Chapter 4

TJ and Ivy marched slowly in step the length of the Guard House, turning towards each other at the ends of the reach.

"What happens, now TJ?" Ivy asked.

"You spend the night in cells; tomorrow, you'll be marched in to the OC's office where the charge details will be read out and she'll ask you if you will accept her decision. If you say yes, evidence will be given and she'll find you guilty and the worst she can do is order you into cells for four days with stoppage of pay. If you say no, you will be remanded for Court-martial which has the power to dishonourably discharge you, and order twenty four months imprisonment."

"What you're saying is plead guilty, cop the punishment and go with the flow."

"Basically, yes; you leave recruit training with a clean slate."

"But I'll have the rep as the girly who disobeyed an order. Thought so. Will you stand for me before the OC?"

"Not allowed, you can ask for one of the officers. You don't get a choice until Court martial."

"What are my chances at Court martial?"

"Depends who you get on the board, and what counsel are appointed."

They stopped and Ivy faced TJ,

"TJ, do you think I was wrong?"

"Ivy, you shouldn't have pushed it."

Ivy cocked her head at him,

"That tells me what I want to know." They started off again, "my Da is still a beat Constable in the 'Met' after forty years; a year or so after he joined the Force, he snotted a Chief Inspector and got away with it. He's never going to be promoted; tops all the courses. Got more decorations than the Commissioner because whenever things go bad, he gets a temporary posting and put in charge — usually another gong results and then he is back to the beat. But he is handled with kid gloves — nobody hassles my Da. He has the 'rep'. So I don't mind being like my Da. I'll do my enlistment in Andrew and join the Force — only difference is I'll have the 'rep' before I start."

"That presumes you get acquitted by the Court."

"Oh, I've got no worries about that because you are going to stand for me. Night TJ" and bussed his cheek before waltzing back into the Guard House to be locked up.

Mid morning next day, Recruit Sorensen returned to the squad,

"Remanded for Court Martial under open arrest. What does that entail, TJ?"

"Probably a few extra duties but about the same as we are doing now and you will have to sign into the Guard House every hour when not on duty."

On the surface, nothing changed but there were profound differences. The DIs stood in the quarter's door way shouting only a few comments at reveille; the recruits were up, putting finishing touches to uniforms and the squad formed within two minutes of reveille. All comments were courteous and orders were given firmly and politely; the orders were quickly obeyed without grousing. The only ones seemingly unaffected by it all were TJ and Ivy except for one small change — Ivy moved into TJ's bunk at night but took care to be out of it before the DIs appeared. Four nights after Ivy joined TJ, Holly Wilson, a distant cousin of SWO Wilson, said "Stuff it" and moved into Morg's bunk.

Two days before the Court convened, TJ was marched into the OC's office and introduced to a tall lean man of indeterminate age,

"Bill Sorensen. Let's walk" nodded at the others and waved TJ out the door. TJ looked at his OC who half smiled and waved him out. TJ braced and joined the man on the road outside. TJ adapted himself to the steady strolling pace of the other and noted how the Constable's eyed moved about not missing a thing.

"Ivy says you will get her off."

"Yes" and continuing in response to a cocked head, explained.

"Not rescinded?"

"Still in force and it's on the disks; you just have to know where to look."

The President of the Board having fulfilled the requirements asked for opening addresses.

The Prosecuting Officer detailed the case and indicated the witnesses he intended to call.

As TJ stood to begin his reply, the President motioned both 'counsel' to approach,

"I know you have been asked this numerous times but, I've got to give you one last chance — do you think you can handle this, son?"

"Sir, yes; and Ivy, uh that is the defendant, specifically asked me to stand for her."

The President nodded dismissal.

"The defendant concedes the facts as detailed. The defence states the command was unlawful and will conclusively so prove. One document will be submitted and only one witness called, Recruit George Windsor."

TJ had opted for commissioned ranks only on the Board as lower decks are harsher towards one another on matters of discipline but the Judge Advocate had pulled a 'swifty' and appointed two mustangs — officers who were commissioned from the lower decks and one of them, a Lieutenant jg, was junior man and he asked

"That's your 'oppo' — built like a spare mountain side?"

"Sir. He was the recruit the defendant was ordered to carry."

"Bloody hell" was the sotto voiced reply.

The other mustang from the other side of the President asked,

"And the document?"

"OHSA slash Second slash forty nine of eighty four."

"That's over forty years old, man!"

"Yessir" replied TJ " and it is still in force."

The Board members and the Prosecutor entered the details into their desk 'puters and then read the Second Space Lord's directive on the weight limits personnel could be expected to lift.

"You will note that the directive says quote usually be unquote," TJ went on, "the clear implication is that under unusual circumstances, a spacer could be ordered to lift and or carry more than half their body mass. The circumstances were not unusual and Recruit Windsor is one nineteen kay gee and Recruit Sorensen is fifty eight kay gee."

The second mustang pushed his chair back and exclaimed

"This whole thing is a confounded waste of time," and he looked accusingly at TJ, "and why didn't you make this known; would have saved all this kafuffle."

"We were never asked, Sir; and I would point out that the defendant is not required to iterate her defence unless it is based on an alibi. Here it clearly is not. The command is in direct contravention of the Second Space Lord's directive and is therefore unlawful. I would also draw to the Board's attention, the report of casualties resulting during recruit training, Casrep slash Second slash fifteen of twenty two, and its recommendations. You will also note the distribution of that report and the Second Space Lord's directive accompanying it. Both Directives were published in UROs at the time and also just about every five years since."

"Commander Mayze?" asked the President. The Commander turned another page on the document on his 'puter, read a few lines and then stood,

"I would want to see Recruit Windsor."

"No, you wouldn't," snapped the jg "be a further waste of good time. I have seen the man about the base with their squad and the man is every bit of one nineteen kay gee. The command is unlawful. The Recruit is not guilty. Let's pack this thing up and get back to work."

The President coughed politely,

"Restrain yourself, Tony, there are a few formalities to go through first. Commander, I take it you don't need to do your thing as the defendant has conceded your facts?"