Fic: Sparkling Stars XIII: Court-Martial (4/7)
Title: Sparkling Stars XIII: Court-Martial (4/7)
Author: BradyGirl_12
Pairings/Characters: El Plummer, John 'Max" Maxwell, Christy/Virgil, Arlen Spencer, Anne Belson, Douglas Gray, Morton Dedrick, Edward Garcia, Joseph 'Happy' Haines, Harrison Mencken, Thomas Jasco, Quinton McHale,
Fandom: McHale's Navy
Genres: Angst, AU, Drama, Historical, Hurt/Comfort
Rating (this chapter): G
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None
General Summary: The Garcia court-martial begins. Will Virgil and his fellow slaves finally get justice?
Chapter Summary: Virgil takes the stand..
Date Of Completion: April 1, 2023
Date Of Posting: April 2, 2023
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, Universal does, more’s the pity.
Word Count: 2033
Feedback welcome and appreciated.
The entire series can be found here.
IV
STAR WITNESS
"A slave can no more be a star witness than I can be crowned Miss America."
Senator Hiram H. Stone
June 24, 1942
El Plummer sat on the stone bench on the bluff, leisurely smoking a cigarette. Lucky Strikes were his brand but he had run out so had bummed a Camel from a swabbie.
He enjoyed the view of the harbor. Taratupa had been blessed with a natural harbor, and the bustle of ships coming and going soothed his soul. He watched the U.S.S. Clive weigh anchor outside the harbor. Its Commander, Captain Kittredge, was well known for his disdain for PT boats, calling them 'toy boats' and dismissive of their ability to protect his ship in the harbor.
Some guys know not of what they speak.
The 'toy boat' crews were successful on their missions and all a little crazy. And why not, sailing around on tin cans that were nicknamed 'plywood coffins' and vulnerable to any enemy vessel with a decent-sized gun of being blown out of the water in one shot? Why wouldn't they all be a tad nuts? They were also the perfect situation for slaves, as PT boat crews were fiercely tight-knit.
"Hey, Sarge."
"Hey, Max. Take a load off."
Max sat down next to El. He watched the activity spread out before them in silence, which El appreciated. Too many people thought that silence meant they had to fill it with inane chatter.
After about ten minutes El said, "I think it's an inside job "
Max lifted an eyebrow. "Find a clue?"
"No, just a feeling."
"Sarge, that means someone in our squad."
Smoke curled around El's head. "I know."
Max was unhappy but he shook his head. It was a bitter pill to swallow.
For the tropics, the breeze was surprisingly cool. The two men thought about what El had said.
"Let's go check out the storage room again," he said.
& & & & & &
All eyes were on Virgil as he took the stand. Christy's hands unconsciously curled up into fists. All of his protective instincts were screaming
Virgil took the oath and settled in, keeping his hands in his lap. Arlen smiled at him reassuringly.
"Gunner's Mate Edwards, you were recently hospitalized here on Taratupa?"
"Yes, sir."
"You were suffering from Zangarra Fever?"
"Yes, sir."
"Did you mysteriously receive leg wounds during your recovery?"
"I did."
"Whom did you and your crewmates suspect?"
"Dr. Edward Garcia."
"And did you all plan to catch him in the act?"
"We did."
Arlen walked back to the prosecution table and Anne handed him a clipboard with a sheaf of papers attached. He hefted it and said, "May it please the Court, I have six sworn affidavits here by U.S. Navy sailors detailing strange wounds and illnesses suffered while in the Taratupa Base Hospital during the past six months, starting soon after Dr. Edward Garcia joined the staff."
This caused muttering which was gaveled to a stop by Commodore Gray. "Enter into evidence," he snapped.
Arlen disliked his attitude, but a judge did what he pleased. Even Dedrick, sitting at the right of the table, was smirking as he looked at Virgil.
Arlen was struck by the picture Virgil presented. In his dress whites and with his unruly hair combed, he looked like a picture-perfect sailor, and a beautiful one at that. That beauty made him appear vulnerable, and there were plenty of sharks swimming in the water around Virgil. Fortunately he had plenty of friends to fend the predators off.
Arlen glanced at the judges' table. Three sharks were sitting right there, though maybe he was mistaken about Jasco.
"All right, Gunner's Mate. Your gunnery scores are consistently the highest on the base, correct?"
"Yes," Virgil said, unable to keep the pride out of his voice.
"And you've saved your crewmates' lives on more than one occasion?"
"Um, yes."
Arlen knew how uncomfortable Virgil was talking about his heroism. Still, he wanted to emphasize Virgil's value as a combat sailor.
Now comes the hard part.
"So, you were part of the plan to catch Dr. Edward Garcia in the act."
"Yes, sir."
"And he did show up in your room, bound and gagged you, then started his torture?"
"Yes, sir."
Christy looked over at the defense table. Garcia was sitting there with a slight smirk, and Christy wanted to wipe it off his face. He curled and uncurled his fingers. Happy was sitting next to him and patted his arm. Christy relaxed slightly but continued to glare at Garcia.
"Describe what he did to you, please."
Christy tensed. He knew this was going to be hard on Virgil. Arlen had explained he wanted the judges to hear Virgil's story directly from him.
"He clamped my nipples with clothespins."
"Are clothespins the usual type of clamp used in your experience?"
Virgil shook his head. "No. Clamps are used to sensitize nipples to to create maximum pleasure." He blushed slightly but persevered. "Clothespins just numb things."
"I see. So these clamps were used only to create pain?"
"Yes, sir."
"What did Dr. Garcia do next?"
"Objection," said Mencken.
"Explain," said Gray.
"Did this witness actually see Dr. Garcia? Other witnesses have testified that he was blindfolded."
Thomas Jasco directed his question to Virgil. "Were you blindfolded, Gunner's Mate?"
"Yes, sir."
"Did you actually see Dr. Garcia?"
Reluctantly Virgil answered, "No, sir."
Mencken and Garcia were both looking smug. Christy's hand curled up into a fist again.
"Continue, Commander Spencer," said Jasco.
"Gunner's Mate Edwards, after the clothespins were applied, what happened next?"
Virgil's hands were folded in his lap. His fingers tightened. "He, uh, took a wire brush and ran it over my thigh wounds." He fought to keep a tremor out of his voice.
"Wounds that mysteriously appeared?"
"Yes, sir."
"He did something else to you, didn't he?"
"Yes, sir." Virgil took a deep breath. "He took the brush and stuck it in my navel and twisted and twisted..."
"Pretty painful?"
"Very. Everything he did to me was painful."
"Including using a roller with hooks embedded to rake across your stomach."
"Yes, sir."
"And squeezing the clothespins."
"Yes!"
Christy grimaced. Virgil was showing some cracks in his calm facade.
Deep breaths Virg, deep breaths.
As if Virgil had heard him, he took a deep breath.
"And this torturer turned out to be Dr. Garcia?"
"Yes, sir."
Arlen completed his questioning and sat down. Anne made some notes but looked at Virgil worriedly. Now would come the cross-examination.
Harrison Mencken stood slowly. His blue eyes fixed on Virgil and Christy felt himself shudder. Sharks in the water!
Mencken approached the stand. "Gunner's Mate Edwards, you never actually saw Dr. Garcia torturing you, correct?"
"Yes, I said that before."
"So you did." Mencken's tone suggested that Virgil had been 'sassing', a big no-no for a slave. "Are your wounds healing?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good " Mencken crossed his arms and walked slowly in a circle. "Were your nipples building up pressure when Dr. Garcia clamped them?"
Confused, Virgil answered, "No, sir."
"Couldn't the doctor just have been treating you?"
"No, sir."
Mencken looked skeptically at Virgil. "So you insist what was done to you was torture?"
"Yes, sir." Virgil's fingers knotted together in his lap. Christy's hands were painfully curled up tight. His entire being was focused on Virgil.
"And your expertise comes from your days as a sex slave in a brothel in the United States?"
Virgil's face reddened but he answered, "Yes, sir."
Christy was furious. Mencken was deliberately emphasizing Virgil's slave status instead of his Gunner's Mate status. It was a cheap, dirty trick.
"So perhaps you mistook torture for something else, as you would experience in the brothel?"
Virgil appeared confused and Arlen snapped, "Objection."
"State your case," said Gray.
"Relevance of this line of questioning?"
"You will see, Your Honor."
"Continue."
"So is that true?" Mencken asked Virgil.
"What?"
Virgil had been flashing back to the torture. Every question left him floating in a strange cocoon of cotton as he drifted, feeling unmoored. His nipples ached and his wounds burned as he felt dizzy. Mencken's voice was far away, a nagging, strident clarion that made his head hurt.
"That your sex slave experience in the brothel is coloring your perceptions?"
"I don't think so."
"You don't think so? Are you this fuzzy when out on the boat in combat situations?"
"I'm not fuzzy. I just don't understand what my past has to do with this current case."
You tell him, Virg, Christy thought fiercely.
Mencken's brows knitted. He looked tempted to call Virgil 'mouthy' but decided against it. "You haven't answered my question."
"My past experiences are not coloring my current perceptions."
"Attaboy, Virg," McHale muttered under his breath.
Mencken looked unconvinced. Commodore Gray was frowning and said, "Gunner's Mate, kindly reduce your mouthy tone."
Shocked, Virgil was unsure of what to say.
"Gunner's Mate?" Gray's tone was sharp.
"S...Sorry, sir "
Dedrick smirked as Jasco remained neutral in expression.
"What's going on?" Happy whispered.
"They're deliberately trying to humiliate Virgil," Christy said through gritted teeth.
Virgil sat up a little straighter and Christy felt enormous pride.
Mencken considered his next move. Virgil waited, his quiet dignity impressing many onlookers. Finally Mencken said, "No more questions for this witness."
"Step down," Gray said brusquely.
Virgil did, and when he sat in his chair, Christy squeezed his hand. Virgil squeezed back.
Arlen stood. "We rest our case, Your Honors "
"Very well," Gray said. "We will break for lunch. Court will resume at 13:00." He pointed to Mencken. "Be ready to start your case."
"Yes, Commodore."
The three justices left via a door to the right of the dais. Captain Binghamton hurried out, no doubt hosting a lunch for the trio.
"Come on, mess hall, you guys," McHale said.
Christy stayed close to Virgil, tamping down his fury. The rest of the crew formed a protective cordon around him. They just hoped they could survive today's menu!
& & & & & &
El and Max went over every inch of the storage room. It was stifling in the small room, and Max suggested they break for lunch.
"I suppose we can, though with Cookie on leave, we might be better off eating at the PX."
"Oh, I hear ya."
"Let's search for a few more minutes."
"Okay."
There was silence as the two men poked around the shelves. El cracked down and peered under the bottom metal shelf. "Hmm " He reached in and pulled something out.
"Ya got something, Sarge?"
"Maybe." El held up a button. "Wonder if anyone's missing a button?"
& & & & & &
Anne approached Virgil, who was standing on the dock close to the PT-73.
"Where's your Special Master?" she asked.
Virgil jumped slightly. "Oh, hello, Lieutenant. I asked Christy to give me a moment alone."
"I'll leave, then."
"No, it's okay. I've been alone for the last ten minutes."
"How was lunch?"
Virgil shrugged. "I couldn't eat, or at least not more than a slice of bread and a few bites of mango."
"That should hold you."
Virgil smiled slightly. "I hope so."
Anne stood next to him. "You know, I haven't had a ride on this boat yet."
"Well, let the Skip know and we'll rectify that."
"I will " She touched the hard steel of the 73. "What's bothering you, Virgil?"
"I ..did I mess up today?"
Surprised, Anne said, "No, you did very well."
"Are you sure?"
"Very sure." She smiled. "Remember me telling you that you'd be great a few nights ago? We were watching the sunset while sitting at the picnic table and the tropical breezes were nice and warm?" He suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Remember?"
"Um, Lieutenant..."
"I said you were going to be great and I meant it."
"Thank you "
She patted his arm, ignoring the stiffening of his muscles. "You survived cross-examination by Harrison Mencken. That's no small feat "
Virgil looked unconvinced but said nothing. He smiled slightly and checked his watch. "Almost 13:00."
"Right."
They walked together to the courthouse and the audience trickled in. The three judges came in from the back and sat down on the dais.
"Call your first witness, Commander Mencken."
"Yes, sir " Mencken stood. "I call Dr. Edward Garcia."
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