"I still think you should contact the directorate and postpone this hearing; you are nowhere near fully recovered" Buck said
"No, I am not putting this off, I want to get it over and done with!" Wilma replied
"What are you going to say, or do? "
"I have not decided what my course of action will be yet…" Wilma said.
They were sitting at the breakfast table, both wearing part of their dress uniforms. Buck had been unable to coax Wilma into opening about her feeling concerning the upcoming hearing. All she would say was that she felt she should not have been suspended in the first place. Buck of course felt guilty about that. Afterall she was in this position because she had come to his rescue.
"I know it's kinda my fault that you had to spring me, but…" Buck started
"No, it is not your fault. First, I am an adult and made the decision to fly to Oros. Second it is absurd to think that a directorate officer is always on duty. I just wish I had fought the suspension at the time. "
Once the meal was completed, Buck insisted on cleaning up while Wilma went back into the bedroom to finish getting ready. When he was done and went to join Wilma, he found her almost ready she just needed her uniform jacket.
"Let me help you with that jacket" said Buck as he reached for the garment. As he removed it from the storage cover, "Wow I haven't never seen this uniform before"
The jacket was the standard navy blue with gold detailing but there was also a gold braid under the epaulet on the shoulder along with a thin red diagonal sash. On this sash was a single glittering star decoration.
"It's a formal dress one, I very rarely wear it actually" Wilma replied
"So why are you wearing it now?"
"Just so they know who they are messing with!"
Buck had no idea how to respond to that, so he said, "Just remember no matter what, you and I are going to be together right!" When she didn't reply right away, he repeated "Right"
Wilma smiled and agreed.
"We had better get going, I am not moving as fast as usual these days"
Buck and Wilma arrived at the hearing room right on time. The set up was the same as the previous hearing but this time there were several people seated behind the semi-circular tables where the ruling counselors were already in place. Buck started to escort Wilma to the podium, but she shook off his arm. "I need to do this myself" and she walked up to the podium. As she stepped up on the platform a murmur was heard to go through the people in the room reacting to her appearance
General Gates noticed it also. "Well, well well" he said. "I see you have brought out the formal uniform with some of the decoration that you" …. He paused searching for the word he wanted.
Wilma supplied it for him "Earned" When she said that a hush fell over the crowd.
"Let us get on with this! We are here for the court martial of Col. Wilma Deering for willful insubordination."
"General Gates, if I may interrupt, I believe I can save this august group a great deal of time. I concede that while under suspension, a totally unwarranted suspension in my opinion, I did enter the flight deck. In response to the catastrophic explosion. "
Rut row, she is really fired up thought Buck.
"I acknowledge that it was in direct opposition to the rules, regulations, policies, and procedures of the directorate that are so important to this group, apparently more important than the lives of the people. I cannot subscribe to that. Therefore I hereby resign my position with the Defense Directorate and my commission. Effective immediately."
The end?