| Unacceptable Reasons |
| Summary: | Lance Corporal Maragos interviews Lieutenant Rime about the change of power. |
| Date: | 4 JUN 2041 AE |
| Related Logs: | The Public Weal, Rex Mortuus Est |
| Players: |
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| Officer's Brig — Deck 6 — Cerberus |
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| These pair of cells are roomier than one might expect. Each one is provided individual access by a door at the front, located on the other side of the room from the hatch. Each one essentially an armored glass cage, this area is walked and guarded by Marines day and night. Privacy not being a huge concern for prisoners, inside the cell is a single bunk and toilet in full view with nothing else. All visitors must sign-in with the Marine at the desk. Cameras are located at the entrance and on the cell itself, everything recorded onto disk in the Security Hub. |
| Post-Holocaust Day: #96 |
Clank clank go the elbow pads, spaulders, and other heavy armor bracings across Cadmus's body as he tosses them onto the table near the brig's hatch. Everything but the vest. He pulls the plain metal chair away from the table, flips it about in front of him, and collapses into it with a heavy exhalation. He slowly pulls out his pen, notepad, and a cigarette: "Which one of you wants to make a statement first? Colonel Pewter wants a official commentary from those currently brigged," he says in a smoke-scratched tone, coughing once at the end of it.
Rime doesn't move for several seconds. Waiting to hear a peep from any of the other cells, perhaps. Then, all at once, she calls, "Me. I'll give my statement," and swings her long legs off the bunk. She straightens, tugging down her uniform and brushing invisible dust off her trousers, before stepping forward toward the glass wall separating her from the MP. She settles easily into parade rest, looking out at him with a cold, intent stare.
"Right." Cadmus clicks the pen's point, and pulls his wireless earpiece out of his ear - nobody likes their official statements muddled up with "ROGER, THREE-TWO IS OSCAR MIKE" or the like. Glancing up toward Rime, he nods; "Ready when you are, Lieutenant. Lay it on me."
"I am Lieutenant Diana Melissande Rime, Junior Tactical Officer of CF-505 Praetorian, serving as Tactical Liaison upon BS-132 Cerberus. Last night at approximately 2100 hours I was attending evening prayer hours at the Chapel. I arrived alone, after finishing my regular shift in CIC. There were several in attendance, including Admiral Abbot, Major Hahn, CAG, Captain Gabrieli, Chief Engineer." Did she make flash cards to memorize the senior staff, before coming aboard? She may well have.
"Major Tillman entered and moved forward to speak to the Admiral. I couldn't hear what they were saying. I was distracted by Lieutenant McQueen from the Air Wing at the back of the room. He was speaking loudly. The Admiral finished his observances and moved to leave with Major Tillman." Rime pauses there, taking a breath or two, as if recollecting herself. "Upon exiting the Chapel, Major Tillman clearly announced he was taking control of the Cerberus and relieving the Admiral of command as per Article Twelve, Section Two. The charges he brought against the Admiral Espionage and Aiding and Abetting an Enemy of the Colonies."
"Outside the room were Major Willows-Cavinaugh, Marine CO, a female Lieutenant from Air Wing, and a Marine later addressed as Corporal Constin. I did not see him myself, only heard his name used over the comms. There may have been others outside as well, but I did not see them or hear them referred to by name." Another pause, as Rime licks her lips. "The Admiral attempted to re-enter the Chapel, but was blocked by the female Lieutenant. He then asked me to call for assistance to the security hub, which I did. The transmissions are surely logged and in your possession by now. At this point, they begin to move the Admiral away to some pre-determined location. Captain Gabrieli went with them, while Major Hahn stayed in the Chapel. I remained in the Chapel with Lieutenant McQueen to try and get some answers out of the Major as to what was happening. No worthwhile answers were given."
"…Answers…not…to…Lieutenant's…satisfaction." Cadmus breathes these words slowly as he wraps up the notetaking. As this wraps up, he makes a shorthand mark at the base of the page, indicating this is the end of the initial statement. Only then does he look up from the pad, lean back, and take a deep breath. "All right, Lieutenant. That's a very comprehensive statement, thank you. I'd like to ask you a few questions for inquiry records, as well. First, the intercom broadcasts are indeed recorded. My first question is why you radioed for assistance against the orders of higher-ranking officers during this affair. Please note: I am a representative of the Provost-Marshal, not the Office of the Judge Advocate General. I am not assessing guilt or innocence, merely recording facts and testimony."
"Yes. I understand." Rime's feet shift slightly before she resettles into parade rest. Shoulders squared. Determined. And still looking as if she expects the MP to start picking his teeth with the Admiral's bones, while cackling, at any minute. Her voice remains professional, however, carried along on the light Virgan lilt. "I'm sorry. There was one further thing. Before the Admiral attempted to re-enter the Chapel, he relieved Major Tillman of command, and appointed Captain Gabrieli Executive Officer. Captain Gabrieli refused, I believe. I didn't exactly follow. My attention was on the Admiral and Major Tillman. I'm sorry. Your question." She clears her throat. "I radioed for assistance /at/ the order of the Admiral. He is, in all likelihood, the highest-ranking officer remaining in the Colonial Fleet."
There is a quick scratch-out of certain notes as Cadmus corrects his earlier timeline. "Ahh, at the Admiral's command, then. My apologies. I believe the timeline may be essential for the inquiry; it's good to have these things down as soon as possible," he notes. And then he just stares at the paper for a long moment. It doesn't even look like he's thinking, so much as spacing out while staring toward it. Something breaks the trance, however; he re-focuses, and his hands lower to his lap. "Shit," he mutters. "What's your opinion of all this, Lieutenant? I expect you haven't had much to do in there other than go over all this in your head." Apparently his job is not *just* to record facts, after all.
"I think it's mutiny, obviously, Lance Corporal. Major Hahn was unable to provide a single piece of verifiable proof as to /why/ these actions were undertaken. I'm not even speaking about, evidence being withheld and refusing to be shared. I mean — she gave, as justification for the mutiny, reasons that were unverifiable. Hearsay. Madness, frankly. If I understood her correctly, this is all stemming back to a videotape viewed once by someone while still on Leonis. A videotape they do not have, and — do I really need to explain just how possible it is that this videotape was created to incite this sort of thing in the first place?" It seems to be a genuine question, and not flippancy.
"You don't have to convince me, Lieutenant. I am very experienced with dirty tricks of all sorts," Cadmus says, holding up both hands, palms out toward Rime. He leans over the edge of the chair, heel one one hand propping up his chin. "It catches all the MP Corps in a difficult spot, though. Major Hahn isn't the one relieving the Admiral, because she can't. I haven't seem the tape, but when is Major Tillman beholden to show a grunt evidence for *any* reason? If Tillman orders an MP to take the Admiral into custody and refuses, it's mutiny. If they do and fail, it's also mutiny. I just know I'd rather be trying to figure out how deep the ring of saboteurs goes."
"There are so many factors. Where even to start?" Rime reaches up and tucks a limp strand of hair back behind her ear before resettling into parade rest. "How many possible cases stem simply from that videotape? One: It is showing the truth and was truthfully related. The Admiral is in collusion with the Cylons. Two: It is showing a lie and was truthfully related. The Admiral was made to appear to be in collusions with the Cylons. Three…" She trails off there, shrugging at Cadmus as if to say, you see how far I can go here, yes? "We all know there are saboteurs at work, already. It's masterful, horribly /horribly/ masterful, to turn this against the Admiral like this."
"Especially since there's a leak in CIC." Cadmus just lets that hang out, going nowhere, doing nothing, for a good ten seconds or so. He doesn't *seem* to be implying anything, but by the same token, he's certainly not continuing the statement immediately after he gives it. When he does speak again, he flicks a nail against the edge of the chair and breathes deep: "You wanna show the Admiral is innocent, the best damn thing you can do - in my humble opinion as an enlisted nobody - is figure out how that video tape was edited when they bring it aboard. You're in CIC, you have to know something about computer operations, or know somebody who does, right? My personal opinion is that if we can't trust the Admiral, we can't trust anybody. But at the end of the day, I think the XO was - legally speaking - in the right. And I find the Admiral's decision to make it come to a gunfight is a little curious. Not incriminating, but curious."
It's just as well Cadmus left that statement hang there like he did. Rime seems to need a long time to chew on it, as well. "Video editing from where, this cell? Major Tillman was all but slavering over the charges he's got lined up for me. It's the firing squad for me, unless this somehow all turns around." She looks past the MP for a moment, clearing her throat once before she continues, her voice as steady as before. Perhaps a little edged. "It was a mutiny. You do not quietly accept a mutiny. You request assistance from all loyal crewmates, which is what he did."
Cadmus does a very ungentlemanly thing in response to this line of statements. He pushes himself up from his chair, looks at the ceiling, and raises both hands above his head. "Oh, for frak's *SAKE*!" he growls, "Dike, I swear you are just trying to get me throw in my arm badge, at this point!" That's "dee-kay", not a perjorative for a lesbian. Taking a deep breath, he lowers his hands, pinches the bridge of his nose, and continues: "First Swigert, then Coll, now you? Every frakking time I try and save someone's career, or maybe their life, they twist their ass into some kind of self-righteous indignation and refuse to listen to a frakking thing I'm saying. I am *offering* you a better ability to make your case, prove the Admiral innocent, and win out. If the XO tries to have you shot without a court-martial, the XO is going in here too." He pauses for another breath. "I don't care if you call it a mutiny or whatever. I just know I'm going to keep doing what the law says is right, and I need you to listen to what I'm saying. I want to find out what's really going on, and if you help, that can only be a good thing."
"Of course. The person who engineered a mutiny against their own commanding officer is going to suddenly take an interest in doing what is right versus what is wrong." So much for the calm professionalism. Rime's blue-green eyes flare angrily. "If I somehow make it out of this cell without ankle shackles, on my way to the airlock? You can bet your last cubit that I'll trying to prove the Admiral's innocent."
"Fine. You decide you wanna work for what you believe, I'll come running. If not, that's gonna be the stone *you'll* have to push uphill, once we're all frozen carcasses drifting in the black. I've done what I can," Cadmus says, hastily collecting his veritable armory of gear from the nearby table. He leans over, gripping one of the cell's bars as he leans closer. "Let me tell you a little secret, though, while I'm here. You wanna find the people on this fleet that have the absolute *best* idea what's going on, you look in my fireteam. I guarantee that the moment anyone tries to space *anyone* on this ship without due process, my team will make sure they'll be sucking oh-two through a brand new hole in their heads. And the very moment due process says the team was in the wrong for this mess, we'll be lining up in front of the firing squad to take our lumps. Lately, even before this Abbot business, I've been very dubious about most Naval crew's ability to say the same. When I'm in there and you're out here, I want you to remember that, and what Semper Fidelis really means to the CMC."