Duty from Ashes (16 page)

Shaw!

Just the thought of the woman left a bitter taste in his mouth and it was his own damned fault. He’d chosen not to take direct action when she started being
inconvenient
. Instead, he’d told that sniveling coward O’Brien to deal with her. All the fool needed to do was file the necessary reports with FleetCom, telling them that the taskforce’s own Marine contingent was more than capable of handling any operations in the sector and recommending Shaw’s SpecOps unit be transferred back to the front lines where it could do the most good. But no. O’Brien had wanted to break the woman. The Arterus mission hadn’t done that and, worse, Shaw and the survivors of her unit managed to survive their two years in the penal colony and were now the darlings of the military.

Well, he wasn’t going to let that bitch be his downfall. She had already cost him his command and his commission. Fortunately for him, JAG had been moving with its usual lack of alacrity. That had given him time to put his own plans in place. By this time tomorrow, he would be long gone from the capital. In another two days, he would be off-world and on his way out of the system. He had a very nice little hideaway purchased with some of the funds he’d made from his extra-curricular activities on that last tour Purchased through an intermediary and with nothing to lead back to him, he would be comfortable there as he assumed a new identity and began a new life well away from these fools who didn’t appreciate all he had done for them.

Standing, he reached for his robe and slid into it. If he wanted to avoid any interruption in his plans, he needed to get moving. He might want to keep one step ahead of the JAG – not very difficult to do, as far as he was concerned – but it was Moreau who worried him. He knew she was much more of a threat than the JAG would ever be. He had known the first time they met that she would just as soon see him dead as to let him live. When he was still in command of the taskforce, he was of use to her. Now he was a loose end that he knew she planned to tie up. He had managed to keep her focused on O’Brien, at least for the moment, but that wouldn’t last.

He planned to be far away before she decided it was time to take him out of the equation.

As he entered the small kitchen, resenting once again the lack of a steward to have coffee waiting for him the moment he woke, the apartment comm beeped softly. A frown darkened his expression. He wasn’t expecting anyone. For a moment, he considered ignoring the signal. But curiosity won out and he activated the comm, blocking video on his end.

“Yes?”

His heart beat a bit faster to see the image that appeared on the comm-screen. A serious faced captain, dressed in the daily uniform of a JAG officer looked out at him.

“Captain Lucas Waymouth to see Admiral Sorkowski,” the younger man said. Nothing about his expression gave any indication about the purpose for his request.

Sorkowski didn’t respond. For one brief moment, he considered telling Waymouth that the
Admiral
wasn’t there. It was tempting but it wouldn’t work. Building security would verify that he entered the apartment on his own late the night before and that he hadn’t left since then. Besides, he had no doubts JAG had him under surveillance. It was what he would do were their positions reversed. So he might as well admit the man and find out what he wanted this time.

“One moment.”

Sorkowski drew a deep breath and counted slowly to ten. He could do this. He had faced down numerous enemy in the past and had never backed down from a fight. No mere captain was going to intimidate him now and especially not in his own home.

Squaring his shoulders a short time later, he disengaged the locks and opened the door. He felt his mouth draw tight and the color drain from his face at the sight that greeted him. He had expected to find Captain Waymouth. What he hadn’t expected was to see that little weasel, Lt. Liu, and three Marine MPs.

“Admiral Alec Sorkowski?” Waymouth asked formally.

“Yes.”

Instead of bracing to attention and saluting, Waymouth produced a folded sheet of paper and extended it to the admiral. At the same time, he gave a jerk of his head and two of the MPs took up positions on either side of Sorkowski.

“Admiral, you are to consider yourself under arrest. Among the charges, all of which are outlined on the warrant I just presented you, are perjury, tampering with evidence, falsifying reports, collusion with the enemy, complicity in the deaths of ten members of the Fuerconese Marine Corps, misappropriation of funds, abuse of authority, and treason.”

Treason
!

His mouth went dry and his knees turned weak. He had expected most of the other charges and knew he could either explain them away or bargain them down to nothing but minor violations of the Code of Military Conduct. But treason! He had never considered the possibility of that charge.

Damn Shaw!

Damn them all.

“Lt. Liu will advise you of your rights under the Code of Military Conduct. Then the MPs will escort you to your room to dress. You will not be allowed contact with anyone until you have been transported and processed into the brig.”

“No!” He jerked his arm free of the grasp of the Marine on his right. “I will not be treated this way. You will contact my attorney and I will surrender myself only after conferring with him.”

He pulled himself up to his full height and put on his best command face. He was damned if he would be marched out of there like a common criminal. He had rank, damn it, and they would damn well respect it.

“Secure him!” Waymouth snapped.

Before Sorkowski could react, the Marines twisted his arms behind him. Security cuffs were quickly fastened around his wrists.

“I’ll have your bars, Captain!”

“You can try, sir.” He turned his attention to the Marines. “Get him out of here.”

Panic filled Sorkowski and he renewed his struggles. “At least let me get dressed. Please.”

“You had your chance, sir. I am not going to risk you trying something foolish that could result in one of my companions being injured.” Waymouth reached out and pulled Sorkowski’s robe together. “I’ll give you that much dignity,” was all he said and signaled for the Marines to lead the admiral away.

Fury gave way to frustration which now gave way to fear. He’d overplayed his hand – again and this time the consequences would be much more than forced retirement. He would be lucky to get away with his life.

Damn it, why hadn’t he left the planet weeks ago?

*     *     *

Major Thomas O’Brien stepped off the elevator and looked around. Something was wrong. He could feel it. From the moment he rolled out of bed that morning, things had felt off. But what? Nothing about his small apartment had been out of place. No one had attempted to tamper with his security. A scan of the headlines hadn’t revealed anything either. It had to be his imagination working overtime.

So why wouldn’t the feeling go away?

He crossed the lobby, scanning the area for any sign of trouble. Nothing. The same men and women he saw every morning were coming and going. No one appeared to by paying any more attention to him than normal. One or two, nodded in greeting if he caught their eye but, on the whole, they simply went about their business as if no one else was there with them.

Outside, he turned to his right and started the on the short walk to the transpo station. His eyes darted right and then left, scanning, searching for anything that might seem out of place.

His breath caught and his step faltered as two Marines fell into step on either side of him. Before he could react, a hand closed firmly on his shoulder from behind. A voice, soft but deadly serious spoke in his ear. “Major Thomas O’Brien, you are under arrest. If you try to resist, these Marines will stop you. At the corner, you will turn to your right and we will take you into custody there. Nod your head if you understand.”

He swallowed hard. His hands fisted at his sides. There had to be an alternative to going along like a lamb to the slaughter. All he had to do was choose the right moment to make his move. The Marines would act to keep the civilians around them safe, even if it meant letting him get away. He didn’t relish the thought of being on the run the rest of his life but it was better than the alternative.

“Please try something,” the man to his right growled.

O’Brien canted his gaze upward. As he did, he knew he was lost, at least for the moment. From the cold expression the Marine wore to the way his free hand stayed close to the gun at his hip, O’Brien had no doubt the man wouldn’t hesitate to shoot if he tried to escape. Worse, he had a feeling that the man would shoot to cause the most pain.

Damn it! This was all Shaw’s fault.

Shaw’s and that bastard Sorkowski.

Well, he’d show them both, starting with Sorkowski. But that meant he had to work fast. There was little doubt the JAG would be moving in on the admiral soon, if they hadn’t already. So he needed to be the first one to try to make a deal. He’d gladly throw Sorkowski to the wolves then, once the heat died down some, he’d deal with Shaw the way he’d wanted to all along.

“Wait!” He stopped, pulling, at least temporarily free, of his escorts. “I have information you want.”

“Major, you can plead your case with my superiors once we’ve processed you into the brig,” the JAG officer said. “Take him.”

*     *     *

Evan Moreau exited the Trade Building and paused. After a night of rain, the morning was crisp and the air clean. Under most circumstances, she might actually enjoy it. But any morning that started with a meeting before dawn was never something she enjoyed. Still, getting the contract had made it all worthwhile. Her bank account would appreciate the latest influx of cash. Besides, if she had turned down the meeting, questions would have been asked and that was the last thing she needed just then.

The juggling act was getting old. She had been on Fuercon for almost six years. The last five of them had been here in New Kilrain. For all intents and purposes, she represented one of many tech developers on-planet. She had carefully cultivated her contacts in the industry and in government. All the while, she had also been putting together dossiers on anyone who might be of use to her at some point in the future. It really was amazing how much people let slip after drinking too much or at the gaming tables or while sharing a bed.

She had even been luckier than she’d expected. With only a few exceptions, none of her
partners
had tried to refuse her
requests
for information or services. Those who had been so foolish had quickly met with
accidents
, but only after she’d made sure no incriminating evidence could be found among their effects that could link them back to her.

But now, well, it was different. She could feel it. There were too many loose ends and too many people she – or her employers – had pulled into the plot. All it would take was one talking and the trail would eventually lead back to her. She needed to make sure that didn’t happen, at least not until she was well off-planet and secure in a new identification.

No, she had to make sure it didn’t happen until her mission was complete and the Fuerconese government finally realized that it had been fighting the wrong enemy all along and that it was no too late to do anything about it. Her handlers kept telling her it was only a matter of time. Unfortunately, their sense of time didn’t seem to correspond to her own.

Early as it was, there were still a number of people out. That was something she’d learned quickly about both the business district and the adjoining government complex district. Both always seemed busy. She guessed that most of those moving along the sidewalks with her were men and women hoping to get an early start on the workday, each of them worried about their latest deal and not once suspecting that their lives would soon be turned upside down.

God, she could hardly wait.

Turning the corner, Moreau came to a sudden stop. A man bumped into her and murmured an apology even as he stepped around her. She mumbled something in response – she thought she mumbled something – but her attention was focused on what was ahead of her. Three armored military aircars were parked in front of the exclusive apartment complex she knew almost as well as she knew her own. A Navy captain appeared from inside. Following close behind him were several Marine MPs. Sandwiched between two of them was a fairly nondescript man. He wore a robe and nothing else as far as she could tell. His fair hair, going grey and thinning, stood out in all directions around his head. Even from a distance, Moreau could see how he struggled against the hands holding him firmly.

Instinct for self-preservation had her stepping closer to the building on her right. She stood there, watching, straining to hear anything that might be said. But there was nothing other than the pounding of her pulse and a string of curses she hoped were only in her subconscious. Then, as the man was forced into the back of the middle aircar, fear kicked in. This was one of the worst possible things that could happen.

Damn it! She’d known it was only a matter of time before FleetCom moved on Sorkowski, but she’d hoped it wouldn’t be quite so soon. Well, at least she wasn’t completely unprepared. She had plans in place to make sure he knew better than to try to betray her. But to put them into motion, she needed to get off the street.

Fighting down the desire to curse long and hard – and at the top of her lungs – she pulled her comm and left a message for her admin to cancel her morning appointments. She wasn’t feeling well but she planned to be in that afternoon. That done, she pocketed the comm and moved off in the direction from which she’d come. She didn’t have any time to waste. She had to act before her handlers decided she was as much of a loose end as Sorkowski, O’Brien and the others.

*     *     *

Ashlyn entered the conference room and quickly shook her head as Talbot prepared to call everyone to attention. She couldn’t stop smiling. She didn’t care if no one knew why. Hell, she didn’t care if they all thought she had lost her mind. She knew better. She hadn’t lost her mind. Far from it. Instead, she had found her center again. No, it had been given back to her and, along with it, so had much of her confidence in the system and the institutions she had trusted and that had failed her. Oh, she knew there would still be times of doubt, just as there would still be the occasional nightmare. But she could deal with those. Hell, every Marine, every member of the military had those, at least the smart ones did.