Tommy and his group met in the med bay to discuss what they discovered and how to proceed from now on.
-The plan needs to change.
was the first thing Tommy said.
-That's for sure there is no way to use the command center and I doubt we can repair it.
Said Anne.
-Actually we probably can repair it but for that we would need to use the repair drones but if we do that then we also need to get quite a big load of materials.
Simon threw in his own thoughts.
-I don't see the problem here, didn't we plan to take control of all of the sub control centers?
This time it was Alice.
-Yes that was and still is the plan, but I wanted to use the command center as a place in which we could use to control all the bypasses and monitor them to make sure that the nobles never found out that they lost control.
And we can't use the repair drones.If we activate them they will rebuild everything on the inside and on the outside to the specifications which means that they will remove the control devices not to mention they will use up all the materials in the storage which means that there will be nothing left for the ship.
Either way the nobles would know that something is wrong.
Said Tommy, while still thinking about their new found problem.
-Well the only other way to do it is to take control of the sub control centers that we need and leave the rest alone for now.
Said Monic.
-Actually how long would it take to either repair or build a shim in this palace anyway?
Asked simon.
-Well it would take years to repair one from outside and we can't do it without everyone knowing about it.
Building a new one from scratch will probably take a few months if we get the materials.
Explained Tommy.
-Youre talking about a big ship but what about a smaller one?
Anne asked.
-We probably could repair a shuttle in a matter of a few weeks, but the main problem is that the moment we leave the station you can be sure that the nobles will send someone after us.
In which case I would rather have at least a destroyer to be sure that we can either outrun them or destroy them if necessary.
Everyone looked at him like he just grew another head.
-Are you seriously wanting a destroyer?
Simon was the first one to get his voice back.
-Actually I was thinking about a cruiser.
Said Tommy with a slight smile.
-You're insane.Do you even know how many people it takes to man such a ship?
Said Alice shaking her head.
-Actually it takes 4 people to fly one of those bad boys if you use a synaptic link.
Alice's jaw hit the floor.
-What the hell are you talking about?
Asked Monic.
-I Didn't think of that.
Said Simon at the same time
-Can someone explain what you are talking about to the people that are not soldiers.
Demanded Anne.
Alice was the first one to answer her question.
-They are talking about implants that are surgically inserted into the brain.
Those implants then let you control almost any device as long as it's connected to it.
The other two ladies were shocked after hearing this and even more when they figured out that they would have to go through the procedure themselves with the current member count of their group.
Seeing their faces Simon couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud.
-Easy there ladies, no one is telling you to get the implant.
If you remember the rest of the plan,we are going to help the others with the drug problem and I'm sure there will be more people who will agree to go through the procedure.
Said Tommy, trying to stop them from panicking.
-Well Tommy, I see a little problem with that plan.
Alice was not happy hearing about that part of the plan.
-To answer your next question we can use the medical fabricator on the main medical deck and we can also use the facilities there for the procedure.
He said grinning.
-Your idea requires me to go there and install the damn thing into your skull and the skull's of every other man or woman who will accept it.
-Yes that's right. Sorry to ask this of you. I know that most doctors hate to put implants into people but for my plan to work it's necessary.
She hated to admit it but he was right there was no other way for his plan to work.
- Ok,I will do it but you better get us out of here otherwise I'm going to skin you alive.
Alice agreed to help but it was evident to everyone that she was not happy about it.
-Ok so we now know that we can operate a ship but where can we go?
In the empire we will be hunted until we are caught or killed so we can't stay here.
When they heard Monic say those words everyone was taken aback.
They never picked a destination for their escape.
-Well you're the navigator so start plotting a course that will take us out of the empire.
Preferably one that is away from the major trading lanes and the military outposts.
Tommy said after thinking about it for a moment.
-That's a tall order, i will need more star maps and the newer they are the better.
-Ok we'll see what can be done but for now do what you can with what we have.
She nodded in response.
Now what about our plan to help everyone with the drug problem?
Simon asked, changing the topic.
-Well there are 83 people in the blue section minus us. It's 78 people so by diluting the rest of our alcohol we are short around 23 doses and I don't want to dilute the alcohol any more than we already did for fear of it not working as it should.
Alice informed them of the problem.
-Then we either have to get more booze or some of the rest will have to stay under the influence of the drug until they get out of here.
It was Simon's turn to state the obvious.
-We'll see what we can find in the next ships, maybe we'll get lucky again.
Tommy said while thinking that it was frustrating always waiting and counting on luck.
They continued the meeting for the next few hours Discussing problems and solving some of them but for the most part all they could do was to wait for the new ships.
The next day everything returned to normal with some exceptions.
First of which was that the ladies joined the men in their daily training sessions.
Then Alice asked Tommy to go to the other side and get her some medic texts regarding the implants which he did the same day.
Another novelty was that everyone wanted some equipment and Anne even wanted to learn how to make some of it.
Other than that it was nothing out of the ordinary for some time.