Omega Force: Rebellion (OF11), стр. 47
It took Jason less than an hour to fill in all the gaps for Mok. The crime boss had put in a surprising amount of effort into going through the raw intel Kage had transmitted to him via the slip-com link, and it didn't take much before he was fully up to speed. Similan appeared very interested in the conversation but remained silent the entire time.
"I think your theory about the target and mission profile is solid," Mok said after absorbing Jason's brief rundown of the data. "But what's actionable here?"
"Kage thinks that we can use the encryption routines we swiped and override the command and control link on the missiles once they've already been launched," Jason said. "It'd be possible to detonate the warheads well before they reached the point-defense range of the defense fleet. It'd spoil the show at least."
"But does that really help? The Eshquarian ships will still be sitting targets for the counterattack."
"That's where I need your help," Jason said, bracing for the coming protests. "We need to board those ships and take them over…that means at least one merc crew per capital ship to subdue the security contractors and release the crews from confinement. We don't have the juice for that. Actually, we've pissed off more than a few of the major guilds in this region, and if they find out it's an Omega Force operation, they'll likely pass."
"But if Saditava Mok of the Blazing Sun Syndicate asks, they know the pay and prestige is guaranteed," Mok said.
"I wasn't thinking anything so high profile," Jason said. "If you put out a contract for that many specialized hitters, the problem is going to be that ConFed Intelligence will know about it before we can pull it off. Even if they don't figure it out, they will afterwards, and you'll have to go underground."
"To put your fears to rest, I have enough crews in my employ that I wouldn't have to put a call out to the guilds," Mok said. "I try to keep the exact size of my own personal military a secret, but suffice it to say that I have enough to do this job. My question to you is this: why should I?"
"This little staged play the Machine is trying to pull off is a signal," Jason said. "If this goes off without a hitch it will be the start of a major push to absorb the remaining sovereign powers and free systems. Not only that, but we lose forty-two capital warships and thousands of highly trained crewmembers. I feel like if we're not going to make a stand here, then perhaps it's time to dissolve this little alliance."
"Here's the thing, Captain," Mok said after a long, uncomfortable moment. "If we spoil this plan—a plan that has no strategic value, mind you—then we will have moved the operation into the armed rebellion stage. The problem is that we're making a decision that affects far more than just you or I…entire systems will be dragged into this and many people will die as an object lesson. Can you live with that? Is it not better to have a wait and see posture for the time being and see just how bad the Machine really can be?
The corrupted AI that calls itself the Machine is easily the most dangerous creation in this half of the galaxy. If it is allowed to solidify its power and control the entire might of the ConFed military, the suffering will be unimaginable.
Cas's words rang in Jason's head, but the fragment AI offered nothing he could use to convince Mok with.
"The suffering has already started," he said, trying to find a way to say what he felt that didn't seem contrived. "We're focusing on the fact the ConFed moved in and subdued the Empire within a matter of weeks, but what isn't being widely reported is that the civilian death toll for the invasion was in the millions. When we went to collect that fleet officer that had knowledge of the Machine's true nature, they bombarded a planet from orbit. If these atrocities don't make you want to strike back, then what will?"
"I never said I was unwilling, Captain. I just want to make sure you fully understand the full scope of your ambition. For years you've pushed around the periphery of larger events, but your crew has always been working the smaller jobs in a reactionary capacity. This time, you will be the one to start the fire. Is your conscience ready for the collateral damage that will be laid at your feet? If not, then walk away now. Once this started, it cannot be stopped until one side or the other is eradicated."
"I have no choice," Jason said. "I allowed this thing to escape when I should have just stayed behind and destroyed that weapon. I was too worried about saving my own skin and that gave the Machine the chance to jump aboard that ConFed battleship and make its way back here. I have to try and make this right."
"We were all there," Crusher rumbled, speaking up for the first time. "The entire crew bears the responsibility of the deaths this thing has caused already. We'll fight with or without you, Mok."
"Nobody is questioning your bravery, Lord Archon," Mok said. The use of Crusher's formal title coming from Mok's mouth seemed mocking somehow. "Since it seems you're determined to do this with or without help, let me make some inquiries and let you know what I can come up with. Do you have a last known location for the lost fleet?"
"They dropped out of slip-space near Pinnacle Station," Jason said. "Well, not near it…the ships are sitting outside the heliopause, well out of detection range for all the commercial traffic. We're assuming they stopped so close