Contains a lot of repetitious techno-babble. There are only so many times that I need to be instructed on how one can increase one’s frame rate to slow the perception of time. However, it is the latest plot inconsistency that is making it hard to continue to the end of the story.
Quinton has been warned that if he tries to attack Collective ships again it won’t be permitted and his command access will be permanently terminated. He then enters a star system where he immediately starts attacking Collective ships. There may later be some explanation of why the rules changed, but at this point in the story there is no reason to believe Quinton has knowledge of any such change. Yet neither he nor his officers even raise a question of whether firing on the Collective ships is possible let alone a good idea.