anywhere Dorah. Honest, been right here...
um.." she silenced his protests with a kiss. The admiral's eyebrow rose in
surprise as the lad responded to the kiss. Okay, so maybe some things had
changed a little. The Admiral chuckled as he shook Jen's hand. Tara came up
behind her and he nodded to her.
Jen had been an invaluable asset on the Io 11, working in
engineering as an assistant engineer and one of his many helpers. She was good,
a bit of a tom boy but that was fine with him. She was still tall, not quite as
tall as him but close.
Tara was looking good, she had apparently changed her hair to
black hair with blue tips and it didn't quite fit her complexion but she didn't
seem to mind. She grinned, eyes dancing a little when she got closer.
They were looking good, all of them. Well dressed in Io 11 ship
uniforms. The girls had scarves around their necks or in their hair but they
now looked like professional spacers.
"Old home week I see," he said with a small smile. He
shook Tara's hand as well. She pulled him into a bear hug. He grunted in
surprise and then chuckled. "Easy girl, not all of me is as flexible as
flesh and blood." She laughed and set him down. "So I see that Io11
is in orbit," he said unnecessarily.
"Nothin gets past you does it?" the security chief growled
good naturedly from behind him.
He turned and smiled. "Good to see you too chief," he
said eying her. She nodded again slightly. She still had her short silver hair
and pixie look, but she also had the hard agate eyes and no nonsense look about
her that was her trademark. She'd traded her sexy silver unitard in for a ships
coverall with silver shoulder boards but had kept her trademark blaster on her
hip. Her uniform was cut well, and unzipped to mid line to her breasts to show
a silver tank top underneath. From the look of the native women around them
they were properly scandalizing them. Which was just fine with the admiral, he
like the other spacers could care less what they thought of their appearance.
She cocked her eyebrow, clearly studying him. "Don't tell me
you need another ride?" she asked coolly.
He chuckled immediately when Jen froze. Slowly he shook his head.
"No, I have my own ship now, Phoenix. You pinged her in orbit," he
explained. He'd just gotten the word a few minutes ago. He should have listened
to Sprite's earlier report but he'd been distracted.
Jen nodded. "That's right we did, that's yours?" she
asked. Her eyes widened when he nodded.
"It's just a yacht that had been converted into a courier
vessel during the war, nothing fancy. Class one hyper drive, really it's all
ion engine and hyper drive," he explained with a diffident shrug.
Jen grinned as she eyed him. "Somehow I think you found a way
to spice her up."
He chuckled in appreciation as the shot went home and then nodded.
"Maybe,” he admitted with a hint of a smile.
Tara's smile turned into a grin. "No maybe about it,"
she teased, eyes glimmering with mischief. She shook her head. "So what
brings you here?" she asked, clearly amused.
He chuckled once more. "Just in the neighborhood, I was
checking things out."
She nodded. "Is that your platform in orbit of the gas
giant?" Jen asked.
He nodded. One of the first thing's he had done upon entering the
system was to put the platform up in the atmosphere of the largest Jovian in
the system. The little platform had its own micro fusion reactor for a power
supply. It's first order of business was to suck in gases and fill it's
balloons as its' force emitters arrested its' fall. After the balloons were
inflated it had them flushed with hydrogen and then shut the force emitters
off. The balloons kept the platform balanced in the atmosphere, and the energy
saved from not using the force emitters was then put into the refinery process.
It was a small platform though, with limited storage so he'd set
it up to focus on Helium 3 primarily, with a bit of Deuterium to supply the
reactor. But was taking it's sweet time
um.." she silenced his protests with a kiss. The admiral's eyebrow rose in
surprise as the lad responded to the kiss. Okay, so maybe some things had
changed a little. The Admiral chuckled as he shook Jen's hand. Tara came up
behind her and he nodded to her.
Jen had been an invaluable asset on the Io 11, working in
engineering as an assistant engineer and one of his many helpers. She was good,
a bit of a tom boy but that was fine with him. She was still tall, not quite as
tall as him but close.
Tara was looking good, she had apparently changed her hair to
black hair with blue tips and it didn't quite fit her complexion but she didn't
seem to mind. She grinned, eyes dancing a little when she got closer.
They were looking good, all of them. Well dressed in Io 11 ship
uniforms. The girls had scarves around their necks or in their hair but they
now looked like professional spacers.
"Old home week I see," he said with a small smile. He
shook Tara's hand as well. She pulled him into a bear hug. He grunted in
surprise and then chuckled. "Easy girl, not all of me is as flexible as
flesh and blood." She laughed and set him down. "So I see that Io11
is in orbit," he said unnecessarily.
"Nothin gets past you does it?" the security chief growled
good naturedly from behind him.
He turned and smiled. "Good to see you too chief," he
said eying her. She nodded again slightly. She still had her short silver hair
and pixie look, but she also had the hard agate eyes and no nonsense look about
her that was her trademark. She'd traded her sexy silver unitard in for a ships
coverall with silver shoulder boards but had kept her trademark blaster on her
hip. Her uniform was cut well, and unzipped to mid line to her breasts to show
a silver tank top underneath. From the look of the native women around them
they were properly scandalizing them. Which was just fine with the admiral, he
like the other spacers could care less what they thought of their appearance.
She cocked her eyebrow, clearly studying him. "Don't tell me
you need another ride?" she asked coolly.
He chuckled immediately when Jen froze. Slowly he shook his head.
"No, I have my own ship now, Phoenix. You pinged her in orbit," he
explained. He'd just gotten the word a few minutes ago. He should have listened
to Sprite's earlier report but he'd been distracted.
Jen nodded. "That's right we did, that's yours?" she
asked. Her eyes widened when he nodded.
"It's just a yacht that had been converted into a courier
vessel during the war, nothing fancy. Class one hyper drive, really it's all
ion engine and hyper drive," he explained with a diffident shrug.
Jen grinned as she eyed him. "Somehow I think you found a way
to spice her up."
He chuckled in appreciation as the shot went home and then nodded.
"Maybe,” he admitted with a hint of a smile.
Tara's smile turned into a grin. "No maybe about it,"
she teased, eyes glimmering with mischief. She shook her head. "So what
brings you here?" she asked, clearly amused.
He chuckled once more. "Just in the neighborhood, I was
checking things out."
She nodded. "Is that your platform in orbit of the gas
giant?" Jen asked.
He nodded. One of the first thing's he had done upon entering the
system was to put the platform up in the atmosphere of the largest Jovian in
the system. The little platform had its own micro fusion reactor for a power
supply. It's first order of business was to suck in gases and fill it's
balloons as its' force emitters arrested its' fall. After the balloons were
inflated it had them flushed with hydrogen and then shut the force emitters
off. The balloons kept the platform balanced in the atmosphere, and the energy
saved from not using the force emitters was then put into the refinery process.
It was a small platform though, with limited storage so he'd set
it up to focus on Helium 3 primarily, with a bit of Deuterium to supply the
reactor. But was taking it's sweet time
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