They find Aason!

Yesterday, on their way to Socal, southern California, MINIMCOM schooled Rei and Bonnie on how he rediscovered the secret of making gunpowder. This allowed MINIMCOM to synthesize new bullets and magazine for Jack Henry's M9 Beretta. Rei was happy about this.

Meanwhile, Rome was preoccupied by studying their course and distance. Now they were getting close to their goal, the rescue of their son, Aason:

     Rome, who had been watching the distance meter asked, “MINIIMCOM, what is the effective distance of our EM transmitters?”
     “Roughly 300 kilometers air-to-ground,” replied MINIMCOM.
     “Then slow down when we are inside that limit. I want to call to Aason using that channel. There is no way that the Onsiras would know that he can communicate that way. They may have him under T-suppression but it would never occur for them to put him in a Faraday cage.”
     “They knew enough to do that to you,” Rei said. “When we first came back to Earth and they had you arrested, they slapped you in a room that was cut off six ways to Sunday.”
     “They did not know I could communicate that way,” Rome said. “They just wanted to keep out all communication regardless.”
     “So what makes you think the Onsiras wouldn’t do the same thing?”
     “Because Aason has no equipment visible nor would he have access to any.”
     As the two ship convoy continued southwest, it only took them a half-hour to approach the 300 kilometer limit, MINIMCOM slowed down and Junior followed his lead. When they were about 250 kilometers away, MINIMCOM came to a dead stop, hovering about a mile up. Junior hovered off to his right.
     “Rei,” Rome said, reaching out with her hand. “You call with me. It will double our chances of reaching him.”
     “Sure,” Rei said, taking her hand. “You lead, I’ll follow.”
     Rome closed her eyes and opened up her EM channel.
     “Aason,” she called out desperately.
     “Mommy!” a little voice replied. “Where are you? Where’s Daddy?”
     “I’m here, son,” Rei said, a huge smile breaking out on his face. “Are you all right?”
     “I think so,” said the little boy. “Where are you?”
     “We’re on our way, my baby,” Rome replied. “Are they treating you well?”
     “I’m lonely,” Aason said. “Nobody will talk to me.”
     “Where is Grandmea and Grandbeo?” Rome asked.
     “They’re over there,” Aason said. Rome knew he was pointing. It always made her smile when he ignored the fact that she could not see him. “But they are acting funny,” Aason continued. “They don’t seem to recognize me.”
     Rome sighed. It had begun. “What about Commander Ursay?” Rome asked. “Is he there too?”
     “Yes,” Aason replied. “But he is acting strange, too. And Grandbeo’s eyes look funny.”
     “What do you mean?”
     “They are all black now.”
     Rome put her fist up to her mouth and bit down on it. She took a deep breath. “First things first,” she thought to herself. Out loud, she asked, “MINIMCOM, can you get a lock on his signal?”
     “Yes,” replied the starship.
     “And Junior, can you do it as well?”
     “Yes,” replied MINIMCOM’s son. “Strength only, no vector though.”

Hmm. To truly triangulate, you need three points and they only have two receivers. They will have to figure out a method of triangulation without. Think Geiger counter.