For the next thirty minutes, fighter bombers and the division’s guns swept the hill clean of Kurgan soldiers. When it was done, Sheridan and Cole crept up to take a look around. The sight was one neither man would forget. There was not a single warrior left alive. Their twisted and charred corpses covered the hill in a black blanket of death and destruction.
“Captain Sheridan?” asked a voice from behind.
Sheridan turned and saw an officer standing there. His uniform was clean. He looked as if he had just landed on the planet. “I’m Sheridan,” he replied.
The officer stepped forward and saluted. “Sir, I am First Lieutenant Williams. I am with Charlie Company, Second Battalion. My soldiers and I are here to relieve you.”
Sheridan looked at the young officer as if he were in a daze. After all he had been through it was hard to believe that it was all over. “Very well, Mister Williams, you may assume command of this section of the line. Please have my dead brought down off the hill as soon as possible. We’d do it, but we don’t have the manpower anymore.”
“Yes, sir,” said Williams, saluting the weary warrior.
“Williams, don’t do that anymore. That’s how people get shot. Save that crap for the parade square,” admonished Sheridan.
Cole chuckled. He placed a hand on Sheridan’s shoulder. “Come on, sir, let’s check on the wounded and find a corpsman to check out your wounds.”
Chapter 14
The lights inside the hangar bay turned red indicating that the artificial gravity in the room had been switched off.
Tarina sat behind the controls of her deep reconnaissance fighter and turned on the automatic stabilizers to keep her ship level. Attached to the undercarriage of the fighter was a satellite built to look like a rock. She counted down in her head until the floor beneath her craft retracted. Behind her, Wendy checked the flight plan one last time before they started their mission.
The only other fighter in the hangar was Colonel Wright’s. He had insisted on going on the first mission along the Kurgan border. It was no surprise when he chose Tarina and Wendy to accompany him. He looked over at Tarina and waved. She saluted him in return. Wright spoke into his helmet mic. “Should be a quick and easy mission today. The satellite you are carrying will activate the second you release it. Remember, don’t stick around any longer than you have to.”
“Rodger that,” replied Tarina.
The hangar floor slid away. Both ships dropped down beneath the transport vessel they called home and began their countdown. When they hit ten, both fighters jumped away.
Tarina sat back and drummed her fingers on her legs while her ship raced to its destination, a small cluster of planetoids that had been identified as a possible location for a Kurgan base.
“The return trip calculations have been inputted and verified,” reported Wendy.
“Thanks,” replied Tarina. She looked up through the cockpit glass and stared at the blackness surrounding them. It was a cold and unforgiving view. She shivered uncontrollably.
The jump lasted just over one hour. The longest ever for both women in their fighter.
“Coming out of the jump in three . . . two . . . one,” announced Wendy.
In a flash, the blackness disappeared and was replaced by millions of stars. The light from a distant sun reminded Tarina of home. It was not until that moment she realized how much she missed her family.
“Tarina, we are precisely where we want to be,” announced Wendy. “Not that there was any doubt that I could get us here.”
Tarina reached over and pressed a button on her console. “Detaching the satellite, now.”
The disguised satellite floated free.
“It’s working. I’m getting a signal,” said Wendy.
“Time to leave,” Tarina said. She was always surprised how short their missions were. Most were done in less than thirty seconds to avoid detection by Kurgan sensors.
Wendy had already begun the countdown. A couple of seconds later, the stars vanished as the fighter jumped back home. Precisely sixty-three minutes later their fighter appeared three hundred meters beneath the transport ship. Tarina looked around but could not see Colonel Wright’s craft.
A voice from the flight deck came over her headset. “Alpha Two, this is Home Base, begin your ascent into the hangar bay.”
“Rodger that,” answered Tarina. She slowly applied power to the thrusters. Her ship started to rise.
“Where’s the colonel?” asked Wendy.
“I don’t know. I thought you and Daniel had worked it out so we would both arrive back within seconds of one another.”
“We did. That’s what’s bothering me. They should be here by now.”
A split-second later, Colonel Wright’s ship appeared just off to the right of Tarina’s vessel. She gasped when she saw that the cockpit was split open. Daniel Malkovich was hunched over in his seat. His helmet had been hit by something. She looked but could not tell if he was alive. Colonel Wright’s voice boomed in her headset. “Home Base, this is Alpha One, I need the medics in the hangar immediately.”
Both ships flew up inside the hangar and waited for the artificial gravity to be switched on.
Even from where she was, Tarina could tell that Malkovich was hurt badly.
The lights in the bay switched to normal lighting as the gravity was restored. Immediately technicians and medical personnel ran out onto the floor. As soon as their cockpit was opened, Tarina and Wendy hurried down from their craft and ran over to Wright’s ship. Both stood there with their hearts in their throats as Malkovich’s limp body was removed from his seat and brought down onto the hangar deck. A medic removed the injured man’s helmet. Blood covered the young navigator’s face. The ship’s doctor, a short muscle-bound man, bent down, brought out a portable scanning device and checked for vitals. A couple of seconds later, he shook his head and stood up.
Tears filled Wendy’s eyes. She could not watch anymore. She turned her back and walked away.
“What happened, sir?” Tarina asked.
“A rock the size of a baseball hit the cockpit just before we jumped back,” explained Wright. His voice was tinged with sadness. “The rock seemed to appear out of nowhere and flew right through the cockpit, with less than two seconds to go. It hit Daniel on the side of the head. He died on impact. There was nothing anyone here could do for him.”
A couple of medics picked up the stretcher with Malkovich’s body on it and took his body to the infirmary.
Wright looked over at Tarina. “I need to file a report. Could you please find the XO and ask her to come see me right away.”
“Of course, sir.”
“She’ll need to plan a memorial service for Daniel later tonight.”
Tarina saluted her commanding officer and left to find Lieutenant-Colonel Tolinski. In the back of her mind, she knew that this was only the first of over two dozen missions that the squadron needed to fly over the next few days. She prayed that this was the first and only service they would have to attend. However, her heart told her that it was going to get a lot worse before it was all over.
Chapter 15
Michael Sheridan stood at ease in front of his company. When they had landed on Illum Prime, his company had held one hundred Marines. Now there were eighteen of them. All of his officers had been killed or seriously wounded. He had not bothered to reorganize his company as he knew that reinforcements were arriving in the next few days. His, however, was not the only company to be decimated. Captain Grub’s was also down to twenty-three.
Major Niru walked out to look over the parade.
A minute later, General Denisov arrived. He got out of his armored transport and jumped down to the ground. A cordon of soldiers quickly formed around the general.
“Battalion, attention,” called out Niru.
Behind him, his Marines came sharply to attention. They may have just been through a meat grinder, but they were still Marines and it showed on their proud faces.
“Stand at ease,” called out Niru.
Denisov stepped forward. “Please close in on me so I don’t have to yell.”
The Marines did as they were told and moved closer to the general.
“First, off, I’d like to pass on my gratitude for your unbelievable service since you landed here on Illum Prime,” said Denisov. “No unit in the Corps has taken higher casualties than yours. Almost singlehandedly, you defeated an enemy assault by ten times your number. I have recommended you for a unit citation.”
There was polite applause at the general’s proclamation.
“I would also like to announce that Major Niru has been promoted to lieutenant colonel, effective immediately.”
That got a louder reaction out of the Marines. Niru was a well-liked officer who cared about the Marines he served with.
“I am sure there will be more promotions and decorations for valor forthcoming. Until then, you are to get some rest until the battlefield replacements arrive and you can begin the process of acclimating them into the way we do business in the Third Corps.”
Denisov shook Niru’s hand and then gave him a box containing the silver oak leaves of a lieutenant colonel. Niru came to attention and saluted. Denisov saluted back and turned to leave.
Sheridan walked over and saluted Niru. “Congrats, sir.”
“Thanks, Michael,” replied Niru. “Just so you know, I’ve recommended you and Master Sergeant Cole for a valor decoration.”
“Sir, I’m not one for honors. I hope my recommendations for my Marines were supported and forwarded to brigade for review.”
“Every last one of them was forwarded. Your people will get what they deserve.”
“Thanks, sir. That means a lot to me. Many good Marines lost their lives defending that hill. I don’t want it to be for naught.”
“Trust me, I will not rest until all the people in this unit are recognized for their bravery and devotion to duty.”
Sheridan saluted and went to leave.
Niru reached over and placed a hand on Sheridan’s right arm. “Michael, let’s walk.”
They slowly walked away until they came to a couple of stacks of ammunition. Both men sat down. “How’s your hearing?” asked Niru.
“The doc fitted the temporary hearing aid this morning. It fits so well that I hardly notice it. In fact, I hear better with it than before.”
“I see that the swelling on your face has gone down as well.”
“It wasn’t that bad, sir,” said Sheridan.
Niru reached into a jacket pocket and pulled out a folded up note. He read it over before looking at Sheridan. His usually jovial tone changed and became serious. “Michael, I know you aren’t going to like this but your time as a company commander is over. I have your transfer orders with me.”
Sheridan felt as if he had just been kicked in the gut. He liked being a company commander. No other job as a captain came even close in his mind to leading a company of Marines in battle. “Sir, I’ve only had the job for just over six months. This has to be some kind of mistake.”
“I’m sorry, Michael, this is not a mistake. The transfer order comes directly from Vice Admiral Sheridan himself.”
Sheridan gritted his teeth and swore under his breath. He could not understand why his father was interfering with his career. The last time they had spoken he had made it crystal clear that serving in a line unit is what he wanted to do. He was willing to take the risks like everyone else. Sheridan was not going to take the easy way out and serve far away from the fighting like so many other sons and daughters of high ranking officers already did. “Sir, does the transfer order say where I am being reassigned?”
“Yes, you are to report to Captain Killam onboard the Colossus right away.”
Sheridan could feel his blood beginning to boil. There was no way in hell that he was going to allow himself to be assigned to his father’s personal staff. “Sir, is there anyone I could talk to about this assignment?”
“I knew you would feel this way and took it up with staff at division headquarters and was not so politely told to do as I was told.”
Sheridan shook his head. “What of Master Sergeant Cole? Will he be staying with the company?”
“No, he has been reassigned as well. Perhaps you should read this,” Niru said as he handed Sheridan the orders. “I’ll leave you alone to speak with your people. I know that you have grown quite close to some of them. However, some of this is for the better. Please come by the command post before you leave.”
Sheridan took the note and read it over. He lashed out and kicked a discarded can sending it tumbling across the dirty ground. Sheridan angrily jammed the paper into a pocket and walked off to find Cole, Roberts, and Garcia. It did not take him long to find them. They were all in the mess tent drinking coffee and eating some warmed up oatmeal for breakfast. Sheridan grabbed a cup and joined them.
“What’s the long face for, sir?” asked Cole the instant Sheridan sat down.
“There’s no point in beating about the bush,” said Sheridan as he dug out the note. “The long and short of it is that we have all been reassigned.”
“Where to, sir?” Garcia asked.
Sheridan smiled. “The good news is that you will be returning to Earth along with Corporal Roberts. You are both going to attend Officer Candidate School.”
“Congrats to the two of you,” said Cole. “I wouldn’t want to be an officer, but you two will make a pair of first-rate platoon leaders.”
“Sir, I don’t know what to say,” stammered Garcia.
“Just tell me that you’ll do your best,” replied Sheridan. “Master Sergeant Cole and I wrote you both up a couple of weeks back. It wasn’t a hard decision to make. You both deserve it.”
“Are you sure about this, sir? I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I find it hard to believe that I’m officer material,” said Roberts.
“Trust me, you’re head and shoulders above the young people currently going through OCS as we speak. You are both good Marines with extensive combat experience. The Marine Corps need people like you to lead its platoons into battle. This war isn’t going to end tomorrow. You two will be invaluable to whomever it is you end up serving with.”
“When do we leave, sir?” asked Garcia.
“You are both shipping out later tonight.”
Roberts looked over at his dog sleeping on the floor beside their table. “What about Tammy? I doubt they’d let me take her with me.”
“I’m sorry, but she can’t go with you. I spoke with the XO and she wants to look after Tammy. She’s going to be in the hospital for a couple more days, so having Tammy around will be good for her and the other patients.”
Cole looked over at the note in Sheridan’s hand. “And what good news do you have for me, sir?”
“Oh, you’re going to love this. We have both been assigned to my father’s personal staff.”
Cole shook his head. “I bet you think this means sitting behind a desk onboard your father’s flagship, don’t you?”
“Sure. What else could it mean?”
“For a man as smart as you are, you sometimes jump to the wrong conclusions way too quickly.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Captain, just like on Derra-5, when someone as high-up as your father has you assigned to his headquarters, it does not bode well for us. I suspect he has something risky in mind, and I’m willing to place odds on it having something to do with your ability to speak Kurgan.”
Sheridan sat up. “What do you want to bet that we’re going to be sitting behind a desk for the rest of the war?”
“A month’s wages . . . your wages!”
“You’re on, Master Sergeant,” said Sheridan, offering his hand to cement the bet.
Cole shook his friend’s hand. “Like stealing candy from a baby.”
By the time Sheridan disembarked from the shuttlecraft, his stomach was tied in knots. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that his mother was behind his transfer orders. With her long list of close male friends, it would have been very easy for her to arrange for her son to be removed from harm’s way.
A young ensign saluted Sheridan. “Good evening, sir, welcome onboard the Colossus. My name is Ensign Elizabeth White. Would you and Master Sergeant Cole please follow me. The ship is quite packed right now, so you’ll both bunk in the only spare room we have.”
Sheridan returned the salute and stared past the officer. His gaze was fixed on the hallway that led to the bridge.
“I’m sure it will be fine,” said Cole, smiling at the young officer. She was barely a meter and a half tall with flame red hair and deep green eyes.
White led them to their quarters. It was apparent the moment the door slid open that the room had once been a storage space. Two cots were all there was in the empty room.
“All the trappings of home,” said Cole as he tossed his rucksack onto the nearest cot.
“Captain, Admiral Sheridan asked me to tell you that you are invited to supper in the admiral’s quarters at nineteen-thirty hours.”
“I bet I am,” muttered Sheridan.
Cole shook his head. “Miss White, please pass onto the admiral that his son will be there.”
White smiled at Cole as she turned to leave.
“I still got the charm,” said Cole as he watched White walk down the corridor.
“Of all the nerve,” blurted out Sheridan. “Pulling me from my company so he can have a nice, polite dinner with his son.”
Colossus (The Kurgan War Book 2) Page 7
