by Sam Schall
What none of them seemed to realize was that forced inaction was the last thing a soldier or Marine needed after falling into enemy hands – and, as far as Ashlyn was concerned, that’s exactly what she and her people had done. They needed to be on duty, fighting those who wanted to destroy the very government and people they were sworn to protect. Action, preferably direct action, always trumped too much introspection.
Duty and honor. Family and the Corps. That was all a Marine needed.
At least her mother understood. Elizabeth had been there for her in the dead of night when the nightmares came. She’d fought to not only keep Ashlyn out of the hospital but involved in analyzing the attack on the capital. She’d promised to do everything she could to make sure Ash was on the ship sent to Tarsus to bring her people home. Most of all, Elizabeth had assured her that if the powers-that-be didn’t soon hand over the results of the investigation into the charges brought against Ashlyn and the others, she’d go to the media with what she knew.
Unfortunately, none of that would matter if Ahern didn’t agree to let her return to duty.
“How do you feel?” he asked. He may have been looking at the monitors on the wall behind the examining table but Ashlyn knew he wouldn’t miss even the most subtle hint she wasn’t telling the truth if she tried to hedge the question.
“Better.”
That was certainly the truth. A few days of a well-balanced diet and enough water – and other fluids like coffee, something she hadn’t had since her conviction – had done wonders for her. Add to that the fact the low-level pain that had become a way of life was gone. That alone was worth all the long sessions she’d endured at the medical facility each day.
“Good.” Now he smiled at her, his expression softening some. “Your knee is healing nicely. You’ll need to wear the brace another week or so until the nanites finish doing their work. If you have to armor up, be sure to make the necessary adjustments so you don’t undo all the good work that’s been done.”
She frowned as she remembered the events as they evacuated the tenants from the residential complex. Talbot had looked at her and told her that for once she was going to take orders from him. She was not going to lead the tenants out. In fact, she was going to be in the second wave. This wasn’t his order but Major Pawlak’s. Before she’d been able to argue, the gunnery sergeant had nodded to where she held her son at her hip. That had been enough to get her to agree. After being separated for so long from the boy, she wasn’t going to give him up, even if only for a few minutes.
So, with her mother at her side and her father behind them, they’d started out of the building. Lt. Tsui’s squad waited for them at the rear of the building. With the lieutenant’s people leading the civilians out and down the road in the direction of the FOB in groups of half a dozen or so, the evac took longer than anyone liked. But doing it that way also meant it was less likely one of the enemy would see a large group of people and signal for an attack.
Because her parents refused to leave until the last of their people were safely away, Ashlyn hung back. She knew Talbot and the rest of her squad didn’t like it but she didn’t care. Besides, as she reminded the gunnery sergeant when he tried to protest, the DDs were with her. She’d almost laughed at the looks of frustration the gunny, as well as the rest of the squad, wore when she said it. Then she’d turned her attention to the rear of the building and watched as Lt. Tsui’s people once again assumed their positions near the doorway, ready to escort the last of them to safety.
And it almost worked. The last group was out of the building and moving quickly and relatively silently down the street, doing their best to keep to the shadows. Once they were outside, Ashlyn had handed Jake to her father. She knew he’d keep the boy safe. More than that, she and her mother were better armed, and armored, than he was. So it made sense that they would guard their rear as they moved away from the residential complex.
Only, like so many plans in the heat of battle, things went to hell with little warning. Ashlyn heard a shout and, as she swung in its direction, she realized her mother and Talbot did as well. Then both reacted almost instantly and dove for cover. At the same time, they shouted for everyone to move, to run. Ash turned and saw her father, his right arm wrapped around her son’s waist and his left hand holding Jake’s head pressed to his shoulder, sprinting toward a barricade where several of Lt. Tsui’s men waited. A moment later the world exploded – again – and Ash flew through the air. Then she slammed to the pavement and slid on her back into the side of a building. Her light armor prevented her injuries from being serious but she could feel pain in her left knee and her right shoulder throbbed.
Pushing down the pain, she rolled to her good knee in time to see her mother and Talbot open fire. A moment later, the enemy trooper who’d sent the RPG in their direction fell, fatally wounded. With that worry dealt with, Ashlyn looked around, fear for her father and son almost choking her. Then, seeing them appear from behind the barricade, she heaved a sigh of relief and slowly climbed to her feet. The rest of the trek back to the FOB was painful but worth it to know she was finally reunited with her son and parents.
“As for your other injuries, time to recover is all you need. Well, time and not doing anything foolish.” He pinned her with a firm look.
“I promise to be good, Doc.”
Could all that possibly mean he was going to clear her for duty? Surely it wouldn’t be that easy. Not that she’d argue if it were.
“As for the tissue regeneration on your arm and face, that’s done much better than I dared hope for, especially where your arm’s concerned. Dr. Li’s new procedure has yet to disappoint. That means I want to start treatment on the rest of your scarring as soon as possible.”
Ashlyn couldn’t help looking at her left arm as he spoke. Just a week ago, her upper arm had been a mass of angry-looking scar tissue, a stark reminder of what had been and what had been lost. Now, in its place, was soft, supple skin. It had even lost the slightly pinkish tint it had those first few days as the skin regenerated after the scar tissue had been excised. She could see the definition of the arm’s muscles and, as she ran the fingers of her right hand over the new skin, she wondered if she would once more be allowed to wear the traditional inking of the Devil Dogs.
“Thanks, Doc. For everything.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” He held up a hand before she could voice the worry that suddenly filled her. “Captain, you have done remarkably well with all the treatments we’ve put you through. A lot of that has to do with your motivation. I know you want nothing more than to go with the Marines being sent to Tarsus.”
When he paused, she nodded. He was working up to something and she had a feeling she wasn’t going to like it. “But?” she prompted.
“But I know you have also been doing your best not to let on to anyone just how much you’ve been through and I don’t mean just on Tarsus. Nor have you talked about how it has affected you. So far, you’re managing to cope remarkably well. But that’s not going to be enough, not in the long run and certainly not if you get to Tarsus and find things there are as bad as you fear. Because of that, I can’t, in good conscience, certify you fit for duty. So, I’m going to make you a deal.”
Her eyes narrowed and she looked at him suspiciously. “I’m listening.”
“I will sign off on you returning to very limited duty for the mission to Tarsus. But you will have to continue our treatments with the ship’s CMO. She can help with rehabbing your knee and your shoulder. I’m still not happy with your range of motion where it’s concerned.”
“What do you want in return?”
And what would she do if it was more than she was willing to agree to?
“I want your promise that you’ll return here once you’re back on-planet. I get two weeks with you to finish any treatment I feel needs to be done, including upgrading your implants. It will also include the psych evaluation I know you want to avoid.”
“Will you activat
e my implants now if I agree?” That alone would do a great deal to reassure her this was not just another ploy to get her to drop her guard before the trap was sprung.
“I will, in fact, I insist upon it if you are returning to Tarsus.”
His voice turned hard and she looked at him in surprise. She’d known he’d been upset to see the many scars she’d sported upon her return from the penal colony. But she’d never seen this level of anger in him and it shocked her.
“Captain – Ashlyn.” He took a step away and she watched as he struggled for calm. “I may be a Navy doctor now but I had the extreme honor and privilege of serving as a medic for the Devil Dogs early in my military career. I spent two years with them and those are the years of service I’m most proud of. That makes you one of mine and it’s why I’m not grounding you. I know you need to go to Tarsus. You need to for your people and you need to for yourself. But I will, by God, do everything I can to keep you safe not only now but in the future.”
For a moment, she just looked at him. She’d heard the emotion in his words and, thinking back on the medics she’d served with, knew he meant what he said. More than that, he was giving her a chance if she’d just trust him enough to take it.
Besides, what choice did she have?
“All right, Doc. I’ll do as you say.”
Seeing how he relaxed a bit, she shook her head. The memory of a snippet of discussion with the medic who’d treated her immediately after she and Tremayne had escaped the fighting at the security complex returned. He’d been a medic with the Devil Dogs as well. Now that she thought about it, it couldn’t be a coincidence that the two doctors she’d seen since returning to Fuercon happened to have once belonged to her beloved DDs. Someone, probably the Commandant of the Marine Corps – had issued orders to make sure she didn’t have to deal with anyone who she couldn’t trust completely and that pretty much meant only people who were Marines or who had served with the Devil Dogs.
Not that she was complaining, at least not too much.
“Good.” Another smile, this one the smile of a man who realized how close he’d come to losing the battle. “Lie back and I’ll bring your implants back on line and get them calibrated. We should have enough time to do that before you have to meet with the powers-that-be.”
“Don’t remind me.”
She grimaced. The one thing she had never expected was having to spend so much time not only with Pawlak but with an endless stream of military personnel and politicians. They wanted to know all she could tell them about the events leading up to her conviction as well as her thoughts about the attack on the capitol. The only good thing about it all was that she had, so far, managed to avoid having to face the media.
For now.
“All right, Captain. That’s the best I can do right now.” Ahern stepped back and gave her a reassuring smile. “I’ll let the brass know that I’ve authorized your return to limited, very limited, duty.”
“Thanks, Doc.” Even limited duty was welcomed if it meant she’d be allowed to finally return to Tarsus for her people. “I promise I’ll be good.”
“No, you promise you’ll be as good as you can,” he corrected with a smile.
Ashlyn grinned in response and nodded. He really did understand what it meant to be a Marine. Fortunately.
“But I meant what I said earlier, Captain,” he continued, this time his voice serious. “As soon as your return from Tarsus, you are to report here for two weeks.”
“Doc—”
“Let me rephrase that, ma’am. I don’t mean you have to come here as soon as you return. I know you will need to debrief and then you’ll need to spend some time with your family. However, as soon as that is done, I expect you here. I’ll be putting that in my report as well.”
“Understood and thanks.”
She slid off the examining table and stretched, wincing slightly as her right shoulder caught. Still, it was better than it had been the day before and none of her hurts were as bad as what she’d lived with on a daily basis back on Tarsus. Hopefully her emotional wounds would heal as quickly as the physical ones were. Unfortunately, if her nightmares were any indication, that wasn’t going to happen. But she’d lived with them this long. She could a bit longer, at least until the others were home.
“Your implants should all be fully operational now, Captain,” Ahern continued. “I’ll update them when you return. I promise.”
“Doctor, that sounds a bit like blackmail to me.” She grinned again. It didn’t surprise her one bit that he would use the promise of new implants to make sure she returned for further treatment.
“Why, Captain, I’d never stoop to blackmailing a Marine, much less a Devil Dog, with the possibility of new combat implants just to get her to return for some much needed medical treatment.”
Damn, butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. She bet he was a great poker player.
“You’re an evil man, Doc, but I take your point. I promise I’ll be back for treatment just as soon as I’ve done what I need to.”
“I know you will, Captain. You are a woman of your word, even when you don’t like it,” he said confidently. “Now get out of here. I have patients waiting who actually want the treatment I can give them.”
With a grin, she finished dressing and did as he said. As she stepped into the corridor outside the examining room, Gunnery Sergeant Talbot fell into step behind her. He’d been waiting for her that morning when she left Tremayne’s house, where she and her parents and son had been staying since the attack on the capital. Without a word, he’d handed over his datapad with a copy of his orders displayed. Ashlyn had quickly scanned them, fighting the urge to sigh as she did. FleetCom was taking no chances. It had assigned Talbot as her escort, aide and guard -- of course, she didn’t know whether he was guarding against someone trying to hurt her or her going after those responsible for sending her and her people to the penal colony. Not that it mattered. He would be with her until she received her orders, orders that would hopefully send her back to Tarsus for her people.
“All right, Gunny. Where to next?” she asked as they emerged from the hospital a few minutes later.
“Your presence is requested at a meeting with General Okafor, ma’am,” Talbot replied as he signaled the driver that had been assigned to them. “It’s my understanding that after meeting with her, you are to report to Major Pawlak.”
“All right, Gunny. Thank you.” She waited as the aircar pulled up next to them. Talbot opened the door and checked inside, making sure no untoward surprises awaited them. Then he stepped back and motioned her inside.
“FleetCom HQ, Corporal,” he told the driver as he climbed into the back with Ashlyn. As soon as the driver confirmed their destination, Talbot activated the privacy shield.
“Ma’am, before we get there, I’ve been hearing rumblings that FleetCom is about to send a ship to Tarsus for our people. Word has it that the Devil Dogs, at least a good sized contingent of them, are to be assigned to the mission.”
“I see.” She looked out the window and thought hard. Over the last few days, she and Talbot had played this game several times. He would pass on information he’d “heard” and she’d act as if she didn’t know he was using every resource he had to ferret out the information for her. “And have you, by any chance, heard what ship and what members of the DDs might be going?”
“Sorry, ma’am, but no. I heard the rumor just before you were done with the doctor.” He frowned and she knew he wished he had more to tell her. Well, truth to tell, so did she.
“And did your sources suggest that this meeting we’re going to is about what you’ve just learned?”
“I believe so, ma’am, but that’s just my gut feeling.”
She nodded and once more turned to look out the window. God, could FleetCom finally be ready to send a ship after her people? She understood why a ship hadn’t been sent before now. No one wanted to leave a hole in planetary defense. The attack had badly shaken everyone, mo
st especially the military. As it should have, at least as far as Ashlyn was concerned. They had all gotten too comfortable in the safety of Fuerconese space. Just because the Callusians hadn’t launched an attack against the home system didn’t mean they wouldn’t.
And that lesson had been driven home all too well.
“Well, I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
But would the news be what she wanted to hear?
* * *
“I understand you’re somewhat of a stubborn patient, Captain,” General Helen Okafor, Commandant of the Marine Corps, said with a smile as she motioned for Ashlyn to take a seat before her desk
“Not really, ma’am. It’s just that the good doctor has a different set of priorities than I do right now.”
“I understand and I happen to agree with you. I’d be telling him exactly the same thing you did if our positions were reversed.” The general moved around her desk and took the seat next to Ashlyn’s. “However, you will report to him after your assignment and you will submit to any testing and treatment he prescribes. At least you will if you wish to return to active duty.”
“Understood, ma’am.”
At least she thought she did. This was the first time anyone had even mentioned the possibility of her actually returning to active duty. She wanted to hope it meant she’d not only be allowed to go free her fellow Marines from Tarsus but that she’d then be able to return to the Devil Dogs. But after so many months and years of not being able to trust anyone but herself, she didn’t dare let herself do so now.
“Gunny, why don’t you go check in with Major Pawlak and let him know that your captain and I will be busy for the next several hours. Return here at 1300 hours to escort her to the major.”
“Aye, ma’am.” Talbot braced to attention for a moment and then left, the door sliding closed behind him.
