Omega Force 7: Redemption by Joshua Dalzelle Page B

kitchen balancing three plates on one arm and clutching three sets of flatware in the opposite hand.
    "I need to find a way to get word back to the Empire," she said. "They need to know the exact details of what happened to the netjere. But I need to do this without escaping from one bad situation and immersing myself into another."
    "So simple transport would be your main priority?" Lucky asked. Jason dug into the plate in front of him, completely oblivious to where Lucky was leading the conversation, as Doc picked at the food suspiciously with the two-pronged fork he'd been given.
    "Yes," Kalette said.
    "So if you were to find someone who had an interstellar ship capable of transporting you somewhere from which you could make contact with your people, that would be acceptable?" Lucky asked.
    "Yes," Kalette said again, this time with more hesitation and confusion at the convoluted questioning. The words had been flowing around Jason while he ate, but his eyes popped open as they finally sunk in and he nearly choked on his food.
    "Now wait a damn minute!" he started, only to be interrupted by a moaning from Doc that stopped the conversation cold and made them all wonder what the hell he was doing under the table. "You alright there, buddy?"
    "Lucky, this is incredible," Doc said, talking around a mouthful and ignoring Jason completely. "I haven't eaten anything this good since the last time we were on Aracoria. Where did you learn to do this?"
    "When I inquired about how to prepare local foods at the market the vendors were kind enough to instruct me. I have been experimenting on my own since then," Lucky said, beaming. "I am very pleased you like it."
    "Like it?!" Doc said. "This is exquisite, and I'm not just saying that because I've been eating ship food for a month."
    "The Defiant's mess deck isn't exactly 'ship food,'" Jason said, waving at Doc to shut up and go back to his meal. "I see where you're steering this, you sneaky bastard, and the answer is no, for a few reasons."
    "Such as?" Lucky pressed.
    "That pile of garbage can't make the flight, for starters," Jason said hotly. "At least not if we all want to survive the trip. Second, we can't ignore the contracts we have here. Third—"
    "Would I be correct in assuming there would be a substantial reward for your return?" Lucky asked Kalette.
    "Oh yes," she said, nodding emphatically. "The Sovereign would be most generous."
    "That's not the point!" Jason insisted.
    "Then what is your point, Jason," Lucky said calmly, not letting up.
    "This isn't what we do anymore!" Jason shouted. "Omega Force is gone, Lucky. You and I are just a couple of junk haulers now."
    "No, this is just what we are doing at the present," Lucky insisted. "This is not who we are."
    "Why can't you just accept—"
    "Please! Stop!" Kalette cried out sharply. "I do not wish to be the reason for this fighting among friends. I will find another way."
    "I apologize for our lack of manners, Kalette," Jason said calmly, standing up. "If you'll all excuse me." Without waiting for an answer he walked out the back door and down onto the beach, trying to put some distance between himself and the conversation he'd left behind.
    He walked aimlessly along the beach for a bit, lost in his thoughts. The nice thing about having a local population that had an inherent fear of the open water was that the beach was almost always deserted. He found a place to sit where he could watch the waves, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't push the intruding and unwelcome thoughts from his head.
    "That annoying bastard," he said in disgust, kicking an offending pile of sand as he stood up. "He can never just leave well enough alone."
    The sun was pushing up to its midday zenith so Jason knew he must have been sitting for a couple of hours, but he could hardly account for the time, so lost was he in his own head. He retraced his steps back to his house, unsure about how to proceed once he got there. Part of him wanted to