Galactic Alliance 3: Honor Thy Enemy Read Online Free Page B

gravel pathway toward the garage which had been built a fair distance from the house.

Back in Space
     
    At 0800 sharp a small craft appeared in the sky and silently descended to a soft landing on Stricklen’s private beach. The hatch dropped down to form a ramp and three people emerged. They looked around for a moment and started walking toward the house.
    Ken, carrying a small duffel bag over his shoulder, met them at the edge of the woods. A young enlisted man extended his hand and asked, “May I take your bag sir?”
    Ken handed his bag over while Doug introduced the third person. “This is Steve Findley. He will be taking care of your property while you are gone.”
    Steve stepped forward and held out a small computer tablet. “I will require your thumb print and voice authentication on this form so I will have the legal authority to act on your behalf Mr. Stricklen.”
    Ken quickly read over the document then pressed his right thumb on the indicated area of the screen and said, “My name is Ken R. Stricklen. I have read the legal document upon which I have affixed my thumb print. I understand and agree to all of the terms contained within.”
    Steve retrieved the pad and said, “Your property will be taken care of sir. Do you have any special instructions?”
    Ken pulled a data crystal from his pocket and handed it to Steve. Without another word he turned around and gave his cabin a long last look. Under his breath, and so quiet that Doug could barely hear him, he said, “Goodbye Tash.”
    “Let’s go Doug,” Ken said in a louder voice as he spun around and started for the shuttle.
    Doug was the only one who noticed the wetness hanging in the corners of Ken’s eyes. Scanning along the direction Ken had been looking, Doug spotted something he had missed during his last visit. On one side of the house, in an area that would always be shaded, was a single gravestone. Turning, he followed Ken into the shuttle. As soon as they were aboard it lifted.
    As he settled into his seat across from Ken, Doug introduced the person who had taken possession of the duffel bag and who was now sitting toward the back of the shuttle. “This is Petty Officer Robinson. He will show you to your stateroom once we are aboard the ship.”
    Ken nodded his head toward the back of the shuttle. With the introductions complete, Doug continued, “We’ll be docking with the Meerkat – one of the latest fast cruisers. She can make 4.2 Kc and we’ll be pushing her to the limit in order to get to Almaranus on time. The trip will take just over a week which should give you plenty of time to bring yourself up to date on some of the advances that have been made since your retirement.”
    Ken avoided looking out the window as the shuttle ascended. Being a military shuttle, the only window that existed was the one in front of the pilot. Six foldaway seats hugged the port and starboard sides. Focusing his attention on Doug, Ken said, “Yesterday you mentioned that the Dragon was being upgraded. I’m curious to know what these upgrades are.”
    “The Kyrra sent us very detailed engineering instructions on how to modify the Hess shield generator to boost the efficiency by twenty percent. We’re also upgrading the ship’s Alliance-built weapons and tactical systems to incorporate the latest developments.”
    Ken leaned forward and intertwined his fingers. “Explain to me how we are going to get to the other side of the fold.”
    Doug leaned back in his seat as he provided the answer. “The Kyrra will completely drop the hyper-dimensional barrier for fifteen minutes. The Dragon will be positioned near the fold waiting to see the stars shift. The moment this happens, the computer will instantly engage the stardrive at maximum and head toward Chroniech space. On the other side of the barrier, three Kyrra ships will be doing the same thing. When the barrier is reestablished we will be in Chroniech space and the Kyrra will be in