...New Widows Howl... - Part Five

Posted on Thu Mar 19th, 2020 @ 10:00am by Lieutenant JG Rachael "Ripcord" Yamaguchi-Cullen & Post Captain Harmon 'Hammer' Rabb Junior. & Post Captain Hannah Mueller & Ensign Paul Harrison & Director Tienn Gyce

Mission: Mission 98: Building Our New Home
Location: Various Locations - Starbase Vanguard
Timeline: 0910Hrs - July 22nd, 2393

1st Lieutenant Rachael Yamaguchi-Cullen who was better known as "Ripcord" to her fellow pilots and many people who dealt with her on a professional basis, she always introduced herself by her callsign rather than her name. She was suddenly curious about what was going on that required her presence down in the security offices so she excused herself from the alert twenty she had been doing after her squadron had been present for the request. The Squadron Commander nodded. "You'd best go see to that, don't worry, we won't need you Ripcord."

"Thanks, skipper," Yamaguchi-Cullen answered with a smile.

"No worries, keep me informed about this, will ya so I can brief the Colonel, should this get stupid." came the response.

"Aye, sir." Yamaguchi-Cullen had then departed before making her way to her destination after requesting the location of Captain Rabb as she was curious as to what he wanted her for when JAG was involved, it was never good, she could feel the icy hand of her own fears slowly grip her heart. Yamaguchi-Cullen paused as she mentally hardened her heart for what she was sure would come. Arriving at her destination a few minutes later, she asked for and was granted permission to enter the office, where she found a gathering she had not been expecting. "Gyce, it's great to see you again."

"You too Rachael. I wish it were under better circumstances though. Come on in and take a seat. I believe you two are known to each other."

"Yeah." Yamaguchi-Cullen turned as she found herself looking at Paul Harrison. "Paul," she whispered as she smiled. "It's been a long time. How've you been?"

"Well. I'm about to be charged with stat rape. Of you." Harrison explained in a light and gentle tone. "But I'm more confused than anything else though."

Yamaguchi-Cullen blinked. "What are you talking about?." she asked softly. "You didn't rape me, the sex wasn't even rough. Our relationship was great, everything was consensual. Hell, had we remained together, you and I would have probably had more children, in addition to Saki." she paused. "Someone please bring me up to speed?. Because I am confused about this. I did not press for charges..." as she regarded the gathering present.

"No Lieutenant. But Saki was wounded and in the eyes of the law, she is a product of rape." Rabb explained.

"As I just said, there was no rape," Yamaguchi-Cullen explained. "Our relationship-" Yamaguchi-Cullen indicated Harrison with her left hand as she spoke. "Was a slow and gradual thing. Oh, we have our issues but what couple doesn't have their little problems but there was no violence involved, there was no drama and he was nothing less than the perfect gentleman with me, at all times." Yamaguchi-Cullen paused. "The computer records from Starbase four hundred will back up what I'm saying, as will my parents and both siblings and Savannah, my sister in law will as well."

"Dies ist also der Brief des Gesetzes und nicht der Geist des Gesetzes," Mueller commented in a light and gentle tone of voice. "So this is the letter of the law rather than the spirit of it."

Gyce nodded. "The law is still the law. That said, is this a wise plan?" she asked everyone in the room.

Yamaguchi-Cullen smiled as she noted that Gyce was in the room. "But a law without exceptions cannot be truly just," Yamaguchi-Cullen explained. "Life itself is an exercise in exceptions. You know this better then I do Captain." she addressed Rabb directly. "You too Director. You taught me that.."

Indeed he did. Rabb nodded his head. "Yep, but that said, stat rape is quite serious, otherwise I'd end this right now and call it a day," he commented. "As you don't seem to be rather interested in pressing charges Lieutenant." he addressed Yamaguchi-Cullen.

"Why would I?" Yamaguchi-Cullen asked. "I was the one who wanted a night of sex. Knowing full well what might happen and Paul gave me Saki. The only two issues I had were you were nowhere to be found but that one I can blame on your mother as she was the one I called and she said you'd left but she didn't say where you'd gone." she paused. "But how you handled Saki when she called you was the only major issue I had." Yamaguchi-Cullen's anger seemed to ignite at that moment. "You could have handled that one so much better than how you did. You threatened your own child and to a lesser degree, you threatened me."

Harrison nodded. "I'm sorry. But I didn't know then what I know now..."

"You should have checked." Yamaguchi-Cullen snapped angrily at him. "You knew better than that. At least you could have demanded a DNA sample from her, she would have provided you one with my blessing." Yamaguchi-Cullen responded angrily.

Harrison nodded. "Yeah, I could have handled that one so much better than I did," he answered in a quiet tone of voice, clearly he remembered Rachael's temper when she was angered.

Rabb paused. "Okay, Okay." he paused. "I believe we have everything we need at this point El Tee. Thank you,"

"Yessir." Yamaguchi-Cullen tried to calm down "Of course sir." and with that, Yamaguchi-Cullen rose to her feet. Harrison paused. "Before you go, what happened to you out there... You do not look seventeen to me, Rachael."

"There was a temporal anomaly that aged me and Saki eight years in a month," Yamaguchi-Cullen responded quietly. "Otherwise I'd be seventeen still and Saki would be only two years old, heading towards her third birthday..."

Harrison nodded, clearly he understood. "I understand. Thank you Rachael." he sighed softly as she turned and departed.

Rabb sighed softly. "While you were speaking, I looked over your record, its clean, you were a model student at the academy, kept to yourself. No brawls in the Six Oh Two club, unlike many of your classmates, you went out of the way to keep out of trouble and you graduated with honors." he regarded Harrison. "This is a rather strange case as this is the letter of the law facing off against the spirit of the same. You are a model officer Ensign and I really don't wish to press charges but if this got out and you were let loose... Then it would be open season on the regs... and the regs are in place for a reason." Rabb regarded Harrison. "That said, the other party does not wish to press so, ultimately. I have nothing to get you for."

Harrison nodded. "Yessir, But I still lose regardless of the outcome."

"I'm afraid so," Rabb answered quietly. "But since Rachael isn't pressing, I can't get you for this, but that said. You have a sterling career going for you. So I'm going to say this to you bluntly and then I'm going to kick you out of here and hope this goes away. You got lucky as had there been anything else, I'd have to throw the book at you, with such force that it will end your career. You are either the luckiest human that I know of, or you are the canniest. But Mister Harrison. Please, I'm begging you, do not ever find yourself before me in this capacity, ever again." Rabb explained. "I am going to pretend the last hour didn't just happen." he paused as he sighed. "Is that clear?"

"Yessir. I understand." Harrison answered lightly.

"Good. But Paul, look on this as a life lesson, in experience. You didn't tell Rachael your age and had you done so, I suspect she would have still taken you to bed all the same." Rabb explained. "Now I'm gonna kick you out of here and go brief Commander Fardreamer as I suspect he is dying to know why you are here. I suspect you and Rachael are going to want to talk, I didn't think she knew you were assigned to the same Starbase as she was, I also recommend you take some time to get to know your daughter. Saki is quite a child and she could benefit from having her biological father in her life. But I leave all of this for you to think on and process as you see fit Ensign. You have a promising career and it would be a shame to throw it away because of something stupid." Rabb paused. "Anyone got anything to add?"

Gyce shook her head. "No. I think you said everything I wanted to say. I'm good with this." the middle-aged Bajoran woman smiled.

Mueller simply shook her head no.

"Alright, Ensign. go on back to work and I'll leave it alone. On your way Mister Harrison and thank you for attending today's meeting of insanity." Rabb's sense of humor was kicking in and it was showing.

"Thank you for having me, sir. I have a great deal to think on." and with that, Harrison rose to his feet and departed in silence.