by Sam Schall
“Gunny, I’m the weak point in the team and you know it. I’m more than two years out of practice and my implants are offline. So cover my ass and make sure no one gets a lucky shot off at me.” She keyed off the comm and turned her attention back to the door. Then she frowned when no one appeared.
Damn it.
“Sievers, can you see anything?” she commed.
“That’s a negative, Cap,” the sniper replied.
“Tran, Dumont, go!”
She motioned the two forward and ducked back behind what was left of the armored vehicle. As she did, she nodded slightly to see the promised medic kneeling beside the wounded prisoner. With the medic was a member of Tsui’s unit. The burly Marine touched his battle helmet with his right hand in what could almost be called a salute – something that would most definitely be a breach of regulations. You never, ever do anything on a battlefield to single out for the enemy who your commanders are.
“Corporal Gould, ma’am,” he said. “I’ll keep an eye on the LT and prisoner.”
“Good.” She nodded. “Dumont?” she commed.
“All clear, Cap.”
Ashlyn moved carefully out from behind the wreckage, Talbot on her heels. As she moved toward the door, the rest of the squad ranged around them. No one was taking any chances.
Good. That was good. She didn’t want to lose anyone now.
“Major,” she began as she once again opened a comm channel to him. “We are about to make entry.”
“Leave the channel open, Captain. We’ll hold position out front until you have secured the building and have started the evac.”
* * *
“What the hell was that?”
He raced to the window looking down on the area behind the complex. Plastering himself against the wall, he carefully peeked out. Smoke rose from below. The sound of gunfire, faint but there, reached him. As it did, his mouth drew tight. That had been their first warning something was happening and they’d almost missed it because it had been muted by the almost perfect soundproofing of the building. The same damned soundproofing that had almost cost them everything by not letting them know earlier they were the target of an attack.
Now he watched in disbelief as a small squad of Marines moved forward, their assault rifles making short work of the attackers. A bittersweet smile touched his lips as he recognized the unit markings on the battle armor of the nearest Marines. The Devil Dogs. Well, if anyone could get through the attackers and help evacuate the occupants of the complex to safety, it was the DDs. But they weren’t the same DDs he’d known.
Hell, it wasn’t the same military he’d known although, thanks to the last election and some changes at the top, it would be again.
He hoped.
But he didn’t have time to worry about that now. He had more than a hundred people – men, women and children – to keep safe. At least there was a large number of former military, or military dependents, living in the complex. It was amazing how many of them had either their old service weapons, hunting or sports weapons. It hadn’t taken them long to get armed and to take up positions to hold the building until help came.
Of course, the attackers hadn’t been very good at their jobs. All it would have taken was a carefully placed blast to the rear doors to get in. The front, with all its crystalcrete, might hold against small arms fire but a direct hit from a grenade launcher or something similar would breach the building. That’s why he’d stationed snipers on the upper floors. Between them and the firebombs some of the others had made, they’d managed to keep the enemy from moving in too close.
But why had the enemy targeted their building and why hadn’t they made a more concentrated effort to make entry? It just didn’t make any sense.
“Abe, what now?”
He turned and smiled slightly at the brunette who was now plastered to the other side of the window frame. She wore the light armor of a Marine and her assault rifle was slung across her back. She had secured on long bladed knife to her right calf and he had an idea at least two more were secreted on her person somewhere. Then there were the two pistols, one at each thigh. No one looking at her would mistake her for anything but a well-trained Marine, ready for anything the enemy might throw at them. There might be a few more wrinkles on her face and some gray in her hair, but it was hard to realize they’d been together for more than thirty years. First they’d been partners on the battlefield. Now they shared their lives. How easy it had been for them to fall back into old habits when the first shots rang out more than three hours earlier.
Thank God.
And thank God she hadn’t left her armor and weapons behind when they came to the capital more than a week before. She might not be on active duty, but she still insisted on carrying her gear with her wherever they went “just in case”.
“It looks like we’re about to get reinforcements.” He nodded out the window to where a small group of Marines moved forward. “Have Herve open the back door. Tell him to toss out a white flag. Then he is to fall back to the secondary position. I don’t think this is a trap, but let’s not get careless now.”
“All right.” She glanced out the window, her expression troubled. “I’ll go down and make sure everything’s okay. If it is the Marines, I’ll bring the CO up and we can figure out how best to get our people out.”
He didn’t like it, not one bit. If she went downstairs, she’d be closer to the enemy and that meant closer to danger. Then he shook his head, memory of other times he’d felt this way coming to mind. They’d been younger and still in uniform. She’d been headstrong then. But she’d also been smart enough not to put herself in danger’s way without a damned good reason. He had to trust her now as he had then.
Besides, she’d be able to handle just about anything that might happen. Two years beached had done little to take the edge off of her abilities as a marksman or tactician. She might not have a duty assignment at the moment, but she had kept her abilities honed as she waited for the day she’d once more be called up for active duty.
“Do it.” He ducked under the window and moved to her side. “Just be careful, Liz.”
She nodded, gave him a quick hug and then turned, pulling her rifle from the scabbard slung across her back. The years and the four children she’d born hadn’t robbed her of her ability to move quickly, gracefully and silently. He had to believe it hadn’t robbed her of her ability to stay alive.
He sighed heavily and then moved away from the window, activating his comm-link. “What’s the status out front?”
“We’ve got movement behind the enemy, Abe. It looks like friendlies but we’re holding station until we’re sure.”
“Excellent, Marc. We are doing the same at the rear.” He raced through the apartment and into the hall. He wanted to see for himself. The door across the hall stood open and he moved quickly into the apartment that was a mirror to his own. “Keep an eye out for any reaction from the attacking force. If we do finally have reinforcements on-site, the enemy may decide they have nothing to lose.”
“Understood.”
“Keep me informed.”
* * *
“Captain, you will stay behind me,” Talbot said seriously as they neared the doorway.
“Gunny,” she growled.
“I mean it, Captain.” He looked down at her. His expression, what she could see of it through the visor of his battle helmet, was serious. “Ma’am, please. You heard Major Santiago. We need you. Besides, Major Pawlak would skin me alive if anything happened to you on my watch. Then I’d have to face Admiral Tremayne. Believe me, they scare me more than you do.”
“Only because you don’t know me, Gunny.” Now she held up a hand to prevent him from interrupting. “I’m not the same officer you served with, Talbot. But I’ll try not to get you in trouble. However, you’d best remember that I am in command of this squad and you will do what I say. If I give you an order, your only response is ‘yes, ma’am’. I’m not having a repeat of what happ
ened on Artarus. Is that understood?”
God, she’d order a full retreat before allowing that to happen again. She’d watched too many of her people die senselessly on that last mission. Then, when she’d ordered the survivors to withdraw while she lay down cover fire, they’d refused. They would all retreat or no one would.
“Yes, ma’am. However, you need to remember that you are our CO. That means we’re tasked with keeping you safe even as we carry out our other orders.”
Ashlyn drew a deep breath and then exhaled. They could stand here and argue for the next hour and she’d never get Talbot to back down. She’d seen him like this before – on more than one occasion. So she knew he had a stubborn streak a kilometer wide. Besides, she had no doubt Pawlak was on a secure com-channel even as they spoke, telling the gunny to make sure she didn’t do anything foolish. Well, she could play nice – for the moment.
“All right, Gunny.”
He looked at her for a moment and she knew he was trying to decide if she meant it or not. Then he shook his head and stepped in front of her. As he did, two members of the squad took up positions behind them, their weapons at the ready. Talbot nodded to the point men and they began moving slowly toward the rear entrance of the building.
Ashlyn raised her right fist and her squad halted. Dropping to her right knee, assault rifle snugged against her shoulder, she focused on the door. The security panel to the right of the doorway showed signs of tampering. Perhaps the attackers had tried to bypass security to make entry. Obviously they’d failed. Just as obvious, at least to Ash, was the fact that Callusian-trained troops wouldn’t have worried about bypassing security unless they were trying for a silent entry. That begged the question of why, when they hadn’t taken precautions not to be seen from the building, they’d want to try to enter silently. Had the plan been for the enemy troopers at the front of the building to make enough of a distraction that they could enter, get whatever their target was and leave before they’d be discovered? If so, they’d failed and they were now extremely dead – the usual result of stupidity on the battlefield.
Ashlyn motioned the point men forward. Sweat pricked out on her forehead and she fought the urge to remove her helmet to wipe her brow. But seeing how Sievers had made quick work of the attackers, easier because of their carelessness in not being fully armored, she decided not to repeat their stupidity. Instead, she concentrated on keeping her breathing even, her attention focused on the doorway.
Most of all, she did her best not to compare this mission with that last disastrous one on Arterus. But it was so hard. Then, like now, they’d been fighting in the middle of a city. They’d been tasked with taking out the enemy without causing unreasonable collateral damage. At least this time they didn’t seem to be up against an enemy willing to kill hundreds, even thousands, of innocents.
Swallowing hard, Ashlyn fought against the demons of her memory. It didn’t’ help that the squad was exposed, easy targets if the enemy finally decided to start fighting smart. But these were some of the best of the Devil Dogs. They’d keep a sharp watch out for enemy movement. She knew it. All she had to do was trust them.
When the door slid open a few moments later, she tensed. Her finger twitched toward the trigger guard. Then Marino and Dumont appeared, Marino signaling for the rest of the squad to move forward.
“Report,” Talbot said.
“Open area just beyond the door. There’s a second door in the northwest corner which leads into a corridor. The corridor, according to our schematics, leads to the elevator banks, stairs and then on to the front of the building. It’s not a straight shot. There’s a ninety degree turn about ten meters past the door. The building occupants have set up a series of barricades,” Marino reported.
“Did you make contact?”
“No, Cap. We figured it might be best for you or the gunny to assess the situation first.” This from Dumont.
“Reason?” Ashlyn asked simply.
“Ma’am, the way we see it, we’ve got ourselves some very nervous civilians around that corner. They’re going to react better to rank than to us, even if some of them are former military.”
“All right.” As she spoke, she could almost feel the gunnery sergeant fidgeting at her side. He’d know Dumont was right but he wouldn’t like it. He wouldn’t like it because, knowing his captain, he’d know she meant to be the one to make first contact with the civilians. Well, too bad. It was her job to do just that.
She reached up and removed her helmet. Before Talbot could protest, Marino was there to take it from her. Ashlyn nodded in appreciation, glad to be rid of it. She’d never admit to any of them just how much it had shaken her when she’d first secured the helmet in place. Something that had once been such a normal part of her life now reminded her too much of all those times she’d been hooded by the guards on Tarsus before being taken to the commandant for her latest lesson. There’d been a moment of panic, of memories best forgotten, before she’d gotten herself under control. Hopefully, it would get better. It had to get better. But, for now, she was glad to be rid of the helmet.
“Gunny, I trust you to have my back,” she said softly before approaching the door.
“Your back and I’ll have your head if you do anything foolish, Cap,” he replied just as softly.
A smile touched her lips, not that she’d let him see it. Then she nodded to Dumont and waited as the door slid open. With a deep breath, she stepped inside, wondering what she’d find when she rounded the corner ahead.
Chapter Seven
“Someone’s coming.”
The comment, given in what could best be described as a stage whisper, was unnecessary. She’d been watching the vid-feed from the rear entrance since her arrival at the makeshift barricade almost five minutes earlier. Part of her had been surprised the Marines – if that’s what they really were – hadn’t already made entry. But another part of her, the Marine in her, knew that was a good sign. It meant they were well-trained and even better disciplined than the attackers. It also meant the squad probably was what it appeared – Marines – and not poor copies meant to trick the defenders into lowering their guard.
Not that she was going to let any of the five men and women manning the barricade with her do that. Instead, she opened her comm-link, knowing her husband be listening in, ready to send reinforcements if necessary. Then she lifted her rifle into position. She held it ready, her grip firm but loose enough to let her adjust her aim as needed. If these really were Marines, they’d not just come waltzing around the corner. Unless, of course, they were as stupid as the attackers had proven to be. If they were, well, they weren’t Marines. At least not their Marines.
If they weren’t their Marines . . . Well, she’d make sure they quickly learned how foolish they’d been to attack the complex.
“Stand ready but do not – I repeat, do not – fire unless I give the order,” she said softly, glancing at each of her companions to be sure they understood.
“Liz?” Abe’s voice sounded worried through her earbud and she frowned. He knew better than to interrupt right now. She needed her full attention on the corridor ahead of the barricade.
“Not now, Abe,” she snapped. “I’ll leave the link open so you can listen in.”
She could imagine him grinding his teeth in frustration. She’d make it up to him later. But this wasn’t the time for spousal concern. Not when so much could go wrong if they weren’t careful. Hell, it could go wrong even if they were careful and they both knew it.
The seconds stretched out at an agonizingly slow pace. It had been years, too many years, since she’d had to man such a post. Doing it with nothing more than an assault rifle, her combat knives, two pistols and five men and women she’d never fought with before and who were armed with hunting rifles or old service weapons didn’t help. Nor did the knowledge of what would happen if the approaching squad was the enemy. She’d had friends die before. She’d held them in her arms as it happened. But that had been b
efore she’d been promoted out of the field. Those men and women had been brothers-in-arms, not her neighbors, most of whom had never seen combat.
“Stand ready,” she said as the vid-feed showed the Marines in their battle armor nearing the corner. A few more steps and they’d be visible from the barricade.
Her heart beat faster and she drew a deep breath, willing herself to stay calm. It would soon be over, whatever “it” was. All she could do was wait.
* * *
Ashlyn signaled for the squad to come to a halt. Less than two meters ahead was the bend in the corridor. Just beyond that was the barricade. She hoped the residents manning it were former military. That gave the squad at least a chance of making it into around the corner before one of the civilians did something exceptionally stupid like open fire on them.
Talbot stopped next to her and slid his rifle into the scabbard on his back. “May I make a suggestion, ma’am?” he asked softly.
“Of course.”
“Let me announce our presence. Once I have, I’ll advance with Dumont. As soon as we’re sure no one is going to do anything foolish, you can join us.”
Ashlyn shook her head. She’d been waiting to see how the gunny would try to keep her from being the first to make entry. As they’d slowly progressed to this point in the building, she’d felt his frustration growing. He no more approved of her being at the head of the squad now, when they were fairly sure there was no danger, than he did of her being the first to show herself to those behind the barricade.
“You can call out, Gunny, but I’ll be the first to appear. Dumont was right about that. They need to see an officer.” She held up a hand to cut off his protest. “You’ll be right there with me, watching my back. But I need to do this.” For more reasons than she’d ever admit.
She waited, closely watching as he processed what she said. He didn’t like it. She didn’t need to see his expression turn thunderous to know that. But he also seemed to understand. He nodded once and then turned to the rest of the squad.