Back to Culture Clash - Chapter 04
Chapter 5: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Her twenty-third day of employment at the Military Academy of the Duchy
of Danubia started and ended differently for Marcia. When the Apprentice
Aquatics Instructor arrived, alone today as she finally felt confident
in making all of the transfers on the trolley system. The gate guard
asked to report not to the pool but to the Vice Commandant's office.
Lt. Draco was sitting outside the Vice Commandant's office when Marcia
was at the door. "When we go inside, be sure to maintain a position of
attention and look the Vice Commandant directly in the eyes," Drakov
directed.
Entering the office, the voice from inside directed them to do so. The
platoon sergeant of the cadre of cadets and Draco were waiting for me.
Were you training the cadet before one cadet needed to recover from the
water?
The Vice Commandant of Cadets was female, mid-forties, and attractive in
a way not usually associated with a uniform, and offered formal
greetings. "Shevat, we would like to reward you for saving this cadet's
life. She has explained to us what she did, and she knows it was not
behavior acceptable to students at the national military academy. She is
to be switched, twenty-five on her naked posterior, at the end of this
class session. What we need to know from you is what you mean by, ‘play
along?"
When she spoke, it was carefully phrased, "Ma'am. Noticing one of the
female cadets struggling in the deep end of the pool, I dove down,
provided a rescue breath, and undid her trousers. Her legs broke the
surface and the rest of her cadre filed into the pool area. Since this
was a rescue, to use the effort as a rescue demonstration.
I said ‘play along," hoping the cadet would stay in the rescued victim
position and allow me to show the swimmers cross-chest carry to the rest
of her class. Admittedly, I also hope the cadet would face less severe
consequences for her actions. Poorly chosen words as they were, based on
the fact she had nearly drowned, needed to be recovered from the water,"
Marcia concluded.
"Your heroic use of your training to rescue this cadet has earned you a
commendation, Instructor. Offsetting this is your compassionate attempt
to avoid being punished for her actions. That recklessly endangered her
own life. Instructor, this normally would carry a fifty-switch penalty.
However, I have offset forty strokes due to your heroic action.
Instructor Shevat, please make yourself available at the end of the
class day for necessary discipline, and be dismissed."
"Well, that went better for you," Lt. Drakov said softly to Marcia
outside the office building. "Why do I still get ten lashes," Marcia
replied. "Could have been fifty and then dismissed from the academy. The
Vice Commandant saw the truth and compassion in your story and decided
to take it easy on both of you.
The cadet will remain with her cadre graduate, on time with her class,
and will wear what all of us would consider a badge of honor on your
rump for the next few days. You tried to save the girl twice, succeeded
once and partially the second time, have our admiration," Draco
concluded.
"Well, let me go get my work in before this happens," Marcia smiled at Drakov and headed toward the pool. When she arrived poolside, Marcia
found the same class of cadets waiting there as had been at the pool
when the female cadet almost drowned herself. "Please, Instructor
Shevat," said the platoon sergeant, a male in his late twenties, "please
demonstrate how you rescued Cadet Kara."
Marcia smiled and thought, ‘Well, why not? After all, I am here to
instruct and train, not just to get my work in'. She said, "Sergeant,
please point out your weakest swimmers."
"Now, do the same with your strongest swimmers," Marcia ordered. The
sergeant looked confused. Sent another seven cadets to the left, leaving
thirteen cadets and the sergeant standing in the center.
"Sergeant, your strongest and weakest cadets will undress to proper
swimming attire." Drew laughs from the class, "while balance and
yourself will report here in full combat gear and boots in five minutes,
are dismissed."
Calling the twelve cadets to her side, Marcia outlined how the training
would proceed, then individually showed the twelve cadets how to carry
out the rescue drill. "One of you will have to go twice, and I will deal
with the sergeant myself," Marcia concluded.
Cadet Kara, the girl who disciplined that afternoon and one of those
designated a ‘weak swimmer,' volunteered to do double duty. "I know I
can do this if I try," Kara declared. Marcia scanned the eyes of the
other eleven rescue swimmers in training; none offered a hint that
anyone else should take Kara's place.
"Okay, I'll be there if you need me." Marcia drew on the confidence of
the class in her decision. Five minutes later, the fourteen ‘victims'
appeared back in the pool area. "Sergeant, please climb the ladder on
the one and one-half meter diving board, turn and face away from the
pool, and walk backward until you fall off," Marcia instructed.
As the sergeant struggled up the ladder too narrow for a field pack,
Marcia explained to the rest of the class that they would each follow.
The cadet falling off the diving board had only one thing to do. Sink to
the bottom of the pool. The rescuer was to call ‘Victim in the water' to
alert others to be ready to assist.
Would then dive into the deep end and provide the victim with one rescue
breath. Then using the cross-chest carry method Marcia had taught the
twelve cadets, the rescuer would bring the victim to the surface and the
side of the pool. Their others would help drag the victim out.
"Sergeant, at your own time, begin," Marcia called and watched the
sergeant step off the board and plunge into the deepest portion of the
pool.
A deep breath, a smooth dive, a nose pinch on her victim followed by a
breath of air into his mouth, a cross-chest carry position followed by
strong scissor kicks brought Marcia and the sergeant to the surface.
Using her legs and right arm, Marcia brought the sergeant to the
poolside; the cadets grabbed his arms and hauled him out of the water.
A male cadet was next off the board, the exercise continued, and Kara
was the rescuer. The procedure went smoothly." The class rotation was
Kara's second turn at a rescue, this victim being a female not much
bigger than Kara herself. The female cadet went off the diving board and
hit the water awkwardly. Marcia was immediately at the poolside in case
there was trouble.
Kara dove to the bottom and found her victim on her side. Reviewing
everything Marcia had said and shown the class, Kara shook the girl and
got no response. All right, temporary loss of consciousness, breathing
rate would be slower. Pinch nostrils and hold a hand over the mouth so
the victim cannot reflexively breathe water. Get into position and push
off with your legs. Now start scissor kicking and using your free arm.
Surface in three seconds, two, one, broaching, then breathe, Kara,
breathe.
"Loss of consciousness, possible aspiration of water, I have a neck
pulse," Kara was yelling to the class when her victim opened her eyes
and whispered, "Now that is the way to do a rescue, girlfriend."
With the cadet out of the pool, the wet uniformed half of the class
retreated to the locker rooms to put on dry casual uniforms. Marcia had
nothing to shave and would simply wait the punishment time. The parade
ground was full of cadets and staff information to witness the
punishments.
Cadet Kara was brought out, in the formation of her cadre, in her place,
but nude among her fellow cadets. Her sergeant ordered her two steps
forward and presented her to the Academy Vice Commandant for discipline.
Read the charges Kara strapped into a device that bent her over and
spread her legs slightly apart. It held her firmly in place.
Her sergeant then applied in even strokes spaced thirty seconds apart,
twenty-five slashes from a leather switch them from the coccyx down her
buttocks to her upper thighs and ending mid-way to the knee. The strokes
were hard, evenly spaced and the welts raised were sufficient to suggest
a return to class tomorrow would be uncomfortable if not downright
unpleasant. Releasing Cadet Kara to her cadre, where she would remain at
attention.
Vice Commandant then called for Instructor Shevat to be brought forward
for punishment. Lt. Drakov accompanied Marcia and presented her to the
Vice Commandant. Marcia's single charge attempted mitigation of a
cadet's breach of protocol and the penalty of ten strokes.
Marcia buckled into the same device used on the cadet before her as her
superior was the Vice Commandant. She took off her dress tunic to allow
freedom of movement. "Instructor Shevat, never have I had so defined a
target for the administration of punishment," the Vice Commandant
remarked.
Marcia thought for a moment as the first stroke of the switch struck her
and remembered That her pure white backside from being covered by her
bikini bottom was now going to be a purplish blotch of bruises. Marcia
counted out loud as each bite of the leather switch took its toll upon
her flesh. On reaching the tenth, she felt the device adjust to standing
her up correctly, then release her. Marcia turned toward the Vice
Commandant, knelt, kissed the toe of the commandant's boot, and said,
"Thank you for correcting my misguided behavior, Ma'am."
"Protocol did not require that, Instructor Shevat, yet, I feel you have
even more won the hearts of the men and women of this academy by your
doing so." The Vice Commandant then instructed Lt. Drakov to escort the
newly punished Apprentice Aquatics Instructor to her office before being
dismissed for the day. "Where did you learn punishment behavior,
Instructor Shevat," the Vice Commandant asked, "whoever taught you
taught you well."
"As you may know, Commandant, my university offers a two-semester course
preparing students for the exchange program with the National University
of Danubia. The instructor of that course was a sociologist named Sarah
Bushnell. Believes the students should be fully aware of all aspects of
Danubian life before accepting the exchange.
That included exposure to public nudity, religious public penance,
criminal collaring, and corporal punishment. In the final weeks before
accepting the exchange student position, I was switched with five lashes
for demonstration of what might happen. Some dropped out of the program
at that point. Most of the students dropping out were male students.
Those of us left knew what to expect, Ma'am."
"Very well. Your work here thus far has been excellent, with nothing but
positive remarks about your water safety and rescue training programs. I
hope our relationship shall continue beyond the start of the university
year when the rest of the cadet battalion returns from summer field
games. Lt. Drakov will see to your arriving home safely."
Marcia turned to Lt. Drakov and meekly asked him," Lieutenant, by the
way, she hired me and switched me, but I've never caught the Vice
Commandant's name."
"Oh, I think you'd recognize the name when you hear it," Draco chuckled.
"Well?" an exasperated Marcia uttered sarcastically, "Are you going to
tell me?"
"Her name is Colonel Magda Dakota, my mother," Drakov chuckled again.
Resisting the temptation to rub her sore rear, Marcia muttered, "Your
Mom sure swings a mean switch."
"She learned taming my two brothers and me as we grew up," Draco
grinned.
The pair reached the motor pool, where the Vice-commandant's driver and
car awaited them.
A much shorter while later than the trolley and transfer system allowed,
Marcia was at the Siminov front door saying good night to the young
officer in full uniform. To kiss him or not to kiss him, Marcia
wondered. What was the Danubian protocol on that? Marcia had the
question answered by Ivan Simonov coming to the door and saying,
"Lieutenant, if you wish to court this, you will begin by having dinner
at my family table on Sunday."
Feeling dragged into the house by Ivan's strong right arm, Marcia
grinned back at Draco. She shrugged and said, "See you at work
tomorrow?" His response, "Definitely!" thrilled her heart.
Ivanka arrived home, saw her roommate's backside, and took her into
their shared water closet. A tube of cream, some of which Ivanka
liberally applied to Marcia's welts, was shown to Marcia. Use it once
daily before bedtime until the bruising recedes. To say the rest of the
evening was uneventful compared to the day is an understatement.
