Echoes of the Storm

Chapter 40

Jack walked toward the commander, gesturing at Norse. "Would you get this piece of shit out of here?"

The commander signaled his security team, and tipped his head at the doctor. "Move him out."

Streams from the ODPs and a dozen other locations around the capital were still broadcasting on the small monitors while a repair team worked on the SITS Board. Ops was like a transit station at rush hour, the din of boots pacing in and out, and conversations in every corner of the room.

Jack would give anything for a few minutes of quiet, but three Riga officers interrupted him with congratulations. Four more. Another six. He shook their hands, but turned inward, barely hearing their praise. Celebrations had begun and someone handed him a drink. Ale mugs clinked. It was all a blur.

One of the doctor's team had finally coaxed Costarossa onto a stretcher and wheeled her beside Tic. He took her hand, and lifted them to wave good-bye to Jack before the medics rolled them out.

Jack wasn't ready to celebrate. He felt numb, but acted on autopilot, thinking he did a decent job masking concern for friends and comrades who hadn't checked in. Like Ben. It was better to keep busy, engulfed by the Riga and their questions, their observations, and the small talk. The very pregnant exec from the Patriot appeared with an officer she introduced as her wife. Lieutenant Commander Washington mentioned her distant relative's revolutionary role overthrowing another tyrant. She was proud to continue that tradition on Torredo, and began to question him about events leading to Norse's reappearance in Ops. When he thought he could take no more, Hummel rescued him, pulling the interrogators away.

"Get me Commander Arlee on ODP-1," he told the op on comms.

Someone else pounded Jack's back before he could connect with Arlee.

"I heard you were having trouble contacting this one," a familiar voice said. Matt Chase stepped aside to reveal Centaur. He looked tired and his fatigues were rumbled and dirty, more brown than gray.

Jack jumped to his feet. He wanted to grab Matt, ask if he'd heard from Ben, but he reached for Centaur. "My friend, I'm so sorry."

Centaur shook his head, blinking back tears. Jack wrapped him in a long embrace.

"We couldn't have done this without Saber," Jack said.

Centaur's arms were rock hard holding onto him. "Or Tic. And you, Field, and thousands of others." The older man offered more comfort to Jack than he knew, when it should have been the other way around.

"Heroes," Jack said.

Matt rested one hand on Jack's arm, the other on Centaur. "We will tell the worlds about them all." He met their eyes, nodding. "To Saber."

"To Torredo." Centaur's voice rose above the clamor in Ops. "And freedom."

A cry went up in the room. "To freedom!"

"Freedom," every voice repeated.

When the cheers died down, Centaur cornered Jack. "We need leaders like you to help us rebuild."

Jack shook his head. "You're the experienced politician."

"You mean old. I suppose I am."

Centaur was smiling. Jack couldn't imagine the strength that took when Saber would not be around to celebrate. He drew Centaur in for another embrace.

Politics wasn't Jack's forte, though he'd lived in his uncle's shadow for years. "Your connections across Torredo alone are worth their weight in gold," he told Centaur.