Star Force: Marauders (SF63) Read Free Page A

slowly
making their way closer.
    The tech sighed. At least on the inside of her armor
she was clean.

 
 
    2

 
 
    Garen-248 was reading the display holos over his desk, noting the update ping that the construction of the Bsidd base
had just begun, when something hit him in the back of the head. He spun around
in his chair and saw a food cube on the floor, as well as sensing a familiar
mind in the doorway. Before even looking at her he telekinetically picked up
the cookie and flew it into his mouth, then left the chair spinning as he stood
up.
    “Three second rule still applies, I assume?” he asked
Victoria-243, who was holding and munching on a handful of the snacks.
    “Not on a clean floor.”
    “I wasn’t expecting you back. What’s up?”
    “New assignment. Davis didn’t like what you’ve been
doing so he’s giving you the boot.”
    “If you’re going to lie at least make it sound
genuine.”
    “You sucking sounds genuine to me,” Victoria said,
stepping forward and giving Garen a friendly hug
while carefully cradling her stash in her hand. She hadn’t seen him in over two
decades. “I’m passing through, just wanted to stop in and say hi.”
    “Where to?”
    “Taking a fleet up the trade routes to do some
patrolling. No more empire building for me, just pirate hunting and shooting
other types of bad guys. How are you doing?”
    “You mean since I took over your job and all the
others? Slow and steady progress.”
    “I still think you should have come back with us. The
hard work was over.”
    “Some days I agree, but the Benoid is better off for
me staying…and don’t argue that point. I know the Hevmaj better than anyone,
and bringing in less familiar Archons to take the lead would have led to inefficiencies.
We need the Benoid as a stronghold, both militarily and economically to
stabilize this region, and the sooner the better, else the trade routes are
going to get very dicey.”
    “They already are, which is why I’m here. I assume
you’ve read the reports?”
    “The attempted hijackings? Yes.”
    “No, the successful ones.”
    Garen frowned. “When did we
lose a ship?”
    “Not us, our trading partners. Their ships have been
getting hit after they leave the commerce planets and its diminishing the
incentive of weaker races to do business with us. I’m here to hunt the hunters
and restore peace and justice to the galaxy,” she said sarcastically. “I’ll be
stopping in for resupply from time to time. This is going to be my fleet’s port
of call, so make sure your appropriations adjust adequately.”
    “Glad to have you in the neighborhood, but I don’t
like the idea of you sucking up all my replacement drones.”
    “I don’t plan on losing many, but I would suggest you
enlarging your prison facilities. I don’t plan to shoot everyone.”
    “Bringing some trophies back?”
    “Who knows, but I need some place to stash them if I
do. And so far your multi-racial facilities are minimal.”
    “We only have one at present, and it barely gets any
guests. Did Davis send you?”
    “Steve did, but he said Davis was urging us to push
the trade routes harder. He really wants a connection to the Voku, more so than
branching out first.”
    “We’re a long ways from that. What does he expect to
get from them anyway?”
    Victoria smiled. “That’s what you get for hiding out
here. Paul and Cal-com are working some master strategy together, and Davis is
in on it. Star Force and the Voku are unofficially joining each other.”
    “Why hasn’t that been in any of the updates? I do
monitor the boards you know, even if they are on a stupidly long delay.”
    “This isn’t public knowledge yet.”
    “We’re Archons.”
    “This isn’t known to anyone yet, and is traveling
through word of mouth. We’re kind of still feeling out what a merger would look
like.”
    “We?”
    “The trailblazers are asking for suggestions.”
    Garen huffed. “That’s a
first.”
    “Not so much.