Chromium

Chapter 17.4

"But do not mistake his restraint for weakness." Sarah warned. "This guy is no pushover. He's not afraid to get his hands dirty when the situation demands it."

"Which makes him much more dangerous than your regular gangster." Rodriguez said thoughtfully. "We'll have to be careful when dealing with him."

"Then it would be smart to avoid him altogether." Willis glanced cautiously at Omen, his tone markedly less hostile than before. "You were Reyes' second in command. Is there another way of doing this, other options?"

Omen shook his head. "No, not that I know of. The Palace is a fortress. There is only one access point."

"Great." Willis grumbled.

"So, do we all agree?" Omen asked, looking around the room at each of them in turn.

Willis shook his head. "I still think that trusting that guy is a bad idea."

Omen actually nodded. "I understand your concerns and it doesn't hurt to take a few precautions. What about this? I still have a few friends in the Undercity. I'll get them to ask around. If what Fanning is saying is true, we'll go through with the plan. If not...well, we can always throw him out of the airlock and come up with another plan."

Willis nodded slowly, a bit mollified. "That's fine, but what about the mechs?"

Omen stared at him fixedly, a clear indication he was starting to lose his patience. "You don't have to worry about them. They are out of the picture."

Willis looked at him with suspicion. "How do you know that?"

"I have my ways." Omen replied cryptically. "The only thing you need to know is that they are gone."

Willis made a disgruntled sound. "When did this happen?"

"Just before we entered the Nebula. Apparently, they realized that what they were looking for" He briefly glanced at Dia, "was no longer there." 

"Why didn't we know about this until now?" Willis asked.

"Because, Mr. Willis," Omen said, his tone dangerously even, "you didn't need to know." 

That seemed to shut him up.

"Now...do we all agree on this?" Omen asked a second time.

Rodriguez shrugged. "It's as good a plan as any."

Dia nodded, while Willis asked, "What about Mitchell? She is a member of the crew, isn't she?"

"Your concern is appreciated, but unnecessary, Jacob Willis." Mitchell's hologram materialized at the center of the room. "The captain is my superior officer. I have to follow his orders.  Moreover, this plan, even if provisional, seems to be the only option at the moment."

After she'd said her piece, the hologram disappeared.

"Damn." Willis scowled. "I'll never get used to that."

Ignoring him, Omen asked, "Sarah?"

"I agree," Sarah said in a careful tone of voice, "but only if you promise to bring me with you."

Omen probably had expected her to give him unconditional support and looked more than a little surprised. "You want to come with us? Why?"

"Do I really need a reason?" She asked, her tone unusually confrontational.

Omen furrowed his brow, "No, but...I don't think that's a good idea, Sarah."

"He is right, Love." Rodriguez said gently. "You're a doctor, not a fighter.  Besides, if you get hurt, who will patch us up?"

Sarah tightened her fists. "I can handle myself."

"I know you can, but..." Omen started to say, but Dia interrupted him. "Let her come."

Caught off-guard, Omen fell silent. 

"Adding one more person won't make a difference." Dia continued. "Besides, who knows, we might need a doctor."

"Fine," Omen relented, but he wasn't happy about it. "you can come with us." He said grudgingly. 

Sarah went still, her head cocked, almost as if she couldn't believe her ears. Then Dia saw her understand, and her lips curled into a smile. Then their gazes met, and the doctor gave her a grateful look.

Omen was, on the contrary, more than a little irked. When he spoke again his tone was decidedly testy.

"Then if there are no objections..." No one said anything. "Alright then. Dismissed." He said, forgetting for a moment that they weren't his subordinates.

Rodriguez seemed to find him funny and left the room with a smile. Willis, on the other hand, didn't seem to take the order well and grumbled something under his breath. When even Sarah was gone, only Dia and Omen were left in the room.

Maybe noticing she was staring at him fixedly, Omen asked, "Is there something on your mind, corporal?"

He still looked annoyed. Dia didn't let that deter her.

"Why did you lie to them?" She asked him. "I know you have a direct line to the Emperor."

"I didn't lie." She stared him down until he relented. "Alright, I didn't tell them the whole truth, but I wasn't lying. The ISS is really short of manpower at the moment."

"Sorry, Omen but I don't buy it." Dia said. "I know that the Empire is at war, but do you really want me to believe that the Emperor can't spare a few ships to take down the Umbra? Hell, if you tell him what Gibson has achieved, he'll send a fleet before lunchtime. He would do anything to put his hands on that kind of tech."

He nodded gravely. "You're right, and that's exactly what I want to avoid." 

His answer stunned her. "You don't want him to know. Why?"

"Because no one should have that much power, Dia." Omen's face was grim. "Not even the Emperor."