Edward placed a hand on hers and asked, “How are you holding up sweetheart?”
“I’m fine, thank you, Edward. I want to ask about that young man who rescued us, isn’t his name Dave Bach? Have you heard how he is? The man sustained severe wounds during the fight. I hope they’re looking after him.”
“I understand he’s recovering well Teri although it will take a while. Why do you ask?”
“My staff said Mr. Bach is serving in the Navy after being found guilty of Piracy. I can't accept that young man is so bad he should live under such a cloud, not after he risked himself for us the way he did.”
“Teri, you know, I hadn’t considered it that way. I can’t believe he’s a criminal either. My staff will make inquiries, find out how he’s going. After he saved us, I demanded he receives the best medical care, and he has. There hasn't been time for me to devote any consideration to Dave’s case in the last few days. I want to reward him, but I haven’t decided how yet.”
“Yes, you should reward him, Edward. Oh, I’m so sorry, I only came in here to make sure you’re okay. Now I’ve put even more work on your shoulders. I’ll leave you in peace.”
“There's no need for you to apologize my darling. You haven’t given me any more work, only reminded me of something I should already be doing.”
Teri smiled at her husband as she turned and left his office. The President's wife had her own duties, and she neglected them by visiting her husband.
St. Clair (Colin’s House)
Lisa returned to Colin’s house with her younger brother and sister and a few supplies to help Julia clean the house. Soon after, others came to help. Julia had met a few people, but others she’d never seen. These people overwhelmed her with their generosity. Tears welled in Julia’s eyes as even more arrived to help. With the extra hands pitching in, emptying the house and cleaning only took two hours. Then a few helpers studied the damage, separating repairable items from those needing replacements. One volunteer worked as a local craftsman specializing in wooden furniture. He took the broken wooden furniture away for repair. Others were builders. The builders began work restoring the home’s structure and fittings. The damage looked extensive, but so many people helped that the restoration proceeded at a fast pace.
Several days later, Colin arrived at the house to see how Julia fared and arrange repairs. He didn't understand why so many people were at his home. He worried that Julia must be using her own money to pay for their services. Colin considered the house’s upkeep his responsibility. He had plenty of money available for this restoration.
When Colin walked through the door, Julia saw him and rushed over to greet him, happy to see her friend and employer. She hugged him, which surprised Colin. Although Colin had always maintained a hands-off policy with Julia, he allowed her to embrace him.
Colin saw busy people around his house and asked, “What are they doing Julia? How are you paying for this?”
“I’m not paying for it, Colin. Somebody told them about the damage, and they came to help. Nobody is asking for payment.”
“Oh. But, everybody suffered loss from the invasion. These people should look after themselves. I must offer to pay. I have money, I’m not broke yet.”
Two of the volunteers passed as Colin mentioned paying the helpers. On hearing this, they stopped and looked at him. The looks weren’t angry or hostile, but Colin’s comments displeased them.
One, a woman said, “Commander Gordon, we're here. Nobody came expecting payment. We’re doing this because both of you have done so much for this town in your own ways. The emergency services couldn’t evacuate ten people to the shelters in time. They are alive and well because Julia took them somewhere safe to hide. Commander, you risked everything including your life to drive the Pirates away from Cambridge. People understand you weren’t sitting out there alone. Everybody is aware you had the help of the rest of the Naval contingent, and those who come from around St. Clair will receive the same treatment from us. We’re not doing this for the money, we’re doing it in gratitude. These people consider this a small repayment for your efforts. Please, Captain, don’t mention money to us again.”
“Fair enough. Sorry, I don’t know your name. Oh, my name is Colin, or Col to my friends. I’d have to classify everybody here as a friend.”
“Okay, Col. My name is Joan, Joan Raleigh. This lump standing beside me is my partner, Tomas.”
“Okay, Joan. Will you accept my apology for mentioning money and my thanks for the work everyone is doing here? It’s just I’ve always been in the habit of paying my way. This a new experience for me.”
Joan looked critically at Colin for a moment then laughed.
“Your apology and thanks are both accepted Col. Julia can explain what we’re doing here.”
CHAPTER FIVE
TARGETED
Hills Above St. Clair
Dawson and his people made their way through the rugged terrain above Commander Gordon’s house, taking care not to leave signs of their passing. The Marine on point, Cameron Davis, stopped and ducked under cover. Behind her, the rest of the team followed suit, dropping out of sight and looking about for the threat.
Three groups of Marines roamed the hills behind Colin’s house. Each group comprised eight people divided into two fire teams. All carried Secure Comms equipment, so Cameron didn’t take long to explain the situation. She’d found perhaps a dozen people observing Commander Gordon’s house from the heights. They were well armed and had taken positions that kept them concealed from the home. Cam considered the situation suspicious, and Dawson agreed. The Sergeant sent messages to the other teams, requesting they watch his back and another to Lieutenant Stark explaining the threat. While Dawson waited for replies, he ordered his own people to find better concealment so the enemy troops wouldn’t detect them, either from either direction.
As Dawson studied the angles, it became clear they had no safe way to extract Commander Gordon. He had plenty of other people in his house and wouldn’t leave them in danger while he escaped. An extraction became even more challenging with a crowd.
Like most individuals in the Federation, Dawson thought if the Commander was half the man the media portrayed him to be, they had to keep him alive and well. Commander Gordon had a talent for lifting people’s performance. Dawson considered now an opportune time for a performance improvement.
Colin’s House
Stark approached Colin with a grim look on his face. Colin read between the lines and his heart sank.
When Stark reached him, Colin asked, “How bad is it, Kevin?”
Stark thought, ‘Shit, someone else who can read my mind. What is it with these Navy Officers?’
Instead, he replied, “We have probable hostiles surveilling the house Sir. I think we’ve found the Alliance Special Forces people DNI warned us about, but what do we do now? We can’t evacuate you, or anyone else without the risk of drawing fire.”
“We’ll start by keeping these people inside for their own safety.”
“Yes, Commander, I agree. I wouldn’t mind having a few more armed people though, individuals who have the skills to use a weapon, and weapons for them to use.”
Colin smiled an evil smile.
“I may have a few weapons hidden away here. I expect a few people can use weapons.”
Stark’s eyebrows rose with Colin’s pronouncement. Colin looked around till he found Julia. He beckoned the girl over to talk.
When Julia arrived within earshot, Colin said, “Julia, gather everyone into the games room, please. Let no one leave the house and don’t go outside yourself.”
Julia understood enough to leave her questions for later and moved among the volunteers, steering them into the largest room in the house. The games room nestled into a corner near the cliff and enjoyed protection on the two sides nearest the cliffs. Colin walked to the end of the hall while everybody looked at him with expectation.
Colin said, “Thank you for the help you’re giving
us here today. It is unfortunate, but I’ve upset a few people since FNS Destiny rescued me. They want me dead. It grieves me to tell you, that by being here, you may be in danger. We have Alliance troops concealed in the hills above us. It seems they’re here to kill me. However, what concerns me more is the risk to you. That pains me more than I can express. The Lieutenant here expressed a wish for a few more armed troops to help us defend ourselves. I have a few weapons stashed in my basement. Are there any militia or retired military personnel here?”
Colin heard a laugh as Joan and Tomas both strode forward. Joan said, “Right now, I’m active in the local militia, Col. If you have weapons, I can use the basic infantry gear. Tomas here served with the Marines in an earlier life, he can use most weapons. He retired about ten years ago.”
Stark looked at Tomas, surprise written across his face.
Tomas noticed the look, grinned and said, “Captain Tomas Raleigh (retired) at your service Lieutenant.”
Stark saluted and said, “It’s an honor to meet you, Captain. The instructors told us about you, but I’ve only seen pictures of you as a much younger man and didn’t recognize you. Sir, I never expected to meet you.”
“Relax Lieutenant. I’m not a Marine Captain any longer, I’m a civilian now, but I remember enough to help. Call me Tomas, or Tom. I no longer hold the rank.”
“Yes, Cap… I mean Tomas. Still, I suspect you’ll be a huge help if things go bad here.”
“Perhaps, perhaps not. We shall see. Joan, can you organize the weapons qualified people? Now, Commander, you suggested you may have a few weapons? Shall we retrieve them?”
“Julia, keep everyone in here, please. We’ll return soon. Tomas, Kevin, follow me please.”
Colin led the two men down into his basement. He opened the entrance to the safe room and led them inside the passageway.
Stark peered around the chamber and said, “So they hid here. It’s set up well. Captain, you’ve been in Cambridge for three years. How did you build this so fast? I’d expect this to need years of construction.”
“Julia found it soon after I bought the house. The chamber already existed, even before the original owners built the house. They set up the facilities, I brought in supplies and weapons. If our situation becomes untenable, we can evacuate everyone through here. That should be our last resort though. The other end is five kilometres away, across the hills.”
Colin led the two men, one Marine, and one ex-Marine to the weapons locker which they emptied.
Stark said, “Commander, you have enough weapons and ammunition here to start a small war.”
“As a child, I joined the Scouting movement back home. Our motto is ‘Be Prepared.’ This area exists so we can protect ourselves if attacked. Besides, I’d prefer to use these weapons to finish the small war about to descend on our heads.”
Stark shook his head and chuckled, ” Colin, I’ve learned we never have a dull moment when you’re involved. At least we may have a chance of coming through this in one piece. I can’t criticize that.”
Hills Above St. Clair
Dawson listened to Lieutenant Stark’s message. The team at the house and other defenses he’d put in place might just help them keep everyone alive. It all depended on what the Pirate operators planned, the resources available to them and what they’d learned about the house and its occupants.
The only person in Dawson’s team with eyes on the Pirates was Davis. She reported they still moved toward the house. While Dawson prepared to tell his Marines to keep in contact, one of the other teams informed him of another Pirate group. These had appeared on the slopes above and behind him. The second group made their cautious way down toward the other side of the house.
This new bunch didn’t seem aware of Dawson’s team, but his Marines couldn’t move until they’d gone. When he counted the numbers, Dawson realized they had a big batch of Spec-Ops people here. The hillside had become crowded. The second team of operators made it harder to protect Commander Gordon. No Pirate gave any sign they’d seen the Marines, but the Marines knew of them. While the Alliance troops may expect somebody protected Commander Gordon, they showed no indication they suspected anything more. The game was becoming interesting.
Sergeant Dawson, informed Lieutenant Stark about the situation in the hills while backup teams stalked the new threat. Davis still had Pirates in view, but even she’d lost sight of a few of them. It looked like the Pirates had two teams, each trying to approach the house from a different direction. Sergeant Dawson felt like tearing his hair out. He wanted to kill those attacking the house dead. That strategy would fail with an enemy to his rear. Dawson’s Marines found themselves in an awkward tactical position. The Sergeant informed Lieutenant Stark about the problem.
Colin’s House
Stark stood alone, a faraway look in his eyes as he analyzed their predicament. It was less than ideal, but the problems weren’t insurmountable, not yet anyway. Perhaps he should inform the Marine Commandant about the situation, but when he tried, the link was dead. Stark’s long-range Comms were out, perhaps because of natural interference or deliberate jamming. Tomas picked up on Kevin’s frustration and put his hand on the Lieutenants shoulder.
He said, “Remember the Marine motto, ‘We shall prevail.’”
As Tomas walked away, Stark reflected on what the ex-Marine said. Tomas had earned legendary status inside the Marine community. History credited Tomas Raleigh with many successes and pulling victory out of the jaws of defeat so often, everyone lost count. As a Marine, Raleigh earned a similar reputation to the one Colin enjoyed. He created the Cambridge Marine Corps single-handed and became the first Commandant. Kevin hoped the man could work his magic once more, so they achieved one of those amazing feats.
The Lieutenant stationed a Marine fire team outside when they moved into the house. Now he hoped they’d hidden in a stable defensive position. Stark didn’t want to lose any troops.
Meanwhile, Joan took the weapons and ammunition, checked it and issued it to the best available militia members. Simultaneous to this, Julia shepherded the rest downstairs to the safe room. There, they’d enjoy reasonable safety when the shooting began. Stark’s first plan placed the armed people, including Joan and Tomas, in strategic locations around the house. Colin insisted on taking a weapon even overruling Stark, who wanted him in the safe room with the civilians. Colin wouldn’t accept that. He was unwilling to put other people in danger to save himself.
The Commander’s stance frustrated Stark, but he both expected and respected it. Colin had already built a reputation for leading from the front, hence Henry’s decision to assign Marines to his security. Stark sighed, accepting the inevitable, turning away before he started an argument he wouldn’t win.
Hills Above St. Clair
As the day passed, Davis lost sight of the last of her targets. Sergeant Dawson ordered her not to move, and she found that frustrating. It should be possible to follow the Pirates, provided the young Marine took care but orders were orders, and Davis stayed put for now.
After a long wait, Dawson sent to Davis, “It’s time, Cam. Try to re-establish contact with the enemy below you. Take care, I want none of you hurt if that’s possible. Move out when you’re ready.”
“Yes, Sir. Moving out now.”
Cameron eased down the slope, staying under cover of rock overhangs and shrubbery to remain concealed. Everyone on the hill took their time moving, all moving with maximum stealth. Dawson struggled to wrap his head around the tactical complexities. He wasn’t sure if his team stalked the Alliance operators or whether they stalked the Marines.
Further down the hill, Cam once more caught sight of the Alliance people she’d been tracking. It was obvious now; these bozos had closed on the house. The enemy wasn’t in a hurry. It appeared they were hanging back, maybe waiting for something or somebody. Cameron called Sergeant Dawson with her theory. Dawson listened, then asked her to wait while he gave it a little thought. Davis moved under a bush
offering somewhat better cover, then settled down to wait. She’d been there for perhaps fifteen or twenty minutes when a twig snapped next to her. Cameron looked out the corner of her eye to spot someone move past her, maybe two metres away. She thanked the Gods for her camouflage gear. This Pirate was a skilled operator in Cameron’s opinion, but not good enough to escape her notice. His equipment didn’t look to be as capable as the gear Cambridge issued to its Marines. She heard the slightest sound on the other side of her hiding spot and realized somebody was there too. Now Cam worried. Enemy troops surrounded and outnumbered her. If these guys found her, Cameron would die, or take injuries. She didn’t expect them to stumble across her unless one tried to hide under the same bush.
Dawson’s heart was in his mouth when he noticed movement right next to Cameron’s bush. He thought two Pirates lay near her position. The Sergeant signaled for two of his team to move down and position themselves ready to support Cam if she needed it. Dawson wondered how these latest two Pirates reached there without being detected. The Sergeant worried about the number of enemy operators on the hillside. Dawson wondered if they would find her under the bush right next to them.
The Marines didn’t need this. Dawson checked with the troops further up the hill. Those targets remained in visual range, so the ones near Cam were part of a third group. Dawson’s Marines could take out the two near Cameron, but that would alert the remaining Alliance troops about someone else on the hillside.
Davis’ vitals still looked okay when Dawson checked. Her heart-rate appeared a little higher than he would have preferred, but he expected that under the circumstances. Other than Commander Gordon’s team, Davis was the closest Marine to the house but even she was a kilometre away. Whatever else happened, the Marines had to protect Commander Gordon. Cam’s exposed position meant they shouldn’t start a firefight yet. Colin would be pissed if anyone died. The bush and gardens on two sides of the house made it a natural property to approach unnoticed. The shrubbery added to the attraction, it made the property more desirable but harder to defend.
Star Strike: Book 3 of the Star Man Series Page 4
