A New Life Part 25: Ch03 – "The Seahawk cruise of early '96"
A retrospective look back to the pilot episode, from the prism of 25 years in the future. AU: what if the premise of Harmon Rabb Jr's life was completely different before he landed on the carrier with Caitlin Pike?
A/N: "they aren't mine, I'm just playing with them - apart from any character created by myself".
Summary: this is a fictional story, in a fictional (slightly) Alternative Universe, about fictional characters who entertained us in a fictional TV series between 1995 and 2005. It involves jumping off into a parallel universe before we started the pilot s01Ep01, first broadcast 25 years ago today on 23-Sep-1995.
Canon: Marking the 25th anniversary of the JAG season 01 pilot episode "A new life". Originally published as a planned one-shot to mark the quarter-centenary. Now extending following positive reader feedback and moving into an AU treatment of the "JAG" canon storyline. Once more, I have only the vaguest idea of where we shall be going on this story – but welcome along; glad to have you with me for the ride! Mike
Timing: This AU story diverged from canon at the "get-go". We give a nod to the Season One episodes "Hemlock" and "High Ground" – plus, of course, "Skeleton Crew".
A/N update 27FEB2021: apologies on behalf of the FFN website which marked this as completed on 27FEB2021 - I am NOT going to "do an NBC" and this story WILL continue beyond "Skeleton Crew Part One" - honest!. Mike, Saturday evening, UK time.
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Ch03 – "The Seahawk cruise of early '96"
Friday 5th January 1996, 09:18hrs EST
Norfolk Naval Base, VA
"Mommy hug Sarah – pwease?!"
Diane Rabb steeled herself for the upcoming six-months of separation. She picked up little Sarah once more and hugged her close. Harm was holding Matthew, who was now in his third month of life.
The three-hour drive south during the previous day had been long, but enjoyable – little Sarah Rabb had enjoyed the trip through the Hampton Roads tunnel at the end of their journey to the motel. She had also fallen asleep quite quickly after reaching their suite, so that Harm and Diane had been able to indulge in a "sailor's farewell" in the time-honoured manner!
Diane had then unwrapped the framed Rabb family portrait which they had arranged on New Year's Eve. A happy family portrait would be accompanying Mrs Rabb on her deployment.
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This was going to be a wrench, but Diane knew that this cruise as Crypto Officer on the Seahawk would bring her a necessary "tick-in-the-box" on her career-progression ladder. She would be working-up the new crypto crew before transferring to the Iron Ike for the second part of her cruise (that was the plan - as events transpired, circumstances in March of '96 would result in her staying on the Seahawk and returning in early June).
She also knew that, with Trish and Frank supporting Harm, her children ("no, *our* children", she corrected herself) would be well cared-for. Even so, she sighed heavily as she placed Sarah carefully back down on the paved area of the dockside and melted one last time into her husband's welcoming arms.
"Darn it Harm, this is going to be hard."
"I know honey: but the welcome home will be well-worth waiting for!"
He kissed her gently, then nuzzled her favourite spot – just behind her right ear – and smiled as he realised that her body was responding. He had to stop, because he knew the effect that he was having on her body and he knew that this was unfair. Nevertheless, it was good to remind his wife just how much he loved her, just as his Lady Sailor had to report for sea-duty.
"Diane, I am very proud of you serving your country – and June will come around soon enough. Let's plan a summer vacation when you come ashore – we can talk about it when you phone home."
"I like that plan, Harm. Let's aim to use Mom and Dad's cabin up in Maine – these little Rabbs will love it up there in the summer".
Diane kissed him one final time, then headed across the dockside to the gangplank, towing her suitcase and sea-bag behind her. Saluting the flag as she reached the deck, she turned around to wave one final time, then she was gone. Harm gathered up Matthew and Sarah and strapped them safely into the Lexus, ahead of the three-hour journey back up the I-64 and I-95, home to Annandale.
During the journey, his mind rolled back over the past years, including Diane's near-immediate return to land after receiving news of his ramp strike. He realised that it was probably time to visit Mace's grave in Arlington.
Just not yet in January, with snow on the ground.
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Tuesday 19th March 1996, 19:57hrs CET
Trattoria san Pietro, Italy
Ashore
Diane sat, overlooking the bay, with a drink in one hand and a pen in the other, writing a postcard to Harm. She was confident that he would read the card out to their children and to his parents.
She and her bunk-mate Sarah Williams had been able to get a photograph taken of the two of them by the harbour, which the enterprising photographer had printed out as postcards for the two polite American sailors who had flirted politely with him. Giuseppe noted that the brunette wore a plain gold band on the ring finger of her left hand, in the British/American style.
The attractive African-American sailor accompanying the married brunette might be a more promising possibility, if the ladies returned to the Trattoria the following evening. He admired her confidence in having her naturally-black hair bleached blonde! Giuseppe was always optimistic - and the US Navy *did* seem to be sending some "Bella" sailors amongst the previously all-male crews on the big aircraft carriers which regularly stopped over in the bay!
Diane was composing her thoughts, chewing on the end of her fountain pen. The small pocket-sized print of their New Year Rabb family photograph was open in her purse on the table alongside her wine-glass. She smiled and resumed writing; she knew just what to say to her husband, all those miles away!
"Why am I not here with a tall, dark, handsome… Italian?" she wrote, anticipating the reaction of her husband when the postcard arrived Stateside a week later in Annandale.
The following day, the Seahawk would be sailing further down the Mediterranean. Giuseppe would need to wait for another attractive lady American sailor, before he would be able to practice his charms upon an unsuspecting yankee!
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Sunday 7th April 1996, 09:53hrs EST
Home of Harmon and Diane Rabb, Annandale, VA
Harm had rounded up the children and, with Frank and Trish playing the part of the dutiful grandparents, had slipped out early that Easter Sunday morning to visit Harm senior's marker at the Vietnam War Memorial up on Constitution Avenue in DC. He and Diane had agreed that, until Sarah was around five years old, the concept of death, Vietnam and MIA status would simply be too hard for a young mind to comprehend.
He slid back into the house to hear excited shouts from Sarah and happy gurgling from six-month-old Matthew as they played with "Grandpa Frank".
The concept of "Home" was very important to Harmon Rabb junior. In the preceding two weeks there had been several stressful events. Firstly, his partner Megan Austin had been shot in the head by an assassin code-named "Hemlock", who was stalking Boris Yeltsin on an unannounced visit to DC.
Apart from Megan almost suffering a "9mm lobotomy", Harm had also nearly lost his supervisor, Cdr Alison "Dragon Lady" Krennick, to the assassin. She had impressed the hell out of him, by supporting him as he followed the trail of bodies across DC, protecting Megan as the assassin roamed through the office, then ducking and diving in three-inch heels before backing up Harm when the KGB bodyguards mis-classified Harm and Alison as potential assassins.
Finally. Harm had caught up with "Hemlock" and had the satisfaction of emptying a whole clip of 9mm ammunition into the back of the assassin's car – with the desired fatal results for the assassin.
Happily, Megan had subsequently woken up and, apart from a splitting headache and muttering about "Daddy, don't leave me" (which everyone put down to anaesthetic), seemed none the worse. However, every time she clipped her hair up afterwards, Harm shuddered when he saw the raw scar behind her left ear. He wondered whether she might begin styling her hair like Alison, but he wisely decided never to raise the matter with Megan.
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Shortly thereafter, Harm had made a very good impression on the leading sniper instructor - as well as saving the man's career by setting up what could (when he later analysed the situation in the cold light of day) have become a suicidal drive down-range knowing that a sniper had him in his sights.
The loud "crack" as the supersonic round had carved through the vehicle's door mirror had woken him up to what he might lose, as a married man with children and a wife. He was very glad when Chegwidden pronounced the case closed: he suspected that the Admiral had some long-ago history with Gunnery Sergeant Ray Crockett.
April and May saw him crossing the Pacific on several occasions until one morning in early June, when he and Megan were tasked to Norfolk in the early hours of a beautiful summer morning.
The Seahawk was returning from its deployment, but requested the presence of NCIS and JAG to deal with a early-morning death on the quayside. Harm and Megan were the duty on-call JAG officers in Falls Church that morning, hence the early-morning drive to Norfolk.
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Tuesday June 4th 1996, 10:05hrs EST
Norfolk Naval Base, VA
Alongside the berth of USS Seahawk
"Lookee-lookee, who's just arrived."
Harm took an instant dislike to the NCIS agent – leaving aside how he pronounced his surname.
Meg Austin made better inroads in building a working relationship with the NCIS Agent, who seemed to be spoiling for a "pissing contest" with Harm.
Harm let the "poster boy" comments flow over him – especially after Megan gripped his arm surreptitiously and whispered "down, Tiger" in his ear, followed by her pragmatic Texan assessment that "this asshole ain't worth it – and this isn't helping".
Harm had to agree with his junior partner's perceptive assessment of the potential confrontation.
In truth, he really couldn't care less. He was hoping that, with the JAGMAN investigation wrapped up, he might be able to hop aboard to surprise his wife as she planned her disembarkation, scheduled for a few days hence.
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Diane Rabb had already cabled Harm, the previous week, to let him know that she would be staying on-board the Seahawk for a couple of days, to resolve what she described as "a rather sensitive issue". She hoped to be coming ashore on the Saturday, June 8th.
At that point, several things changed massively.
First, Agent Turque announced the name of the murder victim in the body-bag, lying on the gurney in front of Harm…
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To be continued…. (quicker than NBC!)
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End of "A New Life – part 25" Ch03 – "The Seahawk cruise of early '96".
Mike, United Kingdom, 27-02-2021
