Retribution (11 page)

Phil rubbed his eyes and leant back in his chair. His mind turned to the other message he had sent earlier, the one to VAdm Rose McCubbin, recently recalled back to Earth from command of the Orion sector. He knew she was now the new S3 to the Fleet Admiral. He liked Rose. She was smart, too smart to spend the war in a backwater. She reminded him of Amanda, though perhaps there was more flint in Rose’s composition. She had served under him as his S3 when he commanded the home system fleet.

He was putting a lot on the line and prayed that Rose would exercise discretion. There was always a chance she could show loyalty to the Fleet Admiral and tell her about his inquiry. But there were few options open to him. He needed someone who had access to the goings on within the Fleet Admirals HQ, someone who he knew, who he could trust and someone who could keep their cool if things blew up in their face. Rose ticked all the boxes.

‘It’s done now anyway’ thought Phil. ‘Now I wait.’

Chapter 22. Mount Bosan 1400, 4 June

Ivan extended a hand to Jasmin and lifted her up onto the top. She was panting, trying to recover her breath from the exertion. Ivan wiped the sweat away from his brow as he stared out over the gorge below. The sound of the cicadas was everywhere. So too was the smell of eucalyptus. Gum trees covered the hills as far as the eye could see and up here that was a long way.

Jasmin’s breathing steadied. She took a swig from her canteen and then splashed a little on her face. She came along side Ivan and took in the majesty of his view. “Wow!” she said.

Ivan put his long arm around her back and pulled her to him gently. She leaned her head into his shoulder. He looked down and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “See I told you it would be worth it” he said.

She didn’t reply. She just wrapped her arm around him, content to lean into his body, to be in contact with him physically. He had this quiet strength about him that she really liked. He was a deep character, a thinker and she appreciated his substance. She also appreciated how tender he was for such a big man. When he loved, he loved deeply. She felt a real connection and for the first time in her life she didn’t want to break it. ‘I’m not running away this time’ she said to herself.

She turned to face him and they kissed in the high mountain air, seemingly on top of the world. “It doesn’t get much better than this” she said.

Ivan smiled and he sat down and pulled out his lunch. Jasmin followed suit. She was starving. She ripped into the sandwich with avarice intent. “You really get stuck in” said Ivan.

She looked up at him with her mouth full and smiled with her eyes. After she swallowed she said “Sorry, I was so hungry. It’s late you know.” Ivan chuckled. She punched him lightly in his shoulder and beamed back at him. But Ivan didn’t smile back. His expression looked painful and Jasmin worried about what she had said or done to cause this.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing” said Ivan dismissively.

“That wasn’t nothing” said Jasmin.

“Forget it.”

“I’m not going to forget it Ivan” she said with a determination that surprised Ivan. “What just happened then?”

“When you punched me it reminded me of…”

“Sherri?”

“Yeah” said Ivan, feeling ashamed for having to admit it.

“Why? Did she used to hit you in the shoulder too?”

“Yeah” and Ivan recounted how he and Sherri had destroyed the battlewagon on Alpha Phi and how she had punched him in the shoulder after it.

“How did you feel then?”

“It was a good feeling…happy.”

Jasmin nodded. She was a little unsure as to how to proceed.

“It’s nothing to do with you Jasmin. It’s just me. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“No Ivan it must happen again. You need to talk this out. You’re still grieving. Don’t hold it in. Next time I do something which reminds you. Tell me about it. I’m here for you.”

“You are wonderful Jasmin Morales…absolutely wonderful.”

Chapter 23. Nova Vista 1500, 4 June

Aubrey was relaxing in the spa of the Cleopatra suite. The suds were starting to dissolve now and her breasts peaked above the water line. She blew a puff of suds off them. Brennon was not due in for another two hours.

She lay there trying to decide what she should wear for their first contact. The thong and underwire bra were already decided on but she wasn’t sure just how ‘obvious’ she should be.

Brennon Warner thanked the receptionist for the directions and made his way to the elevator, pulling his suitcase behind him. His emotions were mixed, part lust part trepidation. It had been lust that had motivated him to take an earlier flight and trepidation that now welled up inside him.

‘Has it really been three years?’ he asked himself. It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried to get back in the saddle but two aborted attempts had put him off. He knew it had been his fault each time – too much stress. But his ego had taken some serious hits with his failure to rise to the occasion. And that’s what concerned him now.

As the elevator rose, he stared at the display. The floor numbers flicked by. ‘But there had been one night stands’ he told himself. This was different. There was a strong physical attraction. That was for sure. He knew that, the first time he saw her just before Dave’s wedding. After the dancing and talking that night he had dreamed of making love with her.

‘And oh how she had come on strong at Butros Alia’ he thought. He recalled how they had talked for hours, how she invited him back to her cabin and how he had begged off. He had cursed himself every night since for not accepting her invite. The thing though that made this different was that he got on so well with her. It was so easy to talk to her. There was this synchronicity that he hadn’t experienced since the early days with his wife. ‘My ex-wife’ he reminded himself.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Brennon took a deep breath in. He was determined not to blow this. Dave was right. He deserved another shot at happiness.

The door chime surprised her. ‘Must be the hotel staff’ Aubrey said to herself. She carefully extracted herself and threw on the red robe provided by the hotel. She looked down at her cleavage and pulled the robe across a little tighter. She strode across the living area leaving wet foot prints on the carpet. Her blond hair dripped moisture onto the robe.

She tripped over the rug, stumbled and cursed. The door chimed again and she called out “I’m coming. I’m coming.” She stood back upright without adjusting her robe and opened the door. Standing in front of her was Brennon and his suitcase. He was ogling the beautiful form in front of him.

“You’re early!” she protested. As her chest expanded the robe began to fall away. She grabbed it in time. “Oh come on in then” she blurted out.

As Brennon entered he said “I’m sorry but I was able to get an earlier flight.” He let the door shut behind him. “Wow” he said as he eyed the opulence of the suite.

“I was supposed to be ready for you. My hair’s all wet and look at me.”

Brennon had a big smile on his face.

“Don’t make fun of me Brennon. This is not fair.”

“You look absolutely marvellous” he said with a genuine expression. He let go of the suitcase and approached her, taking her body in his arms. “Besides I’ve been dreaming of having you in a bath robe just like this one.”

She looked into his eyes like she had just heard the best words of her life. “I’ve been dreaming of you each night too.”

He leant forward and kissed her. She let his tongue in and felt it probe her. He took his right hand from behind her back and tugged at the robe’s lapel. She backed back and for a moment he wasn’t sure whether he had pushed too hard. She turned and headed to the bedroom. As she got to the door, she let her robe drop, looked back over her bare shoulders certain that his eyes were on her curvaceous behind and said “Coming?”

“All too soon I’m afraid.”

She turned to face him and stepped up to him positioning herself on his left side, her bare breast against his ribs and her hand around the back of his shoulder. “Oh no Brennon. There will be none of that” she said in a soft but firm voice.

Despite the obvious delights Brennon’s focus was solely on her blue eyes. They were smiling at him full of compassion and enticement.

She pecked him on his cheek and with her hand applied a little pressure to his back. They stepped off together. “Now tell me about these dreams you’ve been having.”

Brennon slid his left hand down and gave her buttock a squeeze. ‘Now that’s more like it’ thought Aubrey.

He stepped over the threshold of Cleopatra’s boudoir. Brennon knew there would be no problems, no problems at all and he said “Well there was this one dream…”

Chapter 24. Terra Fuaga 2100, 4 June

Rihan was sitting on the deck of their cabin, her feet dangling in the tropical waters, which were still warm. It had been a hot day. It was a long flight. But the dinner was good and now the sun had set, the temperature had dropped to a pleasant 21 degrees Celsius.

“Do you want another” called out Dave from within the cabin.

“No I’ve drunk enough” said Rihan as she caught a glimpse of the prawn fishermen taking their boat out for another night’s work. The lantern suspended at the top of the mast bobbed and cast its glow across the surrounding water in the middle of the bay. ‘It’s a much simpler life’ she thought. ‘I wonder would it satisfy me’ she asked herself. ‘Maybe with kids it would.’

Dave came and sat beside her, letting his feet dangle in the water too. He looked at the lights on the water, the wake of the boat and the darkness below his feet. But the most captivating sight was beside him. Rihan looked so beautiful. Her boat necked top showed off her lovely exposed shoulders. He leant over and kissed them. She turned her head towards him and kissed him gently on the lips.

“Do you reckon we could live like that?” she asked pointing to the fishermen.

“Pretty sedate, don’t you think?”

“It has its own rhythm.”

“A pretty slow one.”

“Not much responsibility.”

“I’m not too sure about that” said Dave. “Just wait till they get a bad catch.”

“Oh you are such a party pooper” she said and clipped him on his shoulder.

“But there are some good things about it” said Dave.

Rihan knew there was a punch line here but piped up anyway. “And they are?”

“Well you get to sail past all these hot women wearing next to nothing” said Dave with a grin.

“Then it’s not for you, you letch.”

Dave took her in his arms and said in his softest voice “I have eyes only for you darling.”

She felt his hand feeling for her breast and smacked it. “It’s not your eyes I’m worried about.”

“This is our honeymoon isn’t it?”

“Second honeymoon” she said as she pulled herself up and stood.

“No, no” said Dave as he too stood.  “This is a continuation of our first.” He had to hurry now to catch up to Rihan as she made her way back into the cabin.

“That won’t stand in a court of law.”

“Well anyway who’s to say our second honeymoon should be any different to our first.”

Rihan bent over the large coffee table to pick up the plates. Dave admired how she filled out her shorts. Her smooth thighs beckoned. He came up behind her and held her hips.

Rihan turned her head as far back as she could to see Dave. “Well some things haven’t changed.” She pushed her bum back into his body. He gave her rump a gentle smack.

“No, some things haven’t changed at all.”

Part 2
Conflicted

There’s nothing worse than having to decide

Between what’s right and what’s dictated

You can accept the brief and let it ride

Placate your conscious with the reasons stated

But guilt will gnaw you from within

And you will be the lesser for it

Best to stand firm and face into the wind

Hold fast to righteousness and conquer all before it.

Chapter 1. Washington DC 2000 5 June

Rose McCubbin received Phil’s message just after a late dinner at the cafeteria inside the Fleet HQ. The fact that it was marked personal, for her eyes only, concerned her. She was wary of letting her old boss use her as a foil or tool against her current boss. ‘Let’s have a look anyway’ she said to herself.

“Oh my god” she said out loud and then quickly checked to see that no one near her office heard her. She closed her door and sat back at her desk. She read it again. She still could not believe that Yomoto had been ordered to conduct the nuclear strikes and she had definitely not heard about an offer to negotiate for peace.

She double checked the attachments. Both the directive, under the Fleet Admiral seal, and the report from Yomoto looked genuine. She had no reason to doubt her old boss. He had always been a straight shooter with her.

She then started to analyse what other explanations there could be other than the obvious conclusion implied by Yomoto. Ten minutes later a frustrated Rose thought ‘dammit I’m going to have to find out.’

She could just ask the Fleet Admiral directly but then almost immediately discounted that when she realised this had all the hallmarks of a setup with her old boss the intended fall guy.

‘So how do I find out without alerting anyone?’ She knew she could check the HQ’s message log from her workstation but she also knew that that would leave an audit trail that she did not want. ‘OK I can access it from some other workstation but if this was sent by the Fleet Admiral and it’s not kosher then odds on I won’t find it on the log either. And in fact it may no longer exist at all if the Fleet Admiral is setting up Yomoto to take the blame.’

‘Blast you Phil for dumping this on me’ she cursed to herself.

It had been a long day and she knew she was tired. ‘Maybe best to sleep on it.’ Phil’s message had emphasised the need for advice as soon as possible. She started to pack things away when it occurred to her that perhaps the first thing was to verify who had ordered the strikes.  There were three options – the Supreme Council, the Combined Chiefs or the Fleet Admiral.