15:42 Zulu (over the Pacific Ocean)
It had been an incredibly long, exhausting flight to reach this point over the Pacific Ocean and the crew of JAG officers on board the C-130 transport faced several more hours in the air; complete with a couple of mid-air refuelings.
What put the JAG team into the air was the disappearance of a Petty Office 2nd Class on board the USS Monex. The Monex had been in the midst of an anti-submarine drill when it was noticed the petty officer was not at his assigned station. The man had been in a fight with a junior officer some time before the drill, and an anonymous tip to the captain indicated foul play.
Navy Lt. Commander Harmon Rabb and Marine Lt. Colonel Sarah MacKenzie had boarded the C-130 near Falls Church, VA. Under the orders of Admiral AJ Chedwiggin, they were to defend the lieutenant charged with causing the disappearance of the petty officer. FBI Special Agent Clayton Webb also boarded the aircraft, en route to Hawaii.
Long hours of flying time later, during which they passed through several sleep-restricting stormfronts, the aircraft touched down at a base in San Diego, California. Navy Lieutenants Bud and Harriet Roberts also boarded the aircraft. Bud was to prosecute the charged lieutenant, while his wife Harriet was along as a research aid. Bud would meet another prosecutor on board.
After pleasantries were exchanged, the group, dressed in flight gear and overalls, settled into the cargo bay of the C-130, surrounded with all manner of military paraphernalia. Just eight jumpseats were available for passengers behind the closed door of the cockpit. Made of webbing and canvas, they provided the most basic of human comfort.
On the starboard side of the aircraft, holding hands and chatting animatedly into each other's ears over the roar of the C-103's four turboprop engines, were Bud and Harriet. On the port side, Harm and Sarah sat next to each other as Webb stretched out over the two remaining seats on that side.
Still tired from their draining and jet lagging flight from Falls Church, Harm and Sarah tried to relax into their uncomfortable seats. Eventually, the two fell into a light sleep. Webb, on the other hand, was out like a light on the other two seats.
A couple of hours out of San Diego, Sarah, in the midst of a hot wet dream where she was giving head to an officer in a tank, was roused by bumpy turbulence. A little unsettling, she forgot where she was for a moment in the dim interior of the transport aircraft. But, as her wits gathered, she remembered where she was and looked around. Next to her, Harm's head nodded as he dozed. Next to Harm, Sarah could see that Webb was snoring and in REM sleep, although she couldn't hear him over the noise of the aircraft. Looking across the cabin at Bud and Harriet, though, Sarah was quickly shocked out of her sleepiness.
Bud and Harriet were deeply exchanging tongue, and Bud, who had unbuckled Harriet's web gear and unzipped her overalls, was massaging a large breast which he had freed from her bra. Seeing the pair thusly engaged, Sarah quickly closed her eyes so as not to embarrass them.