Saben had a few more scares then he had had last time they met and Jones looked like she had tried to blow herself up a few times and Naden looked like he had been behind a desk to long. If they were attacked on this joy ride test run then they were probably not going to be good for it. Even though he had his doubts it was nice to be together with them again.

Naden told stories about the few jobs he had done and how the Sslisk were making moves that would start a war in most cases not entering into Alliance space. Jones talked about the new weapons that they were working on and laughed at the fact that the Sslisk didn’t have the tech that they needed to give the Alliance a real problem. Saben talked about how the orders for ships had doubled in the last six months and that it didn’t mater if the Sslisk had the tech or not, war was coming and nothing was going to stop it.

“What about you Mike?” Jones asked. “What have you heard about what’s going on?”

“About the same as the rest of you have.” Mike said. “They’re more active in the Oimon Drift then they have been in years. I’ve also seen a drop of meat transport into the Gnoll territories, which means they’re getting their food elsewhere. I’ve even heard that several different types of unfamiliar ship have been seen along the edge of Sslisk space. The most frightening being the ones that everyone calls the insectoids. My cousin Juan told me that they are most likely Tri-keen.”

“Tri-keen?” Jones frowned. “Aren’t they suppose to be extinct? We haven’t seen them since the hive was destroyed over two thousand years ago. Back after the end of the second galactic war.”

“That was just one ship and several people including Jon Blackmore believed that there must have been more then one of those things.” Mike said. “We have to start thinking in a different way. We can’t continue to think what we know is all there is. That nearly killed the humans before they could open their minds to that universe around them. If we don’t open our minds to all the possibilities then we what see what we have coming at us.”