[color=#FFFFFF]The Deputy Premier twitched angrily.
[color=#66FFFF]"If you want such luxuries, I will personally ensure that your next command is of the Men's room of a cruise liner! I hear that it is not enjoyable for the "recipient". And Commandant Ling? Fail again and you're next posting will be of Commissar Mendal's choosing. Doctor XiaoBei. If you please."
The Premier of the Coalition had been sitting silently, the silver pen spinning back and forth through his fingers as he contemplated the discussion, and the ramifications of the malfunctioning battleship program.
He looked up, "I want the XR-2 recovered," he said, his voice quiet as he rose from his chair, walking slowly around the table. "After all we have been through, war, strife, depression... we cannot afford another catastrophe. Colonel Rhade, you will proceed with General Blackblood to recover that ship, where ever it is gone."
The charismatic Premier turned his eyes on the table. "Let us not forget that Yue Fei's rebellion, though crushed, had many supporters in the Engineering corps. And Fei would benefit greatly if a battleship were to fall into her hands."
[font=agency fb]Location: [color=#FFFFFF]The Outskirts of Omicron-82 Date: 19th June 819 AS
"You have got to be joking."
[color=#FFFFFF]Xu checked the instruments. The appeared to be all functioning within normal parameters. The Xi'an, along with the Social Credit and Totenkopf had been searching the Omicron systems for the XR-2 following Dr XiaoBei's discovery. Major Xu had drawn the short straw, and was searching the systems beyond the Outcast homeworld. It was dangerous work, more so when the Xi'an had picked up a Coalition transponder code. Right now, Han could not think of a more dangerous place in the universe than right here, right now.
"May whatever divinity exists have mercy on us."
[color=#FFFFFF]The scanners had it. The codename signature reading XR-2. Right slap bang in the middle of Omicron-82. Surrounded by sleeping Phantoms.
"Ermmmmm... Orders... Major?!"
[color=#FFFF00]"Hrm. Move back to position Alpha. We'll relay this to the Radek and the rest of the battlegroup." "Si.. Getting us out of here!"
The Xi'an arched up and back and dived through the jumphole. Xu tried shunting some more power to the cruise engines. He wanted to be as far away from that dark place as possible. His CO's were going to have a fit, he mused.