Annihilation (Star Force Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

into one of Marvin’s crusades to gain some tidbit of information the rest of us found useless.
    The group proceeded up to the center of the station, into the primary control center. Marvin was watching all of us, but mostly me and Sandra. I knew he was thinking about something, but I simply didn’t have time to play games with him.
    When we reached the center and began going over reports, Miklos got my attention.
    “Yes, what is it, Commodore?” I asked.
    “Sir, I could not help but notice you’ve already altered my blueprints.”
    He thrust a tablet at me. I glanced at the tablet in his hands, but didn’t take it.
    “The design is essentially unchanged,” I said.
    “I know that, sir, but I’m talking about the number of carriers to be produced. I see only one listed here. The Defiant . You’ve typed in that name at the top.”
    “You don’t approve of the name? Don’t worry, it’s only a placeholder. The new captain will rename her as per our traditions. Maybe you want me to call it Barbarossa again?”
    Twice in the recent past, we’d built ships named Barbarossa , the first of which had been Miklos’ command. Both ships had been destroyed within months of their construction. It had become something of a joke among the enlisted men. They often told one another they’d just been assigned to the third version of Barbarossa , and were therefore certain to die soon.
    Miklos looked pained for a moment. “ Defiant is a fine name, sir. But my original plans called for three carriers, not one.”
    “Ah, I see,” I said, nodding my head. I’d known what he was getting at all along, but I hadn’t felt like making this easy for him. “It is quite possible the second and third ships will be constructed. We’ll do them one at a time. If the first one proves itself, there will be more.”
    Miklos thought about that. I could tell he didn’t like it.
    “Building components for all three, then assembling all three, would be faster, sir.”
    “Only by a few hours. I checked. Also, if we do it my way, we’ll have a working ship up in a few days. That gives us something to deploy right away if needed.”
    Miklos nodded in defeat. “Yes sir. I understand your logic.”
    He turned away and began a surprise inspection of the gunnery crews. I could tell he was in a bad mood. The crews were going to have a long day.
    Sandra stepped close to me and spoke quietly. “He really want’s those ships.”
    “He’s Fleet,” I said. “He can’t get enough ships. Never.”
    “What kind of hardware do you like best, Kyle?”
    I looked at her, bemused by the question. “I like whatever destroys the enemy most effectively. Watching them blow up gives me a surge of joy. It really does.”
    “I believe you.”
    I began going over the latest reports while Miklos eyed his tablet in frustration.
    There was no intel coming in from the Thor system. Nothing. We’d sent a number of requests to the Crustaceans and they’d all been ignored. I was increasingly curious and annoyed at the same time. Somehow, the Crustaceans always managed to irritate me. They just had that kind of personality. Every interaction we’d had with them had resulted in us being surprised at the result—and not in good way.
    My staff transferred themselves to the battle station, merging with the regular crew on the command deck. It was an impressive affair. When building a station the size of a small moon with nearly limitless supplies of materials, you can afford to go big.
    After having the station nearly knocked out due to losing the bridge area in previous engagements, I’d overhauled the design and drilled deep into the bedrock of the asteroid the station encompassed. The command deck could no longer be easily taken out, not without destroying the entire structure. It was at the very center of the asteroid itself.
    The primary chamber of the command deck was a good ten thousand square feet in size and enclosed by four foot-thick walls of steel laced