Bright Horizons

Chapter 14

Kyle stood and reached his hand across the desk. “Thank you Mister Smith”

Smith stood and shook Kyle’s hand with a smile “You are welcome, General Martin.  Would you care to join me for lunch today? I found that your cafeteria on this station makes a respectable enchilada.”

“Thank you, Mister Smith, but I can’t today. I have another meeting to get to. But maybe the next time you are on the station.”

“That sounds good, General. Good day to you,” said Smith as he turned and left Kyle’s office.

Kyle allowed himself a big grin and a few moments of celebration before he carefully put on his calm exterior and headed to his next meeting. Sixty new engines was a great boost to the power and flexibility of the Earth forces. He had received early reports of Bisir and Airido being liberated just a half hour before. Six planets liberated and one in process. Within an hour they should hear what happened at Do’yar’on.

Kyle felt a little skip in his step. The first four planets had been liberated without the loss of a single human. The Iltia’cor were taken completely by surprise by the coordinated assaults and the strategy of using the modified scooters as giant railguns was so effective that three of the twelve Earth cruisers involved never fired their weapons during the operation.

The second wave of attacks had thus far been almost as successful. According to the preliminary reports from Bisir and Airido, the Iltia’cor had brought in much larger fleets to protect those systems. And yet, even with a fight on their hands, his commanders reported only having lost two scooters; one to a rogue asteroid and the other to enemy fire.

With the confirmed cruisers in the first wave, and the early reports from the second wave, Kyle had calculated that the Iltia’cor had lost a total of twenty three cruisers from their fleet. The Iltia’cor seemed to be back on their heels and reeling from the Earth strategy, and todays losses would only add to that downward spiral. 

Yes, this was turning out to be one of the best days since they met the Hedali.

The door to the conference room opened and Kyle stepped in. Immediately he sensed the dark mood in the room and the foreboding sense that something terrible had happened. The other nine members of the meeting met him with silent looks and a few had red-rimmed eyes.

“Sir,” Alex stood as Kyle came in. “We just received news from the Pentagon. Admiral Rider was found dead at his desk this morning.”

Kyle reached for a chair for support and slowly lowered himself until he was sitting.

“What happened?” Kyle asked.

“The EMTs told Kitch it was a stroke. She is pretty shaken up, sir,” Alex said.

That would be an understatement, thought Kyle. Admiral John Rider had picked her to be his attaché when he was promoted to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs in the Indian War. When her air wing commander complained and said she was the best warthog pilot he had, Admiral Rider had loudly and forcefully replied that she was the best logistics and resource officer the military had and he needed her for his office. He took her under his wing and was like a second father to her. He knew that she had stayed in close contact with him even after his retirement.

After Admiral Rider retired, she asked to be assigned to Special Operations under Kyle as a service pilot and logistics officer. Kyle felt honored that she wanted to work for his command, especially after Hyderabad had tarnished his name. But she had seen all of the evidence and had understood, like Admiral Rider had, that the right call was made. Kyle couldn’t think of Admiral Rider without thinking of Kitch, nor could he think of Kitch without thinking of Admiral Rider. He would call her later and offer his condolences and offer to help in any way he could.