Mike stood on the observation deck watching them put the finishing touches on a ship that he had once believed he would never see built. It was his ship, even though he would never be able to fly it or take it out for a spin, it was still his. This ship was the final that he had designed before he gave up his company and started to travel with his cargo carrier/fighter that he called the Craggy Hauler.

He had been retired for around six years now and that meant that he was basically out of the fold. He was happy that he had let go of everything he once held so dear but it had always wanted to see the last of his designs made. He finally got sick of the nagging feeling and sold the designs to his old friend Comcand Saben.

The Tero had served with him during the last border war with the Sslisk. They had been more then friend’s just like the rest of his old unit the 182nd. This was the first time in three years he had seen any of his old unit mates and it was weird to be around him and not be in battle.

Saben had long since become the owner operator of the Noben shipyards. He was doing well for himself with the money he raised here. He even owned his own fleet that was made up with retired ships that he had refit to be able to keep up with the more advanced versions of the same ships. With the Sslisk becoming more aggressive and willing to attack Alliance worlds it made him think his friend would be called on to act against them.

Mike was starting to think that soon he would be called back into service himself. He had heard that his other friends Cornail Jones and Naden Ovar had continued in their service to the Alliance and had even been involved in some of the lesser engagements of resent days. He had even heard from his cousin Juan Cohen who was now serving the Alliance in a backhanded way as the first officer aboard a pirate ship in the Oimon Drift. Mike knew his days were numbered as a free agent.

The ship that the Minotaur like Tero and wolf like Cainen were working on was the ship he wanted if was getting called back in. The information that had been released had called this ship a Dragon-class cruiser but that wasn’t what it was. It was what the old earth navy called a Destroyer.