by Sam Schal
“As for the doctors, I’ll be honest. They are concerned that you’re holding too much inside.” Now she shook her head, a slight smile touching her lips. “You know how they are, darling. If you’ve been through Hell – and you have been – they want you to pound your chest and scream in anger. They want the tears and self-recriminations and condemnation of everyone who didn’t immediately come to your aid. But they don’t understand Marines, much less Devil Dogs. You haven’t played by their rules but they don’t have a reasonable medical excuse to keep you from returning to full active duty status.
“So, they signed off on it and will testify if needed that Hines is full of shit when it comes to you. All I want is for you to promise me one thing.”
“What?” Ash asked when her mother didn’t elaborate.
“That you will continue to let the JAG and the rest of us deal with Sorkowsi and O’Brien and any others who were involved in what happened on that last mission.”
Ashlyn blew out a breath and climbed to her feet. She should have expected her mother to ask just that. They’d danced around the subject often enough. The only problem was that she didn’t know if she could make the promise. All that had gotten her through the two years of hell on Tarsus was her determination to make the ones responsible for the death of so many of her fellow Marines pay for their crimes. She wanted to mete out justice by her own hand. Even now that she and the six sent to the penal colony with her had been cleared and their records expunged, it was difficult to trust the system. After all, that system had been more than willing to convict them in the first place.
But she also knew her mother would – and could – keep her on the planet while the rest of the battalion left on their next mission if she didn’t give her word. She didn’t want to lie to the woman but she couldn’t say she’d continue to wait until the JAG decided it was finally the right time to make the arrests. However, it did appear that she knew something about the current state of the investigation her mother didn’t.
“Mom, I’m doing my best.” She shook her head. She wouldn’t lie but she had to find a way to reassure Elizabeth enough that her mother wouldn’t beach her. “I know things have changed since those bastards brought me and my people up on charges. I know the JAG isn’t under the same leadership it was when we were tried and convicted. But the distrust is still there. I’ll give them some more time because I want them to do it right. I don’t want Sorkowski or O’Brien or anyone else who worked with them to ever see another day of freedom. Hell, I want them dead, slowly and painfully. It won’t bring my people back but they will rest easier then.”
She clinched her teeth and moved across the office. She knew she might be saying too much but now that she was talking about it, she couldn’t stop. “I also want to be sure they haven’t betrayed the Corps, Fleet and Fuercon. If they have, they need to be treated like the traitors they are. But we need to know who they have been working with. But my patience isn’t infinite. JAG will need to act before much more time passes or I won’t be responsible for what I do.”
“Or what the rest of the Devil Dogs, and much of the Corps, will do.” Elizabeth moved to stand before her. “I understand that and I’m glad you’ve finally admitted it.” She reached out and pulled Ashlyn into a quick hug before once more stepping back.
“But with regard to your question, I will hold on a little bit longer, mainly because Lt. Liu implied the last time we spoke that JAG is about to make a move. Seems they asked her if there might be some members of the battalion, and especially of Alpha Company, who would be interested in assisting them in an upcoming mission.”
Elizabeth grinned, wry amusement lighting her expression. “No wonder you’re willing to be a good girl, at least for the moment. Not that you won’t have to answer to both your father and me for not telling us this last night. But I’ll let it go as long as you promise to let me know if you have any second thoughts about your current assignment.”
“I will but, at least right now, there are none.”
Elizabeth nodded and motioned for Ash to wait before saying anything else. Curious, Ashlyn watched as her mother reached up to activate her earbud. A moment later, Elizabeth smiled at her daughter.
“Sorry,” she said even though there was nothing apologetic about her expression. “I know you’re scheduled to meet with General Okafor in a few minutes but that just changed.”
“Ma’am?” Ashlyn frowned, not sure what to think about her mother’s sudden comment.
“That was her office. The general will be joining us shortly. Unless, of course, you don’t want to hear what the Devil Dogs’ next assignment is going to be.”
A slow smile spread across Ashlyn’s face and now her pulse quickened with anticipation. “I most definitely do want to hear what our assignment is to be.”
“That’s what I figured.” Elizabeth grinned and Ashlyn felt her lips turning up in an answering smile.
It was about time the Devil Dogs got into the war.
* * *
Damn it, can this day get any worse? First that brat who only wanted to go shopping – and who wanted me to pay for everything she bought – and now this.
Major Thomas O’Brien stood rooted in place, hatred coursing through him, as the lift doors opened and the three women stepped out. A split second later, instinct kicked in and he took a step back, hoping to move out of their line of sight. Even as he did his best to become as small and invisible as possible, one part of him wanted to move closer. The three were so intent in their conversation, they wouldn’t notice him until it was too late. They might not even notice him then. The shock and horror of what he wanted to do would slow their reactions and keep their attention focused away from him as he made his escape.
Hell, if he was lucky enough and quick enough, he could kill all three of them before anyone else figured out what was happening.
God, it was so tempting. He’d spent the last two years living in fear that Shaw would find someone to listen to her. In the months since she had, he’d been constantly looking over his shoulder, waiting for the moment when someone would finally act against him. She cost him so much, everything that had meant anything to him. Now, finally, she was close enough to strike. Those wonderful dreams of vengeance could finally come true. But only if he was brave enough to act.
His fingers itched as they slowly crept toward the folded blade in his thigh pocket. It would be easy to pull it but it wouldn’t solve anything. Not really. Even if no one identified him as the attacker and even if the security cams didn’t catch him and assuming he didn’t leave any forensic evidence behind, the accusations against him would still be on the record. The damage had already been done. All he could really hope for now was to find a way to mitigate the damage before it was too late.
Fighting the urge to pull the blade, he watched as the three moved ever closer to where he stood in the shadows cast by two large planters. His jaw clinched so tightly he knew his teeth would shatter as Major Ashlyn Shaw threw her head back and laughed gaily at something her mother said. How dare she laugh about anything! She was the cause of all his troubles.
Damn it, why hadn’t she died back on Arterus like she was supposed to?
Unfortunately, she hadn’t and, somehow, she’d managed to survive not only her court martial but two years at the Tarsus penal colony. Worse, her champions had gotten all charges against her tossed out and her name, as well as the names of those who’d survived the Arterus mission with her, had been cleared. They’d been proclaimed heroes while he’d been shunned by his fellow Marines and relegated to nothing more than a glorified babysitter for the brats of foreign dignitaries. He knew she wouldn’t be satisfied until she completely ruined him.
The smooth stone wall was cool through the material of his BDUs and he shivered slightly. Until that moment, he hadn’t realized he had all but knitted himself to the wall in an attempt to remain invisible to the women. As they drew closer, he held his breath. The last thing he wanted was for them to
look his way. It was bad enough when he had to salute either General Okafor or Brigadier General Shaw. But if he had to be civil to Major Shaw, he wouldn’t be responsible for what happened.
Instead of looking his way, the three women continued through the lobby in the direction of the doors leading outside. As they passed, O’Brien heaved a silent sigh of relief. Still watching as they moved away, he reached up and wiped his brow. That had been too close. He either had to find some way to deal with Shaw, and in such a way it would never splash back on him, or he needed to get off-planet and soon. He had no doubts his time as a free man was quickly coming to an end and he had no intention of taking Shaw’s place at the penal colony.
The thought of the JAG inquiry into the events leading up to Shaw and the others being brought up on charges had his anger flaring once again. He had no doubts she’d known he was there. Hell, it seemed like everyone in the Corps knew his schedule and made an attempt to see him in his ignominy. What else explained why they kept showing up as he played escort to all the snot-nosed brats the brass assigned him to?
Damn them all.
And damn Ashlyn Shaw most of all.
She’d been nothing but trouble from the moment he first laid eyes on her. She’d been too much by the book and too diligent to look the other way and leave alone the special arrangements he and the admiral had made with certain businessmen in the sector. So she had become the mouse to his cat as he and Sorkowski carefully set their trap for her. But they’d failed and now they were the prey.
This was really all the old man’s fault. If Sorkowski hadn’t been such a coward and had let him space the bitch when they had the chance, they wouldn’t be in the positions they were now. Well, the old bastard had better have a plan to keep them both safe from whatever Shaw and her supporters had up their sleeves. Otherwise, he would take things into his own hands and it was a sure bet he would save his own neck before anyone else’s, Sorkowski’s included.
* * *
“Well, that was interesting,” General Helen Okafor commented with a grin as the aircar moved away from the curb.
Ashlyn leaned against the back of the seat facing the Marine Corps commandant, her head cocked to one side. “I wondered if you’d seen him skulking in the shadows.”
“It was hard not to,” Elizabeth chuckled from where she sat next to her daughter. “Despite the way he tried to make himself very small.”
A smile played at the corners of Ash’s mouth as she remembered the sight of O’Brien staring at them, his eyes darting from one side to the other before he did his best to become invisible.
“Though I will admit I did wonder for a moment if he wasn’t going to try something,” Elizabeth continued.
Ash nodded, her expression serious. From the first moment she’d spotted O’Brien standing near the lift, she had done her best to keep an eye on him without tipping him off that she had seen him. She had realized the first time they’d crossed paths that he wouldn’t hesitate to try to sacrifice her again as long as it meant saving his own skin. Not that it wasn’t expected. Still, she’d have expected him to have better self0-control than to let his emotions show so clearly on his expression whenever she was near.
But that inability to hide his emotions was a weapon she was more than willing to use. She had no doubt he’d try to slip a blade between her ribs or something equally as fatal given the chance. This time had been no different. She had seen the battle he’d fought with himself to remain where he was, safe in the shadows. She‘d watched as his hand inched ever closer to his pocket and, she assumed, some sort of weapon. Thankfully, whatever he’d thought about doing, he had decided not to. The last thing she wanted was to have a firefight in the lobby of Corps HQ.
“He’s close to breaking,” she said softly. “That makes him more dangerous than ever.”
“It also makes him careless and that will work for us. At least I hope it will,” Okafor said. “Don’t look so worried, Ash. I assure you, Rico Santiago has him under constant surveillance.”
The worry that had been knotting Ashlyn’s stomach eased a bit. If Lt. Colonel Rico Santiago, FleetCom’s head of intelligence, had eyes on O’Brien, she doubted the man could sneeze without someone knowing. “That does make me feel a bit better, ma’am.” Of course, knowing JAG was finally ready to arrest O’Brien and Sorkowski – as well as anyone else who had conspired with them – would make her feel even better. “Now, will one of you tell me what’s going on? I expected you to brief me about the Devil Dogs’ next mission when you arrived, General.”
“And I will once we reach our destination,” Okafor assured her. “But before we get there, answer me this. How long do you need to make sure FirstBatt, in particular Deimos and Nike Companies, is ready to ship out?”
Okafor’s use of the companies’ battle names had Ashlyn sitting up straighter. Long ago, according to division lore, it had become tradition to call the various companies by names of ancient deities aligned with war and peace. The only time those names were used were when the Devil Dogs were about to drop into situations any normal Marine would consider Hell. The fact that Okafor used the battle names confirmed Ash’s suspicions not only that they would soon be moving out but that they were heading straight into action. But knowing her suspicions had been right didn’t answer the general’s question.
“To be honest, I’d like another month to get to know the strengths and weaknesses of all the members of the battalion. But I can probably get the most pressing matters dealt with in ten days to two weeks.” She produced her comp and glanced at Okafor, waiting until the woman nodded in approval before switching it on. She quickly checked her notes on the companies to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything.
“However, I do have concerns about both Deimos and Nike Companies, ma’am, and I’ve already discussed them with my mother. I should know more later today whether my concerns are justified or not. If they are, and depending on what our assignment is, I will be recommending that they be replaced on the mission.”
“And the other companies?”
“On the whole, they’re good, ma’am. There are a few adjustments to assignments that need to be made. Nothing too serious.”
I hope.
“Very well. Let me know come morning if you feel we need to make changes to the assignments. But, for now, we’ll assume the issue either isn’t as bad as you think or is something you can deal with in the week or so you’ll have before they have to ship out.”
“All I can do is promise to do my best, ma’am.”
“And that is all I’m asking of you, Ash.”
Ash considered what little the general had said and everything she hadn’t. As she did, she glanced out the window. She noted the passing buildings and the distinct lack of uniforms on the people moving along the sidewalks. They had left the area around FleetCom Headquarters. But where were they going?
“General Okafor, who are you planning on sending as CO?”
She hated the uncertainty she felt as she asked. There had been a time there’d be no question about who would be going. If the bulk of the battalion was sent somewhere, the battalion CO would go with them. But that had been before she’d been named CO and after everything that had happened, she couldn’t help wondering if Okafor had the same confidence in her that she had had in the Devil Dogs’ previous commanding officer.
Okafor didn’t answer. Instead, she glanced at Elizabeth and nodded. Trying not to let her nerves show, Ashlyn turned slightly so she could look at her mother. Elizabeth’s expression was serious. Swallowing hard, Ash waited. Then, as her mother smiled slightly, the knot in her stomach began to unwind.
“Unless you have a very good reason not to go, you will be going with them. That means you’ll need to carefully choose what part of Ares Company and your staff goes with you and what part remains here to make sure the rest of the battalion is ready for the next phase of your mission,” Elizabeth said. “I’ll need to know your decision on staffing by end of day tomorrow
.”
Ash nodded and tried to ignore the way her stomach once more tried to tie itself in knots. She didn’t like having to split her staff up, not this soon. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust them. She did. But she’d feel better if they were all together on their first mission under her command. Still, her mother was right. She needed to leave someone in command here who would keep the rest of the battalion working to prepare for the next phase of their mission, whatever that might be.
“All right. Let me talk to my people. However, it would help to know what the immediate and long term goals of our mission are.” She glanced at Okafor, hoping the general understood and agreed.
“You’ll be fully briefed shortly, Ash.” Okafor held up a hand to keep her from interrupting. “Be patient a little bit longer. We’ll be there soon.”
What could she do except nod?
“One more question, General?” she asked a few moments later.
“Of course.”
“I am getting the feeling that this is going to be anything but a standard mission you’re sending us on. Because I have some concerns about certain officers and non-coms for the companies you’ve identified to take part in the mission, I would like to be present for at least part of their training today. Do you think we will be done in time for me to get back to the O-Course to see how they’re doing?”
“You should be able to. I don’t think the briefing will take more than a couple of hours. At least most of the afternoon will be yours. But be ready to meet with the mission’s senior naval officers tomorrow morning.”
“Understood, ma’am.”
“Ash, there’s one more thing,” Okafor said. “You won’t be the senior Marine on the mission. Colonel Isaiah Johnson will be. However, he understands that the Devil Dogs will have their own mission parameters and that you are in charge where they are concerned. It’s just that in the chain of command until you reach your destination, he will be senior.”
Ashlyn nodded. That didn’t surprise her. Whatever their ultimate destination, the Devil Dogs were still SpecOps. They would serve to assist the Marine contingent assigned to the task force or fleet transporting them but, once there, they would take over. It was something she’d been part of time and again when serving with the Devil Dogs under Pawlak.
