"Why don't you wait in my office?" Harm suggested. "I'll be as quick as I
can."
"Okay." Skates went and sat down in the visitor's chair of Harm's office.
"Commander..." Harriet said tapping on the door and looking up from the file she had open in her hand. "Sorry ma'am." She said.
"That's okay. Harriet right?" Skates asked turning to look at her.
"Yes. You're Lieutenant Commander Hawkes; it's nice to see you again."
"You too. But Skates will do. I'm so used to it, that I forget to answer to Elizabeth anymore. Harm tells me congratulations are in order."
"Thank you ma'am."
"So any strange cravings yet?" Skates asked.
"No. Colonel Mackenzie has a thing for strawberries at the moment. The worst I've got is I toss and turn all night which annoys Bud no end." Skates smiled. "So how long are you in town?"
"Only until tomorrow. I'm was grounded until I got my complete annual physical, which included a trip to the gynaecologist, but there were problems I don't want to go into and Captain Ingalls thought it would be quicker to send me back here to Bethesda for a for a few days."
"So you thought you'd drop by and see the Commander."
"Yes."
"Where is he by the way? He forgot to sign his reimbursement form to cover the petrol costs from when he went to Norfolk earlier in the week."
"He's gone to see Admiral Chegwidden, and then he's probably going to have to see Colonel Mackenzie." Harriet glanced at her watch.
"She'll probably recess for lunch in half an hour. She likes to eat at a regular time during the day when possible, helps keep her stomach settled. I need to get back to work, do you think you could ask the Commander to sign this and get it back to me as soon as possible?"
"Of course. It was nice to see you."
"You too ma'am."
#
"This is a request from Captain Ingalls for you to fly an F-14 back to the Henry and stay for a week to carry out your quals. He wants you to leave tomorrow."
"Yes sir." Harm said.
"Why do I get the feeling you knew about this prior to this?" AJ asked.
"I've only known for about twenty minutes sir." Harm replied.
"So he called you?"
"No sir."
"Why do I get the feeling that there is more to this than him needing an aircraft back?"
"Of the record sir?" Harm asked.
"If needs be."
"Captain Ingalls has some concerns about the air group, specifically the new CAG. His concerns aren't enough to warrant an official JAG investigation but..."
"He's hoping that you could conduct an unofficial investigation, and get someone to tell you something because you're an aviator too." AJ finished for him.
"Yes sir." Harm replied.
"If you haven't spoken to him how do you know that?"
"He sent Lieutenant Commander Hawkes, who is in town and would act as RIO to talk to me."
"Have you talked to the Colonel about this?"
"I felt it best to get your approval before I broached the subject with her." Harm replied.
"You said he sent Hawkes to talk to you, is she still here?"
"Yes sir, she's in my office."
"Tiner." AJ said jabbing the intercom button. "There is a Lieutenant Commander Hawkes in Commander Rabb's office. Can you bring her over; I'd like to see her right away."
"Yes sir." Tiner replied.
"What about your Article 32 hearing? AJ asked entertaining the idea.
"Major Williams can handle it she's been working with me on it. She's up to speed. I only have a few other minor cases, which Bud could handle."
"Let me talk to the Lieutenant Commander and then I'll make a decision."
"Yes sir." Harm replied.
"Sir, Lieutenant Commander Hawkes." Tiner showed her in a minute later.
"Commander." AJ said. "That will be all Tiner."
"Yes sir."
"Lieutenant Commander Hawkes reporting as order sir." Skates said.
"At ease. Take a seat." AJ said. "What's in the file?"
"It's for the Commander, sir. Lieutenant Sims asked me to give it to him, she needs him to sign it and get it back to her as soon as possible." Skates handed it to Harm.
"Thank you." Harm said.
"You angling for a new job Commander?" AJ asked.
"No sir, I like the job I have now." She replied.
"Good. So what's going on the Henry?" AJ asked.
"Permission to speak freely?" AJ nodded. "Sir, things have been a little tense since the new CAG came aboard a couple of months ago. But no one has said anything specifically to me. But if the skipper has a feeling he's usually right."
"Do you think the air group are more liable to talk to Commander Rabb?"
"If he's out there in the capacity of Naval aviator, we try to forget he's a lawyer."
"Here it's the opposite we try to forget he's an aviator, but we tend to get reminded of it on a day basis."
"Yes sir." Skates replied.
"Commander, I'll sign off on this. But be careful how you tell Mac, I'm sure Turner and Roberts would prefer a reasonable judge to a mad one."
"Yes sir." Harm replied.
TBC
"Okay." Skates went and sat down in the visitor's chair of Harm's office.
"Commander..." Harriet said tapping on the door and looking up from the file she had open in her hand. "Sorry ma'am." She said.
"That's okay. Harriet right?" Skates asked turning to look at her.
"Yes. You're Lieutenant Commander Hawkes; it's nice to see you again."
"You too. But Skates will do. I'm so used to it, that I forget to answer to Elizabeth anymore. Harm tells me congratulations are in order."
"Thank you ma'am."
"So any strange cravings yet?" Skates asked.
"No. Colonel Mackenzie has a thing for strawberries at the moment. The worst I've got is I toss and turn all night which annoys Bud no end." Skates smiled. "So how long are you in town?"
"Only until tomorrow. I'm was grounded until I got my complete annual physical, which included a trip to the gynaecologist, but there were problems I don't want to go into and Captain Ingalls thought it would be quicker to send me back here to Bethesda for a for a few days."
"So you thought you'd drop by and see the Commander."
"Yes."
"Where is he by the way? He forgot to sign his reimbursement form to cover the petrol costs from when he went to Norfolk earlier in the week."
"He's gone to see Admiral Chegwidden, and then he's probably going to have to see Colonel Mackenzie." Harriet glanced at her watch.
"She'll probably recess for lunch in half an hour. She likes to eat at a regular time during the day when possible, helps keep her stomach settled. I need to get back to work, do you think you could ask the Commander to sign this and get it back to me as soon as possible?"
"Of course. It was nice to see you."
"You too ma'am."
#
"This is a request from Captain Ingalls for you to fly an F-14 back to the Henry and stay for a week to carry out your quals. He wants you to leave tomorrow."
"Yes sir." Harm said.
"Why do I get the feeling you knew about this prior to this?" AJ asked.
"I've only known for about twenty minutes sir." Harm replied.
"So he called you?"
"No sir."
"Why do I get the feeling that there is more to this than him needing an aircraft back?"
"Of the record sir?" Harm asked.
"If needs be."
"Captain Ingalls has some concerns about the air group, specifically the new CAG. His concerns aren't enough to warrant an official JAG investigation but..."
"He's hoping that you could conduct an unofficial investigation, and get someone to tell you something because you're an aviator too." AJ finished for him.
"Yes sir." Harm replied.
"If you haven't spoken to him how do you know that?"
"He sent Lieutenant Commander Hawkes, who is in town and would act as RIO to talk to me."
"Have you talked to the Colonel about this?"
"I felt it best to get your approval before I broached the subject with her." Harm replied.
"You said he sent Hawkes to talk to you, is she still here?"
"Yes sir, she's in my office."
"Tiner." AJ said jabbing the intercom button. "There is a Lieutenant Commander Hawkes in Commander Rabb's office. Can you bring her over; I'd like to see her right away."
"Yes sir." Tiner replied.
"What about your Article 32 hearing? AJ asked entertaining the idea.
"Major Williams can handle it she's been working with me on it. She's up to speed. I only have a few other minor cases, which Bud could handle."
"Let me talk to the Lieutenant Commander and then I'll make a decision."
"Yes sir." Harm replied.
"Sir, Lieutenant Commander Hawkes." Tiner showed her in a minute later.
"Commander." AJ said. "That will be all Tiner."
"Yes sir."
"Lieutenant Commander Hawkes reporting as order sir." Skates said.
"At ease. Take a seat." AJ said. "What's in the file?"
"It's for the Commander, sir. Lieutenant Sims asked me to give it to him, she needs him to sign it and get it back to her as soon as possible." Skates handed it to Harm.
"Thank you." Harm said.
"You angling for a new job Commander?" AJ asked.
"No sir, I like the job I have now." She replied.
"Good. So what's going on the Henry?" AJ asked.
"Permission to speak freely?" AJ nodded. "Sir, things have been a little tense since the new CAG came aboard a couple of months ago. But no one has said anything specifically to me. But if the skipper has a feeling he's usually right."
"Do you think the air group are more liable to talk to Commander Rabb?"
"If he's out there in the capacity of Naval aviator, we try to forget he's a lawyer."
"Here it's the opposite we try to forget he's an aviator, but we tend to get reminded of it on a day basis."
"Yes sir." Skates replied.
"Commander, I'll sign off on this. But be careful how you tell Mac, I'm sure Turner and Roberts would prefer a reasonable judge to a mad one."
"Yes sir." Harm replied.
TBC
