by Sam Schall
“Very good, Angel. Finish securing the ship. Degrassi out.”
Would that it was that simple.
“Durga, status?”
“Target secured.”
“Phouka, report.” She waited, her HUD sensors showing how she held her breath as she waited for Mumby to respond.
“Engineering secure.”
At least that much had been accomplished. All she had to do was keep control here, preferably without the hostage being killed.
“I am Lt. Ashlyn Shaw and this ship is now under the command of the Fuerconese Marine Corps. You will put down your weapons and order the rest of your people to do the same,” she said to the four who wore a uniform she didn’t recognize as she moved further onto the bridge, Talbot on her heels.
Her attention, however, focused on the woman the center pirate held before him like a shield. The woman, the ship’s first officer judging by the rank insignia on her tattered uniform tunic, looked as if she could barely stand. Her face was bruised and swollen. Seeing the state of her uniform, Ashlyn had no doubt what had been done to her and her own anger grew until it was all she could do not to kill the man out of hand. She couldn’t. She knew that. Not without giving him the chance to surrender now that they were face-to-face.
“Step back!” he snapped and jammed the barrel of his pistol even harder against the woman’s jawline. When he did, her knees buckled. Cursing, he shifted his hold on her. Ashlyn watched and waited, looking for an opening.
“No.” She spoke firmly, confidently. “You have nowhere to go. Your only chance to live is to surrender. If you fail to do so, I will order my team to open fire.”
As she spoke, Talbot ordered the others to take up positions and bring their weapons to ready. That was enough for the other three pirates, if that was what they were and Ashlyn was beginning to doubt it, to drop their weapons. Without taking her eyes from the remaining pirate and his hostage, she waited as the others were secured and led off the bridge.
Sweat ran down her back and she knew it covered her face. At least her helmet and armor prevented the pirate from seeing just how nervous she was. If she could just keep it that way long enough to deal with him. . . .
“You don’t have a chance in hell of getting out of here, especially not with her.” She nodded to the woman who mewed like a wounded kitten.
“I’ll kill her.”
“Then I will kill you,” Ashlyn said. “I promise she won’t hit the decksole a second before you do.”
“Shaw, you’re doing good,” Degrassi’s voice said softly over the comm. “If you can save the hostage, good. But do not risk yourself or your Marines.”
“You’re bluffing,” the pirate said, glancing to his right and then his left, as if looking for a way out.
“I don’t bluff.” Ash hand-signaled Talbot to be ready to take the shot.
Whether he truly believed he could escape the bridge or he decided death was better than surrender, the pirate shoved his hostage away from him. She stumbled, falling into Ashlyn’s line of fire. Instinct and training combined and Ashlyn stepped to the left. At the same time, the pirate fired. Ashlyn cursed as pain flared along her upper arm. Almost instantly, the bio-system monitoring her vital signs released a low dosage painkiller. She barely noted it as she leveled her rifle in the pirate’s direction. There was no more hesitation then than there had been after Talbot tossed in the flashbang. She fired. Whether her shot killed him or Talbot’s, she didn’t know and didn’t care. The situation had been defused and the hostage was safe.
“Bridge secured,” she reported and blew out a breath. As she did, she knew she needed to make a further report but found it almost impossible to think, much less speak. Damn it, she couldn’t fall apart, not yet at any rate. “Colonel, we are going to need medical teams ASAP. If the hostage is any indication, the surviving crewmembers are going to have emotional and physical trauma to be treated.”
“Understood, LT.” There was a pause. When he continued, Ashlyn realized he had switched to a private channel. “Shaw, are you injured?”
“Just a scratch, sir.” Maybe a bit more but they all had injuries of varying degrees. She could wait for treatment.
“All right. I want you to listen to me. You did all of us proud today. Now I have to ask you to keep going until I can get someone over to relieve you. Make sure the ship is secured and no other hostiles are still free. Captain La Grange has just authorized medical teams and an engineering crew to transfer to your location. The other ships are still being secured. Once they have been, we will be better able to get you the assistance you need.”
“Thank you, sir.” She turned her attention to Talbot who watched another of their team as he bandaged some of the woman’s injuries. “Loco, we still have a lot to do.”
“That we do, Ma’am. That we do.”
“All right, LT. You can get dressed now.”
With that, the medic turned and moved to the next Marine waiting to have his battle wounds seen to. Ashlyn reached for her shirt. As she did, she glanced around the compartment that had been set up as a temporary med bay. Despite the number of her people who had already been treated, or who still waited for treatment, she knew they had been lucky. Lucky because they had managed to save most of the hostages still living when the Marines boarded the ship. Lucky because she hadn’t lost any of her people. Most of all, they had been lucky that they had managed to take the ship before the pirates had managed to blow the power plant.
As she slowly left the compartment, she looked around, taking in the battle damage. So much of it had come not from the initial battle but from after they had boarded. The pirates had been more than willing to sacrifice themselves if it meant killing even one of Ashlyn’s people. All that paled when she thought about what they had done to the ship’s crew. Too many of those still living when the battle began had been killed when it became clear their captors were losing. Those who survived were much the worse for wear. As with the ship’s first officer, they had been used as human shields in an attempt to force the Marines into leaving the ship. Not that that had ever been an option. To leave the ship would have signed the hostages’ death warrants. That left one path open to Ashlyn and her people: they had to secure the power plant and Environmental before the bastards decided to vent the ship.
Her Marines had never hesitated. They fought and bled to fulfill their mission parameters. Trusting them to do what had to be done, she turned her attention to securing the bridge. Later she could worry about what she was about to do. For now, lives depended on her and what happened next.
That had been almost twelve hours earlier. Stims had kept her going until the medic demanded she let him treat her injuries. Now she had one more duty to perform before she could hopefully find her rack for some much needed sleep.
“Colonel, the ship’s secured. Gunnery Sergeant Anisimova reports the prisoners are being held in one of the docking bays. She had her people chock the hatches. The only way for the prisoners to escape is through the airlock and, to be honest, after all I’ve seen today, I wouldn’t mind one bit if they take that option.”
She made no attempt to keep the bitterness from her voice. Talbot had already talked with her, assuring her every Marine there understood what she felt. These pirates, and the more she saw the more convinced they were much more than run-of-the-mill space pirates, had done the unimaginable. They had tortured their captives and worse. Death had been a release for many of the captured crew. Those who survived might never fully recover from what had been done to them. Spacing, as far as Ash was concerned, was far too good for the bastards responsible.
“Understood, LT, and if that is the route they take, you’ll get no questions about it from me or from Captain La Grange,” Degrassi assured her. “The other ships are now secured as well. So I’ll be sending over a squad to relieve your people. You are to get a full six hours’ downtime. Captain La Grange is sending over an engineering team and other techs as well to che
ck the ship. If it is navigable, we’ll be escorting it back to the home system. Until that decision has been made, you and your people will remain onboard.”
“Yes, sir.” She thought for a moment, wishing her brain didn’t feel like it was moving in slow motion. “The prisoners, sir?”
“Transport them here under heavy guard. The intel officer wants to have a chat with them.”
“I’ll see to it.”
“Have Talbot do it, LT. You need to debrief your people and then get some rest. Once you have, you have the most detailed report you’ve written to date to file.” Degrassi’s image smiled at her from the comm display and she groaned softly. “Ashlyn.” Surprised, she looked at his image. She couldn’t remember him ever calling him by her first name. “You did the Corps proud today. For a first tour of duty, one that should have been uneventful, you have proven that you are as much a Marine as any of us. You did what was needed and didn’t hesitate. Remember that.
“I’m not going to lie and tell you it will be easy to deal with what you have seen and done today. There will be a let-down and you will have nightmares. When that happens, remember that you saved not only the ship’s first officer but a number of other hostages as well. You also managed to keep all your Marines alive in a situation that could have gone south very easily.
“Don’t let it go to your head, though. I’m sure there are more than a few mistakes the Gunny will be glad to discuss with you once everything is squared away over there. In the meantime, get some rest and find some food. There will be time enough later for your after action report.”
“Yes, sir, and thank you.” She stared at the screen for a moment after it went blank and then she looked around. Somehow, it didn’t surprise her to find Talbot standing nearby, waiting for her to acknowledge him. “All right, Loco. You heard the old man. Let’s debrief the squads and then get some rest. I think we’ve earned it.”
“That we have, ma’am. That we have.”
OTHER TITLES BY THE AUTHOR
If you enjoyed Taking Flight, please check out these titles.
Written as Sam Schall:
VENGEANCE FROM ASHES
Honor and Duty, Book 1
First, they took away her command. Then they took away her freedom. But they couldn't take away her duty and honor. Now they want her back.
Captain Ashlyn Shaw has survived two years in a brutal military prison. Now those who betrayed her are offering the chance for freedom. All she has to do is trust them not to betray her and her people again. If she can do that, and if she can survive the war that looms on the horizon, she can reclaim her life and get the vengeance she's dreamed of for so long.
But only if she can forget the betrayal and do her duty.
DUTY FROM ASHES
Honor and Duty, Book 2
Duty calls. Honor demands action.
Major Ashlyn Shaw has survived false accusations and a brutal military prison. Now free, she finds her homeworld once again at war with an enemy that will stop at nothing to destroy everything she holds dear. Duty has Ashlyn once again answering the call to serve. She has seen what the enemy is capable of and will do everything she can to prevent it from happening to the home she loves and the people she took an oath to protect.
But something has changed. It goes beyond the fact that the enemy has changed tactics they never wavered from during the previous war. It even goes beyond the fact that there is still a nagging doubt in the back of Ashlyn’s mind that those who betrayed her once before might do so again. No, there is more to the resumption of hostilities, something that seems to point at a new player in the game. But who and what are they playing at?
Will Ashlyn be able to unmask the real enemy before it is too late?
HONOR FROM ASHES
War isn't civilized and never will be, not when there are those willing to do whatever is necessary to win. That is a lesson Col. Ashlyn Shaw learned the hard way. Now she and those under her command fight an enemy determined to destroy their home world. Worse, an enemy lurks in the shadows, manipulating friend and foe alike.
Can Ashlyn hold true to herself and the values of her beloved Corps in the face of betrayal and loss? Will honor rise from the ashes of false promises and broken faith? Ashlyn and the Devil Dogs are determined to see that it does, no matter what the cost.
Written as Amanda S. Green:
NOCTURNAL ORIGINS
Nocturnal Lives, Book 1
Some things can never be forgotten, no matter how hard you try.
Detective Sergeant Mackenzie Santos knows that bitter lesson all too well. The day she died changed her life and her perception of the world forever. It doesn’t matter that everyone, even her doctors, believe a miracle occurred when she awoke in the hospital morgue. Mac knows better. It hadn't been a miracle, at least not a holy one. As far as she’s concerned, that's the day the dogs of Hell came for her.
Investigating one of the most horrendous murders in recent Dallas history, Mac also has to break in a new partner and deal with nosy reporters who follow her every move and who publish confidential details of the investigation without a qualm.
Complicating matters even more, Mac learns the truth about her family and herself, a truth that forces her to deal with the monster within, as well as those on the outside. But none of this matters as much as discovering the identity of the murderer before he can kill again.
NOCTURNAL SERENADE
Nocturnal Lives, Book 2
Lt. Mackenzie Santos of the Dallas Police Department learns there are worst things than finding out you come from a long line of shapeshifters. At least that’s what she keeps telling herself. It’s not that she resents suddenly discovering she can turn into a jaguar. Nor is it really the fact that no one warned her what might happen to her one day. Although, come to think of it, her mother does have a lot of explaining to do when – and if – Mac ever talks to her again. No, the real problem is how to keep the existence of shapeshifters hidden from the normals, especially when just one piece of forensic evidence in the hands of the wrong technician could lead to their discovery.
Add in blackmail, a long overdue talk with her grandmother about their heritage and an attack on her mother and Mac’s life is about to get a lot more complicated. What she wouldn’t give for a run-of-the-mill murder to investigate. THAT would be a nice change of pace.
NOCTURNAL INTERLUDE
Nocturnal Lives, Book 3
Lt. Mackenzie Santos swears she will never take another vacation again as long as she lives. The moment she returns home, two federal agents are there to take her into custody. Then she finds out her partner, Sgt. Patricia Collins, as well as several others are missing. Several of the missing have connections to law enforcement. All are connected to Mac through one important and very secret fact -- they are all shapechangers. Has someone finally discovered that the myths and bad Hollywood movies are actually based on fact or is there something else, something more insidious at work?
Mac finds herself in a race against time not only to save her partner and the others but to discover who was behind their disappearances. As she does, she finds herself dealing with Internal Affairs, dirty cops, the Feds and a possible conspiracy within the shapeshifter community that could not only bring their existence to light but cause a civil war between shifters.
NOCTURNAL CHALLENGE
Nocturnal Lives, Book 4
The one thing Lt. Mackenzie Santos had always been able to count on was the law. But that was before she started turning furry. Now she finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy to keep the truth from the public-at-large. She knows they aren't ready to learn that monsters are real and they might be living next door.
If that isn't enough, trouble is brewing among the shapeshifters. The power struggle has already resulted in the kidnapping and near fatal injury of several of Mac's closest friends. She is now in the middle of what could quickly turn into a civil war, one that would be disastrous for all of them.
What she wouldn't
give to have a simple murder case to investigate and a life that didn't include people who wanted nothing more than to add her death to the many they were already responsible for.
NOCTURNAL HAUNTS (novella)
(Part of the Nocturnal Lives series)
Mackenzie Santos has seen just about everything in more than ten years as a cop. The last few months have certainly shown her more than she'd ever expected. When she's called out to a crime scene and has to face the possibility that there are even more monsters walking the Earth than she knew, she finds herself longing for the days before she started turning furry with the full moon.
SWORD OF ARELION
Sword of the Gods, Book 1
War is coming. The peace and security of the Ardean Imperium is threatened from within and without. The members of the Order of Arelion are sworn to protect the Imperium and enforce the Codes. But the enemy operates in the shadows, corrupting where it can and killing when that fails.
Fallon Mevarel, knight of the Order of Arelion, carried information vital to prevent civil war from breaking out. Cait was nothing, or so she had been told. She was property, to be used and abused until her owner tired of her. What neither Cait nor Fallon knew was that the gods had plans for her, plans that required Fallon to delay his mission.
Plans within plans, plots put in motion long ago, all converge on Cait. She may be destined for greatness, but only if she can stay alive long enough.
