Shaggy tried. He really did. But staring at a holographic image of what his territory could be was only exciting for so long. In the end, there were a myriad of logistical issues with starting new businesses. For one, they still had a bunch of small-timers running roughshod through their back-alleys. Another issue was simple credits, buying the property, getting the equipment in place, finding staff. It all reeked too much of real-world problems and Shaggy wanted none of it. So instead he fell back on getting the Lackeys armed and ready.

It would help settle the neighborhood and raise the Lackeys in Henchmen. Outfitting the troops wasn’t as bad as Shaggy imagined. He just sent a few of them back to Under-Town and they came back with weapons and armor. Shaggy had them conceal the stuff under baggy clothes and heavy coats. But no one complained. Well… most didn’t.

“I just don’t see why I have to go out with everyone else. I mean, I didn’t really expect to be marching in the streets when I signed up,” said a gibbering lackey that had been bugging Shaggy for the past thirty minutes.

“Bodecker? What did you think was going to happen when you joined up with a GANG? I mean, seriously?”

Shaggy ignored the alien man and continued down the line of Lackeys. He had them line up for inspection as soon as they got kitted out. Really, Shaggy just wanted to raise their Loyalty Ratings by acknowledging them one at a time. He had over fifty mean-looking customers just itching to cause some mayhem. And that was without counting the people staying behind. Bodecker had been in Shaggy’s first draft pick when he was selecting patrol teams. But now he was regretting it.

On paper, the big, square-jawed Lackey was a hell of a grunt. Decent stamina, good strength, and a Leadership Score that meant he was prime Henchman material. But the guy was a pushover. Apparently, he had joined the gang in order to protect his family, who lived near the Viper Den. The Gang’s first bar. Now that he was being tapped to soldier, the big alien was trying to weasel out of it.

“I’ve never been in a fight before, boss? What if I choke?”

“Then you’ll be dead.” Shaggy said simply.

Bodecker looked stricken as Shaggy moved on to another alien, standing tall in formation. He had planned for ten teams of five to move about their neighborhood. They’d start at the deli and then spread out in a clockwise fashion, taking breaks as needed. Any injuries would be sent back as quick as possible and any deaths would be stripped of gear and credits and left in the street. Three members would carry melee weapons, while two would carry energy rifles. He figured they could work out a hierarchy themselves.

“Boss, please. I have other talents, right? You can put me on the building crew or maybe I can help Stein with the Deli. I’m good with numbers.”

Shaggy rolled his eyes and prepared to give the big alien another dressing down when another voice spoke out.

“Oh, my God! Stop whining! At least you were chosen for patrol. Some of us are stuck back here for no damn good reason!”

Shaggy spun around to see Branka. The young woman was dressed in a dirty white shirt and jeans and was carrying a stack of wood toward the portal. Her words had been directed at Bodecker, but she was glaring daggers at Shaggy. He rubbed his eyes at the headache that was about to come his way as Bodecker tried to defend himself.

“Young lady, I don’t think-

“Shut up!”

“Okay, then.”

“Boss, what the hell? Why was I assigned to supply? I know my power isn’t the greatest, but I’m a fighter, damn it!”

Shaggy continued to rub his head as he said. “You know why, Branka. Rita made it clear that you pups were to be protected for as long as possible. She wants you trained before we throw you out on the streets.”

Branka threw up her hands. “Argh! Rita’s great. But I’m not a little kid, Shaggy. I’m eighteen! Clearly, this sack of shit doesn’t want a ticket to the big show. So sign me up.”

Shaggy stood there in thought for a few seconds. Looking between slim, young Branka and the older, more solidly built Bodecker. Finally, he sighed and waved the young woman over.

“If anyone asks, you snuck into the patrol.” Shaggy said warily.

“Aren’t you the boss?” Branka quipped.

“You want to go or not?”

“Fine! Fine, whatever you say.”

Shaggy froze Bodecker with a glare before the alien could leave and turned to the assembled Lackeys. Branka was grabbing her gear from nearby and Shaggy waved a red-skinned alien forward. It took him a few seconds to bring up the guy’s name, but he eventually found it.

“Deekin, she’s with you and if anything happens to her, you’ll answer to Rita.”

The alien sneered as he hefted a metal pipe onto his shoulder. “Playing favorites already?”

“No. Simply telling you what will happen. I’ll try to stop her, but who knows if I’ll get to her before she gets to you?”

Shaggy stared hard at the alien until the taller man backed off. Branka rushed over and took Bodecker’s spot in line, and Shaggy finally turned to the rest of the assembled masses. A sea of angry, ugly faces glared at him and Shaggy smiled. This bunch looked ready to deal some damage. He hoped they would at least half-listen to his next words.

“Alright! You lot are going to be on patrol. This ain’t no nine to five, so there are no standard working hours. You get tired, you come back and rest up. But the second you are rested, you haul your asses back out there! We’ve got an infestation seeping into our neighborhood and we need to root it out! Now, I want to clarify that I’m not expecting a bloodbath. You see someone flashing their gang colors on our turf, you give them their walking papers. If they are hard of hearing, you tune them up a bit. If they still don’t get the message, then you fucking deal with them!”

The group of Lackeys was practically salivating now and Shaggy winced as he knew this next bit wouldn’t be popular. “But! You make sure you leave one of those little rats alive!”

The fifty Lackeys stared at him like he’d grown another head and Shaggy sighed.

“Bodies in the streets are bad for business. Bodies bring cops. We don’t want cops. Not yet. What we want is to send a message to any who fuck with us. I don’t care if they have to limp, crawl, or drag their ass out of our turf. But you make sure that one lives to tell the tale. To tell the rest of the fucking rats that this is Legion turf! And you do not fuck with the Legion, you hear!”

“YEAH!!!”

A thunderous wave of bravado and fury washed over Shaggy as the Lackeys roared as one. Even a few who were off doing other task joined in momentarily. Shaggy shook his head, as he knew a few of the NPCs weren’t coming back. They had a gear advantage, but shit happened. He knew they were going to lose more Lackeys before they had a firm grip on their turf. But he nodded along with the roaring crowd until they calmed down.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“Good. Keep in contact as best you can. I’ve got Seth and Stanley working on a communications outpost and we’ll be getting you all phones. Once those are set up, you’ll be expected to stay in contact. Shit hits the fan and you need the big guns? Call it in! Now git, you bunch of reprobates! Protect our territory.”

As soon as the last word left Shaggy’s lips, a hundred thudding feet rushed toward the tunnel exit. Shaggy rubbed his eyes as he tried to scream after the crowd.

“Not all at once, you idiots! Stagger your exits! Stein doesn’t need fifty armed thugs bursting into his kitchen!”

Shaggy didn’t know if any of them heard him. But judging by the way they were all still rushing to get outside, he doubted it. Again, he rubbed his forehead. It would probably work itself out.

Spinning on the spot, Shaggy looked around for Bodecker and found him collecting the planks of wood Branka had dropped. Shaggy snorted.

“Nope, none of that, Bodecker. You're with me.”

Shaggy made a beeline for his cabin as the big alien clutched the planks of cut wood to his chest.

“Boss, I thought since Branka wasn’t doing her job now, I could take her place?”

“Yeah, no. That’s not happening. You said you were good with numbers.”

“Huh? Oh, yes, sir. I went to college to be an accountant. But then I lost all my money and had to drop out.”

“How did you lose all your money?” Shaggy asked as he took the steps up to his house’s deck.

“Ahem… Gambling, mostly. I had a bit of a problem.”

“You don’t now?”

“No, sir. My wife, Edith, handles the funds now. I mean, I still do our books and everything, but Edith holds the purse strings. It’s better that way.”

“Uh-huh.”

Shaggy nodded absently as he opened his front door and let them both in. He walked over to the terminal and started messing with the menus as Bodecker looked around the cabin. He nodded appreciatively at the décor and furniture and Shaggy was afraid the man was about to make small talk, so he quickly spoke.

“I need someone to organize all of this, Bodecker.”

“All of what?” The big alien asked as he was still looking around.

Shaggy snapped his fingers and found the setting he was looking for. He even found the correct Job Assignment on the Lackey menu.

“All of this!” Shaggy waved a hand around, indicating the cave outside. “We’ve got a constant flow of recruits coming in, as well as a good deal of credits ready to be spent. But I need someone to tie it all together on this end. Back at the Den, Petra is doing a fantastic job and we need someone on this side to match her.”

“Whoa, boss. I don’t think I’m ready to-”

“Bodecker?”

“Yes, Boss?”

“Shut up. Just stop talking. If you or I find someone better, we’ll move them into your position. But for now, you’re it. I need you to go over the shipments we are getting for Under-Town and then make a list of the things we need.”

Bodecker moved cautiously over to the terminal as Shaggy waved a hand at its projected screen. With the current settings, the NPC should’ve had enough access to see what Shaggy needed him to see. In whatever fashion the game deemed appropriate. The big alien squinted a bit at the bright blue screen, but Shaggy could see him gulp as his eyes read whatever the game fed them.

“What do I do once I make the lists?”

“Give it to our own Supply Teams. If we have the credits, give the team the funds to purchase what we need.”

“What if we don’t have the credits, boss?”

Shaggy rolled his eyes. “Then have them steal it, Bodecker! Y’know? Because we are a fucking criminal organization! In fact, your go-to response should be: How can we steal this? If it’s too risky, then you shell out the credits.”

Bodecker winced as Shaggy shouted at him, but nodded nonetheless. “I don’t know, boss. This seems like a lot of responsibility.”

Shaggy gave the bigger man a feral grin. “Oh, it is, Bodecker. It’s a lot of responsibility and it shows just how much faith I am putting in you. So if you fuck this up or try to steal our credits and run, I’ll fucking kill your family. Okay?”

Bodecker’s face went pale and Shaggy thought the alien would fall over from sheer fright. Bodecker swayed ominously as Shaggy maintained his Killer Persona. Eventually the big alien managed to right himself and he stared forlornly at the Holo-screen. Licking his lips, he asked another question.

“What if… Um… What if I find someone more suited to this type of work?”

Shaggy nodded, dropping his grin. “Then we can talk about moving you. You have access to our gang member's files. Slink is pretty good at getting information on our new ‘hires.’ Things like strengths, weaknesses, home addresses.”

Shaggy grinned again as he started for the front door of his cabin. Bodecker hovered over the terminal keyboard, still looking pensive. His words clearly weren’t making the big man feel better about his new job. But Shaggy really didn’t care. He’d found an appropriate Lackey to do the paperwork. Now it was time to find something fun to do.

“And remember,” Shaggy said as he got to the front door. “Don’t fucking try anything or, y’know, dead family.”

He left his cabin and closed the door. He thought about locking it, but he waved away the idea. Shaggy drew in a deep breath while standing on his cabin’s deck and let it out slowly. The patrols were done, and he’d found them a decent business manager. Now he could finally get to something more fun. Like helping build out their little cave.

He called out for Seth or Stanley over his Pack Link and waited on his porch. Seth was the first to respond and the werewolf speedster came zooming up to him, flecks of dirt flying as he ran. Shaggy rolled his eyes and pointed to his cabin’s front door.

“Bodecker is our new business manager for the cave. Keep an eye on him and spread the word.”

“Bodecker?” The blonde werewolf boy asked.

“Big guy, kind of square.”

“Oh! Roger. Didn’t he used to be a numbers guy?”

Shaggy shrugged. “I don’t know. But I’ve given him some rope. Now we just have to see if he uses it to hang himself or climb to the top.”

“Speaking of climbing the Legion Ladder, Boss? The Bug Brothers and I were kind of wondering something.”

“Yes?” Shaggy wondered slowly.

“Well, we are still kind of new to this whole werewolf thing, y’know?”

“Yeah…”

“And everyone has been real cool about making us feel like Pack, y’know?”

“Boy, if you don’t get to the point…” Shaggy growled. Annoyed at the waves of emotion coming off the youngest member of his pack.

“We just thought it would be great if you could take us out on a run or something tonight. I mean, I know you're back from prison and everything. But we haven’t been out hunting with you yet and I know you want to go out at nights. So the Bugs and I just thought-”

“Oh, that’s fine.” Shaggy nodded, idly waving Seth off. “We can do that, sure.”

Shaggy smiled as elation and relief flooded the pack link. He felt the other members of his pack laughing at Seth. But they kept to just emotions. He waved Seth off and looked around. Teams of Lackeys and robots were still working away at various jobs. A short distance away, he could see Levy getting the foundation of her tower ready. He wanted to help, but she had said that the tower needed to be built completely with magic. So instead, he turned to one of the myriad of other jobs that needed to be completed cave-side. Once that was all done, they could finally move their attention to above. Hopefully by that point, the Lackeys would have wiped up most of the filth.