| Pre-Hearing |
| Summary: | Madilyn talks to Coll briefly before the hearing to get some questions answered. |
| Date: | 31 May 2041 AE |
| Related Logs: | Anything with Coll in the Brig |
| Players: |
  |
| Main Brig |
|---|
| Tiny and cramped, the Main Brig seems designed to be claustrophobic. The steel bars lining the three cells have been set into the steel bulkheads on each side. Inside each cell is a stainless steel toilet and a bunk that might be too short for some of the taller crewmembers. The dreary conditions don't seem to be helped by the presence of a Marine guard who is there twenty-four hours a day, as long as a prisoner is in custody. The whole room is under surveillance via camera system in the Security Hub and every visitor must sign-in and abide by the rules. |
| Post-Holocaust Day: #93 |
Coll's trying really hard not to pace the cell so she's taken to drumming her fingers on her knees and boucning them up and down while she sits on the bed. The woman is obviously anxious, but the fear and resignation isn't there. She's ready for this fight. The hearing is in a few hours and its probably all she can think about. Her green uniform has been long-straightened to as perfect as she can make it.
There's no other souls in the brig at this hour save for Coll, and the duty MP. It's the calm before the storm, in a sense. That silence is interrupted only by the drumming of Coll…and the hatch that swings open. The woman that steps through is in the tan marine duty uniform, tall and blonde…someone that Coll has probably not seen face-to-face yet while dealing with all the MPs and doctors. The duty MP stands and salutes, and it's returned, but Madilyn doesn't make a big fuss. "Hello Specialist," she says in greeting to Coll, standing outside the bars, holding a folder under her arm.
Coll only glances up at the door swinging open, but her eyes go wide at seeing who it is and she scrambles up from the bed. She comes to parade rest behind the bars, head held high. "Major." Never seen her. Never been formally introduced. Just a rank for now. Lauren stares at the wall off to the side of the Major. "Good afternoon, sir."
"At ease, Specialist. I just wanted to have a quick word with you before your hearing. Nothing more, nothing less. Believe it or not, this isn't the only event I'm dealing with aboard ship at the moment." One of the chars at the MP desk is dragged over the cell and unfolded. Madilyn takes a seat, crossing her legs, and opening the folder in her lap. "You are formally being held on charges of dereliction of duty, is that correct?"
Coll relaxes a bit from her position, but doesn't really move much. Her eyes flick to the Major and stay there. The CAG said to handle it like an officer and she's going to do exactly that. "I would imagine you are a very busy Marine, sir." If there's some joking or sarcasm there, its not evident. "The information you have is correct, Major. Dereliction of Duty."
"I'm not going to play coy, and I'm not going to presume to be the JAG. I know what I have here in my reports, and I know how it fits in with the bigger picture happening around here. Tell me, honestly…did you leave the weapon unattended on deck for someone else to have access to? Or was it a legitimate moment of forgetfulness of deck protocol and trust in your fellow deckies?" Madilyn's stare is serious, unrelenting; pale blue eyes lock down on Coll to remind her that this isn't a joke. It's not a formal questioning either, just Madilyn's attempt to gauge the woman's intentions.
The Specialist has been ready for questions like this all day. She never wavers her eyes from the Marine CO's. Her voice is calm and relaxed. "Sir: The weapon was left out for no other reason than my becoming very ill, very quickly. I was confident that I would not have been able to return the ASIM-54C back into proper, secure storage before I became unable to control my bodily functions any longer. To my knowledge, I was the only one on that part of the Ordnance Deck at the time so I made the decision to leave it out, Major."
Madilyn removes a pen from the breast pocket of her uniform and makes a small note in the report. What it says is impossible to read, but she doesn't make a hurry out of writing it down. The whole time, Coll is kept waiting in the silence there in the brig. "Do you have anything you feel I should know regarding the episode that initially warranted you being taken into custody? Captain Quinn was down moments after to discuss the matter, but I want to hear what you have to say. According to her, you were in a distressed state, and were convinced that you were responsible for the apparent Raptor sabotage."
So it was Quinn. Filed away. Coll barely bats an eye. "Sir, I would put forward the notion that Captain Quinn, while I'm sure she is an excellent officer, is not a psychiatrist - whom I had a visit from. That gentleman said that I was reacting appropriately to an extremely stressful situation." The Specialist doesn't seem to have a problem standing there and answering questions. Her answers come easily and might carry the notes of honesty. "In regards to the initial custody? No, Major. That was my overreacting to a simple request from Corporal Constin. The Doctor may have said it was an appropriate reaction, but I don't believe it was. I have apologized to the Corporal for it. As for the Raptor itself, sir? Negative. That Raptor was having legitimate work done. I have even spoken to the pilot, myself. He seems to want me to be his ECO, Major." This is all said with a completely straight face. She's taking this about as seriously as the Major is.
"When this hearing is through and the evidence is presented, do you feel the JAG will exonerate you from all charges? Or do you feel that the dereliction of duty charges will stand?" There it is, the million dollar question. Again, just to sate Madilyn's curiosity. The matter has, of course, been investigated by the MPs, in whom she has absolute trust; she's seen the evidence. "Completely informally, of course. How do you see your role in all of this? Maligned victim of circumstance?"
"Sir, I am unaware of exactly what part of my job the charges relate to and I have not bothered to ask. I will present myself to the judges and JAG Corps and tell them exactly what I know. I think that anyone who looks to the spirit of the law and not the letter, while taking into account my dedication and work ethic, will have a problem easily deciding my guilt for that charge." Coll seems QUITE sure of this, though she doesn't comment about whether or not she'll be acquitted. To the last question, the nod of the Specialist's head is slow and terse. "I was set-up and framed for something I did not and could not ever do, sir. Whoever that piece of shit is who is killing aircrew knew how I spent my off-duty hours volunteering down there. They knew about my work on the ordnance checks. Yes, sir, I believe that would side me completely into the 'victim' category." She's not being snarky or condescending with her tone. She's just quite passionate about her innocence apparently.
Once again, Madilyn makes a note in the report, open on her lap, the slides the pen back into her pocket. "Thank you Specialist. That's all I wanted to know." As unexpectedly as she came down to the brig, the Major stands up, folding the chair, and returning it behind the desk. "If you'll excuse me, I need to formalize a few things before adding them to the report the JAG will receive at the hearing." The way Madilyn stands outside the cell indicates that if Coll has anything left to say, now's the time.
Coll comes up to attention as the woman rises and prepares to leave. The Specialist keeps her eyes locked on the far wall and she gives a quick, "Aye, sir." She pauses for a moment, noting that the Major isn't leaving just yet, so Coll takes the bait. "I'm a good soldier, sir, and I would never betray the uniform. Yours or my own. Let alone what's left of humanity. I plan to shove my way back into the Air Wing if they don't strip me of my uniform. I've got no respect for civilians who can't haul their weight." And with that, she slices the air and lifts a sharp salute to her temple for the Marine CO.
Madilyn returns the salute, and nods once. "Very well Specialist." She doesn't come out and say that she hopes the woman is found innocent since…that seems like a pretty biased thing to do, and she has to show impartiality. However, it is good to know that she's so totally and fervently committed to her own innocence. That folder is shoved back under her arm, she spins on her bootheels, and she heads for the hatch.