Galactic Alliance 3: Honor Thy Enemy Read Online Free PDF

the same direction with his arm Ken said, “Lead on Mr. Robinson.”
    Before starting off, the young enlisted man nervously said, “It's an honor to meet you in person sir.”
    Ken didn't know how to respond and when Robinson noted his obvious discomfort he quickly turned and headed toward the nearest hatch. Ken shrugged his shoulders and followed. They arrived a short time later at his assigned stateroom.
    At the door, Ken took his duffel bag from Robinson. “Thank you Petty Officer Robinson. I think I can handle it from here.”
    “If you need anything – anything at all,” Robinson replied, “please don't hesitate to call me.”
    “I'll do that,” Ken replied.
    Ken’s stateroom was similar to the one he had occupied aboard the Komodo Dragon although this was not a private stateroom. There was room for four occupants but after a quick glance into the lockers Ken concluded that he was the only one assigned to this stateroom. On one of the bunks lay a new captain’s uniform. He walked over and picked it up. “What the hell am I doing here?” he thought.
    He tossed the uniform back onto the bunk followed by his duffel bag. It had been fifteen years since he had last worn the uniform of an Alliance captain. He should be happy to be back in space. He stared down at the limp uniform. It meant nothing to him.
    “Computer?” Ken said into the air.
    “Yes Captain Stricklen?” a voice near one corner of the small room replied.
    It felt strange being addressed by his old title. Ken walked over to the terminal and sat down. “Please reset my chronometer to ship time.”
    Ken’s chronometer, a standard Alliance issue device strapped to his right wrist and one of the very few items from his time in the service he still possessed, instantly changed from 0843 to 1411 indicating that it had been reprogrammed. From now on, Ken’s watch would match the time kept by the crew of the Meerkat . “Computer, give me a quick overview of this ship’s internal layout.”
    The computer responded by projecting a complete three dimensional floor plan of the Meerkat in the air above the terminal. Ken spent the next half hour familiarizing himself with the ship. As he was finishing, a voice on the ship’s announcing system said, “Attention all hands. Transition to FTL in thirty seconds.”
    At the end of the specified time Ken felt the sensation as the ship engaged its faster than light drive. It had been 15 years since he had felt that sensation and it brought back a flood of memories. He had once loved the adventure of space flight. Each time the ship shifted into stardrive represented a chance to see and experience something else he had never experienced before. But, even though the memories were there, the old thrill of exploration and adventure were gone.
    Ken got up and stood in the middle of the small stateroom for a moment then took a deep breath and said, “Computer, I need to be brought up to date on current Alliance policies, military hardware, and any other subject a Captain may require to perform his duties. Reference my past service record and construct a refresher course for me.”
    “Working… ” Ken had intended to unpack while the machine worked but managed to take only three steps before the artificial voice said, “Training program completed.”
    “Damn,” he muttered to himself. “Even the computers have gotten faster.” The unpacking required only a few minutes. Stricklen poured himself a glass of rum from a bottle he had brought with him then walked over to what appeared to be a small window.
    It was not a real window. This was a military warship and a window would have created an intolerable weak point in the ship's exterior armor. For psychological reasons, the builders had installed window-like viewscreens to give the crew the illusion of being able to look out into space. Instead of the grayness that would normally be visible through a real window there was a myriad of stars hanging in the inky