Warpath by Randolph Lalonde Page B

it.”
    “There is, I knew the
man, even before he changed. I’ll walk you through it step by step,
I’ll even vouch for you. Once upon a time I had a hand in getting
him into his position. But first, you need to agree to give me a
carrier group. I’ll fight your war my way, and I’ll bloody all
the enemies you have on this side of the Nebula. You think this is
power? This solar system? It’s a great money generator, and, yes,
you could build something impressive here, but you haven’t seen
real power until the local systems start paying you tribute, until an
entire sector feels they need to consult with your people before they
do so much as take a deep breath. If you want to be remembered, to
have the kind of power that generates a legend that can outlast
Earthen Pharaohs, then let me help you, and give me what I need to
draw blood from your enemies.”
    “A carrier group,
that’s-“
    “A pittance,”
Wheeler said as he accepted an amber drink from Nancy. “Regent
Galactic is waiting for a great leader, and you could be it. You just
need the right backing.”
    “The Beast.”
    “Exactly,” Wheeler
replied. “And I need a carrier group. I need one of those carrier
groups you have in orbit to get a few things done. All I want is
Tamber, in the Rega Gain System. The rest is yours, along with the
credit.”
    “One moon you intend
to capture yourself?”
    “Yes, get the carrier
group ready this week, and I’ll get you on the fast track to
becoming the greatest leader this galaxy has ever seen. You have the
mind for it, you have the fortitude, and now you’ll have an in-road
thanks to me.”
    “They’ll need two
weeks to prepare, in the meantime I expect to see significant
process, I need to see this is working before you go on some
warpath.”
    “Fair enough.”
    “Now, how do we get
started?” Governor Tate asked, truly excited for the first time in
years.
    “Well, for a start,
you’ll never call the leader of the Order Military the Beast again.
Call him Overlord Clark Patterson. He was human once, and he had a
good soul.”

Chapter 6
The Solar Forge’s
Only Patient
    Jake sat on a balancing
seat that would sway left or right if he didn’t actively hold
himself in place. Jake had almost mastered it, and could stay up
straight without much concentration. His room was unrecognizable
thanks to the holographic display that surrounded him. He was in a
rest period, true, but that didn’t mean he had to rest his mind. He
had been out of commission for weeks, and there was a lot to catch up
on.
    His recovery was going
well, according to Alice and Oz, but it wasn’t fast enough for
Jake. Even with a parade of visitors throughout the day, life-like
simulated experiences, and an endless stream of reports, he still
felt like he had been placed in a corner away from the rest of the
universe. He appreciated the fact that the Warlord was on patrol,
training the new crew under Stephanie, Frost, Agameg, Finn and
Minh-Chu. They were doing what he’d wish they would while he was
off his feet, nothing serious and nothing overly dangerous. He still
felt like he should be with them, like he was missing too much.
    The Triton hadn’t
operated under his command for months, but he felt like there was too
great a distance between it and him as well. Oz had that well in
hand, Jake knew, but what he actually knew about the day to day
operations of Triton Fleet could fit in a ten minute narrated report.
An evolutionary kind of change was radiating from the Triton, and he
felt like he was missing it. The captured Order of Eden Destroyer had
become part of Triton Fleet after undergoing a refit inside the Solar
Forge that lasted a little over two weeks. With the resdesign that
Ayan’s new engineering team along with Agameg, Frost and Finn put
together, it would have taken six months in a normal shipyard. The
Solar Forge was a wonder, and while Jake was recovering it was
attending to ships that came from across the sector to join