Commandant (The United Federation Marine Corps Book 8) (19 page)

“Twenty-four hours, Ryck.  Let me know.”

The recording cut off as Ryck sank back in his chair, his emotions a whirlwind of despair and hope.

“General, I—”

“Get out,” Ryck said with a surprisingly calm voice.

He had some thinking to do.

Chapter 29

“Bert, I need you to get back here ASAP,” Ryck told the assistant commandant.

Bert’s sleep-filled eyes looked back from
Prometheus Station
where Ryck had just woken him up.  Bert rubbed his eyes, yawned, then seemed to focus on what Ryck was saying.

“Sure thing, but what’s up?” he asked, stifling a yawn.

“I don’t want to pass it over comms,” Ryck told him.  “I’ll leave you a message on a stylus.  It’ll be in the top left drawer of my desk.”

“You’ll be gone?” Bert asked as he swung his feet out of the bed and sat up at the edge.  “Where will you be?”

“It will all be on the message.”

Bert wrinkled his brow as he listened before saying, “Roger that, sir.  I think we have a courier run at 1300 our time.  I’ll be on it.”

“No, I want you to leave now.  Do what you have to, but get back here.”

“I. . .sure, I can get a ride.  But—”

“No buts, Bert.  I’ll explain it all on the stylus.”

“Aye-aye, sir,” Bert responded, clearly brimming with questions he wanted to ask.

“I’ve got to go.  Just. . .just take care, OK?” Ryck said, quickly closing the connection. 

He stared at his blank PA screen for a full moment before he recorded the message to Bert, which appointed him as the new Commandant of the Marine Corps.  This recording would be seen by others, so other than a “Good luck,” he didn’t explain much. 

That wasn’t fair to his friend, he knew, so after transferring the recording to a stylus, he decided to record a more personal message.  He explained the situation with Hannah and the twins and why he was giving himself up to the loyalists. 

It’s still a shitty way to say goodbye,
Ryck acknowledged to himself as he transferred the recording to a second stylus, affixing a “Personal for General Nidischii’” label on it.

Ryck had intended to consider long and hard on his course of action, weighing the lives of his wife and kids against the future of the Federation.  Intellectually, he knew their lives were almost meaningless in the grand scheme of things.  But their lives were not meaningless to him.  And while he knew he was important to the cause, he was not really necessary.  He knew he was a warrior, but he also knew for this fight, he was a symbol more than anything else, despite his positions as a co-chairman and the commandant.  And as a symbol, he didn’t have to be alive.  In fact, it might be better if he were dead, not only so he wouldn’t have any more Watersheds that could tarnish his image, but humans tended to idolize their fallen leaders more than when they’d been alive.

Ryck also knew that his absence would not handicap the Corps.  Bert was a better manager than he was, and he had his fighting chops as well.  Far from hurting the Corps, having Bert in the position would be a benefit.  That was his rationalization, at least.

Within five minutes, which was all he could manage in a vain attempt to make a reasonable decision, he had decided on the course of action, the one he knew he’d make from the minute he’d watched the recording.

A concerned Gunnery Sergeant Çağlar came into the office and handed Ryck a flight plan.  Ryck barely glanced at it before punching in the number on his PA.  Various whistles and chirps sounded before Ryck heard a single, long beep.

“Pantry Elephant,” he said slowly and clearly.

Within a few seconds, the first minister was on the other line.  “That was quick.  I saw you had viewed my little message to you just 35 minutes ago.  So?”

“I’m coming in.  I’ll be on the sloop
FS While Away
, registry number FS8739-4464.  Gunnery Sergeant Hans Çağlar will be on board with me.  The—”

“No, you need to come alone,” the first minister interrupted.

“And who will take back my family?  Gunnery Sergeant Çağlar is coming.  The ship’s transponder will be broadcasting.  We’ll land at McHale—”

“No, Earth, at the Cairo FCDC port.  Not Luna.”

“I’m not negotiating with you.  I’m telling you how this is going down.  I need to make sure my family is released, and I don’t trust any one of you.”

“I may be an opportunistic asshole, Ryck, but have I ever lied to you?”

“No, not to the best of my knowledge, you haven’t.  But you don’t have control over the situation, and the chairman could be playing you, knowing I’d believe you.”

“Touché, mon général,” the first minister said with a wry smile.  “You do have a point.  So what are your conditions?”

“I want you to clear Hangar D.  You, and you alone, will escort my family into the hangar.  We’ll bring the sloop into the hangar and lower the ramp.  I’ll get out and you will release my family.  I’ll say goodbye, they’ll go to the ship, and as soon as they pierce the gate, I’m yours.”

“And what’s to stop you from bolting for the ship as well?”

“Nothing, except for the ships and fuckdicks you’ll have lurking around.”

“OK, I think I can arrange all of that.”

“Oh, and I guess I should tell you that I’ll be packing explosives.”

A sudden look of concern replaced the first minister’s almost condescending attitude.

“And why is that?” he asked, his voice cracking ever-so-slightly.

“Because if you do anything to harm my wife or kids, or if you try to intercept them, I will detonate the charges.”

“Killing yourself?  You’re going to have a date with the Cube’s executioner for a dangle
[15]
anyway, so why should that be a deterrent?”

“Because I’ll have deprived you of your show trial, of your need to show your blind followers that you caught the big bad rebel leader,” Ryck answered, hoping that he’d guessed right.  “You need me alive.”

“You’re not thinking of trying to take both of us out there, are you?” the first minister asked.

“No.”

He seemed taken aback by Ryck’s abrupt response. 

“And how do I know that?”

“I’ll come back with your own response to me.  Have you ever known me to lie?”

The first minister smiled and seemed to relax.  “Once again, touché.  OK, we’ll play this out your way.  It won’t make any difference in the end.

“When can I expect you?”

“We’ll file a flight plan as soon as the ship’s AI calculates it all.  Just be sure my family is there waiting,” Ryck answered.

The two men stared at each other for a moment before Ryck said, “I guess that’s it.  I’ll be seeing you.”

He cut the connection, and only then looked up at the gunny.  Çağlar looked miserable as he stood there, wringing his hands.

“Thanks, Hans.  I couldn’t do this without you.”

“I shouldn’t be helping you, sir.  Its treason!  I’m helping you kill yourself.”

“No, it’s not treason.  And you are one friend helping another.  And there’s no one else I would trust to get my wife and kids back to safety.

Çağlar did not look convinced, but Ryck knew he’d obey.  The man was the very definition of loyalty, and he’d march into hell and back if Ryck asked him to.

“Security?” Ryck asked.

“You’re cleared.  I told Sergeant Pickers that you had a secret meeting with the CAC, and his team is going to escort us out one of the service tunnels, and then get us to the port.”

“And the ship?”

“Fueled and waiting.  I showed the authorization you gave me to the director and told him only that a VIP would be going to an undisclosed destination.”

With the tight security, Ryck had wondered how he’d be able to sneak off Tarawa.  He knew that if anyone got wind of his plans, he’d be stopped, and he wasn’t going to let that happen.  With Çağlar’s help, though, he thought his plan should work.

For the next six long, almost unbearable hours, Ryck carried on his routine.  He’d been sure Jorge would have noticed his state of mind during the 2000 meeting with his principle staff, but his friend hadn’t acted any differently. 

After that meeting, Sams and Jorge had shared the Bourbon BBQ ribs and potato salad that Top Ekema had brought in.  Ryck usually loved the ribs, but this time, they were tasteless.  And as much as he loved Sams, his old friend’s drawn-out story about a liberty adventure in New Davao had been more annoying than anything else, and Ryck had finally pleaded a headache and the need to get to sleep early.  This would be the last time he’d see the two Marines, and here he was cutting them off.

Some friend I am
, he thought as he lay on the rack in the back office feigning sleep.  He’d have to lay there in the dark for another two hours before Çağlar came to collect him.  Only he wasn’t feigning.  Somehow, he really had fallen asleep, which was a godsend.  Anything was better than being alone with his thoughts.

“Sir, it’s time,” Çağlar said quietly, his hand on Ryck’s shoulder, shaking him awake.

Ryck woke up with a start, then bolted to his feet. 

“I’m ready,” he said almost guiltily.

He gathered his wits, and then picked up his small travel kit.  It was pretty light, not that he’d have much for anything in it.  Following Çağlar, he left his office without a backward glance.

Two guards were waiting for them in the outer office, and they led Ryck and Çağlar down the darkened hallway.  The headquarters never shut down, of course, but the “Prime Passage” was pretty empty.  General Boniface had the duty, but he’d be down in the MCCC at this hour.

The two guards led Ryck and Çağlar into a service corridor, and with more than a few twists and turns, they reached a hatch that opened into the night air.  A golf cart was waiting that whisked them to the small HQ spaceport some 15 minutes away.  Normally used for shuttles and Storks, it was big enough for a sloop, one of the few classes of ships that both landed on planets and entered bubble space.

The port director was a retired Navy master chief, and he seemed surprised that no one was accompanying the two Marines.  He offered to drum up a pilot to fly them, which Ryck refused.  Sloops were popular among the extremely wealthy, and they were pretty much self-flying.  Once the destination was entered, the ship’s AI did the rest.

Ryck thanked the port director, then shooed the well-meaning man off.  Five minutes later, with Gunnery Sergeant Çağlar by his side, the
FS While Away
took off.  Ryck nervously awaited any attempt to turn him back, sure that the director had smelled something fishy and had contacted someone.  A sloop was pretty much hands-free, but that meant it was easily controlled by port AIs.  It wasn’t until an hour later when the ship entered bubble space that he could relax.

He was on his way to rescue Hannah and the twins.

LUNA

Chapter 30

The
While Away
looked like a civilian vessel, but it was military, and its guidance system kicked in as it approached McHale Base.  Hovering above the lunar surface, it followed the tractor assists to Hangar D.  The tarmac was deserted, an oddity, but Ryck knew there were eyes on the sloop as they moved in.

Ryck was both excited and in anguish at the same time.  He’d finally see Hannah and the twins, but the sight would be too brief.  And it would be the last time he’d see them, he knew. This was it, and that was something with which he’d come to grips.  But the closer he got to his family, the less he wanted to accept it.  Various schemes popped into his head of how he could rescue his family, then get away with them himself, but that only happened in Hollybolly flicks.  That was not real life.  Anything he tried would not only fail, but his family would pay the price.  He forced those fantasies from his mind.

Most sloops had actual windows of crystallized carbon-4, a concession to their civilian use.  Ryck was standing in front of the
While Away’s
front windows, anxiously trying to spot Hannah.  As the ship eased its way through the hangar gate lights flared up, blocking his view.  Once the tail end of the ship cleared the gate, though, the lights ceased, and standing at the far end, only 150 meters away, were Hannah, Esther, and Noah.

He gave the suicide belt he wore one more op check.  The slowly flashing green light confirmed that it was armed.

“Stay in the ship,” Ryck told the gunny as he bolted for the hatch.

“Shouldn’t I be with you?”

“No, and I need you to get the hell out of here the second they get onboard.”

“Sir, are you sure?” Çağlar asked plaintively.  “There’s still time to change your mind.”

Ryck took a moment to look back as he hit the hatch release.  Hans Çağlar had been with him a long time, and it must have taken a tremendous effort for him to actively assist Ryck.  Ryck wanted nothing more than to run to Hannah, but instead, he took a step to the gunny and put his arms around the big man.

“It’s OK, Hans.  I’ve lived longer than I ever should have, and I’m at peace with myself.  Thank you for everything.”

He felt Çağlar shudder as a sob escaped the gunny.  Ryck held the hug a few moments, then slowly let go.

“Take care of them, Hans,” he said as he stepped out the hatch.

“Dad!” Esther screamed, her voice a dagger into his heart—and a bolt of joy at the same time.

Ryck wanted to run, but he felt they were all still in deadly danger, the first minister’s promises notwithstanding, and a mindless run in enemy territory could have drastic consequences.  Ryck slowly marched forward, his senses on alert.

“Send them over!” he shouted at the first minister when he’d reached the halfway point between them.

Ryck’s eyes were locked on Hannah’s, and he could see the despair threatening to take over her.  The first minister said something that Ryck couldn’t hear, then nudged her forward.  That nudge was all Esther needed, and she broke into a run to Ryck.

Ryck wanted to tell her to stop, fearful that she could invoke some reaction from unseen loyalist troops, but part of him wanted her to run faster.  She crossed the intervening 75 meters in seconds, slamming into Ryck and almost knocking him flat.

“Daddy!” she sobbed into his shoulder while Ryck squeezed her tight.

“It’s all right, snugglebunny,” he said, “You’re safe now.”

Over Esther’s shoulder, his eyes were still locked on Hannah’s as she and Noah made their way to him, Noah with one arm around his mother’s shoulders.

“But you’re not safe.  The first minister, he said what they’re going to do to you!”

Bastard!  Couldn’t you at least let them get away first before they found out?

“I’ll be fine, Esther.  I always am,” he said as he tried to sooth her.

And then Hannah reached him.  Her eyes were red and puffy, and she looked about ready to collapse.  That killed him, his strong, capable wife, reduced to having her son help her across the hangar.

“Ryck,” she said.

“I know,” he replied, bringing her into the hug. 

Noah joined, and the four stood there for a moment, a family again.

“I’m so sorry, Hannah.  And Ben. . .”

“We know.  They told us.”

“I. . .it’s my fault, I let him enlist, and now, I’ve dragged you into this.”

“That’s about all the time you have!” the fist minister shouted from the where he still stood.  “Let’s go!”

“Why did you agree to this?” Hannah asked.

“Do you really have to ask?  Because I love you, all of you.”

“But the rebellion—”

“Will do fine without me.  And you mean more to me than anything else.”

“That’s time, Ryck!” the first minister shouted out again.

“Look, you’ve got to go.  Hans is waiting for you in the ship.”

“No, daddy!” Esther shouted, hugging him tighter. 

Ryck had to reach down and peel her arms from around him.

“Noah, take your sister to the ship.”

Noah tried to say something, but only a strangled grunt came out.  He nodded, then put his arm around the sobbing Esther and started to the
While Away
.

“I love you, Hannah, with all my heart.  You’ve made me the luckiest man in the world.”

“Why, Ryck?  Now I have to live with this, to live alone without you.  I’d rather stay here.”

He embraced his wife and kissed her gently on her forehead.  “Go, Hannah.  Take care of the kids.”

His heart was breaking as he pushed her hands down and gave her a gentle shove towards the ship.  Without hesitating, he turned back and started walking to the first minister.  He knew if he hesitated any longer, he’d lose his nerve.

“Daddy, I love you!” Esther’s voice cried out.

“You can stop there,” the first minister said as Ryck approached. He pointed at the body armor he wore and added, “No use for me taking any chances now, right?”

Ryck nodded and stopped, then slowly turned around.  Esther was already in the ship and Noah was climbing aboard.  Hannah reached it, and one hand on the ladder, turned to face Ryck.  She blew him a kiss, and then disappeared inside the ship.

Within seconds, the hatch closed, and the ship rose up on the tractors and backed out of the hangar.  The gate flared as it passed, and then it was through.  Two seconds later, it was out of sight, and Ryck was alone to face his fate.