Fire from Ashes

by Sam Schall

  “What about staging? By having the different units assigned to different fleets, we were able to respond fairly quickly when needed.”

  “That isn’t going to change, at least not right away.” The potential future changes had Ashlyn’s mouth going dry. She remembered the gleam in Okafor’s eye when the commandant mentioned how she had taken command of Nagato during the last mission. Even though Okafor swore she wasn’t going to try to turn Ash into a space jockey, that didn’t mean she wasn’t considering giving SpecOps its own ships – assuming FleetCom agreed. It was best not to consider how that might come together. “What changes is we will have a centralized command structure now. That means the right unit will be sent instead of having to worry about inter-divisional competition, etc.”

  Adamson let out a soft whistle. “But a regiment?”

  “More of the realignment Okafor has in mind and, before you ask, not only has FleetCom signed off on it, so has the President.”

  “I can’t help wishing she’d done this a few months earlier.” Pain once again filled Adamson’s eye and this time Ash knew it was for the friends and fellow Marines she had lost on the last mission.

  “I know, MJ. I wish the same. Hopefully, this move will prevent another such situation from happening.”

  For a long moment, Adamson stared off into space. Then she inhaled deeply and nodded. “Who are the division and regimental COs?” she asked. “Please don’t tell me it’s that bastard Hale.” Bitter anger roughened her voice.

  “Nope, far from it, in fact.” Ashlyn grinned, knowing her friend would approve of Okafor’s choice as much as she did. “Seventh’s commanding officer is Brigadier General Elizabeth Santos.”

  Adamson’s lopsided grin was all Ash needed to know her friend agreed with the choice. Then the blonde cocked her head to one side and looked at Ash in open question. “If your mother’s commanding the division, who has command of the three regiments?”

  “So far, Okafor and my mother have named only one regimental CO, the one for the 10th.”

  “You’re avoiding the question, Ash. Who is 10thReg’s CO?”

  “Me.” Even as Adamson laughed, Ash rolled her eyes. She was still getting used to commanding a battalion. How the hell was she supposed to command a regiment? “Keep laughing, Sergeant Major, because I have plans for you.”

  Adamson fell silent and the look she gave Ash spoke volumes. It also confirmed what she’d been afraid of. Her friend had yet to accept that she would heal and be able to return to duty. Well, she planned to put an end to that now, if at all possible.

  “Ash.”

  “MJ, you’re going to listen to me for a change.” She pinned the blonde with a firm look. “I get that you’re scared. I would be too. But I’ve talked with your doctors. So have my mother and Okafor. We have all been assured that you are going to make a full recovery. It’s going to take time, but you will recover. The regen therapy is already starting to work, not only on your eye but on your leg as well.” She waited, hoping her words got through to her friend. When Adamson said nothing, she decided to push the point. “Tell me one thing. Are you ready to cashier out of the Corps and become a civilian or are you going to fight to recover as quickly as you can?”

  “Fight.”

  Ashlyn had a feeling she didn’t necessarily mean fight to recover, or at least not just fight to recover. But that was all right. She could work with that.

  “Good.” Now she stood and reached for the folder she’d brought with her. “Before we get to the official part of this, not to mention telling you about what happened with Hale, you can do me a favor unofficially.”

  Adamson frowned and waited for Ashlyn to explain.

  “Connery has done an excellent job in the time she’s been acting as my aide. But she still needs some seasoning. Loco has done what he can but, I’ll be honest, his time is limited right now.”

  “Is everything all right?” Adamson interrupted.

  Ash nodded. “I’ve had him working with Laboe, helping the major come up to speed with the Devil Dogs. That’s even more important with the reorganization.” More than Ash even wanted to think about at the moment. “I’d like you to take Connery under your wing, teach her what she needs to know, as long as we’re still dirtside. She’s going to make an excellent NCO given time and seasoning. Unfortunately, I can’t wait for either.”

  “Tell her to stop by and I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Thanks.” Not only would it help Connery develop into a top-notch NCO, Ashlyn knew it would give Adamson something to look forward to and to be a part of. That would be important during these first few weeks of her recovery. “You can start with finding her a new call sign. She needs something to match not only her new assignment but her ability as a Marine.”

  Adamson’s lopsided grin told Ashlyn all she needed to know. The sergeant major agreed and already had something in mind. Good.

  “Next, are you going home to your folks’ when you’re discharged?” Even as she asked, she had a hard time imagining her friend on a farming consortium.

  “Hell no!” Adamson laughed. “I love my parents but, even if I didn’t need to stay close to the medical center, I wouldn’t go back. I’d go crazy there and, if the boredom didn’t get to me, my mother smothering me would.”

  “Then I’d like you to consider something.” She shook her head before Adamson could interrupt. “Like you said, you’re going to need to be close to the center here and you’re going to need to be somewhere you can have help until you are up and about. Will you consider staying at my place?”

  Adamson closed her eye. Ash waited, understanding she wrestled as much with needing help as she did with the rest of it. Finally, the blonde looked at her. When she did, she reached for Ashlyn’s hand and held it as if it were her lifeline.

  “Your parents?”

  “Are expecting you and said they won’t take no for an answer.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I am.”

  “All right, at least to start.”

  Relieved, Ash smiled and opened the folder. “One more thing before I tell you about Hale.” She glanced at the folder’s contents and then pulled out a sheet of paper. “If you accept, you’re going to be transferred to the HQ Company for 7thDiv. It is only a temporary assignment because, once you’re back on your feet and cleared for active duty, I want you back with the Devil Dogs.”

  “The Warlords?”

  “My mother and I are trying to find the right CO to replace Lucinda.” She paused and swallowed against the lump in her throat. “We also need to set up a solid NCO presence for them. I have no doubt we’ll be consulting with you before making our final decisions. Of course, that assumes you want to return to the Devil Dogs – which I plan to see to as soon as you’re released to active duty – and not stay with the Warlords.”

  Adamson nodded, tears shining in her good eye. “Devil Dog forever, remember?”

  “Good.” Ash smiled and rested a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Then, are you ready to see what Okafor did about Hale?”

  “More than.” Before Ashlyn could bring up the video on her datapad, a knock sounded at the door and one of Adamson’s doctors looked inside. Adamson sighed and motioned him inside. “Just tell me the high points.”

  “Let’s just say our beloved commandant has once again lived up to her reputation for not suffering fools gladly. He’s been reassigned to the capital where he will be part of the Public Information Office. I believe she said something about him being in the Research Department.”

  Anderson barked out a laugh and Ashlyn grinned in response. There were few assignments worse for a combat Marine than being a PIO. Being a researcher for the PIO was one of them. The fact Okafor had muttered something about finding the deepest, darkest basement to bury him in only proved just how little faith she still had in his abilities.

  “There’s something else, MJ.” She glanced at the doctor and gave a quick shake of her head before he could int
errupt. “The commandant has instructed several people with knowledge of what happened to Taskforce Liberator to prepare full reports. Once she has reviewed them, she will decide whether to recommend charges be leveled against him.”

  Anderson drew a deep, shuddering breath. Then she exhaled. “Tell her I will be more than glad to give her a report.”

  “I will.” In fact, she already had.

  “Colonel, I’m sorry, but she needs to get some rest,” the doctor said before she could say anything else.

  She nodded. “I’ll be back tomorrow, MJ.” She bent and gently hugged her friend. “Can I bring you anything?”

  “The video?”

  Ashlyn looked at the doctor. “Would it be all right if I returned in the morning, around 0700?”

  “As long as she’s awake. She has an appointment with the regen tank at 0900.”

  “I’ll bring the video and maybe something else then, MJ. You get some rest and comm me if you need anything.”

  “I will.”

  Ash smiled and slid her datapad into her thigh pocket. Then she left the small room. As she did, she felt better than she had since reaching the Tenasic System. Adamson might still look like hell, and who wouldn’t after all she’d been through, but she was recovering. Knowing she’d ask about the other wounded, Ash made a note to check their status before returning the next morning. For now, however, she had done all she could.

  Evan Moreau watched the latest newscast in growing frustration. For close to a week, the media had covered little besides the return of Fuercon’s ships from the Tenasic System. According to the media and the politicians, Fuercon had routed the Callusians that had invaded the system. Their own dead were hailed as heroes who gave their lives to prevent Fuercon’s enemies from enslaving anyone else. It didn’t seem to matter that the Callusians had been kicking Fuercon’s ass until that bitch Tremayne arrived with reinforcements.

  Worse, despite all the media coverage, nothing gave Moreau any clue about what Fuercon planned next. Experience told her they would be sending another taskforce, this one more heavily armed than the previous one, to help secure the system should the Callusians decide to try to retake it. In one way, that served the needs of her employers by further depleting the ships available to protect the home system. However, her gut told her there was more at play than either she or those she answered to knew and that worried her.

  As the newsreader moved on to a report about an appearance President Harper made earlier in the day to one of the local schools, she switched off the screen. A thoughtful look on her face, she sipped her whiskey. As she did, she glanced around. She had changed her appearance, as well as her ID, again and this time she was making use of some of the money she’d set aside for emergencies. Four days earlier, she had moved into her current rooms and they were definitely a step up from where she’d been living. They might not close to what she had enjoyed as Moreau but Lessa Reager enjoyed a comfortable life.

  Unfortunately, she knew it wouldn’t last. That bitch Fertig would find her sooner or later. Until she figured out how to satisfy Watchman so he called off his dogs, Moreau had to play along with the woman. That mean reaching out to the few sources she still trusted and hoping they knew enough to help her finish her mission.

  “Bastards,” she murmured before splashing more whiskey into her glass.

  She did know one thing her employers did not. When the Fuerconese thwarted the attack on the home system, the Callusian ships hadn’t all been destroyed. For the first time, at least that she knew of, at least some of the ships had been captured. Moreau knew that could spell disaster for not only her employers but for herself if the Callusians hadn’t managed to wipe their databanks before the ships were captured. She wanted to believe the fact the Fuerconese hadn’t discussed the possibility the Callusians might not be working alone meant they were still in the dark about what her employers were up to. But she had a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that they knew and were planning something in response. Still, she had to admit her own judgment might be compromised by the knowledge her life could end any moment. All she could do was hope Harper’s government didn’t realize what was going on until she was far from this damned planet.

  “Get hold of yourself,” she said softly, pushing her glass away before she gave into the temptation to pour another drink. She needed to keep a clear head if she was going to stay one step ahead of Fertig.

  Five minutes later, she stepped outside into the fading evening sun. As she did, she knew no one from her past life would recognize her. Her blonde hair was now a brassy red. Her skin lightly tanned. Her blue eyes now hazel. The shape of her jaw might be the same but her nose had a slight crook. The disguise was good, very good, but she knew it wouldn’t hold up if the authorities looked too closely. But it would do, especially since she knew her ID papers were as close to perfect as possible.

  “Hey, Lessa,” a man said as she entered the bar.

  She nodded and forced herself to smile. “Evening, Alain,” she said as she stepped behind the bar and reached for one of the folded aprons under the counter. “Let me log in and then I’ve got it here.”

  The young man nodded and stepped closer. “How about we grab a bite after your shift?” he asked.

  “Sorry, Alain. I’ve got plans.”

  Hopefully those plans would include going home with some talkative member of the government or the military who had drunk too much. She needed something to feed Fertig before the woman decided to carry through with her threat to permanently end their “business relationship”. In the meantime, she’d play the barmaid who didn’t mind being glad-handed by the patrons, male and female, as she kept her mouth shut and her eyes and ears open.

  Who knows, maybe one day she’d get really lucky and that bitch Ashlyn Shaw would walk through the doors and she could finally deal with her, once and for all.

  Ashlyn stood at the edge of the terrace at the rear of her parents’ house and inhaled deeply. She had put Jake to bed a few minutes earlier after reading him several of his favorite stories. Her sister had gone into town to meet friends for dinner and a play. Her parents were inside. She could have joined them, but she needed some time alone.

  Damn it, Luce, I’m sorry. I couldn’t get to you in time, but I promise I’ll take care of your family.

  Tears stung her eyes. She hadn’t let herself truly mourn her friend yet. She’d been afraid to. Lucinda had been part of her life, her best friend and confidante, since their Academy days. They hadn’t always been assigned together but their friendship had grown over the years. Even during those dark days on Tarsus, she knew Lucinda was out there somewhere, doing everything she could to not only free her but clear her name. They had always had one another’s back and, when Lucinda needed her the most, she’d failed her.

  Except she hadn’t. She knew it intellectually. But it would take time to accept it emotionally. The only ones to blame were Hale, Admiral Wu and the Callusians. Hale and Wu had been dealt with, their careers effectively over and their reputations ruined. As for the Callusians, she planned to make sure they paid for Lucinda and every other Marine who died on that last mission.

  Then there was Okafor’s little surprise. She still hadn’t wrapped her mind around that yet. Nor had she finished her report for the commandant. Sleep would be in small supply tonight and probably the next several nights, unless she missed her guess. Not that she minded. The nightmares were too close and the last thing she wanted to see her dead, Lucinda included.

  “Ash, are you all right?”

  She turned and smiled slightly. She’d been so deep in thought, she hadn’t heard her mother’s approach. “Just thinking.”

  “Anything I can help you with?”

  She started to shake her head and then stopped. Instead, she motioned for them to take seats at the edge of the terrace. “I was thinking about Lucinda and that led to thinking about today’s meeting and all that entailed.”

  Elizabeth smiled in understanding. Th
en, instead of sitting, she disappeared inside the house. Frowning, wondering what her mother was up to, Ash leaned against the stone wall surrounding the terrace. This time, instead of looking out over the yard below, she watched the house. Through the open door, she saw Elizabeth cross the den. When she returned a few minutes later, she carried two glasses and a bottle of whiskey. She placed the glasses on the low table between the chairs Ash had indicated earlier and poured generous drinks. Then, setting the bottle down, she took her seat, waiting for Ash to do the same.

  “Mom, I’m not sure I’m ready for this new assignment.”

  There, she’d said it. She hoped her mother didn’t think less of her for it.

  For a moment, Elizabeth didn’t say anything. Then she reached for her daughter’s hand and waited until Ash looked at her. “You are. You just have to believe it. Remember, Helen wouldn’t have given it to you if she had any doubts you could do it.” She sipped her whiskey, giving Ashlyn time to consider what she said. “What you need to understand is that this isn’t going to be that much different from what you’ve already been doing. It will just be on a slightly larger scale.”

  Ash closed her eyes and blew out a breath. “I don’t want to give up the Devil Dogs, Mom.” And that was it. For as long as she could remember, she wanted to command the Devil Dogs. She’d never really considered doing anything other than that. It had been her goal, even before she joined the Marines.

  “You aren’t giving up the Devil Dogs. If you need to, consider the entire regiment Devil Dogs because, in a very real way, that’s what they will become.” Elizabeth took another sip of her whiskey. “Ashlyn, think about the history of the Devil Dogs. Initially, they were a single platoon. Then they grew to a company and from there to a battalion. This is the next logical step.”

  “I don’t know, Mom. The Warlords and the Panzers, especially the Panzers, are two very different types of units.”