by Sam Schal
“But—“
“No, Commander, there are no buts. Both captains are welcome additions to the Devil Dogs and they will do a much better job than their predecessors on this mission.” For the first time, she allowed some steel to show in her voice. “FleetCom has no concerns about giving this assignment to FirstBatt, nor does General Okafor. Admiral Collins has assured me that he welcomes the Devil Dogs on the mission. Why you have concerns when none of my people will be onboard your ship is, frankly, beyond me. Perhaps it is all in an attempt to hide shortfalls in your own staffing?”
He opened his mouth and formed the words but nothing came out. Then, as though realizing how ridiculous he looked, he snapped his mouth shut and stared at her. Before he could recover, Collins motioned for Ash to return to her seat.
“Colonel, would you care to elucidate?”
“Sir, Captain Ortega has pulled up the ship’s roster and it would appear the commander is short several department heads. It isn’t readily apparent at first glance but there are overlaps in assignments of half a dozen second lieutenants, as well as several NCOs, covering areas where there should more senior officers or NCOs in charge.”
Collins held out his hand and she extended the datapad to him. Everyone waited, silence filling the air, as he studied the readout. When he looked up, his expression was even colder than before. Ashlyn leaned back, glad she wasn’t the one who would be on the receiving end of the dressing down she felt sure was about to come.
The Admiral stood and handed back the datapad. Then he glanced at his aide. Captain Jareau stood and took up her position at his shoulder. Both worse matching expressions, serious and not about to accept any excuses from anyone.
“On your feet, Commander Powell.”
Powell instantly complied. However, instead of bracing to attention, he assumed an at rest stance that had Ash and the other Marines in the room frowning.
“Commander Powell, you have all but accused Colonel Shaw of not having her battalion ready for the mission. By doing so, you have cast doubt on her ability as a commanding officer. That is bad enough. But when I see that the Colonel’s observations about your own command appear to be correct, it smacks of much more. Fortunately, your ship is mainly a support vessel. Captain Jareau shall be accompanying you back there as soon as this briefing is concluded and she will determine what action, if any, needs to be taken to make sure you are ready to move out with the rest of us. I assure you, if your inaction – or worse – cause our departure to be delayed, you will not like the result.”
Now he turned to face Ash. She quickly stood and braced to attention.
“The changes in company commanders Colonel Shaw made with regard to the Devil Dogs was done with the full support and approval of General Okafor as well as Brigadier General Shaw. But I have a feeling the concerns Commander Powell voiced are not what worries him. So let me make this very clear. I have no concerns about Colonel Shaw, the Devil Dogs or their ability to do the mission set for them. Colonel Shaw has proven in ways most of you will never know that she is more than worthy of the trust being put in her by FleetCom.”
Ash’s cheeks heated as a blush crept up from her throat.
“Now, let’s finish this briefing so we can get back to work. . . .”
CHAPTER TEN
ASHLYN LEANED BACK and sighed heavily. The last few months had been a roller coaster of emotion. First had been finding herself back on Fuercon without explanation. Then, just as hope had started to form that the charges against her and her people might be expunged from their records and they’d be freed, the capital had been attacked. She had managed to survive that and had even managed to push back her suspicion long enough to return to Tarsus to free her people. That had been just the beginning of the ride and she knew there was a long way before it was over.
Three weeks had passed since the taskforce had left Fuercon. Part of her had to give it to FleetCom and Admiral Collins. In an attempt to keep the Callusians from figuring out what their mission was, the taskforce had set off on a very round-about course to the Cassius System. Now they were only a few days out. Even though there had been no indication the Callusians had scouts in the area, the ships of the taskforce were on alert. No one wanted to take any chances now. Not when their goal was so close.
She also had to admit that she’d been pleased with the way the Devil Dogs had integrated into the crew of the Cassin Young. They stood watch and helped out wherever possible. Ortega worked closely with Captain Jareau as they coordinated where the Devil Dogs would be at any given time.
Ash studied the latest intelligence report from the Cassius System and blew out a breath. It appeared that the survivors from the Tarrant’s crew were still on-planet. Nothing indicated they had been separated from the other prisoners taken by the Callusians during the invasion. That was something she had to take into consideration when planning the assault on the capital. If they didn’t get to the prisoners quickly enough, the Callusians would use them as human shields and that was only if they didn’t kill them outright. But if she could get to them before that happened, they would be additional warm bodies who knew who to handle themselves in a firefight.
At least she hoped they would be.
But before that happened, they had to deal with the defense platforms protecting the system. That would be up to Collins and the taskforce. The LACs would be launched against the platforms and to help protect the ships making up the taskforce from groundside defenses. Attack shuttles would transport the Devil Dogs to the platforms. Then it would be up to the Marines to secure the platforms and hold them until Collins could get specialists over to relieve them.
A soft chime signaling someone’s arrival interrupted her train of thought. Ash rubbed and hand over her face and then rolled her shoulders to ease the tension she hadn’t noticed before. Then she reached out. A quick touch of a finger to the control console unlocked the hatch. A moment later it slid almost silently open and Corporal Nolan stepped inside.
“Ma’am, Corporal Donnelly is here as requested,” the young man announced.
“Very good. Send him in,” Ash said. “Once you have, ask Captain Ortega to send word to the company commanders reminding them of the briefing in one hour.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The corporal gave a quick salute before turning sharply to leave the office. As the door slid shut, Ashlyn allowed herself a smile. Nolan had proven to be much more of an asset on the mission than she’d expected. Given time and experience, he would make an excellent NCO – assuming he lived long enough, something no one in the Marines, and especially a Devil Dog, could count on.
“Corporal Donnelly, Ma’am,” Nolan announced from the doorway a moment later.
At Ash’s nod, the young man saluted and backed out of the office, closing the hatch behind him.
Leaning back, folding her hands on the desktop, Ashlyn watched closely as Corporal Ryan Donnelly marched smartly across the office. He stopped precisely four feet from the desk and braced to attention. The corporal’s expression remained correctly impassive. Even so, Ash saw the quick flash of nerves that clouded the corporal’s green eyes before it was gone.
Suppressing an understanding smile, Ash nodded almost imperceptibly, pleased with what she saw. Tall, slender, giving the impression of both physical and emotional strength, the corporal could have been a picture on a recruiting poster for the Marines. The insignias at throat and sleeve marked his rank as well as his qualifications as expert marksman, sniper, and shuttle pilot. Like so many who found their way to the Devil Dogs, Corporal Ryan Donnelly had accomplished a great deal in a relatively short period of time.
Now she hoped he managed to maintain that same level of competence and professionalism. If he couldn’t, she would not hesitate to keep him onboard while the rest of the battalion went dirtside.
“Have a seat, Corporal.” Ashlyn motioned to one of the chairs situated before her desk.
“Thank you, Ma’am.” He settled on the edge of
the chair, back straight, body tense.
“I hope I didn’t take you away from anything, Corporal.”
“Not at all, Ma’am.”
“Good.” She knew the corporal wouldn’t have admitted it if she had but at least she’d asked. Now she leaned back and smiled slightly, hoping to put him at his ease. “Donnelly, take a deep breath and relax. We’re off the record now.”
Her smile turned into a grin as the young man visibly tried to relax. He sat back, crossing his long legs at the ankles. His expression went from one tinged with more than just a hint of concern. Ashlyn knew the young man’s curiosity had to be running rampant. He had been with the Devil Dogs since before she assumed command and this was the first time she had sent for him.
“Ma’am, I’ll admit I’m more than a little confused about why you’ve sent for me. Have I done something wrong?” His brow furrowed in concern but he said nothing else. Good. That showed a level of control he would need if he was going to make the drop with the rest of the battalion.
“No, Donnelly, you’ve done nothing wrong.”
I just have to make sure you don’t in the near future.
“Corporal, there has been some intelligence come to us from the Cassius System that will impact the upcoming mission.”
“Ma’am?”
“Corporal, when word first reached FleetCom about the invasion of the Cassius System, it was assumed that the Tarrant and all hands onboard were lost. We now have reason to believe that might not be the entire truth. Our sources on Cassius Prime have provided information that seems to indicate that at least some of the crew might have survived and are currently being held by the Callusians on-planet.”
She waited, watching as the news sank in. The color drained from Donnelly’s face and then he leaned forward, an expression of hope on his face. Even so, Ash could see how he fought against getting his hopes up. She didn’t blame him.
“My brother?”
“We don’t know.” She wouldn’t lie to him. “All we know for sure is that some of the vid feeds we’ve received from the Resistance appear to show some men and women in Fuerconese uniforms. They are being held with prisoners the Callusians captured when then invaded the system. We don’t know who they are or how many of them there might be. FleetCom’s best guess is that they are members of the Tarrant’s crew because there appear to be more of them than would have been stationed at our embassy there.”
“Why are you telling me, Ma’am?” His voice was soft, his uncertainty obvious.
“Because I need to know that your head is in the game when we go dirtside, Donnelly. I need to know if this will be a distraction for you.”
“Ma’am, I can’t say that it won’t be a distraction,” he admitted after a moment’s though. “What I can say is that it won’t keep me from doing my duty.”
“And if we reach the compound and find that your brother isn’t one of the prisoners – or worse?”
He didn’t flinch even though she saw the quick stab of pain in his eyes. Good. He could control himself. Maybe she didn’t have anything to worry about.
She hoped.
“I will follow orders and do my duty, Ma’am.” His response was automatic and Ash frowned slightly. Not that it was unexpected. Instead of commenting, she gave him a moment. What he said or did next would tell her all she needed to know. “Ma’am, I’m a Devil Dog. I will follow orders. But if I find myself in a situation where I know for a certainty that the enemy harmed my brother or any of his crewmates and they give me the chance to exact a little revenge, I will do so. I promise you, though, that any action I take will be justified.”
“Very well, Corporal.” It would have to do, for the moment at least. “That will be all. Keep the information about potential prisoners to yourself. The battalion will be briefed on everything come morning.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” He stood and braced to attention.
“Dismissed, Corporal.”
He executed an about face and left her office. As the hatch slid shut behind him, the hatch leading to Ashlyn’s bedroom slid open. Lucinda Ortega stepped into the office. When she nodded at the far hatch, Ash shrugged. Before she gave her impressions of the meeting with Donnelly, she wanted to know what her XO thought.
“Well?” she asked as Ortega took the chair Donnelly had vacated.
“He’ll do. But I’ll put a word in Nichols’ ear to keep an eye on him.”
“Good.” Ash lifted one foot onto the edge of the desk and blew out a breath. “If his brother is still alive, I want Nichols groundside. Not only will his presence reassure his brother but any other survivors as well.” And that would go a long way in helping any survivors accept that they were really free. It was a lesson Ashlyn knew all too well.
* * *
Evan Moreau didn’t even try to hide her frustration. Abel Kannady sat across the desk from her. He had arrived at her office without warning and demanded to see her. Under most circumstances, she would have told her assistant to give him an appointment and show him out. But nothing about Kannady fell into the “most circumstances” category. Instead, she had said to give her a few minutes to finish what she was working on before showing him in.
Those few minutes had been spent trying to figure out why the fool risked both their lives by coming to see her. They had been so careful that last month to do nothing that might cause attention to be brought to their relationship. It was bad enough that her real employers were starting to have concerns about the job she was doing. The last thing she needed was for Kannady to do something foolish. There were too many eyes and ears out there just looking into the attack on the capital – not to mention the false charges that had been brought against that bitch Shaw and her people.
“This had better be good. You risked both of us by coming here unannounced.”
He bristled at her tone but she didn’t care. He needed to understand just how serious the consequences of his actions could be.
“You forget your place, Moreau!” he snapped.
She bit back her retort. Much as she wanted to tell him he was nothing but a pawn in a game much bigger than he could ever imagine, she couldn’t. She didn’t dare. That would mean her life because he would be foolish enough to try to use it for leverage, if not against her than with her employers. Their response would be quick and fatal, for both she and Kannady. So, somehow, she had to diffuse the situation and then find a way to deal with this fool once and for all.
Damn it but there were going to be a lot of bodies before this mission was over and that meant more complications than she wanted to consider.
“No, but obviously you have forgotten how dangerous it is for us to be seen together,” she countered. “So what is so serious you had to risk us both?”
Even as she spoke, she cursed herself. She knew better. She needed to keep him calm. His pride and overriding ego could very well cause him to strike out at her. If he felt threatened, he wouldn’t hesitate to offer her up to the authorities. He wouldn’t even consider the fact that she had more than enough evidence against him to have him facing the executioner. All he would think about was the need to prove to her that he was in control.
But she was damned if she was going to let him leave without making sure he understood just how foolish his actions had been. She just had to figure out how to do it without pushing him over the edge.
Pushing him.
The image of pushing him out the window and watching him fall the fifty stories to the ground below was an enticing one. Unfortunately, it would raise too many questions and have too many eyes focused on her. She wasn’t ready to do a bolt – yet.
“You assured me you had everything under control and yet they are still making arrests. Arrests that have nothing to do with the charges that were leveled against Shaw and the others. Arrests that come much too close to my interests.” He all but ground out the words. “What are you planning to do about it?”
She opened her mouth to reply and then shut it. He eyes narrowe
d and she tilted her head to one side as she looked at him. She had been so focused on making sure neither Sorkowski nor O’Brien said anything to the authorities that might wash back on her or her employers that she hadn’t paid much attention to any other arrests that might have been made.
Galled that Kannady might actually know more about what was going on than she did, she did a quick search. Her frustration grew as she scanned the data scrolling across her screen. Kannady had a right to be concerned, not that she would ever tell him that. More importantly, her other employers would be more than a little worried when news of the arrests reached them. If she didn’t do something quickly to alleviate the potential damage, she could kiss all she cared about, including her life, goodbye.
“I assure you, steps are being taken to protect your interests. By the end of tomorrow, each and every one who has any tie, no matter how tenuous, to you will know how foolish it is to even consider betraying you.”
All she had to do was grease the right palm and arrange for an accident or two. So simple, assuming she could find the right palm to grease.
“Don’t try to talk your way out of this, Moreau. I’ve paid you good money to make sure my interests are protected. If just one investigator comes snooping around my interests, I’ll hold you responsible.”
Hold her responsible!
She didn’t know whether to laugh or reach across her desk and throttle him where he sat. He actually believed he held the upper hand. The fool. Well, she would play him a bit longer and then she would take great pleasure in teaching him just how foolish he had been in threatening her. Perhaps she would even arrange things so that all paths led back to him where the investigation into the charges against Shaw and the others, as well as the attack on the capital, were concerned. It would be worth all the headaches and expense to see his expression when he learned he was being charged with treason.
