by Sam Schall
“I was simply doing my duty, Mr. President.”
“A duty you shouldn’t have had to do.” He frowned and then shook it off. “If I had followed my gut and announced our suspicions about Midlothian -- ”
“Mr. President, no,” Ashlyn interrupted. “Moreau targeted me for whatever reason long ago. We also know she had her hand in the conspiracy surrounding what happened on Arterus. Whether that traces back to the Midlothians or not, we may never know. One thing is for certain. She’s been working against not just me but Fuercon. If she hadn’t taken her shot the other day, she would have later. Fortunately for Fuercon, she shot me instead of you, sir.
“But, just because we know she has a grudge against me, we can’t ignore the fact she was at the Midlothian embassy when she took the shot. As Colonel Santiago said before your arrival, it is obvious someone at the embassy helped her. Otherwise, she’d never have been able to get to the embassy roof. The question remains, has the Midlothian government been working against Fuercon or its shadow government or someone we don’t yet suspect?”
She closed her eyes and silently cursed. Her injuries were working against her again. Her pain level had increased and, when she’d tried to sit up the last time, she’d moved wrong and aggravated her injuries. Sweat pricked out on her forehead and she reached up to wipe it away. As she did, she saw her mother watching her in concern.
“Ash?” Elizabeth didn’t say anything else. She didn’t need to.
“I’m all right.” She prayed her mother understood she needed another few minutes to finish this before agreeing to another round of pain meds. “What are you going to do now, Mr. President?”
For a moment, Harper didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. His expression said it all. He wanted blood. Ashlyn understood, just as she understood what happened to her was only a small part of it. Their world, their system and their allies had been betrayed by a government they had trusted. Harper wasn’t going to let that go unchallenged.
“I’ll be addressing the press when I leave here, Ashlyn,” he said. “It is time for everyone to understand Fuercon isn’t going to stand idly by while her best interests are attacked or betrayed.”
She expected him to explain, but he didn’t. Instead, he smiled down at her, pride reflected in his eyes. “Ash, I am giving you an order as your president. Get well. We need you back on the line, not in a bed and not behind a desk. If we are to win this war once and for all, we need you and your Marines. Will you do that for me?”
“Ooh-rah, sir.”
“Ooh-rah, indeed, Colonel.” He patted her shoulder and nodded in approval. “General Okafor, I do believe you have eyes on the Midlothian embassy.”
“I have, sir.”
“Instruct them they no longer have to be hidden. When you do, send reinforcements. I want a very clear statement made that we will protect those on Fuerconese soil. I also want the Midlothians to understand that they are, in reality, prisoners in their own embassy.”
“Understood, Mr. President.”
“Very well.” He looked back at Ashlyn. “Colonel Shaw – Ashlyn, you have once again given much to Fuercon. I offer you not only my thanks but the thanks of your homeworld. Now get some rest and do as the doctors say.”
Before she could respond, he turned and left the room, the door sliding closed behind him.
“We’ll let you rest now, Ash,” Okafor said and motioned Santiago to the door. “Elizabeth, briefing at 1600.”
“Yes, ma’am.” She waited until only she and Ash remained. “Now, young lady, you are going to lie back and rest.”
Hurting too badly to argue, Ash nodded. As she closed her eyes, she listened to her mother as she told the nurse she needed her pain meds. “Mom, I want to see the president’s statement,” she said softly.
“After you get some rest. I promise.”
24
Caspian Bay, Midlothian
Alexander Watchman sat in the study of his home. On the wall in front of him, the holo screen replayed Harper’s press conference. In the upper right corner of the screen four smaller images were displayed. Seeing them, Watchman’s anger ratcheted up. The fools! They’d failed him just as Moreau had. The woman’s image was displayed in the upper left corner of the screen. Damn them. Damn them all.
“Ladies and gentlemen, to say I hope the cooperation we have received from Ambassador Kalmár and his staff reflects the true sentiment of the Midlothian government toward Fuercon and her allies, we will be proceeding with caution. The four men whose images are currently displayed were captured by members of the Combined Allied Attack Force in the Alpha Rhogana System. They have been confirmed to be members of the Midlothian Navy and Army. We are currently conducting an in-depth investigation to determine whether or not their government was aware of their actions or not.
“But that is not the important news I wish to tell you,” Harper said and, as if on cue, the images disappeared from the screen. “The Combined Allied Attack Force struck deep inside Callusian territory and delivered a decisive message to the enemy . . . .”
Watchman silenced the audio. He had already listened to it twice. Repetition didn’t make the message any easier to take. Damn Moreau. She managed to screw this assignment up every way she could. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear she had done it on purpose, even knowing what he would do to her for failing. He also knew he had to move and move quickly or he would become his government’s sacrificial lamb. It wouldn’t matter that everything he did, he did for Midlothian. The cowards in power would hand him over to Fuercon to keep Harper from declaring war against them.
Well, he was no one’s patsy. He had planned for this eventuality and would be gone before they acted. He’d learned one important lesson where they were concerned. They took no action without debating it to death. By the time they decided they needed to talk to him, much less do anything more serious, he would be off-planet. It would take time, but he would finish this mission he’d set for himself. Now he simply had to deal with it himself.
The war might not be over, but the first battle went to Fuercon. He planned on making sure the next one went to Midlothian, even if the government didn’t know it. Then, when the time was right, he’d return and take his rightful place on the ruling council and Midlothian would finally wield the power it deserved.
Author’s Note
When I started Vengeance from Ashes, the first book in the Honor and Duty series, I had envisioned the series consisting of three books. By the time I got to the second book, Duty from Ashes, I realized Ashlyn Shaw’s story arc could not be finished in just three books. Well, it could but the last book would turn out to be at least 200,000 words each. That doesn’t seem like much in an e-book, but in print it could be used as part of your weight training.
Fire from Ashes is the next to the last book in the current story arc. The arc will be finished in Victory from Ashes, the next book (due to be published the end of 2018). That doesn’t mean there won’t be more stories in the Honor and Duty universe. There will be. I love these characters too much to say goodbye to them just yet
Also by the Author
Written as Sam Schall
Taking Flight
Battle Bound
Battle Wounds
Vengeance from Ashes
Duty from Ashes
Honor from Ashes
Written as Amanda S. Green
Nocturnal Origins
Nocturnal Serenade
Nocturnal Interlude
Nocturnal Haunts
Nocturnal Challenge
Nocturnal Rebellion
Sword of Arelion
Dagger of Elanna
Written as Ellie Ferguson
Hunted
Hunter’s Duty
Hunter’s Home
Mossy Creek/Eerie Side of the Creek Series
Skeletons in the Closet
Slay Bells Ring
Witchfire Burning
Light Magic
Wedding Bell Blues
>
