weren’t, tended to be the same ones, and if she spent all her down time with the same guys, the others would feel aggrieved.
“Any news on the Captain?” asked Kaur. She’d had to order them to go to the beach, have fun, and keep doing all the usual things they’d do on downtime. Because they were all upset, and when marines got upset, sometimes people got hurt. That was the last thing anyone needed now, the Captain least of all, so Trace had ordered them all to continue recreation as usual, no exceptions, and she’d tell them when anything changed.
“Nothing more than you’ve heard,” she told them. “Commander Huang’s down from Phoenix now, she’s in talks with HQ.”
“She’s got family contacts in HQ doesn’t she?” Aram pressed.
Trace nodded. They all looked so hopeful. But she made it a rule to always tell them straight, on anything that might affect their safety. “Honestly, I don’t hold much hope for Commander Huang. She’s a great commander, but that family she has at the top levels is a liability in this situation. I spoke to her briefly, and I got a distinct lack of urgency from her.”
“She’s ditching us?” said Carville, eyes darkening. “She’s ditching the Captain?”
“She’s caught between this family and blood family,” Trace corrected firmly. “Don’t judge her, it’s not her fault. But don’t expect much either. The one who has been raising holy hell is the LC.”
“Debogande?” said Kaur. “Seriously?”
Trace nodded. “He went to see his Great Uncle Gialidis this morning.” Eyes widened, everyone knew who that was. “Dale told me, said the LC was real serious, and real pissed. And just now Huang called me, told me to tell the LC to cool it a bit, apparently HQ’s getting jumpy. Huang told the LC to cool it herself, the LC told her it was a family visit and mind her own business.”
Surprised laughs from the marines. The standard assumption with LC Debogande was of an okay officer who couldn’t be much special because he couldn’t possibly deserve the post. Certainly no one thought he was the guy who came out swinging when the bigwigs pushed them in a corner. Most marines thought Debogande was a bigwig, he sure shined his shoes like one.
“So here’s the thing,” Trace continued. “I want us to start moving back to Phoenix . We’re being watched, for one thing.”
“That car in the parking line?” said Carville. “Yeah, there’s always one. There was a guy in the bar last night, another at a restaurant.”
“Exactly. I don’t want anyone getting paranoid, they might just be checking that nobody’s witness tampering before the trial. But I feel vulnerable down here, and I’ve requested to the Commander we start moving back to Phoenix before someone starts some incident, creates more trouble, etcetera. If they’re trying to stitch the Captain up, they might try to stitch us all up, we just don’t know what this is yet.”
Grim nods. “When?”
“Tomorrow. Commander’s arranging it.”
“What about Phoenix crew?”
“I’m not sure,” Trace admitted. “Not my area. But something similar seems wise. I’m sure the LC agrees with me. The Commander, not so much.”
“Yeah but Major,” said Aram. “I don’t like leaving the Captain alone down here. It’s a bad look.”
“There’s nothing we can do for him here,” Trace said firmly. “This isn’t our environment. It’s in the hands of the bigwigs now, and if any of us have to testify at the court-martial, they can fly us back. Until then, the best we can do is avoid making extra trouble.”
Reluctant nods. “You want us to tell the others?”
“Just rotate everyone else back through here,” said Trace, finding a comfortable seat on the sand. “Nothing suspicious for our watching friends. I’ll tell them myself.”
Two hours later, after some sun, some lunch, some swimming and even a bit of volleyball, she’d briefed all twenty-three of them in depth. That gave
“Any news on the Captain?” asked Kaur. She’d had to order them to go to the beach, have fun, and keep doing all the usual things they’d do on downtime. Because they were all upset, and when marines got upset, sometimes people got hurt. That was the last thing anyone needed now, the Captain least of all, so Trace had ordered them all to continue recreation as usual, no exceptions, and she’d tell them when anything changed.
“Nothing more than you’ve heard,” she told them. “Commander Huang’s down from Phoenix now, she’s in talks with HQ.”
“She’s got family contacts in HQ doesn’t she?” Aram pressed.
Trace nodded. They all looked so hopeful. But she made it a rule to always tell them straight, on anything that might affect their safety. “Honestly, I don’t hold much hope for Commander Huang. She’s a great commander, but that family she has at the top levels is a liability in this situation. I spoke to her briefly, and I got a distinct lack of urgency from her.”
“She’s ditching us?” said Carville, eyes darkening. “She’s ditching the Captain?”
“She’s caught between this family and blood family,” Trace corrected firmly. “Don’t judge her, it’s not her fault. But don’t expect much either. The one who has been raising holy hell is the LC.”
“Debogande?” said Kaur. “Seriously?”
Trace nodded. “He went to see his Great Uncle Gialidis this morning.” Eyes widened, everyone knew who that was. “Dale told me, said the LC was real serious, and real pissed. And just now Huang called me, told me to tell the LC to cool it a bit, apparently HQ’s getting jumpy. Huang told the LC to cool it herself, the LC told her it was a family visit and mind her own business.”
Surprised laughs from the marines. The standard assumption with LC Debogande was of an okay officer who couldn’t be much special because he couldn’t possibly deserve the post. Certainly no one thought he was the guy who came out swinging when the bigwigs pushed them in a corner. Most marines thought Debogande was a bigwig, he sure shined his shoes like one.
“So here’s the thing,” Trace continued. “I want us to start moving back to Phoenix . We’re being watched, for one thing.”
“That car in the parking line?” said Carville. “Yeah, there’s always one. There was a guy in the bar last night, another at a restaurant.”
“Exactly. I don’t want anyone getting paranoid, they might just be checking that nobody’s witness tampering before the trial. But I feel vulnerable down here, and I’ve requested to the Commander we start moving back to Phoenix before someone starts some incident, creates more trouble, etcetera. If they’re trying to stitch the Captain up, they might try to stitch us all up, we just don’t know what this is yet.”
Grim nods. “When?”
“Tomorrow. Commander’s arranging it.”
“What about Phoenix crew?”
“I’m not sure,” Trace admitted. “Not my area. But something similar seems wise. I’m sure the LC agrees with me. The Commander, not so much.”
“Yeah but Major,” said Aram. “I don’t like leaving the Captain alone down here. It’s a bad look.”
“There’s nothing we can do for him here,” Trace said firmly. “This isn’t our environment. It’s in the hands of the bigwigs now, and if any of us have to testify at the court-martial, they can fly us back. Until then, the best we can do is avoid making extra trouble.”
Reluctant nods. “You want us to tell the others?”
“Just rotate everyone else back through here,” said Trace, finding a comfortable seat on the sand. “Nothing suspicious for our watching friends. I’ll tell them myself.”
Two hours later, after some sun, some lunch, some swimming and even a bit of volleyball, she’d briefed all twenty-three of them in depth. That gave
Similar Books
