Title: Top Gun

Flying Away XII

By: Anne Taul (Annetaul@home.com)

 

Classification: Story, Romance (Harm/Mac)

Rating: PG-13

 

Disclaimer: JAG, he character – all of it belong to Bellasarius Productions, et. al. I’m only borrowing them formy amusement. No infringement of copyright s intended.

 

TOP GUN

 

“And so, Commander Blakeman.” Mac formed her question to the witness on the stand very carefully, “would you say that this course of action was standard operating procedure for issuing that kind of information?”

 

           “Yes, Ma’am. That’s the way it’s always done. I’ve done it like that dozens of times.”

 

          “No further questions, Your Honor.” She finished.

 

                      “Thank you, Major.” Admiral Cooley stated, “Do you have anything for cross examination, Commander Mattoni."

 

          Alan Mattoni stood and replied, “Nothing at this time, Your Honor. The prosecution reserves the right to recall this witness at a later time, however.”

 

                    “Fine.” Cooley acknowledged. Then to the witness, “You may step down, Commander.”

 

            “This hearing stands in recess until 1400 tomorrow, at which time, the court will expect the defense to have some kind of rebuttal to the charges that the prosecution is offering.

 

                      On the way out of the courtroom, Mattoni whispered in Mac’s ear, “You better get your boy to take my plea bargain. The offer’s not going to be on the table forever, you know.”

 

           “Thanks, Counselor, but no thanks. You don’t have a strong enough case to convict.”

 

      “We’ll see.” Mattoni retorted.

 

               ***************************

*******************

 

     Mac lay her briefcase in the chair in her office and sat down. “Only two more hours.” She thought.

 

              Harm would be here. He had called her two nights ago to let her know that he’d be back in Washington to address Congressional and Pentagon committees again regarding the approval of the Phoenix Stealth Aircraft Project. He’d been presenting the Navy’s recommendations about this project off and on for almost a year now.

 

                         She would pick him up at the airport in two hours. He’d be here, this time, for at least a few days, maybe up to a week. Three weeks ago when he left from his surprise visit to celebrate her birthday, she hadn’t been sure when she’d see him again, so this was a Godsend to her. She was excited.

 

                              Mac’s thoughts were interrupted when the admiral stuck his head into her office. “Major, how is Commander Blakeman’s hearing going?”

 

                    “Well, Sir, I’ve got to come up with a new angle. It’s looking like he’s guilty, and Mattoni’s going to take advantage of that.”

 

                               “As well he should. There should be some way to argue that a career Naval officer with an exemplary record like Blakeman’s didn’t provide inside knowledge to defense contractors before they made their bids.”

 

       “Yes, Sir,” Mac agreed. “Right now I’m trying to capitalize on the commander’s outstanding service record and history of commendations.”

 

                    “Well, that’s a good place to start.”

 

      “And Mac,” AJ said, “even if he’s guilty, let’s try to avoid making it look like the Navy’s fault.”

 

                          “Aye, Sir.” She acknowledged.

 

              She picked a statement up from her desk and stared absently at it. Commander John Blakeman worked in a procurement office at the Pentagon. Apparently several civilian corporations who have contracts with the Department Of Defense received advanced (and classified) information  about which projects were being funded and their relative priorities in advance of submitting their bids. The security leak seemed to have come from the Procurement office, and Commander Blakeman was the most likely candidate. From talking to him, though, Mac could have sworn that he was innocent. But the evidence was mounting against her client.

 

                            Seeing the man she loved would help take her mind off this.

 

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      Harm’s plane was, of course, late. Mac paced up and down in front of the terminal. Why today?

 

                 Apparently there had been some kind of delay on flights from the west coast due to intense fog over the mountains in Colorado.  After nearly three hours of waiting, Mac sat down and tried to relax. Quickly, she was asleep.

 

             Her rest was peaceful until she felt a pressure on her shoulder. She attempted to talk back to a voice somewhere in the far-off distance.  Her mouth wouldn’t work to let her speak, then something covered it, as if someone might be trying to choke her. But that wasn’t it. She awoke to the pleasant sensation of kissing Harm.

 

         Immediately she was just a bit startled. As her eyes opened, he smiled. “They say you can only wake Sleeping Beauty with a kiss.”

 

                It was like a dream. She asked, “Is this a fairy tale?”

 

                              “For me,” he began, “I think it is.” He caressed her cheek, then stood back up.

 

                       He helped her up to stand beside him.

 

                 “Harm, I was worried.”

 

                       “Well, I’m here now.”

 

           He looked around, sure that no one was watching, then pulled her to him in a full embrace.

 

                 She responded by throwing her arms around his neck.

 

             Back at her apartment, the greeting continued in earnest. It had been too long.

 

                       They slept together contentedly.

 

      NEXT MORNING

 

                    Mac and Harm awoke together and shared a passionate kiss.

 

             He got up first, since he had to speak in front of a senate committee at 0900.

 

        She watched him move around the room. “Will your meeting be finished by lunch?”

 

        “Oh yeah.”

 

                     “Then how about you buy my lunch. I don’t have to be back to court until 2:00.”

 

            “It’s a deal. I’ll pick you up. Can I come watch you in court afterward?”

 

   “Sure, I guess. But why would you want to?”

 

                         “Because you are so sexy when you question a witness or when you talk to a jury.”

 

               “Whatever?”

 

****************

*****************

 

SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE ON DEFENSE SPENDING AND WEAPONS DEVELOPMENT

 US SENATE CHAMBERS

CAPITAL HILL

 

         “Commander Rabb,”Senator Bradlley addressed the speaker, “you’re a Navy pilot. What is it you call the best ones? Uh….uh…Top Gun, isn’t that it?”

 

                   “Harm cleared his throat. “That’s one thing they’re called, Sir.”

 

            “So, since you are one of these Top Guns, do you anticipate that you will be the one flying and testing this aircraft?  Is that why you’re here?”

 

                       “Senator, that would be a great honor, but no, that’s not why I’m here. I’m here because this is a worthy project. The United States needs to develop this type equipment if we’re to stay a major world power in the areas of combat readiness and peace-keeping strength.”

 

       The meeting broke up, and Harm headed out, eager to meet his lady for a romantic lunch. As he started out of the conference room, a strong hand clasp his shoulder, stopping him. He turned to see Senator John Bradley, a republican from somewhere in the midwest. “Commander Rabb, I saw in your personal brief that you’re an attorney too.”

 

              “Yes, Sir, I served with the Navy JAG Corp for three years.”

 

       “But you gave it up to fly.”

 

                        “Well, Sir, it’s what I always wanted to do. It’s what I oiginally trained for.”

 

                   “In this town, Commander, talented lawyers are valuable. I’d like to talk with you about your legal skills, and your aviation knowledge further, in …….shall we say ……a more private setting. Will you have lunch with me tomorrow?”

 

         “Senator Bradley, I’d love to, but, Sir, isn’t that inappropriate? After all, I’m lobbying your committee.”

 

                  “Son, I served in the Navy during WWII. We’ll just make it a meal between two old sailors. If there’s no committee business, there’s no problem, right?”

 

        Harm nodded.

 

           Senator Bradley made arrangements that they should meet in the lobby of The Argosy, an exclusive political watering hole, at noon the following day.

 

                             Harm couldn’t help but wonder why the senator was so interested in him.

 

  During their lunch, he relayed the details to Mac. If anyone could help him figure out why the senator wanted to meet with him, she was the one.

 

           She, of course, had no idea, so she made comments like, “He probably noticed your cute butt.”

 

      A condescending look from Harm told her that he was not amused.

 

                 Mac couldn’t stop herself from laughing, just a little, but concluded with, “What difference does it make? How many chances are you going to get to have lunch at The Argosy? Just go and enjoy.”

 

         He supposed she was right. At the very least, she was beautiful enough to distract him from thinking about Senator Bradley, or anything else. He marveled at how wonderful she was and how lucky he was to be with her. Harm sometimes worried that one day she’d wake up and realize that she could do better.

 

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         Sarah MacKenzie cut an impressive figure in the court room that afternoon. She wasn’t sure whether she was just that well prepared today, or if it was because Harm was there watching her.

 

              “Ensign Jones,” she looked squarely at the witness, “there’s no record of who took those calls or responded to those inquiries, is there?”

 

       “Well, no written record, Ma’am.” The baby-faced ensign concluded.

 

                          “So, you can’t really testify as to who, from your office, was in contact with the Rynerson Corporation.”

 

            “Commander Blakeman usually handled a lot of that ……”

 

                       Mac cut him off. “Ensign, either you can provide conclusive statement about who talked to the Rynerson Corporation, or you can’t. Which is it?”

 

              “No, Ma’am.” The young ensign sighed, a bit regretfully.

 

                           “Thank you, Ensign.” She said, then turning to Admiral Cooley on the bench, “No further questions, Your Honor.”

 

                     The judge excused the witness, then called Mac and Mattoni to the bench for a quick sidebar.

 

           Harm watched all the proceedings with pride. She really was a great attorney, and so beautiful.

 

   When the court session dismissed for the day, he followed her out to the elevator. They got on together.

 

                     “Oh, Harm, I’m sorry, but I have to return these folders to the dead files room in the basement. It’ll only take a minute, if you want to come along.”

 

             “Where you go, I follow.” He answered in a mocking tone.

             

           Since they were the only ones on the elevator, he leaned over and kissed her.  Then his lips wandered down to the sensitive skin of her neck.

She sighed, loudly.

 

         The dead files room, in the basement, was deserted. She refiled her folders, then turned to leave. She was caught around the waist by Harm’s powerful arms. He pulled her close to him, and ran his hands up and down along her spine. His kisses were deep and passionate, and she responded eagerly.

 

             On the elevator ride back upstairs, he asked, “What’s the story about this Rynerson Corporation?”

 

                       She rolled her eyes. “Harm, you know I can’t discuss the details of a case with you.”

 

     “I’m sorry.” He acknowledged, with a grin.

 

 

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*********************************

 

                 That evening, Mac sat on the floor of her apartment sorting through the contents of a box, while Harm rearranged things in a closet.

 

         The conversation was light, and each item she removed from the box seemed to have a memory attached to it.

 

                            “Why don’t you keep that, Honey.’ He said about the latest thing she held up to tell a story about.

 

           “You’ve said that about almost everything I’ve looked at tonight.”

 

     “They’re all things with special memories. I don’t want you to give up anything that’s important to you.”

 

               “Sweetheart, we’ve got to get rid of some stuff, that’s the whole idea, here. If we don’t, there won’t be any room for you to move your stuff into. That’s what moving in together is about, sharing the space.”

 

         “I could always just keep my place, if it’s going to be a hassle for you.”

 

                “No hassle. I want you to be here. We talked about this, remember. We decided that it didn’t make any sense for you to keep an apartment that we never use.”

 

                         He reached for her hand and pulled her up to stand next to him. A strong arm circled her waist, as he gazed deeply into her big brown eyes. “Do you have any idea how much you mean to me?”

 

            She smiled. “How much?”

 

                               “More than, well, more than anything. I love you, Sarah.”

 

                   “I know.” She replied with a smile.

 

LATER

 

       They lay tangled in the bed sheets and each other’s arms, basking in the glow of their lovemaking. Harm held her tightly from behind, an arm holding fast to her lithe form.

 

            She felt wonderful, and would have liked to have stayed this way forever, but there was a part of her that wanted to pull away.

 

                   Harm could sense it. “What is it?” he whispered into her ear.”

 

                             “Nothing really.” She answered. “It’s just now that we’re living together, I’m afraid it will be harder to be without you.”

  

 

               Mac could feel his hot breath against her neck, as he reached up to gently stroke her cheek. “You know that I’d do anything for you, don’t you?”

 

         “Like what do you mean?” she asked.

 

                         “I’ve been thinking that we don’t get to see each other very much. Do you think that I should try to have my designator changed again and come back to JAG?”

 

                  “You mean give up flying?”

 

                          “And gain time with you.”

 

                She turned in his arms to face him. “No Harm! That’s not what I want. I don’t want you to give up your dream. You have to fly, it’s in your blood.”

 

                              “You are in my blood.” He corrected her.

 

                     “Harm, I want you to be happy. I don’t want you to have regrets. Of course I’d like to see you more often, but I don’t want you to jeopardize your dreams for it. I love you enough to do it this way, if we need to. I just want you to always be happy.”

 

       “Sarah, I wasn’t unhappy as a lawyer.”

 

                 “But there was always something missing.”

 

                           “Now that I have you, there’s nothing missing.”

 

            “You’re sweet. But, Harm, we can’t make any major life changes right now, life’s too good. Besides, what makes you think that the admiral would take you back?”

 

         “What? You don’t think he would?”

 

                  “I don’t know. He was pretty hurt when you left.”

 

     Since they both had early meetings in the morning, they tabled the discussion and went to sleep.

 

 

NEXT MORNING

OFFICE OF WEAPON RESEARCH

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY

THE PENTAGON

 

                  The young petty officer smile at Harm. “Here are those latest figures you wanted on the Phoenix Stealth tests, and the revised timetables you asked for, Commander Rabb.” He said, “Good luck with your presentation, Sir.”

 

         “Thank you, Petty Officer Lane.” Harm replied, shaking the other man’s hand, as he took the folders.

 

    Harm made his way to the conference room where he would meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff regarding the development of the Phoenix Stealth project. Surely they would shift this to a highest priority item. Naval aviation could not advance to keep pace with the demands put upon it to patrol and defend NATO interests without the addition of this type system. Harm firmly believed that, so he was confident of his ability to present the case convincingly to the Pentagon brass.

 

               Afterward, he still felt pretty good about how the session had gone. Admiral Westcott had asked the most questions, and had demonstrated a fairly thorough knowledge of the system himself. His support could only help Harm’s plea. There was nothing left to do but wait for the 48 to 72 hours it would take them to make a decision about the project. So, now it was off to The Argosy hotel for lunch with Senator Bradley.

 

    When they had finished their luncheon, the two men parted on the steps of the hotel, shaking hands.

 

              “Commander,” Bradley said, “remember what I said.”

 

                    Of course he would. Harm could think of nothing else. The things that had been revealed in the meeting kept racing through his mind.

 

          Senator Bradley, he had learned, was a partner in a prestigious Washington law firm, White, Peterson and Cunningham. His was involved mostly in corporate law,  and represented several major manufacturers who bid extensively for defense department contracts. It wasn’t a conflict of interest for him, because he was no longer actively working in the firm. White, Peterson and Cunningham (WPC) needed a consultant, someone well versed in legal issues as well as knowledgeable about military procedures and projects. Bradley has proclaimed that he was very impressed with Harm’s skills and wanted him to call the firm to talk with them about doing some consulting.

 

              Of course, Harm had told him that he no longer practiced law, and that anything like that would have to go through the Judge Advocate General’s office for approval. However, the senator’s proposed compensation for this work was very tempting. He believed that since no other pilot knew as much about the Phoenix Stealth project as Harm, that he should be the one to get to fly the test flights. Very tempting.

 

    Admiral Lax, in research and development at the pentagon, was an old college pal of Bradley’s, so the senator thought he could arrange that.

 

     Harm was sorely tempted, but he knew that he would be in a precarious position with companies bidding on contracts to build the Phoenix Stealth. If he were involved with WPC, how much information would they expect him to provide? Surely they’d know that he would be limited. But, how wonderful would it be to be the test pilot for the greatest aircraft developed in the last 50 years?

 

               At dinner, he mentioned his dilemma to Mac. She was reluctant to advise him one way or the other.

 

      Back at home, they sat under a blanket on the couch. She recounted her day, which consisted mainly of tracking down information on the Rynerson Corporation. Many of their records were sealed and she wasn’t having an easy time. Finally, as she lay against his chest, wrapped in the warmth of his arms, Mac told the man she loved to follow his dreams. He should never miss any opportunities, she said.

 

                  He kissed her temple and hugged her close. She really was amazing.

 

       The following morning, Harm met with attorney Larry Cunningham of WPC. He was interested in Harm’s knowledge of what type capabilities the new aircraft would have. He asked about its uses and scope. These were exactly the kind of questions a consultant would expect, so Harm answered them all. Then he reported to Admiral Lax at The Pentagon.

 

                  Mac had a less satisfying day. Bud tracked the Rynerson Corporation to several dummy holding corporations  tied to high level political interests. From there, the information was privileged, and the JAG staff couldn’t access it.

 

THE NEXT MORNING

SATURDAY

 

              Harm resisted waking up. He was wrapped in Mac’s arms and he wasn’t gong to pay attention to that terrible ringing noise. He felt his Sarah pull away slightly, then heard her voice say, “The phone’s for you, Harm.”

 

         The phone – that’s what it was!

 

                    He rolled over and took the receiver from her. “Rabb.”

 

                          When he hung it up, he looked at her with disbelief. “I’ve been summoned to the SecNav’s office.”

 

         “What did you do?” she asked, with amusement.

 

                 “Nothing.”

 

                      It was time to get up, so they both began to dress.

 

                                 “I’ll see you tonight, Darling.” He said as he kissed her cheek and left.

MAC’S OFFICE

JAG HEADQUARTERS

THAT AFTERNOON

 

         Mac looked her client directly in the eye, “Commander Blakeman, if you don’t tell me everything, I’m not going to be able to defend you.”

 

                            He stared back across her desk. “Major, I told you exactly what happened. I did collect all the information on the new assault rifles and I did negotiate with the representative of the contracting companies, but I DID NOT reveal any classified information. I swear. I’m not guilty.”

 

            “Then how did the companies get the production schedule, Commander?”

 

   “I don’t know, Ma’am, and that’s the truth.”

 

                 “Okay, then, who else had access to that information?”

 

         “I’m not sure, Major. I guess anybody in the chain of commander who wanted it could have gotten it. It wasn’t any of the guys in my shop, though. Whoever got this had to have a higher security clearance.”

 

         “Where would they get it?”

 

               “Maybe somebody cleaning up at the Pentagon, after the Joint Chiefs meeting accidentally came across it. I don’t know Ma’am. I just know that I didn’t do it.”

 

          Mac headed to The Pentagon. If there was a security leak there, she would find it. On her way she placed a call to Clayton Webb. If there was anything underhanded going on in this town, he usually knew about it. He denied any knowledge of this, but promised to do some checking around.

 

THE PENTAGON

 

             Mac retrieved a large stack of documents from the files at the pentagon which she thought might aid her in researching her case. As she carried them down the hallway, a rushing figure rounded a corner and bumped into her. The paperwork scattered everywhere. The man who had caused the accident bent to help her pick things up. It was then that she recognized Harm.

 

                 “Why are you in such a big hurry?” she asked.

 

          “The SecNav set up an appointment for me with Admiral Lax.”

 

                “Be careful. Robert Lax is a hard-ass. He won’t take responsibility for the sailors under his command.”

 

                             “You know the admiral?”

 

                 “No, not really, but he provided a statement for the Blakeman case. Getting it waslike pulling teeth, though.”

 

          “I’m not interested in his dental hygiene. I just want to find out what he plans to do with the Phoenix stealth testing.”

 

                  “Do you think you have a chance at being he test pilot?”

 

          “I’m not sure, but wouldn’t that be great?”

 

                          “Good luck.” She said.

 

                     Harm reached out and tenderly caressed her arm. “Baby, I’m glad I ran into you here. I needed to see you.”

 

     “Tonight.” She promised, blowing him a kiss.

 

THAT NIGHT

 

          By the time Harm got home, Mac was already curled up on the couch, wading through her files and notes on the Blakeman case.

 

                       He walked behind her and massaged her shoulders. She sighed happily.

 

                Suddenly the phone rang. Mac picked it up. The news obviously distressed her.

 

                                 She got up and headed out the door with a short apology.

 

                  “What is it?” Harm called.

 

                      “’My client’s been attacked in the brig. Somebody beat the hell out of him.”

 

                    She was gone, and Harm was left alone.

 

            With nothing else to do, he sat down and began reading through her now-abandoned case notes.

 

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     Harm was already asleep by the time Mac climbed into bed beside him. He reached to instinctively pull her to him.