Star Force: Empire (SF58) Read Online Free Page A

countryside, passing from one checkpoint to another
until they finally reached their destination and the forest ended, giving them
a sprint across level ground to the final archway set inside the training base.
    All the Scionate grouped up within a few seconds and
hammered the last bit three wide, getting up to the final marker that was
showing yellow. Their time didn’t record until the last of them made it across,
but when he did the final result was tolerable and did count for points, though
they were only 22 seconds away from failure.
    Gam’len’wex sagged heavily, wanting to lay down but
knowing he shouldn’t or he’d get an earful from one of the non-Archon trainers
who were waiting for them. His perseverance was rewarded with a light tap on
his right shoulder by one of the tall Humans, a small sign of respect as the muddy,
water-drenched cats walked their way indoors and to the equipment room where
they showered and got dressed in a fresh set of clothes, including the small
shoes that felt very good on his now raw foot pads.
    But there was no time to rest, or at least sleep, for
after a quick stop by the cafeteria Gam’len’wex was sent into a study session,
allowing his body to rest while his mind had to soak up yet more data regarding
Star Force protocol and tactics, with today’s lesson covering aerial tactics.
The Scionate fought off the sleepiness and devoured everything they showed him,
knowing he needed to know how each part of the empire’s military forces worked
for when/if he would end up fighting alongside them in combat.
    After an hour of rest/study he was sent to do some
light agility drills then sparring practice, first against the Humans then
against other Scionate on loan from Axius. The Humans were tricky, but he did
have some advantages he could use and managed to get the best of them a few
times, but the Axius Scionate he literally couldn’t touch. They were so fast
and experienced that they owned him each attempt unless they deliberately held
back to teach him something, which they did most of the time.
    Hand to hand was a weakness of quadrupeds, but what
they did have was first strike potential given their running speed and pouncing
range. Once engaged they didn’t have the leverage that a Human did, with their
trainers trying to teach them how to hit and run, then circle back and hit
again rather than trying to lock onto an opponent. It was difficult to learn,
but with the Axius Scionate there to show them what the Humans were trying to
explain helped greatly, though some of the movements required him to think like
a biped and that was a transition that he hadn’t fully made yet.
    He didn’t want to raise up and expose his belly, for
one, and his trainers made him pay for that multiple times with overtop attacks
and today was no exception. He knew what he had to do but was still hesitant.
Mentally marking that as a place for future improvement he did his best during
the rest of the day’s training then eventually retreated back to the cafeteria for
a very large last meal, before walking off to his personal den and falling
asleep almost immediately.
    The next day he would rise and repeat, for that was
what was required on the fast track to a combat assignment, with only those
wanting it bad enough being able to keep themselves going, and so far Gam’len’wex
was hanging in there, taking it one day, one moment at a time, and finding
himself growing stronger and faster than he had ever imagined…yet with so far
yet to go that it was almost comical.
    He’d long ago set aside his concern and trusted in
Star Force, for if they could get the Axius Scionate ready then they could do
the same for him. With that worry gone he focused on doing his workouts,
leaving the big picture to his trainers and thus far that approach had been
working well.
    Only time would tell how far he got and if he’d have
to tap out and take the slow route like many of the others, but for now he was
holding par