advice."
"Hmmm." Captain Hayes grinned. "I guess Ivan Sharpe hasn't changed. Say hi to him for me."
"Yes, sir." He knows Sharpe? Then he just asked my opinion to see what my judgment was like. I wish the Sheriff had given me a heads-up on that little item. What else does he already know?
"Anything major I should know about in the legal area?"
"No, sir, nothing major. No ongoing investigations or anything like that."
"How often do you talk to the JAGs on Franklin?"
Paul paused to think. The military lawyers on Franklin Station, usually called "JAGs" after the initials for the Judge Advocate General's Corps, were only called upon for serious legal matters. "Not too often, sir. Every once in a while I have a question whose answer isn't too clear from the Manual for Courts-Martial or the Judge Advocate General's Manual, and then I check with them."
"Are the ship's copies of the MCM and the JAGMAN up to date?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do you like being legal officer, Paul?"
Paul hesitated while he thought about that. I don't hate the job, but it's not my favorite past-time, either . "It's a big responsibility, sir."
"As big as your line officer responsibilities?"
Paul didn't have to look to know that Hayes was watching him intently. "Yes and no, sir. I mean, no one's going to die because I slack off legal officer duties, like they could if I messed up while on watch, but mistakes on my part as legal officer could hurt the careers of any sailor onboard."
Hayes smiled tightly. "Not to mention my career, Mr. Sinclair."
"Yes, sir."
"And yours."
"Yes, sir."
"Keep on top of things. I don't want to be bit by anything because we failed to cross a 't' or dot an 'i' on some legal requirement."
"Yes, sir."
"Thanks, Paul. You're the Combat Information Center Officer as your primary job, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"I'll have a separate session with you and the rest of Operations Department. We'll go over that stuff then." As Paul unstrapped and rose from his chair, Hayes smiled again. "Commander Herdez sends her greetings to you as well."
She did ? "Thank you, sir."
"Apparently you impressed Commander Herdez. That's not easy to do."
What do I say in response to that ? "Yes, sir."
"Are you doing as well as she'd expect?"
That one was easy, if Paul was going to answer it honestly. "I'm trying, sir."
"But not always succeeding? Don't worry. You gave the right answer. If you'd told me you were doing that well, I'd figure you for a liar."
Paul hung in the passageway outside the wardroom for a minute, one hand on the nearest tie-down and the other rubbing his forehead. Did that go well? I wish I knew. It's nice Herdez told him something good about me, but that might mean Hayes now expects me to be the greatest junior officer since John Paul Jones. Well, so far this has been one hell of a day. I wonder what else -?
The Bosun's pipe sounded on the all-hands circuit. "Lieutenant Junior Grade Sinclair, your presence is requested in the executive officer's stateroom."
I had to ask . The XO's stateroom wasn't far from the wardroom, so Paul made it there within a couple of minutes. Paul knocked, waited for the XO to call out an invitation to enter, then pulled himself inside. "You need me, sir?"
Commander Kwan gave Paul a sour look. "The prisoners insist upon talking to an officer. Is that right, by the way? Are they prisoners?"
"Detainees, sir."
"Fine. The detainees insist on talking to an officer. The captain doesn't want to do it and I don't want to do it. Guess who that leaves, Mr. Sinclair?"
"Uh, sir, if it's a food or berthing issue, Commander Sykes -"
"Doesn't want to talk to them, either. No, this sounds like another job for the ship's legal officer. Have fun."
"Yes, sir." Paul tried not to sigh heavily as he turned to go.
"Oh, Sinclair, make damned sure you don't promise them anything ."
"Aye, aye, sir." Paul headed toward the temporary confinement areas, trying not to get too angry over the XO's parting instruction. Does he
"Hmmm." Captain Hayes grinned. "I guess Ivan Sharpe hasn't changed. Say hi to him for me."
"Yes, sir." He knows Sharpe? Then he just asked my opinion to see what my judgment was like. I wish the Sheriff had given me a heads-up on that little item. What else does he already know?
"Anything major I should know about in the legal area?"
"No, sir, nothing major. No ongoing investigations or anything like that."
"How often do you talk to the JAGs on Franklin?"
Paul paused to think. The military lawyers on Franklin Station, usually called "JAGs" after the initials for the Judge Advocate General's Corps, were only called upon for serious legal matters. "Not too often, sir. Every once in a while I have a question whose answer isn't too clear from the Manual for Courts-Martial or the Judge Advocate General's Manual, and then I check with them."
"Are the ship's copies of the MCM and the JAGMAN up to date?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do you like being legal officer, Paul?"
Paul hesitated while he thought about that. I don't hate the job, but it's not my favorite past-time, either . "It's a big responsibility, sir."
"As big as your line officer responsibilities?"
Paul didn't have to look to know that Hayes was watching him intently. "Yes and no, sir. I mean, no one's going to die because I slack off legal officer duties, like they could if I messed up while on watch, but mistakes on my part as legal officer could hurt the careers of any sailor onboard."
Hayes smiled tightly. "Not to mention my career, Mr. Sinclair."
"Yes, sir."
"And yours."
"Yes, sir."
"Keep on top of things. I don't want to be bit by anything because we failed to cross a 't' or dot an 'i' on some legal requirement."
"Yes, sir."
"Thanks, Paul. You're the Combat Information Center Officer as your primary job, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"I'll have a separate session with you and the rest of Operations Department. We'll go over that stuff then." As Paul unstrapped and rose from his chair, Hayes smiled again. "Commander Herdez sends her greetings to you as well."
She did ? "Thank you, sir."
"Apparently you impressed Commander Herdez. That's not easy to do."
What do I say in response to that ? "Yes, sir."
"Are you doing as well as she'd expect?"
That one was easy, if Paul was going to answer it honestly. "I'm trying, sir."
"But not always succeeding? Don't worry. You gave the right answer. If you'd told me you were doing that well, I'd figure you for a liar."
Paul hung in the passageway outside the wardroom for a minute, one hand on the nearest tie-down and the other rubbing his forehead. Did that go well? I wish I knew. It's nice Herdez told him something good about me, but that might mean Hayes now expects me to be the greatest junior officer since John Paul Jones. Well, so far this has been one hell of a day. I wonder what else -?
The Bosun's pipe sounded on the all-hands circuit. "Lieutenant Junior Grade Sinclair, your presence is requested in the executive officer's stateroom."
I had to ask . The XO's stateroom wasn't far from the wardroom, so Paul made it there within a couple of minutes. Paul knocked, waited for the XO to call out an invitation to enter, then pulled himself inside. "You need me, sir?"
Commander Kwan gave Paul a sour look. "The prisoners insist upon talking to an officer. Is that right, by the way? Are they prisoners?"
"Detainees, sir."
"Fine. The detainees insist on talking to an officer. The captain doesn't want to do it and I don't want to do it. Guess who that leaves, Mr. Sinclair?"
"Uh, sir, if it's a food or berthing issue, Commander Sykes -"
"Doesn't want to talk to them, either. No, this sounds like another job for the ship's legal officer. Have fun."
"Yes, sir." Paul tried not to sigh heavily as he turned to go.
"Oh, Sinclair, make damned sure you don't promise them anything ."
"Aye, aye, sir." Paul headed toward the temporary confinement areas, trying not to get too angry over the XO's parting instruction. Does he
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