Star Force: Headstrong (SF72) Read Free Page B

suited to ground
combat that we could incorporate? The Lacvamat haven’t exactly been all that
helpful.”
    Taryn tapped Ginsi on the forehead with her finger.
“You’ve got your head stuck in hand to hand combat. Avian is different, and
while there are a lot of weaknesses they do have advantages. We’ve got to
tailor the Hepcha to make them effective.”
    Ginsi shrugged. “If you say so.”
    “Not overly thrilled, are you?”
    “You know I prefer combat.”
    “But you’re my apprentice, and I’m taking this
assignment…therefore you are as well. There’s more to being an Archon than just
fighting, though if that’s your aim there will be plenty of opportunity for
that to come. Look at this as a peak into an area that you’ll probably never
otherwise see. And if it helps your mental outlook, consider what we’re going to
be doing as crafting living weapons. The Calavari weren’t that good on the
ground before we got through training them. Don’t count the Hepcha out just
yet.”
    “If you say so. They’re one of the wards in this
system, aren’t they?”
    “Yep.”
    “So we’ll be living with them?”
    “No, they’ll be living with us. There’s a generic
colony that’s been built on Preen for our purposes. We’ll expand and
reconfigure it as necessary, but it’ll be built for both Human and Hepcha by
the time we’re done with it.”
    “What’s it built for now?”
    “Axius design so we could be flexible from the get
go.”
    “An extra they had or specifically for us?”
    “Axius built it…for us.”
    “Ok then, where do we start?”
    “After morning workouts we’re transferring over there
along with a team I’ve been assembling. Work like this has no roadmap, despite
others having done similar things with other races. Each one is unique and we
have to troubleshoot our way through it.”
    “Don’t you mean trailblaze ?”
    “Or that.”
    “Who oversaw the Lacvamat elevation?”
    “Connor. I’ve read through all his notes and I’d
suggest you do so as well, I’ve already given you access, but don’t make the
mistake of assuming all avians are the same. Hepcha have four wings and
feathers. The Lacvamat have two and are flesh. That right there is going to
make their movement capability different.”
    Ginsi held up her hands. “Alright, alright. I hear
you. What exactly do you want me to do?”
    “Think outside the box and find a way for these guys
to kick ass.”
    Ginsi’s frown turned into a
smirk. “You do know how to press my buttons, don’t you?”
    “Perception isn’t about lies, but rather the best way
to approach a situation. You see them as they are, I see them as for what they
will become.”
    “Honestly I don’t know crap about them other than what
I read through in the maturia a long time ago.”
    “No rush. This is going to take a long time. First
things first, though. Our training doesn’t end, we just cram it into a long
morning session and extend our days out to 36 hours. That’ll give us plenty of
sleep and the necessary hours to tinker with the Hepcha civilization.”
    “That’s still a cutback.”
    “If you’re measuring by volume, yes. But it’s a far
less cutback than we’d see if we were out fighting the lizards.”
    “You have a point there.”
    “Don’t worry, you’ll still have a chance to soar up
through the ranks.”
    “Only if you teach me the psionics I need. Without
them I’m capped.”
    “Academically. No one is physically capped.”
    “You know what I mean, and…”
    “No, I’m not giving you all of them first year. One at
time, youngling.”
    Ginsi growled. “Yes, master .”
    Taryn pointed a warning finger down at her. “Don’t
call me ‘master’ or I’ll go Vader on you. Get dressed and meet me in the
sanctum. We’ve got a lot of work to do here and I’m going to make you pay for
that comment.”
    “I like more workouts,” Ginsi countered as she stood
up and walked over to her quarter’s closet and began