Free Omega Force 5: Return of the Archon by Joshua Dalzelle Page A

codes that would allow them to fly right by the defense monitoring stations without triggering an alarm.
    Jason plotted his course and speed to match Connimon’s instructions as Doc worked at the port sensor station to manage the ship’s countermeasures suite. With any luck, they’d make it all the way to Restaria’s atmosphere without being detected. After that, it would be up to Jason to hide the ship in the ground clutter of the undeveloped world from anyone who may observe their entry.
    “Codes are entered,” Kage said. “Will I get any confirmation from the station?”
    “No,” Connimon said. “But you will know if the codes weren’t properly entered or received. The station will send out an automated hail that needs to be answered properly within thirty seconds or a general alert will be issued to the fleet.”
    “What sort of fleet presence are we talking about?” Jason asked, feeling more than a little foolish he hadn’t asked before now.
    “Two corvettes and three squadrons of fighters,” Connimon said with a half-smile. “Calling it a ‘fleet’ may be a bit of a conceit.” Jason breathed a sigh of relief. The small force fielded by the geltens wouldn’t be much of a threat to the Phoenix as she could easily outrun any, or all, of them. “However,” Connimon continued, “we often have ConFed cruisers or expeditionary ships that come through the system and even enter orbit over Galvetor itself.”
    “That’s unfortunate,” Jason said with a frown. “And you permit this?”
    “It is the primary reason we have such a light space force of our own,” she said. “We have neither the will nor the inclination to fly a large combat-ready fleet. The ConFed wants us as a member planet in order to gain some level of access to the legions. It’s a game we both play that is mutually beneficial.”
    “What happens when one day the ConFed Council decides you’re no longer worth protecting?” Kage asked.
    “Then we will do what we must,” she said. “We will enter into alliances and ensure our people are protected. There are others who have made overtures to such alliances, including the mighty Eshquarian Empire.”
    Something clicked in Jason’s brain at the mention of the Eshquarians. The one little detail that had been nagging at him was how the Caretaker knew that this crew, this ship, was where Crusher had ended up. They had performed a service for the Eshquarian Empire—and were paid handsomely in the form of a rebuilt Phoenix —a few years ago. The mission had almost cost them all their lives, and in the aftermath the prime minister had gotten to know his crew quite well. He decided to throw it against the wall and see if anything stuck.
    “So, in your talks with the Eshquarians … I wouldn’t imagine we came up, did we?” he asked casually. “I mean, if you were trying to keep tabs on someone as important as your Archon, it would be natural to ask a favor of a government with an extensive intelligence network. It would also be an easy favor for them to give since they knew exactly which ship a large Galvetic warrior may be serving on.” Doc and Jason were both watching Connimon and caught the narrowing of the eyes and pinching of her nose. To her credit, she met Jason’s challenge head on.
    “Yes, Captain,” she said evenly. “We were made aware of your role in thwarting what would have been a devastating terrorist attack. And yes … we asked them to poke around and see if they could find any leads on Felex’s whereabouts. Imagine my surprise when we were provided high-resolution images of your adventures there, including one demolished hospitality suite.” Kage giggled at that as Jason simply nodded and went back to flying the ship.
    “Thank you for the honesty, Connimon,” Jason said. “How you knew which ship to track down to find Crusher has been a point of concern for me since you came aboard.”
    “Distrustful,” she replied with no trace of being offended.