“Sir, give it a rest, will ya. Has anyone other than me ever told you that you tend to fixate on things? Remember we serve at the discretion of the Corps. We go where they tell us to go. Besides, I’m looking forward to receiving a month’s pay from you when you come back here later tonight.”
Sheridan glanced down at his watch. He had thirty minutes. “I guess I should get cleaned up and put on a clean uniform. Wouldn’t want the admiral to be seen with a Marine captain who had just come off the line.”
“Whatever. The heads are across the hall.”
Sheridan rummaged through his rucksack until he found a clean towel and his toiletries. “So, what are you going to do while I’m gone?”
Cole grinned. “I’m going to see if Miss White has had dinner, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Sheridan stood staring at the closed door to his father’s quarters. He had not seen nor had the opportunity to speak with his father in almost two months. He took a deep breath to calm the butterflies in his stomach. The last thing he wanted to do was run his mouth off and accuse his father of something he may not be responsible for. Sheridan reached over and pressed the buzzer on the wall.
“Come in,” called Admiral Sheridan.
Sheridan stepped forward. The door automatically slid open. He stepped inside and froze in his tracks. His jaw dropped when he saw Tarina Pheto standing beside his father with a bottle of red wine in her hands.
“Michael!” said Tarina as she rushed over and threw her arms around him and pulled him close. A second later, her lips reached for his. They stood in the doorway locked in a passionate embrace.
Admiral Sheridan coughed. “If you’re going to do that would you please step inside my quarters. It would not look good if someone were to walk by and see you kissing.”
Tarina blushed. She let go of Sheridan. For the first time in ages, she was smiling from ear to ear. Together they walked over to the dining table. It was then that Tarina saw the yellowish-colored bruises on Sheridan’s face. With the image of Malkovich’s bloodied head still fresh in her mind, she cringed.
“It looks worse than it is or was,” said Sheridan when he saw the pained look in his girlfriend’s eyes. “Just a second, when did you dye your hair? When did you grow some hair?”
Tarina shrugged with a devilsh grin on her slender face.
“It’s good to see you, son,” said Admiral Sheridan, offering his hand.
“It’s good to see you too, Father,” replied Sheridan somewhat icily.
“Before you get the wrong idea, Michael, your assignment onboard the Colossus was not my idea. You can blame Captain Killam for that.”
“Sir, who is Captain Killam, and why did he have me reassigned?”
“Captain Killam is my operations officer, and he happens to be one of the smartest men I have ever had the pleasure to work with. Six months ago, I made a vow not to interfere with your career. You asked for a combat assignment and you got one. And after what I am hearing, I’m more than happy to see you alive after the battle for Illum Prime. As for your reassignment, we can discuss that over dinner,” said the admiral, indicating to the table with his hand.
Sheridan pulled out Tarina’s chair for her. He took a seat across from her and felt his heart warm. His love for her had never abated. In fact, it was stronger now than it ever was.
“Michael, your father thought it would make for a pleasant surprise if I were to have dinner with you two,” said Tarina.
“Actually, I knew you would like to see her, and I also knew you would be mad at me for pulling you from your men,” explained Admiral Sheridan.
“Well, you’re right on both accounts,” said Sheridan.
The door to the admiral’s room slid open. A steward in a white uniform pushing a cart walked in and set the meal on the table. It consisted of a strip steak with vegetables and a baked potato.
“Thanks, this looks delicious,” said the admiral. The steward nodded and then left the room.
Sheridan’s stomach rumbled. He hadn’t eaten anything that wasn’t from a ration pack or mass-produced in weeks.
Admiral Sheridan took the wine bottle, opened it, and poured out three glasses. “To family,” he said, raising his glass in a toast.
“To family,” Tarina and Michael said together.
Sheridan tried the wine. It was delightful. Because of Cole’s alcohol addiction, Sheridan voluntarily had not touched a drop of alcohol in months.
“Please dig in,” said the admiral.
The food tasted exquisite. “Are you here for long?” Sheridan asked Tarina.
“Michael, you know I can’t talk about what I do. If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” she replied with a straight face.
“Tarina is working on the same assignment as you soon will be,” said his father cryptically.
Sheridan asked Tarina, “Do you know what is going on with me?”
“Nope and that’s the truth,” she replied.
“I’d ask both of you to keep what I’m about to say secret. Something big is being planned by the High Command back on Earth. What it is, I can only guess. However, before they can begin the next phase of the war, they need me to secure this sector of space. In order for me to do that, I need to find and destroy the two remaining Kurgan fighter carriers that escaped destruction above Illum Prime.”
“How does that involve me?” asked Sheridan.
“I’ll let Captain Killam brief you fully tomorrow morning. Suffice it to say, I’d rather you not be involved at all. However, when Killam asked General Denisov for a recommendation, yours was the only name he forwarded.”
Tarina set her fork down and tried to put on a brave face. She was afraid of losing the only man in her life that had made her feel special and loved. “Well, I guess we all have parts to play. The sooner we can put this war behind us, the better.”
“Amen to that,” said the admiral. He looked over at his son. “Michael, Captain Killam will brief you personally about your new assignment in the operations room at zero-nine-hundred hours. Once he’s done, Id like you to visit me and tell me what you think of his plan.”
Sheridan was growing more and more curious. He knew he had just lost the bet to Cole and was not looking forward to the taunts he would hear for the next few days. “Sir, can I bring Master Sergeant Cole with me to the briefing?”
“Of course, I always assumed you two were a package deal. One last thing before I forget. There is a delegation from Earth arriving tomorrow. There will be a presentation in the officer’s mess right after supper. I’d really appreciate it if you and Master Sergeant Cole could attend.”
“Certainly. What is the presentation about?”
Admiral Sheridan said, “It is a cultural briefing by a renowned sociologist on the Chosen.”
Michael Sheridan chuckled. “Has this person even met a Chosen warrior?”
His father shrugged. “I have no idea. That’s why I want you there. I want you to tell me afterward if the folks back home have it right, or they’re just spouting off some academic mumbo-jumbo.”
“I’d love to come too, but I’m going to be busy,” said Tarina.
Sheridan was about to ask what she was going to be doing but decided to let it go.
Admiral Sheridan stood up and wiped his face clean with his napkin. “I think I’ll go for an after-dinner walk. Might pop in on the ops staff and see if they have room at their poker table for one more. Not sure when I’ll be coming back, so please lock the door when you leave.” With that, he turned and walked out of his room.
Sheridan looked over at Tarina. “When is your shuttle coming back to pick you up?”
She glanced up at the clock on the wall. “In just over two hours.”
With a lecherous smile on his face, Sheridan said, “Care to break a few fraternization regulations in an admiral’s quarters?”
Tarina stood up, fixed her eyes on Sheridan, unzipped her flight suit and let it fall to the floor.
Sheridan’s e
yes widened when he saw that she was wearing nothing underneath.
Several hours later, Sheridan whistled a tune to himself while he walked down the corridor that led to his room. He had not wanted Tarina to leave his side, but he knew that she had an important job to do. They both agreed that a few hours together was far better than none. With her squadron in close proximity to the fleet, they hoped that they would be able to see one another a couple more times before she had to move on.
The door to Sheridan and Cole’s room slid open. Sheridan walked inside. He was surprised to find that he was alone. He looked at his watch and wondered where Cole could be. He sat down on his cot. It was then that he remembered Miss White. He shook his head and said to himself, “Don’t get caught, Master Sergeant, you don’t have an admiral to look the other way.”
The door opened. “Did you say something?” asked Cole as he walked in.
“Nothing,” replied Sheridan. “I thought you were going to try and convince Miss White to have dinner with you.”
“She has a boyfriend. He’s a bloody great big bloke with arms the size of bloody tree trunks. I had a bite to eat and then watched the news for a while.”
“Anything going on back home worth mentioning?”
Cole shook his head. “Same old crap. How did things go with your father?”
“Fine, I guess.”
“That’s not a good enough answer. Do you owe me a month’s pay or not, sir?”
“You were right. I’ll transfer the money to your account in the morning.”
Cole sat down. “Keep it. My ex would just take it anyway. I’m happy enough just to prove you wrong.”
“Master Sergeant, after tomorrow you may wish that you had been wrong.”
Chapter 17
The next morning, Sheridan and Cole arrived five minutes early for Killam’s briefing. They took a seat at a large oval table in the middle of the room and looked around. There were several screens on the wall opposite them. A lectern with a laptop on it stood at the far end of the room.
The door behind them slid open. Both men stood when Captain Killam walked in.
“Please take your seats,” said Killam as he moved over behind the lectern and turned on the computer.
Cole reached over and took hold of a steel water jug on the table and poured out two glasses.
On the wall, one of the screens lit up. On it was a picture of the space between Illum Prime and the Kurgan border.
“Gentlemen, what I am about to tell you is classified as Special Operational,” explained Killam.
Sheridan was cleared only as high as Top Secret. He knew that Special Operational was at least two grades higher.
“So, until you deploy on your mission you are not allowed to divulge the contents of this briefing to anyone under penalty of twenty years in the stockade,” stated Killam.
“I can keep my mouth shut, sir,” said Cole.
“I’d rather not see the inside of a stockade, so you have my word as well, sir,” Sheridan added.
Killam continued. “Gents, the Sixth Fleet has been tasked with securing this sector of space. However, there are two enemy carriers unaccounted for and are most likely waiting for an opportunity to strike back at us. Therefore, I have devised a plan to lure them out and destroy them with overwhelming firepower.”
“Excuse me, sir, but how do we factor into your plan?” asked Sheridan.
“Right from the beginning of the war, we have not been able to accurately predict what the Kurgans were up to, as we do not have access to their codes. Every ship we have boarded after an engagement has proven to be the same. There is an auto-erase mechanism built into their vessels’ computers. Intel has theorized that the last thing the Kurgans’ computers do before going offline is to wipe clean their memories.”
“Clever,” said Cole.
“I take it ours can do the same?” Sheridan said.
Killam smiled. Both men knew that an answer was not forthcoming.
“Gents, we need access to the enemy’s codes if my plan is to succeed.”
“That would mean that you would have to board and seize a Kurgan ship before they or the computer itself had the chance to erase its memory,” said Sheridan.
“Precisely,” replied Killam.
The image on the screen changed. A Kurgan troop carrier came up. “This is the Kurgan Imperial Transport Ship, Kadel. It was taken two days ago during an engagement in the Andoron system. A tug is bringing it to our location as we speak.”
“I take it no one survived, and the ship erased its memory,” said Sheridan.
“Correct. I intend to lure a Kurgan vessel to us using the Kadel as bait. A tug will tow it to a suspected enemy transit route and leave it there.” Killam fixed his eyes on Sheridan. “You, Captain Sheridan, and a platoon of Marines will be waiting onboard the Kadel. Your mission is to seize the Kurgan rescue vessel and obtain their codes for me. Once you have the codes, the tug will return and haul you and the captured Kurgan vessel back here.”
“Sir, why me?”
“Two reasons. First off, you speak Kurgan and your file says that you have used it to your advantage in the past. And secondly, because General Denisov said that if anyone under his command could pull it off, it would be you.”
Cole shook his head. “Didn’t I tell you that speaking Kurgan was going to get us into trouble?”
“No, you did not,” protested Sheridan.
“Well, I’m telling you now.”
“Sir, where are these Marines coming from?” Sheridan asked Killam.
“They are a handpicked group of Marines currently serving in the First Division.”
Sheridan sat up in his chair. “Sir, with all due respect, that division has not seen any combat yet. The men you are giving us are green. Would it not be better to draw troops from my old unit?”
“Trust me, Captain, I did consider that option. However, when I asked Denisov’s staff for some troops, I was told that there were none to spare.”
“Do you know who their officer is?”
Killam checked his notes. “First Lieutenant Harry Williams is the man’s name.”
Sheridan smiled.
“Know him, sir?” asked Cole.
“Yeah, we were roommates all through the Academy. He’s a straight shooter and a smart man. We’re lucky to have him with us.”
“If you say so, sir,” said Cole.
“Sir, when will the Kurgan ship and the Marines be arriving?” asked Sheridan.
“The ship tomorrow and the Marines in two days’ time,” replied Killam. “When your team arrives, they will have no knowledge of what they are about to do. As far as they are concerned, they are coming here as battlefield replacements. You will have only forty-eight hours to bring them up to spec before we launch the operation.”
“That’s not really a lot of time,” Cole pointed out.
“I’m sorry, gents, but that is all the time I can spare.”
Sheridan and Cole exchanged an unimpressed look.
Killam switched off the screen and powered down the laptop. “If you will excuse me, I must attend a situational awareness briefing on the bridge.”
Both men stood and waited for Killam to leave the room.
“Jesus, forty-eight hours to whip a bunch of green troops into shape,” groused Cole. “This is something better suited to the special operations’ boys. It’s going to take careful planning and split-second timing if we’re going to pull it off.”
“I know. I guess there’s no point in whining about it. I didn’t want a desk job, and this is what we’ve been dealt. Come on, let’s find us someone who will share with us the schematics of the Kurgan ships we have captured to date.”
“What if the vessel that responds to our distress call ain’t like the ones we’re about to look at?”
“Then we’ll just have to wing it, won’t we.”
“Brilliant plan. We’ll add that to the pantheon of famous plans such as the Seventh Cavalry at Little Big
Horn or the Brits at Isandlwana.”
Sheridan knew that Cole was just busting his chops. However, he did have a valid point. There were a million things that could go wrong once they were floating around in space hoping to lure a Kurgan vessel to them. They could see through the ruse and blast them from the stars, or the ship could be more heavily defended than Killam expected, and they could all end up dead or as Kurgan prisoners. None of the possibilities thrilled Sheridan. He took a deep breath and cleared his mind. There was a ton of things to do and so little time to do it in.
Chapter 18
Sheridan joined his father for a late supper after the presentation in the officer’s mess. He had been so preoccupied with planning his forthcoming mission that he had forgotten to visit the admiral after Killam was finished with him. If Cole had not been paying attention to the time, he would have missed the sociologist’s briefing altogether.
They sat down at the dinner table and ate a light meal of sandwiches with a tray of fresh vegetables. Sheridan spent the first fifteen minutes going over Killam’s plan and his own ideas which were still being fleshed out. He promised to brief his father once he and Cole had finalized their plan of attack. Sheridan had not been alone with his father for years. There had always been someone else in the room with them. He found himself enjoying the time he spent with his father.
Admiral Sheridan took a sip of water before deciding to change the topic. “So, Michael, what did you think of Doctor Butler’s presentation on Chosen culture?”
Sheridan shook his head. “Sir, he was all over the map. He never should have begun his speech with a disclaimer that he had never met nor interviewed any Chosen soldiers before presenting his findings to the Federation Council. Relying on after-action reports for the truth is problematic at the best of times. You’re not getting an unbiased view when you read another person’s account of what was said and done. He really should have come out here to the outer colonies and spent some time trying to connect with the Chosen prisoners that we have taken alive.”
Colossus (The Kurgan War Book 2) Page 8
