Then she noticed the state of their uniforms. Eyes narrowed, she took a moment to study them. Neither seemed to be paying that much attention to what was going on. That apparent lack of interest in doing their duties added to her unease. She knew first-hand that this kind of sentry duty was boring. After all, the chances of any real danger occurring while in a parking orbit over Fuercon was slim to none. But that didn’t mean it was impossible. The attack on the capital just a few months before had proven that. However, these two weren’t under her command, not yet at any rate. All she could do was take note of their demeanor and mention it to their CO later. It would be up to him to take action – or not.
Putting her concern on the mental back burner, Ash took three steps forward and then stopped, the toes of her boots almost touching the red line marking the official change from docking area to shipboard.
“Permission to come aboard?”
The very young looking second lieutenant stepped forward, his left hand resting on the butt of the gun at his hip and his right hand extended. “Orders and ID.”
Without a word, Ashlyn handed over the datachip containing the information he requested. Then she watched as he slid it into his datapad. He studied the readout for a moment before motioning the Marine guards forward to take his place as he moved away.
Not liking what was happening, Ashlyn glanced over her shoulder to where Talbot stood one step behind and to her right. It reassured her to see how the man watched the two Marines. Anyone who didn’t know him well wouldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. But she recognized his expression. He was on guard and ready to react to a threat from any quarter.
As they waited for the BBOD to return, Ash reached up and gently rubbed her right cheek with the first two fingers of that hand. Such an innocent seeming gesture and yet to a Devil Dog it was anything but that. It was their signal to be on the alert. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Talbot nod slightly. Good. Whatever might happen, they’d be prepared.
“Welcome aboard, Major Shaw,” the BBOD finally said a few moments later as he handed back the datachip she’d given him.
“Thank you, lieutenant.”
She waited, wondering if he would explain the delay in approving her request to come aboard. When he didn’t, she frowned. One part of her wanted to press the issue, especially when she looked around the docking bay again and that feeling something was wrong continued to grow.
God, she wished she could put her finger on what was bothering her. Even though the
Aisling
was not one of the newest cruisers in the Fleet, it was only a few years old and had not seen any major fighting. Yet there was an air of age about the docking bay that didn’t fit what she knew of the ship. Add that to the fact not a single senior officer, Navy or Marine, was present to greet her as well as the delay in allowing her to come onboard and it all added up to the very real possibility that something was very wrong on the ship.
“If you’ll wait for a moment, Major, I’ll arrange for an escort—“
Before the lieutenant could finish his statement, Talbot stepped forward, his expression closed, his dark eyes flashing. He made it very obvious he was looking at the young man’s name tape and that the BBOD’s failure to identify himself was a breach of protocol. “Lieutenant Soroyan, Major Shaw here by the authority of FleetCom and General Okafor. Her orders give her free access to every portion of this ship and its personnel. I assure you, no escort is needed nor required.” Now he held up a hand when the young man was foolish enough to try to interrupt him. “In fact, I am sure I speak for the Major when I note that there have already been several major breaches of protocol. First, there is no senior officer here to greet her. Second, you failed to identify yourself to a senior officer. Third, you have yet to explain why she was not immediately cleared to board. I can go on but I won’t. What I will do is suggest you not compound the problem any further.”
“Stand down, Master Guns.” Ash fought back her smile. “I’m sure the lieutenant simply misspoke.”
The younger man nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard, his face almost as red as his hair.
“M-may I be of any help to the Major?” Soroyan asked, his voice cracking.
“You can tell me where I might be able to find Captain Loren Nichols.”
Soroyan quickly checked his datapad before answering. “He is off-duty now, Major. You’ll probably be able to find him either in his quarters or in the Marine’s gym or mess.”
“Very good, lieutenant.” She looked past him to where the two Marines stood in poses that would never come close to regulation stances. “Master Guns, before we move on, would you care to enlighten these two privates about what it means to be a member of the Fuerconese Marine Corps?”
“With pleasure, Major.” Talbot stepped forward.
Five minutes later, the lift doors closed and Ashlyn grinned up at Talbot. She had forgotten just how effective his dressing downs could be. Watching him as he pointed out every thread showing, every hair out of place and every crease that shouldn’t be there had been more than entertaining. More telling, however, had been the reaction of the two privates. It was clear they suddenly felt like they had been tossed back into boot camp and were facing the world’s most intimidating DI. Which, if she were honest, was pretty close to the truth.
“Remind me to never be on the receiving end of one of your dressing downs, Master Guns,” she said as she programmed the lift for Marine territory.
“Ma’am, I’d be a fool to try to dress you down. I don’t want to lose my stripes.”
Even though he grinned, he didn’t fool Ash. She knew he’d waste no time in giving her a dressing down shed never forget if he thought it would save her life or prevent her from doing something she’d regret later. That was why he was a member of her staff and why she trusted him at her back no matter what the situation.
“I’ll remind you of that, Loco, when the time comes.” She reached out and paused the lift. “I think it’s fair to say there is something wrong onboard. It may simply be a breakdown in discipline. It may be more. So keep your eyes open. If you see or hear anything you think I need to know about, tell me. Use my call sign if you feel there is any danger and I’ll do the same.”
“Understood, ma’am.”
She reached out and started the lift once again. As she did, she wished she had brought at least one other member of her team with her. While she didn’t really believe there was the possibility of anything serious happening while they were onboard, she didn’t want to run any risks.
As they stepped out of the lift and started down the corridor a short time later, Ash frowned once again. From the moment she’d come aboard, her sense of wrongness had grown. Now, deep within the bowels of the ship, she knew she had ample reason to worry. The air smelled stale, as if the scrubbers weren’t working properly and hadn’t in some time. A thin coat of dust covered every surface. The ship had the look and feel of something in disrepair, a once proud lady now brought down by an uncaring and heavy hand. Like it or not, Ash was going to have to pass on her concerns.
What bothered her the most was the possibility that she’d discovered yet another ship’s CO who wasn’t doing his duty. At least this time she had no reason to assume he was actively working against Fuercon’s interests. More importantly, at least as far as she was concerned, she wasn’t in his chain of command. So there was little chance of anything untoward happening.
“Major, did you send instructions not to have anyone present to greet us when we arrived?” Talbot asked as they moved through the nearly deserted corridors.
“Negative, Master Guns.”
And that was something that bothered her almost as much as the condition of the ship. The captain should have been informed of her impending arrival the moment the shuttle pilot radioed for clearance to land. Under normal circumstances, the moment the pilot contacted the ship, the senior officer on duty should have contacted the captain so he could be there to greet her. It seemed obvious that notification hadn’t been made and, as far as Ash knew, it could mean only one thing. The crew was setting their captain up and that worried her. It worried her a great deal. How had he managed to lose the loyalty and respect of those under his command?
There was another explanation, however. It was entirely possible that notification had been made and the captain chose to ignore it. If that happened to be the case, the captain had committed a serious breach of protocol. Again, Ash had no answer for the why he might have done so. What she did have was a feeling in the pit of her stomach that it was going to become her job to get to the bottom of the problem and deal with it.
Now, as she stepped into the Marines’ gym, Ash looked around and nodded slightly. The corners of her mouth lifted as she spotted the tall, slim young man working out against a sparring droid. His blonde hair, so light it was almost white, was close cropped. Sweat glistened on his bare arms and legs, his black PT gear was soaked with it. Naked fury marred Nichols’ features. Hands and feet flew as he pressed his attack against the droid.
Before the junior officer nearest her could announce her presence, Ash shook her head and touched a finger to her lips. Then she stripped off her jacket and reached up to unbuttoned her shirt before toeing off her boots. A moment later, dressed only in uniform pants and tank, she collected a mouth-guard from the equipment shelf before stepping onto the mat.
Without warning, Ash’s hand flashed forward. Her fingers closed about Nichols’ wrist before the young man could renew his attack on the droid. Nichols spun, leading with a savage right hook. Grinning, Ash expertly blocked it with her forearm. With that, the fight was on.
* * *
His fist connected with the ‘droid’s jaw with a satisfying crunch and his lip curled back. Mentally, he visualized smashing his fist against the captain’s jaw instead of the ‘droid’s. Disbelief still warred with hot fury as memory of the morning’s encounter returned. If he didn’t find a way off this bucket of bolts soon he wouldn’t be responsible for what happened.
Ducking a round house, Loren Nichols fought for calm. He knew all too well that if he didn’t find his center soon, he would do something foolish. Not foolish enough to land him in the brig – or worse – but enough to give the captain yet another reason to come down on him. Not that the bastard needed a reason. He had proven much too willing to come down hard on Nichols, or any of the other Marines, without good reason on too many occasions already.
Damn him!
Anger once more spiking, Nichols ducked under another round house. He jammed his fist into what would be the ‘droid’s right kidney if it were human. Then he followed up with a sharp upper cut, leaving his guard open for just one brief moment. His breath exploded as an artificial fist slammed into his stomach. Sucking in air, he moved away from the ‘droid’s follow up before it could land another blow.
Then he turned, intending to land a spinning backfist to the ‘droid’s face. Before he could complete the move, fingers closed firmly about his wrist. Reacting on pure instinct, Nichols pivoted, right fist cocked and ready.
Furious to have his workout interrupted, Nichols sent his fist flying forward, intent on giving whoever had been foolish enough to grab him a lesson he, or she, wouldn’t soon forget. Instead, he found his blow blocked and a fist landing a perfectly controlled strike to his solar plexus.
Snarling, Nichols feinted and then executed a perfectly timed sidekick. Or so he thought. A forearm connected with his leg, blocking the kick and leaving him off-balance. Before he could react, his feet were swept out from under him and he found himself falling. He landed with a heavy thud, the ceiling of the gym filling his field of vision.
Ready to take the fight to his opponent, glad to have a living outlet for his anger, Nichols quickly rocked to his feet.
And came up so short it felt like he had hit a wall. Or had completely lost his mind because what he saw was impossible. Maybe he had hit his head harder than he thought and this was a dream. That was it. He was really lying on the decksole unconscious and this was all a dream.
Then the dream erupted into a myriad of stars and his breath exploded as he was once more slammed to the mat. Lying there, waiting for his lungs to remember how to work, he became aware of the sounds around him. His fellow Marines called out encouragements, urging him to get up and get back into the fight. Then another voice, a voice from the past, mockingly asked if that was all he had, if he’d finally gone soft.
Climbing to his feet, Nichols ran a hand over his face. His eyes locked on his opponent and he shook his head in disbelief. The tall, dark haired woman in uniform pants and tank top couldn’t be there. Absolutely couldn’t. But the pounding in his head and the ache in his back told him that he was wrong. Somehow he was wrong.
“Cap?” His voice betrayed his uncertainty.
There was no doubt about it. Ashlyn Shaw actually stood before him, hands on hips, laughter in her eyes. How many times before had they been in this same position – the captain enjoying the fact she had sent him onto his backside yet again? If it wasn’t for the band of white in the dark hair and a hardness around her eyes, Nichols could almost have believed he’d gone back in time and none of the long nightmare had occurred.
“Hey, kid.” Then the woman smiled again, affection touching her voice as she reached down to help Nichols to his feet.
“Is it really you, Cap?”
* * *
Ash considered the young man with a surprise that mirrored Nichols’. It didn’t make sense. He should know the story. Everyone seemed to know the story. After all, the newsies had made sure it had been spread far and wide. Beyond that, FleetCom had issued full statements to each ship and posting with orders to make sure all personnel knew what had happened. So there was no reason why Nichols should be asking how and why she had gotten there.
Surely the ship’s captain wasn’t as foolish and stubborn as Ash was beginning to think.