Omega Force 5: Return of the Archon by Joshua Dalzelle

Author:Joshua Dalzelle [Dalzelle, Joshua]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781500682897
Amazon: 1500682896
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2014-08-04T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

It was well into the evening when the expected knock came on the door of Jason’s room. “Come in, Crusher,” he called, getting up from the bed.

“I wish you wouldn’t intentionally antagonize him, Captain,” Crusher said without preamble. “He gets so agitated it’s difficult to get any more information out of him.”

“Your friend is an asshole,” Jason said simply. “I’m only returning the favor.”

“No,” Crusher said with a shake of his head. “There’s something else going on here. You’re intentionally pushing on him. Tell me why.”

“So you’re giving me commands now?” Jason asked mildly, hoping to change the subject.

“Why are you being so difficult?” Crusher snarled. “Did I not nearly die during the defense of your homeworld? Now that my people are in danger, you seem to—”

“The Phoenix is missing, Crusher,” Jason said, cutting him off.

The big warrior stood frozen for a moment, mouth hanging open and his recriminations dying on his tongue.

“What?!” he was finally able to say.

“The Phoenix is gone,” Jason said quietly. “We went to check on her and there is nothing but twelve divots where the wheels were and a few blast marks where the tail guns lit someone up.”

“What else aren’t you telling me?”

“Twingo and Doc are missing as well,” Jason said.

“Why am I just now hearing about this?” Crusher demanded, his fists clenched. “Where is Kage?”

“Kage is in a safe location trying to track down some leads,” Jason said. “I couldn’t tell you until I was able to get you alone.”

“You did not trust me,” Crusher stated, his voice breaking.

“You know that is not true,” Jason said hotly. “But I don’t know how much I can trust those in the Order. There were only a few people who knew where the Phoenix was parked.”

“But they have resources we could use,” Crusher began. Jason held a hand up to stop him.

“Kage is now plugged in and on the trail,” he said. “If the ship is still in one piece, he’ll find it. If we find the Phoenix, we find our friends. There was no evidence they’d been killed, so I have to believe they were taken captive for whatever reason.”

“So what should I do?”

“For now, exactly what you’re doing,” Jason said, grateful the conversation was going as well as it seemed to be. “There’s not much you can do right now, honestly, and we’d just be in Kage’s way. Once we have a firm lead we’ll act.”

“Who else knows the ship is missing?”

“All the remaining members of the crew and Mazer,” Jason said.

“Do you trust him?” Crusher asked. Jason decided to treat it like a serious question and not a petty accusation.

“I do,” he said. “He’s solid. He reminds me a lot of you, actually.” Jason intentionally left out the fact Mazer was also harboring suspicions about the true motivations of the Archon’s Fist. That is a really stupid name for a secret society.

“Try to keep me informed,” Crusher said, moving towards the door.

“That’s a given, Crusher,” Jason said. “I didn’t exclude you as an insult.

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