Time Commander (The First Admiral Series) Read Free

the comm-link, and sighed wearily.
    “Oh God, just what we needed.”
    It had been almost six weeks since the Terganians had signed the relatively brief Treaty of Alliance which bound them as the twenty-seventh species to join the rapidly expanding Universal Alliance. During that time the Terganians’ more aggressive and expansionist neighbours, the Ganthoran Empire, had probed and challenged the defences set up by Third Fleet at the request of the Terganian Directorate and the Alliance’s Military Liaison to the Territory. Now it looked like the Ganthorans were mounting a full-scale invasion.
    “Illuminate, please,” ordered the First Admiral.
    The cabin’s internal computer instantaneously flooded the cabin with a harsh white blinding light from the illumination panels built into the ceiling and walls.
    His name was William Caudwell. To everyone who knew him on Earth, he was simply called Billy. On Earth, he was the only son of John and Elizabeth Caudwell; an overweight, fifteen year old schoolboy who barely merited a second glance from passers-by. But here, on the other side of the universe, he was First Admiral Caudwell of the Universal Alliance Fleet.
    It had been just over a year since First Admiral William Caudwell had inherited the mission from a dying alien to unite all the species of the universe into one Universal Alliance. It had been sheer blind random chance that had brought the ordinary teenage schoolboy into the middle of the abduction of a young Royal Air Force Officer back in his home town in the Scottish Borders. Carefully, this same William Caudwell raised himself from his work desk and walked into the Social Area of his quarters.
    The First Admiral, dressed only in shorts and t-shirt, lifted the light-blue military uniform overall that lay crumpled in a heap on the sofa. This was his Personal Environment Suit, or PES. Woven into the fibres of the PES were hundreds of thousands of microscopic machines which combined to provide a range of functions to the wearer. Originally, it was designed for Garmaurians; the most technologically advanced species in the universe, to operate in Alternative Atmosphere Environments. It operated by projecting a force-shield around the wearer and generating their own Personal Environment to allow optimal levels of physical functioning. Now, a whole host of functions were programmed into the PES, which kept the First Admiral functioning at optimum efficiency.
    Quickly and quietly, the First Admiral stepped into the PES and slipped his arms into the sleeves. Almost instantly, the suit closed up along the opening from left hip to right shoulder, whilst forming the black, shiny boots that formed part of the Universal Alliance Officer’s uniform. As it closed, the colour of the material changed from light blue to dark green. Responding to the physiological state of the wearer, the First Admiral felt the surprisingly pleasant tingle running up and down his spine as the suit interfaced with his central nervous system. Within seconds, his aches and pains began to recede and he felt very alert, whilst his low mood lifted considerably.
    To the untrained eye, his uniform was no different from the one-piece overalls worn by the Technicians and Junior Officers of the Fleet. On the left lapel of his high collar it bore the large, single, shiny golden, five-pointed star insignia of the First Admiral of the Universal Alliance Fleet. On the right collar tab, he wore the silver Universal Alliance sunburst insignia to denote his officer status. On his left cuff, he wore the identical motif to his right collar tab, the golden five-pointed star, woven into the fabric. Below the embroidered star were the two broad gold bands of his Admiral status.
    Feeling considerably better, First Admiral Caudwell reached over to one of the dark floor-to-ceiling panels on the bulkhead which cleared to transparent almost immediately. The harsh light of the cabin clashing with the darkness of space outside