Commandant (The United Federation Marine Corps Book 8) Read Free

minister answered.
    “The Brotherhood won’t stand for this, you know,” Ryck said, switching tack.
    “We’ve taken that under consideration, Ryck.
    “Look, put down the gun, and we’ll forget all of this happened.  Come back here to Earth, and I give you my word that I’ll explain it all to you.  You’ll see that this is the right choice, the only choice,” the first minister said.
    Ryck hesitated, the muzzle of his Ruger wavering ever-so-slightly. 
    What if he’s right?  What it there is something I don’t know?
    Movement caught the corner of his eye.  Without thinking, he whirled and fired, sending three darts into the chest of Captain Lief Klinger, the admiral’s chief of staff, as the man rushed him.
    Ryck immediately swung back, his two darts zinging off the console stopping the admiral who had started to reach forward.
    “Ryck, this pains me.  Really it does.  But Admiral Kurae, do what you have to do,” the first minister said.
    “Marines, arrest General Lysander.  That is a direct order coming from the chairman himself.”
    Lying piece of shit , Ryck thought.  The chairman might want me arrested now, but he hasn’t given any such order.
    “I’ll kill you first,” Ryck told the admiral.
    “Maybe,” the man said with a laugh.  “But that’ll only delay the inevitable.  You’ve killed Captain Klinger, but with me gone, it will take, what, ten minutes to elevate Captain Jestonia to command?  And you’ll be on your way to be hanged in disgrace.
    “Marines, I gave you your orders.  Arrest the general.” 
    He’s right , Ryck thought as he contemplated just shooting him anyway. 
    He could fight, but to what avail?  And he wasn’t going to kill a Marine just for obeying his orders.
    He stared at the admiral as he felt more than heard several of the Marines step forward.  He waited for their hands on his shoulders.  It was over, and there was nothing he could do, he realized in despair.
    “Sir, what do you want us to do?” Sergeant Parker asked him as the sergeant of the guard stepped beside him, shoulder to shoulder. 
    “I said arrest him!” the admiral shouted, for the first time losing his composure.  “That’s an order!”
    “Do you know what you’re doing,” he asked the sergeant quietly.  “This is your career, and probably your life.”
    “We’re Marines, sir, and we’ve got your back,” the sergeant answered.
    “And your oath?” Ryck asked.
    “We swore an oath to protect the citizens, not sit back and let them get all blown up and like.”
    “You too?” he asked the corporal whose Ruger he’d taken, a Marine whose name he didn’t even know.
    “Me and the sergeant, and the rest, sir, like he said, we’ve got your back.  You’re General Lysander, and that’s good enough for me.”
    “No!” Admiral Kurae shouted, wheeling to lunge at the planet buster’s trigger.
    Without thinking, Ryck fired off four quick shots, the hypervelocity darts reaching the man in an instant and piercing his body before the fins at the back of the dart twisted, causing horrendous internal damage.  The admiral was dead before his body started to fall.
    Ryck didn’t watch the body slide to the deck.  His eyes were on the rest of the men on the bridge.  Most were in a state of shock, some were angry, and only a bare few seemed relieved.  He half-lowered the Ruger, not pointing it at anyone, but still keeping it at the ready.
    “Well, gentlemen,” Ryck asked calmly.  “It seems we have a situation here.  Now what?”

Chapter 2
     
    “We have to surrender.  We can return to the Doughnut and turn ourselves in,” Commander Hector Bortello pleaded.  “They’ll accept that.”
    The commander was not alone in his opinion among the staff gathered in the wardroom.  No one there had wanted to interdict Ellison, but now that that threat was over, temporarily, at least, the realization of what they had done was sinking in.  More than a few of the men wanted to