“Thank you, Ma’am.” She bent and softly told Comms to pass the message on. “Damage control teams are still working to free members of the crew that were trapped in the fighting. The CMO and his people are hard pressed right now to keep ahead of the injuries coming in.”
“We will get you help there as soon as we can. Your Marines?”
“Our LAC numbers have been cut almost in half, Ma’am. Most of our crews have been rescued, fortunately. I will be able to get you a full report once the COLAC and I have a few minutes to confer. As for shipboard Marines, those originally assigned to the Nagato have proven to be invaluable. They worked with both Damage Control and the medical teams as well as filling in where they could, according to their specialties. The Devil Dogs have helped with Damage Control and Lieutenant Lashay reports they have cleared the staging area bay so the attack shuttles can launch if necessary.”
“Excellent, Colonel. I had hoped that might be the case.” Now Tremayne grinned.
Seeing it, Ashlyn hoped the Admiral had good news.
“We have received a hail from the Anubis, Colonel, and I thought you might want to listen in.”
“I most definitely would, Ma’am.”
“We’ll tie you into the feed. I’m letting Captain Vilhjalmsson take the lead on this.”
Ashlyn thought for a moment. “Ma’am, I have one request. Captain Thrasher has regained consciousness and is in his quarters. The CMO sent him there with orders not to get out of bed. I would like him linked in as well.”
“Of course.” Tremayne nodded in approval. “One thing before I signal Captain Vilhjalmsson to respond to the hail. It comes not from Dorescu but from a Pyotyr Kovacz who identifies himself as the Anubis’ captain.”
“That is very interesting, Admiral.”
“I thought so.” Tremayne turned away as someone out of sight said something. Then she stepped out of the picture.
As she waited for Tremayne to return, Ashlyn told the ensign to send someone to Thrasher’s quarters to prepare for the incoming transmission. Then she moved back to the command chair. As she sat, she felt every minute of the last eight hours. She also knew that, given the choice, she would never be tied to a bridge during battle again. She was a Marine and did not want nor enjoy filling in for her Naval counterpart.
“Colonel.”
Ash turned to the speaker and nodded to see Lance Corporal Connery. Then she noticed the mug of coffee and sandwich the woman carried. Before she could say anything, Connery passed them to her, telling her to eat. “The Mess isn’t up and running yet but they did manage to get coffee and tea going and they’re making sandwiches as quickly as they can,” she explained.
“Make sure everyone up here gets something ASAP,” Ashlyn said between bites.
“Already done, Ma’am. They’ll have something here shortly.”
Ashlyn thanked her and continued eating. Finally, after more than eight hours, the fighting was finally dying down. Dying being the operative word. Both sides had lost people and ships. Second Fleet’s losses weren’t as bad as they could have been and Ashlyn knew that was because the Nagato and her sister ships had done everything possible to hold the Callusian taskforce in place until the rest of Second Fleet could arrive. Now that they were no longer in the middle of the battle, Ash knew the Nagato had been lucky. It would not have been able to hold out much longer if the rest of the fleet hadn’t arrived when it did. Even so, all it, as well as it sister ships, would require extensive time in the Yard before they would see battle again.
“Do we know anything about this Kovacz?” she asked when Tremayne reappeared on her screen a short time later.
“Not much, Colonel,” Tremayne’s Intelligence officer, Lieutenant Brendan McCrary, replied. “He has been assigned to the Anubis for at least the last year. Like most Callusian officers, he worked his way up the ranks through a combination of ability and blackmail and convenient accidents to those immediately above him in rank.”
“Speculation?”
“Either Dorescu has been injured or killed in the fighting or he met one of those unfortunate accidents, Ma’am.”
It couldn’t have happened to a nicer man, as her mother used to say.
“If you’re ready, Ash, Captain Vilhjalmsson will accept the hail.”
“We’re ready here, Ma’am. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wanted to hear what this Kovacz has to say.”
“I think it safe to say we all want to hear it, Ash.” Tremayne turned to her chief of staff and told him to let Vilhjalmsson know they were ready to proceed. “I’ll want your impressions after the contact ends.”
“Aye, Ma’am.”
“One minute, Admiral,” someone off-camera said.
“Comms, contact the COLAC and tell them to standby. Weapons to remain hot and all pilots on alert,” Ashlyn ordered as she waited for the connection with the Anubis to be established. “Let’s see if this Kovacz has more sense than Dorescu.”
“Aye, Colonel. COLAC to standby.”
Ashlyn sipped her coffee and waited. A few moments later, her display split into two screens. To the right was the tactical display. To the left was Captain Vilhjalmsson’s image. He said something off-screen before turning to face her. “Admiral, ready when you are.”
“Let’s see what he wants, Lars,” Tremayne’s voice said.
“Aye, Ma’am. Switching transmission so you see what I do.” The image changed to his screensaver. A moment later, it changed and Vilhjalmsson spoke. “Captain Kovacz, this is Captain Lars Vilhjalmsson, commanding officer of the Phoenix Rising.”
“Captain Vilhjalmsson.” The image on the screen showed a man who looked as if he had aged years in the last few hours. Exhaustion greyed his complexion. He held himself as thought his ribs had been injured. But it was his expression that drew Ashlyn’s attention. He reminded her of some of the few Callusian prisoners they had taken during the last war. Angry to have been captured, to know they had been bested by someone they knew was beneath them, but resigned to the fact that there was no other option left to them.
“Captain Kovacz, you and your taskforce have violated Fuerconese space and fired upon ships of our Navy. You either surrender now and let us board you ships or we will destroy those of your ships that still survive.” Vilhjalmsson tone sent shivers down Ashlyn’s spine. She most definitely did not want to get on his bad side.
“What are your terms?”
“There are no terms, Captain. You will take your weapons and engines off-line. You will instruct your personnel to offer no resistance when our forces board your ships. You will make no attempt to scrub your computers. You will make no attempt to hide or space any carge, no matter what it might be. If you violate any of these, we will open fire.”
Kovacz’s mouth worked angrily but he said nothing. Finally, he gave a single curt nod.
“You will acquiesce on the record, Captain.”
“Agreed,” he all but spat.
Ashlyn touched the control stud to signal Tremayne. Almost instantly, the Admiral responded on a private channel.
“Ma’am, have Captain Vilhjalmsson tell him that we know he has a Midlothian advisor onboard and we expect him to be turned over to us, in good condition, or they will face the consequences.”
For a moment Tremayne said nothing. Then she chuckled. “You’re evil, Ash. By putting it that way, we plant the seed of doubt in Kovacz that the Midlothians have betrayed them, just as they betrayed us.”
“Yes, Ma’am. It might loosen both their tongues when the Intel folks get hold of them.”
“Consider it done.”
“One last thing, Captain Kovacz,” Vilhjalmsson continued a moment later. “We know you have a Midlothian advisor onboard. We expect you to turn Commander Hughes over to us and he had best be in good condition.”
If possible, Kovacz paled even more. “All right,” he all but spat.
“Excellent. Issue the order to your ships to power down all but essential life support systems. Our
LACs will remain on patrol. Once we have confirmed your compliance, we will begin sending over boarding parties. Vilhjalmsson, out.”
The screen changed momentarily to the Fuerconese flag. Then Tremayne’s image once more appeared. “What do you think, Colonel?”
“He’ll do as Vilhjalmsson said but I would expect a few surprises from his people.” She studied the tactical display for a moment. The size of the taskforce had been cut by at least two-thirds. “This is the first time we’ve managed to capture more than a ship or two. We have to expect at least some of those onboard the surviving ships to try to choose suicide over becoming a POW. If they can take some of us with them, all the better.”
“Recommendation on boarding?”
For a moment, she considered the question. “Acting on the assumption that Dorescu was as paranoid as most of the other Callusian commanders we’ve encountered, I recommend boarding the Anubis first. If I’m right about him, there is a very good chance the Anubis had the ability to take command of any or all of the other ships in the taskforce. Besides, I have a feeling that the longer we wait to take Hughes into custody, the shorter his life expectancy.”
“This is your call, Colonel. Draw up a plan for your Marines, supplemented by the other Marines in Second Fleet, to board and clear the ships. Once they are under Marine control, we will send over Navy crews to strip out their databases and determine if the ships are capable of making it to the Yard where they can be examined by the Intel folks as well as R&D.”
“Understood, Admiral. Give me an hour. In the meantime, I’d recommend letting my LACs return to refuel. There should be enough LACs from the rest of the fleet to cover in their absence.”
“Forward your immediate needs for the ship as well, Colonel.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Tremayne out.”
Ashlyn blew out a breath and closed her eyes. Exhaustion pulled at her. Pushing it down, she opened her eyes and glanced around the bridge. Injured, exhausted, they crew continued to work. They coordinated with their teams elsewhere in the ship. Pride filled her as they did. If they had thought it odd to have a Marine take over when Captain Thrasher went down, they never let it show, Instead, they had worked as hard for her and she had seen them work for him. If she had anything to say about it, she would make sure each of them received commendations. They had earned them.
“Lt. Caldwell, you have the com. I’ll be in the Ready Room.” She stood and moved to where the navigator sat. He looked startled as she held out her hand. Then he grinned and got to his feet. His grip was firm as he shook her hand.
“Colonel, I know I speak for everyone onboard when I say it would be an honor to serve with you any time and any place.”
“The honor has been mine, LT.” She jerked her head toward the captain’s chair. “You have the com.”
“Aye, Ma’am. I have the com.”
With Connery on her heels, she made her way to the Ready Room. As soon as the hatch slid shut behind them, she sagged and reached for the table. Leaning her weight on her left hand, she drew a long, shuddering breath. Instantly, Connery was there, helping her to a chair.
“Ma’am, were you injured?” Concern filled the lance corporal’s voice.
“No.” Not really, not when compared to what some of the rest of the crew had suffered and certainly nothing she couldn’t handle. “It’s just the letdown. I’d much rather be fighting dirtside than do a repeat of the last eight hours.”
“I hear you, Ma’am.” Connery grinned in understanding. “And with all due respect, Colonel, you did better given the circumstances than some of the Navy types I’ve been around.”
“Thanks, but let’s hope I never have to repeat it.” She blew out a breath and stretched. “Contact Lashay and tell him I want the attack shuttles ready to launch in an hour. If I know the Admiral – and I do – she won’t waste any time once I get the boarding plan to her.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Then see if you can’t rustle up a pot of coffee and whoever is now senior among the Marine’s assigned to the ship. We may need to use some of them to fill in any holes in Lashay’s force.”
With that, Ashlyn activated the workstation at the end of the table. As she did, Connery contact Lashay and then the Mess. Once finished, she activated the holo over the table, programming it to show not only the tactical display but what was happening on the bridge. Ashlyn looked up once, nodded in approval and then returned to work.
Forty-five minutes later, Ashlyn sent her proposed boarding plan to Tremayne. As she did, she knew it was far from optimal. The Devil Dogs onboard the Anubis, as well as the Marines assigned to there, have suffered more casualties than she first realized. Anger flared, as did guilt. She had no doubt if she had been in command of the Devil Dog contingent, the casualties would have been fewer. Her head told her she couldn’t have done anything. She had been needed on the bridge. Her heart, however, wouldn’t accept it. At least not yet.
As a result, she had to plug some of the holes in the boarding party for the Anubis with Marines she didn’t know. Worse, they had not trained with the Devil Dogs. The cohesion that came from knowing your squadmates and training with them would be missing. The potential for something going wrong increased because of it. Knowing that, she knew she was going to have to convince the Admiral to let her do something she knew Tremayne would be against.
Not to mention Talbot.
“Comms, get me Master Gunnery Sergeant Talbot onboard the flagship,” she ordered. “Lance Corporal, are you ready to do some real work now?” she asked as she got to her feet.
“What does the Colonel have in mind, Ma’am?”
“Let’s see how the Admiral reacts first.”
Fifteen minutes later, they entered the staging area. As they did, Ash was glad she kept in shape. The lifts in this part of the ship were out of order and she and Connery had done more than a bit of backtracking to avoid corridors jammed with Damage Control teams. As they moved from deck to deck, Ashlyn’s amazement that there hadn’t been more deaths grew. So did her respect for Thrasher. She knew one of the main reasons those numbers were as low as they were was because the captain made sure his people were well-trained. That was something else she planned to discuss with Tremayne when she had the chance.
“Stand easy,” she said before the Marines already gathered could brace to attention. “Where’s the LT?” she asked when she looked around and didn’t see him.
“Here, Colonel.” He appeared from one of the attack shuttles.
“How long until we’re ready to launch?”
“Flight crews are finishing their pre-flights, Ma’am If everything reads green, we can launch in fifteen. It will take that long to finish loading.”
Before she could answer, her comm signaled an incoming message. “Shaw.”
“Colonel, I thought I made it clear you were to stay out of trouble,” Talbot said, a faint trace of humor in his voice.
“I know, Master Guns, but I’ve always wanted to try my hand at commanding a ship in battle.”
“You do know the Devil Dogs won’t let you abandon us for the Navy, don’t you, Ma’am?”
“Well, if that’s the case, then give me an update. What’s the status of the rest of the battalion?” She started off in the direction of the office Thrasher had assigned her, motioning for Lashay to follow.
Ten minutes later, she slid her comm back into its place at her left thigh. Talbot’s report eased much of her concern. As expected, their LACs had taken a major hit and she would have to discuss replacement equipment and personnel with not only her mother but General Okafor as well. That would wait until they returned to Fuercon. For the moment, she needed to focus on the task at hand.
“LT, any questions?” she asked. As she did, she moved to her footlocker and unlocked it. There were a few things she wanted from it before the shuttles departed.
“Negative, Ma’am.”
“Then join your men. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Colonel, what are you doing?” she asked seriously as Ashlyn continued to pull things from her footlocker.
“Lance Corporal, unless you took a hit to the head during the battle and forgot what it means to be a Devil Dog, you know very well what I’m doing.” Realizing her words were harsher than she’d meant, she sat back on her heels and looked up. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.”
“Not a problem, Ma’am, but my question stands.”
She cast a look at the closed door. “The LT is a good officer but I’ve had to supplement the ranks with non-Devil Dogs. I can’t risk some of them mistaking the lieutenant for a wet behind the ears officer fresh out of the Academy. So you and I are going along to make sure there are no problems.”
“The Master Guns won’t be happy but I think it’s a good call, Ma’am.”
“Then add any gear you need for the mission, Lance Corporal. I want to launch as soon as I hear from the Admiral.”
* * *
Commander Bernard Hughes groaned and rolled to his side. His head pounded and his jaw felt as though it was broken. He swallowed and then ran his tongue carefully over his teeth, wincing to find several of them broken. The last thing he remembered was being on the bridge. He had done what he should have long ago. He had killed Dorescu. Then Kovacz and at least one other attacked. In that moment, he’d know he was dead. So why was he still alive?
What if he wasn’t alive. What if this was the afterlife he had never really believed in?
No, it couldn’t be. He hurt too badly. It was too loud with alarms blaring and people moaning and crying for help. The distant sound of small arms fire reached him, a bare whisper over the sound of the alarms. But he recognized it and wondered whether it was the enemy or if the crew had mutinied.
Neither of which helped him any.
Opening his eyes a slit, he looked around. He lay on the deck. Where, he wasn’t sure. All he knew for certain was that he wasn’t alone. Others lay on the deck around him. Most appeared to be injured. The smell of death filled the area. Had they brought him here to die?
Honor from Ashes (Honor and Duty Book 3) Page 23