Omega Force: Rebellion (OF11), стр. 48

"That does put them on track if the Miressa System is their ultimate destination," Mok mused.

"That also puts them in range of Miressa, and the tracker we installed on the sled stuck to the side of that ship won't tell us when they jump back into slip-space," Jason said. "From when it reported they appeared near Pinnacle, Twingo and Kage say it's a safe bet they could be staged up outside the capital system within the next two weeks."

"That's not a lot of time to try and assemble the necessary crews," Mok warned.

"I can do this without them, but if we have any chance of saving the crews aboard the captured ships, we'll need to board them individually," Jason said. "There's just no other way. You can't count on us being able to help out there, either. We'll need to be out front a bit so we can watch the battle and intercede at the right times."

"Taking the Phoenix to the capital might be ill-advised," Similan said, speaking up for the first time. "That ship-type is known to ConFed Intelligence. While an older Jepsen might escape notice, it might also be spotted and your involvement exposed."

"Suggestions?" Mok asked.

"We use the Sarafin to move the necessary crews into position," Similan said.

"Is she even still operational?" Mok asked. "And who even has her?"

"The ship is in one of your salvage depots disguised as a derelict," Similan said. "She is space worthy and could be fitted for duty within a day."

"What's the Sarafin?" Crusher asked.

"A specialized cargo ship we had converted for smuggling operations," Mok said. "If we used the Sarafin, it would greatly simplify how we outfit the merc crews. We could just use intrasystem attack boats instead of slip-space capable assault shuttles."

Jason was able to make some educated guesses as to how the Sarafin was outfitted by the comments. They'd employed similar strategies themselves from time to time, but it was hardly one of his favorites. Before he could dig in to questioning Similan on the details, the computer gave a soft, warbling chime to alert them that somebody had come aboard who was authorized to be there. As he expected, Kage, Doc, and Lucky walked in carrying a composite box that he recognized as a stasis chamber for active nanobots.

"Success?" he asked.

"Success," Kage said, handing Doc the box. As the former geneticist headed off towards the infirmary, the code slicer walked over to the galley table and hoisted himself into a seat. "Just so you know, I've been keeping an active link open through the Phoenix to the Formenos Orbital Control Authority. If someone we know shows up, it'll flag so we're not taken by surprise."

"I’m guessing that random fact wasn't just tossed out as a fun bit of trivia," Jason said.

"The Defiant has just moved into the system," Kage said. "The ship is moving into an outer holding orbit near the fourth planet that will let them meet up with the ConFed cruiser that's been loitering here."

"Why would Seeladas send her flagship to occupied space to meet up with the ConFed?" Mok asked, his brow pinching with worry.

"If I was to guess, I'd say she's getting ready to cut a deal…or already has," Kage said. "With the elimination of Eshquarian sovereignty, her Cooperative has moved into the number three slot behind the Saabror Protectorate. They'd be a distant third, too. She's probably worried the ConFed will roll over them first."

"I don't suppose you still have contact with your old mate?" Crusher asked Jason.

"I've told you before; no."

"But you lie constantly. I’m just making sure."

"I'll make some inquiries to my contacts within Earth's intelligence community," Jason said. "Let's start there before we make a rash move and accuse Seeladas of selling out to the ConFed. For right now, this doesn't change our plans."

"Agreed," Mok said. "I'm going to get my people moving on the things we'll need. I think we can make it to the Miressa System on time, but it's going to be close."

"About that," Kage said, raising a hand. "I have some bad news that the Defiant's arrival distracted me from. I've been having the computer run a full analysis of the intel you took off that ship and run crosschecks with any pertinent data we might have on the local servers. The search spanned—"

"Just get to it!" Crusher yelled, making everyone at the table jump.

"We can't override the missiles' programming with just the encryption routines and command syntax," Kage said, unruffled by Crusher's outburst. "Our com suite isn't capable of transmitting or receiving in the range the missiles use. We'll need something from an Eshquarian warship they call Weapons DataLink Transceiver."

"We can't rig our com system to emulate this box?" Jason asked.

"Possibly, if we had the complete specs. Which we don't," Kage said. "Twingo was looking it over earlier and said that it seems to be using a slip-com field variance that's incompatible with even the military systems our ship carries."

"That's likely partially for security, partially to avoid any interference from all the slip-com traffic and the powerful engine field distortions you'd find on a capital ship," Mok said. "It's a system that wouldn't have been available for outside sale, so if you need one of those, it'll have to come off an Imperial ship."

"That's going to be a little bit of a challenge," Jason said. "Kage, your new top priority is to find me one of these datalink boxes. If we have to buy one on the black market, I'm fine with that…whatever option is fastest."

"I'll get started right away," Kage slipped from his seat. "Twingo was down in the aft service bay when we walked up. He said the ship will be ready for flight within the hour."

"We will attend to our tasks as well, Captain," Mok said. "I'm hoping this operation can be pulled off with some discretion, but I'm aware that's not exactly how you operate."

"If we can interrupt this little