A Fight for Survival

Court Martialed

The two red headed lieutenants follow Captain Sobel to the company office. They could feel his ever growing disappointment as they walked through the halls trying not to run into other soldiers. "No, sir," Dick began, his voice calm but firm, "I do not understand. Your orders to us were to inspect the latrines at 1000 hours. From 0930 to 0955, we were censoring the enlisted men's mail by order of Colonel Strayer. At 1000 hours, we followed your orders to the minute." "I changed the time to 0945," Sobel stated flatly, as if that explained everything, as they continued to walk up the stairs of the manor. "No one told us, sir," Dick replied, his tone even. Sobel glanced down at the papers on his desk, a smug smile playing on his lips. "I telephoned." "I'm quartered with a family that has no telephone," Dick pointed out, his patience wearing thin. "As am I," Molly added, her voice laced with a hint of steel. Sobel shrugged, his indifference bordering on callousness. "And sent a runner." "No runner found us, Captain," Molly stated, her gaze unwavering. Sobel leaned forward, his voice taking on a condescending tone. "Irregardless, when given a task to perform by a ranking officer, you should have delegated your task of latrine inspection to another officer. You failed to do so. Were I to let such a failure of duty by my own XO go unpunished, what kind of message is that to the men?"

"I performed my duty as I was ordered, sir," Dick stated calmly, refusing to rise to the bait. "And I disagree," Sobel shot back, his voice laced with anger as he abruptly stopped in front of the two. "So, your options are quite simple, Lieutenants. Punishment for your offenses will be denial of a 48-hour pass for 60 days." He pauses as he points to the front of his desk pointing, "Stand before me at attention." Sobel continues, "Or you may initiate a letter of appeal and request a trial by court martial." He paused, his gaze lingering on Molly. "You spend your weekends on the base anyway, Dick. Be a man, take the punishment. You, Molly, what would your grandfather think of you if you didn't take the punishment? Hmm." Sobel's jab, a calculated attempt to exploit Molly's family legacy for his own petty gain, hit its mark. She felt a surge of anger, a visceral reaction to his manipulation. Before she could respond, however, Dick stepped forward, his jaw set with determination.

"May I borrow your pen, sir?" he asked, his voice betraying none of the turmoil he felt. But Dick, ever the principled leader, refused to let injustice stand. As Dick began filling out the paperwork.  Dick hands the letter to Sobel. "My endorsement, sir. I request trial by court martial." Molly stared at him, a mixture of shock and worry flooding through her. She had been prepared to accept Sobel's punishment, to swallow her pride for the sake of expediency. Molly, her heart pounding with a mixture of anxiety and pride, excused herself and stepped out of the office. She needed a moment to breathe, to process the whirlwind of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her.

The rain was staring to fall heavily. But that didn't stop Dick as he caught up to Molly outside, his hand reaching out to gently grasp her arm. "Molly, wait," he said, his voice laced with concern. She kept walking, her pace quickening as she tried to outrun the turmoil that raged within her. Her hair continuing to get wet. "Ginger, stop," he called after her, his voice taking on a note of urgency. "Molly, I need to talk to you." She stopped, but couldn't bring herself to face him. She could feel his gaze on her, a tangible weight that made it impossible to escape. "Red," she asked, her voice barely a whisper, using the nickname she knew he secretly hated, "why are you doing this?"

He stepped closer, his hand gently cupping her cheek, his thumb brushing away a stray tear she hadn't even realized had fallen. "I'm tired of Sobel," he said, his voice low and intense. "I know he has good intentions for the company, but... you know. I'm more surprised that you didn't ask to be court-martialed too." Molly drew a shaky breath, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. "Sobel said something in there, and he's right. My grandfather, my father, my uncles, my cousins... they'd all be disappointed if I chose to not stand up and fight for what I believe in. That's not how I was raised."