In the Presence of My Enemies Read Online Free PDF

cast his eyes to the deck.
       “What were you thinking?” Melissa scoffed. “That is treason!”
       The admiral’s eyes locked back onto Melissa’s. “Perhaps it was . . . perhaps it is , and that’s how it will be looked on by historians.”
       “But . . . why?”
       “Because it didn’t take much for the Kafarans to convince me that, once their empire is overthrown by the Meltranians, the intruders are going to set their sights on us. It’s only a matter of time. And b ecause we couldn’t do it,” he said, paused, then continued. “Because of the restriction in the UCS, our hands are effectively tied with respect to Windstorm. By the time the bureaucratic red tape could be legally removed, the Meltranians would already have a foothold into our territory. But the Kafarans are not bound by such rules.” He sighed, then shook his head. “The decision was made: it was the only way to safeguard our continued existence.”
       Melissa was furious. “Regardless of your rank, you didn’t have the authority to make that decision. You should have found a way to contact Sector Command!”
       Despite her obvious frustration, William couldn’t blame her. She was absolutely right. “The Duchess of York and her strike group will be here in the morning. Until then, we’ve got nothing but time on our hands.” He watched as his daughter sighed heavily, then looked to the overhead as she contemplated what to say. She was so much like his long-departed wife at times, more now than ever. William watched as she began pacing the small cell. There was much more he wanted to tell her—so much more that had to be said. For the time being, he could live with her assumptions about his actions, no matter the truth that only he and a select few were aware of. To tell her at this juncture would be unwise and, in light of their current surroundings, quite useless. “How’s Shawn taking his reactivation? I haven’t spoken to him in—”
       Melissa stopped her pacing and stepped to within an inch of the cell barrier. “You leave him out of this!” she fumed. “The only reason he’s here at all is because of you. Besides, whatever has happened between Shawn and me is our own business, and has nothing to do with you!”
       William cocked his head, and one eyebrow slowly lifted. “Something . . . between you two?”
       In the cell beside Commodore Savath, Colonel Tausan let out a slow grunt. Melissa had no idea what it meant, but found herself reciprocating it.
 

“In the military you don't get trusted positions just because of your ability. You also have to attract the notice of superior officers. You have to be liked. You have to fit in with the system. You have to look like what the officers above you think officers should look like. You have to think in ways they are comfortable with. For some reason, in the case of Shawn Kestrel, promotion happens when you fit into the exact opposite categories.”
     
    —Meloetz Suthso, PhD.
    President, School of Science and Mathematics, Unified Sector Command Academy, Satellite Campus Four, Thress.
    The Meltranian Invasion: A History of Galactic of Warfare, 2 nd Edition

Chapter 2
     
       The entire area of space beyond the Rhea lit up with a brilliant burst of light. The eruption was so bright, in fact, that it obscured Shawn Kestrel’s view of Second Earth spinning slowly and serenely a hundred thousand miles above and astern of the observation deck. Just as he was about to shield his eyes, the bright light was quickly extinguished, leaving in its place a small flotilla of Sector Command warships. The Duchess of York and her escorts had arrived exactly on schedule.
       Well, at least it’s not more Kafarans . . . or those damn Meltranians.
       The Duchess had come through the jump gate first, and it was she that led the strike group on their intercept course with the Rhea . Slightly smaller than the Rhea , the Duchess was a great rectangular shape.