by Sam Schall
“And O’Brien is the weak link,” Santiago took up. “In fact, that is where you can help us.”
“How?” Now he really had her attention.
“When we are done here, you and I are going to walk out together. If everything goes as planned, we will run into O’Brien as he is escorting his latest tour of visiting dignitaries and their children around the capital. There will also be half a dozen or so of the Devil Dogs arriving at the same time. The good gunny has helped set it up so that O’Brien gets to see that you are not only back from Tarsus but that you are back to duty and once again a member of the Devil Dogs. It will be interesting to see what he does after that.”
Ashlyn shook her head, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth. She’d learned a lot during the mission to Tarsus. She’d come face to face with her demons and had not only survived but she’d done so without sacrificing her freedom by killing either Coreal or Garitos. In fact, she’d learned how satisfying it was to have their roles reversed. It would never take away the pain of the last two years, but seeing them in chains and knowing they would soon be facing trial went a long way to helping her get over what had happened.
Besides, Santiago was right. It would be interesting to see how O’Brien reacted to seeing her once again.
“You are an evil man, Major, and I like the way your mind works.” She grinned as she spoke.
“He is and that’s why he is so good at what he does.” Okafor leaned back in her chair, a look of satisfaction on her face. “And he has a full brief for you that you can share with the rest of the Devil Dogs after you’ve reviewed it.”
Ashlyn nodded. If this was a dream, she never wanted to wake up. After so long doubting anyone would ever believe her about what happened, to know that those responsible for setting her and her people up, those responsible for so many deaths, would soon be brought to justice was almost more than she could believe. But seeing how her mother nodded in confirmation, she knew it was real.
Without thinking, Ash stood and crossed the office to stare outside. The others stayed where they were, giving her the time she needed to accept what had been said. When she turned, she saw the truth in their expressions. They were worried about her but, more than that, they were still out for blood. They wanted those responsible to pay for their actions just as badly as did she.
“General, that is some of the best news you could have given me. Thank you.” She rubbed her hands over her face, brushing away the tears she knew none of them would ever mention.
“I just wish I could tell you that everyone responsible for what happened to you were about to be brought up on charges, Ash, but I can’t. Not yet. However, you have my word that they will be. It might not give you back the last two years but it will keep them from ever doing it to anyone else again.”
“Me, too.” Ash managed a smile that seemed to help the others relax a bit. “Tell me one thing, ma’am. Was Sorkowski simply trying to keep his illegal activities from being discovered when he set us up or was something else involved?”
“What do you mean, Ash?”
“We all know there have been ship’s commanders, and even sector COs, who have been on the take. It’s not that difficult when you’re away from the home system to bypass procedures if you want to. Just as it should be relatively easy for a CO to make sure patrols aren’t in an area where a smuggler is going to be.
“But we weren’t out on the fringes. Not really and certainly not once the fighting came to us. And that was something that never really made sense to me. Why did the Callusians choose to hit that system? It doesn’t have any unique resources to set it apart from any of the systems nearer to Callusian space. Nor did it have an industrial base better than closer targets. So why strike there?”
“Rico will get you the full report.” When Okafor glanced at the intelligence officer, he nodded. “But you just asked the same questions many of us asked after the fact. The problem is we were having to deal with information sent back to us by Sorkowski. What we didn’t know was that there was a very specific target the Callusians were after, the same target the smugglers had been relying on.
Ashlyn listened in growing disbelief as Okafor and Santiago described what happened to the system after the mission – no, the ambush – that had led to the deaths of so many of her people as well as her own court martial. Artarus had been primarily an agricultural planet. It had standard industry for a planet of its size but what it had in abundance was a workforce of able-bodied men and women. Men and women who had been taken after Sorkowski had pulled his ships out of the system after the ambush.
“Did he know?” Ashlyn’s voice was harsh and she didn’t bother to try to hide her anger.
“We don’t know for sure but my gut says yes,” Santiago replied. “That is why we are being as cautious as we are about building the case against him. If he is a traitor, we want to know. More than that, we need to know if there are others who might have been working with him.”
“And O’Brien, where does he fit into all this?”
“He’d been sent to Sorkowski because no other fleet CO would take him, at least not in wartime. He’d made it through the Academy solely through his family’s connections and by bullying others into doing his work for him. That same attitude continued after he was commissioned. I’ve included his complete service record in your briefing materials. You’ll see that he kept getting sent further and further away from the home system and from the prime assignments. That last assignment was pretty much his final hope if he were to ever be promoted again.
“And, before you ask, his accounts also show money he shouldn’t have. He hasn’t been as careful about trying to cover it up as Sorkowski was, not that it mattered. Your father and others who either know you or served with you have worked tirelessly to uncover and then follow the money trail. I think they’re getting close, but they aren’t there yet.”
Ash closed her eyes and willed herself to relax. Knowing that her father and others who knew her had been working to find out what happened – were still working on it – helped. But now she was home and, by God, she wanted answers and she wanted vengeance. Neither could come soon enough.
“And I made the mistake of sending you and your team to him, Ash. I’ll never be able to kick myself enough for that,” Pawlak took up. “I didn’t know anything about O’Brien except that he was a political ass kisser. All I knew was we needed a crew out there to keep the sector secure.”
“What happened isn’t your fault.” The last thing she wanted was for him to blame himself. “I should have let you know my concerns about the posting long before I did. But I can’t blame myself either. God knows, I’ve been doing that long enough. The only ones responsible for what happened to us are Sorkowski and O’Brien and anyone else who worked with them.”
“We’re not going to argue with you, Ash, but we won’t let ourselves off quite so easily,” Okafor said. “Once we have enough evidence to issue arrest warrants, the President has assured me he will release a statement about the investigation. While he won’t go into details, he will make it clear that this administration will not tolerate corruption of any sort in the military or government. The investigation will be ongoing because we all want to make sure the cancer has been cut out.
“What he won’t say is that we now know that certain members of the military, government and in private industry have been acting against Fuercon’s best interest in the war. They manipulated facts and events to make sure the so-called truce was signed and they worked to keep the former government from investigating the violations of the truce. We are also looking into the probability that they were behind the attack on the capital.”
Treason, betrayal, violation of oaths. What else were they going to reveal?
“God, I don’t know what I feel right now.” She returned to her chair and sat. “And I have a feeling you aren’t done hitting me over the head with surprises.” She tried to smile and wasn’t sure she succeeded.
“Not so
much surprises as further correction of oversights of the past,” Okafor said with a smile. “As you noticed when you arrived, some promotions have been made. Lieutenant Colonel Santiago is now FleetCom’s Intelligence chief. He’s proven himself more than capable of handling the position.”
Ashlyn nodded, a smile touching her lips. She had no doubts the man could do the job.
“Lieutenant Colonel Pawlak will be moving over to Second Division to take over Second Battalion, the Warlords.”
Now Ashlyn knew it had to be a dream. She couldn’t imagine Pawlak leaving the Devil Dogs. More than that, she couldn’t imagine anyone else in command of them. She opened her mouth to say just that but nothing came out.
“Don’t worry about the Devil Dogs, Ash. They’ll be in good hands,” Pawlak assured her, just as if he’d read her thoughts. “The general will introduce you to their new CO shortly.”
“Paul’s right, Ash,” Okafor replied with the grin she was coming to dread. “But first, let me introduce you to the new CO of First Division, Brigadier General Elizabeth Shaw.”
Ashlyn didn’t care if it violated every rule of protocol or even if it looked unprofessional. She got to her feet and hurried to where her mother sat. A moment later, pride filling her, she bent and hugged Elizabeth. If anyone deserved a promotion, it was her mother. Better yet, at least as far as Ashlyn was concerned, by being in command of FirstDiv, Elizabeth would be stationed on Fuercon, at least until the division shipped out. That meant she would be there for Jake, something very important to Ashlyn.
“I take it you approve of your mother’s new assignment.” Okafor’s amusement was clear in her voice.
“I most certainly do, ma’am.” She grinned at her mother and then looked back at the general. “And I also appreciate it because it means she will be close for my son.”
“I’ll admit that was a small consideration,” Okafor said. “But it was a very small consideration. I offered her the posting because she is the best for the job.”
“Have you told Dad?”
“Not yet. I will when we finish here,” Elizabeth replied. “Now, sit and we’ll tell you what’s going to happen with the Devil Dogs.”
Ashlyn nodded and sat next to her mother on the sofa, a knot of anxiety in her stomach. She’d been more than glad to return to the Devil Dogs while they were under Pawlak’s command. She knew him and trusted him with her life. They shared a kinship with the other Devil Dogs that was born from combat. The thought of someone from the outside coming in to take over, the only possibility she could think of, turned her blood cold. Hopefully, the new CO had served with the DDs before.
“She hasn’t figured it out,” Pawlak said with a smile.
“I told you she wouldn’t,” Santiago countered easily.
“Be quiet, both of you,” Okafor told them, her own amusement shining through. “Liz, it’s your division. So you get to tell her.”
Elizabeth nodded. Then she turned her attention to her daughter. “Ash, FleetCom needs Paul to take over the Warlords. SecondDiv is going to be our leading element in the early phases of the war and the general needs him to do for the Warlords what he did for the Devil Dogs. But that means I need a new CO for FirstBatt. The Devil Dogs are our best SpecOps unit and need a commanding officer who not only knows but understands what it means to be a Devil Dog.”
Ashlyn didn’t say anything. She wasn’t sure what to say. There had been a time when she’d wanted nothing more than to one day command the Devil Dogs. Even now, with all her doubts about her own fitness for duty, she still held that dream. She’d do her best to work with whomever her mother put in as her new CO. She just hoped it was someone who knew what it meant to be a Devil Dog.
“Who?”
“You’re not usually this slow to pick up the cues, kid,” Santiago chuckled. He fell silent when Elizabeth flashed him a warning look.
“Ash, you’re taking over as CO of the Devil Dogs. You’ll maintain your rank of captain for the time being. Not because any of us think you don’t deserve promotion to major but because we know you won’t accept it. However, we need you to accept this new assignment.”
For a moment, she couldn’t say anything. How could she when she wasn’t sure she’d heard right. Then, seeing how they others waited, watching her expectantly, she asked, “Why me?”
“Because you’re the best for the job,” Pawlak said simply before anyone else could answer. “Don’t you think I was doing everything I could to prepare you to take over the unit before that last mission?”
Now that she thought about it, she could see that he’d been doing just that. So, not sure what to say, she simply nodded.
“Paul’s right about you being best for the job. It goes beyond training and experience, both of which you have in abundance,” Okafor took up. “We need someone who is a Devil Dog. Someone who understands what it means to be a Devil Dog and someone the members of the unit will respect and follow into Hell and back. Again, traits you have already proven, time and again, that you possess.
“I’ll admit there is also a bit of vengeance in this as well, Ash. I want to see those who stood by and watched what happened to you and the others when they realize that their actions, and inactions, won’t be forgotten or forgiven.”
Ashlyn looked at each of her companions and shook her head. Everything they said made sense. But what they weren’t taking into account was her, the changes she’d undergone as a result of the last two years. She wasn’t sure those changes made her the best choice for her beloved Devil Dogs.
“Ash, if you decide you don’t want the assignment, I’d be more than glad to have you on my staff,” Santiago put in. Then, as her eyes went wide and she shook her head, he laughed gaily. “Somehow, that’s what I thought you’d say – or do.” He grinned as she continued to look at him in disbelief. “But I’m serious. I’ll always have a place for you on my staff if you want it.”
“Thanks – I think.” Once more, she pushed to her feet and walked across the office. “If I accept, do I have any say in my senior staff?”
“Of course,” her mother assured her. “I can’t guarantee you you’ll get everyone you want if they aren’t currently with the Devil Dogs but I will do my best to get them for you.”
“As will I and I do, as you know, carry a lot of weight in the Corps,” Okafor said with a grin.
“If I’d had any doubt about that, today’s dispelled it.” Ashlyn smiled now, relaxing more than she had since her arrival. “Under normal circumstances, I’d want Lucinda Ortega as my XO. But with her now a captain, that won’t work.”
“If that’s your wish, we’ll make it work,” Okafor assured her. For a moment, Ashlyn stared at the general, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. The woman was up to something but, for the moment at least, she didn’t want to know what. “Who else?”
“I’d like MJ Adamson back in the unit if she wants to return. She’s one of the best NCOs I’ve ever worked with when it comes to teaching what it means to be a Devil Dog.”
“I’ll cut her orders as soon as we’re done here,” Elizabeth assured her. Then, before Ashlyn could say anything, she continued. “She’s already contacted the general asking to be reinstated to active duty now that you and the others are back home.”
“Hammer, you can probably answer this better than anyone else.” Ashlyn turned her attention to her now former CO. She just hoped he understood that, by using his call sign, she was asking him Devil Dog to Devil Dog and not subordinate to superior officer. “Why is Talbot still a gunny? He’s too good to have been stuck at that grade for more than two years. It also puts the Devil Dogs at a disadvantage because we don’t have a master sergeant or, better yet, a master guns.” She’d wanted to ask just that since returning to the Devil Dogs but there had never seemed to be the right time to do so.
“Like a number of the rest of us, Ash, he refused promotion until we got you and the others home. That way we didn’t face the possibility of being transferred out of the unit,�
� Pawlak explained. “I’ve recommended him and some of the others in the unit for promotion.”
“And I’ve already approved Talbot’s promotion to Master Guns,” Okafor said. “It’s unusual to promote two ranks but, with the war back on, I want our best people in the slots they are most needed in and we need him as your senior non-com.”
“I have to agree with you there, ma’am.” Sitting next to her mother, seeing the four watching her with amused and understanding expressions on their faces, Ashlyn sighed. She might not feel ready to assume command and her skills were definitely rusty after the last two years, but they were at war. There was no way she could turn her back on her planet or on the men and women who were her military family. More than that, she couldn’t turn the Devil Dogs over to someone who might not understand what it was they did or who they were. “I can’t see the Devil Dogs under anyone else’s command but Hammer’s but I’ll give it a try.”
“Excellent!” Okafor all but rubbed her hands together gleefully. “Use today to put your staff together. Tomorrow, I’d like to meet with you and your mother to discuss the immediate plans for the Devil Dogs. But don’t worry. Unless the war escalates much quicker than we anticipate, the core units of the Devil Dogs will remain on-planet for the next few months at least. That gives you time to knock the rust off and to bring them up to your standard, Captain.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Lieutenant Colonel, I believe the two of you have some things to go over as well.”
“We do, ma’am,” Pawlak replied.
“I believe you have three days before you ship out to Second Fleet. Will that be enough time?”
“It will.” He turned to Ashlyn and winked. “Shall we meet for lunch tomorrow, Captain?”
“Of course, sir.” She didn’t know whether to brace to attention or stick her tongue out. Maybe she should do both.
“Go get your staff put together, Captain. I’ll meet with you and your mother at 0800 tomorrow. Mess Dress uniforms. The two of you will stand with me as I announce your new assignments and give the press information about the investigation into what happened on Tarsus. Now, I believe you and Lieutenant Colonel Santiago have something to take care of. Dismissed.”
