by Sam Schall
“Before we go up, are you going to do as I asked?” Ash waited, not about to get onto the lift until he answered.
He didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he looked uncomfortable, as if he didn’t want to answer. Ashlyn arched one brow. Then, frustration building, she turned on her heel, signaling for Connery to follow. If Santiago wasn’t going to hold up his part of their bargain, she had other things to do that morning.
“Wait!”
She turned back.
“It’s set up, but I want you to think for a moment, Ash. What good will it do to see them?”
“It will help bring me closure, something I thought you’d understand.”
“I do.” He blew out a breath. “I’m not doing this well. I do understand, Ash, but I can’t and won’t let you do anything foolish either.”
“Don’t worry, Rico, Connery here is going to make sure I don’t do what I want to.” She glanced at her wrist unit. “I have one hour to get this done, all of it, before I’m due at the Commandant’s office.”
He gave her one last, long look and then nodded. She knew he wasn’t convinced but he didn’t have any choice. “Let’s go.”
Five minutes later, Ashlyn stood in front of Bradford Hughes. Like her, he had recovered from the injuries he sustained before his capture. There were other changes as well. He had been defiant then, but they both knew it had been bravado. In space, with him captured helping the enemy, she could have treated him as an enemy combatant. She had every right to. But she had offered him an out, one he had taken without hesitation, at least not much. Now that defiance was back, and she knew it was real this time. He thought he held the upper hand. What he didn’t know was she was about to prove to him just how wrong he was.
And she would start with an attitude adjustment. He might be a member of another system’s military, but she was still a senior officer since their systems were supposedly allies.
“On your feet, Captain!” she snapped. Her lips twitched in an attempt to smile as he popped out of his chair and started to brace to attention before he could stop himself. “I’m not going to waste either of our time with platitudes or pleas. This situation is quite simple. When you were taken into custody, you were acting as an advisor to enemies of my homeworld and our proven allies. You were under no duress do to so. Furthermore, you had been assisting the Callusians under orders from someone in your government. I offered you only safe passage to Fuercon and I promised to keep your presence here secret from your government. In exchange, you were to tell us everything you knew about how and why the Midlothians were working with the Callusians. I made that offer in good faith and I carried through with my end of the bargain.”
She paused, giving him time to think about what she might say next.
“You, however, have proven to be a man without honor. You are a disgrace to the uniform you wore and to those men and women who have died protecting not just Fuercon but your own homeworld in the fight against the Callusians.”
He stiffened and his mouth tightened into a thin line.
“You have continued to refuse to cooperate with Colonel Santiago and other members of my government. Because of that, I am giving you one chance to redeem yourself. If I am not satisfied by the time I walk out the door that you’re going to do as you promised, I will revoke my assurances to you. I will make sure the Midlothian embassy immediately learns of your presence here. I will also contact certain members of the media and let them know we’ve had a mole in the enemy camp, one who has presented us with all the confirmation we need to know our so-called Midlothian allies have been selling us out to the enemy. Then I will give them your address so they can interview you themselves. But, so you won’t be harmed, I will make sure you have a Marine guard on duty during the interviews. Of course, once the interviews are over, you will be on your own. I figure by then the Midlothians will have figured out where you are and will be quite anxious to have a chat with you.”
Hughes looked at her in disbelief. Sweat pricked out on his brow and his pupils dilated as the import of what she said registered. One hand fisted at his side. His chest rose and fell in quick, shallow breaths. She saw it and sneered. He should have known better than to try to play them.
“You can’t,” he rasped. “They’ll kill me. They’ll kill my family.”
“You should have thought about that before you decided not to do as you promised.” She turned to where Connery leaned against the wall next to the door. “Corporal, signal the car. Tell the driver we’re ready to leave.”
“Yes, ma’am.” She pulled her comm from her pocket.
“Wait!” Hughes started to reach out and then stopped when Santiago stepped between them. “You don’t understand. If I say anything, my family is dead.”
“And I told you we would do all we could to get them to safety. But you had to show good faith first,” Santiago countered.
“Well?”
Ashlyn crossed her arms and waited. For one long moment, no one said anything. Then Hughes nodded. He took a step back, almost stumbling, before he dropped onto the chair he’d been sitting in when she first arrived. She watched as he buried his head in his hands. Part of her wanted to feel pity for the man but she couldn’t. The Callusians had caused too many deaths and he, along with at least some in his government, had helped.
“All right.”
“Good. Don’t make me return here, Hughes. The next time I do, it will be to paint you as a hero of Fuercon and an enemy to Midlothian.”
With that, Ashlyn turned and left the apartment, Connery on her heels. By the time they reached the lift, Santiago caught up.
“He’ll be kept under close guard. I don’t want to risk him doing anything foolish. I told him to start writing his statement.”
Ash nodded. One down, two to go. She had a feeling the next two would be a great deal more difficult for her than this had been. Once those two interviews were over, she could finally close the door on that chapter of her life. At least she hoped so. She needed to put it behind her so she could focus on what she knew was coming.
Later, she and Connery followed Santiago through the corridors of the highest security section of the cells where Alec Sorkowski and Thomas O’Brien were being held. They had been moved there several days earlier in preparation for transport to one of the military penal colonies. Ashlyn didn’t know which one but part of her hoped they would soon find themselves housed on Tarsus. That would be justice. Let them try to survive the hell she and her people had been forced to. All she knew for certain was that by this time the next day, they would be off of Fuercon and any chance she’d had of seeing them one last time would be gone.
As the heavy security door at the end of the corridor closed behind them, Ashlyn fought down a brief moment of panic. The sound of the locks engaging, the smell of the corridor brought back memories of when she had been housed in this wing awaiting transfer to Tarsus. Then came the memory of her return to the capital without explanation until Miranda Tremayne told her about her pardon. She’d been on-planet several days by then, still confined and still without a clue about why she’d been removed from the penal colony but those sent there with her had not been. Almost a year had passed since then and the nightmares still woke her on occasion. Hopefully, what happened in the next few minutes would end them.
“Ma’am, are you all right?” Connery asked softly as Santiago went ahead of them to the guards’ monitoring station.
Ashlyn nodded, swallowing against the lump in her throat. “Yeah.” Then she shook her head. She needed to be honest with Connery if they were to have a chance of developing the sort of relationship she shared with Talbot. “No, I’m not. But I will maintain. However, if you feel I am about to do anything foolish, if you think I am about to lose control, you are to get me out of here. I don’t care if you have to knock me over the head and drag me out.”
“Understood, ma’am.” Connery waited and when Ashlyn looked at her, she reached out and placed a hand on the colonel�
�s upper arm. “Angel, you can do this. Otherwise, I’d have found a way to keep you away from here. I also know you need to do this. But I have a favor to ask of you. If you see me about to lose control – and I may because I want a piece of those bastards for what they did to you and the others – don’t stop me.”
Ashlyn looked at the corporal in surprise. Then she grinned. Before she knew it, she was laughing. Connery smiled in satisfaction. As she did, Ashlyn lightly punched her shoulder. The young woman might not be Talbot, but she was quickly learning how to handle her colonel.
“Colonel?” Santiago said from the entrance to the small office where the monitors were.
She nodded and moved down the corridor to join him. At the same time, Santiago dismissed the guards. Then he motioned for Ash to take a seat before the monitors. With Connery guarding the door, she took a seat and waited as Santiago took the seat next to her. A moment later, he adjusted the monitor feeds to show two cells only. Before she could question him, he assured her the guards were monitoring the others from the secondary station.
She nodded and focused on the monitors. Seeing the two men confined as she had been helped more than she dared hope. Knowing they would never again see a day’s freedom helped even more. But it wasn’t enough. Not by itself. There was one more thing she needed to do and then, maybe, her dead wouldn’t haunt her every time she closed her eyes to sleep.
“Are you ready?”
Ashlyn nodded and stood. When she turned, she caught Connery’s eye. The corporal gave a miniscule nod but that was enough to reassure Ash. Connery would give her the time she needed but she wouldn’t let her do anything foolish.
The sounds of their boots as they walked echoed down the long corridor. At the fourth door, Santiago stopped. Ashlyn waited as he input a code in the security panel. The heavy cell door slid back. The security field hummed softly. Inside the cell, Thomas O’Brien, formerly Major O’Brien of the Fuerconese Marine Corps and currently busted down to private until he served out his sentence and received his dishonorable discharge, sat on the edge of his cot. Head bent, hands hanging loosely between his knees, he gave no indication he realized the door had opened and all that stood between him and possible freedom was the security field.
“On your feet, O’Brien.”
At the sound of Santiago’s voice, he looked up. When he did, Ash forced herself not to react. The man staring at her in open hatred bore little resemblance to the Marine she had the misfortune to serve with. Gone was the cocky major who listened to no one save Sorkowski. No longer did he look as if he spent more time on his personal appearance than almost anything else. Now he looked old and beaten. New scars, scars she knew he had gotten while incarcerated, marked his face and arms. His once thick hair had thinned and greyed. Hatred burned dully in his eyes. She had no doubt given the chance he would gladly slit her throat.
Well, that went both ways.
“What the fuck are you looking at, Shaw?”
Santiago started to respond but she shook her head. Then she took a step closer to the security field, a slight smile pulling at her mouth.
“I’m looking at someone who never really understood what it means to be a Marine.”
“Go to Hell.”
“After you, O’Brien.” The band of tension across her chest loosened and, for the first time in more than three years, she could breathe easily.
“What do you want?”
He tried for another sneer but failed. In that moment, Ash knew he was as broken as she’d feared becoming while on Tarsus.
“What do I want?” she repeated. “Just this. I wanted to see the right person sitting in a cell for what happened on Arterus. I wanted to know the person responsible for my people’s deaths was going to pay for his crimes. I hope you enjoy your new life, O’Brien. I promise your worst nightmares are nothing compared to what life in a penal colony is like.”
She looked at Santiago and nodded. He didn’t hesitate. He input a series of commands into the security terminal. Ashlyn’s last sight of O’Brien as the outer door slid into place was of him dropping his head back into his hands, a man defeated by his own crimes.
“Ash?” Santiago asked.
“I’m fine.” Much better, in fact, than she had expected. “Let’s finish this.”
For a long moment, Santiago looked at her, as if making sure she told the truth. Then he started down the corridor, pausing only long enough to rest his hand reassuringly on her shoulder for a moment. As he moved off, Connery stepped up. Instead of saying anything, she gave her CO a nod. That was all but it was enough. Ashlyn returned it and then followed Santiago to the last cell in the bloc.
Ashlyn studied the viewscreen outside the cell. Every muscle in her body seemed to stiffen. Even though the prisoner had no way of knowing anyone waited outside the security door, he looked up. Memories of everything he had done, every order he’d given that led to the debacle on Arterus, washed over Ash. Marines under her command died because of him. The survivors had been court-martialed and sentenced to the penal colony where they would have died had it not been for people like Lucinda Ortega, Miranda Tremayne and others who fought to clear their names.
Ash’s hands fisted at her sides and she gritted her teeth so tightly it was a wonder they didn’t shatter. For the first time since telling Santiago she’d talk with Hughes only if he let her see Sorkowski, she doubted the wisdom of her decision. Seeing him in the cell simply made her realize how easy it would be to kill him. But that was too easy. He needed to suffer for what he’d done.
“Colonel?” Connery spoke softly. But it was the gentle touch of the young woman’s hand on her arm that broke through to Ashlyn.
Instead of answering, Ash forced herself to relax. As she did, she felt Connery watching her. When she glanced away from the display, she saw not only Connery looking at her but Santiago as well.
“I’m all right.”
For a moment, neither responded. Then Connery gave a nod. “Open the security door, sir,” she told Santiago.
The intel officer didn’t look happy, but he did as Connery said.
“Alec Sorkowski,” Ash began as the outer door to the cell slid open.
Once again, the man looked up. As their eyes met, Ash felt her lips twist into a sneer. Alec Sorkowski flinched under her gaze. Then his expression turned neutral, but not before she saw his fear. A laugh fought for release. If he was scared now, wait until he was processed into the penal colony. He’d learn what real fear was then.
“Here to gloat, Shaw?”
He pushed to his feet. As he did, she had to give it to him. He still tried to act as if he held the power when they both knew the truth. That was more than O’Brien had done.
“Not exactly.” Her head tilted to one side and she studied him, wondering how long it would take that bravado to disappear once the guards came to prepare him for transport. “Look at me, Sorkowski. My face is going to be one of the last ones you saw before your transport to the penal colony. Look at it and remember that I’m the one who brought you down, thanks to the loyalty and assistance of a number of good Marines and naval personnel.
“You betrayed your oaths as a naval officer to protect Fuercon’s best interests. You betrayed people under your command for personal gain. Your greed and dishonor cost who knows how many of those who looked to you their lives. I hope each of their faces haunt you for the rest of your miserable existence.” She paused, waiting to see if he would say anything. When he didn’t, she continued. “To make sure of it, I’ve arranged – well, the JAG arranged at my request – for the images of those whose deaths we have been able to link to you be displayed in your cell all day, every day so you don’t forget. May you rot in Hell for what you’ve done.”
With that, she turned on her heel and walked off, Connery following close behind. She’d had her say and now, hopefully, her own dead could rest in peace.
16
Elwyn Fertig paused outside the ambassador’s office and frowned slightly.
Throughout the day, she kept wondering if he might be up to something. Something about his attitude seemed off. It wasn’t anything she could easily put her finger on but she learned long ago not to ignore her instincts. For him to send for her at the end of the business day without giving her a clue about why did not bode well.
She smoothed her hands over her suit. If he happened to be watching her via the hidden security feed she knew he’d set up weeks ago, he’d see only a vain woman making sure her clothing looked the best it could after a long day behind her desk. He wouldn’t know she was actually making sure her weapons, weapons she wasn’t supposed to have, were within easy reach. If he tried anything foolish, she’d deal with it and figure out later how to explain to Alexander Watchman that she’d had to terminate their government’s ambassador to Fuercon.
“You wanted to see me, ambassador?” she asked as she stepped inside D’anil Kalmár’s office a few moments earlier.
“Have a seat, Elwyn.”
He motioned to one of the two chairs before his desk. Then he waited as she complied before taking his own seat, the desk between them. For several long moments, he said nothing. For the first time since taking the assignment as his “secretary”, the security operative fought the urge to squirm. Had he finally realized exactly who and what she was? If so, how would he react?
Kalmár leaned back and rested his hands on the desktop. “Let’s get something clear right now. I know you are Watchman’s eyes and ears here. Don’t bother denying it. I have enough proof to send you packing back to Midlothian. I doubt I need tell you how your boss will react to learning your cover’s blown.”
She inclined her head. The first point went to the ambassador, but the match was far from over.
“Before I do that, I’m going to give you a chance to save yourself. I’ll let you remain here and I will make sure no one else in the embassy learns you have been spying on them and reporting back to the Intelligence Czar. But I want something in return.”
