Hi!
Okay, I can't
discuss Strike Back just yet, but I
will say I love shows where NOBODY is safe. Speaking of no one being safe, Sons of Anarchy returns Tuesday and I'm
ready to start marking the death toll. LOL
Now for something a
little less morbid. J Tonight's post is from Personal Involvement and features one of
my favorite angsty set-ups…personal involvement in the military and the fallout
that smacks the characters in the face. J
Here's the tagline:
Tarin Glade gets
caught up in a nightmare when she's brought before a disciplinary council for
her personal involvement with a student who failed basic flight. When Ellis
Spector, the brother of the complainant, speaks on Tarin's behalf, it rocks the
foundation of his family—especially since the commandant who brought the
charges is Ellis's father.
And a sneaky peek…
Ellis rose from his spot behind
Tarin and strode to the docket. "Admiral Chekwick, Ellis Spector for the
defense."
The admiral blinked and cocked
his head. "Just a moment, Lieutenant Spector, you're here to give
testimony on behalf of the defendant?" He shuffled the pages in the file
folder. "But your brother is the complainant."
Ellis gave a terse nod.
"Yes, Admiral."
Chekwick lifted a brow. "Care
to explain that one, young man?"
Ellis heaved an inward sigh.
"Sir, Ensign Glade, upheld her sworn duty. She recognized a lack of true
commitment on Cadet Spector's part and wouldn't forward him on to the
qualifications test." He paused. "She did this in spite of being
under pressure from Commandant Spector to send his boy to earn his wings."
Ellis kept as much heat out of
his voice as he could and prayed he'd succeeded.
The admiral studied Ellis.
"You have strong feelings about this."
He made it a statement, but Ellis
clarified. "I have strong feelings about my brother's life—which Ensign Glade
saved by not passing him." He glanced toward his brother. "Regardless
of the cost to her career, she wouldn't cave on her decision."
The admiral's mouth thinned to a
straight slash across his face. "Lieutenant, are you daring to assume you
know the outcome of this tribunal?"
Ellis shook his head. "Quite
the contrary, Admiral. I'm speaking solely about the fact she'll suffer a black
mark on her record whether she's cleared here or not." Ellis shot his
father a direct look.
The admiral took notice.
"Your old man has a lot of pull, Lieutenant."
Ellis nodded. "Yes, Sir, he
does. And he's earned every bit of it." He stopped there, keeping his tone
respectful.
The admiral's lips quirked.
"He has. Let's hope he chooses to use that sway to the betterment of
Ensign Glade's career instead of making it detrimental."
Ellis wanted to pump his fist in
the air. Tarin would walk away from the tribunal free and clear. And the
admiral basically laid it out for the old man. Don't screw with her—even commandants
can earn black marks.
Checkwick asked an additional
question. "Lieutenant, can you confirm, for the record, that the break-up
between Ensign Glade and Cadet Spector has nothing to do with the flight
qualifications?"
An unexpected turn, and possibly
a tricky situation to avert. Ellis took a moment and gathered his words
carefully. "If I may speak freely, Sir?"
The admiral nodded. "Go
ahead, young man."
Ellis nodded toward his brother.
"My brother entered Ensign Glade's class after they started dating. I
can't state why he kept his enrollment a secret from her, but I can confirm she
had no preconception he'd be there on the first day, and was, in fact, shocked
to see him."
So shocked she'd all but dragged
him out of the classroom to dress him down for not being where he should be.
Ellis continued. "From that
first day, she informed Cadet Spector he wouldn't receive any kind of
preferential treatment and would have to pull his weight or risk failure. I was
headed for the classroom to wish Cadet Spector luck when I witnessed that conversation."
The admiral inclined his head.
"Go on, Lieutenant."
Ellis finished his statement.
"I can't, in good faith, say the break-up has nothing to do with the
qualifications. I think it has everything to do with Eddie not being allowed to
go forward. But he's the one who initiated the split—after Ensign Glade refused
to sign off on his simulation scores."
Eddie stood up. "I never
told you I'm the one who broke up with Ensign Glade."
Ellis prayed the admiral would
take the opening provided.
The superior officer asked.
"Were you, Cadet?"
Eddie realized his mistake too
late. He had no choice but to answer truthfully or risk court martial for lying
under oath.
Shoulders slumped, he answered.
"Yes, Sir."
The admiral pressed forward.
"When, exactly, did you inform Ensign Glade you no longer wanted to be in
a relationship, Cadet?"
Eddie shot the elder Spector a
sideways glance. "The same day Commandant Spector spoke with her and she
refused to let me take the flight test."
Ephram rose, turned on his heel,
and exited the room. Ellis had hoped for the reaction, wanting his dad to
understand Eddie's deceit and put Tarin in the absolute clear. Ellis met the
admiral's gaze, hoping the man understood why Ellis had taken some liberty with
how he presented the facts. His old man needed to have his eyes opened and
realize Eddie played both sides against the middle. And couldn't be allowed to
do it anymore.
The admiral motioned for Ellis to
be seated. "Ensign Glade."
Tarin rose from her seat and
faced the admiral.
"The charges before me are
hereby dismissed and you'll return to active duty at 0700 tomorrow
morning." He lifted the gavel, ended the proceeding.
Ellis risked a glance toward Tarin.
She kept her eyes ahead and shoulders straight even though she'd been cleared. Ellis
admired the discipline she exhibited. So not her style, but maybe she'd learned
a little something from tangled aftermath of dealing with his brother.
Once the admiral exited the room,
Tarin turned and made her way to Ellis. "You're an idiot, but I can't thank
you enough."
Ellis grinned. "Yes, you
can. Have dinner with me then come to my place for movies and popcorn."
She chuckled. "A free meal
and entertainment? How can I refuse?"
Ellis shook his head. "You
can't. I'll pick you up at seven."
She laughed. "Make it five.
I have an early day tomorrow."
He smiled. "Five it
is." He started for the exit. "Carpathian seafood?"
Tarin nodded. "It's my
favorite. And action movies. None of those lame comedies."
Ellis paused by the door. "I
have an entire shelf of them. We'll go alphabetically."
He left to the sound of Tarin's
peals of laughter.
Ahhh, seems like
all is well, right? It's not. LOL But that's another post on a different day.
That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flip.
ML Skye
