Risen From Ashes

by Sam Schall

  “Good.” He gave a decisive nod.

  “Now, before I report back to duty, how about stopping at Noomi’s for a treat?”

  He grinned and threw his arms around her waist. Then he raced forward, dragging her behind him. Laughing, Ash quickened her pace to keep up. Not that she blamed him. Noomi’s had the best pastries around.

  Colonel Rico Santiago closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He’d not been surprised to learn Ashlyn Shaw wanted to see him. Not only had they worked together closely since she returned from her last mission, going over the data recovered and discussing its possible ramification but there were still questions surrounding why she and those under her command had been set up on the Arcterus mission. The problem was the latter investigation continued to go slowly, much too slowly for either of them. Unfortunately, those involved who had already been arrested weren’t talking and the one person who might hold all the answers couldn’t.

  And he knew that was the person Shaw wanted to talk to him about.

  A knock sounded and his office door slid open. By the time he stood and moved around his desk, Ashlyn Shaw entered. As the door slid shut behind her, Santiago grinned and extended his hand. She took it and motioned to the chairs in front of his desk, one brow arched in question. He gave a nod and then shook his head when she continued to stand.

  “Knock it off, Ash. Sit.” He had time in grade over her, as she’d reminded him. But they were friends and, behind closed doors, didn’t need to fall back on formality. At least he hoped not. “What can I do for you?”

  “You know I’m shipping out in a couple of days.”

  It wasn’t really a question, but he nodded any way. “I do.”

  “Two things, then. First, tell me about the Intel staff you’ve assigned to the mission.”

  One brow arched in surprise. He had expected another question from her. Not that it wouldn’t come. It reassured him, however, that she put the mission first. Of course, she always did. But he was one of the few who knew how hard that had been at times for her after what happened on Arterus and afterwards.

  “It’s a good team.” One of his best, actually. If the taskforce was going anywhere except Midlothian, he wouldn’t be sending them. But if things went the way he expected, he wanted them handing not only any prisoners but any data secured during the course of the mission. “Major Khan is a skilled interrogator but even more skilled at ferreting out data that has been hidden. Lt. Okumura follows the proverbial dots like a hunting hound. Cpl. Zimm is the muscle. He doesn’t say much and is intimidating as hell. But his strength is in spotting inconsistencies before the quarry can figure out how to cover them up.”

  “Good.” She gave a decisive nod. “How are they in battle situations?”

  He understood why she asked. Khan and Zimm were Marines. That put them technically under her command should the proverbial shit hit the fan. She needed to know if she could rely on them or if she needed to relegate them to Damage Control should the mission go south.

  “Khan and Zimm came up through the ranks, Ash. They know how to handle themselves. As for Okumura, if things go bad, she can back up helm or weaponry.”

  “Good.” Another nod. “Now, anything about the mission you can tell me that wasn’t in the briefing pack?” She angled in her chair so she could look at him. Then she stretched out her long legs and crossed them at the ankles.

  “You’ll have an updated packet waiting for you by morning.” He lifted a hand to stop her from interrupting. “The gist of it is that Harper’s latest message seems to have put the fear of God into the members of the Administrative Bureau. We aren’t supposed to know this yet, but Vreman took steps less than a week ago in an attempt to place them in a better position by the time the taskforce—they aren’t to be told it is more than that—arrives. Our sources tell us several members of the Bureau were taken into custody and Vreman made it clear he will use whatever means necessary to locate Watchman. The goal now is to find the bastard before he does. None of my people doubt Watchman will be dead if Vreman finds him before we do. The Bureau, and all too many others, can’t afford for the man to fall into our hands.”

  “Are we going to be walking into a repeat of the Savitar VI debacle?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t think so.” At least he hoped not. “Everything we’re seeing from Midlothian right now is that they are doing their best to not only cover their respective asses but make sure we don’t pull our military support from the system. The government there knows what will happen if we do. It wouldn’t take long for the Callusians to roll through and none of them want that to happen.”

  “Then they should have kept Watchman and his cronies in hand.” She all but ground it out, not that he blamed her. They might never know how many died as a result of that betrayal. “Are there special instructions about what your people aren’t to do while in-system?”

  He chuckled softly. She really did know him too well. “They aren’t to get caught as they try to hack the intelligence files and anything else they track down that’s related to Watchman and what’s been going on there where the Callusians are concerned.”

  “I’m sure we can arrange something to keep the Midlothians distracted while they do their work.” Ashlyn’s smile was all predatory hunter, not that he blamed her.

  “I do believe Harper and Nelms have that well in hand.” His smile matched hers and she chuckled softly.

  “And Moreau?”

  He didn’t answer immediately. Even though he’d expected the question, he still hadn’t decided on an answer. Part of him wanted to reassure her they were making progress where the would-be assassin was concerned. The last thing he wanted was for her to be distracted during her mission. But he also knew better than to lie to her and telling her they were making progress would be doing just that. The woman lying in a secure cell turned into a hospital room several floors beneath his office might have called herself Evan Moreau the last few years, but they had no clue who she’d been before then. Nor did they know why she tried to kill President Harper. His gut told him it was all tied to the war and the trouble with the Midlothians, but he didn’t know for sure.

  “Medically, there has been little to no change.” That was the easy part. Besides, he knew Ash tied into the video feed from the woman’s cell at least once a day. Not that he blamed her. Ash had taken the shot meant for Harper. That gave her a very personal reason to want to know all there was about Moreau. “After the change in her condition was noted, the CMO reviewed the records of everyone working her case. Let’s just say he wasn’t happy with what he found. There is a new team monitoring her now and the CMO has taken a personal hand in her treatment.”

  Ash nodded and he relaxed a little. She already knew that much and she seemed to approve of the steps taken.

  “There has been an increase in brain activity. From what the doctors are saying, they agree with your observations before you left on that last mission. Moreau is aware of what is going on around her. As a result, the treatment team is under orders to discuss nothing but her condition and what steps they are taking whenever they are in the room with her.”

  “That has to be frustrating the hell out of her.”

  Ashlyn’s smile sent a chill down his spine.

  “Let’s hope so.” His smile matched hers. “She is being monitored around the clock, as you know.” He waited until she nodded once. “And there has been signs of her regaining at least minimal movement in one hand. She’s shown involuntary responses to stimuli on one foot. But nothing else. At least not so far and the medical team doesn’t believe she can be faking it. As the CMO said, no one is that good of an actress. But they are keeping a very close eye on her.”

  “Guards?”

  “One is stationed outside the cell. A second guard is present whenever anyone from the member of the medical team is in with her. There are no other prisoners in the section with her and the section is on full lockdown. Other precautions, some we haven’t informed the medicals o
f, have been put in place as well.”

  He didn’t explain and she didn’t ask. He appreciated that. Not only did it give her plausible deniability if anyone should ask, but she probably had a good idea what he meant. She served with him early in her career. That meant she had a good idea how his mind worked.

  “Any progress on tracking down who she really is?”

  He shook his head, his expression grim.

  “No, but we are still digging through everything we can find on her. I’ve never found an alias as well put together as hers. Someone had not only the money but the talent to erase her from the DNA files, scrub her identity and make sure there is nothing we can tag, at least not easily, to find out who she is. The medicals are working with us to isolate anything in her genetic makeup that might help us. But we will find something. No alias is perfect and that includes hers.” He leaned over and rested a hand on her arm, waiting until she blew out a breath.

  “Ash, she isn’t going to get away with what she did. I promise.” He didn’t care what it took. He would find out who Moreau was and why she targeted Harper and, unless he was very wrong, Ashlyn herself. “And I will let you know the moment we have anything concrete. You have my word.”

  “I know, Rico.” She gave a slight smile. “I can’t believe she just happened to choose the Midlothian Embassy as her perch when she tried to kill Harper because of its location. There were other buildings in the area, ones with easier means of entry, than the embassy. The fact she managed to get inside the grounds, and with a weapon, convinces me she’d been there before. I can’t help thinking someone inside was helping her. If that’s the case, we need to know who before something else happens.”

  “Agreed.” He stood and moved around his desk. He opened the lap drawer and pulled out a file, one normally kept under lock and key. Even though he didn’t offer it to Ash, he used it to make his next point. “These are my orders from President Harper. He’s made it very clear he wants to know what happened and why. The members of your regiment and Capital Security are the visible presence he wanted to let the Midlothians know we are keeping them under watch. My people are doing everything we can to covertly keep an eye on them. It is amazing what folks say when they think no one is listening.”

  “All right.” She checked her wrist unit and stood. “I need to run. I’ve got a briefing with my regimental commanders and their XOs. I appreciate the time, Rico.”

  “Any time, Ash.” He walked with her to the door. “I will find the answers to your questions.”

  “I know.” She gave him a smile. “Let’s hope your people on the mission are as good as you said. I have a feeling we’re going to need them before it’s all over.”

  “They are. Bring them, and yourself, home safe.”

  He watched as she left his office. Then he turned back to his desk. There was a great deal to do and not enough hours in the day to do it. Time was running short and he prayed they found the answers necessary to not only get to the bottom of the Midlothian conspiracy but to end the war with the Callusians once and for all.

  “Are you all right?”

  Ashlyn straightened and smiled at her mother. Elizabeth stood in the doorway to the bedroom. Dressed in loose lounging pants and a soft knit tunic, the woman bore little resemblance to the capable Marine Ash knew her to be. Instead, she was the worried mother and grandmother. Not that Ash blamed her. They both knew how many ways this mission could go sideways without warning.

  “I’m fine.” She gave a slight shrug. “Jake’s having a hard time about my leaving.”

  “And that makes it even harder for you.”

  Ash nodded.

  Elizabeth crossed the room. As she sat on the edge of the bed, she patted the mattress and waited until Ash joined her. Then she reached for Ashlyn’s hand. For a while, they sat in silence, two mothers worried about their children even if for different reasons.

  “You were about the same age when you asked me not to go on a mission. I don’t know if you remember.” Elizabeth spoke softly, her gaze on their joined hands.

  “I don’t remember,” Ash admitted.

  “Your father was off-planet at the time. FleetCom moved up the departure date for the Devil Dogs. You and your brother were going to be left here, with Marie, until Abe returned home. It was the first time we’d both been gone at the same time. It wouldn’t be the last, but it was the hardest on you, especially since I’d only been home a few weeks.”

  “I think I remember.” Her brow knitted. “There was something else about that time. Something beyond you shipping out early.”

  Elizabeth nodded, her expression grim. “We didn’t tell you what happened on that last mission. But you knew something bad had happened. You never asked what. Maybe you knew we wouldn’t tell you. Not that it stopped you from keeping an eagle eye on me.”

  The pieces slowly fell into place. Ash remembered how, not long after her return from the penal colony, Elizabeth told her she understood at least some of how she felt. Without going into detail, she explained she’d been captured on a mission. While it wasn’t the same as being betrayed by those she trusted or spending two years in a penal colony, she knew what it was to be a prisoner, abused by her captors. Had that been what Ash sensed so long ago?

  “Mama.” Emotion roughened her voice.

  Elizabeth smiled sadly and slid an arm around her shoulders, holding her close. “It was the hardest thing I’d ever done to leave you that next mission. But I knew if I didn’t, I’d never be effective as a Marine again. I owed it to the Marines I served with, and to those who died on the previous mission, to obey orders. I owed it to myself—and to you and the rest of the family—to as well. It was the only way I knew to return to myself.”

  “I wouldn’t have understood then. I do know.” And she hoped the day came when Jake would as well.

  “And Jake will as well.” Elizabeth paused and Ash knew she was considering her next words. “He’s worried about you and he’s scared you might not come home. That’s natural, especially after everything you’ve been through the last few years. But he knows you have to go and, judging from the way he was hanging onto the new dog tags, he’s going to hold you to your promise.” Now she grinned. “I left you one of my dog tags that mission.”

  “I remember. I also remember wearing it every day until you returned home and I could give it back to you.”

  “You and are two of a kind, child. You need to trust your father and sister to take good care of Jake while you’re gone.”

  “I do. Just as I trust you to.” Hopefully, she’d be back home before Elizabeth shipped out. She didn’t like having the division, much less the regiment, split among different sectors. Not when she knew the final push to end the war was coming.

  “Is there anything I can do to help you pack?”

  “No. I’m about done.” She looked around her room and her eyes fell on a small package resting on the bedside table. She stood and moved to it. “I told Jake we’d talk every day before we ship out. Will you make sure he gets this the next day?” She handed the package to her mother.

  Elizabeth weighed the box in her hands. Then she nodded. “Of course.”

  “Then there is just one more thing. He wants to come to the ship. Can you or Dad bring him day after tomorrow? I’ll let you know when is best.”

  “We can.” In the distance, one of the antique clocks struck eleven. “You need to get some rest.”

  “Yeah.” She glanced around the room, taking stock. “I think I’ve done all I can tonight and bed sounds good.”

  Elizabeth gave her a quick hug and then stepped back, looking her square in the eye. “Jake’s going to be fine, Ash. Don’t worry about him.”

  “I’ll always worry about him, just like you and Dad worry about me and the sibs.”

  Her mother chuckled and nodded. “Get some rest. I’ll see you at breakfast.”

  Ash watched as her mother left the room, closing the door behind her. Then she turned her attention back
to her duffle. She’d finish packing and turn in for the night. Morning and the realities of duty would come all too soon.

  9

  Government Center

  Caspian Bay, Midlothian

  Jensen Vreman fought the urge to curse long and hard. In all his years as a member of the Administrative Bureau, he’d never felt so helpless. No, that wasn’t right. He’d never felt the noose tightening so inexorably around his neck. It might still be only figuratively, but it was only a matter of time before it became reality. He knew it. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure what he could do about it.

  Damn Alexander Watchman! This was all his fault. If they were in a room together, Vreman would kill him. There’d be no mercy. There couldn’t be. Watchman was why they found themselves in their current unenviable position. If only they knew where he was. Unfortunately, Watchman was living up to his reputation of being the best intelligence officer Midlothian had ever had. He used that knowledge to disappear and the Bureau didn’t know if he was still in the system.

  “You’re sure?” Zander Felchin asked.

  Vreman looked at one of the Bureau’s newest members. Felchin and three others had been appointed less than a fortnight ago to replace the four he’d ordered arrested for conspiring with Watchman. Of the four, Felchin seemed the least able to accept the difficult position Midlothian found itself in. Not that Vreman blamed him. In the younger man’s shoes, he’d probably feel the same way. Unfortunately, that attitude did little to help just then.

  “We are,” Bethany Waas, the newly confirmed Secretary of State, said. She glanced at her notes. When she looked up, Vreman nodded for her to continue. “We knew Fuercon and the other members of the alliance wouldn’t waste much time in sending ships here. The ambassador made it clear he was under orders to either secure our cooperation in the hunt for Watchman and all those who worked with him or the allies were pulling their support. The Chairman warned us not to take the threat too lightly. Unfortunately, we didn’t expect them to act quite so quickly.”