Omega Force: Rebellion (OF11), стр. 51

"You would," Crusher snorted. "You're forgetting that the Eshquarians will still have planetary security in place, including aircraft that could pack enough punch to cause us trouble."

"We'll deal with that when we get there." Jason waved off the concern. "Plot me a course out of here with a mesh-out point that hides the fact we're moving deeper into Eshquarian space. I don't need the Defiant tracking our movements and reporting back. Go ahead and get us moving once Twingo clears the slip-drive. I'm going to the com room to see if our friends on Earth have heard anything about the Cooperative making a deal with the ConFed."

"I should probably check in with home, as well," Crusher said. "Galvetor is a small, independent system, but thanks to the legions, we have a profile large enough that we won't be ignored for long."

"Captain, when will you want to do the implant upgrade?" Doc asked, walking back in from the infirmary.

"Not now," Jason said. "The flight to Eshquaria is too short, and I can't afford a long recovery time. It'll have to be put on hold when I have a few days to just lay around while the hardware integrates."

"It's ready when you are," Doc said, looking like he wanted to argue, and then deciding against it. "What do you need me to do?"

"Help Kage fly the ship. Once we're out of this system I want the both of you scouring any sources we might have that can tell us more about this parts depot Kage wants to attack."

"We're flying to Eshquaria…to attack someone?" Doc asked. "That seems a bit reckless."

"Not any more so than our usual jobs," Jason said. He ran up the steps to the command deck, pausing at the entrance to the com room. "Lucky, do me a favor and make sure that new armor is ready to go. I have a sneaky feeling that Fendra may have tampered with it, and I was just able to get the jump on her first."

"I will handle it, Captain."

"What do you need me to do?" Crusher asked.

"You mean aside from eating everything in sight, sleeping most of the time, and asking stupid questions while people try to work?"

"Yeah, besides that."

"Get a decent layout of this facility from Kage and start planning our incursion," Jason said. "We need to be ready to hit it hard and fast and be on the way to the Miressa System without a lot of delays or screw ups from poor planning."

The meeting with the ConFed representative was not what Kellea had expected. When she'd flown over to the cruiser, after their emissary had refused to come aboard the Defiant, she had been ushered into a secure conference room with two other ConFed officers and a councilman whose eyes widened in surprise when he saw her. She recognized him as the powerful committee chair that had hired Omega Force to do a couple personal favors in return for erasing the files ConFed Intelligence was keeping on them, but she didn't know much about Councilman Scleesz other than that.

In addition to the people actually there, two others were present via slip-com hyperlink. Seeladas Dalton appeared in the room as a fully fleshed out hologram while another figure in plain clothing appeared as a more flimsy, distorted avatar. Kellea couldn't figure out what its species was, all she knew was that the people actually in the room appeared to be terrified of it, but were trying hard not to show it.

"Welcome, Admiral," Scleesz said. "You may be wondering why we asked you here when you can see your premier is also attending. There has been a slight change of plan that was decided upon after you had already arrived in the Formenos System and we felt it would be better if you heard it directly from the top."

"Very well," Kellea said neutrally. "It's good to see you again, Councilman. And you as well, Premier Dalton."

"Admiral," Seeladas said with a nod and a smile that stopped before reaching her eyes. Whatever was happening here, it wasn't something she seemed to be too enthused about.

"Enough," the grainy figure said, the image flickering as it moved. "Time is short and there is much to do. Admiral, you had originally been asked here to provide additional military support to the occupational force holding the Eshquarian territory while our own fleet executed a search for the missing Imperial Fleet units that had fled the area

"This was to be done as a show of good faith on the part of the Cridal that they could be trusted and perhaps even negotiated with. Your territory is quite far from the Core Worlds, but it still makes the Adjudicators uneasy that such a powerful military is being built without us knowing your intentions."

"You do, of course, have the right to self-defense and you share borders with two aggressive nations," Scleesz put in smoothly. "But we're still concerned at the level and pace of heavy weapons development we've seen from some of your member worlds."

"Councilman, I'm a military officer," Kellea said, finding it odd that the being obviously in charge was not even introduced to her. "These are matters of state and well outside of my scope of responsibility. Premier Dalton is the ultimate authority for the Cridal fleet. If she has deemed it necessary for the Defiant and her taskforce to work in cooperation with the ConFed military, it will be done so to the best of my ability."

"I like this officer," the other hologram spoke again with a strange, mechanical laugh. She saw that Seeladas looked away uncomfortably at her words. "It's truly refreshing to see such a skilled subordinate that knows her place, a part within the greater machine. Councilman Scleesz…since you seem so intent on stepping in when you're not asked, you will accompany Admiral Colleran back to her ship and provide the necessary instructions she will need to accomplish her mission. Is this acceptable, Seeladas Dalton?"

"It is, sir,"