“Point taken.”
“Good. I’ll leave you to get your people ready. Once they are in place, tell them to grab some chow and rest. If we are lucky, we’ve got a little less than three hours before we make contact. Alternate watches between now and then.”
“Aye, Ma’am.”
“Captain Thrasher said he’d made an office available for me down here.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Far corner, starboard.”
She glanced in the direction he indicated and nodded. “Very well. You know what to do, LT. I’ll be in the office if you need me.”
Lashay briefly braced to attention and then hurried across the staging area to where the platoon worked. Ashlyn watched, Connery now at her side, as her signaled Sergeant McQueen. The platoon sergeant nodded once and made his way to the center of the area. Once there, he glanced to where Lashay stood. When he caught his lieutenant’s eye, he nodded once. Seeing it, Ashlyn smiled slightly. The Nagato’s Marines were about to learn a lesson.
“Sergeant McQueen!” Lashay’s voice rose above the sounds of everything else.
“Sir!”
“When does it look like my platoon has grown in size?”
“Because we have a lot of looky-loos, LT.”
“Then get them out of my staging area.” With that, Lashay turned and moved to what Ashlyn assumed was his footlocker. When he began pulling additional weapons from it, she nodded in approval.
“Now I know all you looky-loos posing as Marines can’t be in my beloved Corps. A real Marine wouldn’t be down here, gawking at other Marines, not even the Devil Dogs, the pride of the Corps. A real Marine would be reporting to his duty station or making sure his own gear was ready for anything that might happen. A real Marine would not put himself or any of his shipmates, even those poor souls foolish enough to join the Navy instead of our glorious Corps, in danger by not being prepared for battle. So I guess none of you standing around, looking like you want to hide behind your mama’s skirts because the mean old platoon sergeant is dressing you down, are real Marines.”
“He is almost as good as Master Gunnery Sergeant Talbot, Ma’am,” Connery whispered.
“That he is,” Ashlyn agreed as the ship’s Marines found the nearest exits from the staging area. “Let’s leave them to it.”
One hour later, Ashlyn stepped out of the small head in the office Thrasher had assigned her. As she did, she sniffed the air appreciatively. Then she grinned. Lance Corporal Connery stood near the hatch to the staging area. Her expression gave nothing away. It didn’t need to. Not when a mug of coffee so hot Ashlyn could see the steam coming off of it sat on the desk. Certainly not when the mug was accompanied by a carafe she guessed contained more of that same lifesaving brew. Most definitely not when a sandwich and a selection of cheeses waited for her as well.
“You may not be trying to join my personal staff, Lance Corporal, but if you keep this up, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.” Ash moved to the desk and reached for the mug. One sip of the coffee told her all she needed to know. This had not come from the Mess. Connery, or someone who loved coffee as much as she did, had brewed it.
“I’m a Marine, Ma’am. More importantly, I’m a Devil Dog. That means I know the first rule of war. Keep your CO happy. The fact we both happen to appreciate a properly brewed cup of coffee makes that a bit easier.”
“Point to you, Lance Corporal.” She lifted her mug in salute. “Have you eaten?”
“Yes, Ma’am, and I managed 30 down,” Connery answered, anticipating Ashlyn’s next question.
“Status?”
“The platoon is in place. Sergeant McQueen is hot bunking with the squads onboard the attack shuttles while the LT is staying onboard to oversee our Marines here.”
Ash nodded in approval. Lashay’s decision to send McQueen on the shuttles meant he understood the Devil Dogs would listen to the veteran non-com and do as he ordered without hesitation. Unfortunately, that wasn’t always the case with junior officers who were not the battle-hardened veterans of the rest of the platoon. The fact Lashay recognized it spoke well of him and of his future with the Devil Dogs.
“Anything else I need to know?”
“Captain Thrasher asked that you join him on the bridge at your convenience, Ma’am.” Before Ash could ask why she had let her sleep instead of passing on the message, Connery continued. “He said not to wake you, Colonel. Said he would like your insight as we near the targets.”
“Very well.” She didn’t like it but Connery had acted properly by not waking her immediately. Even so, she would have a talk with Talbot when they returned to the Phoenix Rising about what she expected from her escorts, even if a senior officer said not to disturb her. She finished her sandwich and drained her mug of coffee. “Let’s go see what the good captain can tell us.”
“Aye, Ma’am.” Connery pressed the control next to the hatch and a soft snick sounded as the locks were disengaged. “Whenever you’re ready, Ma’am.”
* * *
“Sir, CIC reports the three ships that broke off from the main Fuerconese force have increased speed. At their current speed and trajectory, they will be inside our weapons envelop in two hours,” the helmsman reported.
Anton Dorescu frowned and thought hard for a moment. He had hoped the Fuerconese commander would take a more cautious approach. Even so, the enemy had yet to bring their weapons or active shields online. Sending the three ships forward might simply be their commanding officer’s attempt to get a better reading on the ships at the edge of their system. That was the only thing that made sense. No commander, certainly no competent commander, would send three ships against a taskforce. Not even the Fuerconese were that foolish.
Or were they?
He leaned back in his chair and considered the tactical display. If he were the enemy commander, his first act would have been to scan the unknown ships. Then he would have moved the bulk of his ships forward, letting the trespassers know that he neither feared them nor would he hesitate to open fire if he felt they presented a threat. If that failed, he would bring up active shields and his weapons would go hot. Experience had taught him most commanding officers tended to back down after they saw a ship or two under their command destroyed, the crews lost.
So what were the Fuerconese up to?
“Comms, message to Commanders Chakotey and Flewellen. Their ships are to drop back and assume a position that will allow them to escape out-of-system if the Fuerconese manage to get the upper hand.”
“Aye, Sir.” The communications officer quickly relayed the order. Then he turned to glance at Dorescu. “Message away, Sir.”
“Do we have an ID on the ships yet?”
“None yet, Captain. If the ships are broadcasting their ID codes, we have not been able to pick it up.”
“Recommendation, Mr. Kovacz?” He looked at his first officer.
“Hold position. Increase our alert level and have LACs ready to launch,” Kovacz answered. “I’d also recommend putting a single LAC up to launch secondary probes. They might be able to pick up what our sensors might be missing.”
“Or it could be taken as a hostile act.” Dorescu stared ahead. Kovacz was right, much as he hated to admit it. The probes, small and easy to miss if you weren’t looking for them, could give them information they did not yet have. But getting them in place, that was the problem. Did he dare risk it?
Suddenly he sat up, all but snarling in frustration. Probes! What if they had missed probes the Fuerconese had in place? That could explain why their ships not only had remained in the area but why they were sending the three out to investigate. By all that was holy and unholy, had they missed something so simple?
“Go to active sensors,” he snapped. “Do they have probes in the area?”
He waited, impatience turning into frustration which turned to anger. It wasn’t that hard to read a screen and make a report.
“Nothing, Sir,” Kovacz reported from where he stood behind the ratings reviewin
g the data as it came in. “There was one anomaly but it has not repeated.”
“Location?” He got to his feet and moved to stand in front of the tactical display. A moment later, a blinking yellow dot appeared on the display. He stared at it. It blinked once, twice and was then gone. It might be nothing or it might be everything. Too much rested on the success of this mission for him to take chances.
“Possibility it is a probe that is running a random power cycle?” He looked to his tactical officer.
“Doubtful, Sir. None of our intelligence – or information from our advisor – indicates the Fuerconese have managed to perfect the tech needed for such a probe. Even if it powered down to minimal levels, we would still be able to pick them up, especially since we know where to look right now.”
“Let’s not run any risks. Comms, send this to all our ships.” He moved back to his chair, considering how to phrase it so none of his commanders jumped the gun. “Orders. All ships to bring up active shields and take their weapons hot in 70 minutes. That is seven zero minutes. Confirm order at end of transmission.
“Orders, in 60 minutes, that is six zero minutes, all ships will increase speed by one quarter. At that time, implement Approach Plan Zeta. I say again, Approach Plan Zeta. Confirm order at end of transmission.
“Orders, radio silence in effect starting immediately. Short burst transmission only to the Anubis. Exceptions are as follows: appearance of new enemy ships, intercept of enemy transmission, confirmation of location of enemy probes or scans. Confirm order at end of transmission. Dorescu out.” He sat back and listened as each ship confirmed his orders. “Bridge crew, send for your relief. Instruct them to gear up before reporting for duty. Once they report, you are dismissed to gear up. Report back as soon as you have.”
“Your thoughts, Captain?” Kovacz asked softly as he moved to stand next to the command chair.
“We have to assume they not only know we are here but at least suspect who we are. While they haven’t come straight at us, they are approaching too carefully to think we might be nothing more than merchants. All we can hope for now is that they are uncertain enough they get careless and come inside our weapons envelop before they realize their mistake.” He paused and leaned back, closing his eyes in thought. Then he sat up, a demonic grin on his face. “Comms, new orders. Transmit on my command. Disregard previous orders. Maintain current status. Maintain only passive shields and scans until ordered otherwise.”
“Sir!” Kovacz protested. He fell silent when Dorescu slashed a hand through the air.
“Kovacz, trust me. We’re going to lure them into a trap. Thank about it. They can’t know for certain who we are. They haven’t seen our new ships and we certainly haven’t done anything to call undue attention to ourselves. We will maintain our current status. However, once the Fuerconese ships are within weapons range, we will bring up our shields and our weapons will go hot. They will never know what hit them and, by the time the ships they are holding back realize what happened, we will be on them. Trust me, this will be a good day for the Anubis and our brothers.”
“Devious as always, Captain, and that’s why you make us rich.” Kovacz chuckled as Dorescu nodded in agreement.
“And our advisor?” the first officer asked, once more showing his distaste for the Midlothian.
“It’s going to be a fight, Kovacz. People die in battle, especially space battles. It will be with much regret that we report the loss of Commander Hughes to his Midlothian masters. At least we will be able to tell them he died bravely, fighting our common enemy.”
“Kovacz, I promise when we move on the fool, you can have him first. Then I think it only fitting that the crew gets to play with him for a while. But I want him alive through it all. I claim the right to dispatch him from this plane.”
“Agreed and many thanks, Captain.”
“Then, let us see what more we can do to make sure we give these Fuerconese bastards a surprise their people won’t ever forget.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“YOU LOOK LIKE YOU GOT SOME REST, Ash,” Thrasher said as the Ready Room hatch slid shut behind them. “I guess I ought to ask permission to call you by your given name, seeing how you outrank me now.” He grinned and motioned her to a seat.
“Nah. I remember all those nights when you emptied my pockets at poker.” She grinned, relaxing some. The concern she had felt when she learned he wanted to speak with her before the briefing eased. “Although, I will admit to having a moment of concern when Connery said you wanted to see me.”
“Sorry.” He sat and poured a mug of coffee from the carafe in front of his place. Then he looked to her, lifting the mug to see if she wanted one. She shook her head. “I thought we might compare notes before the briefing. You probably know more about what we might be facing than I do. Besides, I received a comm from Fuercon I wanted to share with you.”
Ash sat back and nodded, her concern returning.
“Let’s start with what the good news. FleetCom forwarded copies of the formal pleas made by not only Sorkowski and O’Brien, but all the major players in the conspiracy surrounding what happened to you and your people. Several of the others are still trying to negotiate better deals but the JAG feels certain they will end up pleading out as well.”
Ashlyn blew out a breath. “Thanks.”
“A Lieutenant Liu included a message, asking me to assure you the investigation is still ongoing and he feels they are getting closer to locating the subject. He said you would know who he’s referring to.”
Another nod. Unless she was very wrong, he meant Moreau.
“I’ve forwarded the report to you. I wanted to give you the basics because I’m afraid you aren’t going to have time to go over it until we deal with our visitors.”
She sat up, alert and concerned. “I take it there’s been a change in status.”
“Nothing major but sensors picked up a series of comm bursts and then the ships went silent. More troubling, two ships have broken off from the main body and are moving away. My guess is they are the rearguard and are under orders to get away if we do engage.”
“That and it gives them the opportunity to see if we are trying to flank them.” Neither action that a harmless merchant convoy would engage in. “What has the Admiral said?”
“To trust my gut and not be stupid.” He grimaced and Ash smiled. She could hear Tremayne saying just that in a private message.
“Sounds like good advice to me.”
“I’m going to push up the timeline. We will be within the outer limit of our weapons range in half an hour. Once we are, Comms will hail the intruders. They are to identify themselves and allow boarding. If they are who we think, they won’t respond right away. One thing we have all learned about the Callusians, they think we are weak and will try to bluff. That gives you time to get your LACs in the air as well as the attack shuttles.”
“I agree we need to be proactive, Rafe, but if the rest of the Fleet doesn’t arrive to back us up pretty damned quickly, things will go bad.”
“The Admiral has already started the transition to our location.”
Ashlyn nodded. She had expected him to tell her just that but part of her duty was to make sure Thrasher wasn’t leading them straight to their deaths.
“They will get one warning. Failure to stand down will result in our taking any and all necessary action to secure their ships and protect Fuerconese space. Our primary orders are still in place. We are to engage with the reminder to do whatever it takes to secure at least one enemy vessel intact.”
“Nothing difficult at all.”
He looked at her and shook his head, smiling slightly. “Let us hope.”
“I also received orders to make sure you remember that you are to stay onboard. Admiral Tremayne’s exact words were, ‘Remind her she can’t coordinate all her Marines from the middle of a firefight.’”
“Rafe, I promise I will do as she says.”
“As long as it suits you,” he fi
nished for her. Before she could say anything, he continued. “Ash, normally I’d hold you to it. But we both know this situation can go bad without warning. If you need to board with your people, you’ll do it – in the second or third wave. Not in the leading wave. However, I would prefer you to stay onboard. Not because of the Admiral’s orders, although doing so would make my life a lot easier.”
He pushed away from the table and got to his feet. She watched, her brow creasing in concern, as he moved to the far end of the room. When he turned, his expression was worried.
“The reason Tremayne put me in charge of this little greeting party is because I am senior, not only in time in grade but in wartime experience. The other two commanders are good. They wouldn’t have been included otherwise. But they are inexperienced when it comes to fighting the Callusians.”
She waited, beginning to understand his concern.
“Then there is my XO. As you saw, he’s a good man but he is not someone I want running an op, not yet at any rate.”
“And that has what to do with me, Rafe? I’m a Marine, not a Naval officer.”
“True, but you have been in situations like this. Hell, Ash, we saw more than a few similar to this when we were shipmates.” He ran a hand over his hair and shrugged. “My crew, and not just the Marines, respect you. If things go bad and they see you standing in, doing what needs to be done – even if it is only coordinating what the Marines are doing – they will be reassured we not only can but will hold out until the rest of the Fleet arrives. That’s going to be especially important if something happens to me and the XO takes command.”
She might not like it but she understood his concerns. “All right.”
“I assume you’ll want to brief your people in person. I’d appreciate it if you were on the bridge before we issue the hail.”
“Understood.” She thought for a moment. “Rafe, if I may proffer a recommendation.”
He inclined his head.
“With your permission, I’ll work from here. Lieutenant Lashay is more than capable of making sure the platoon is prepped. It will also be easier coordinating with the LAC crews. Just let me tell Connery and send her down.”
Honor from Ashes (Honor and Duty Book 3) Page 19
