Ashlyn nodded and moved quickly in the direction of the adjoining locker room. Ortega watched closely, approving of what she saw. A nod here, an encouraging smile there, a touch and a laugh where needed. Yes, Ashlyn had come a long way since her return from Tarsus. But she wasn’t back to normal. Not yet and Ortega wondered what she could do to help before her friend imploded.
“Ma’am?” Talbot prompted.
“You have the night off, Kevin,” she said. “I’ve had a chance to review the security arrangements for our arrival home. I downloaded them to your terminal. I’d like you to review them and have your comments and recommendations to me by twenty hundred hours.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“In the meantime.” Now she smiled and clapped a friendly hand on the woman’s shoulder. “You know, Loco, it would help if you told me what happened just before Angel got herself sent back to the ship.”
“I know, Ma’am, but it’s not my story to tell.” Talbot spoke softly, concern reflected in his eyes. “Talk to the Colonel. She needs to be the one to tell you.”
“I know.” But the question was, would she? “Go on, Loco. I’ll see what I can do about getting her to tell me.”
“Tell you what?” Ash asked as she rejoined them, surprising them both by how quickly she had reappeared.
“It can wait,” Ortega replied with what she hoped was an easy grin. “If you’re ready, let’s get out of here. I want to kick back and relax for a while.”
C
HAPTER
T
WENTY
S
AFELY
TUCKED
AWAY
from the prying eyes of the media, a small group waited in a private landing bay near the main government complex. Four people, two men and two women, huddled close together, speaking in hushed voices. Nearby stood a Marine security detail.
“Five minutes, Ma’am,” one of the Marines reported softly and General Okafor nodded in response.
“Thank you, Captain Andrews.” She turned to her companion as Andrews stepped back. “Is everything ready?”
“It is,” Elizabeth assured her. “The cars are waiting and the media hasn’t found out what’s happening.”
“Excellent.”
She studied the others for a moment and smiled slightly. There would be time later to brief the press. That would come after she’d had a chance to debrief her officers and report first to SecDef and then to the President. But today was for something else. Today she would make sure everyone had come through the mission without any lasting scars, mental or physical.
To her relief, the mission had gone much better than she’d hoped. All the care they had taken to make sure no one leaked their plans had paid off. No one, not the media and not the enemy, realized what Taskforce 119 was about to do. With all that could have gone wrong, it was amazing nothing had. She could have been meeting the caskets of her people instead of being here to welcome them home. She would take that any day over the alternative.
Besides, I wouldn’t take this away from Liz and Abe if my life depended on it.
She knew how hard it had been on them to watch Ashlyn shipping out so soon after finally getting her home from Tarsus. If there had been anyone else she could have sent on the mission, she would have. But Ash was the best and, now that they were at war again, they needed the best.
A few minutes later, a muted chiming signaled the approach of an incoming shuttle. Everyone gathered watched expectantly as the pilot expertly maneuvered the craft into the bay and to a gentle landing. Instantly, the docking bay crew rushed forward to assist with the shutdown.
As they waited, Elizabeth slid her hand into her husband’s. Abe pulled her close, his arms going gently around her. He held her against him in a protective embrace.
Together they watched as the shuttle hatch slid open. A few minutes later, Admiral Collins emerged from the shuttle. He walked down the ramp. Then he turned and watched as the rest of his party appeared.
“Thank God,” Elizabeth said softly as her daughter appeared.
“I told you she’d make it home.” Okafor grinned and then watched as the remaining passengers disembarked.”
* * *
As the shuttle came to a gentle landing, the four Marines comprising the security complement quickly assumed their stations. Two took up places by the forward hatch while the other two moved to the rear of the shuttle. At the same time, the pilot initiated systems shutdown. As he did, the co-pilot confirmed the departure of the second shuttle for the clinic. Admiral Collins nodded in response and climbed to his feet.
From where she sat, Ashlyn breathed deeply, stomach churning and heart pounding. The fear she had held at bay since first boarding the shuttle burst forth with terrifying strength. Collins may have looked the other way when she violated the Accords but that didn’t mean everyone else would. She’d already seen how the military courts could be manipulated and she knew she still had enemies in the Corps. When she stepped off the shuttle would she be met by her family or by MPs there to arrest her?
Swallowing hard, she forced herself to remain calm. If the MPs were there, she would deal with. Not that she’d have much choice in the matter. She’d known when she assaulted Kasun what the risks were. But, if it meant finding something to help end the war just one day sooner, it was worth it, even if it meant a return to the Tarsus military prison.
And, from what little they had been told in the Admiral’s briefings, it had been worth it. Much of the data still had to be deciphered. But, what they had deciphered pointed to another party working with the Callusians. If true, that would explain why the
Tarrant
hadn’t been able to initially identify the ships attacking it. It would also explain the differences, slight though they might be, in the Callusian tactics this time. Now, if they could only find something to prove – or disprove – it all, it would have been worth it.
No, if true, she wanted to know who the secret partner was. Until then, Fuercon was in danger.
“Are you ready, Ash?” Collins asked as she forced herself to her feet.
“Honestly?” she asked with a smile as shaky as her knees felt. He nodded, an understanding gleam in his eyes. “I’m terrified and you know why.”
“Ash.” He stepped closer, pitching his voice for her ears only. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. I promise.”
“I hope you’re right,” she said just as softly, not fully convinced.
Collins gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before moving toward the forward hatch.
As she waited for permission to disembark, Ash breathed deeply, striving for calm. Talbot stood just behind her. When she glanced back at him, he smiled and leaned close to whisper something in her ear. A soft chuckle escaped her lips as he reminded her once again that this was her time, her chance to thumb her nose at all those who had betrayed her. After all, they must be choking on fear to know that she’d made it back in time for their trials. Lips twitching in an attempt not to smile, she softly thanked him. Then, reaching for her slim briefcase, she squared her shoulders and prepared to meet her fate.
Suddenly, the hatch slid open with a muted
swoosh
. With one last glance around the cabin, Collins stepped out. Swallowing hard, reminding herself she was next to disembark, Ashlyn moved toward the hatch, Talbot close behind.
This was it. Was she going to get to go home or would she find herself on her way back to Tarsus?
As she stepped into the waiting area, a wave of emotions crashed over her and she stopped short. Tears burned her eyes relief filled her. No MPs waited to arrest her. No representative from JAG was there to question her. Instead of stony faces of men and women who wanted her head, her parents stood there, waiting for her to join them. With them were General Okafor and a member of her staff. Maybe Collins had been right. Maybe she was being given a pass this time.
She stepped forward, winking at her parents as she moved to stand in front of Okafor. As she braced to attention, she knew she was a very lucky woman. She was home and soon she would be reunited with her son. Before long the war would intrude and she’d have to ship out again. But, for now, she would enjoy what she had.
“General, FirstDiv reporting in,” she said and snapped a crisp salute. “It is my honor to report the successful completion of our mission,” she added with a slight smile.
“Welcome home, Colonel.” Okafor extended her hand in greeting.
“Thank you, Ma’am. It’s good to be here.”
“Ashlyn, you did good.” Okafor’s approval meant a great deal. “Your orders now are to go home and spend some time with your son. No working and no worrying about the Devil Dogs. I’ve already issued orders that they have leave today and tomorrow. You can have your final debrief after that.”
“Thank you, Ma’am.”
“Don’t thank me yet. As CO, you aren’t getting as much time off. I want to see you in my office tomorrow for your after action report.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Ashlyn said, once again worried that her actions were going to come back to haunt her. “When do you want to meet?”
“0900. We won’t be able to keep the lid on the media much longer than that I’m afraid,” Okafor replied seriously. “As soon as they know the taskforce has returned, they are going to be clamoring for interviews.”
“That’s above my pay-grade, Ma’am.”
“Only if I say so, Colonel,” Okafor countered with a grin.
“Whatever you say, Ma’am.” Ashlyn braced to attention once more.
“Until tomorrow, Colonel,” Okafor said. Then she turned and left the waiting area, her Marine escort following close behind.
As they left, Ashlyn turned to face her parents. The strain of her being off on a mission showed on their faces. She didn’t remember seeing it before when she would return home. But then, those times had been before her stint on Tarsus. Those two years, and the events leading up to them, had taken a toll on all of them. Hopefully, with the court martial of Sorkowski, O’Brien and the others, they could start getting past that horrible time.
At least she hoped so.
Before Ash could take more than one hesitant step forward, her mother all but flew across the room in her direction. Ashlyn stood rooted in place and opened her arms. A moment later, she found herself folded into her mother’s welcoming embrace as tears flowed unchecked down her cheeks.
Then her father was there. They stood in a tight knot, arms around each other, doing their best to reassure themselves it wasn’t a dream. Ashlyn buried her face against her father’s chest, breathing deeply the same evergreen scent she remembered from childhood. That, almost as much as her mother’s tears of joy, finally convinced her she wasn’t going to be talking to the MPs anytime soon.
“Mama, Daddy,” she whispered in joy as she freed a hand to scrub away her tears. “I’m home.”
“You are, baby. You really are,” Abe said as he grinned down at her.
“And we’re going to coddle you and spoil you for the next few days,” her mother added, eyes shining brightly with tears as yet unshed.
“I just want to go home, Mama. That’s all.”
“And that’s exactly where we’re headed,” Elizabeth assured her. “Transportation’s waiting.”
“Thank you.” She smiled and said a quick prayer of thanks. Another mission successfully completed and another homecoming. “Is Jake there?”
“Of course, dearest,” Elizabeth assured her, sliding an arm about her waist. “He wanted to come but your father and I thought it would be better if he waited there for us.”
“Besides, he said he had something he needed to finish before you got home,” her father added.
Grinning, looking forward to being able to hold her son again, Ashlyn let her parents lead her away. As she did, she knew there was nothing better than coming home.
* * *
“Are you sure?” President Derek Harper restlessly paced the length of his office, his expression troubled.
“Everything is preliminary yet, Mr. President, but I am confident the computer techs have interpreted the data correctly,” Rico Santiago said. He stood before the President’s desk, closely tracking the man’s movements as he paced.
“Helen?”
“You know my thoughts on the matter, sir. I’ve said from the moment the capital was attacked that there was more to what happened than we thought. If the techs are right about the data, this proves it.”
Harper returned to his desk. Instead of sitting, he leaned against it. For a moment, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he stared at something none of the others could see. Then he nodded, his mind apparently made up.
“All right. Let’s get all the people on this that we need. I want that data deciphered ASAP. In the meantime, Rico, find out what you can about our so-called friends. Start with their embassy staff. History has taught us nothing if not that you intelligence folks like to use diplomatic postings as cover for intelligence work.”
“Right away, sir.”
“Helen, I know you had planned on sending the Devil Dogs out after they had some time to recover from the mission. However, until we have finished going over the data, I want them held here. Those bastards have already attacked us once. If they try again, I want our best Marines here to hold them off.”
“Yes, sir.”
“As soon as you have more information for us, Rico, we’ll put together a plan of attack. I’ll pull in the rest of the command staff when we do. Until then, keep this between the three of us.”
“Mr. President, what about Colonel Shaw and Admiral Collins? I have no doubt they share our concerns and have possibly shared them with their staffs.” Okafor’s concern was clear.
“I will have a chat with the admiral tomorrow. We’re playing a round of golf. I’ll leave it to you to make sure Shaw understands my instructions about the matter.” Now he took his place behind the desk. For the first time since they had entered the office, some of his worry appeared to have eased. “Now get out of here before someone starts asking why I’m meeting with the two of you.”
Okafor and Santiago saluted and left the office. As they did, Harper leaned back and sighed. If their suspicions were correct, things were going to get a lot worse before they got better.