Disclaimer: I do not own the characters to NCIS. CBS owns them. I am placing this at Season 3. It's been a long time since I've seen that season, please forgive me if I've overlooked anything and point them out in a review. I hope to make a few more chapters to make this feel like an entire episode. Enjoy.

In their ride back to the office, DiNozzo phoned his boss, Gibbs, of their progress. Gibbs was still in Tanner's office listening to him drone on about his unit and about how he changed it after replacing Commander Stevens. For a commanding officer, high up on the scale, he was quite gregarious. His subjects continued to be self-oriented. Then came the subject of the K-Bar mounted behind him. Gibbs glanced up at it once and the commander saw it, "Like it, huh? Yes, we got that from a Marine in Iraq. See, a car bomb went off at our base near the Green Zone and this one was wounded in the legs and we saved him. He gave us that in gratitude. Looks quite nice, don't you think? Yes, we worked with the Marines quite a bit over there. If I were a bit younger, I would have joined the Corps. Instead, I followed my father into the Navy. See-he was a ship commander back in Vietnam and Panama."

"What about Kessel?" Gibbs enquired, "I understand he's Zimmerman's immediate boss."

"Oh, good 'ol Kessel?" Tanner nodded, "He's about to retire. It is all part of this damn 'restructuring' the Navy is doing. He's taking his retirement and going with it. Quite a shame, really. He is a good officer. I think all of this is just wearing him down and he wants to get to Sun City."

Gibbs merely nodded to this and gave a thin smile. He didn't want to hear all of this because he already knew a great deal about this man beforehand. He was merely stalling. As a Marine himself, Gibbs knew what it took to be a leatherneck and knew that this man, Commander Tanner, couldn't hack it as one. He was better off here-well away from anything dangerous. Then his phone rang into his jacket pocket, "Excuse me a second, it's my team" he said answering it, "What do you got, DiNozzo?"

"Boss, we just left the JAG office. Turns out that Zimmerman, Amaya, and Brannan had lodged many complaints citing a toxic command under Tanner. Not long after their complaints were filed-both lieutenants were transferred leaving Zimmerman alone.

"You have them?" Gibbs asked knowing that Tanner could not hear Tony and wanted to mask their information from his ears.

"Right here with us, boss" DiNozzo nodded, eying the pile heavy files sitting on his lap. He was holding them because McGee was driving, and they didn't want them sliding around in the backseat.

"Good. I'm talking with Commander Tanner right now. Come here and join me."

"On our way" Tony smiled as he hung up.

It would be a few minutes before they could join them, so Gibbs delayed by making casual conversation. Here he noted that Tanner, despite being told about his wounded sailor, didn't bring up anything about Zimmerman unless he was asked about. "I'm trying to find out about Zimmerman's personal side. Did he have any disagreements or didn't like anyone in your command?"

Shrugging his weak shoulders Tanner blinked several times, "I don't know. I don't keep a tab on everything my subordinates do, Agent Gibbs. I mean, I try to ensure that there's no friction. However, in the military, you're dealing with people from all walks of life. When you're all put together-it's-it's like a pressure cooker at times, especially when overseas!" holding both of his hands together to simulate a cooker over his stomach. "Amaya and Brannan were not popular, despite their attempts. A couple of good-looking women. They did not fit in. Petty Officer Zimmerman was seen working and talking with them many times. There were rumors all flying around that they were all in some sort of taboo love affair."

"Is that so?" Gibbs nodded slightly.

Waving a hand behind his own face Tanner scoffed, "Naw, just rumors" then laughed, "You know how it is. There are more rumors than facts and rumors are always BS" laughing some more. Gibbs was not laughing. A man's life was on the ropes and Tanner did not seem to care.

"Did Zimmerman and Salvador work together?" Gibbs asked.

"Quite a bit. I put them together because, like I said, Agent Gibbs, Salvador is like a bulldog. He was trying to whip the boy into shape. I believe Zimmerman never had an older brother, so I wanted to give him someone to look up to" smiling a bit, "I would hope that it would turn him around. I mean, you can look at his Fitness Reports for the past few months" letting out a long sigh, "Really disappointing."

"Were you deployed with your unit?"

"Me? No" shaking his head and his fat jowls shook with it, "They had just returned from a stint in Iraq when Commander Stevens was suddenly transferred, and I was tapped to come here". Placing both hands on the surface of his desk, "I came up all the way from Florida, Agent Gibbs, to be here. I was liking it down there. Hot sun, hot women, and they ship me to Virginia of all places!" laughing boisterously. "I can't understand the Navy. I didn't even ask for a transfer, but here I am. Stevens left in such a hurry that he left a stack of medals and commendations unfinished. I went through them all and finished them off for him."

That's where Gibbs wanted to head to next in their conversation. With his own hands resting on the chair's rest Gibbs slowly drew a breath. His words were calculated drawing from his decades of experience. "Zimmerman and Salvador were deployed at that time. I saw a report written up by Kessel that he witnessed Zimmerman run into a bullet swept field and saving a wounded Marine and dragging him to safety. An action corroborated by Lieutenant Brannan. He was written up for a Bronze Star. That was denied by you citing 'lack of evidence'."

That caught the commander cold. He is frozen, staring at Gibbs with eyes hanging open. It took a moment for him to compose himself and when he did, he waved a hand, "Bah-it's nothing really. I mean, Zimmerman didn't really risk his ass for that Marine. It was-what-50 meters to and back? I bet that Brannan wrote up the award anyway for him because they are all 'buddy-buddy'. Thank God that I didn't do it. Such frauds shouldn't be allowed in this Navy, am I right?" giving a nervous chuckle to the still stone-faced Gibbs.

"No. Commander Tanner" Gibbs replied coldly, his steel blue eyes seeing right into the Commander's soul reading him like a book. Gibbs didn't have to make threats, his words, no matter what, brought fear. "What I find incredible to believe is that you denied Zimmerman his medals. Why is that?"

"There wasn't enough evidence to award him" the commander shrugged still being polite, "Like I said, Agent Gibbs, "I believe that Brannan just wrote it up for him."

Not believing it for a moment Gibbs extended his right index finger fully. Tanner saw it and looked at it with interest. Gibbs then wagged it several times slightly, "I went through his files and the records. There is enough evidence in there to cover that wall behind you, commander, to cooperate for those medals."

That drove deep, but Tanner merely tilted his head slightly and his words came out a tad lower, "You are calling me a liar, sir?" narrowing his eyes.

Gibbs didn't shy away nor beat around the bush, "Yes" he nodded, "I'm calling you a liar and a thief."

A thin smile came to the commander's lips, "That's big talk. I didn't steal anything in my life."

Suddenly the door burst open with a bang as the door struck the back wall as it swung fully on its hinges. Tanner nearly leapt to his feet. Gibbs continued to sit their firm as a rock. "That's where you're wrong, sir" said Tony as he gently removed his sunglasses. Turning slightly to Gibbs Tony said, "Sorry, boss. We heard what you were saying and felt that this was the perfect time to make an entrance." McGee struggled with all the files that he alone was carrying and decided to drop them on the commander's desk with a heavy bang. Looking at the nervous commander, DiNozzo pocketed his glasses, placed his hands on his hips and continued, "See, we went to the JAG office and found a few complaints that Zimmerman and the lieutenants filed against your leadership, among other things."

McGee advanced to the edge of the desk, opened the top manila file cover marked 'Cmdr. Tanner' and read a few words from the first page, "15 December of last year, Commander Tanner ripped up my current project, an 8x11 1/2 portrait of Lieutenant (j/g) Omar Sing in front of me saying "This is not what I wanted! You're to put Admiral Aaron's portrait first above the others. These other pukes can wait. When I told him that I had not begun that piece he flew into a rage and smashed my easel. I was forced to pay another $100 for a new easel and supplies for what was lost."

Peeling a few pages from the top McGee found another complaint, "29 April of this year-I was showing Lieutenant Brannan my finished piece on the hospital ship USS Solace when Commander Tanner entered the studio and threw a can of paint onto the page and destroyed the piece. He didn't give any reason for it, and when I demanded that he explain himself, he said, "I don't have to explain myself to you! I am your superior! You do as I say, or I'll bust you down!"

Tanner's eyes were wide, cheeks flushed red in embarrassment, McGee didn't let up. DiNozzo was beside him with a beaming smile on his face liking what he was seeing and hearing. Turning a few more pages, McGee picked out another, "1 March-I was speaking with Lieutenant Brannan about what Salvador had done to me the night before at the bar where he and his buddies bailed on me and left me with a $300 tab. I told her that I wanted to fill out formal complaints to the JAG office over previous transgressions when Commander Tanner overheard us and ordered me to his office where he berated me for an hour. He used these words, "In my father's time in the Navy, we would take a boy like you to the maintenance bay and have an hour to set you straight. If I can't do that to you now, then I will deal with you whatever way I can."

When the agent paused for a moment, they all looked at the commander for a response. He was embarrassed, cheeks red and eyes closed. He remembered all of it; it was a side that he didn't like. "It was better in his time. We didn't have this soft stuff like we have now. Zimmerman may be good with a pencil. He was still a poor sailor. I am running a command that at any moment could be deployed. I cannot afford this soft stuff. Painting?! Drawing?! We're supposed to be building infrastructure and building support in the community. Not this crap! Zimmerman was a weak man and a weak sailor. You're only as strong as your weakest link, and if we get deployed then he would be the one that would get us all killed!"

"Poor sailor?" McGee asked, "This 'poor sailor' twice ran out onto a bullet swept field and pulled wounded men to safety," stabbing a finger at the plump man, "You denied him his awards because you didn't like what he did for a living. Because he was not a kiss up like Salvador" then he pointed at the K-Bar on the wall, "That knife there was given to him from the Marine that he saved. That is not yours to take!"

Now rising to his feet to defend himself, Tanner growled narrowing his eyes, "How dare you! I've been in this service for longer than you've been alive, kid. I don't like kiss ups or ass kissers, and what I don't like are idiots that think they can scare me because of a badge and some words on paper! That knife is mine as commanding officer of this unit. Any awards that my subordinates receive are because of me and my decisions! Now GET OUT!" pointing at the door, "I want you fools gone from my sight!"

Happy to oblige to be away from his stench, McGee gathered up the files and was first out, DiNozzo was second-donning his glasses and stepping out after straightening his collar. Last was Gibbs. When he stood up the man did not walk out. Instead, he walked deliberately around the desk with a leer in his blue eyes. Tanner fell into his seat and drew up his hands to his face believing he was going to get a pummeling from the Marine. First, he was loud and demanding, and now his face was pale white and scared. But Gibbs was not after him. He was after what was behind him. Going to the K-Bar knife he removed it from the hooks holding up and clenched it tightly in his right hand and walked out. The commander protested. Gibbs merely shut the door and continued to walk. Behind him, Tony and McGee kept pace.

When they reached the parking lot Gibbs said to his subordinates, "Kessel didn't come to work today. Go by his place and have a talk with him" then his cellphone rang, and he answered it, "Yeah, Ziva?"

"Good news and bad news" she said, "Zimmerman is out of surgery. His condition is still critical. Doctors said that the bullet broke apart and lodged fragments in his heart. They had to do more surgery on him."

"Okay. What is the good news?"

"I did a search of his car and found a bunch of stuff belonging to Zimmerman, including a sketch pad I believe was reported stolen by the victim. If we can't get him on anything, we can get him on theft."

"Good. We've finished with Commander Tanner. Lt. Amaya is coming in for questioning. I will link up with you at the office. McGee and DiNozzo are going to talk with Kessel and will join us when they're done."