Scavenger's Mission (The SkyRyders Book 1)

by Liza O'Connor

  “Well,” Jack said as he sat down on the bed beside her and handed her a cup of coffee. “There’s your diminutive size—can’t really do anything about that.” He stared into the corner of the tent as if it were capable of solving mystical puzzles. “There’s also your smile of pure sweetness—you could try to tape down the edges of your mouth. And then there are those long, dark eyelashes…”

  “Stop!” she demanded. “I’ll just wear a bag on my head.”

  Jack laughed out loud.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I’m sorry,” he said between laughs, “but I just had this image of some poor guy waking up to find he’d made love to a paper bag.”

  Alisha failed to see the humor, and her expression must have clearly communicated such, for Jack took in a deep breath and steadied himself.

  “Sorry,” he said, and sobered. “I’ve really gotten off the track as to why I came in here,” he admitted. “You distract me with surprising ease.”

  Just then, Gunny asked permission to enter.

  Before Jack could answer, Alisha pushed Jack off her cot. The last thing she wanted was for Gunny to tell everyone he’d actually seen them in bed together. Jack stared at her as if she’d lost her mind but moved farther away from the cot as she shooed him off.

  Jack moved over to the folding table and gave Gunny permission to enter.

  The old sergeant stuck his head in and focused on Jack. “Would you and the captain like breakfast brought to you, sir?”

  They answered in unison. Jack said, “Yes,” and Alisha said, “No.”

  Gunny chuckled as he promised to bring them breakfast right away and left the tent.

  “At least someone recognizes my rank,” Jack muttered.

  “I apologize for pushing you, Colonel Sparkes, but it’s bad enough we’re found in the same tent together. I didn’t want him saying we were in bed together. And, for the same reason, I think it would be better if I ate with my squad down at the mess tent.”

  “Well, to begin with, the rumors of our romantic affair began about ten minutes after you landed and became solid fact when I half-carried you to bed last night, so our having breakfast in my tent won’t alter the gossip at all. And I do have a reason for wanting to speak with you in private,” he added, his tone hinting the topic would not be a happy one.

  “Philly—did something happen during the night?” she asked, forgetting all about her agitation over the stupid rumors.

  “It’s not about Philly—well, at least not about his present health. It’s about you disobeying a direct order and flying off to rescue him,” Jack said. He grabbed a chair and sat down in front of her, so close his legs pressed on both sides of her knees.

  When she looked down at her hands, Jack nudged her chin up so he could see her eyes. “This is serious, Alisha. What you did yesterday could easily have qualified you for a court-martial. You never disobey a direct order!”

  “Colonel Logan has already made that clear.”

  “Well it’s my turn now. Whatever he dealt out in punishment, double it and add another twenty days no leave.”

  Doubling the colonel’s punishment was meaningless—he had made it as extreme as possible—but the twenty days would add new pain, for it would be five weeks now before she could see Gramps. “You evidently think Colonel Logan let me off easy, but I assure you he didn’t.”

  “I never thought he did.”

  “Then I don’t understand your involvement.”

  “Logan punished you for disobeying his order. However, when you chose to fly off, you also disobeyed orders from both myself and the general. And unfortunately, you caught me up in your troubles.”

  “How?”

  Jack sighed. “I made my own error of judgment. I broke a rule because I felt the consequences were worth it, but it will probably kill any chance for future promotions.”

  “What did you do?” she asked, forgetting all about her own troubles.

  “I tried to save a very promising captain from imprisonment for failing to sign out before flying. It’s one of those black-and-white issues. You either do or you don’t sign out, and if you don’t, then you are considered AWOL. If you go AWOL during a battle, it’s a mandatory twenty years in prison, no extenuating circumstances allowed. Did you fail to study regulation 14.69?”

  Alisha couldn’t believe how badly she’d screwed up. “I missed all the 14 regs. The book I studied from was four years old.”

  Jack sighed. “Well, to prevent the Corps from losing the most extraordinary talent that has ever graced its skies, I did something equally bad. I rewrote history and signed you out.”

  “What’s the punishment for that?”

  “No prison time, but mandatory dismissal from the Corps.”

  “No!”

  “It shouldn’t come to that, as long as I can avoid the new psych test, but that means I’ll never be a general, because a psych test is mandatory to be considered for the position.”

  Grief overwhelmed her. “You shouldn’t have done it.”

  “That’s what the general said as well, but not so politely.”

  “I can’t believe how I’ve hurt and disappointed everyone who cares about me. I should never have tried this. I should just leave the Corps before I ruin anyone else’s career.” Alisha would have said more, but she succumbed to sobbing into Jack’s chest.

  “Not a chance!” he warned her as he moved back onto the bed and held her in his arms. “I didn’t put my career on the line so you could quit when things get rough. You owe me. And the only way you can ever repay this debt is to stay and become the best damn flyer the Corps has ever had.”

  Chapter 50

  Logan awoke early and dressed. He’d spent most of the night thinking about Alisha’s flying. He’d isolated several maneuvers he wanted her to teach the squad. If they could learn the vertical drop in two hours, he couldn’t wait to see what else they could learn.

  Gunny arrived with coffee. “Can I bring you some breakfast, sir?”

  “That’s all right, Gunny. I’m sure I can find my way to the mess hall.”

  “It’s no problem, sir. Colonel Sparkes has ordered breakfast for him and the captain, so I’ll be coming back up with food either way.”

  Logan lost his appetite. “Isn’t Colonel Sparkes with the general?”

  Gunny paused for a second. “No, sir, he’s with Captain Kane.”

  “Where’s the general?” Logan demanded as he tried not to disclose the fury he felt building inside him. He had clearly forbidden Alisha to sleep with Jack Sparkes, and she hadn’t waited a single day before disobeying his order.

  Try as he might, he couldn’t keep his anger with Alisha. Jack had put on a full-press seduction from the moment he’d met her. She’d probably got drunk last night, and he took advantage.

  “The general’s in his tent, sir,” Gunny replied.

  “Is he up?”

  “For several hours, sir.”

  Without another word, Logan stormed out. As he walked past Jack’s tent, he was tempted to go in and knock the hell out of the manipulative bastard, but that would only get him sent to the brig. It was time for Jack to land in shit for once. The general could play favorites all he liked, but this time he was going to account for the reason.

  His knock before entering was almost non-existent. He certainly didn’t wait for permission to enter before he stormed in. “General, I would like to know why you nailed my hide to the ground on a rumor I was partnering with my captain when you allow Sparkes to blatantly seduce and bed her in a tent twenty-feet from your own.”

  “Lower your voice, Logan. The whole damn camp can hear you,” Powell said as he sipped his coffee. “And get off your damn soapbox. I hate being preached at.” He pointed to a second folding chair. “Have a seat.”

  “I’m too angry to sit,” Logan assured him.

  “And you’d have a right to be angry if Jack had slept with your captain, but I can assure you he slept here in this tent.�
��

  Logan paused. “He’s with her now.”

  “Yes, he is, but they aren’t having sex. Your captain is receiving another harsh lecture about the importance of obeying orders. Jack and I discussed how much of an issue should be made of her rescue-and-retrieval mission. He sided with you and felt if we don’t nip this behavior in the bud, she’ll self-destruct before five years are out. So I intended to read her the riot act, but Jack felt she’d be more responsive to his reprimand.” The general smiled. “So you see, you’re pissed off about nothing. Now sit down and stop pacing.”

  Logan stopped pacing, but he didn’t sit. “Jack Sparkes has no business disciplining my captain.”

  “Well, you’re wrong there, Colonel. In a moment of bad judgment yesterday, Jack put his own career on the line for her. I’ve already told him I’ll personally wring his neck if he ever does such a boneheaded, stupid thing again, but this time I’m overlooking it, as I’m overlooking the fact you entered my tent without permission and proceeded to dress me down like I was a first-week cadet.”

  “I apologize, sir, for my disregard of appropriate protocol.”

  “Oh, you aren’t sorry at all! You’ve wanted to curse me out for years. However, between last night and this morning, I think you’ve vented long enough. I was hoping my new respect for your abilities would help bridge the gap between us, but I’m not seeing much effort to build any bridges on your side.”

  Logan sighed and sat down in the chair twice offered to him. “You’re right, sir. I sincerely apologize.”

  “It’s all forgotten,” the general said, and passed over a list. “Here are the commendations I’ll be sending in to MAC. Thought you might be interested, given every one of your squad is on that list. Well, except for DC, of course. Speaking of which, mind if I keep him?”

  Logan couldn’t believe his ears. The man still believed in DC after all evidence to the contrary. “General, I firmly believe DC’s career with the Corps is over. The investigation I opened on him was because he attempted to kill Alisha on her first day as a trainee.”

  “Kill?” the general repeated, clearly stunned by the news.

  “I had sent them out on exercises while I attended your staff meeting. I was concerned about her safety even before I left. During the night, someone sliced eleven small seam cuts into her catcher. Had she not checked her equipment in the morning, she would have died right there.”

  “Only a fool wouldn’t check their gear,” Powell said.

  “True, but she was new. It might have worked, but whoever sabotaged her catcher didn’t take any chances. All seven spare catchers had the same cuts. I finally gave her my personal spare, which I keep safely locked up.”

  “Do you have proof it was DC?”

  “No. Someone covered the camera. But after the events of the day, I’m absolutely positive it was him.”

  “I’m afraid to ask what happened during the day…”

  “He made her the rabbit, naturally. However, instead of a gentle sand stall, he was stalling her out over that very same ridge she flew this morning.”

  “I’m surprised he could catch her.”

  “Alone, he couldn’t have, but my squad can fly, General, and they obey orders—even wrong ones.”

  “Ahh.” The general sighed.

  “On the third run, he stalled her out at three hundred feet.”

  “You must have the height wrong, Logan. No one can survive a stall that high.”

  “Alisha’s the only one who can, and she just barely managed by snagging her catcher on a tree as she wind-sailed down. She still busted her knee up pretty bad.”

  “Well, I can see why you expect him to be drummed out.”

  “That, unfortunately, wasn’t the end of things. When he made her get up and do another run, she realized nothing but her death was going to suffice, so on the next run, she turned into the rows of the wind farm and landed about a half-mile in.”

  “God almighty, is that even possible?”

  “For her it is, but even she admitted it was dangerous as hell. It was her only choice. I think she hoped he’d just leave her there and head back to the compound.”

  Powell shook his head. “No, he’d gone too far. He couldn’t risk her returning and filing charges.”

  “So he went in after her and attempted to shoot her, except lasers can be confused around so much aluminum. Despite her damaged knee, she zigzagged between enough turbines to lose him and the laser tag. Philly was posted on the ridge and helped out in his own way by giving DC bad directions.”

  “No wonder she was so intent on saving the boy today.”

  “She doesn’t know Philly tried to save her. Information concerning the investigation is strictly confidential and on a need-to-know basis only,” Logan reminded the general.

  “I remember you pointing that out yesterday morning. I appreciate that you are sharing it with me now, but may I ask why the change?”

  “Because you asked if you could keep DC with you, and frankly, sir, I would greatly appreciate it as long as you keep him in the brig. I am very concerned about what will happen if he gets out.”

  “I agree, but why wasn’t he in your brig?”

  “He was, but the only infraction I could charge him with put him in the brig for a day.”

  “For trying to kill a cadet?” Powell objected.

  “MAC had taken over the inquiry into Alisha’s training run. DC was in the brig for being disrespectful to his commanding officer. So when we got orders to fight, MAC had DC listed to fight, thus I had no choice but to release and bring him along. I was fairly certain I wouldn’t be playing a major role in the battle, so I believed I could stay on top of him during the bag-and-tag and keep Alisha safe.”

  The general’s scowled indicated he remained pissed. “Well, leave him with me. I can keep him in the brig indefinitely for disobeying an order during battle. Hell, I can shoot him.”

  “Technically speaking, only Jack could have shot him, and it would have been necessary to do it on the spot, but I really don’t want to start a precedent of shooting crewmembers who disobey orders during a battle at the moment.”

  The general gave him a sympathetic smile. “As you pointed out yourself, Logan, she’s only been with the Corps one day. Give her time. I feel confident that, with both you and Jack focused on getting her straightened out, she’ll be the best thing that’s ever happened to this Corps. Just look at that list in your hands. In a regular battle, I rarely have more than four commendations. Yesterday, every damn flier gave his best, including my field commander.”

  Logan was very tempted to reply that he had always given his best, but until yesterday, the general had never asked much of him. In an effort to build a bridge between them, he focused on the list of commendations. He was pleased the general had acknowledged his squad’s achievements. However, the low performance evaluation Sparkes received shocked him to the core.

  ***

  Leaving the general’s tent, Logan tried to trust his commander’s assurance there was nothing going on and walk past Sparkes’ tent, but he knew he needed to see for himself. He at least gave Sparkes the courtesy of announcing his presence, and waited for permission to enter.

  The permission was immediate.

  “We’ve enough breakfast to share if you haven’t eaten,” Sparkes offered. “But you’ll need to bring your own chair.”

  He barely heard Sparkes’ cheerful offer. He focused on Alisha, dressed in her flight suit, poking at her food. Her eyes looked red from crying. “No thanks, I’ll have breakfast with my squad,” he replied. “If you’ve finished your conversation with my captain, Colonel, I’d like her to join us as well. I need to talk with my crew before the general’s performance review meeting.”

  Sparkes sighed and stood up. “Can’t say I’m looking forward to this one. The general has forewarned me I’m in for a public beating.”

  Alisha looked up in outrage, but before she could protest, Sparkes stopped her. “For my in
itial battle plan and for failing to get proper intel on the situation.”

  “That’s not fair! He obviously didn’t know about Wednesday being market day either. And the plan we took into battle was a complete and absolute success.”

  Logan agreed with her arguments. He hadn’t known any more than Sparkes about “market day”. Drug raids were new. For years they’d been doing nothing but fighting terrorists and scavengers. This had been their first drug raid. Still, the speed with which Alisha came to Sparkes’ rescue caused a distinct tension in his stomach.

  “Yes, and he took that into consideration, so I won’t lose my rank, but I will take a beating. It’s important for the men to know you can’t just perform well some of the time. You must do so all of the time.”

  Alisha turned to Logan. “Under the same criteria, I shouldn’t receive any commendations either.”

  “That’s true,” Logan said. “However, to not give you a commendation, the general would have to explain to his men what you did to undo your tremendous contributions of the day, and he doesn’t wish to officially charge you with disobeying an order. So, for the benefit of the troops, you will receive your commendation.”

  “That’s not fair treatment. If he’s going to hold Colonel Sparkes responsible for intel he didn’t know, then he should hold me responsible for orders I disobeyed.”

  Her continued defense of Sparkes pissed him off. “He feels your rapid escalation to captain may have left you unprepared to make good decisions under stress. It is my duty to train you as quickly as possible. And any future failure on your part will be seen as a failure on my part as well, so when I say you will accept your commendations today without incident, I hope you understand it’s an order and not a request.”

  “Yes, sir.” She lowered her eyes.

  “Then go to the mess hall and round up the squad. I’ll be down directly,” Logan snapped.

  He waited until Alisha had left the tent before he spoke again. “I understand the reason you’re in this tent is because you wished to dispense your own discipline on my captain.”

  Sparkes nodded. “She has tremendous potential, but if she doesn’t learn to play by the rules, it’s all for nothing. By the way, you should coach her on the regs above twelve. She had no clue what the consequences of failing to sign out during battle would be.”