CHAPTER FOURTEEN
07, May 2454 Mining Facility, Placida, 10:00 hours.
"Sir, transport vehicles have arrived. We're ready to begin moving the civilians back to the star port and repatriating them"
"Very well Sergeant Major, have the engineers finished installing and activating the force field?"
"They'll be done in about thirty minutes, Sir."
"Good, the force field will not only keep the mercenaries in, it will keep vigilantes out."
"Sir, the force field is operating and the engineers are returning to the ship."
"Begin mounting the troops and moving them out."
"Not leaving a guard force, Sir?"
"What for? Even if they had the power tools necessary to deactivate the force field, where could they go? No tools, no weapons and no transport."
07, May 2454, Star port, Placida 15:00 HOURS.
Rick had just settled in to the temporary headquarters at the star port when he got a call from the Admiral.
"Major Castle, governor Cordell has requested a staff meeting, tomorrow at 10:00 hours. Captain Rogers and I are coming down, with our staff. We need to do some serious planning. We received a message drone from sector headquarters.
We need a location prepared for the conference."
"One of the big conference rooms at the hotel should work, Sir." "That will do, Major. Set it up."
"Yes Sir."
17:00 Hours.
Kate came into the headquarters. "It's time to end your day, Darling. You've been going constantly since 05:00. Take a shower. The cooks have been preparing a good dinner. Nothing fancy but better than field rations. It's surprising how much food the locals have provided."
"It sounds like good advice, Sweetheart, I am pretty tired." Rick got up and followed Kate to his quarters. As he let the hot water cascade over him, he felt Kate 's hands on his back.
"Just relax, Darling. All I'm going to do is scrub your back. Then you do mine." After the shower, Kate had Rick stretch out and she began a message.
Although fine boned and slender her hands were very strong. As a surgeon, she knew all the pressure points and nerve nodes. Rick could feel the tension flowing out of his muscles. He rolled onto his back and she stretched out beside him. She gently traced the small scars on his chest, the reminders of Tantalus.
"I was so scared, this time, my Darling, I came so close to losing you. So very close. Don't ever take such chances, again. I couldn't live, without you, now. Do you know when I first saw you? I'd just been assigned to the Clara Barton. You were dancing with a nurse. Jake warned me about you. Thank God, I didn't listen to him."
Rick pulled her to him and kissed her.
"Don't start that, she laughed. Or we'll never make dinner. And I'm hungry!"
When Kate and Rick entered the dining room his off-duty officers were waiting as were a couple of doctors an several nurses assigned to the hospital,
Rick went to the head of the table.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, please be seated."
One of the cooks brought several bottles of wine in and glasses. The cook handed each person a glass. The wine was opened and poured. Del stood.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to offer a toast. Major Castle finally exercised that brain of his and asked Commander Beckett to be his bride. She accepted. To Kate and Rick."
"Kate and Rick." They all responded
"What took you so long, Sir?" Captain Trent, the Air Cavalry commander asked.
"He's so shy", Del quipped. That brought hoots of laughter.
"Okay, people, settle down. Now that you're all aware, when we get off this mud ball, it will be party time. a formal engagement parties. You're all invited."
"Can we serve now?" the head cook asked.
"Yes, please do." As Kate had promised, the meal was simple but hearty. A green salad, a pork roast and a local tuber similar to a potato.
08, May 2454 Star port, Placida, 10:00 hours.
The conference room quickly filled up. Governor Dale Cordell, a tall, lanky man, still haggard from captivity but determined to remain the strong leader he'd always been, Said;
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I am calling this conference to order, Chaplain Rufus would you please offer the invocation?"
After the prayer, Governor Cordell said;
"We have much to discuss, today, many plans to make but before we begin, I want to express my people's gratitude and my own to the gallant men and women of Fleet, especially the Marines. It is hard to believe that our planet was liberated in so brief a campaign. It was among the most brilliant campaigns I've ever heard of. With special congratulations to Major Castle for the daring execution of the campaign."
"Thank you, Governor but no one man can claim credit for what we've accomplished, so far. It took great effort and cooperation from everyone involved, including your own resistance groups and militia. It's not over yet. We still have to hunt down and capture or kill the security police. We must also begin organizing and training your own troops.
Also, the repair of your infrastructure is going to involve a great deal of labor."
Admiral Petrofsky stood up.
"You may be seated, Major. I am in receipt of messages from sector headquarters addressing many of your concerns. First, A complete battle group headed by the Battle cruiser Enterprise is already on the way. She is accompanied by an Aerospace fighter carrier, four heavy cruisers, four light cruisers, six destroyers,
and several service vessels. They are escorting a full Planetary Constabulary division and a civilian engineering corp.
I was quite surprised at the availability of men and equipment, until I learned that about a month after we left, the Gorrock suffered a major defeat in a fleet action now dubbed the second battle of Tantalus. Before they could reorganize, a special attack force raided Gorrock itself, causing the Gorrock to sue for peace. It probably won't last, even a decade but it does give us a little breathing room. The task force should arrive within the month."
"One Company will remain behind to help the constabulary's transition and to train Placida's own troops. It is estimated that their tour will last four months. It is suggested, Major, that you ask for volunteers and select their commander. An incentive for him, is promotion to Major. Don't even think about volunteering yourself, as both you and Captain Kevan have been ordered home, with the main body. That order comes directly from Emperor Kevan, counter-signed by Major General Frasier."
Governor Cordell said;
"Thank You, Admiral. Now, our first two orders of business run concurrently. How to re-establish the planetary government and the rule of law and capturing or killing the remaining Crovanian security police and our own renegades."
08, May 2454 Star port, Placida, 13:00 hours.
Rick met Kate for lunch
. "Damn, that bunch can talk! They must have formed a dozen committees in the first hour! I hate committees! It was supposed to be a staff meeting."
"You're not alone, Darling. That woman they've appointed the health minister
Wants more medical supplies and personnel than we have! She also wouldn't believe that she doesn't have the authority to give orders to Fleet personnel! She tried to order me to stay and train her surgeons and when that didn't work, she tried to have Captain Wayne
order me to stay! Captain Wayne ripped her a new one!"
"You don't have to worry about it, Honey, there will be a complete field hospital with the constabulary. They can handle it. Besides, Del and I are ordered home with the first wave. I'm not about to leave without you!"
20, May 2454 Star port, Placida, 09:00 hours.
Rick Castle looked around the room at the assembled team leaders. They had assembled ten teams of 20 Marines and 20 citizen militia men per team. They'd given the militia enough training to handle their weapons and communication gear.
"We've been over these plans until each of you is thoroughly familiar with them but remember, no plan survives contact with the enemy. Our job is to rid the country of the Crovanian vermin.
There are between three and five hundred of them out there. Thanks to your neighbors, we know where they are or most of them, anyway. Remember, if they are carrying side arms or rifles, get under cover and offer them the chance to surrender. If they are carrying neural whips or have orange flashes on their collars, they're interrogation specialists. Read that as torturers. Shoot them on sight. They enjoy causing pain.
Captain Kevan and I will be with the mobile command post and the quick reaction force.
If you encounter a force too large for you to handle, do not engage. Report in and shadow them until superior forces arrive. Good luck and good hunting!"
Rick double checked the readiness of the quick reaction force. He'd set it up with one company of Infantry, the Armored cavalry, the Air Cavalry and two of the self- propelled guns. Del said, "We're ready to go but let's hope we're not needed."
"I hope so too, Rick replied but I put little faith in that hope."
Rick was also upset that he'd lost an argument with Kate. With Captain Wayne's and Captain Rogers' assistance, she'd had two armored personnel carriers broken out of storage and modified as field ambulances. She was leading them, although they would stay with the mobile command post and operate from there.
She'd said;
"I may be a surgeon but I'm also trained as a field medic. As I told you, where you go, I go. I'm as stubborn as you are. Captain Wayne has authorized this. You might as well accept it, My Love it is my right to take care of you, no matter what that may entail."
20, May 2454 Farley's Corner, Placida, 15:00 hours.
Glin Dalron Landa of the Crovanian security police didn't like the situation that he was in, at all. He'd managed to cobble together an ad hoc force of about two hundred but they had nothing but small arms and no contact with any higher authority. They'd taken a small farming community, to use as a base. The humans wouldn't cooperate and the few scouts he'd sent out, hadn't returned.
No amount of torture could force people to tell him what they didn't know.
He was sitting in the Grange Hall. What a Grange was, he didn't know but it was the largest building in the town. He was scanning the horizon, when an armored vehicle appeared. It advanced, then halted just out of range of anything they had.
A hatch opened and a man stood in it. An amplified voice was projected.
"I am Lieutenant Pierre Dubois of the Fleet Marine Corps. I am offering you Crovanians the opportunity to surrender."
Landa activated his own system. "We have a whole village of hostages here. If you attempt to take us by force, we will execute them all. Tell your commander that we will release the hostages after he arranges our transport out of here and to a Crovanian ship."
Dubois put in a call to Rick Castle.
"Sir, this is Clean up three, our sensors indicate about three hundred beings here. Temperature differential indicate about one hundred humans. The cats threaten to murder the hostages unless we let them go."
"Hold in place and observe. The big bats will be there in about two hours."
Landa called again.
"Well Marine, do you let us go, or do we start killing our hostages?"
"I'm only a Lieutenant. I don't have the authority to negotiate with you. Our commander is on the way."
"I will give him until sundown."
The reaction force arrived almost exactly two hours after the initial report.
20, May 2454 Farley's Corner, Placida 17:15 hours.
Rick halted the main body behind a low hill and went forward to meet Lieutenant Dubois. "What's the situation lieutenant?"
"The cat commander keeps making demands, Sir."
"Where are they, Lieutenant?"
"The leader is in that big building on the edge of town.
The rest of them seem to be divided into two groups, each with a group of hostages."
"Are there any hostages with the leader?
"There don't appear to be."
"Here's what we'll do. Most Crovanians aren't independent thinkers. They'll wait for orders. Get a drone up. I'll talk with the leader. While I'm doing that, get grenadiers in position with disabling gas grenades and flash bangs. Get a laser designator on that large building. I'll want a time on target using smart rounds."
Rick called Kate.
"Can you meet me here, in five mikes?"
"Roger that, on my way."
Kate got out of the ambulance and came to Rick 's command carrier.
"What do you need?" She asked.
"I want your med carriers up here. I'll want as quick a response as possible. There are two groups of hostages, each held by a group of terrorists.
I want to use gas grenades and flash bangs. There is a high possibility of causalities among the hostages but not as high as if I have to use standard assault tactics.
I want a quick response but you're not going in until my men have secured the area."
"We'll be ready to go, as soon as you give the word but no sooner. I want to treat patients, not be one. By the same token, my love, you don't leave this carrier until your men secure the area. And I do mean secure it. No more playing with snipers,"
"Artillery commander, as soon as you have a clear solution, I want that grange hall taken out, we'll fire on the hostage takers at the same time. I'll want those rounds fired at a very acute trajectory so that they're coming almost straight down. I don't want the incoming warble. The firing command will be:" waste my time." Any questions?"
None were asked. "Okay, team leaders, get your men into position, signal when ready.
Two beeps for Alpha Team, Three beeps for Bravo. Move out."
It took about fifteen minutes for the teams, moving stealthily, using the afternoon shadows to get into position.
20, May 2454 Farley's Corner, Placida, 18:00 hours.
"Crovanian leader, this is Major Richard Castle of The Fleet Marines., over."
"I am Glin Dalron Landa. You're cutting it pretty close, aren't you Major?"
"It took some time to get here."
"You don't have much time left before sundown, Major."
"I take it that you are not considering our offer?"
"Not in the least. What are the lives of these farmers worth to you?"
"They're worth a great deal to me. That's why I'm here. I really hate to waste my time."
"Then you shouldn't waste it. We…" before he could finish his sentence, he heard the crump of exploding grenades. "What was that?" His question was never answered, at least not in this life. The exploding artillery shells landed within half a meter of their aiming points.
At the two buildings where the hostages were being held, the combination of the flash bangs and the gas grenades meant that the charging Marines met only sporadic, inaccurate fire. None of the Marines received anything more than superficial cuts and bruises. The few Crovanians still on their feet were quickly subdued by butt strokes to the head.
"All Clear Sir." Master gunnery Sergeant Vince Monroe reported.
"Very good, Sergeant, get a team over to the rubble of the Grange House. I want it thoroughly searched. Check for basements or tunnels. One platoon on perimeter security. Secure any surviving Crovanians. Med teams forward."
Kate and her two med teams advanced to the first building.
"Team two go with a squad of Marines to the second building. Team one, with me. I'll coordinate from here. Triage first, humans first.
Kate with her team and some of the Marine medics began checking. Most of the humans had been sitting down towards the center of the room. Most were nauseous and stunned with a few cuts from flying glass. There were a few broken wrists, arms and ankles but no critical injuries. The Crovanians were not so lucky. A half dozen were dead and another dozen or so seriously injured.
Kate came over to Rick.
"We can set the broken bones and treat open gashes, burns and other surface injuries but I've never studied Crovanian physiology. There's little we can do for internal injuries."
"We don't have the time or resources to deal with it, Honey.
I know that it distresses you not to be able to treat any sentient being. The best we can do is get them up to the ship and let the medical computers handle it. I can't authorize the use of shuttles for that. Captain Rogers will have to approve it. In a way, I can't see wasting our resources on those scumbags, not after they invaded, terrorized, raped and murdered or at least enabled the renegades to rape and murder.
Kate placed a calming hand on his arm. "I know, baby but I have to ask, anyway."
Sergeant Monroe reported.
"Sir, we searched the site. The building is destroyed. We found five dead cats and one still alive. He's badly injured and I doubt if he'll last long."
"I'll check it out." The survivor was, ironically, Glin Landa.
The Glin looked up at Rick, with hatred in his eyes.
"You don't even care about your own people." He gasped.
"That's where you're wrong, you terrorist scum. I knew that you wouldn't negotiate in good faith so I chose a pre-emptive strike. My people are all alive, with minor injuries. Not a scratch on any of my Marines. Take that knowledge to Hell with you!" The second team reported only minor injuries among their group of hostages as well.
20, May 2454 Farley's Corner, Placida. 21:00 hours.
Rick Castle met with the Mayor of Farley's Corner. "I'm sorry about the destruction of the Grange House and damage to the other buildings, Mr. Mayor but I had little choice."
"Don't worry about that, Major. We can replace buildings. We can't replace people. We're all grateful to you, even the injured ones. We're especially grateful for the medical assistance."
"You'll have to thank Commander Beckett for that."
"She's special to you, isn't she Major?"
"How did you know that?"
"By the look on your face when you mentioned her name."
"I'm going to have to work on my poker face. Yes, she's special. She's my fiancée."
The Mayor laughed
. "As an old romantic, may I say that I hope your poker face never gets that good. My Glenda and I have been married for forty years. I still react like that to her."
"We'll be pulling out of here about 14:00 tomorrow. A detachment of your militia will be here, by that time."
22:00 hours.
Rick yawned, pulled off his boots and uniform and sat on his cot. A steaming cup of coffee sat on his field desk. The door flap of his field tent opened and Kate slipped in.
"What are you doing here, Sweetheart?" Rick asked.
"Remember that I told you, on the ship, that I never intended to sleep without you? I meant it. Don't worry, nobody saw me, except Sergeant Monroe. He just grinned and looked the other way. Now, may I please have a cup of coffee?" Rick gave her hips and made another cup.
27, May 2454 Star port, Placida, 15:00 hours.
It had taken a week for the Marines and the militia to kill or capture the rest of the security police. Some of the renegades had escaped but not many and they would be the
Civil authority's problem. Rick and his staff, Admiral Petrofsky and his staff and Captain Wayne and Admiral Petrofsky spoke.
"We have received another message drone. The task force is ten days out. The Admiral commanding has assured me that there is a full recovery team on board to include a civil-military government team and a full field hospital with a training capability. Minister Weston, I will remind you that until your civil government is fully functional and signed off by the civil-military team commander, you are still under martial law. If I hear of any more complaints from you about Commander Beckett, Captain Wayne or Major Castle I will have you arrested for slander and held until the task force arrives."
"I'm just trying to do my job as health minister. I need help in setting up hospitals and clinics."
"Perhaps you do. Had you gone about it the right way that help might have been forthcoming, but since you overstepped your bounds, you'll have to wait."
"Your report, Major Castle, please."
"As far as we can tell, we have captured or killed
all but a handful of the security police. The local militia should be able to handle the rest. All Crovanian prisoners have been interred in a large box canyon. They have been provided with materials to construct field shelters and a field replicator to provide rations.
It's a limited capability replicator, all that it can produce are foodstuffs.
The walls are granite or basalt, too steep to scale. In addition, a force field has been established across the entrance, set to lethal levels. That will hold them until the task force arrives.
The mining facility has been destroyed, although the mines themselves are intact.
If the planetary government wishes to reopen the mines, I am fairly sure that the Commonwealth will help, using modern equipment. A Kalian corpse was found along with recovered records. Enough to prove Kalian involvement, at least to the level of that individual's clan. That is basis for a claim against the Kalian.
Working with the engineers from the Tenacious and local assistance we have set up significant defenses around the star port.
Governor Cordell said;
"What about holding the Crovanian government responsible for this outrage?"
"I am neither a lawyer nor a politician, Governor. I am a soldier.
That question is beyond my area of expertise and above my pay grade."
The meeting continued until 18:00. Admiral Petrofsky said,
"Governor Cordell, I believe that tomorrow's agenda will be strictly planetary government business So my staff and I are returning to the ship. Major Castle and Commander Beckett are returning to their duties. I repeat my warning. Minister Weston will cease harassing my officers or I will have her arrested."
27, May 2454, In the dining room, The Star port hotel, 19:30 hours.
Kate, Rick and Del were sitting around a table, enjoying an after-dinner coffee,
when the Sergeant Major approached the table. "Excuse me, Sir may I interrupt for a moment?"
"Go ahead Top."
"Sir, I'm glad I caught you and Commander Beckett together. The men have a request."
"What is it, Top Sergeant."
"We heard about your engagement, Sir' and that you couldn't get a ring on the ship. We have found a jeweler here on Placida who managed to hide his stock from the cats and the renegades.
He gave us a hologram of his stock. If Commander Beckett sees one, she likes, we'll go to his shop and she can try it on. We'll take care of the rest. You can pay us back later."
"Please do, Darling. I'll be thrilled to have my engagement ring on my hand when we walk off the ship, back home." Kate said.
"If that makes you happy, it's fine with me. It will also be fun to see Julia's face when she sees it. I'll finally do something that she didn't expect."
"Sorry to spoil your fun, Darling but she knew before either of us did." The Sergeant Major turned on the hologram. It took Kate less than five minutes to find the ring she wanted. It wasn't the largest or flashiest. It was exquisite. A perfect blue-white diamond with four emeralds set at the cardinal points.
"We'll go, first thing in the morning." Rick said.
09, June 2454 Placida Star port, 10:00 hours.
The entire command staff of Task Force Tenacious, except the executive officer and duty section stood in front of the headquarters as the first of the landing shuttles touched down. The hatch opened and a group of officers alit. They were led by a Rear Admiral and a constabulary force Major General.
The Constabulary uniform was similar to the Marines, except that it was khaki colored
. They used the same rank insignia as the Marines.
The two parties exchanged salutes.
"Good Morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am Rear Admiral Carlos Porter, Commanding the Enterprise Battle Group. This is Major General Thomas Danville, commanding The Third Planetary Constabulary Division."
Admiral Petrofsky replied.
"I am Rear Admiral Sergei Petrofsky and this is my Ground Force commander, Major Rick Castle, Fleet Marine Corps."
They shook hands.
"We've heard of you, Major, extraordinary record." General Danville said.
"Thank you, Sir, but I'm just doing my job as I was taught."
"Here are my orders, you stand relieved Sir." Admiral Porter said.
"I stand relieved." Petrofsky replied.
"We are expecting a smooth transition, Gentlemen any assistance you can provide will be greatly appreciated. We expect to release you in two weeks."Admiral Porter said.
"One of my companies is staying behind for about four months to train the militia, Sir." Rick said.
"That's very good, Major, General Danville said.
It will be a great help to us and we'll support them in every way."
Except for the very obvious aura of command, the Admiral and the General were polar opposites. Admiral Porter was short and stocky with graying dark hair and brown eyes.
General Danville was tall and rangy with crew cut blonde hair and blue eyes.
General Danville said;
"Our Combat Engineers will be the first unit down and they will begin laying out our base camp and constructing an air base for our aerospace craft. I understand that you are holding a large number of Crovanian prisoners."
"Yes Sir." Rick replied "Along with a number of mercenaries in Crovanian employ.
They are being held in a large box canyon."
"We will need to fortify that canyon and turn it into a proper prison camp.
We will need sworn and recorded testimony from you and your officers, Major
As we will begin court martials as soon as we can. Also, as soon as we have a temporary headquarters set up, I want you to go over your operations with my operations staff."
"Very good Sir."
"Thank you, Major, you may return to your regular duties."
The final days on Placida passed very quickly as Rick and his staff were very busy, as were Kate and the medical people turning the hospital over to the Constabulary's medical unit. The transfer of duties actually took three weeks rather than the estimated two.
29, June 2454 Star port hotel, dining room 18:00 hours.
It was a fairly large gathering for a farewell dinner, quite festive even though most of the people were in battle or field dress. Governor Cordell stood up.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, as we are gathered here to bid farewell to the gallant men and women of Fleet, I know that the people of Placida can never adequately express our gratitude for our liberation.
We hold a special reverence for those who gave their lives for our freedom. To those of you who suffered wounds in our cause, we know that we can never repay your pain and suffering but you will never be forgotten.
Even as I speak, a monument is being constructed in your honor, including a black granite slab with the names of those both killed and wounded engraved upon it.
It will stand, here in the star port where every person who comes to Placida will see it.
Thank you, my friends."
Kate sat next to Rick, holding his hand.
"In just a few hours, My Darling, we'll be heading home. I'll have you for the rest of our lives and I'll finally have a home of my own."
"Are you ready to be the Lady of Green Shores and a Countess of the Empire? You will be, you know, as soon as we are married."
"I can handle it, as long as I am your wife, nothing else matters."