by Sam Schal
But she couldn’t let him know what she planned, not until it was too late – for him.
“I assure you that you are overreacting.” She stood, a slight smile on her face. Let him think her the fool. It wouldn’t last long but it would give her the time she needed to put the next phase of her plan in place. “By end of day tomorrow, you will see that there is nothing to worry about.”
“You had better be right.” He, too, stood. His expression was hard and she almost laughed as he did his best to look imposing.
“You need to get ahold of yourself, sir.” Now she leaned in, her voice soft, her expression intense. “Fear is the enemy. It makes us careless and that is the one thing we cannot be, not when victory is so close to hand.”
His nostrils flared and his color rose. But he said nothing. Good. That meant he was thinking about what she had said. Unless she missed her guess, it was probably one of the only times someone had dared tell him to think before acting. It really was too bad no one had beaten that lesson into his head when he was younger.
“Go back to work or go home. Get drunk. Whatever you do, do not draw attention to yourself. I haven’t let you down yet and I won’t now.” She waited, wondering if he would say anything. When he didn’t, she continued, modulating her voice into reassuring tones. “You hired me because I get the job done. I wouldn’t last long if I didn’t. So trust me to do what I’m good at.”
“I want an update by tomorrow evening.”
She assured him he would have it and then watched as he left her office. The moment the door slid shut behind him, she allowed herself the release of kicking her desk. The pain it caused helped focus her anger. She had gotten sloppy and that wasn’t like her. She was being pulled in too many different directions with this job. If she hoped to survive it, she needed to focus. She would deal with the immediate danger, those who had been arrested, and then she would deal with Kannady. Hopefully, by then, the plans her true employers had in place to take down the Fuerconese government would be past the point where anyone would care about her. That would give her time to get off-planet and out of the system. A new life sounded better with every passing day.
* * *
“All right, Devil Dogs, this is it,” Ashlyn said over the battle net as she stripped out of her BDUs. Her light armor rested nearby. Her weapons were laid out next to it. “The taskforce will be entering the Cassius System shortly. We are now at full alert. Gear up and head to your battle assignments. Beta and Delta Companies, report to the attack shuttles. LAC pilots and support personnel, report to your posts. At the Admiral’s orders, we will begin the assault on the planetary defense platforms. Company commanders, make it happen.”
As she ended the message, the signal for General Quarters sounded. It was followed by Captain Jareau relaying basically the same information to the ship’s crew that she just had to her Marines. Ready or not – and she prayed they were – the fight was about to begin.
Five minutes later, clad in her light armor, Ashlyn moved to her desk. Waiting to be added to the dispatches to be sent back to Fuercon was a letter to her parents as well as one to her son. She wanted them to know that she had been thinking about them should anything happen. Even though she had a good feeling about this mission, she had learned the hard way on more than one occasion that you never knew what a battle might bring.
Wishing she could talk with Jake before the proverbial shit hit the fan, she authorized the transmittal of both letters. She could trust her parents to make sure Jake saw her post as soon as it arrive. If something did happen to her, they would, when he was ready, show him the second message she had recorded for him, the one she included with their letter. Her son needed to know he was always close to her heart and she never forgot about him. But now she needed to tuck that part of her away so she could concentrate on the mission at hand.
“Ten-hut!” Adamson called out as Ashlyn entered the main bay a few minutes later.
“As you were.” Ash moved through the knots of Devil Dogs as they checked their equipment and went over their assignments. As she did, she glanced around, making sure she missed no detail, no matter how small. “Master Guns?”
“All present and accounted for, Ma’am,” Talbot said as he approached. “The shuttles check out and are a green for go.”
“Very good.” She nodded in satisfaction and then drew a breath. “Beta and Delta Companies, mount up! I want you in the shuttles and ready to launch the moment you get clearance.
“The rest of you, get to your assigned stations. Be prepared to assist Beta and Delta Companies if necessary. COs, if there are any questions or if you need anything clarified, now’s the time to ask.” She waited, looking to see if anyone spoke up.
“Ma’am, any restrictions on ordinance other than what was included in the preliminary briefings?” Nichols asked.
“That’s a negative, at least so far. This will hopefully be a standard board and secure operation. So no heavy loads. We don’t want you blowing out any bulkheads and killing yourselves in the process. However, if heavy arms are necessary to secure the station or to save lives, then don’t hesitate to use them. Just take whatever precautions you can to protect yourselves and any friendlies who might still be onboard.
“The ROE is simple. Board, secure and hold until relieved. FleetCom would prefer that we not completely disable the platforms because we will need them to help hold the system. However, lives outweigh material. Remember that.
“Now get going. Time’s running out.”
“You heard the Colonel. Get your asses in gear, boys and girls, and let’s take the party to those motherless sons of bitches!” Talbot said.
“Ooh-rah!”
The bay echoed with the call. Then the sounds of Marines grabbing their gear and moving quickly into position followed. Ashlyn watched for a few moments more. To the untrained eye, the sight of so many armored men and women might seem like chaos but, to her, it was a well-choreographed dance. In ancient times, they would have been warriors, dancing around the fire and chanting to the gods. Now they checked their battle armor and weapons, made sure they carried extra ammo and power packs. Comms checks were made as were checks of the battle net. Lives depended on what happened in the next few minutes and every member of the battalion knew it.
“Devil Dogs!” She waited until everyone silenced and all eyes were once more on her. “We will take the system back from the Callusians. We will teach them the lesson they should have learned in the last war. Most of all, we will serve Fuercon and the Corps with honor. From now until further notice, all comms within the unit are to refer to our individual call signs. Understood?”
“Ma’am, yes, Ma’am!”
“Then elbows and asses, Marines! Elbows and asses!”
“What are you doing just standing around, Marines? You heard the Old Lady. Get a move on!” Adamson shot Ashlyn a grin before moving off to help one of Beta Company with his gear.
“This is it, Luce,” Ash said softly as they moved out of the bay. She wanted to check on the LAC pilots and then she had to report to the flag bridge. “Are we ready?” She could let her concern show with her XO and not worry that Ortega would think any less of her. They had known one another too long and had been through too much not to be honest now that they were once more heading into battle.
“We’re ready, Ash. You’ve made sure of it.” Ortega pulled her into one of the side corridors, away from the Marines and Naval personnel rushing to their stations. “Ash, I mean it. You’ve made sure the battalion is better prepared than it has been since before the end of the war. You’ve not only shaken off the rust but you’ve given FirstBatt a shine it hasn’t had in a long time. So quit worrying. The Devil Dogs are ready, thanks to you.”
“No, thanks to all of us.” She smiled and laid a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “I need you to go with the first wave, Luce. You are my best intelligence specialist and your experience and instincts may be needed over there.”
“All right.�
� Ortega didn’t like it but she wouldn’t argue.
At least not until after the mission. Then she’ll give me an earful.
“Take MJ with you. You guys coordinate but leave it to the COs unless you have to step in.”
“Understood.”
“Luce, you’re my eyes and ears over there. Keep the battle net open. I want to know what’s happening at all times.”
“Understood.”
“Then go. I’ll check with the LAC crews and then report to the Admiral.” She paused, this time reaching for her friend’s hand. “Good hunting, Sorceress.”
“You too, Angel.”
* * *
“Hang on! We’re going in hot.”
The pilot’s voice remained calm even as the attack shuttle banked sharply. Lucinda Ortega felt the slight shudder she long ago learned to associate with a shuttle returning fire. Frowning, she quickly checked to make sure they had sustained no damage before leaning forward, straining to see into the cockpit.
“Report!”
“Platform weapons online, ma’am, and trying to zero in on us.”
Ortega quickly keyed her comm. “We’re taking fire, Viper, move your LACs in.”
“Roger that, Sorceress,” Lt. Burton “Viper” Iverson replied. “We’ll clear you a path.”
“We do this by the numbers, folks. The LACs will get us in close enough to make a hole. Once the shuttle gets into the bay, everyone out. Secure the bay and hold it as the second shuttle comes in. Then we will hand off the guard duty to them and begin clearing the station.” Nichols spoke calmly, confidently and Ortega nodded slightly. Ashlyn had been right to put him in command of the company.
“Captain Ortega?” Now he looked at her, waiting to see if she had any other orders.
“This is your show, Captain Nichols. I’m just along for the ride.” She fought a smile as Adamson snorted softly at her side. They both knew Ortega would not hesitate to step in if she felt it necessary.
Ortega focused on the reports coming in over the battle net as the LACs made their runs against the defense platform. Viper kept up a running commentary. His tone ranged from amused to insulted. According to him, whoever was manning the platform defenses had never taken a single tracking course, much less tactics or programming. Not that Ortega minded. She much preferred the inept weapons tech who couldn’t hit the broad side of the proverbial barn than one who actually knew what he was doing.
“Platform defenses neutralized, Sorceress. Ramjet, get in the bay before they get back online,” Viper said.
“Roger that, Viper. Stay sharp.” Ortega let herself feel a brief moment of relief before nodding to Nichols.
“Take us in, Ramjet,” he ordered the shuttle pilot.
“Roger that, Cap. Hang on.”
The shuttle banked sharply as it began its approach. As it did, Ortega prayed the bays were still accessible. The Devil Dogs were prepared to make entry via the emergency hatches but the bay would be much quicker and less dangerous. No one liked making a space entry. Too many things could go wrong and there were already enough unknowns about the mission to worry about.
“Ma’am, you will stay put until the bay is reasonably secured,” Adamson said softly over a closed channel.
Ortega opened her mouth to respond and then snapped it shut. Whether she liked it or not, Adamson was right. Besides, unless she was badly mistaken, Ash had told the blonde to make sure nothing happened to her. It was exactly the kind of order she had been giving both Adamson and Talbot since Ashlyn’s return from Tarsus.
More than that, by hanging back, no one would think that she had any concerns about Nichols’ ability to do his job. That was important. The last thing they needed at the beginning of a mission was for the rank and file to think the brass lacked confidence in their CO. Besides, any qualms she might have had about him had disappeared weeks ago.
“You can assure Angel that I’ll be good,” she answered.
For a moment, Adamson looked as if she didn’t believe her. Then she nodded. As she did, the pilot warned them to be prepared to land.
It went as practiced in all the sims Ashlyn had ordered the battalion to run. As soon as the shuttle was down, the hatch cracked and the first members of the assault team poured out, weapons at the ready. For one moment, the only sounds to read those still inside the shuttle were those of the assault team moving across the decksole of the bay. Then the unmistakable sounds of a railgun being fired filled the air. It was followed by a curse and, almost instantly, the order went out to return fire.
The fight was brief and ended exactly as Ortega expected. The shooter was dead, his light armor shredded by the rounds fired from the Marines’ battle rifles. By the time Adamson allowed her out of the shuttle, the Marines had secured the bay, guarding the various entrances, ready for any attempt to retake the bay.
“Let’s get the other shuttles onboard,” Ortega ordered as she glanced around. “Do we have a terminal I can tie into yet?”
“Over here, Captain,” Nichols said.
By the time the other shuttles had landed and the Marines had off-loaded, Ortega had managed to hack into the station’s computer system. The ease with which she had done it had her shaking her head. It was one indication that the Callusians hadn’t completely changed their tactics from the previous war. This time, just as then, they came in, took over and assumed no one would push them out of the system. Because of that, with only a few exceptions, none of the security codes had been changed from what they’d been before the invasion. It would take her a bit longer to break the other codes, but the information she had already accessed would go a long way to helping them retake the System.
But first they needed to retake the station.
“It looks like there is a minimal presence onboard,” she said as Nichols and several others gathered around. She punched in a command sequence and a map of the station appeared before them. “Here are our goals.” Another command punched in and the command center, three defense platform control centers as well as environmental control where highlighted. “Comms has a backup control console here.” A fourth area was highlighted.
“Defenses?” Sergeant Fabiano, Nichols’ senior NCO, asked.
“Not quite as heavy as we expected in some ways and more so in others.” She punched in another code and a series of red and green dots were added to the display. “Green represents flesh and blood defenses. Best guess based on the data is that we have two squads patrolling and then fire teams stationary at our targets. Red represents automated defenses. They are live but we should be able to bypass them. The question is can we do it quickly enough to keep them from destroying the station?”
“Sorceress, don’t wait. Let the heavy armor go first into the areas where automated defenses have been noted.” Ashlyn’s voice came over the battle ‘net.
Agreed. She tapped her response into the virtual keyboard that was part of her left gauntlet.
“Listen up, everyone. We aren’t going to wait. The Old Lady says to send heavy armor into the areas where we know the automated defenses are active. Captains, I leave it to you to make any adjustments to your assignments. We move out in two minutes.”
* * *
Ashlyn stood to one side of the flag bridge, her eyes never leaving the plot. She had been waiting to see a response to their LACs launching. It had taken longer than expected but it finally happened. Part of her wished she could have been there to see the look on the face of the Callusian commander when he realized he couldn’t call on the defense platforms. The reliance on the platforms was the only reason she could think for why the Callusian ships still in system had not instantly gone weapons hot and moved into position to intercept the taskforce.
Now those ships were moving in – finally. Collins had brought the taskforce to ready stations and it was now just a waiting game. As soon as the Callusian ships were in range, the fight would be on. It was a fight Ash felt out of place in. Marines should either be in their fighters or have their boot
s on the ground, doing what they did best – fighting the good fight. This waiting as others did the fighting cut against the grain.
At least Beta and Delta Companies had managed to secure the station along with the controls for the defense platforms. Even better, there had been no major losses doing so. Now they held the station and Ortega and the other Devil Dogs used the defense platforms to help protect the incoming taskforce.
“Sir, enemy ships are almost in range.”
“Open a channel.”
Collins leaned back and crossed his legs. As he did, Ash had to marvel at his presence. She knew he couldn’t be as calm as he appeared. Yet, to the casual eye, he looked relaxed. She recognized what he was doing. He wanted the crew to believe he had no doubts about the eventual outcome of the mission. If they thought he was convinced of a successful outcome, they would be as well.
“Channel open, Sir,” the comms officer said a moment later.
“This is Admiral Richard Collins, Fuerconese Space Navy, to the commanding officer of the Callusian ships illegally attempting to hold this system. You are ordered to stand down. Drop your shields and take your weapons off-line immediately. Your unconditional surrender will be accepted only if you do as I order and if you do nothing to wipe your databanks. Any act of aggression, no matter how minor, will result in the destruction of your ships. You have two minutes to give me your answer. Collins clear.”
He sliced his finger across his throat, signaling for the comm to be cut off.
“Colonel Shaw, have your people ready to board. I doubt the enemy will be so cooperative as to do as I ordered but, just in case they surprise me, let’s not give them time to change their minds.
“We’re ready, Sir,” she assured him. “Teams are waiting with the assault shuttles and LACs are ready to move into position.”
“We have incoming, Sir!”
Ash swung to face the plot even as Collins did. Dozens of red dots lit the plot, moving in the direction of the taskforce. Each dot represented a missile, perhaps even a missile cluster depending on what sort of armaments the ships were carrying. Collins didn’t hesitate. He ordered counter-measures launched to intercept the incoming missiles. Then he ordered the leading ships of the taskforce to open fire. It was time to end this and Ash couldn’t agree more.
