Vengeance from Ashes: Special Edition with Exclusive Content (Honor and Duty Book 1)

by Sam Schall

  Miranda Tremayne paced the small conference room like a caged animal. With every step she took, her anger built. She’d been furious for the last two days, ever since her futile meeting with Ashlyn Shaw. She was angry with Shaw for being such a stubborn pain in the ass. She was furious with the military tribunal that had convicted Shaw and the others simply because it had been politically expedient to do so. Most of all, she was furious with herself. She should have found a way before now to break down the so-called evidence against her protégé and get her and the others out of that hell hole.

  The evidence! What a laugh.

  No, not evidence. Innuendo and the need for a scapegoat because the former Secretary of Defense and his political cronies hadn’t wanted to admit one of their own had not only issued illegal orders but had then covered them up. They had willingly sacrificed Shaw and so many others in the process, not to mention how they betrayed all those still willing to lay their lives down to keep Fuercon and her allies free.

  Tremayne’s fury had turned into something she’d barely been able to contain after meeting with Rico Santiago the night before. The major had arrived at her home, exactly as her admin had arranged, his wife on his arm. To anyone who might be watching, they were nothing more than a happily married couple coming to spend an evening with friends. What those potential spying eyes wouldn’t have seen was how Anna Santiago had retired to the game room with Tremayne’s grown daughters while Tremayne and the major disappeared into her study. There they’d stayed until well after midnight, reviewing what they knew about the so-called evidence against Shaw and all that had happened since her court-martial.

  Tremayne had suspected all along that Sorkowski and O’Brien not only lied in their reports about what happened that fateful day, but had actually altered Shaw’s original orders and then made sure her protests were “lost”. But to see actual proof of it and then to remember how many people had died, Marines and civilians. . . Damn it, she should have pushed harder to find out what happened the moment she got Shaw’s message and realized just how concerned the young woman had been about that last assignment. By the time she learned Shaw and the others were being brought up on charges, the damage had been done and records had been altered.

  Damn them!

  Worse in so many ways was learning what had been done to her after her arrival at the penal colony. She remembered how excited Ashlyn had sounded when she commed to tell her about her assignment to the Devil Dogs. Not long after that, the young woman sent a picture of herself with her new Devil Dog tattoo. How proud Ashlyn had been and now that, just like her career, had been torn away from her.

  Someone had to pay.

  Now, in the light of day, Tremayne’s fury continued to grow. She had not only failed her protégé but also the members of Shaw’s unit who had survived that fateful mission only to be brought up on charges and sent to the penal colony with Shaw. Then there were the dead. They would haunt Tremayne for the rest of her life.

  So many had died during that last mission. The survivors had been made into scapegoats just to save a few political and military careers. She’d sworn two years ago that there would be justice for them, just as there would be for Shaw. Now that justice was close to becoming a reality. But it wouldn’t be easy, especially not if Shaw continued to be such a stubborn pain in her ass.

  And where the hell was the guard with Shaw?

  Before she could reach for her comm-link to demand – yet again – that Shaw be brought to her, the door slid open with a soft whoosh. Tremayne turned. Her expression hardened to see Shaw, shackled and sullen. Her wrists were secured behind her back. The chains about her ankles forced her to take short, shuffling steps. If that weren’t bad enough, the guards escorting her held her firmly by her upper arms, so firmly Tremayne knew they would leave bruises. It was no wonder Shaw looked sullen.

  Well, that was something Tremayne could deal with now.

  “Remove the restraints, all of them!” she snapped and was rewarded with the sight of Shaw looking at her in surprise for one quick moment before the younger woman had herself under control again.

  Good. Hopefully that meant she was in more of a mood to listen.

  “Senator,” one of the guards began.

  “I said to remove the restraints,” she repeated firmly. “And then leave us alone.”

  “Senator, we can’t!” the second guard protested. “Regulations—”

  “Regulations be damned,” she countered. “I suggest you remember that I am not only a senator but I am also an admiral in the fleet, even if retired. That means I outrank you by several orders of magnitude. If that isn’t enough, where do you think Captain Shaw can go? There’s only one entry to the room and you two will be on the other side. As for worry that she might try to harm me, let’s take care of that right here and now.” She turned to Shaw and prayed the young woman understood what she needed to say. “Captain, are you going to try to do anything foolish like attack me the moment the guards leave the room?”

  For a moment, Shaw said nothing. Instead, she looked from the guards to Tremayne and back again. Then she shook her head, a slight smile – bitter and bemused at the same time – touched her lips.

  “No, ma’am, I won’t try anything. You have my word as a Marine.”

  “There. You have your answer. Now release her and leave us alone.”

  “We’ll have to report this to our CO, ma’am,” the first guard said as he removed the cuffs from Shaw’s wrists.

  “You do that – from the other side of the door.”

  She waited, her expression hard as the guards finished freeing their prisoner. If possible, her expression turned even harder as the second guard leaned in close to Shaw and warned her what would happen she even thought about doing anything to the senator. Instead of reacting, Shaw simply stared through him. Tremayne shook her head, not sure whether to be amused, impressed or worried.

  “Ashlyn, please have a seat,” she said as the door slid shut behind the guards.

  Instead of waiting to see if she did, Tremayne moved across the room and poured water for both of them from the pitcher sitting on the narrow counter against the far wall. By the time she returned to the table, Shaw had pulled out one of the chairs and was seated, her hands resting on the table. Well, that was one small victory. Now, hopefully, others would come.

  “Ash, I know you have no reason to trust me, but I’d like you to listen for a few minutes. I want to explain why we brought you back here,” Tremayne continued as she sat opposite the younger woman and handed her a cup of water. “And then I’d like you to explain a few things to me.”

  “Permission to speak, ma’am?”

  Tremayne closed her eyes and willed herself not to react. Except when they’d been on duty, they never stood on this much formality. Was this another indication about what her life had been like at the penal colony?

  “Ash, you never have to ask me for permission to speak,” she answered. “I wish you’d believe me when I say you’re safe now.”

  “Ma’am, that may be but it won’t last, not if I have to return to Tarsus.” Shaw reached up and touched the scar marring her left cheek and then the streak of white at that temple. As she did, Tremayne wondered if she even knew she was doing it. “I meant what I said the other day. Unless whatever you want me for includes freeing my people, my answer’s no. I have no other choice. You can ask Major Santiago to confirm it for you if you like.”

  Tremayne’s mouth tightened as Shaw confirmed one of her suspicions. She’d been sure Rico Santiago knew more than he told her the night before. When she’d tried to press him on it, he sidestepped the issue. He’d done his best to convince her she knew everything he did, but she hadn’t believed him. Now, sitting across from Shaw and seeing the determination mixed with fear reflected in her eyes, she realized why. Santiago never said he’d gone to see Shaw after learning she was on-planet. There was no way he wouldn’t have and, judging from what Shaw had just said, he’d not only seen her
but she’d given him some sort of explanation for why she refused to cooperate.

  He’d better be ready to explain because, if Shaw continued to be obstinate, Tremayne would be paying him a visit very soon. Even if Shaw cooperated, she would be making that visit. She did not appreciate being kept out of the loop, not when so much could go wrong.

  “Ash, you have to believe me. I haven’t forgotten your people any more than I forgot you.”

  She sat there, watching the admiral – no, the senator, she corrected – weighing what the woman said. She wanted to believe Tremayne. There had been a time when she never would have doubted the woman. But that had been before she’d been brought up on charges and found herself, and the surviving members of her command, sent to Tarsus. The last two years had done a great deal to destroy her ability to trust anyone.

  Still, there was a ring of truth to what Tremayne said. Besides, it did fit with the urgency she had sensed to her guards since her return to New Kilrain. But what if she was wrong? So many things she’d once thought inviolate had proven to be fasle. Did she dare trust her former mentor now?

  Did she dare not?

  More importantly, she had trusted Santiago with at least part of the truth. Surely she could do the same with Tremayne. But, before she did, she needed information. She needed to know why, after so long, FleetCom suddenly seemed to remember her and the others.

  “Ma’am.” She paused and licked her lips. It felt strange to speak except in response to a direct question. “Ma’am, will you tell me what’s going on? Please.”

  Damn the desperation in her voice. That was weakness. Even if Tremayne didn’t use it against her, there was no guarantee those listening in wouldn’t. She had to remember her place. She could not let her guard slip again.

  “Ash.” Tremayne’s voice choked and tears swam for a moment in her blue eyes. That emotion did more to reassure Shaw than anything else had in a very long time. “I’ll be more than glad to answer any questions you have. But I need you to answer a question for me first.”

  “W-what?”

  “If we were to guarantee that your people would be freed immediately, would you accept a full pardon?”

  For a split second, hope flared. Could justice finally be served?

  But just as quickly that hope was extinguished. Tremayne hadn’t said they had secured the release of her people. She had asked if they were able to do so. Nothing had changed, nothing at all!

  “Ma’am, until I know my people are safely away from the prison and have been pardoned, I can’t do anything.” She stared at her hands where they rested on the table, fingers interlocked so tightly it hurt. “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

  “I think I understand, Ash, and I want you to know that is exactly what we’re working on right now.”

  “Thank you.” Now she looked up, knowing her expression revealed too much. But she didn’t have a choice. She had to trust this woman to help and be damned with those who might be watching. “Ma’am, I have to ask. Why did you bring me back here after all this time?”

  She hated asking, especially since Tremayne hadn’t answered when she first asked the question. But, suddenly, she didn’t want to return to her cell. She wanted – no, she needed – the small sense of freedom being in the conference room gave her. Anything was better than being alone again.

  Oh, God, she didn’t want to go back to her cell.

  “Ma’am, I have to ask. Why did you bring me back here after all this time?”

  Hearing the question, seeing the need for an answer reflected in Shaw’s brown eyes, Tremayne relaxed some. Finally, a chink in the younger woman’s control, a chink she’d hopefully be able to use to get through to her. Anything was better than returning to the stand-off they’d had two days before.

  Still, after all she’d seen and read, Tremayne didn’t blame Shaw one bit for reacting as she had. Life in the military prison must have been hell for her. The record, such as it was, that she’d seen had revealed how the commandant of the penal colony had basically isolated Shaw and her people not only from the rest of the prison population but from one another as well.

  Then there had been the punishments for what were, at best, minor infractions. Most were within the letter of the regulations, barely. But others, the punishments that were hinted at in the records but not actually detailed, were what truly bothered the senator. She had a good idea that was how Shaw received the scars marring her face. What else had happened during the last two years she could only imagine and she didn’t like it one bit.

  She couldn’t let herself think about that though. Not yet. There would be a time to investigate what went on at the penal colony. But that would come later, after the current situation was dealt with.

  “Ash, I’ll be honest. What I said the other day is the truth. You were right when you predicted that the truce would be nothing more than farce. That’s putting it mildly. The politicians pushed it through in the vain hope it would keep them in office. They sacrificed you, your people and so many others for their own petty ambitions. What they didn’t expect was how it would backfire on them. After you and your people were brought up on charges, the voters revolted and took the government back. Almost every person holding office at the time of your court-martial who didn’t publicly come out in support of you and against the truce was voted out in the next election. Once President Harper took office, he made a clean sweep of the Cabinet and the military and it trickled down from there.

  “This is all a roundabout way of telling you that things have changed, not only politically but also on the front lines. The truce didn’t work. The enemy wasn’t interested in negotiating a peace. Instead, they continued raiding the outer colonies. At first, before the elections, the administration and military command explained it away as pirates and slavers. They learned fairly quickly that they couldn’t keep the rank and file quiet. Those fighting these so-called pirates and slavers were talking to friends and family and they, in turn, talked to others. Then the media got involved. Once President Harper cleaned house and people like Rico Santiago started looking into what had been happening, it became clear that the Callusians had been behind the attacks all along. The public knows and is demanding we quit honoring the treaty terms. They want us to act. They want us to stop the enemy once and for all. More than that, they want the wrongs of the previous administration righted.

  “That’s where you and others come in, Ash. We want – no, we need you back. No one knows better than you how the enemy operates groundside. Hell, kid, you know their space tactics better than most of our naval COs. We need that knowledge and experience to help us finally defeat these bastards.”

  As she spoke, Tremayne kept her eyes on Shaw. All expression left the younger woman’s face and her mouth firmed. It was as if she suddenly turned to stone. She heard what was said, the senator could see that from the way her eyes dropped to stare at the table before lifting to stare at some unseen point beyond Tremayne’s head. But Shaw never said a word.

  God, had she lost Shaw again, just when it looked like she had finally been getting through to her?

  Fortunately, Shaw hadn’t told her to go to Hell. Not yet. That was a good thing, at least she hoped it was.

  “Ashlyn, I don’t blame you for not trusting me,” she continued, praying she found the right words to get through to her companion. “But I want you to remember something. I’ve never broken my word to you. I promised you when I found out you’d been brought up on charges that I would do everything in my power to clear your name and the names of your people. I gave up my commission to do so because I knew that was what was needed.

  “All I’m asking is that you think about what I’ve said. Think about what a black eye it would give those who so willingly sacrificed you and the others. They’ve lost their political clout. Now the best thing you can do is show that they haven’t beaten you. Prove to them that they haven’t broken you.”

  God, what was it going to take to convince her?

&n
bsp; When Shaw pushed back from the table and stood, Tremayne waited. One part of her was glad the guards weren’t present. The moment Shaw moved, they would have been on her, sure she’d been about to attack. But Tremayne knew better. She remembered how her protégé would pace when thinking. Maybe there was hope.

  So she waited, aware of pain from her fingernails as she clinched her fists under the table. So much might rest on what happened in the next few minutes. If she failed. . . .

  “Ma’am – Miranda, I want nothing more than to get a bit of my own back from those responsible for sending us to Tarsus.” Shaw stood across the small room and shook her head. “But I can’t agree, not unless I know for sure that my people are safe. I can’t leave them there. I just can’t.” Tears welled in her eyes and she reached up to scrub them away.

  “Ash, I’m doing my best. I promise.” She stood and hurried to Shaw’s side. The young woman stiffened as she pulled her close. Then slowly, hesitantly, Shaw wrapped her arms around her and held on, for all the world as if she was holding onto a lifeline. “Shh, Ash, shh,” Tremayne soothed, her right hand gently rubbing the young woman’s back as she cried.

  Dear God, she’d known Shaw all the young woman’s life and had never seen her break like this.

  “Please, Miranda, you’ve got to understand. I can’t leave them there.”

  “Come, sit.” She gently led the young woman back to the table. “I can guess why you feel that way. But it would help if you’d tell me.” Now she held up a hand, hoping to ward off her companion’s protest. “I know Major Santiago visited you the other day. I have no doubt he worked his magic and made sure your conversation wasn’t monitored or recorded by the guards. Believe me, I have the same precautions in place. So you can tell me without fear that anyone will overhear and report back to Tarsus.”

  She waited, watching as Shaw considered what she said. Fortunately, it had been the truth. She might not know for sure what Santiago did to insure no one listened in on their conversation but she had a good idea. After all, she had seen him do much the same thing before. He simply hadn’t told her about it this time. Besides, she hadn’t lied when she said she had made sure no record would exist of this meeting.