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

you standing in the motor pool, instead of at home with your family or at a bar with a likely hook-up? Well, you don’t get any chance to do things over in combat. You have to be ready to go at any time. This unit was not ready at 1200. It is closer to ready now at 0100, but we still have a way to go. We’ll get there. Company commanders, take charge of your companies.”
    The sergeant major had shown up, but stood aside and let her do her thing. He came up to her as she was walking back to the HQ. He saluted and said, “Good morning, ma’am. That was a nice show you put on tonight. You got their attention and shouldn’t have similar problems in the future. I’ll talk to the first sergeants about NCO leadership at my noon meeting on Monday. I agree there’s a problem there. You took care of the commanders and other officers. I’ll take care of the NCOs.”
    “Thank you, Sergeant Major, it went much easier with you looking on.”
    The sergeant major stopped, causing Mary to stop. “Ma’am, you didn’t need me there. You had their undivided attention because you and your standards were between them and being anywhere else. Now they know you ain’t bullshittin’ when you tell them what you expect of them. They know you will take your own time and theirs to make them better.”
    “One other thing you need to know, ma’am. I knew your old man. I was in his unit when he won that Medal of Honor. In fact, I’m one of the marines he died saving. Ma’am, your father would be damned proud of you.”
    “Thank you, Sergeant Major, that means a lot.”
    “My pleasure, ma’am, you have a good morning, what’s left of it.” He saluted and left her.
    Major Mary Chen was tired, but 1st Battalion, 22nd Marines (Heavy) were better than they had been at 1200.

 
Chapter Two  
     Admiral Tom Craddock, Director of the Republic Intelligence Agency, met Admiral Chang in the anteroom and escorted him into his office. They were two old friends at the pinnacle of their careers – confident and no-nonsense.
    “Come in and sit down, Sam. Do you want some coffee? How are Maggie and the kids? I don’t think we’ve seen them since we were in the 4th Fleet together.”
    “Mary is married now and has two kids. Chuck is still single and serving as gunnery officer on the Reliant under Bill Reynolds. How is your girl? Any grandkids yet?”
    “No, no grandkids yet. She’s senior civilian JAG at Antares Base. There’s a guy that she’s sweet on, but no ring yet.”
    Admiral Chang set his coffee cup down and got to the point.
    “Tom, what the hell happened in the Eridanus sector? How could the K’Rang have pulled one over on us like this? I lost an entire task force to a fleet we didn’t know existed, a fleet that is now picketing the boundary of the Eridanus sector. Now they have enough ships in that sector that taking it back will be bloody and too costly.”
    “Tom, I want to hurt the K’Rang for what they’ve done in the Eridanus sector. I think it’s time for that idea you pitched to me in March.”
    Tom Craddock scratched his chin and said, “Sam, we’ve wanted to make contact with the race beyond the K’Rang ever since we learned about them. We just never had the means. Now I think we have the means. What would you say to a frigate-sized ship capable of FTL power 7?”
    Admiral Chang picked up his coffee, took a sip, and said, “I’d say I’ll take a hundred.”
    “Well, I only have one and it’s not quite complete yet. I had it built for other purposes, but what you suggest is a better use of its capabilities.”
    “You say it’s not complete. What does it need?”
    “It has everything but guns and a ring. I wanted to put the new disruptor guns on her, but the Bureau of Ships has the entire production line spoken for.”
    “What does it need, Tom? How many guns?”
    “It needs three medium turret guns and three medium fixed guns. We designed her to have the same gun mount dimensions as particle beam