by Sam Schall
A moment later, the door to the office opened. Without turning, Okafor listened as Elizabeth stepped inside. When she did finally turn to face the woman, she smiled slightly. Despite everything, it was good to see Elizabeth back in uniform. She only hoped the woman agreed to remain on active duty status after hearing what she had to say.
“You wanted to see me, ma’am?”
“Relax, Liz.” She waved her guest to one of the chairs before the desk. “I promised you before Ash and the others left for Tarsus that I’d keep you apprised. That’s why I sent for you.”
Fear lit the woman’s expression and she inhaled sharply. Cursing herself, Okafor quickly reassured her nothing had happened to her daughter. At least nothing physically. But what old wounds would visiting the penal colony have ripped open for the younger woman? Only time would tell and Okafor worried time was the one thing they didn’t have much of.
“No.” Okafor shook her head and dropped onto the chair next to Elizabeth’s. “Ashlyn’s all right. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
Elizabeth blew out a long breath and then seemed to almost shake herself before speaking. “You’re sure?”
“I am.”
For a moment, the woman said nothing. Then she nodded, her expression easing at least a little. “Then what?”
“I received a new report from Pawlak less than an hour ago. Tarsus was, if possible, worse than we feared.”
“Ash’s people?”
“Alive and they should all make full recoveries, at least physically.”
She closed her eyes for a moment and searched for the right words. Quickly, she relayed what she knew of the situation. As she did, Elizabeth’s expression darkened as her anger rose. Even so, not once did the woman interrupt. She listened, occasionally making a note on the datapad she retrieved from her thigh pocket.
“Those responsible?” Elizabeth asked when Okafor finished speaking.
“In custody. The JAG officers, as well as Lucinda Ortega, are souring the penal colony’s records. If there is anything there to find, they’ll find it.”
“You realize this means the corruption goes deeper than we thought.” It wasn’t a question, more of an observation and Okafor nodded. “My guess is that Coreal has been selling at least some of the prisoners as slaves. We have to find out who he has sold them to. We also need to find out if there is any link between him and Sorkowski or O’Brien.”
“Agreed and I will talk to Rico about it when we’re done here.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“What you’ve been doing. We are going to war. It isn’t a question of if. It is a question of when. I need you to make sure your division is ready. I also need you to let me know how Ashlyn is doing. If she needs anything because we both know she won’t tell me.”
Elizabeth chuckled softly and nodded in agreement. “When is the Magellan returning home?”
“From what Pawlak said in his report, it should be able to break orbit in no more than three days.” Now she smiled, knowing at least part of why Elizabeth asked. “Don’t worry. Ash will be home in time for Jake’s birthday.”
Elizabeth didn’t try to hide her relief.
“You’re going to have to be prepared for the toll this investigation is going to take on Ashlyn, Liz. It’s not going to go as fast as she wants. It can’t. President Harper has said he wants everything to be checked and double-checked and I agree with him. We can’t risk anyone accusing us of acting out of malice because of what happened to Ash and her people. So, before any other arrests are made, we have to have every bit of evidence we can.”
“Understood.” She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, her chin resting on her upraised fists. “General – Helen, Ash knows this. At least she does on some level. But you’re right. It’s going to be hard on her and, to be honest, on all the Devil Dogs. The first few weeks after the Magellan returns home won’t be too bad. Ash has to report to the doctors and then she is going to have get up to speed on everything that’s happened since her arrest. To be honest, it is the Devil Dogs I’m more worried about. We can’t risk some of the hotheads deciding to go out and handle this on their own.”
“I have a few thoughts about that. We’ll discuss them with Pawlak once they are back.”
“I may have a few ideas of my own by then.”
Okafor smiled slightly. She had no doubt the woman would. “Good. Now, let’s put that away for now. I have the latest report from FleetCom concerning the attack on the capital. . . .”
« Chapter 18 »
“How is she?” Paul Pawlak leaned against the edge of his desk. He knew Ortega and Talbot knew who he meant.
Neither said anything. Instead, they looked at one another. Pawlak waited. He knew he was asking a lot. But he was worried about his XO. Over the course of his career, he had seen too many Marines after they’d been prisoners of war. The physical scars they bore were bad enough. But the mental and emotional scars, the scars no one but those closest to them ever saw, were far worse. If they weren’t treated, they festered, eating away at the person.
He had seen Ashlyn doing her best to convince not only herself but everyone else that those demons didn’t haunt her. He’d let it slide before the mission because he’d hoped coming to Tarsus to rescue the others would help. Now he wasn’t so sure. If anything, she seemed closer to the edge than before. He worried something inside of her might break if they didn’t do something and soon.
Not that she was the only Devil Dog running on a short fuse. After what he’d seen, he knew how lucky Ash and the others had been to survive their time here. Worse, every Devil Dog on the mission knew. An anger Pawlak hadn’t felt from them since they learned Ashlyn and the others had been convicted so threatened to boil over. He needed to do something, not only to keep the Devil Dogs from taking matters into their own hands but to keep Ashlyn from breaking.
“Off the record?” Ortega asked.
“Off the record.”
At least for now.
Ortega looked conflicted for a moment and then she shook her head, sighing. “She’s on edge. None of us can deny that. My guess is she’s not sleeping well either.” She looked at Talbot who nodded. “She feels guilty not only because the others were sent here with her but because Coreal and his animals hurt them after she was taken back to Fuercon. She looks at Navarro and knows how close we came to losing her. Even though neither of them have said anything, I think it’s pretty clear Navarro was raped, probably multiple times and, unless I miss my guess, Ash was as well when she was here.”
“Wouldn’t knowing our people are safe now and the monsters who hurt them are going to be brought up on charges help?” Pawlak asked.
“It’s not enough, sir.” Talbot looked uncomfortable and Pawlak understood. None of them liked talking about Ashlyn behind her back. But they had her best interests at heart. They had lost her once and, if he had any say about it, they weren’t going to lose her again.
“What do you mean?”
“She knows intellectually Coreal and the others are in custody and will have to answer for what they did. But it’s not enough. She needs to see them in the brig, see them in prison garb and chains.”
“Kevin’s right,” Ortega said. “We have to remember that the others are relying on her to tell them the truth about what’s going on. They trusted her before the courts-martial and they trust her now. She sees that trust as why they were sent to Tarsus with her. The fear of something going wrong and washing back on them eats at her.”
“So what do we do to help her and them?”
He’d do almost anything short of letting Ash kill Coreal and Haritos.
“She’s kept her word, sir.” Talbot drummed his fingers against his thigh. “She hasn’t gone near where any of the prisoners are being held, either dirtside or on the Magellan. It’s been hard on her. I’ve seen her starting to go and then stop. She made a promise to you, and to us, that she wouldn’t. But she needs to see them. I think she ne
eds it more than she realizes.”
“Lucinda?”
“I agree.” She thought for a moment before continuing. “But we don’t risk her doing anything foolish. I’ll go with her.”
“Ma’am,” Talbot started.
“Nothing against you, Kevin, but I’ve known her longer than anyone. She’ll trust me to make sure she doesn’t do something she’ll regret later. Hopefully, she will trust me enough to let some of her walls down.”
Pawlak didn’t say anything. Instead, he considered what the two said. Like it or not, they were right. Ashlyn needed this if she was going to have any chance of putting Tarsus behind her. Even then, it wasn’t a sure thing. But it was something and he was willing to risk it if it meant giving her a fighting chance of moving past what happened to her and her people.
“All right, but let’s put this to good use. You’re our intel officer, Lucinda. If you see that Ash’s presence is impacting the prisoners, use it. Let her know what you’re going to do. If she can see they are scared enough of her to start talking, all the better. But this isn’t like when we landed. She isn’t to make any threat, real or not, at them.”
“Understood. Trust me. I’m not about to let her do anything that might come back to bite either of us on the ass.”
“Then let’s get this set up.” He pushed away from his desk. “I’ll send for Ash. You two stand ready.”
“Hammer?” Lucinda looked at him in question.
“The gunny will go with you.” He waved off any objections she might have had. “Ash trusts him and knows he, like you, will not only keep her safe but will keep her from doing anything foolish. But it’s more than that. His presence will help convince the prisoners not to do anything foolish. I don’t want to risk them attacking the two of you and forcing Ash – or you – to act.”
“Understood and agreed.” Lucinda stood and watched as Talbot followed suit. “I’ll get everything set up while you send for her. We’ll be in my office. Let us know when you’re ready for you.”
He watched as they left his office. Then he blew out a long breath. He hoped he was doing the right thing. Not that he saw any other option.
“You sent for me, Hammer?”
Ashlyn stood before Pawlak’s desk. She waited as he looked at her. As he did, she fought the urge to squirm. She knew he was worried about her. She couldn’t even blame him. There had been too many times since their arrival at Tarsus that she had come close to losing control. She hoped the rest of the Marines hadn’t realized it but she had no doubt Pawlak, as well as Ortega, had.
“I did.” He motioned her to a seat.
Her brows knitted in a frown as he moved to the front of his desk. Instead of taking the second chair, he leaned against the battered desk and looked down at her. Wondering what was on his mind, she waited. With each passing moment, her unease grew.
“Ash, I’m going to be honest with you.”
“You always are, sir.” Sometimes more than she’d like. But that was one of the many reasons he was such a good officer and Marine. He didn’t play games with his people.
“I know how hard this mission has been on you. I thought things might be better once we found the others and had them safe away from Coreal and the others. But it hasn’t helped, has it?”
She closed her eyes and tried not to let her frustration show. So much for putting on a brave face. She should have known he’d realize how she felt.
“It has some,” she answered a moment later as she once more looked up at him. “But I can’t get past what they went through because they followed me.”
“And that is where you’re wrong, Ash. What happened to them wasn’t your fault or theirs. That blame falls primarily with those who put you here and then on Coreal and his people. You all did your duties to Fuercon and to the Corps. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you’ll heal. More than that, the sooner you can help them get past what happened.”
She looked down at her hands where they rested in her lap. He made it all sound so easy. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Worse, she didn’t know how to move on. Why couldn’t he understand that?
“Ash, would seeing Coreal and Haritos in the brig help?” He moved to sit in the chair next to hers. “I don’t mean on a screen. I mean going down to the brig and standing on the outside of their cells.”
She swallowed hard and nodded. “I think it would.”
“Then go get out of your workout clothes.” He nodded to the shorts and tank she wore. “And into your BDUs. Let them see that your roles have truly changed. You can talk to them. You can ask them anything you want or tell them anything you want. But you can’t go into their cells. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then you should understand one other thing. Lucinda is going to be there with you as will the gunny.”
She opened her mouth to protest and then snapped it shut. Before she protested, she needed to know why he wanted them there. “Are you trying to protect Coreal and Haritos or are you trying to protect me?”
“Honestly, all of you.” He rested a hand on hers. “Ash, I know that if our roles were reversed, I’d give almost anything to get some of my own back from those two. I also know they would risk almost anything to keep you from testifying against them. That’s why both Luce and Talbot will be with you. Luce is there to ask a few questions herself. Talbot is there to make sure they don’t do anything to hurt you or to cause you to do something foolish. If you agree to having them there, I’ll arrange for you to see those bastards without delay.”
She didn’t hesitate. If seeing the two helped her be able to sleep at night, she’d do it. Then, if it really did work, she’d do whatever it took to insure the others got to do the same thing. They suffered as much, if not more, than she had at the hands of Coreal, Haritos and others at the penal colony. It was only fair they saw those responsible stripped of their freedom and without hope of ever seeing the light of day again.
“I agree.” She smiled and then a quick laugh escaped her lips. “I would agree to almost anything to be able to see those two in a cell, Hammer.”
“Then go get showered and changed. I’ll let the others know and have them meet you at your quarters in half an hour. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” She stood and held out her hand. “Thank you.”
“Go. Report back after you’re done.”
She nodded and left his office. For the first time since they entered orbit around Tarsis, she looked forward to something. Unlike earlier, she was in control. Or at least as in control as she had been since her conviction. Now she had the chance of proving to the two who had done all they could to break her that they’d failed. That would be her best vengeance against them.
At least she kept telling herself that, even as she knew the only real vengeance would be to hold her gun to their heads and fire.
Half an hour later, she entered the Magellan’s brig. A few minutes earlier, Ortega explained Coreal, Haritos as well as several others from Tarsus were held one to a cell with at least one cell between them. Captain Carlisle had ordered the penal colony’s former commandant and former guard-captain held at opposite ends of the brig. Standing at one end of the row of cells, Ash felt the first of hopefully many layers of stress easing. The cell doors were closed, preventing those inside from seeing who might be approaching.
Good. She didn’t want to warn them of her presence. Let them know the same fear she had for two years. If that made her less of a person than she’d been, so be it. She wanted – no, she needed – them to understand what they had done to her and to the others.
“Are you ready?” Ortega asked softly as they paused before the second door.
Ashe gave a single, jerky nod. As she did, Ortega signaled Talbot. The gunny reached up and placed his palm against the security screen. A moment later, the hatch slid open. As it did, the soft hum of the security field reached Ashlyn and she swallowed hard. A shiver of remembered fear ran down her spine. She pushed it down and stepped forw
ard. This time she was in control. The past was just that – the past.
A bitter smile touched her lips to see Gavin Haritos sitting on the edge of his bunk. Elbows on knees, head in his hands, he didn’t bother looking up to see who was there. Dressed not in the black jumpsuit she had worn upon her return to Fuercon but in the piss yellow jumpsuits the military reserved for those charged with the most heinous of crimes, he bore little resemblance to the sadistic guard she learned to fear.
“Face the door and assume the position!” she barked out.
Garitos started. She heard his soft gasp. When he looked up, fear filled his eyes. His mouth worked but nothing intelligible came out. Perspiration dotted his upper lip and forehead. Even so, he remained where he was. Too frightened to move or trying to prove he wasn’t afraid, she didn’t know and didn’t care.
“I said to assume the position, Garitos. Do it or we’ll leave you here and go talk to Coreal. I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to tell us that everything you did to me, to my people, was on your own. That he had nothing to do with it.”
She waited, wondering what he would do. Then, when he remained seated, she turned. With one hand, she motioned Talbot to seal the cell. Garitos had broken, much as she anticipated. She simply had not expected it to be this soon.
“No! Wait!”
His plea stopped her and she waved Talbot away from the control panel. As she did, a slight smile touched her lips. She gave herself a moment before turning. She did not want him to see how much this was costing her. If he had any idea how badly she wanted to enter the cell and beat him to a pulp, he would do everything he could to goad her. She would not give him that satisfaction.
“Yes?”
“What do you want? Just tell me what you want.”
“I thought I made that perfectly clear.” She shook her head, her expression disappointed. “I instructed you to assume the position. At least I’m letting you face the door and see what is about to happen.”
He didn’t need to know nothing would happen. As Ashlyn had learned during her time on Tarsus, the anticipation of punishment was almost as bad as the punishment itself. She had purposefully phrased her order in such a way he’d assume they were going to do something to him.
