All Enemies Foreign and Domestic (Kelly Blake series) Read Free

occur.   The gutless Council of Peers has told us for two years that they would hold full hearings on the events culminating in the Battle of G’Durin.   I believed them, but they lied!   They have moved on to rebuilding what was lost and are not even questioning the principals; therefore, it falls to us.   These 21 individuals will be brought before military tribunals, presented with their crimes, tried, if found guilty, sentenced, and, if the tribunal so rules, executed.   After the traitors and incompetents are weeded out we will move on the capitol and the regional centers of government for the main and secondary worlds. The K’Rang Empire must prevail!”
          Murmurs and shouts both for and against rose up from the assembled officers.   Most of the shouts dealt with what would be the Human and Angaerry response if this plan was carried out.
          “Hear me out.   The Humans and the Angaerry will stay out of this as long as they see it as an internal K’Rang matter.   We will give them every assurance that this is just an internal rearrangement and no threat to them, until such time as we have rebuilt our fleet with proper ships and leadership.   Then we will remove their representatives and spies from the Empire and seal our borders.   My calculations show we have enough undamaged shipyards that we can build up to 20 ships a month once we are up to full production levels.”
          T’Kana projected a list of names onto the main screen and the group hushed.   He pronounced these K’Rang to be the main suspected perpetrators of the disaster that resulted in the battle of G’Durin and the Empire’s defeat.   The list was replaced with a series of single slides with each individual’s picture, name, charges, and evidence synopsis.   The list included Baron G’Rof (former commander of the Grand Armada), Senior Elder J’Gon, General F’Roku (ground forces liaison to the Elders), Baron N’Gana (Secretary to the Elders), Shadow Leader G’Motta (former commander of the lunar defense facilities), Baron B’Tala (head of K’Rang Intelligence), and fifteen more high level military and governmental officials.
          One unified force commander, M’Juna, stood and addressed T’Kana.   “Sir, I have no love for those that directed this debacle, but I also have no desire to see the commanders’ battle decisions questioned by those who were not there.   You know as well as I that decisions made during the battle are made with incomplete information and within split seconds.   The historians pore over all the records for months and then point out how stupid we were to turn left when any fool could see the obvious and correct choice should have been to go right.   Of course, bombardment frigates are not pursuing these academics and killing a company of warriors with each blast so close you can feel the heat from the plasma ball.   How are we to judge these commander’s decisions?”
          T’Kana replied, “It is exactly because we have been in life or death situations that we can accurately and fairly judge these leaders.   Who could be better than we to decide whether their actions were prudent and militarily justifiable?   The tribunal will review the circumstances, assess blame or credit, determine guilt or innocence, and release or pass sentence.   We owe it to the Empire to which we have all sworn an oath.”
          Another unified force commander, B’Tan, stood and asked how the ground forces would reset the balance without space superiority.
          “Baron, forgive me, but I have seen the battle loss reports.   We have barely enough fleet left to provide escorts for our troop transport task forces.   The Humans outnumber us two to one in capital ships and the A’Ngarii match us in raw numbers, but with cruisers and battle cruisers to our frigates and destroyers.”
          T’Kana, famous for his fire breathing, did not bristle at