“I’ll send for you when we are done.” Dorescu waited as the guard left. Then he tugged on the chain, forcing the woman to crawl to him. “We shall enjoy this one tonight, Pyotyr. We have earned this.” He laughed cruelly as the young woman shuddered in fear.
“This and so much more.”
“Soon, Pyotyr, soon.”
Kovacz nodded and leaned forward to watch his captain begin his games.
* * *
Captain Bernard Hughes, Midlothian Space Navy, stepped into his quarters and sighed in relief as the hatch slid shut behind him. Even as he did, he cast a quick look around the outer room to make sure nothing had been disturbed since he had last been there. Then, one hand sliding into his jacket pocket where a mini-pulsar rested, he moved into his bedroom, searched it and the adjoining head. A few months ago, he would have felt the fool for taking such precautions but not now. Not when his life depended on being paranoid.
Damn Watchman for forcing him into the position of having to accept this assignment!
Be honest, Barney, he didn’t do anything but be himself. Your fear of him and his position put you here.
Just as it put him one step ahead of the executioner.
Satisfied there were no unexpected visitors or surprises waiting for him, Hughes returned to the outer room and dropped onto the sofa. For almost as long as he had been onboard the Anubis, he had known Dorescu and the crew wanted him dead. At first, he had tried to convince himself that, no matter how much they resented him and his fellow advisors, they would not act. Then, as first one and then another and then yet another died, he knew his days were numbered. What the Callusians did not realize, however, was that he had no intention of making it easy for them to hill him. He hadn’t survived as long as he had by being careless.
He had wasted no time in planting listening devices around the ship. Fortunately for his continued survival, Dorescu had not expected him to take such action. He certainly hadn’t expected one of the devices to be planted in his own quarters. The information gathered as a result confirmed Hughes’ suspicions. The Callusians had no intention of following their orders as laid out by their Midlothian advisors. Instead, they planned on using the improved ships and technology provided by the Midlothians to finally defeat Fuercon and its allies. In the course of accomplishing that, Dorescu also planned on making sure his r shipboard advisor perished in the fight.
Unfortunately for them, Hughes did not plan on falling into their trap. But he was no fool. He knew he couldn’t be on guard every hour of every day. So, he had put his own failsafe measures in place, designed to activate if anything happened to him. His own superiors would not approve but, after seeing what happened to his fellow advisors, he did not care. Survival became the goal for the mission. Everything else had to come after that. He couldn’t accomplish his mission if he wound up dead.
* * *
“Present arms!”
Master Sergeant M. J. Adamson’s voice rang out across the tarmac. It was followed instantly by two companies of Marines, Devil Dogs each and every one, obeying. Hands snapped up in a synchronized salute. Adamson studied the assembly for a moment before executing a perfect about face. She marched with parade ground precision to where Ashlyn stood with Lucinda Ortega.
“Ma’am, First Division Second Battalion Delta and Gamma Companies stand ready for inspection.”
“Very well, Master Sergeant.” Ashlyn turned her attention to her executive officer. “Captain, these are your companies. The inspection is yours.”
Ortega was too good of an officer to break discipline but Ash saw the flash of frustration in her friend’s eyes. Too bad. She hadn’t wanted to put the companies through an inspection before they shipped out. She remembered how much she had hated such inspections, especially when they were only for show. But Ortega had insisted. Worse, she had brought both Adamson and Talbot to back her up.
At least Ash understood part of their reasoning. Fuercon and its allies had not expected to find themselves at war so soon. Knowing the Devil Dogs were on-planet had some – civilian and politician alike – wondering if the military feared the fight would soon come to the System. Ashlyn understood their concern. After all, it had not been that long ago when an attack was run against the Capital. She still suspected there was more to that brief attack than they knew and that worried her more than she wanted to admit.
“You have done your company commanders proud today, Devil Dogs,” Ashlyn said once Ortega finished the inspection and reported the results. “More than that, you have done yourselves proud. In a few minutes, you will board the shuttles at the edge of the tarmac. That will be the first step in your journey to join up with the Warlords. When you do, I know I don’t have to ask you to not only remember that you are Devil Dogs, the best in the Corps, but also that Colonel Pawlak was one of us. He might have been transferred to the Warlords but he will forever be a Devil Dog. Honor his memory as well as the memories of those who perished with him.”
Her mother had once told her the burden of command wasn’t the planning and execution of ops. It was knowing that there would come a time when you had to order someone to take actions that would result in their death. There would inevitably come a time when someone had to make the sacrifice so others could live. As an office, she would have to make that call. The higher the rank, the more often that call would be made. The only way to live with it was to make sure her people did not die in vain and that their deaths were avenged.
Ooh-rah
“Take the fight straight to the enemy and ram it down their throats. We didn’t ask for this war. We didn’t resume hostilities. They did. Now show them how foolish they were to violate the truce. Show them that Fuercon and its allies will no longer be satisfied with simply holding the line. Show them that we intend to end this war and do so in such a way they will never again be foolish enough to come at us with weapons instead of diplomacy.
“You are Devil Dogs. Go give the enemy hell!”
“Ooh-Rah!”
“Captain Ortega, Master Sergeant Adamson and your Company commanders will lead you wisely. Listen to them and heed their orders. Most of all, never forget that you are Devil Dogs, the best of the Corps.”
With that, Ashlyn braced to attention and saluted the two Companies. She held that position until the last rank had marched past on the way to the shuttles. Then she lowered her hand and turned to face Ortega and Adamson.
“I don’t know what you’re going to find when you get there. My hope is that Hammer managed to bring the Warlords up to something close to our standard. My fear is that you may be walking into a trap. So keep your eyes and ears open and your guard up.” She motioned for them to walk with her. “Once you are off-planet, Luce will brief you on some intel we have been given, MJ. It doesn’t apply directly to your mission but it very well may impact it. If either of you see or hear anything that concerns you, report back to me immediately.”
“Understood,” the two said in unison.
“And, before you say anything, I promise to be careful,” she continued. “With the courts martial beginning next week, I will be spending most of my time at HQ. Talbot has already received orders, not only from the two of you but from my mother and General Okafor, to be my shadow. So don’t let what might be happening here distract you.”
“No promises,” Adamson said with a cheeky grin.
Ashlyn grinned and shook her head. She had expected them to say something similar but she’d had to try. “Take care and no unnecessary risks.” Now she pinned them both with a firm look. “I have a feeling that things are about to heat up and I want you both with me when they do.”
“As you told the Companies, Ash, we’re Devil Dogs. We will do what’s needed,” Ortega said. “Now we had best get onboard. It wouldn’t do to set a bad example before we are even off-planet.”
“And excellent point, XO.” Ash reached out to shake first Ortega’s hand and then Adamson’s. “Dismissed.”
The two braced to attentio
n and saluted. As soon as Ash returned their salutes, they nodded once. Then they hurried across the tarmac to the waiting shuttles. Ash watched for a few moments before turning away. Instead of hurrying back to her office, she stood rooted in place, a slight smile on her lips to see what looked to be the rest of the battalion standing to one side of the tarmac. Pride filled her to know they had come to see their fellow Devil Dogs off.
“All right, everyone. Don’t you have better things to do than hang around the port?” She grinned to take any sting out of her words.
“You heard the Old Lady. Back to work!” Talbot ordered, his grin matching hers.
“Old Lady, huh?” she teased as he moved to her side. “Let’s go, Master Guns. There are some things I need to brief you on now that you are officially my shadow.”
“Thank you, Ma’am.”
She glanced at him, surprised. “For what?”
“For not bitching about it.”
“Kevin, even if I wanted to – and I do – I know better. There are too many unknowns right now.”
Unknowns he would soon be read into.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“ON YOUR FEET, ADMIRAL.”
Rear Admiral Alec Sorkowski (ret.) no longer winced at the disdain in the guard’s voice. He had heard it too many times and from far too many people since he had been forced to retire. That had been bad enough. At least he had thought so. Then the day came when the JAG officer and others arrived to arrest him – Him! – and all because of that bitch Ashlyn Shaw.
“Either get on your feet or I’ll tell your attorney you didn’t want to see him.”
Gritting his teeth, Sorkowski did as ordered. He waited as the security field was lowered and the corporal motioned him out. The moment he stepped into the corridor, a second guard stepped into view. Too familiar with what would happen next, Sorkowski held his hands behind his back and waited for the restraints to be applied.
As if he had anywhere to go should he be lucky enough to escape their custody and find a way out of the security building before someone cut him down.
Without another word, the guards escorted him to the lift. When the doors slid shut, he breathed deeply. It had been days, maybe even more than a week, since he had been out of his cell. Then, like now, it had been to confer with his attorney. Confer! What a laugh. There had been no conferring, only orders from the attorney about what he was to do and say, not only when his court martial convened but for the rest of his life. How long that life might be depended on him – and on his keeping his mouth shut.
So what now?
Once inside the conference room where he would meet with his attorney, Sorkowski couldn’t even pace, no matter how much he wanted to. For the first time since his arrest, he was being treated like he presented a danger to anyone who might come into his presence. His wrists remained secured behind his back. His ankles had been secured to shackles that were bolted to the floor at the base of his chair. All he could do was wait and wonder what had happened to cause such a change in circumstances?
It wasn’t long before the door to the room once again opened. Shock washed over Sorkowski as first Thomas O’Brien and half a dozen others were led inside. Each of them were his co-defendants and it was the first time he had seen any of them since his arrest. He watched in silence as they were forced into chairs around the table and then secured in the same manner he was. Something was about to happen but what?
And did he really want to know.
“There will be no talking without permission,” the corporal who had escorted Sorkowski to the room said. “Any violation of this rule will result in immediate removal from the room. You will each note on the record that you understand and only that you understand.”
One by one, they answered in the affirmative. Most looked at the table top, refusing to make eye contact with the guards. O’Brien, foolish as ever, looked as if he might argue. Then he seemed to deflate before saying he understood.
“Ensign?” Corporal Sikes prompted.
“Yes, but – ” Ensign Julia Jicha, Sorkowski’s former communications specialist, said.
“Get her out of here!” Sikes ordered.
“No, wait!”
“You knew your orders,” Sikes said simply as two of his fellow Marines freed her from the shackles and pulled her to her feet. “Return her to her cell.” He waited until the door shut behind them, closing off the woman’s protests. “Now, Admiral, your turn.”
“Yes.”
What else could he say? Much as he wanted to protest their treatment, he knew better. It would only serve to have him removed, just as Jicha had been. He couldn’t risk that, not until he found out why they had all been brought together. Something was going on and he had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that he wasn’t going to like it.
Each of the prisoners had been under Sorkowski’s command at the time of that disastrous mission. All had been party to his reports against Shaw and her Marines. Not that they’d had much choice. It had been either support him or face having JAG look too closely at their extracurricular activities in the sector. Some would have lost more than others but he had made sure they each understood the consequences would be much more serious than a simple dishonorable discharge. Their best bet for surviving with their careers, their reputations and their bank accounts intact was to throw Shaw and her people to the wolves. Unfortunately, Shaw had refused to be the sacrificial lamb.
A few minutes later, the door once again slid open. In stepped his attorney, followed closely by Lieutenant Liu. Sorkowski drew a quick breath before hissing it out. Not good. Not good at all. Why in the name of all that was holy was his attorney there with the prosecuting officer? More importantly, where were the attorneys for the others?
It was tempting to beat his head against the tabletop. If he did it long enough and hard enough, he might just beat himself unconscious. At least then he would be free of this nightmare for a little while.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am here on behalf of each of your attorneys. Lieutenant Liu has something he wants to say to each of you. I recommend you listen closely to what the lieutenant has to say. Once he is done, he will leave the room and we will discuss what he said. Until then, I suggest you keep any comments or questions to yourselves,” Kurt Sorensen said as he took his place at one end of the table.
Sorkowski narrowed his eyes and studied the man. Small, wiry with a shock of white hair, Sorensen looked more like an accountant than a veteran of years in the courtroom. In their previous meetings, Sorensen had been direct, his message clear. Sorkowski was to do as he said. No questions, no deviation. Now, however, there was something about him, a sense of nervousness that only served to increase Sorkowski’s worry.
“I will do my best to answer your questions once Lieutenant Liu has left the room. Then we will proceed from there,” Sorensen continued.
It all sounded good but Sorkowski knew better. He knew Sorensen wouldn’t let him or anyone else talk to the JAG officer. That had already been made very clear, to both himself and to O’Brien, and in the most painful of ways.
“Do you each understand?”
Once they said they did, Lieutenant Liu moved to the other end of the table. For a long moment, he studied each of them. As he did, Sorkowski did his best to show no reaction. He knew Liu’s reputation. The lieutenant had no use for anyone he felt had betrayed their oaths to Fuercon and, as far as Sorkowski had learned, he had a perfect conviction record.
“I won’t take long. What I have to say is very simple,” the JAG officer began. “I have a one-time offer and it is good for only the first person to speak. If you give a full and truthful statement, if you answer each of my questions without hesitation, I will take the death penalty off the board where that person is concerned. I will also recommend on-planet confinement instead of confinement at the Tarsus military prison. It might not sound like much, but I assure you, it is the only way one of you will avoid a date with the executioner.”
“Lieute
nant, you are asking them to turn on the others. I can’t recommend that to any of them.” Sorensen looked at the younger man, a hint of regret on his expression. Not that it fooled Sorkowski. He knew the attorney would choose which of them got to make the deal and the rest would be told to keep their mouths shut. Their lives and the lives of those they cared for depended on it.
“That is your prerogative, Mr. Sorensen, just as it is mine to withdraw the offer.” He held up a hand before anyone could say anything. “But I won’t – yet. You have half an hour to decide who, if anyone, will take the offer.” With that, Lieutenant Liu left the room, closing the door behind him.
Almost instantly, everyone started talking at once. Sorkowski let the others ask their questions and demand an explanation. None of that mattered. Even Lieutenant Liu’s offer didn’t matter. What did was why his attorney was there and why the other attorneys had agreed to let him stand in their places to represent their clients in this matter.
“Quiet!” Sorkowski snapped a few moments later. He waited as the others complied. “Tell me, Sorensen, why?”
“Why what, Admiral?”
“Why are you here and none of the other attorneys? What Liu presented means you cannot represent all of us without a major conflict of interest. So what else has happened that we do not know about?”
A slight smile touched the attorney’s lips. Something about it only increased Sorkowski’s sense of wrongness about the situation. Damn it, he hated being in the dark.
“Let’s simply say that, as Lieutenant Liu has given one of you a lifeline, our respective friends have sent a message that you are to remember where your loyalties lie.”
Honor from Ashes (Honor and Duty Book 3) Page 6
