04 April 2042
Kyle stretched and yawned. A quick glance at the clock told him it was 2230 and he had hours left to go.
The first few days of his new command were skimming through three disc’s worth of reports. Most of them were technical specifications and radical physical theories that he barely was able to comprehend. A few, like the first radio encounters with the Hedali, as the aliens introduced themselves, would have been exciting, but they were written by engineers and bureaucrats.
After he finished stuffing his brain with new information, he had set about going through the two discs full of biographical data of the Marines eligible for the security clearance that was required for this assignment.
So far he had chosen five Marines that had seen action in India and three that had joined in the six years since the war. He was down to three slots left, and was having a hard time finding the right Marines.
Another yawn followed by a failed attempt to coax more coffee from his empty mug resigned him to getting up and walking to the kitchen for a refill. As he poured more lukewarm bean leavings, the phone rang.
“Martin. Go,” he answered in his practiced voice of authority.
“Collect call from U.S.D.B. for Colonel Kyle Martin. The caller is Alexander Ramirez. Will you accept the charges?”
“Yes.”
“Colonel Martin, this is Ramirez, I understand you wanted to contact me?” Alex asked as smoothly as he could. But there was something beneath it. Maybe anger, maybe irritation.
“Hi Alex, I need you for an assignment,” Kyle casually responded.
The laughter on the other end was loud but short lived.
“Brother, do you know where I am?”
“Cell 109, United States Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Currently you are speaking from the Commandant’s office as was requested by the Pentagon.”
“You’re crazy, there is no way they are going to let me out. You know that.”
“You will be released tomorrow at 0700 with a security detachment which will escort you to the old Whiteman field. There you will be picked up by a small aircraft and be flown to Kennedy.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. That is, unless you want to finish your sentence. I understand with good behavior they might let you out in another eighteen years or so, isn’t it?”
“Twenty two with good behavior. Which you know isn’t going to happen, so I’ll probably serve all fifty. What is this about Kyle, why me?”
“Put Colonel Wilkins on the phone Alex.”
“This is Colonel Wilkins, how may I help you Colonel Martin?”
“Good evening Walt, I know this is against standard protocol, but I need you and your team to leave Ramirez alone in your office. Is your office soundproof?”
“Uh… no it isn’t Kyle. May I ask why this breach in security is needed?”
“I am about to communicate some classified information to Ramirez and I’m afraid you don’t have the clearance needed to be in the same room. May I request that you vacate your Secretary’s office as well to provide even more security for our conversation?”
“I am familiar with his record, and I don’t believe he has higher clearance than I do, Colonel. Has this changed?”
“It’s about to. When I give him the information, he will be at SC-07.”
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Bright Horizons
الخيال العلميEarth has made first contact with an alien race. At the historic first meeting, an ambush put peace for humanity out of reach. Colonel Kyle Martin was there that day. It was his leadership and the bravery of his marines that saved what little hope m...
