Kelly Blake 3: Where the Stars Are Few and Far Between Read Online Free PDF Page A

pass to Lieutenant Commander Gold for this afternoon’s commitee hearings. I should get on that.”
    Admiral Thomas walked him to the door and shook his hand again as he left. Commander Blake received his orders and went to his office to start closing out actions. It would be another late night.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Candy Craddock sat at her desk, reviewing contract proposals. Ever since the K’Rang invasion, contract money was falling out of the sky. Antares Base was booming. Two squadrons of scout ships were brought out of mothballs and retrofited with the new disruptor guns. Practically every assault landing ship in the Fleet was being brought in for fitting with new guns and mini-rings. Logistics was simplified by providing a small transporter ring for each major combatant. Logistics today was no more than literally walking requisitions through to a supply base and pushing those supplies through the ring onto a ship.
    Candy was currently reviewing a set of proposals for retrofitting the rings on classes of large ships, frigates and above. Candy reviewed all three proposals and passed her legal review along to the contracting officer.
    Three more of these and she sent the last packet on to the contracting officer, then called it a day. She closed her office and practically sprinted to her car, fired it up, drove out the gate and headed north out of town. When she passed the high tension lines, she climbed up to 1,000 meters and hit the autopilot. Her car took her home.
    Once in her house, she stripped down and lowered herself slowly into the hot tub, feeling the day’s tensions and muscle knots fade away. Then she heard the communicator signal.
    She almost let it go, but she pulled herself out of the hot tub and trudged to the communicator, dripping water all over her floor. She moved the camera up so only her face showed and hit answer. Much to her joy, it was Kelly.
    “Hey, gorgeous, could you put a sailor up for a couple of weeks? I caught a hop and I’m here on Antares a little early. I’m worried someone from Scout Force will see me and make me report in, so I’m hiding out in Flight Ops. Can you come get me?”
    Candy shouted, “Yes, stay hidden, I’ll be right there.”
    She dried off, threw on some clothes, and made a speed run back to the base. She snuck Kelly into her car, threw his bags in, and they were off. They left the base, climbed to 1,000 meters, and started another speed run back to her mountain home.
    Turning on the auto pilot, she turned to him and asked, “Why didn’t you let me know you were coming?”
    “Transportation told me that it would be two weeks before I could get out to Antares Base using their shuttle service, or arrange my own transportation and be reimbursed. I called an old buddy, Lieutenant Commander Steve Guilford. He commands a flight detachment of Fleet logistics transport ships. He was able to get me a flight here if I could leave today. I signed out of Fleet HQ, hopped on an S-700, and here I am.”
    Candy melted into his arms and said, “I’m so glad you did. I’ve been miserable here with all my friends gone. Do you really have two weeks before you have to sign in?”
    Kelly pulled out his orders. “See right there? Report no later than 2328.09.27(Armstrong). Two weeks, even allowing for Armstrong’s eight day weeks.”
    Candy expertly landed her air car and moved Kelly’s belongings into her guest room for the remainder of his leave.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Shadow Leader G’Motta had fought off his fifth attack of the day. The Humans were up to something, but he didn’t know what. Every time they attacked, he lost a bit more capability. They never attacked in force; only single combatant ships ran at him, fired a barrage of anti-ship missiles at max range, then retreated. To keep his force supplied with defensive missiles, his supply ships were making constant trips back to their base on an uninhabited world.
    So far he had not lost a ship, but four had partial