Free OMEGA Exile by Stephen Arseneault Page B

equipment. She is fast, and very agile when in an atmosphere. Her twin ion cannons pack a decent punch. She is silent and she has no transponder. I also have the passcodes necessary to command portal jumps without going through the normal process."
    I nodded. "Can you jump us to the point where we expect the Jasmire to be?"
    Garrett shook his head. "I’m afraid not. We have to be in communication with the portal for that to happen. Our last connection was where we jumped to. The generator maintains a microportal at that jump location until a signal is received to return or the ship that jumped leaves. When I left to go to that moon, the portal closed. I cannot open another until I am within comm proximity of a portal complex."
    Garrett continued: "Haven’t you ever wondered how you remained in contact with the station while in the far reaches of the sector?"
    I returned a blank look. "I am knowledgeable about comm channels and equipment, but that thought never entered my mind. I just assumed we had comm. In the forty years I have been doing inspections, I never had cause to move my ship more than a short distance from the jump point."
    Garrett replied, "Well, with most of those years in the AMP, you probably had no cause to do so. The activity we saw today, this is new, and there is likely to be a lot more of it. The forces that oppose the families are growing, and most families are doing nothing to stop it.
    "The old system worked well for everyone. I hate to say it, but even the Saltons are struggling to keep order. They aren’t unreasonable, but they are making big mistakes with their people. Their actions smack of greed and corruption, the main ingredients needed for an uprising. There are many Humans that don’t care for them either."
    I stood to stretch my legs. "That is an interesting viewpoint coming from someone who works directly for the family."
    Garrett nodded. "Don’t get me wrong, I like the paycheck. The Saltons treat their security forces with respect. If you move beyond the Saltons, though, there are any number of wealthy industrialists who require security details. With all the unrest, my services are in demand."
    Our discussions continued as we closed on the Jasmire . I found Garrett to be a solid individual with high standards and a tireless work ethic. I also picked up on a hint of a fondness for his detail subject. He had listened to and observed her for the seven years since he was given the position. During that time, Joni had transitioned from being a young teen into a well-rounded, intelligent, and beautiful woman. She could easily be the desire of most any Human man.
    Our general discussions ended as the Jasmire came into view on the optical sensors.
    Garrett said, "We are in luck! Only one of those small Igari ships remains with her. I can swing in behind the ship and come up through her ion wake. That will easily mask what little signature we may have. Suit up, Mr. Beutcher. I’ll be setting us down next to that portal in about two minutes."
    I stood and turned around to face Raptor, who was lying just under the back of my chair with a sad look on his face. "Give us a few minutes, and we will have her back."
    I reached down to offer the customary head scratch and then moved on to putting on my helmet and checking my suit for seal.
    I turned back to face Garrett. "How did you come up with the name Jess ?"
    Garrett replied, "I began with J. S., and I would guess you could figure how that turned into Jess . It’s not that I am infatuated with Miss Salton or anything. I just—"
    I held up my hand. "No explanation necessary, Garrett. Let’s focus our thoughts on getting her off the Jasmire and onto the Jess . Oh, and I need a blaster, if you have a spare. The Igari took mine."
    The ramp-way opened and I walked down the steps, enabling my gravity boots as I went. When I stepped onto the hull of the Jasmire , I had the strange sensation of flying. There was no wind or atmosphere, but our passing