Battle Bound: Honor & Duty

By Sam Schall and Amanda S. Green

Newly promoted, Captain Ashlyn Shaw has been ordered to take Delta Company to the Bennington System. Their mission is simple: secure the groundside defenses and seek out the Callusian invaders. It should be an easy assignment. The Fuerconese Navy has proven time and again it is more than a match for the enemy. Once Taskforce Liberator arrives in-system, Ash and her Devil Dogs get to work. Except no battle plan ever survives the first encounter with the enemy. This time the Callusians are breaking pattern and it will take everything Ashlyn has to lead her people to victory.

 

The Devil Dogs will get the mission done, no matter what the cost.

 

Battle Bound is a short story set in the Honor and Duty series universe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hunter's Moon Press
• Release date: May 25, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201401207

Book preview

Battle Bound

Battle Bound

An Honor & Duty Short Story

Sam Schall

Hunter’s Moon Press

Contents

Battle Bound

Vengeance from Ashes preview

Author’s Note

About the Author

Also by the Author

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

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Copyright © 2016 by Amanda S. Green (writing as Sam Schall). Second edition copyright © 2021 by Amanda S. Green (writing as Sam Schall).

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All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.

Hunter’s Moon Press

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Cover art: Cyberpunk soldier city patrol by Grandeduc.

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If you enjoyed this short story, please visit my website for information about upcoming titles.

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Battle Bound

Another mission briefing with yet more plans that would not survive the first encounter with the enemy. Every Marine learned that lesson early in their career. Failure to do so, and failure to adapt to new circumstances, meant death and not necessarily of just the Marine foolish enough to cling to battle plans drawn up in the sterile confines of a briefing room far from the fighting. Even so, pre-mission briefings served a purpose, at least if the mission commander understood how battles were won and lost. These briefings allowed those involved the chance to voice their concerns and offer alternatives should the proverbial shit hit the fan.

Something that happened more often than not when the Callusians were involved.

From where she stood near the far bulkhead in the Admiral’s ready room, Ashlyn Shaw, newly brevetted to the rank of major for the duration of the mission, studied those already gathered. The seven men and women gathered around the table wore the uniform of the Fuerconese Navy. Six of them represented Admiral Miranda Tremayne’s senior staff. The seventh, Captain Terrance Riordan, commanded the Frank Fletcher, flagship for the taskforce. The seven spoke softly amongst themselves, a few of them checking in with their stations as they waited for the Admiral’s arrival.

Ten-hut!

Shaw’s order rang out the moment the hatch slid open and Admiral Tremayne stepped inside. As those seated around the table stood and braced to attention, Ashlyn watched with the critical eye of a Devil Dog, the premier SpecOps unit of the Fuerconese Marine Corps, as Tremayne’s Marine escort took up positions on either side of the hatch. Their eyes swept the room, looking for any threat. They might not be Devil Dogs, but they knew their duty – to protect the Admiral at any cost.

At ease.

Tremayne took her place at the head of the table. Once seated, she nodded and two stewards appeared to pour coffee and tea for those who wanted it. When one of them approached, Ashlyn shook her head. There would be time for coffee later. Besides, choosing to stand had its drawbacks, one of them being she had nowhere to put a mug should she have to move quickly. At least the Admiral had learned over the course of the last two months not to ask if she wanted to join them at the table.

As you know, we are on our final approach to the Bennington System, Tremayne began as the holo display over the table came to life. For a brief moment, the taskforce’s icon filled the display. Then it disappeared, replaced by a 3-D representation of the system. "What you see displayed is the latest data received from the probes launched by the Asimov on its last pass along the system border. This data is less than forty-eight hours old."

Ashlyn studied the display for a moment and then glanced at the Admiral. As she did, she frowned slightly. Tremayne’s expression betrayed nothing, unless you knew her as well as Ashlyn did. Not only was the