AUTHOR'S NOTES: A short chapter tonight-I have an early wakeup, and I reached a good stopping point. Again, probably from here on out the chapters are going to be a lot of talk, which is probably disappointing for someone used to an action fic and not expecting (or maybe wanting) a courtroom drama. I apologize, but I didn't want to just skip through the court-martial to Ruby Flight getting reinstated or getting thrown in prison. Besides, you, the reader, can maybe make up your own mind who is guilty or not guilty!

To answer iChaos' question, in military court-martials, just as in American courts, the accused is innocent until proven guilty. The accused still has all the rights a civilian would have in a civil court, and in some cases, more so. While not always true in the case of a military tribunal-say, if Salem was hauled in front of a court for crimes against humanity-a court-martial works very similar to a regular civil court case, which is why civilian lawyers can be called on to act as defense lawyers for accused. Even in Salem's case, she would have a defense attorney of some kind, and wouldn't automatically be sentenced to death: the Nazis during the Nuremberg Trials had counsel, several of them beat the death penalty, and two of them were actually acquitted. (No, whatever happens to Salem in this story...it won't be a Nuremberg Trial. Either she wins the war or she dies. I'm not writing another one of these courtroom stories!)

Incidentally, if you're looking for some good military court-martial movies, the two I've been using for reference are (of course) "A Few Good Men" and the lesser well-known "The Caine Mutiny." As YouTube lawyer Legal Eagle points out, there are numerous legal flaws in "A Few Good Men"; "Caine Mutiny" is more accurate. I imagine this story would probably make any lawyer laugh his head off with all the flaws in this, but I'm not going for a Pulitzer Prize here.

Also incidentally, I have way too many captains in this story...

Building 8923 (Judge Advocate General Courtroom)

Fort Presley, North Carolina, United States of Canada

27 September 2001

"Hauptmann Schnee, would you raise your right hand, ma'am?" Captain Jane Chapel asked. Weiss did as instructed. "Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you will present to this court is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do," Weiss replied, thinking to herself that she could use a little divine inspiration. I do not speak to you often, God, but please do not let me execute my own friends.

"Would you have a seat?" Weiss turned and sat in the witness box. "Would you state your name, rank, and current assignment for the record, Hauptmann?" Chapel intoned.

"Hauptmann Weiss Schnee, Luftwaffe. No current assignment. I was detached duty to the 77th Tactical Fighter Squadron, United States of Canada Air Force until a few weeks ago, when I was shot down behind enemy lines."

"Thank you, Hauptmann." Chapel walked forward from behind the prosecutor's table. "Could you state your relationship with the accused?"

Weiss was expecting a hard right hook with Chapel's opening question, and was surprised at not only such a simple question, but the soft, friendly tone the prosecutor was using. Careful, Weiss advised herself. She's got you on a line, and she can land you like a fish. "I served with the accused in Ruby Flight, which was formed at Joint Base Beacon during the last Vytal Flag exercise. I have served with them since April of this year."

"Was there a time you did not serve with them?" Chapel asked.

"Yes. After the Battle of Beacon, I was forced to return to Germany at the behest of my father, Jacques Schnee. After I was threatened with being forced to resign my commission by my father, I left Germany and rejoined Ruby Flight in Japan." After being shot down and nearly sold into sex slavery the first time, she ruefully added.

Chapel nodded. "Thank you for the complete answer, Hauptmann. Were you declared AWOL when you left Germany?"

Forrest stood. "Objection, Your Honor. What does the activities of Hauptmann Schnee several months ago have to do with the accused?"

Chapel calmly turned to Colonel Beck. "I will show relevance, Your Honor."

Beck shook his head. "Overruled."

"I was not." Chapel's eyebrows went up at Weiss' response; she clearly hadn't expected that. "I was given orders temporarily transferring me to the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force to help train them in the use of Defense Utility System Technology—DUST, if you're unfamiliar with the term, Captain." It was a subtle jab at Chapel's lack of pilot wings. "In fact, I believe my father was rebuked for attempting to prevent my leaving." It was a small lie: she had indeed escaped from Schnee Manor with Whitley's help, but Ironwood and Winter had arranged for orders to be issued retroactively. The official story was that Weiss was to be transferred.

Chapel paused, a bit surprised, then continued. "Very well; let's move on to the events of 29 August 2001." Not even a month ago, Weiss thought. "Did Captain Rose willfully disobey General Ironwood's order for Ruby and Norn Flights to be transferred to RAF Lakenheath?"

"There were mitigating—" Weiss began.

"This is a yes or no answer, Hauptmann." Now the steel was in Chapel's voice—she didn't raise it, her tone of voice was still respectful, but the razor was there.

Weiss closed her eyes, then opened them. "Yes."

"Was the order given by a legitimate military authority, as in someone placed over you, in command?"

"Yes," Weiss repeated, feeling like a betrayer. She involuntarily glanced at Ruby. There was pain in those silver eyes, but not anger.

"Did you also willfully disobey this order?"

"Objection," Forrest called out. "Your Honor, this witness is not on trial."

Once more Chapel turned to Beck. "Your Honor, the witness has said that she would like to be on trial. Therefore I believe that this question has relevance."

"Overruled. Answer the question, Hauptmann," Beck instructed.

"Yes," Weiss said, a third time.

"Do you think the order should've been obeyed?"

No, Weiss wanted to say, otherwise I would've obeyed it, you dolt! She didn't say it, because she wasn't sure where Chapel was going with this. "I don't understand the question," she finally answered.

"Again, Hauptmann, it's a yes or no question. Do you think General Ironwood's order should've been obeyed? Imagine if someone else you don't care about was being ordered to leave the AO—would you think it should be obeyed then?"

Forrest pounced. "Objection! Calls for speculation."

Beck glared at Chapel. "Sustained. Strike that question, please."

Chapel once more paused, looked at Weiss, and seemed to give a slight shrug. Weiss had a feeling that the prosecutor had known that the question was an overreach, and either said it to see how far she could push the judge, or to at least put the question in the jury's head. If Weiss thought the order was legitimate, then she and all of Ruby Flight were guilty; if she thought it was illegitimate, then she was contradicting herself because she had confirmed that Ironwood was a legitimate authority. "No further questions, Your Honor." She walked back to her desk.

"Does the defense wish to cross-examine?" Beck asked Forrest.

"The defense does, sir." Forrest stood up and came over to Weiss. "Hauptmann Schnee, in your opinion as an officer and a fighter pilot, what was Ironwood's state of mind when he issued the order?" Behind him, Chapel rose an inch from her seat, then thought better of it and sat, looking interested in Weiss' answer as well.

"I can only give my opinion, sir."

"Please do so."

"He seemed exhausted. Tired. He told us that he had been shot earlier that day—in the shoulder, I believe. Nothing vital, according to him…and he did seem lucid."

Now it was Forrest's eyebrows that rose. "He seemed lucid?"

"Yes. I do not believe he had taken any painkillers." She half-expected Chapel to object, as Weiss was now speculating, but then realized with an inward groan that she had done the prosecution a favor: by saying that Ironwood didn't seem to be impaired by painkillers, it would mean his judgement wasn't clouded by drugs. Dammit, dammit, dammit! Weiss admonished herself.

"I see. Did Ironwood show evidence of stress and poor judgement?"

Now Chapel was on her feet. "Objection, Your Honor. As the defense reminded us earlier, only the accused are on trial—not General Ironwood."

"Relevance," Forrest answered, spreading his hands. "Your Honor, if General Ironwood's judgement was indeed impaired by exhaustion and stress, then perhaps he was not thinking clearly."

Beck tapped a finger on his chin, then nodded to Forrest. "Overruled. You may answer the question, Hauptmann."

"I'm not a qualified psychologist," Weiss admitted, "but I am an experienced fighter pilot and I do know combat stress…if for no other reason than I look in the mirror each morning." That brought a chuckle from the jury. "I cannot honestly answer about the poor judgement, but he was certainly stressed. We all saw that."

"All, Hauptmann?"

"All of Ruby Flight and all of Ace Flight. They were there as well."

"We'll leave that for later, Hauptmann," Forrest said, with a quick look at Chapel. "One last question. What is your opinion of Captain Rose's leadership?" He held up a hand. "Let me rephrase that, and split the question into two parts. What was your opinion of Captain Rose at Beacon when you first met?"

"When we first met, sir?"

"Yes. First mission, at Beacon."

"Oh, well…I didn't…" Weiss' voice trailed off. Why is he asking me this? Doesn't he know I didn't even like Ruby then? She looked at him, but Forrest's face was placid, and she hoped he knew what he was doing. "I didn't like her, sir. She seemed, er, a bit headstrong and overconfident."

"And rather young?" Forrest asked.

Weiss was confused at the line of questioning, and the only consolation was that Chapel looked just as confused. "Yes. The youngest at Vytal Flag ever, I believe."

"Didn't Captain Rose actually get in the way of a missile shot on your first mission together?"

Weiss was taken aback by that. Chapel opened her mouth, then closed it. Forrest seemed to be doing her job for her. "Um, yes. What's that got to do—"

"Just a yes or no question, Hauptmann, as the prosecution said." Before Weiss could answer again, Forrest was already moving on. "Would that happen now, if you were flying a mission together?"

"No," Weiss answered instantly.

"Why not?"

Oh, I see what he's doing. Over Forrest's shoulder, she could see Chapel realize it at the same time. "Because she's matured as a leader and as a pilot. She is confident, but I would hesitate to say overconfident." Weiss remembered Ruby taking Little with her after Neo, but that had been rage, not overconfidence.

"Do you believe, speaking as an officer, that Captain Rose knows the difference between a legitimate and illegitimate order?" Forrest wanted to know.

"She does."

Forrest gave her a short nod. "No further questions, Your Honor." He strode back to his seat.

"Any further questions for the witness, Captain Chapel?" Beck asked.

Chapel smiled, clearly realizing she had been outmaneuvered. "None, Your Honor."

"The witness is excused. She may remain, as long as she does not communicate with the accused."

Weiss got down from the stand and marched back to the benches. She did briefly look at her friends. They were smiling, and Yang winked.

"The government calls Captain Keith Saunders to the stand."

The doors opened and a man with short, close-cropped black hair walked to the stand, dressed in Army dress greens, his hat under his arm. Ruby recognized him as one of Ironwood's staff officers; he had been a lieutenant then. He was sworn in, stated the usual rank and assignment—still at SACEUR headquarters, working with General Gale now.

Chapel stood at parade rest in front of the witness box. "Captain Saunders, could you describe what happened in General Ironwood's command post on 29 August 2001?"

"I can, Captain," Saunders answered, "but I must remind the court that I was not physically present during the meeting. I was standing behind the tent."

Chapel's eyebrows came together. "You were eavesdropping?"

"No, Captain. General Ironwood usually asked me to stand there when a meeting was taking place, in case he didn't want the meeting recorded but wanted a witness he could ask details about later. I have something of an eidetic memory, and top secret clearance." He paused and looked at the judge. "There were some things that were discussed that I have been instructed not to share with the court. Even I don't know what they are."

Beck flipped through the pages on his desk. "I see that. I assume the accused, however, do know what they are."

"Yes, sir. I was instructed that these, ah, items were not relevant to the trial by General Gale." The Maidens, Ruby thought. She remembered those had come up in Salem's phone call; she'd almost forgotten entirely about that. Salem's call had interrupted Ironwood chewing them out.

"Very well, Captain. Proceed, counsel." He motioned at Chapel.

"Thank you, Your Honor." Chapel returned her attention to Saunders. "Could you relate the conversation as best you can, Captain? Please, only leave out these 'items' you refer to."

"Certainly." Saunders took a deep breath. "General Ironwood called a meeting with Major Pyrrha Nikos, and Captains Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, and Blake Belladonna, as well as Hauptmann Schnee. The members of Ace Flight were there as well—Major Clover Ebi, Lieutenant Marrow Amin, Captain Vine Zeki, Oberleutnant Elm Ederne, and Flying Officer Harriet Bree—"

"May I interrupt you here just for a moment, Captain?" Chapel asked. When he assented, she continued, with a sidelong glance at Forrest, "What was General Ironwood's physical condition at the time of the meeting?"

"He had been shot earlier in the day, but not seriously. The general refused painkillers, except for some aspirin."

"Was he tired?"

"We all were, Captain."

Chapel nodded. "I apologize for interrupting, Captain Saunders. Please continue."

"After the pilots arrived, General Ironwood asked Captains Xiao Long and Belladonna about the Commando Solo—the EC-130H Hercules assigned to SACEUR for the use of psychological operations." Saunders again paused, and seemed unsure if he should continue.

"We're familiar with the Commando Solo, Captain," Chapel assured him.

"Oh…my apologies. In any case, the general knew that the two captains had lied about the Commando Solo: they had told Robyn Hill, the commander of the mercenary Happy Huntresses' group, about the aircraft, which at the time was classified." Blake's head came around at Forrest, as did Yang's, since that charge had been dismissed. He said nothing, and Yang snatched his legal pad. Object? she quickly wrote. He shook his head, and scrawled back, Not yet.

"The general said that he had given them non-judicial punishment—confinement to base—for lying about losing Miss Hill…at the time, it was suspected that the Happy Huntresses had shot down a C-141 transport," Saunders continued. "Captains Xiao Long and Belladonna purposely let the Huntresses get away from them, but as the Huntresses were not guilty of shooting down the transport, Ironwood let them off with that. What he was upset about was them lying about the Commando Solo, then lashed out at Hauptmann Schnee about trust in the military."

Chapel gave a small turn of the head, clearly waiting for Forrest's objection, but none came. "What happened next?"

"They were briefly interrupted by a phone call." Saunders went into no detail, though Ruby knew that was Salem. "Afterwards, General Ironwood once more called Captains Xiao Long and Belladonna liars, and then accused Captain Rose of the same thing—lying to him. I am not at liberty to say what she had lied about him to exactly, but it was top secret information that Captain Rose was supposed to tell General Ironwood about upon their arrival in theater, at Berlin, a few weeks before."

"She did not tell him?" Chapel wanted to confirm.

"No, Captain, she did not."

"What did he say after that? Do you recall?"

Saunders let out a breath. "I most certainly do! He said she had betrayed his trust, that she had failed to obey orders, that she and her flight must obey the orders of authority placed above them, as he obeyed orders from the civilian leadership. He was quite angry, Captain; I wouldn't be surprised if others in the command post camp heard the exchange. Major Nikos then remarked that the general had not trusted them, and resigned her commission on the spot, then left. My understanding is she has since been reinstated."

"She has, Captain. Continue," Chapel said again.

"General Ironwood then stated that he planned to retreat from Poland, back behind the Oder River. Captain Belladonna stated that such an order would be a quote 'betrayal' of the Poles, and the other accused agreed with her. Ace Flight did not. The general then gave the order that the 77th Tactical Fighter Squadron would leave for RAF Lakenheath as soon as possible, as he no longer trusted them, and was temporarily revoking their status as independent Huntsmen and Huntresses. He said he would recommend an investigation into their actions that could resort in court-martial."

Now it was Ruby that grabbed the legal pad. He's leaving stuff out.

I know, Forrest wrote back, tapping a stack of papers in front of him. Patience. He then began to doodle a map of Poland on the pad.

"Were the accused then dismissed?" Chapel asked.

"Yes. Except Ensign Pine. He was not present during the conversation, as he was still at Poznan. After they and Ace Flight left, General Ironwood called me into the tent and ordered me to write down everything. Major Qrow Branwen and Oberst Winter Schnee then arrived soon thereafter, but I was neither present for that meeting, nor did I write down any notes. I don't think anyone did." He paused. "After the general's death, I was contacted by Rissa Arashikaze of the Central Intelligence Agency, and ordered to redact my handwritten notes. She reviewed them and returned them to me."

"Thank you, Captain Saunders." Chapel took two steps back. "The government would like to enter Captain Saunders' notes into the record as Exhibit A."

"So noted," Beck said. He held up the notes to the jury. "The jury will notice that sections have indeed been redacted. These sections are irrelevant to the case." Ruby saw there was a lot of black ink on the notes.

Chapel turned her attention back to Saunders. "Is there anything else not in the notes that you would like to add?"

"Only that Major Nikos seemed upset particularly at Captain Ebi. I don't know if that has anything to do with the case."

"The government requests that Captain Saunders' last statement about Major Nikos be stricken from the record," Chapel said before Forrest could object. "Captain Ebi was killed in action and Major Nikos does not stand accused."

Beck confirmed it, then looked at Forrest. "Cross-examine, Commander?"

"Yes, sir." Forrest walked past Chapel, who retreated back to her seat. "Captain Saunders, just a few clarifications from your statement. Didn't General Ironwood say he was going to declare martial law?"

Chapel's rear end hadn't even touched her chair yet. "Objection!" she shouted. "Relevance!"

Beck peered at Forrest over his reading glasses. Forrest smiled. "Your Honor, I will show relevance."

"Overruled. Please do show some relevance, counsel." Beck threw Chapel a look as well. "Both of you. That's more objections to relevance than I've seen in three trials, and we've just gotten started."

"Yes, sir. Didn't General Ironwood say he was going to declare martial law?" Forrest repeated to Saunders.

"Y-Yes," Saunders stammered.

"What else did he say in regards to that?"

"That he, um, had the guns and that he couldn't count on anyone."

Chapel rolled her eyes. She still hadn't sat down. "Objection. Again, relevance." There were some barely stifled laughs in the jury. "The government does not see what this has to do with this case!"

"Counsel?" Beck said to Forrest, rubbing his eyes. "You'd better have something."

"If it would please the court…" Forrest crossed over to his table and held up several papers—Saunders' testimony. "In Government Exhibit A, General Ironwood's remarks regarding martial law were plainly stated. They are not redacted. I simply wanted to know why Captain Saunders failed to mention them." Before Chapel could say anything, Forrest put the papers down. "The prosecutor is right in that it has little to do with the case—perhaps—but if Captain Saunders left this out, what else did he leave out?"

Beck looked from Forrest to Chapel, then to Saunders. "Overruled. Defense may continue this line of questioning…but watch it. Keep it to the facts of the case, counsel."

"Yes, sir." Forrest returned to Saunders with the papers in his hand; Saunders now looked very uncomfortable. Omissions under testimony could land him in a court-martial as well. "As I said, Captain Saunders, just clarification. When General Ironwood ordered the accused to RAF Lakenheath, and said they could be facing a court-martial, didn't he also state that he would send along letters of recommendation, to hopefully get that down to mere letters of reprimand, if that?" Saunders hesitated, and Forrest drew a little closer. "I would remind the witness that he is under oath."

Saunders sighed. "Yes, he did."

"Why did you leave that out, Captain?"

Saunders paused again. "Answer the question, Captain," Beck snapped.

"I…I don't know. I must have forgotten…I don't know." It sounded lame even to Ruby. She noticed the jury were not pleased with that answer. Yang nudged Ruby and wrote He was trying to cover for his boss.

"I understand, Captain," Forrest said, with just enough respect in his voice. "Just one last question. Do you know why General Ironwood ordered them to Lakenheath, rather than back here to the States? The United Kingdom is still within SACEUR's area of operations, and Lakenheath is still part of United States Air Forces Europe."

"I don't know, sir," Saunders answered. "Maybe he wanted to recall them."

Ruby was watching Chapel, and though the prosecutor would be an excellent poker player, she noticed Chapel's features darken with anger at Saunders' statement, which Forrest had not asked for-but it certainly helped him. If Ironwood wanted to recall Ruby Flight, then he clearly didn't think them quite guilty enough to be court-martialed. On the other hand, Ruby considered, maybe that makes me look bad, in that I didn't consider that before the mutiny. She wondered if Chapel had considered it. Hell, for that matter…why didn't I think of that? Maybe Ironwood was giving me an out, or hedging his bets? Dammit.

"No further questions, Your Honor." Forrest returned to his seat.

"You are dismissed, Captain Saunders." He left the room, shoulders slumped. "Next witness?" Beck asked Chapel.

"The government calls as its next witness, Master Sergeant Arnold Vogelmord," Chapel intoned.

The doors opened and Ruby saw her crew chief walk in, looking impressive in his dress USAF blues; she realized she had never seen him in anything but fatigues. They shared a look, and she saw the sorrow in his eyes. Oh no, Ruby thought.