Duty from Ashes (28 page)

Shuffling along between the Marines, Kasun shook his head in disbelief. Each cell in the block was occupied by his people, one per cell. Like him, they had been stripped down to their underwear. Some, like Peltier, showed signs of having been on the losing end of a very brutal beating. Worse, they all had the air of hopelessness he was beginning to know all too well.

A few minutes later, he was convinced that his worst nightmares had suddenly come to life. The Marines paused before a simple, ordinary looking door on the lowest level of the cell block. It was a door Kasun knew all too well. Without a word, one of the Marines activated the controls and the door slid open, revealing the small room every prisoner wanted to avoid.

“No!”

Frantically, uselessly, he tried to dig his bare heels into the cold stone of the floor. Scrabbling for any traction to keep from being forced inside, he fought against the hands holding him. He knew what could happen in that room, what had happened there. He wouldn’t let them put him in. He wouldn’t.

But there was little he could do about it. With a look of disgust, the first Marine, aided by the strength given him by his powered battle armor, simply grabbed the struggling man by the scruff of the neck and tossed him inside. At his command, the others quickly carried Kasun to the metal chair bolted to the floor at the end of the room’s small table. Ankles, wrists, waist and neck were quickly encircled by powered metal bands, securing him to the chair.

Helpless, so scared he was hyperventilating, Kasun waited. Why couldn’t this be a nightmare he would soon awaken from?

*     *     *

Joss lay still, assessing how he felt. He ached, not that that was anything new. There had hardly been a day since awakening in the infirmary when he hadn’t hurt somewhere. But there was something different this time. The aches didn’t seem as bad and there wasn’t a damp chill in the air.

For one moment, he fought for control as he realized he was not in his cell. Then, before the fear could take over, memory of the events of the previous day washed over him. If it hadn’t all been some sort of dream, he was free. And not just him. All the POWs, those from the
Tarrant
as well as those taken when Cassius Prime fell. They were safe and free and the Callusians who had imprisoned them were now the ones sitting in the cells, wondering what was going to happen next.

Carefully, Joss sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bunk. As he looked around, he smiled in relief. It hadn’t been a dream. He really was onboard one of the attack shuttles from Taskforce 119. More importantly, the other bunks in the cabin were occupied by the other survivors from the
Tarrant
, at least those who weren’t in need of constant medical supervision.

Before he could get to his feet, Joss smiled slightly to see Ashlyn Shaw moving all but silently in his direction. She had shed her battle armor but still carried her battle pack and weapons. Then, seeing him sitting up, the Colonel smiled and hurried forward.

“Shh.”

She held a finger to her lips and motioned to where O’Donnell and Levitson slept in the nearest bunks. Nodding, Joss carefully stood, wincing slightly as his injured knee screamed in pain. That had been just one of a number of injuries the medics had been unable to do much for with the relatively primitive facilities of the compound. But they would soon be able to transfer to the
Cassin Young
and other ships of taskforce. Then all of the former POWs would be able to get the treatment they needed.

Without another word, Shaw led Joss through to the next cabin. As he stepped through the hatch, Joss felt his eyes go wide at the sight that greeted him. Laid out on several makeshift tables was more food than he had seen at one time since his last leave. More enticing than all the food were the steaming pots of coffee and tea that invited him to all but dive in. Not quite sure what he should do, he looked to the Colonel for guidance. A smile that held an understanding he didn’t understand, she reached for a mug and poured a cup of coffee. Taking that as his cue, Joss did the same. Then he brought the mug to his lips, inhaling the rich aroma before carefully sipping.

“The medics have left some very explicit orders for you, Donnelly” she began, motioning him to one of the benches against the bulkhead. “You are to shower and change. Then you are to eat your fill. Once you have, Admiral Collins wants to meet with you.”

“But—“

Part of him wanted to do exactly as Shaw said. But another part rebelled. He was an officer of the Fuerconese Navy. That meant his duty was to give the Admiral his briefing first, before seeing to his own needs.

“Donnelly – Joss, more than anyone else here, I know what you’re feeling right now,” Shaw said and a cloud seemed to pass over her expression. Then it was gone. “Believe me, the Admiral knows the medic’s orders and agrees. It’s out of your hands. So eat your fill and then we’ll get you into some clean clothes.”

“Colonel.”

“Look at it this way. You want to make sure your people from the
Tarrant
are all right. You want to deal with Kasun and his people, to let them see that they didn’t break you and the others. And you want to reassure your brother that you’re all right. Does that sound about right?”

A nod was all he could manage.

“Then do as the medics want. The sight of you, the filth of this place washed off and dressed in a clean uniform, will do more to reassure your people and your brother than anything else you could do or say. As for Kasun and the others, well, seeing you in a clean uniform and back among your own will have more of an impact on them than you going in looking bedraggled and hungry.”

She was right. That didn’t make it any easier though.  Still, he would be better prepared for what he needed to do after eating.

“All right,” he agreed. “But I’m not sure there’s enough coffee on this shuttle to make up for all of it I’ve missed since the
Tarrant
was attacked.”

Laughing, Shaw reached out and snagged one of the carafes and topped off his mug. Then, leaning back, she took a moment to study him.

“You’ll do, Donnelly. You’ll do.” She lifted her mug in salute. “And I promise, there is more than enough coffee for all of you. If not, I’ll make sure we scrounge some up for you. Now you’d best eat something before the medics come in and have both our heads.”

Half an hour later, dressed in a fresh uniform, Joss watched as the lift doors slid open. He waited as first Colonel Shaw and then Captain Ortega stepped into the corridor. Then, as the next highest ranking officer, he followed. Close on his heels were Master Gunnery Sergeant Talbot and two Marine ratings.

Memory of the corridor filled him and his breath caught in his throat. He breathed deeply, fighting for calm. He knew this corridor well, too well. Nothing good ever happened down here. At least this time he wasn’t in chains. It wasn’t his nightmare he was walking into.

He hoped.

*   *   *

Hearing the door to the room slide open, Collins turned. His expression lit at the sight before him. Ashlyn Shaw and the other Devil Dogs looked ready to handle anything that might happen. They were the muscle. The sword to strike down anyone or anything foolish enough to try to attack. If all went right over the next hour or so, all they would have to do is stand there and put the fear of God in the former Occupation Governor. If something happened, well, he knew enough to keep out of the way as they handled it.

But it was the sight of Lt. Joss Donnelly that reassured him. Six hours of sleep, as well as food, a shower, change of clothes and medical treatment had eased some of the doubt and distrust from his expression. It would take time for him to get over all that had happened but he would. At least Collins hoped he would.

“What do you think, Lieutenant?” he asked, motioning to the screen in front of him.

Donnelly moved to stand beside him, his attention fully focused on the image he indicated. A low growl, no other word could really describe the sound, escaped his lips and he nodded in satisfaction. For not the first time, Collins wondered exactly what Kasun and those under his command had done to the POWs. But this was neither the time nor the place to go into it.

“It’s fitting, Sir.” Joss said softly. “He would have us taken in there to be
questioned
. But, as you can see, it is really more for his own amusement.”

Joss nodded to the various instruments that hung on the wall behind Kasun’s chair. As he did, it was Collins who all but growled in anger. Joss had just confirmed his fears. Now he wanted nothing more than to use some of those same instruments on the man responsible for the injury and deaths of so many others. But he couldn’t, no matter how badly he wanted to. But he could do something else, something he felt sure would scare Kasun as much.

“Are you ready to face him, Lieutenant?”

“Yes, Sir.”

For a long moment, Collins studied the younger man. The last thing he could afford was for Joss to do something foolish. Then he nodded in satisfaction. He saw Joss’ anger, even his thirst for vengeance. But he also saw young man’s control, a control that was almost as scary as his need for revenge because of how it had been forged.

“Then let’s go.”

With that he led Joss out of the room, Ashlyn and the other Devil Dogs on their heels. As they entered the interrogation room, Collins had to fight to hold back a laugh of satisfaction. Almost against his will, Kasun had turned his head to see who had entered. The fear that leapt onto his expression had been priceless, especially as the man’s eyes locked on Joss. Then Kasun began struggling helplessly against the metal bands securing him to the chair, all but keening in panic as he realized just how helpless his situation was.

While Collins moved to sit at the opposite end of the table, Joss walked to stand behind his former captor. Collins eyed him warily, not sure what the lieutenant had in mind. Then, as he gave an almost imperceptible signal to Ashlyn to stand ready, he began to relax. Instead of acting, Joss simply stood there, his eyes never leaving the top of the former governor’s head. That was enough. Sweat pricked out on Kasun’s face and he turned pleading eyes to the Admiral.

“K-keep him away from me!”

“Quiet!” Collins snapped in return. Kasun flinched, biting his lip to keep as if to keep from saying anything else. “Lieutenant Donnelly is here at my request not only to represent the POWs but to also make sure you tell us the truth.

“Now, you were told yesterday that the only way to insure we didn’t leave you here to face your own people was to give us the access codes to the computers. That meant all the computers. It seems you failed to do that. I’m going to give you ten seconds to comply.”

“All right,” Kasun sobbed, rattling off a series of commands one of the Marines took note of.

“Now, are there any POWs, either Cassian or Fuerconese, on planet housed anywhere besides here?”

“No!”

“He lies, Sir,” Joss said simply, coldly.

“I said, no lies.” Collins pinned the man with a steely look.

Before he could continue, Collins sucked in a breath in fear. Joss had leaned over Kasun, his hands sliding down the man’s shoulders and across his chest. Then he put his mouth next to the man’s ear and whispered something that drained all the color from his face. A thin line of spittle dribbled from one corner of Kasun’s mouth and his eyes all but rolled back in their sockets. Joss whispered something else and then straightened, leaving his hands on the man’s shoulders.

What happened then was something Collins would never forget. Kasun began speaking so rapidly he had to tell him to slow down. The former governor listed several other locations, remote sites, where POWs who had been selected to be sent off-planet as slaves were taken to be
trained
. Once he was done, Kasun collapsed against his bonds, sobbing uncontrollably.

“You bastard,” Joss said softly, venom all but dripping from her voice. “If anyone else has died because of you, I will make sure your worst nightmares come true.”

Listening to him, Collins swallowed hard. The hatred in Joss’ voice spoke volumes. Whatever had happened since the destruction of the
Tarrant
had left a mark on the young man, one that would be a long time in healing.

“Captain, let’s leave it now to Colonel Shaw and her people. They’ll keep us informed of the status in the search for the other locations,” Collins suggested as Joss moved almost reluctantly away from Kasun.

“Sir, I’d like to accompany them,” Joss said. “Please.”

“No, Lieutenant. I need you to remain here.”

“Admiral, you don’t understand. I
need
to do this.”

“Joss,” Ashlyn began, taking a step toward him.

Collins watched as Joss turned to her. For a moment, rebellion filled the lieutenant’s eyes. Then he inhaled deeply and nodded once. At the same time, he stepped away from Kasun. The moment he did, Talbot motioned for the two ratings to take the lieutenant’s place.

“Yes, ma’am?”

‘Joss, I’ve been where you are. I’ve been a prisoner, completely at another’s mercy, unable to help myself much less those I was responsible for. God knows how much I’ve wanted to be able to get vengeance on those responsible for what happened to me and to them.”

Collins waited, wondering how Joss would react. When he didn’t say anything, Ashlyn continued.

“Right now, you need to stand down. It is my job to make sure those responsible for what happened to the
Tarrant
and to the Cassians are taken into custody. Believe me, FleetCom will take care of them.” Now she reached out and lightly rested her right hand on his arm. “LT, what’s going to happen isn’t your kind of mission. I’m sorry but you would be a distraction and a liability. I can’t let you go with us.”

“Colonel Shaw is right, Donnelly,” Collins said. “But, so you know what’s happening, we’ll make sure you’re tied into the battle-net. That way you can monitor the mission. Will that be satisfactory?”

“Just find them and then take us home,” he said softly. “Please.”

“Lieutenant, nothing would give me greater pleasure,” Collins assured him. “Colonel, will you see to it that he’s tied into the ‘net?”