Duty from Ashes (19 page)

“Sir, I mean no disrespect, but I have heard some things that make me wonder if the Devil Dogs are the best choice for this mission.”

Ashlyn’s fists clinched in her lap and her eyes flashed. How dare he question the Devil Dogs! Anger flared at the insult. As she opened her mouth to respond, she realized Ortega had pushed back her chair and now stood. Much as Collins had before, her palms were flat against the tabletop and she leaned forward, every fiber of her alive with anger and outrage.

“Stand down, Captain,” she said before Collins could intercede. Then, knowing better than to say what was on her mind, she looked to the Admiral. How he responded to this slight would set the tone for the rest of the mission.

“Commander Powell, I assure you the Devil Dogs are more than the best choice for this mission. They are the only choice.” Collins’ displeasure was obvious.

“But, sir, it is common knowledge that two of the companies have brand new COs and that there hasn’t been time for them to integrate with their companies, much less the rest of the battalion.”

Ash felt sure her fingernails were digging holes into the palms of her hands as she fought to stay silent. This wasn’t her show – yet.

“Colonel Shaw, would you care to respond?” Collins asked.

Ash pushed back her chair and stood. As she did, she almost choked to see the Admiral give her a slow wink. Unless she missed her guess, he was giving her permission to verbally – and possibly physically, if necessary – take Powell apart for his absurd allegations.

“Commander Powell, I assure you FirstBatt is more than ready and capable of handling this mission,” she began. She kept her voice even, calm. She wouldn’t play into his hands by showing how angry his comments had made her. “Yes, I did replace two company commanders as well as several NCOs. By doing so, I made the companies stronger and that, in turn, makes the battalion better able to carry out the parameters of our mission.” She paused when she felt Ortega touch her arm. Her XO gave her a slight smile as she handed over her datapad. Ash glanced at the information on it and fought back a grin. She should have expected Ortega to find something to use to rebut the man.

“Both of the captains have served with the Devil Dogs before. They were transferred to new assignments at the end of the last war. Both had requested to return to the battalion and I was more than glad to have them back. They are credits not only to the battalion but to the Corps as well.”

“But—“

“No, Commander, there are no buts. Both captains are welcome additions to the Devil Dogs and they will do a much better job than their predecessors on this mission.” For the first time, she allowed some steel to show in her voice. “FleetCom has no concerns about giving this assignment to FirstBatt, nor does General Okafor. Admiral Collins has assured me that he welcomes the Devil Dogs on the mission. Why you have concerns when none of my people will be onboard your ship is, frankly, beyond me. Perhaps it is all in an attempt to hide shortfalls in your own staffing?”

He opened his mouth and formed the words but nothing came out. Then, as though realizing how ridiculous he looked, he snapped his mouth shut and stared at her. Before he could recover, Collins motioned for Ash to return to her seat.

“Colonel, would you care to elucidate?”

“Sir, Captain Ortega has pulled up the ship’s roster and it would appear the commander is short several department heads. It isn’t readily apparent at first glance but there are overlaps in assignments of half a dozen second lieutenants, as well as several NCOs, covering areas where there should more senior officers or NCOs in charge.”

Collins held out his hand and she extended the datapad to him. Everyone waited, silence filling the air, as he studied the readout. When he looked up, his expression was even colder than before. Ashlyn leaned back, glad she wasn’t the one who would be on the receiving end of the dressing down she felt sure was about to come.

The Admiral stood and handed back the datapad. Then he glanced at his aide. Captain Jareau stood and took up her position at his shoulder. Both worse matching expressions, serious and not about to accept any excuses from anyone.

“On your feet, Commander Powell.”

Powell instantly complied. However, instead of bracing to attention, he assumed an at rest stance that had Ash and the other Marines in the room frowning.

“Commander Powell, you have all but accused Colonel Shaw of not having her battalion ready for the mission. By doing so, you have cast doubt on her ability as a commanding officer. That is bad enough. But when I see that the Colonel’s observations about your own command appear to be correct, it smacks of much more. Fortunately, your ship is mainly a support vessel. Captain Jareau shall be accompanying you back there as soon as this briefing is concluded and she will determine what action, if any, needs to be taken to make sure you are ready to move out with the rest of us. I assure you, if your inaction – or worse – cause our departure to be delayed, you will not like the result.”

Now he turned to face Ash. She quickly stood and braced to attention.

“The changes in company commanders Colonel Shaw made with regard to the Devil Dogs was done with the full support and approval of General Okafor as well as Brigadier General Shaw. But I have a feeling the
concerns
Commander Powell voiced are not what worries him. So let me make this very clear. I have no concerns about Colonel Shaw, the Devil Dogs or their ability to do the mission set for them. Colonel Shaw has proven in ways most of you will never know that she is more than worthy of the trust being put in her by FleetCom.”

Ash’s cheeks heated as a blush crept up from her throat.

“Now, let’s finish this briefing so we can get back to work. . . .”

C
HAPTER
T
EN

A
SHLYN
LEANED
BACK
and sighed heavily. The last few months had been a roller coaster of emotion. First had been finding herself back on Fuercon without explanation. Then, just as hope had started to form that the charges against her and her people might be expunged from their records and they’d be freed, the capital had been attacked. She had managed to survive that and had even managed to push back her suspicion long enough to return to Tarsus to free her people. That had been just the beginning of the ride and she knew there was a long way before it was over.

Three weeks had passed since the taskforce had left Fuercon. Part of her had to give it to FleetCom and Admiral Collins. In an attempt to keep the Callusians from figuring out what their mission was, the taskforce had set off on a very round-about course to the Cassius System. Now they were only a few days out. Even though there had been no indication the Callusians had scouts in the area, the ships of the taskforce were on alert. No one wanted to take any chances now. Not when their goal was so close.

She also had to admit that she’d been pleased with the way the Devil Dogs had integrated into the crew of the
Cassin Young
. They stood watch and helped out wherever possible. Ortega worked closely with Captain Jareau as they coordinated where the Devil Dogs would be at any given time.

Ash studied the latest intelligence report from the Cassius System and blew out a breath. It appeared that the survivors from the
Tarrant
’s crew were still on-planet. Nothing indicated they had been separated from the other prisoners taken by the Callusians during the invasion. That was something she had to take into consideration when planning the assault on the capital. If they didn’t get to the prisoners quickly enough, the Callusians would use them as human shields and that was only if they didn’t kill them outright. But if she could get to them before that happened, they would be additional warm bodies who knew who to handle themselves in a firefight.

At least she hoped they would be.

But before that happened, they had to deal with the defense platforms protecting the system. That would be up to Collins and the taskforce. The LACs would be launched against the platforms and to help protect the ships making up the taskforce from groundside defenses. Attack shuttles would transport the Devil Dogs to the platforms. Then it would be up to the Marines to secure the platforms and hold them until Collins could get specialists over to relieve them.

A soft chime signaling someone’s arrival interrupted her train of thought. Ash rubbed and hand over her face and then rolled her shoulders to ease the tension she hadn’t noticed before. Then she reached out. A quick touch of a finger to the control console unlocked the hatch. A moment later it slid almost silently open and Corporal Nolan stepped inside.

“Ma’am, Corporal Donnelly is here as requested,” the young man announced.

“Very good. Send him in,” Ash said. “Once you have, ask Captain Ortega to send word to the company commanders reminding them of the briefing in one hour.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The corporal gave a quick salute before turning sharply to leave the office. As the door slid shut, Ashlyn allowed herself a smile. Nolan had proven to be much more of an asset on the mission than she’d expected. Given time and experience, he would make an excellent NCO – assuming he lived long enough, something no one in the Marines, and especially a Devil Dog, could count on.

“Corporal Donnelly, Ma’am,” Nolan announced from the doorway a moment later.

At Ash’s nod, the young man saluted and backed out of the office, closing the hatch behind him.

Leaning back, folding her hands on the desktop, Ashlyn watched closely as Corporal Ryan Donnelly marched smartly across the office. He stopped precisely four feet from the desk and braced to attention. The corporal’s expression remained correctly impassive. Even so, Ash saw the quick flash of nerves that clouded the corporal’s green eyes before it was gone.

Suppressing an understanding smile, Ash nodded almost imperceptibly, pleased with what she saw. Tall, slender, giving the impression of both physical and emotional strength, the corporal could have been a picture on a recruiting poster for the Marines. The insignias at throat and sleeve marked his rank as well as his qualifications as expert marksman, sniper, and shuttle pilot. Like so many who found their way to the Devil Dogs, Corporal Ryan Donnelly had accomplished a great deal in a relatively short period of time.

Now she hoped he managed to maintain that same level of competence and professionalism. If he couldn’t, she would not hesitate to keep him onboard while the rest of the battalion went dirtside.

“Have a seat, Corporal.” Ashlyn motioned to one of the chairs situated before her desk.

“Thank you, Ma’am.” He settled on the edge of the chair, back straight, body tense.

“I hope I didn’t take you away from anything, Corporal.”

“Not at all, Ma’am.”

“Good.” She knew the corporal wouldn’t have admitted it if she had but at least she’d asked. Now she leaned back and smiled slightly, hoping to put him at his ease. “Donnelly, take a deep breath and relax. We’re off the record now.”

Her smile turned into a grin as the young man visibly tried to relax. He sat back, crossing his long legs at the ankles. His expression went from one tinged with more than just a hint of concern. Ashlyn knew the young man’s curiosity had to be running rampant. He had been with the Devil Dogs since before she assumed command and this was the first time she had sent for him.

“Ma’am, I’ll admit I’m more than a little confused about why you’ve sent for me. Have I done something wrong?” His brow furrowed in concern but he said nothing else. Good. That showed a level of control he would need if he was going to make the drop with the rest of the battalion.

“No, Donnelly, you’ve done nothing wrong.”

I just have to make sure you don’t in the near future
.

“Corporal, there has been some intelligence come to us from the Cassius System that will impact the upcoming mission.”

“Ma’am?”

“Corporal, when word first reached FleetCom about the invasion of the Cassius System, it was assumed that the
Tarrant
and all hands onboard were lost. We now have reason to believe that might not be the entire truth. Our sources on Cassius Prime have provided information that seems to indicate that at least some of the crew might have survived and are currently being held by the Callusians on-planet.”

She waited, watching as the news sank in. The color drained from Donnelly’s face and then he leaned forward, an expression of hope on his face. Even so, Ash could see how he fought against getting his hopes up. She didn’t blame him.

“My brother?”

“We don’t know.” She wouldn’t lie to him. “All we know for sure is that some of the vid feeds we’ve received from the Resistance appear to show some men and women in Fuerconese uniforms. They are being held with prisoners the Callusians captured when then invaded the system. We don’t know who they are or how many of them there might be. FleetCom’s best guess is that they are members of the
Tarrant
’s crew because there appear to be more of them than would have been stationed at our embassy there.”

“Why are you telling me, Ma’am?” His voice was soft, his uncertainty obvious.

“Because I need to know that your head is in the game when we go dirtside, Donnelly. I need to know if this will be a distraction for you.”

“Ma’am, I can’t say that it won’t be a distraction,” he admitted after a moment’s though. “What I can say is that it won’t keep me from doing my duty.”

“And if we reach the compound and find that your brother isn’t one of the prisoners – or worse?”

He didn’t flinch even though she saw the quick stab of pain in his eyes. Good. He could control himself. Maybe she didn’t have anything to worry about.

She hoped.

“I will follow orders and do my duty, Ma’am.” His response was automatic and Ash frowned slightly. Not that it was unexpected. Instead of commenting, she gave him a moment. What he said or did next would tell her all she needed to know. “Ma’am, I’m a Devil Dog. I will follow orders. But if I find myself in a situation where I know for a certainty that the enemy harmed my brother or any of his crewmates and they give me the chance to exact a little revenge, I will do so. I promise you, though, that any action I take will be justified.”