am." He looked slightly confused; he nodded to the court reporter. "Deposit of Colonel Mackenzie in the case of the US NAVY vs. Captain William Thornton and the US NAVY vs. Commander Zachary Hiltman. Present Commander Gil Restrick for the defence of Commander Hiltman and a representative for the defence of Captain Thornton. Also present Admiral Chegwidden legal representative for Colonel Mackenzie and the court reporter Sgt Jenkins. Colonel, please raise your right hand." Mac raised her hand. "Do you swear that the evidence you shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?"

"I do." Mac replied.

"Colonel please state for the record your full name, rank and current billing please."

"Colonel Sarah Mackenzie-Rabb, I'm a judge with the Judge Advocate General Corps, Falls Church Virginia."

"Colonel, do you understand that this deposit is being taken for both the case against Captain Thornton and the case against Commander Hiltman?"

"Yes." Mac replied.

"How long have you been a judge ma'am?" He asked.

"Just over a year, but I've been on the bench several times previous to that." Mac replied.

"Why were you assigned to the bench this time?" Restrick asked.

"There was a temporary opening in judiciary and Admiral Chegwidden asked me to fill. A few months later Admiral Morris approached me about making it a permanent. I accepted."

"But your being pregnant had something to do with it?"

"I found out I was pregnant while I was away on a temporary reassignment for the Marine Corps. But why I was asked to go TAD to judiciary you'd have to ask Admiral Chegwidden."

"Sir?" He asked.

"You're here to depose Colonel Mackenzie Commander, not me. Move on."

"Yes sir. But since you've joined judiciary you married Commander Rabb, had a daughter..." He shuffled through her notes. "Abigail and been promoted to full Colonel?"

"Yes."

"Have you conducted any investigations or been involved in any case from a JAG lawyers perspective since joining the judiciary?"

"Yes." Mac replied.

"Would you care to expand on that ma'am?"

"Petty Officer Coates was reviewing court transcripts and files to help her familiarise herself with how things work in court she found a file that didn't make sense, so along with several other members of the JAG corps and Commander Coulter we reinvestigated the case and got a Staff Sgt freed from Leavenworth for a murder she didn't commit. I represented the Staff Sgt at her appeal."

"Any other investigations or court appearances?"

"When I returned from maternity leave early, I worked as a lawyer for the two remaining weeks I had left while my husband took paternity leave."

"Why did you return early from leave? Didn't you want to spend time with your daughter?"

"That information isn't relevant to the Colonel's investigation on the USS Harry Truman and therefore falls outside the scope of this deposition. Move on Commander." AJ interceded.

"Yes sir."

TBC