“I don’t care where they came from,” the admiral snapped. “You are an embarrassment and a complete failure, but that is not what I am here to discuss. Your project is to be terminated immediately. There will be no more prisoners or Star Runners captured for the purposes of this experiment.”
Taking a deep breath, Rampa sat the tablet on the table in front of him. He braced himself for inevitable reassignment or … worse. “I understand, sir. What does the Empire require of me?”
The admiral’s narrow-set eyes bored into him. “We need to start looking at the long term here, Captain. I am not in the practice of wasting resources, and you, despite your failures, are a valuable resource.”
Rampa’s face warmed. “Thank you, sir.”
“Don’t fan the flames of your considerable ego. I do not have the time to watch such self-indulgence.”
He swallowed. “I understand.”
“The perceived peace in the Empire has affected the political power of our faction to a greater extent than we first predicted,” the admiral said, glancing off camera for an instant. “The calls for expansion—especially into the Legion worlds—are beginning to subside, and people are starting to listen to other endeavors. You and I both know stagnating would be the death of our Empire. If there is to be an expansion, we must be prepared to plan for alternative measures.”
Rampa suppressed a grin. He has another job for me, he thought. Perhaps this won’t be the end of my career.
“Therefore,” the admiral continued, “we must be prepared to sacrifice for the greater good. Tulin was a fool, too arrogant and bent on seeking glory to truly act in the benefit of the Empire. If he had his way, he would have seen himself named Emperor for his efforts. What we need is a subtler approach to manufacturing a justified war of expansion. It might take years.”
Rampa knew the admiral would never explicitly say he wanted forces on both sides to be attacked, but “manufacturing a justified war of expansion” would require out of the box thinking.
“Does the faction have a plan for this manufactured war?” Rampa asked, leaning forward.
The admiral shook his head. “As before, we would like to stay out of the micro details of the plan. Based on the current levels of peace, I have been instructed to relay the flexibility of this assignment. As I said before; think of the long-term game plan.”
“I understand.”
“But that’s not to say you will not have the tools to enact your plan once it is created.”
Rampa smiled. “Tools, sir?”
The Admiral took a long, slow breath. “We have a stealth fighter ready for mass production. It has been through the trials and has been completely tested. This Wraith would serve your clandestine purposes quite well.”
“I am honored you still have faith in me, sir.”
Nodding, the admiral propped his elbows on the table and brought his hands to his chin. “This is going to take time, Captain, and patience. Be methodical in planning your operation. Make sure you’ve thought of everything. I know your quality. I know what you can accomplish when given the time to plan properly. When the Wraiths are ready, you will be the first to know, and then you may attempt to manufacture your war. Can you, Captain, do this to help rebuild your tarnished reputation?”
Rampa flinched at the word “tarnished.” Shaking away the thought of the admiral’s words, he sat straight-backed and rigid, tilting his chin back slightly in a show of confidence.
“For the Empire,” he said, “I will find a way. I do not care if it takes my life. I will succeed.”
DEDICATION
For my brother.
Thanks for playing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
L.E. Thomas lives in Georgia with his wife and rescued dog, where he is currently at work on his next novel.
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TWITTER: @lethomasjr
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Table of Contents
Star Runners 4 - Scorpions
Copyright
Contents
Author's Note
Prologue
Part One: Illusions
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Part Two: Fifteen Months Earlier
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Part Three: Now
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Part Four: Extraction
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Epilogue
Dedication
About the Author