"Hardly," Doc said. "If he dies, you die. That's just self-preservation instincts kicking in. Even a swamp rat has that sort of loyalty when its own life it at stake."
"Point taken," Cas said. "However, if I was going to sell you all out, I could have done so at any time in the past since I became self-aware."
"Let's shelve the talk about loyalty for now," Jason said, glaring at Crusher. "Especially coming from people who were going to punch me in my sleep."
"It was for your own good."
"Let me begin working up a solution to either stabilize or replace the implant before we go on," Doc said. "Once we have that, we can begin hurling accusations again."
"We're only a day out from the Cluster and meeting back up with Mok," Jason said. "Better get busy. Kage, for now I want you to allow Cas access over the network to help Doc. You can implement any other security measures you deem necessary if you feel you must."
"Will do," Kage said.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to bed," Jason said. "The next person that tries sneaking into my quarters gets shot."
The next day went by quickly as the Phoenix streaked back towards occupied Eshquarian space. Doc and Cas worked the entire time to come up with a workable solution. In the end, they found that it wasn't going to be as difficult as they first predicted. The Type-3 implants had built in provisions for expansion in both processing power and memory, two things that Jason desperately needed while Cas was in his head along with the Archive. They found out Mok was on a planet called Formenos Prime, yet another of the old Eshquarian holdings that was never technically part of the Empire, and the place was developed enough that they were able to access the Nexus and pre-order the necessary upgrade components from an Aidla Technologies distributor that promised to meet them at whichever starport they landed.
"Why is Mok on Formenos?" Crusher asked.
"When a major power falls, that creates instability," Jason said. "Mok's business model depends on stable governments running worlds in a nice, predictable way. I'm guessing he's here to make sure that his underlings don't think the rules have changed just because there's a new landlord."
"Yeah, when the big boss himself pays you a visit, it tends to keep the skimming to a minimum," Kage said. "I've worked on a couple planets that had the local governments collapse. If it wasn't for the Central Banking System being an independent entity it would have been an even bigger nightmare than it was. Still…unrest and uncertainty make people a lot more cautious, and cautious people are way more difficult to steal from."
"Sometimes I forget that you were a filthy, bottom feeding criminal before we found you," Crusher said.
"Really? Because you bring it up all the time," Kage said.
"We've just gotten clearance to land," Doc called over the intercom.
"I'm on my way," Jason said, hopping off the couch and jogging up the stairs to the command deck. He slid into the recently vacated pilot's seat and checked the entry vector that orbital control had sent them while the seat adjusted itself. "Looks like a straight shot in and we're cleared for a landing right where Mok set his runabout down."
"I'd have thought that Mok would fly around on something more…intimidating," Twingo said. "That yacht is gorgeous, but it hardly inspires fear."
"That's the point," Jason said. "If he came in, hiding behind the armor of a frigate-class warship, it makes him appear weak and fearful. Instead, he rolls in like he hasn't a care in the world in a fully decked out pleasure ship. People know that he's not without security, but walking about freely, on a civilian craft, through his own territory reinforces that it's his territory."
"Sounds like you're starting to admire him," Kage remarked.
"I'm starting to understand him," Jason corrected.
The Phoenix's autopilot took instructions from Formenos's orbital control system and guided them smoothly into the atmosphere. Once they passed through the thermosphere, the ship rocked gently as plasma streamers arced past the shields. To the best of Jason's recollection, they'd never been to Formenos Prime, but what he could see so far impressed him. The planet was clean, the layout was intelligent so as to utilize the landmasses without waste, and had the evolved appearance of a Tier One world, not just some backwater feeder planet supplying a service to a regional power. The local government seemed to have its shit together, a far cry from so many of the other colonized planets they visited.
The runabout that Mok had brought down from his yacht, a craft that was just a tad too big to land at the smaller starports without drawing too much attention, was fairly generic looking though the engines gave it away as being Eshquarian in design. As he cycled the landing gear on the gunship, he saw Similan standing near the small ship, shielding his eyes from the downwash of the repulsors. Jason let the Phoenix touch down with a mild jolt before setting the brakes and shutting down the main drive.
"Twingo, check her over and call for fuel. Doc, you and Kage see about getting my new wetware. Take Lucky with you. Crusher, you're with me…let's go see what Mok has kicked up."
"Armament?" Crusher asked with a yarn.
"Concealable sidearms for you and me, Lucky can take whatever he wants," Jason said. "Kage has his own gear, and I don't trust Doc with a gun after that last time."
"So amusing," Doc sighed. "It will take a few hours to prep for the procedure, and then you'll be off your feet for a day or so until your implant fully negotiates with the upgrade."
“So, we won't be doing it until we mesh-out of this system," Jason said. "Get it ready and we'll do it on the way to…well, wherever the hell we're going next."
Once the rear ramp dropped the crew scattered and went about their tasks. Jason started towards the runabout when Similan held up a hand to stop him. Normally he would ignore the presumptuous gesture just on principle, but for some reason he just didn't feel up to antagonizing the stoic consigliere. It was only a few moments later when a skinny alien was flung from the hatchway, landing hard on the tarmac, and struggling to get up. An icy calm Saditava Mok appeared next, walking purposefully towards where the pitiful creature was now cowering with its hands up.
"I would kill you for stealing from me, but there's no profit in it," Mok's voice rumbled across the ramp. Jason had rarely seen him in full gangster mode, and he had to admit the heavily muscled alien cut an imposing figure. "Instead, I'm just taking everything you have. Everything. But here's where you can redeem yourself, vermin…you can buy your way back in if you replace everything you've taken, plus another thirty percent."
"Th-that's very generous, sir," the alien groveled. "B-but how will I earn if you take my territories?" Mok reached down and backhanded the alien across the face. There was so much power in the seemingly negligent gesture that the alien rolled twice across the ground, blubbering in terror.
"I give you your life, and this is how you thank me?" Mok roared. "Get out of my sight! Now! Move!"
Similan sprang into action and dragged the alien away, still spluttering and trying to apologize.
"Your friend doesn't fuck around," Crusher said quietly.
"Not my friend any more than he is yours," Jason said. "He's got a business to run, same as we do. We're not exactly choirboys."
"Fair enough."
"Sorry about the wait," Mok said as he crossed the tarmac to where the Phoenix sat. "Just dealing with a little bit of a middle management issue."
"The political changes here really make that much a difference down at the street level?" Jason asked.
"You'd be surprised," Mok sighed. "Any little shift and suddenly the low-level players all think we're no longer watching them. That little worm was running three full territories on this planet, an operation that included gambling and protection rackets for some of the bigger corporate players on Formenos. When the ConFed moved in, he thought it was his time to be the big boss and quit passing the profits up the chain.
"Normally, I'd let the Point that handles this area come down and impress upon the e
mployees the need for loyalty, but sometimes it's good to get out and be seen. You want to talk aboard your ship? There's more room on the Phoenix than there is on that tiny shuttle."
"After you," Jason waved him up the ramp. "Similan is also welcome. We have external security active on the ship right now if that's what he's worried about."
"Sure, come on up, Similan," Mok said to the surprised looking servant. Similan fell in behind Mok and gave Jason a nod as he walked by. Jason had no real reason to include him other than trying to build a little trust and camaraderie towards the one person Mok seemed to trust implicitly. If he wanted to pull off the plan that had been coming together during the flight out, he'd need the gangster's connections and resources to get the necessary equipment and personnel.
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 to such a busy hub because they need to finish off their resupply."
"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—"
Omega Force: Rebellion (OF11) Page 15