Despite telling Dagon to expect his men, Blake decided to change the plan and pick him up personally. After walking through several crowded corridors, he has reached the docks. He took a moment to gaze at his ship - "Ironside", a battered and scorched Percheon-class transport that had a short but intense history under the Cohort. It was certainly not the fastest nor strongest ship, but it was Blake's favorite nevertheless. PDA buzzing has snapped him back so he proceeds to take it out of his jacket. A message from Dagon. He starts reading it, mumbling to himself:
"I'm waiting... Come on, Legionnaire, time's wasting... Hah."
He picks up the pace and enters his ship. Permission to launch has been received and a moment later he has found himself in open space. A course has been plotted; grid-square A-6. A barren part of Vespucci far out of the Veracruz Ice Field that was of no interest for neither of the system inhabitants, offering a perfect location for the meeting. After all, the secrecy was more than necessary as not many would condone Blake's daring plan to invite a sworn enemy to their homes.
As soon the destination was in scanner range, he brought his engines to a full stop so he can start a short-range sensor sweep. He caught a faint signal originating from his destination and matching IFF metadata Dagon has sent him. He hesitates for a moment. Could it be a trap? Has he been tricked? There's one way to find out. He turns on his low-band radio and speaks out.
"Dagon?"
Blake felt a great sense of relief when he heard Dagon's voice. A first step has been made, and it was a success. But he was aware that there is a long way to the finish line. He stands up and walks towards another console on the far edge of the bridge. After pressing several buttons, a loud rumble is heard in the distance; hull starts to creak as it will shatter any moment. Blake and the rest of the crew were used to it, so they remain calm. He grabs his low-band radio once again.
"You got me worried for a moment, Dagon. I have opened the rear cargo door. Park inside and we'll be on our way. Let's not waste time, shall we?"
He puts down the radio and remains still for a moment, assuring himself that the worst has passed. He stands up and starts walking towards the bridge's blast doors so he can take the lift to lower levels and meet Dagon in the hold. As he reaches the doors, he stops for a moment and turns towards one of the deck officers.
"You have the conn. Raise the doors once he's in and set course for Atacama."
As he exits the elevator, he hears that familiar rumble spreading throughout his ship once again. It was a definite sign that the shuttle has landed and his guest is onboard, waiting. A moment of silence is followed by a sound of engine ignition and maneuvring thrusters. Upon entering the cargo bay, he looks around and immediately notices a Sunburst on the landing pad and an elegant man accompanied by two guards. There was no doubt it's Dagon.
"Meallan Dagon... Welcome aboard."
Guards step aside as Blake walks in and stop in front of Dagon. Without losing his poker face, he extends his arm and firmly shakes Dagon's hand. After the formalities have been concluded, Blake points towards the gate he just arrived from.
"This way. We'll be arriving to Atacama shorty. I'm sure you're eager to see her."
A moment Blake was waiting for. He expected the deed will cost him more than he can offer, but on his surprise, the demands sound reasonable... For now. He turns towards Dagon to start the discussion.
"I have already taken all the precautions regarding your stay on the Atacama. A cargo bay is under lockdown and will remain so until the repairs are completed. As for the personnel, I have handpicked our best and most trusted engineers. Don't worry, both your life and your reputation are safe. As for your family, I cannot guarantee every last Gaian will follow the order and there will not be some kind of isolated incident. I cannot oversee all my men, and especially not those of the Watchers and Emerald Order. But... I'll make sure neither of the commanders ever come up with an idea to shoot a Dagon."
He turns towards the gate again as the elevator nears its destination. He decided to wrap up other matters with a short comment.
"Engines... Guns... Ships... That's rather unspecified. Give me details and I'll get it done."
The price of Dagon's request was high. Handing out blueprints of most advanced technology the Gaians possess to an enemy is a treason, no matter the motives behind it. That is, it is treason if the command finds out. But, Blake was a gambler and cared little of a Gaian opinion on the matter. He has decided that it's a risk worth taking and there was no one to dissuade him in doing so.
"Consider it done. You'll have more than enough time to study them once we're done."
The elevator reaches its destination and the door opens. A bridge was in front of them, one that was certainly not even close to a luxurious standard of Libertonian warships or Orbital liners. Battered equipment, half-burnt plating, wires hanging out of the ceiling. The ship has been to hell and back. Blake exits the elevator and starts walking towards the captains quarters that were on the far side of the bridge, with Dagon following him.
"We'll be moving it elsewhere. We don't have a proper yard, but I know someone who does. But, Warspite is in bad shape and will not be able to endure the journey so the initial phase of repairs will have to be conducted on the Atacama."