In the Presence of My Enemies Read Online Free

his gaze to the captain in his own good time. “Captain,” the colonel’s translator spat back.
       Krif nodded his head in the direction of the Kafaran still standing beside the shuttle. “And him?”
       “A guard for the shuttle,” Graves said. “We would call him a grunt.”
       “A Marine?” Krif acknowledged.
       Shawn didn’t like the look in Krif’s eyes as he said it.
       “That’s correct, Captain,” Graves replied. “I’d like to get to the nearest briefing room as soon as possible. We have a great deal of information to go over, and time is dangerously short.”
       Krif’s eyes were still locked on the shuttle guard, sizing him up. “I’ll bet you would.”
       Both the admiral and Shawn cocked their heads in disbelief. “I’m sorry, Captain. What was that?”
       Richard then stared coldly at Admiral Graves, and Shawn knew what was about to happen, powerless to do anything about it.
       “I said I’ll bet you would,” Krif repeated sarcastically. “Unfortunately, the only place you and your friends here are going is straight to the brig.”
       Graves’s face went instantly red. “This is outrageous! You have no authority!”
       “Like hell I do, and you should know it.”
       Graves’s eyes turned to Shawn. The look he received from his former protégé told him what he needed to know: Shawn wasn’t happy about this at all.
       “On what grounds, Captain?” Graves replied as he found a semblance of composure.
       “I can name a half dozen off the top of my head, but the only one that really matters is treason.”
       William cast his eyes to the deck briefly before looking back to Krif. “You have no idea what you’re doing, Captain.”
       “Oh, yes. Yes, I do. I’m safeguarding my people against further contamination. There’s no way in hell I’m letting you roam these corridors a free man, to say nothing about these . . . aliens .” Krif then turned to his executive officer and gave the leathery-faced commander a nod.
       Ashdoe took measured steps toward Graves, produced a set of laser manacles, and then clasped the admiral’s hands behind his back.
       “Admiral Graves, you are hereby charged with treason under Unified Sector Command law, title sixteen of the Code of Military Justice,” the executive officer said formally. “You are to be placed in the brig, pending the outcome of a formal investigation.”
       It was all Shawn could do not to jump between the two and defend Graves with anything he could turn into a weapon. The lieutenant commander swallowed hard, then shot a glance at William. The admiral’s silent plea for Shawn to remain in place was the only thing that kept Shawn’s feet planted firmly on the deck. Shawn watched as the Kafarans were also subdued, the cuffs looking distressingly small on their muscular wrists. The prisoners put up no resistance as they were led silently from the hangar deck. Not long after, the entire assembly of Marines and honor guard filed out unceremoniously. Within moments, Krif, Kestrel, and Saltori were the only ones in the massive bay.
       “This is about the worst idea you’ve ever had, Dick,” Shawn quipped.
       “How’s that?” Krif asked, looking toward the empty Kafaran shuttle.
       “Maybe you’ve forgotten that a Kafaran carrier and destroyer are out there right now!” Kestrel shouted, pointing in the general direction of Second Earth. “This is just the kind of excuse they need to start blasting away at us. And if the Meltranians decide to send someone looking for their lost ship—”
       “We’ve got their commodore and their carrier captain, Kestrel,” Krif replied calmly. “They’re not going to do so much as empty their garbage in our direction. I’m not concerned about these so-called Meltranians either.”
       “Sir,” Saltori began nervously. “Begging your pardon, but I think the lieutenant commander may have a point.”
       Krif