AUTHOR'S NOTES: Back to the trial. For those of you who are getting bored stiff with the courtroom stuff, this and the next chapter will be the last ones. We're just about done with this story.
Office of the Judge Advocate General
Fort Presley, North Carolina, United States of Canada
1 October 2001
Captain Jane Chapel and Lieutenant Commander John Forrest were met at the door of Colonel Jeffrey Beck by a stern-looking Military Policeman; Forrest wondered if the Army picked MPs based on the squareness of their jaws. "Good morning, sir—ma'am," the MP said. "You can go right in—Colonel Beck will be back shortly."
"Thank you," Chapel answered for both of them, and they went into Beck's office. They took their seats next to each other, facing the huge desk. Beck's office was spartan, with the usual bookshelves of law books and jurisprudence one might expect in a judge's office, though his desk only had a picture of his wife and family, pencils arranged just right, and a desk calendar. Beck's one concession to his position seemed to be a grandfather clock that ticked sonorously in one corner, and the large window that looked out over the nearby park.
The silence grew uncomfortable as they waited. "How are you?" Forrest finally asked.
"I'm fine," Chapel said with a tired smile. "Did you enjoy your long weekend?"
"It was nice to hang out with my kids. How's your dad?"
"Doing all right." She sighed. "You know, John, that's the hell of this. I wish I didn't like you so damn much. This would be easier if you were an asshole."
"I feel the same way. Why can't you be a bitch?" They shared a laugh at that. "I'll just be glad when this shitshow is over."
Chapel rolled her eyes. "God, don't you know it. Can you believe that damn Senator called me over the weekend? She wanted to know how the trial was going, and if I've got a conviction yet. I don't think she's all that interested in due process."
"She just wants headlines," Forrest replied. "She wants Ruby Flight's scalps over her mantle, so she can shut down the Huntsman/Huntress program and get reelected. National security be damned."
"I know. They're guilty, John—we both know that, whatever happens in there today—but if I'm going to get a conviction, I want to do it fairly. Not because some hotrock junior Senator wants it that way." Her hands clenched on the arms of the chair.
"So how is the trial going?" Forrest asked with a grin.
Chapel snickered. "Yeah, nice try."
The door opened and both of them jumped to their feet. Beck walked in holding a steaming mug of coffee, looking disgusted. "Morning. Be seated." As both officers sat, he did the same, heavily. "Sorry for the wait. I've been talking to the press." He took a drink. "Sherman was right. Even if I had them all shot, they'd be reporting from hell within the hour. Anyhow, I think I gave them enough to report on, and then I had them escorted to the front gate. Your witnesses are already here, Commander Forrest, so at least we can avoid that particular issue. The same with the defendants." He let out a long breath. "All right. Let's get down to business. Commander, you said you had some motions to file?"
"Yes, sir." He opened his briefcase and handed two manila envelopes to Beck and Chapel. "Defense Exhibit A. Robyn Hill refused the subpoena, citing the situation in Europe. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but in here are signed affidavits, witnessed by Miss Hill's lawyer, that she regards the defendants as excellent human beings and Faunus beings, superb fighter pilots, and that Poland owes them a debt of gratitude." He shrugged. "There's also a few things in there about the utter stupidity of the United States of Canada and its armed forces for prosecuting the defendants. In any case, I think we can just count that as a character witness."
Beck flipped through the affidavit. "Captain Chapel, any objections?"
She scanned the pages. "No, sir." The affidavit neither helped nor hindered her case: the word of Europe's most prominent mercenary didn't mean much to men and women of regular military forces.
"I'll make it available to the jury. And the second motion?" Beck asked.
Forrest handed them two more printed sheets. "A motion to dismiss all charges against Ensign Oscar Pine."
"On what grounds?" Chapel demanded before Beck could.
"Captain, we've established that Captain Rose's speech at Poznan on 29 August was not a call to mutiny. The so-called mutiny happened a day or two later. By that time, Ensign Pine had been shot and was in the hospital. He was kidnapped soon thereafter. The only thing he did was agree with Captain Rose that he believed the order was unlawful. He didn't commit any of the crimes he's accused of because he wasn't there."
Chapel read the document. So did Beck. "The Commander has a point, Captain," the judge finally said.
"What about missing movement? What about that charge?" Even she sounded unsure about that.
"Even if Ruby Flight had obeyed orders, Pine still would've been shot by Neo Politan. He would've missed movement because he would've still been in a hospital—he definitely would have once he was captured." Forrest shut his briefcase. "Maybe you can still get him on conduct to the prejudice, Captain Chapel, but you're going to look bad doing it. The Ensign was a POW. He's a kid, and a brave kid at that."
"Giving me legal advice?" Chapel smiled. "Well, it's good advice, anyway." She looked up at Beck. "The prosecution has no objections to dismissing the charges, sir."
"It will hurt your case," Beck acknowledged.
"It will hurt it even more if I'm browbeating a kid who refused to talk while Salem crushed his balls." Chapel had read Oscar's after-action report. "Commander Forrest is right; Pine shouldn't even be here."
"Very well." Beck got up and knocked on his door. The MP opened it. "Have Ensign Pine report to me immediately, Sergeant."
Ruby shifted in her chair nervously. She glanced behind her. There were more people in the pew-like seats today—Weiss was there, as was Qrow, finally given permission to at least be at the trial. There were a few other uniformed people she didn't know. One Army major glowered at her every time she met his eyes. Who pissed in his corn flakes? she wondered. The other person she recognized as Rissa Arashikaze, who acknowledged her with the barest hint of a nod.
"It'll be okay," Yang reassured her sister. "Oscar's supposed to take the stand today. Maybe the judge has some special instructions or something."
"Or maybe they're dismissing the charges against him," Blake said. "He really didn't have much to do with this."
"Bet you ten bucks that's not it." Yang reached into her wallet and pulled out a ten-dollar bill.
"You're on." Blake slapped down some money next to Yang's. Ruby smiled; she had a feeling the show was for her, to make her feel better. Someone muttered something that sounded like idiots behind her. It came from the direction of the Army major, and Blake's ears flicked at the noise. She looked over her shoulder. "So that's Victor March."
"Ironwood's JAG? The guy who drew up the charges." Yang didn't look back. "Weird that Forrest is putting him on the stand."
Blake opened her mouth to reply, only for Oscar to walk back into the courtroom, his face ashen. He walked up to the defense table. "They dropped the charges. The ones against me."
Yang pushed the $20 towards Blake, but she was smiling. "Well, that's awesome, Oscar! About time—you had nothing to do with this. You were tied up at the time." No one laughed at the pun.
"It's not!" Oscar protested. "I mean…it is, but…I don't want to leave you." He was looking at Ruby, but quickly looked at the other two. "It's not fair. Why do I get out of here and you don't?"
"Because Neo shot you, the Hound kidnapped you, and Salem tortured you," Ruby told him. She put her hand over his. "It's all right. It'll be okay."
"It's not fair." Oscar went around to the extension to sit, then remembered Beck's instructions. Almost in tears, he walked back around, went through the little gate, and sat next to Weiss. Ruby turned around to watch him. Oscar put his head in his hands, as Weiss—who had heard their conversation; the whole room had—put an arm around his shoulders. Arashikaze smiled, while March scowled.
Forrest and Chapel came in soon thereafter and took up their respective tables. "You got Oscar off!" Yang exclaimed.
"I did," Forrest confirmed. "The prosecution agreed; for most of the events this trial is all about, he wasn't even there."
"You did good," Yang grinned. She reached over and punched Ruby in the shoulder, who smiled too, genuinely. Whatever happened, Oscar Pine would not be dragged down with her.
"All rise!" the MP intoned, and everyone came to attention. The jury filed in and took their seats, followed by Beck, who sat down. "Be seated." He tapped his gavel. "This court is now in session at 1000 Hours local, continuing the trial of Captains Rose, Xiao Long, and Belladonna. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I am to inform you that the charges against Ensign Oscar Pine have been dropped. All parties have agreed that, due to injuries received in the line of duty and his subsequent capture by the enemy, he was not present at the time of the alleged mutiny, nor was he directly involved. Once this trial is concluded, Ensign Pine may resume his duties as the United States Navy deems fit. Are there any questions?" There were none, so Beck gave a nod to Forrest. "The prosecution has rested their case, so the defense may call their first witness."
Forrest stood. "If it pleases the court, my first two witnesses will not be taking the stand. The first was Ensign Pine, who, as the charges have been dropped, cannot contribute anything that we have not already heard from Captains Xiao Long and Belladonna last week. The second was Robyn Hill, who has respectfully declined the invitation to come and provide testimony." That was being generous. Technically, they all knew, the court could have forced the issue, but no one relished the idea of trying to force the leader of the Happy Huntresses to appear. "She has provided a sworn affidavit that sums up her testimony." He cleared his throat. "So, with that in mind, the defense calls its third witness: Deputy Director of Intelligence of the Central Intelligence Agency, Rissa Arashikaze."
Every head in the courtroom turned as the short woman stood and walked to the witness chair. Ruby was reminded of just how tiny Arashikaze was: she was shorter than even Ruby. The face was hard, however, her eyes sweeping first to the defendants, then to the jury and Beck, then to Chapel coldly; she wore all black, with not even the red trim of the suits she normally wore, which made her skin appear even more pale. She took the oath with what almost sounded like contempt, as if she believed the entire thing was a farce—which probably wasn't too far from the truth, Ruby thought.
"Director Arashikaze," Forrest began, "state your relationship with the defendants."
"Much of what I do is classified," Arashikaze replied, "but my relationship with the defendants was to occasionally issue them orders for special missions, as part of their role as Huntresses." Ruby glanced at the jury, who looked less than impressed. As a rule, the only people military officers tended to loathe more than politicians were spies.
"Did this include what they did in Poland?"
"Yes. I was the one who authorized Ruby Flight's use of the EC-130 Commando Solo to broadcast the evacuation order."
Forrest nodded. "Then you would consider yourself qualified to comment on their ability as officers?"
"More than qualified."
"Your opinion of them, then?"
Arashikaze faced all three of them. "They are young, lacking the experience of more veteran officers, and often headstrong…but they have packed more into the past six months than many military men and women take years to do, if ever. All of them are competent, even heroic. Their record should stand on its own." She managed to put enough contempt in the statement to make it very clear, if she hadn't already, what she thought of the court-martial.
Forrest gave another nod. Once more, he began to pace, in a deliberate show for the jury's benefit. "Were they in a position, then, to judge General Ironwood's orders as legitimate or illegitimate?"
"Yes," Arashikaze answered instantly. "That is what we train them for. They are at the tip of the spear; often those there can see more clearly than those of higher rank back at headquarters. And far more clearly than politicians or, occasionally, even spymasters in Charlottesville or Greenbrier." That brought a few nods of approval in the jury, Ruby could see.
"I see," Forrest said. "Let me change the subject here." He went back to the table, consulted his notes, and returned to Arashikaze. "You knew General James Ironwood for some time, correct?"
"I knew him for about two decades, yes," Arashikaze confirmed.
"Your opinion of the man?" Forrest glanced at Chapel, to see if she would object, but she was leaning forward intently.
"He was a friend." For a moment, Arashikaze's icy mask slipped. She blinked and looked down, took a breath. Ruby wondered if she was acting; Arashikaze was a spy, after all. It didn't seem that way. Then she quickly collected herself, and the face wore the disdainful expression again. "He was a friend. A good man in a bad position, with damn little support from home."
Forrest paused for a moment; Ruby noticed that Beck was watching Arashikaze, not him, and Chapel was scribbling notes to herself. "Did you relieve him of duty later on, a week or so after the so-called mutiny?"
Now Chapel was on her feet. "Objection, Your Honor. General Ironwood is not on trial."
Forrest looked like he had expected that, and turned to Beck. "Your Honor, while the general is not on trial, I think it is relevant to the case what the general's state of mind was when he issued the order on 29 August 2001."
"Overruled," Beck said.
"Yes," Arashikaze answered. "By the order of President Shawcross." That set up some murmurs.
"On what grounds?" Forrest asked.
"Exhaustion," Arashikaze said with a trace of sadness. "General Ironwood was showing signs of extreme exhaustion. Not the normal stress or combat fatigue a man in his position would show, but to put it plain and simply, the man was a wreck. I hate saying it because he was my friend. I hated relieving him because he was my friend. I take no pleasure in saying anything bad about a man who once helped save my life at Desert One in 1980…but he was not eating. He was not sleeping. He was not delegating authority or leaning on his staff; he was trying to do everything himself. Add to this the fact that he had been wounded, and I believe—with veracity—that General Ironwood was so tired that he was seeing enemies that did not exist alongside those enemies that did. The detonation of the nuclear mine at Belchanow and the subsequent irradiation of half of Poland was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. Yes, that was later, after the so-called mutiny…but he was already showing signs of it before that." Arashikaze shook her head. "This is speculation, but it is my job to speculate, and to judge. And in my judgement…James Ironwood was a broken man."
There was silence in the courtroom for a long minute or two. Then Forrest stepped back. "No further questions, Your Honor." He resumed his seat.
"Would the government like to cross-examine?" Beck asked Chapel.
"I would, sir." Chapel got up and walked over to Arashikaze. "Director Arashikaze, I'd like to ask you about the Huntsman/Huntress system. I will show relevance," she assured the court, which brought a few chuckles here and there. "Do you believe that system is flawed, Director?"
"It has its uses," Arashikaze said guardedly.
"For the CIA?"
"For everyone."
"Do you believe they are given too much leeway to operate?"
Arashikaze gave Chapel a pitying look. "That's literally in the job description, Captain. We pay them to have leeway in their orders. We need them to go into the deep dark sometimes, even when we know they won't be coming back." Ruby saw just a flash of pain across her face. She knows about Mom, Ruby realized. I bet she was there with Ozpin and Raven when they went after Salem. Hell, I bet she's the one who arranged the nukes. If anyone still had some B83 tacnukes around, it would be the CIA!
Arashikaze was still speaking, so Ruby pulled her attention to the here and now. "Is it the most efficient system? Perhaps not, but we tried other ideas in the 1960s and 1970s. They failed, with heavy casualties. If there is a better system, Captain, I'm all ears." She touched her ears, which were a bit larger than the norm. More chuckles, and even a hint of a smile from Chapel.
"Would you allow your agents that much leeway, Director?" Chapel asked.
"I do. I have to. Close control of agents gets them killed."
Chapel paused for a moment, changing tack. "You said that you believe that General Ironwood was a broken man. Was this before or after he gave the order to Ruby Flight?"
Arashikaze sighed, an instructor dealing with a dimwitted student. "He was showing signs of clear strain and exhaustion the day he gave the order. He had also been shot. Trust me, Captain, I have been shot multiple times; you don't just bounce back from that. Especially when you're older." She touched the hint of gray at her temples, where Ironwood had been completely gray.
"But not a broken man."
"The President would have relieved him much sooner," Arashikaze said. "He should have, actually."
"On 29 August 2001, do you believe Ironwood was still a legitimate authority?" Chapel pressed.
"He was still SACEUR, yes."
"Then do you believe that the order given to Ruby Flight was illegitimate?" Arashikaze hesitated. "I would remind the Director that she is under oath."
"I know quite well what I am, young lady," Arashikaze snarled. She glared at Chapel for a moment. "No, the order was not illegitimate. It was, however, foolish—and it never should've been given."
Chapel met the harsh, green eyes for a moment. "No further questions, Your Honor." She returned to her desk.
"The witness is excused," Beck told her. Arashikaze stood, visibly furious, and stalked back to her seat.
Not good, Yang wrote on the legal pad, and moved it over to Ruby.
"The defense calls Major Victor March to the stand."
March was not an impressive man—the uniform was crisp enough, with three rows of ribbons, but Ruby noticed that none of them were for combat. The Bronze Star at the top did not have a V device, so it had been given for non-combat duties. He was average height, but was slightly bent over when he walked; not helping were very bushy eyebrows, which gave him a hunted look.
After he had been sworn in, Forrest began. "Major, what was your relationship with General Ironwood?" Everyone heard a loud tap from the prosecution's table; it was Chapel tossing down her pen. Ruby saw the annoyance on her face; apparently she had figured out what Forrest's strategy was. Wish I knew what it was, she thought to herself. Forrest had barely asked questions about Arashikaze's relationship to Ruby Flight. Beck's eyes flicked to Chapel, who immediately straightened in her seat.
"I was General Ironwood's Judge Advocate General officer," March replied, tapping the JAG pins on his lapel.
"How long did you work with the general?"
"About ten years."
"Did you consider him a friend?"
Chapel stood. "Objection. Lacks foundation."
"Sustained," Beck said. "Get to the point, Commander."
"I will, sir." Forrest wasn't pacing now. "When were you charged with drawing up the articles of court-martial against the defendants?" Chapel half-rose from her seat, then settled back into it, confusion on her face.
"After the defendants committed the crimes they are charged with." March sounded surprised at the question.
"So General Ironwood asked you to draw up the charges in the middle of a campaign?"
"Yes. This is not unusual, Commander," March told him. "It's my job as a JAG officer. You would do the same."
Forrest didn't answer that part. "Did the general seem obsessed with these charges?"
"No, not at all. In fact, after he ordered me to, he checked in only once. As you say, Commander, it was in the middle of a campaign he was fighting." There was more than a note of triumph in March's voice, as if he'd caught Forrest in his own trap.
"What date did he give the order?"
March looked at Beck, who in turn was looking rather impatient with Forrest. "1 September 2001, once it became obvious that Ruby Flight was not leaving Poland."
"Did General Gale ask you to continue the investigation after it was thought the defendants had been killed in action?"
Again, March looked at Beck, but the judge was silent, so he answered the question, with a perplexed expression. "I don't understand where you're going with this, Commander, but yes. He was somewhat reluctant to, as the defendants—with the exception of Ensign Pine, the former defendant—were all thought to be dead, as you say."
"Despite the fact that General Ironwood was also killed in action?"
Chapel got up, this time not trying to disguise her exasperation. "Objection, Your Honor. None of this has a thing to do with the case or the charges filed!"
"Sustained. Commander Forrest, I'd like to see you in my chambers. The witness will remain on the stand. Short recess; five minutes." Beck banged the gavel, then walked out, leaving Forrest to catch up. Ruby's heart sank.
Once they were back in Beck's office with the door closed, he whirled on Forrest. "Commander, I understand you're an experienced lawyer, but just what the hell are you doing? Putting a fellow JAG officer on the stand is bad enough, but you're wasting time with these questions! I assume Captain Chapel hasn't launched objections with everything you've said because she's just as confused as I am!"
"Sir," Forrest replied, "I think we need to have some background as to why these charges were filed."
"Probably because the defendants committed a crime!" Beck exclaimed.
"That's what we're here to find out, sir, but let me say this: March just admitted that Gale was reluctant to go forward with the charges after Ruby Flight was thought to be dead. What was even the point if they were KIA? Why would you want to drag a bunch of dead fighter pilots' names through the mud?"
"You seem to be doing a pretty good job with Ironwood's name," Beck shot back.
"Sir, with respect, come on," Forrest argued. "You said it yourself that you didn't want this trial to become a political shitstorm. Rose, Xiao Long, Belladonna, Schnee, and Marrow Amin—they were all thought to be dead. And yet March continues his investigation, despite SACEUR himself being reluctant. That says to me that Gale wanted the charges dropped and the investigation ended, but March continued. Why? Why would he do that?"
Beck's look of exasperation faded. "Political motivations," he said with realization. "Or revenge."
"Exactly. Sir," Forrest said, "maybe I'm getting out over my skis here, but in my opinion, the defendants were overcharged. March kept trying to find new charges to tack on, even after Ruby Flight got back to friendly lines. He already had them on mutiny…so why add conduct to the prejudice? Because he didn't think he could get them on mutiny...so he wanted to make sure he got them on something. This is personal, sir."
"That's a hell of an accusation, Commander," Beck told him.
"Yes, sir, it is. The reason why I'm asking all these questions is because I'm trying to figure out what is going on. Even Captain Chapel wants to win this thing clean, not because some Senator is breathing down her neck. If this is nothing more than a witch hunt—and given that March charged Oscar despite him not even being present, which March would've known…well, sir, that's damn near grounds for a mistrial."
"Is that what you're going for, Commander?" Beck asked.
"It depends on what March says," Forrest replied.
Beck reached up and rubbed his eyes. "Give me a murder trial any day," he finally said. "All right, Commander. I'll sidebar Chapel and tell her I've appoved this line of questioning. But you'd better start showing some fucking relevance, or I'm dismissing the witness…and then I'm going to put a nice letter of counseling in your promotion jacket. You hear me, Commander?"
"I do, sir."
Beck made a shooing motion, and they left the office.
Ruby watched as the two men returned to the courtroom, Beck looking more disgruntled than before, but Forrest didn't seem remotely defeated. Beck called Chapel up to the dais and whispered to her. She was clearly taken aback, but returned to her seat. The jury was restless, and March seemed very confused. Then again, so was everyone else.
"Court is back in session. I apologize for that." Beck gave a tap of the gavel. "Continue, Commander."
"Thank you, sir." Forrest returned to March. "Major March, were you aware that Robyn Hill already knew about the EC-130 even before Captains Xiao Long and Belladonna told her?"
"I wasn't," March replied.
"Did General Ironwood know?"
"I don't know, Commander," March said. "I know he was angry at both of them, but was satisfied with non-judicial punishment, until he learned they had lied to him." He glanced at Ruby. "And he was also angry that Captain Rose had lied to him. She lied about the…" His voice trailed off, and he shot a look at Arashikaze, whose eyes promised a great deal of pain if he finished that sentence. "Well, I'm not at liberty to say what she lied about."
"But if Miss Hill already knew about the Commando Solo, and in any case General Ironwood told her anyway, why were the charges filed?"
"Because they lied," March snapped. "Hill's opinion is immaterial."
"Fair enough. Let's get to the date in question—29 August 2001." Forrest put his hands behind his back. "Did the defendants disobey any orders prior to that date, aside from what you're not allowed to talk about?"
"Well, that depends—"
"It's a yes or no question, Major." Forrest was now the one to put steel in his voice.
"Well…no. Not that I know of."
"Would you say their conduct had been exemplary?"
"I would not," March said angrily. "Their attitudes were poor. They talked back to the general. They showed their own initiative, rather than wait for orders."
Chapel covered her mouth, and even Ruby saw the opening. "Isn't that what we train our officers to do, Major?" Forrest pounced.
"Yes, but…"
"Did General Ironwood demand syncophancy? Did he want yes-men?" The questions were rapped out quickly.
"No, absolutely not."
"Did he ask to hear different opinions from his officers?"
"Well, occasionally. He didn't talk to his subordinates much," March blurted. "But, uh, yes, of course." The last was said hastily, in a clear attempt to cover up his mistake. He had just confirmed Arashikaze's testimony that Ironwood didn't delegate to his officers.
"Then he did want his officers to show initiative?" Forrest waited to see if Chapel would object—he was veering dangerously close to badgering March—but she said nothing.
"Of course," March repeated. "But the—the defendants were poor officers. They showed no loyalty to the general. They were more intent on headlines. They were more intent on stunts that the general—none of us—approved of."
"Such as?"
"Well, let's see." March took a moment to remember. "There was Captain Belladonna's reconnaissance mission to the old Russian border…Captain Xiao Long going with Delta Force..."
Forrest went back to his table and shuffled through some papers, then held them up. "Major March, these are recommendations for decorations for Captains Belladonna and Xiao Long. An Air Medal and Bronze Star with V for the Russia recon mission, and a Silver Star for the Delta Force mission. The first is signed by General Ironwood—granted, before the events of 29 August—and the second by General Gale. Both awards were to be granted posthumously, by General Gale; they are currently held in abeyance pending the outcome of this trial. Were you aware of these?" Another pause, too long. "Your Honor," Forrest said to Beck, "permission to treat the witness as hostile."
"Granted," Beck told him. "Major, you will answer the question. You are under oath."
"I was," March finally said.
"Then why did you just say these were stunts that General Ironwood and 'none of us' approved of?"
"I…I misspoke."
"The defense would like to enter these commendations as Defense Exhibit B." Forrest put the papers back on the desk. "Major, you have stated that General Gale was reluctant to prosecute this case because he thought the defendants were dead, and we have here as evidence that he intended to decorate two of the defendants posthumously. With this in mind, why did you pursue charges against the defendants?" Forrest knew that he was leaving himself open here—Chapel could easily object, because he was putting March on trial now. Yet she was still silent, staring at March with open curiosity and not a small amount of hostility.
"General Ironwood asked me to," March stammered. "Justice needed to be done. They were guilty. They—they were determined to undermine the general!" March's voice raised. "They wanted to destroy him! They wanted to..." He stopped and looked around.
"Major March," Forrest said tiredly, "did you insist on these charges despite General Gale's reluctance because you wanted to get revenge on the defendants out of loyalty to General Ironwood? To ruin their careers?"
"Objection," Chapel said, sounding equally as tired, "the defense is leading the witness. And badgering him."
"Sustained. Strike that last question, please. The jury will ignore it," Beck instructed. Forrest did not look disappointed; the damage was done.
"Just a few more questions, Major," Forrest said. "Were you ever contacted by sources outside the chain of command?"
"No," March answered.
Forrest once more returned to the defense table, and once more held up a sheaf of papers. "The defense would like to enter this as Defense Exhibit C. These are phone logs showing calls to Greenbrier and Charlottesville—"
"I was contacting the CIA!" March interrupted, pointing at Arashikaze. "She can verify that!"
"—and Madison, Wisconsin," Forrest finished.
"Objection, relevance." Chapel clearly wanted to drag March off the stand.
"Overruled," Beck said, almost before she finished her sentence.
"It was to redact classified material," March said softly.
Forrest raised both eyebrows. "Politicians know about classified material?"
"No, of course not."
"Then why did you—" Forrest stopped. "Never mind. I withdraw the question." He didn't need to finish it. The jury would already be asking themselves the same question: why was March calling Wisconsin? Greenbrier and Charlottesville made sense, Ruby knew; Arashikaze would and could verify that March had undoubtedly wanted to know how much he could put in the charges, and she had told him nothing about JINN. But Wisconsin was a different story entirely. "No further questions." He sat down.
"Would the prosecution like to cross-examine? Beck said, in a tone of voice that clearly hoped the answer would be no.
"No," Chapel simply answered.
"The witness is excused." March shuffled off, looking even more hunted now. The courtroom was silent as he left. Beck rolled his fingers across the podium for a few moments, thinking. "Court is adjourned until 0800 tomorrow morning," he finally said. "Defense will call their last witness and concluding statements will be heard…for now, anyway." He rapped the gavel once. "The prosecution and defense will see me in my chambers, please." All rose as Beck went out, Chapel and Forrest in his wake.
The jury left, then Arashikaze, who said nothing to anyone as she walked out. Ruby, Yang, Blake, Weiss and Oscar were now the only people in the courtroom; even Chapel's assistants had packed up her papers and were gone. "What the hell just happened?" Blake wanted to know.
"I think we just won this case," Yang said with a smile. "March fell apart up there. He practically admitted this was a witch hunt. He wanted to fuck us over so he could get revenge for Ironwood." She shook her head. "Jesus, was the guy in love with Ironwood or something? Not that there's anything wrong with that, but damn—his career's over."
"Ironwood engendered a lot of loyalty," Weiss pointed out. "He kept the same people with him for a long time. If it was any of us, and we wanted revenge, we might have done the same thing."
"March was getting back at us because he thought that was what Ironwood wanted," Ruby added, then shrugged. "Hell, maybe that was what Ironwood wanted."
They chatted for a few more minutes, then the door opened to admit Forrest. He was alone, and to their surprise, he didn't look cheerful. "What's up?" Yang asked.
"Good news and bad news," Forrest returned. "The good news is, I think between March and Arashikaze, we may have won the case." There was no smile, no grin; Ruby thought he looked almost as defeated as March had, which was strange.
"What's the bad news?"
"I moved for a mistrial because March was clearly politically motivated and out to get you four for personal reasons," Forrest said. "Beck said no. March may have pursued it beyond his brief, he may have overcharged, but he was still executing a direct order from a legitimate authority—Ironwood—and backed up by General Gale. Gale might've been reluctant, but he didn't say no. So this trial's going to the bitter end." He sat down heavily. "Which means, to quote the Bible, Ruby Rose…gird your loins. You're going on the stand tomorrow as my last witness."