Trident Fury (The Kurgan War Book 3) (9 page)

“It’s good to see you again, Michael,” said the admiral.

“You too, Father.” He moved into the room and saw that the dinner table was already set for two.

“Come, let’s sit down and have a bite to eat. We can talk over dinner. Unfortunately, I have a conference call with Admiral Oshiro in just over an hour.”

“Something up?” asked Sheridan as he took a seat at the table.

“It’s my usual weekly chat with the admiral . . . at least that’s what I think it is.”

Sheridan smirked when he saw the usual bottle of wine that accompanied all his father’s dinner meals was missing.
 

“Yes, I see you’ve noticed,” said the admiral. “My steward received a message from Sergeant Cole that I was not to serve you any alcohol with your meals anymore. Is there something you want to tell me, Michael?”

Sheridan felt his cheeks flush. He fought the feelings of guilt and shame in his heart and looked up at his father. “Dad, Master Sergeant Cole is just looking out for me. I hit the bottle pretty hard after Tarina went missing. It’s for my own good that I abstain from any alcohol.”

Robert Sheridan smiled. “Michael, you’ve got the best damned NCO in the entire Marine Corps. If you won’t have any, neither will I from now until this blasted war is over.”

“Dad, you don’t have to do that. I’m the one with the problem.”

“You’re right, I don’t have to, but I want to. Now dig in, your fish is getting cold.”

Sheridan took a fork full of salmon and savored its taste. After almost two months of eating rations or poorly cooked food, he was happy to enjoy a decent meal with his father. A couple of minutes later, Sheridan set his fork down and asked, “Sir, how is the offensive going in the Titan system?”

The admiral shook his head. The bitter look on his face told Sheridan that things had not turned out as fleet headquarters had predicted. “I hate to say it, but things there went spectacularly bad for the First and Third Fleets. We lost two carriers and over two dozen other vessels trying to take back Titan Prime. The Kurgans did not come off much better. However, the much hoped for breakthrough in that region has not happened. To make matters worse, an enemy counteroffensive managed to take back two planets and inflict over thirty thousand casualties on the Marine and Army divisions involved in the fight.”

Sheridan knew that friends he went through the academy with could easily be among the thousands of killed and wounded. It tugged at his emotions. The first thought that flashed through his subconscious was that he could use a drink. Sheridan took a deep breath and cleared his mind. He had vowed never to drink again, and he was not about to give in to temptation.

“If we’ve stalled in the Titan system, what’s next for the fleet?”

“I don’t know. I hate to say it, but I’ve been told by a reliable source that some politicians back home are talking about entering into negotiations with the Kurgans.”

“Father, they can’t. If they do, all of this will have been for nothing. Did they not learn anything from the last war? All the people the Kurgans have taken will be forced to become citizens of the Empire. I for one don’t want Tarina to be brainwashed into becoming my enemy. Hell, you and I both know it, we’ll end up fighting them again in a few generations. We have to end this war on our terms.”

“Michael, you and I serve at the discretion of our civilian leaders. If they tell us to pull back and let the Kurgans keep what they’ve already taken in exchange for peace then that is precisely what we will do.”

Sheridan bit his lip. “What does Admiral Oshiro think about this latest development?”

“I honestly don’t know. I suspect that this is something we will discuss when he calls.”

“Can I come by later? I’d love to hear what the admiral had to say.”

Robert Sheridan smiled and sat back in his chair. “Michael, after my teleconference, Captain Killam and I will go over what was said to make sure that we understand what it is Admiral Oshiro wants us to do. You may be my son, but until I announce what is going on at the morning staff briefing, you’re going to have to remain in the dark like everyone else.”

Sheridan felt foolish for pushing his luck. His father was right; he would have to wait to learn what was going on.

The admiral said, “Look, why don’t you and Sergeant Cole sneak in the back of the morning brief and listen in. Most of it is routine fleet business, but there may be a new tidbit or two you may find interesting.”

Sheridan nodded. “Thanks, Dad. Any news is better than listening to the rumor mongers spinning their tales every time you go to eat in the mess hall.”

“Oh, before I forget, Captain Killam was speaking to the head of fleet personnel and has asked that you and Cole be assigned to a raider battalion. Looks like your stay with us could be coming to an end.”

Sheridan tried not to look too happy; however, a position with a deep space raider unit was something he had been agitating for with Killam for months. “Any idea when the transfer orders may come in?”

“No. Why don’t you speak with Captain Killam after the brief and see if he’s heard anything?”

“Will do.”

“Now if you’ll excuse me,” said the admiral as he stood up. “I want to meet with Killam in the ops room. We need to go over our notes before the teleconference begins.”

“Yes, of course, sir,” replied Sheridan. He held out his hand to shake. “I’ll see you in the morning after the briefing.”

“Sounds good. Perhaps we can have a coffee together. You, me, Cole, and Killam should be able to find a quiet corner to chat in.”

Sheridan turned and left his father’s quarters. He looked around to make sure that the hallway was empty before jumping up into the air and letting out a triumphant cry. After months away from a combat unit, he was finally heading back into the fight with Marines under his command. He could not have been happier.

Chapter 9

Tarina fought back the tears as she sat down on her bunk. Her entire body ached. She had bloody scars across her back from being struck by the guards. She let out a whimper when she brought up her right foot so she could look at the bottom. Ever so slowly, she unwrapped the blood-and-sand-caked cloth that she had put there earlier in the day after her sandals had fallen apart. Tarina gritted her teeth when she saw that the bottom of her foot looked like raw hamburger.
 

“Here, let me clean that up before it gets infected,” said Wendy as she poured some water over Tarina’s feet to clean the dirt and sand from her wounds.

Tarina grimaced in pain and tried to block the agony from her mind. They had only spent two full days in the mine, and she was already beginning to doubt that she could last another week.

“Let me see the other one,” Wendy said, lifting up her friend’s left foot onto the hard, wooden bunk. It was as bad as the first. She got to work cleaning and bandaging Tarina’s bloodied feet.

Angela walked over and sat down. She made sure no one was watching before reaching under her shirt and bringing out two pairs of wooden clogs. “Put these on your feet. If you don’t, you’ll both fall behind and be targeted for punishment by Travis and his goons.”

Wendy took them and tried a pair on her feet. They barely fit, but they would have to do. She left the other pair on the bed beside Tarina. “Let your feet heal a bit more before putting these on.”

“Thanks,” said Tarina to Angela. “Where did you get these?”

“I took them from a couple of dead workers. They don’t need them anymore and I knew that you two would. That’s how I got mine,” she replied, pointing down at the clogs on her feet.

“How ghoulish,” said Wendy.

“You do what you must to survive.”

“Yes, you do,” said Tarina. “And we’re both grateful to you for your help.”

Around them, the other prisoners began to stir. “Food’s here,” announced Angela. “Stay where you are. Wendy and I will get you something to eat.” With that, the two women hurried to get as close to the front of the food line as possible.
 

Tarina laid on her side in the bunk and closed her eyes. She tried to recall the past two days moving through the tunnels on their way to and from the mine. So far, she hadn’t seen a prospective escape route and if one didn’t materialize soon, she knew that their chances of successfully getting away would lessen each day. She was not about to let that happen. She would rather die trying than allow herself to succumb to their jailers. It was all just a matter of luck and so far, she had only experienced bad luck. Tarina heard her friends coming back. She sat up and forced herself to smile as Wendy handed her a bowl of soup.

“Bon appetit,” said Wendy, trying to lighten the mood. “Only the best food is served at this five-star resort.”

“Yes. I’ll have to recommend it to all my friends when I get back home,” added Tarina.

Both women looked at one another and broke out laughing.

“You’re both nuts,” said Angela. “Has anyone ever told you that?”

“Yeah, I can think of a couple of people who have over the past year,” replied Tarina.

Wendy devoured her food. When she was done, she looked over at Tarina and said, “I wonder what the colonel and the rest of the squadron are up to?”

“It’s been over four months since we were captured; they could be anywhere by now. Hell, they could even be back home on Earth for all we know.”

“Thinking about such things won’t do you any good,” interjected Angela. “Forget about your past lives and worry only about today. It’ll help you from losing it down here.”

Tarina nodded. “Sound advice.”

“Give me your bowls and I’ll return them to the wagon,” said Wendy.
 

Tarina and Angela handed her their empty bowls and watched her hobble over to the food cart. On her way back, one of the older male prisoners reached out and grabbed her by the arm. “Give me a kiss,” said the man as he leaned his head down toward Wendy.

“No,” she replied, struggling to break from his hold.

Tarina tried to stand up, but the burning pain in her feet almost made her black out. She fell right back down on her bed. Unable to help, she cried out, “Somebody, do something!”
 

Not a single prisoner moved to help Wendy. Most of the men who had seen this kind of thing before sat quietly or turned their heads away pretending not to see what was going on.

Wendy’s attacker grabbed a handful of her long red hair and pulled her close to him. He reached under her shirt and groped her. She cried out in fear. Panic quickly took hold of her. She looked over at the Chosen guards standing nearby, praying that they would help her. They smiled at her and began laughing at her predicament.

“Don’t move or say another word,” warned Angela to Tarina. A second later, she was on her feet. She walked toward the man holding Wendy. “Anderson, let the girl go!”
 

“Screw you. You’re only here because you want her for yourself. Well, you’ll just have to wait until I’m done with her.”

“Wrong answer.” In a flash, Angela pulled a wooden spoon that had been sharpened into a weapon from behind her back. She jammed it hard into the man’s side and twisted it. A second later, she pulled out the bloody shank and prepared to thrust it into his ribs once again. The assailant gasped in pain and released Wendy from his arms.
 

“You pig!” yelled Wendy, shooting her right foot into the man’s crotch, doubling him over.

Angela grabbed Wendy by the shoulders and hauled her back to Tarina’s bunk. “You’ll be safe now. No one will ever try that with either of you ever again.”

“What about him?” asked Wendy, looking over at the man as he rolled about on the ground in agony.

“He’s no good to anyone anymore. When Travis hears about this incident, Anderson will be taken outside and flogged to death. You’re not the first woman he’s tried to have his way with.”

Tarina could tell by the sound of Angela’s voice that she hid a pain deep inside of her. She also knew better than to ask about it. Instead, she placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Thank you for saving Wendy’s life. I owe you.”

“You don’t owe me a thing. Just be more aware of your surroundings from now on.” With that, Angela left them and climbed up into her bunk.

“How are you doing?” Tarina asked her friend.

Wendy sat there staring at the man who had tried to rape her. Hate filled her eyes.

“Wendy, I said, ‘how are you doing?’”
 

“I’m okay,” she lied. “I’ll be good once they haul him out of here and kill him.”

Inside Tarina cringed. They had been together ever since the beginning of the war and she had never heard Wendy talk so coldly. It was obvious that life was cheap in the mines. She did not want to lose her dearest friend. She vowed to herself that every waking minute from now on would be dedicated to getting them home safely. Tarina did not know how or when, but she knew that she was not going to let her friend down.

Chapter 10

Sheridan and Cole quietly slipped into the back of the briefing room and took a seat. The room was already full of high-ranking officers and chief petty officers busy chatting with one another. Sheridan wasn’t familiar with most of his father’s staff. He knew there would be people there representing the fleet’s personnel, operations, plans, training, communications, intelligence, logistics, finance, and civil liaison sections. A full colonel from General Denisov’s forces on Illum Prime sat at the table as well.