The United Federation Marine Corps' Lysander Twins: The Complete Series: Books 1-5

by Jonathan P. Brazee

  “Pretty much the same as you, Esther.”

  “My friends call me Ess.”

  “OK, Ess. My reasons are pretty much the same as yours.”

  There was nothing more to say. She’d said her piece, and that was good enough. She closed her eyes as sleep overtook her, only vaguely aware that she’d slumped over to lean up against Jim.

  MARS

  Chapter 49

  Esther whistled as she sauntered down the corridor to her office. The debrief on Earth had gone surprisingly well. The chairman himself had attended the overview given by Bing, and he’d taken the time to shake each person’s hand and offer his appreciation of their service. The individual debriefs took a little longer, but they were conducted with a decidedly light air.

  An FCDC brigadier had attended as a guest, and her actions with the foamcrete seemed to take most of his attention. By now, Esther had found out that the FCDC had an actual riot foam, not unlike what Esther had used on Lorton-Delos and able to deploy in huge quantities, but he seemed impressed with her field expedient solution.

  When Esther saw the recordings, particularly the sat view, she was fairly impressed herself. On the ground, she hadn’t quite grasped how touch-and-go the entire fight had been. A few more people making it a few meters closer, and she and Paul would have gone down. With a clear route into the lab, there was no telling what would have happened. At the very least, the sequencing process would have had to start over again. At the worst, the equipment would have been destroyed and the team . . . well, she hadn’t wanted to contemplate that. Whatever happened, tens of thousands if not more people would have died until a new anti-viral could have been developed and deployed.

  She slowed down at the D4 office, stuck her head in the door, and yelled at Major Lent, who looked to be neck-deep in work, “Hey Major, ready to get your ass kicked?”

  He looked up, saw her, and smiled.

  “Welcome home, the prodigal daughter, and no, I’m not ready to get my ass kicked. I’m ready to do some ass kicking of my own, if you can take the humiliation.”

  Esther snorted, then said, “In your dreams, Major, with all due respect, of course. Seventeen hundred?”

  “See you there.”

  Top Forrester had caught her when she entered the building, telling her that the major had actually been taking lessons. He’d beaten the top two days earlier, taking two out of three games. The top was good; he had been the best player among the Marines when she arrived, but after more than two years, Esther was better than him now. The fact that the major had beaten him didn’t mean much to her, and she was going to enjoy keeping the major from getting too uppity.

  She entered her office, which was empty, and sat down at her desk. Her AI had already informed her of her 156 Cat 2 messages. She could have read them on her PA, but she didn’t like using the small screen when she had a 30cm display on her desk. Cat 1 messages were answered immediately, but Cat 2’s could be put off.

  “List messages,” she said as she leaned back in her chair.

  The list of senders scrolled down the display. She paused on a personal message from Miriam, asking her to call. It was 0430 for her, so she flagged that for action in five hours. One of the last messages that arrived was from Helen-Lee, telling her to report to Mr. Byzantine at her earliest convenience.

  Orders? Those are usually Cat 1’s, she thought.

  She’d just returned from Earth, and if there’d been another mission for her, she wasn’t sure why they hadn’t just told her instead of having her go back to Mars.

  Can’t be that important, then.

  She scrolled through more of her messages, dictating out a few answers, marking others for action. There was a personal from Jim, facetiously asking if she got back OK. She laughed and wrote that she’d somehow made it all the way back to Mars without adult supervision and without causing an intergalactic incident.

  The return trip to Earth and the three-day debrief had been a pleasant interlude. Without the mission hanging over their heads, Jim had proven to be a man with a great sense of humor and a wide range of knowledge—much of it useless, but interesting none-the-less. She’d known from his past history that he had to be some sort of genius, but his little anecdotes and facts were never presented in an overbearing manner or with a sense of superiority. And when presented with something he didn’t know, he eagerly drank in every word Esther said.

  He’d even invited her on a date, sort of. He’d told her about some sort of water festival, Songkran, he’d called it, that was celebrated in SE Asia. In ancient times, it was a ceremony to bring back the rains; in more modern times, it was a vast party where people threw water on each other. Esther didn’t quite understand why they did that, but the way Jim had explained it made it sound like fun. In three weeks, he was going to Bangkok on leave for five days to join in the celebration, and he’d invited her to go. She was tempted. Jim was good company, and she could use the down time, but duty called, and she thought she had to be available for the next BTG contingency.

  As she slowly cleared—or put off—her list, her eyes kept darting to the message to see Byzantine. Finally, she couldn’t put it off any longer. She didn’t think it was another mission, and she wasn’t due another fitrep, so curiosity was overcoming her. She shut the display and left the office, walking down the corridor to Byzantine’s office.

  “Captain Lysander,” Helen-Lee said in her perfunctory voice. “If you’ll take a seat, I’ll tell Mr. Byzantine that you’re here.”

  “Do you know what this is about?” Esther asked as soon as she was finished.

  “That’s not for me to discuss, Captain,” she said, almost frowning as she buried her head in some read-outs.

  Well, excuse me!

  Helen-Lee could be somewhat robotic in her manner at times, but Esther would bet dollar to donuts that she knew exactly why she was being summoned. There shouldn’t be any reason why the woman couldn’t give her a heads up.

  So Esther cooled her heels for twenty minutes, wishing she’d just stayed in her office clearing her list, when Captain Wrangle Ploeffer came out.

  “Hey, Ess. I didn’t know you’re back,” he said, stopping to shake her hand as she stood.

  “And you’re off, I’m guessing, Wran?”

  “You got it. We’re like two ships passing in the night. But let’s get together and do dinner when I get back.”

  “If I’m not gone by then. I’ve got a meeting with him now.”

  “Yeah, I know. He asked me to send you in.”

  “Well, then, I’d better get on in. Keep your head down wherever you’re going.”

  “You know me,” he said, crouching, arms outspread as he mimed dodging back and forth. “I don’t let anyone get a bead on me.”

  Esther rolled her eyes, holding back a laugh.

  “Yeah, that’s the only way to keep the law off your ass.”

  “Captain, Mr. Byzantine is waiting,” Helen-Lee interrupted.

  Esther rolled her eyes again, then said, “See you on the rebound,” before entering the office.

  “Captain Lysander, thank you for coming. I’ve got your orders,” Byzantine said, handing her a set of plastisheet orders.

  All of her previous missions had been tapped onto her PA—the secure PA, granted, but still a PA. She’d never received physical orders. Curious, she picked them up and immediately saw that they were from the commandant, not the Office of the Chairman. Wondering why the change, she read on.

  From: the Commandant of the Federation Marine Corps, To: Captain Esther Lysander . . . blah, blah, blah . . . NLT than 27 May . . . you are ordered to report to the commanding general, Fourth Marine Division . . . for duty with Second Battalion, Eleventh Marines, as a company commander . . .

  Esther almost dropped the orders.

  Company commander? What? How?

  “But I’ve got nine more months here,” she said, looking blankly up at Mr. Byzantine.

  “You had nine more months, captain.�
�

  Suddenly, she wondered if she’d done something wrong.

  Am I being fired?

  “What . . . I mean, why the change?”

  Byzantine could obviously see the concern etched across her face, and he gave a small smile.

  “The commandant won, Captain. He pretty much demanded that you be released to serve as a company commander before you made major.”

  “Major?” she asked confused. “I’m not up for major for another year.”

  “I believe you have something you in the Marine Corps call ‘deep-selected?”

  “I’m deep-selected?”

  “I would have to assume so. That was your commandant’s line of reasoning, that you needed company commander time to continue in your career. The third minister, on the other hand, asked for you to be extended here with us.”

  Esther’s mind was awhirl. Deep-selected to major? The third minister and the commandant were fighting over her? And most of all she was getting her company? The last one of those made her giddy.

  “I . . . I don’t know what to think. I can’t believe that the commandant and the third minister were arguing about me.”

  “Not just them,” he said. “Someone had to make a decision, after all.”

  It dawned on her what Byzantine was saying.

  “The chairman.”

  Byzantine nodded and said, “None other. You’ve made some waves here, if I might say so. Of course, I’m not privy to the details of your missions, but you’ve made friends with the Third Ministry, and evidently, your commandant thinks highly of you.”

  Esther didn’t know what to think. She’d have to digest what she’d just learned. She had thought—truly thought—that accepting the APOC orders had been a career mistake, orders she’d accepted as the right thing to do. General Simone had warned her of the possibility that accepting the orders could stall her rise through the ranks, but evidently, the commandant himself had watched out for her.

  For her, Captain Lysander, not for her, daughter of Ryck Lysander.

  As far as she knew, the commandant had never served with her father, and he wasn’t one of her father’s posse. He was simply watching out for her as one of his junior Marines.

  She felt the slightest wetness forming in her eyes, and she hurriedly wiped them with her sleeve.

  “So, what now?” she asked.

  “Well, you accept or decline the orders. I’m sure the third minister would be more than happy to keep you around here.”

  For a moment, she was tempted. Initially, she hadn’t wanted to take the orders. Duty compelled her to, though. This was a tour to be endured, not enjoyed. But over the last two-plus years, she had enjoyed them. More specifically, she’d enjoyed what she’d done, and she’d developed a tremendous sense of respect for those who served out of uniform. And from the tone of Byzantine’s voice, she knew that if she jumped ship now, she could have a pretty good career in the civil side of the government.

  As good as the tour had turned out, though, she was still a Marine, and she couldn’t think of anything else she wanted to do.

  She turned the orders over to the retinal scan (which was why they’d been printed on plastisheet). She looked into the tiny lens, then waited for the dim red LED to turn to green.

  The orders were official.

  “So . . . uh . . . now what? I mean, what’s up for me here?”

  “The chairman has requested—please note the word ‘requested’—that you accompany him to the G-12 Summit next week. There won’t be any side mission,” he said with a knowing smile, “but simply to show the flag. If you accept, you are free to institute your orders back to the Marine Corps at your convenience. If you do not want to accompany the chairman, then you may institute the orders at your pleasure.”

  Esther was tempted to leave immediately. If she had been deep-selected to major, she’d be at the end of the promotion list, which meant pinning on her oak leaves in a year or a few months longer. That meant she’d be limited to a year or slightly longer with her new company. Every moment would be precious, and she didn’t want to squander any of those. But she was astute enough to realize that a ‘request’ from the chairman was rarely, if ever, a mere request.

  “I’d be honored to accompany the chairman,” she said with a smile.

  “I thought you might,” Byzantine said. “I’ll have those for you tomorrow.”

  “Well, I guess that’s that,” Esther said, standing up.

  To her surprise, Byzantine stood as well, his hand out.

  “It’s been a pleasure working with you,” he said.

  She shook his hand, then almost waltzed out of the office, giving Helen-Lee a hearty, “Have a great day!”

  She almost floated down the passageway, her mind singing.

  I’m a grunt again!

  She’d honestly thought she’d blown her opportunity to command a company, hoping against hope that her career could recover. She’d never thought that by doing her duty, by doing the right thing, her career could be enhanced. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that her experiences during this tour made her a better Marine, especially if she should rise beyond major. She just hadn’t thought that she’d get the opportunity.

  Maybe, trying to pull all the strings simply to further her career, as she had to admit she’d been doing ever since boot camp, was not the way to advance. Maybe it was even counterproductive.

  Maybe simply doing the best job she could, whatever her orders were, was the best way to succeed.

  She threw open her office door with a slam, full of energy.

  Major Lent better stand the eff by, she thought. No one can beat me today!

  She sat at her desk and called up her list of messages. Staring at them, none of them registered with her. She didn’t even felt guilty when she closed the list, pushing them to tomorrow.

  She should make a call, though.

  It wasn’t technically official, but she didn’t think anyone would care as she placed it.

  Within moments, Noah’s voice answered, “Hey, big sis, this is a surprise.”

  “Did I wake you?”

  “Wake me? It’s 0515. No, you didn’t wake me. We’re on a maintenance stand-down, so all hands are at full tilt. So, what’s up? You didn’t call me to be my alarm clock.”

  “I . . . I just had to tell you. I’ve got my orders. I’m going to 2/11, as a company commander.”

  “Really? That’s great, Ess. Congrats. But I thought you, well, didn’t you have another year there? And Miriam said you told her you weren’t going to get a company command.”

  “Yes, I know. I thought so, too, but I’m being released early so I can get my command time in before I . . . well, there’s another thing. I’ve been deep-selected for major.”

  There was silence for a moment, then “No grubbing way, Ess. Deep-selected?”

  “Yeah. It caught me by surprise. I’m still gob smacked.”

  “A grubbing major. Dad would have been so proud. And I guess that trumps me. I’ve been selected for staff sergeant, but just the regular route.”

  “Didn’t the board come out two months ago?” she asked, suddenly ashamed she hadn’t even checked to see if her brother was on the list.

  “Well, yeah. I guess I thought Miriam would have told you. You two talk all the time, after all.”

  Something in his voice gave her pause, and she asked, “Are you two all right?”

  “Ah, I don’t exactly know. She was pretty pissed when I reenlisted, and now with three kids and her job, and with me deploying half of the time, I guess it’s rough on her.”

  Esther didn’t quite know what to say. She still knew her twin, even if they weren’t in contact much. There was a lot more involved than what he was saying, she knew.

  “But hey, I don’t want to be a buzzkill. This is a good day for you, and you should be happy. Two-Eleven? Good battalion, that. Their patron unit is the German Marineschutzkräfte.”

  Esther had to smile. This was the Noah s
he remembered, the guy who knew the history and traditions of the Corps inside and out. In that way, he was much more like their father than she was.

  “When do you report in?”

  “It’s somewhat up to me. Soon, though.”

  “If you get a chance, come stop by before you report in. You’ve never met your niece Shiloh yet. And with that, I’ve got to cut this off. I’ve got to get a move on if I’m going to make formation.

  “But thanks for calling, and I’m proud of you. Major Ess. It’s got a nice ring to it.”

  “OK, take care. And I’ll see if I can swing by before reporting in.”

  Esther stared at her PA for a moment after the connection was broken. She’d been ignoring Noah and Miriam, knowing that they were having problems. That was the easy way out. But Noah was family, and she had a duty to him. To Miriam and the kids, too. She made a promise to herself to make time to stop by for a couple of days.

  With that decision made, whatever clouds caused by her knowing she’d been ignoring family dissipated, and her excitement level started rising again. She was back to the grunts, and in command of a rifle company. Each and every senior officer who’d expressed an opinion to her had told her that their company commander tour had been the highlight of their career. She’d wondered how flag officers could say that, and now she’d find out.

  She was brimming with energy, too much to contain. A trip to the gym might calm her down before she met Major Lent at the squash court. There was one more thing, however, she realized, that she had to do. There was one more person with whom she wanted to share her news.

  From Mars, Earth was a normal call, one she could make on her personal PA.

  She asked for the connection, and in a few moments, a familiar face appeared, and with an insolent voice, Jim asked, “Miss me already? It’s only been what, less than a day?”

  “Are you still going to Bangkok on the 14th? For that Songkran thing?”

  “Yeah. I’ve gotta get it checked off my bucket list. Why?”

  “Well, Captain Aylsworth, Marine extraordinaire, if your invitation still stands, I’d like to go with you.”

  Esther almost laughed at the shocked expression that came over his face. For once, Jim seemed at a loss for words. She knew it had taken a lot of courage for him to suggest she go with him the first time, and she also knew that despite his outward appearance, he’d been more than a little disappointed when she’d declined. She’d told him she couldn’t because of her duties, which was the truth, but she knew he thought there was something a little more to it. And maybe there had been.