Sort of Legal Ch. 13

"and the charge of sexual misconduct?" the Doctor chimed in.

The CO looked up at her, anger clear on his face, "dismissed, no evidence," he snarled out.

"Marine Young, did you report to the medical bay wearing," he paused to read from the pad, "Pants and jacket combat, a white, bikini and a brunette wig?"

"Yes Sir, I also had some bandages on," she replied.

"Young, watch your tone," the COB growled.

"Yes, Sir, just stating the facts," she replied maintaining her position rigidly at attention.

"Why were you in this state of dress?" he asked.

"The training exercise required me to be in civilian beach wear and that is all I had with me, Sir," she replied. The Doctor huffed her indignation.

"Yes, the training exercise," the CO said, "I'm glad we got there, tell me about it."

Ginger paled and swallowed hard, "Sir, I have been told not to say anything about the exercise and that I must direct all questions regarding that to Chief Sargent Moss."

"Who told you that?" the CO pressed.

"Sir, please ask Chief Sargent Moss for any information," she replied.

The CO jumped to his feet angrily, "I am the CO of this ship, you are under my direct command, I order you to answer me!" he bellowed.

"Sir, if I may..." Ronan began.

"Not a word from you! Answer the question Young!" he screamed.

"I am not permitted to answer you, Sir!" she yelled back.

"Answer the man or you will spend the rest of the tour in the fucking brig!" the COB yelled in her ear.

"See? See? This is the shit she gave me in the medical bay!" the Doctor joined in.

The CO bored holes into her, Ginger refusing to back down on inch glared right back at him, finally he sat down and picked up the pad again.

He looked out of the small window for a few minutes as Ginger panted, coiled and ready to explode.

"I am going to give you one chance to change your mind, one chance, you have five seconds."

Ginger clenched her jaw refusing to say or do anything as the time ran down.

"Sir, may I speak with Young in private?" Ronan asked.

"No, you may not," the CO replied not taking his eyes from Ginger for a second.

"Marine Young, I assume from you silence you are not going to change your mind?" he asked.

The Doctor again snorted.

Ginger made no comment.

"Ok in that case, we are done here, Marine Young, do you accept my ruling, or do you wish to have a full court marital?" he said.

"I accept your ruling, Sir," she said, no longer caring what was going to happen.

"Marine Young, all charges are dismissed," he said making a note on the pad. Ginger's mouth fell open.

"What you can't do that? She sassed you too!" the Doctor screamed.

"Doctor, you are an officer on my ship, you will conduct yourself as such, you may speak to me in private afterwards!" the CO yelled back.

"This is a joke! How can you allow her to get away with this?" she demanded.

The CO closed his eyes frowning as he did so, "For god's sake, she is following orders, we have orders her confirming the secrecy act is invoked for the exercise, and despite that you insisted on this farce, I have made my decision, now shut up and stop wasting everyone's time!" he yelled.

"You are dismissed," the CO said.

No one moved.

"COB, take her away," he said again.

"Err, yes Sri," the COB said visibly amazed, "Marine Young right turn, quick march," he yelled.

Instantly, in a daze Ginger obeyed marching smartly out of the office, followed by an equally stunned Ronan. The marched off down the deserted corridor.

"What the fuck?" the COB said in amazement.

"You got me," Ronan said events.

"What?" Ginger asked, she was too new to have experienced the normal process of disciplining troops.

The COB shook his head angrily, annoyed at being caught off guard being unprofessional, "Get the fuck outta here, I don't want to see you for the ret of the tour!" he snapped.

Ginger shrugged and dashed off back to her bay Ronan trailing along behind her shaking his head.

"Happy?" the CO asked the Doctor who shrugged noncommittally. The comm interface chimed on the desk, the CO swiping to accept the call.

"Thank you for your co-operation," Hadley-Page said.

"You know what happened?" the CO asked in surprise.

"It is my business to know, Young did very well, I do like being right," he said smiling smugly.

"I do not, however, appreciate my command being made to perform like some sort of freak show for your amusement," the CO said.

"We all dance to someone's tune," Hadley-Page said.

"I do not dance to anyone's fucking tune," the CO growled.

Hadley-Page regarded him for a few moments until it became uncomfortable.

"I have no wish to engage in a pointless pissing contest with you, suffice to say I thank you, and if I have need I shall call on you again," Hadley-Page said before closing the call.

"I fucking hate you sneaky bastards," the CO said to the Doctor, she shrugged and left the office.

The comm chined again a simple text message it said.

The CO looked carefully round the room looking for the camera or something out of place, he found nothing he sighed putting the episode from his mind and returning to he mountain of real paperwork.

He snorted later checking his data pad, seeing all reference to Ginger getting charged had vanished, as had the log of the ship entering and leaving the Invincible. He even had logs showing they had attended the parades as required.

***

"So, he dismissed everything?" Mack said as he cleaned his boots.

"Yes, for the third time!" Ginger laughed cleaning her own gear.

"Makes no sense," Alphabet said.

"Forget it," Ronan said.

"Cool, who's coming to the gym?" Ginger asked feeling better than he had in the weeks since she got back to the Invincible.

"Now your talking!" Alphabet said grabbing his gear and bounding out of the bay, the rest of them following along.

***

The tour continued uneventfully for Ginger and India one nine the flotilla making its proscribed way around Terran territory, skirting along Malari space flanked by Malari ships, both sides keeping to their ides of the border, just in sensor range of each other.

"They're the ones who on one's seen?" Ginger asked Mack as they sat in the mess after another day spent mainly in the gym.

"Yeah, rumour is they got some sickness, so they have to wear the suits to keep them alive," he shrugged.

"That's fucked, how can a whole race be sick?" she asked.

"Nah, they're all like major ugly you'll hurl just looking at them," Alphabet said chewing his biscuit.

"That still don't make any fucking sense, how can they be that ugly?" Ginger asked.

"I have no idea, but if you ask me Alphabet should take the hint and get a fuck suit too," Ronan laughed.

"Yeah, you can all get fucked," Alphabet said as they all laughed at him.

"We'll be near Kintark space soon, them lizard bastards are cold, I hope we don't get any trouble," Mack said.

"Is it likely?" Ginger asked.

"You never know," Ronan said reflectively, "there's a lot of planets, some claimed, some not, it can get fractious."

***

Standing on parade the Pathfinders and Sky-blue waited to be dismissed as the rest of the boring minutia of ship life was explained for the assembled marines.

"We are nearing Kintark empire, there will be additional drills, be ready at all times," the CO said.

"Final thing, Marine Young, promotion to Lance Corporal, congratulations," the CO said surprising Ginger and India one nine.

The COB dismissed the parade and they made thier way back from the hanger to the bay.

"Nice, well done," Mack said hugging Ginger tightly.

"I gotta breath," Ginger said trying to pull herself out of his embrace.

Alphabet and Ronan patting her on the back.

"Yeah, nice one, drinks on you," Alphabet said.

"Man, you are fucking charmed," Ronan said.

***

"What the fuck are we doing again?" Alphabet asked as India one nine and seven seven rested under the cammo netting near the all train vehicles waiting for sunset, so they could start out again.

"Will you fucking stow that shit? You know exactly what we are here for." Ronan said exasperated with Alphabet's whining.

"Yeah but come on boss, two weeks already? Can't the fucking ship find the fucking probe?"

"Fuck, I wish someone had thought of that," Ginger said sarcastically, for some reason the desert planet was really getting to Alphabet, and he was letting everyone know he was annoyed.

"Look, all I am saying," he started.

"Shut the fuck up! No one fucking cares shut up! Just fucking drive that's it!" Mack snapped.

Alphabet grumbled under his breath and rolled over faking sleep.

A few short hours later the two patrols stood guard as darkness fell, swiftly and silently they packed up the netting and mounted the vehicles, Alphabet driving, Ronan navigating and commanding the twin patrol, Ginger and Mack manning the two heavy machine guns mounted in the rear, one each side.

"Ok, comms check," Ronan said over the radio net. All of them calling in acknowledgment.

"Good, right, as before, fifty meters spacing, we got a hundred and seventy-five to cover, the big bird has spotted a lay up point for us, and several more targets to check. So, let's get too it, roll out," Ronan said, the two electric ultra-mobility vehicles rolled out silently from the lay-up pont, India Seven seven spreading out to the right by fifty meters.

Mack kept his gun forward scanning ahead, Ginger scanning her's to the left, the other Tiger, ultra-mobility vehicle, known to the marines as 'Moggies' had one gun to the rear the other on the right flank. nothing had been spotted from orbit, since the flotilla had picked up something blasting out from Kintark space towards the unclaimed and unnamed planet. Sensors watched it fall, it wasn't a big object and was soon lost in the ground returns, the only way to find it, boots on the ground. The Marines were stood by on the Invincible waiting for a call from one of the Pathfinder and sky-blue patrols sent to locate whatever it was.

Hours later and three dead ends, the patrols pulled up for a break, still manning their positions the ate and drank cold rations.

"Man, if I'd known I was going to be eating so much of this shit cold I would never have put my name down for Pathfinder," Ginger chucked watching a lump of the rations fall off her spoon and back into the packet.

"Its good for you, full of nutrients and vitamins, everything a Marine needs," Mack chuckled eating the cold rations with apparent relish as he perched on the ring mount of his machine gun.

"What do you think is out here?" Ginger asked, Ronan and Alphabet were sending a comms report back to the Invincible.

Mack shrugged chewing his rations, "Dunno, could be a sensor probe, they do that from time to time, or maybe an escape pod, fuck knows."

"Escape pod?" Ginger asked her eyes sparling with excitement.

"Oh yeah," Mack said seeing the look in her eyes, "usually stuffed full of treasure and some horny alien princess with six tits and a desperate need for human cum," he laughed.

"Why the fuck do I ever talk to you?" Ginger asked chuckling.

"Ready to roll in five," Ronan announced over the comms.

Mack slipped back into the gun ring and stowed his ration packs, Ginger took one more bite and did likewise, the shared a quick drink and waited.

On command they rolled out again across the vast seemingly featureless desert.

***

"Ok hold here," Ronan said looking again at the screen, none of the others could see it as his head was under a light proof cover.

They waited in silence carefully scanning wondering what had spiked Ronan's attention.

"Yeah, this looks like something, Ginger with me, we'll approach on foot, two hundred meters, copy?" Ronan said, unclipping the light machine gun from the mount on the front of the vehicle.

"Copy that," Ginger said grabbing her rifle and jumping down from the back of the Moggie.

"Be ready," Ronan said as he and Ginger moved forward up the slight rise, the crawled the final twenty meters to the top of the rise, the fine sand making Ginger itch as it worked its way into her clothing.

Carefully the crested the rise, pausing for a few moments trying to see anything in the inky blackness. Ronan pulling out a set of night vision binoculars to scan the ground.

Ginger scanned with her scope looking for anything, she noticed the trail on the ground leading to a lump, she watched it looking for signs that there was anything there.

Ronan tapped her boot and they slowly pulled back from the edge, he lent close, so he could whisper in her ear.

"See any movement?" Ronan asked softly, Ginger shook her head.

"Looks like something though?" he asked, Ginger nodded in agreement, the lump did look artificial.

"Ok take the bins, keep an eye, I'm going back, cool?" Ronan whispered handing her the binoculars and sliding down the rise, she watched for a moment and crawled slowly back to the crest, setting her rifle on the bipod she watched the lump and the surrounding area wondering if there was anything there.

"Standby, doing a sweep," Ronan said over the radio, Ginger clicked twice to acknowledge.

She could barely make out the sound of the Moggies moving as they carried out the sweep of the perimeter, but the sound faded very quickly as they moved away.

Ginger waited silently wondering how long the patrols were going to take to do the sweep. Che checked the ground round the object trying to pick out anything of interest.

Ronan crawled up beside her after a while, "see anything?" he whispered. Ginger shook her head.

"Ok closer look then, Mack and Alphabet are getting set with the moggie off to our right, you set?" Ronan asked.

Again, Ginger nodded, she could just make out the outline of the Moggie, the gun ring showing over the lip of the rise the radio crackled in here ear.

"Set," Mack said. Ronan clicked the button twice in acknowledgment and he waggled his eyebrow at Ginger as he began crawling forward.

Waiting till Ronan stopped moving she started crawling forward over the rise to the reverse slope, she passed Ronan and kept moving a few meters past, she stopped and waited checking to see nothing had moved.

Silently the crawled forward till the object was clearly a cylindrical pod of some kind. They kept moving till they were within ten meters of it. They stopped and waited again.

Ronan nodded his head indicating Ginger should go first, she pulled out a grenade clipping it high up on her webbing so it was within easy reach, should she need it. Quietly she got to her feet and stalked around the object looking for a door, Ronan following on a second behind her.

Moving silently the circled round the object, Ginger methodically sweeping her rifle over the pod as she went.

Pausing when she saw an open hatch she caught Ronan's eye and motioned with her head she was moving forward, he nodded in response.

Licking dry lips, she stepped round so she could see inside the pod.

The inside was pitch black, nothing moved, it was still as the grave. Ronan came around a few moments later and looked in too.

Unable to see anything in the darkness they pulled back, Ginger facing away from the pod and Ronan crouching near her ear, "Can't see a fucking thing, we'll have to wait for light before we can do anything," he whispered. Ginger nodded briefly, wondering how long it was till dawn.

Setting a few sensor pods down the withdrew back to the waiting Moggies. Ronan directed them to move to position, so they could see into the pod, they waited for sun to come up.

The sun began to light the sky a few hours later, both patrols stood by in case anything happened, from the angle of the door and the sun no light entered the pod. They waited silently till the sun was higher in the sky.

"Ok let's go take a look," Ronan said when he was happy with the light.

"This time you stick your head in first," Ginger said with a smile.

"Hey! You're only a lance corporal, I'm a damned Master Sargent, this head is valuable, yours ain't," he laughed back.

Quickly the two of them covered the ground, Mack and Alphabet standing by with the machine guns in case anything happened.

Ginger peaked into the pod, "Yeah, that's fucked," she said pulling back.

Ronan took a look, "Wow, gross, fuck it lets call it in."

The par retraced their steps to the waiting Moggie.

"So, what's in there?" Mack asked.

"Not fucking treasure, that's for sure, there maybe a few tits, but if you want to fuck it go right ahead," Ginger laughed.

"Shit, what do you recon? Someone punch out?" Alphabet asked.

"Yeah could be, I think the door blow off or something, explosive de comp, if you ask me," Ronan said with a shrug.

"Nasty," Alphabet said.

"Yeah, ok call it in Alphabet, we'll have some food before we get an answer," Ronan said, Alphabet started with the radios to call the find in, Mack remained on the gun as Ginger started heating some rations and coffee, Ronan going to tell the other patrol what was happening.

"Fuck look at that!" Alphabet said pointing to the sky, Ginger and Mack looked up to see debris entering the atmosphere leaving a fiery trail in its wake.

"Fuck, that's torn it," Mack said rapidly returning his attention back to the pod and checking his gun again.

"What's up?" Ginger asked shielding her eyes as she watched the debris.

"That means some cunt has turned up without invitation and I am betting cash money that it has something to do with that pod over there," he said, "give me that coffee."

Ginger handed him the can off coffee and some rations, Mack snatching them from her hand and keeping his eyes fixed on the pod.

"That ain't good," Ginger said swigging her own coffee as another debris trail appeared in the sky from a different direction.

"You sure it was empty?" Mack asked watching the pod with the binoculars.

"Yeah, nothing but some chunks of meat, everything else looked pretty smashed up and burnt," she said eating more of the rations.

"Well some asshole wants it back," Mack said.

"Got anything back?" Ronan asked running back to them.

"Yeah, nothing, just stand by out," he said with a shrug.

"Ok cool," he said as Ginger handed him a coffee, "ok let's get this thing prepped for dems," he said.

"Ok boss, Ginger take over ok?" Mack said climbing down from the gun position.

"Yeah sure," she replied climbing up to replace him, clutching her coffee with her. She checked the weapon and sat in the ring watching the pod.

Mack and Ronan quickly grabbed the demolition charges and started out for the pod.

"Keep your eyes on the pod," Mack warned her as he left.

She watched the pod as the two of them approached the pod.

"Why are we prepping the pod for dems?" she asked Alphabet not taking her eyes off the pod and her two comrades.

"If someone wants it, we want it, if we can't have it we blow it to shit, you know, the usual," Alphabet said checking the moggie over.

"Fuck, another one, must be really hot up there," Alphabet said, Ginger kept her focus on the two team members as the moved round the pod setting up the charges.

Suddenly the radio burst to life, "Ronan, we got incoming," Alphabet said.

"Ok how long we got?" Ronan asked.

"Yeah, Invincible is telling me six minutes, we've been ordered to rig to blow and go dark," Alphabet said.

Ronan gave them a thumbs up rather than acknowledge over the radio. Ginger let Alphabet know he'd acknowledged.

Alphabet raced round the Moggie getting it ready, "Ok good to go, you got your radio off?" he asked.

"Shit, fuck, I forgot!" Ginger snapped yanking her personal radio out of the holster and switching it off.