Rebecca began the conversation as I served up dinner for everyone, "Twenty days ago the MV Kaden rit departed Rolandan-2 bound for Ecclestone's World. Eleven days ago she sent an FTL report with her position and status. According to that transmission all was well and she was on schedule. That was the last ti anyone heard from her. She was due to arrive here in Port Ecclestone four days ago, and needless to say she never showed up."
I added, "Her last known position was a little over six days from here at Jump-0. It looks like her course had her hugging the edge of the Gorath asteroid field."
"Could she have hit the sa kind of mine that took out the Hamrsmith?" Sarah asked.
"Unlikely," the boss shook her head. "Those tend to target only the larger vessels, and they're not that common. One a year is about the most frequent we've seen, usually it's more like every other year."
Jenny spoke up next, "The rchant Vessel Kaden rit is classed as a dium freighter. She's about eight tis the mass of the Deter, and rated for up to fourteen persons on board. A full crew complint would be eight people, plus she has three double-occupancy passenger staterooms. I don't know when the ship was launched, but she was registered out of Port Ecclestone thirty-one years ago."
Rebecca continued, "We have no way of knowing how many people were actually on board when she left Rolandan-2, the only other information we have is about her captain. Donlew Carlson is forty-seven years old and it looks like he's been both the owner and captain of the Kaden rit for at least the past dozen years. I've never t him myself as far as I know, and I don't rember ever running into his ship either. That doesn't an anything though, it's a big sector with lots of ships."
After swallowing a mouthful of her dinner Sarah asked, "So how do we do this?"
The boss smiled at , "What do you think Amanda? You pretty much nailed it during the eting, when you figured out where we'd be going. What's your recomndation for how we handle the job?"
I blushed slightly then had a gulp of my soda to buy a few seconds. I finally responded, "Jump-0 to the last known coordinates, then do a long-range sensor sweep for debris. If we don't find anything, we estimate their route then do a short jump ahead and stop for another long-range sensor sweep. Repeat until we find the ship."
"Sounds good," Rebecca nodded. "Those short hops should be no more than two hours at Jump-0, and we can keep the sensors running while we're in jump. They're not as effective in level zero jumps as they are in normal space, but it might save us so ti if we happen to jump past the wreck."
Cam had been quiet for most of the conversation, but they finally asked "When do we start?"
"First thing in the morning," Rebecca replied. "We'll have a good night's sleep tonight, then we'll get under way in the morning after a nice breakfast."
The cat-kin nodded slowly, "So what do y'all do for six days in jump? Will it be like before, just sitting around waiting and talking to pass the ti?"
That put a smile on our captain's face, but not the fun kind. She shook her head, "Now that you're officially part of the crew we'll be working on your training. I'm sure Sarah has plans for that, and so do I. There's all sorts of ship systems and protocols we need to get you up to speed on. Consider it a kind of 'boot camp' for rchant shipping."
"The other day you told us you liked keeping busy," the captain added with that sa slightly dangerous smile. "So you should be very happy for the rest of this job."
Cam looked like they weren't sure whether to be happy or anxious. They ended up just nodding, "Yes ma'am."
After enjoying another bite of her al the boss comnted, "Actually now that you're officially part of the crew we should add you to the ship's roster."
"I've already taken care of that," Jenny spoke up. "I added them to the roster and updated the log while you and Sarah were out securing parts for the Persephone. Cammie Blake is listed as the Deter's assistant engineer."
Rebecca looked a little surprised, "Ah, ok then. Cammie Blake, welco aboard."
The cat-kin's cheeks coloured slightly and it looked like they were suppressing a smile. Their ears and tail were all standing up straight though, with pride or happiness. "Thank you ma'am. You're welco to keep calling Cam though, if you like."
"Do you mind if we call you Cammie sotis?" Sarah asked with a smile. "It's a cute na, and it looks to like you might enjoy it."
Cammie's blush got a little brighter, but they nodded "Yes ma'am. If you want."
The tall redhead smiled as well, but that faded a few monts later. She looked to Jenny as she said, "I don't rember if I said this after we left Ganvis, but you can go ahead and remove Ellery's na from the ship's roster. Sa with my old na."
"We may as well strike Gabe's na from the list as well," she added a mont later.
The AI paused, "Are you sure captain?"
The boss nodded, "Yeah I'm sure. That's all ancient history now, better to just focus on the present."
"Very well," Jenny nodded. "I've removed the old entries and made an entry in the log."
"Thanks Jen," Rebecca replied with a sad smile, before focusing on her al again.
After that we all finished our dinner in relative silence, then I got up to clear the table and take care of the dishes. Cam helped out again, while the others remained seated. Rebecca and Sarah were both still sipping their drinks, while Jenny sat with them.
Then our AI asked the boss, "Will you be notifying the Persephone of our departure? Or have you already done so?"
"I was going to do that after dinner," Rebecca replied. "Or would you mind sending them a ssage Jenny? Let them know we're shipping out first thing in the morning. And tell them if they wanted to see us again first, if there's anything else Tanya or Gwen want to discuss, let them know we can do that this evening. That way we won't have to worry about any delays tomorrow morning."
The android nodded, "Very good captain. I've send them a ssage with the information and your suggestions."
The boss thanked her, then asked "I ant to bring this up earlier, did you get a chance to look into that Dr. Kelsonian?"
"Of course captain," Jenny replied. "Doctor Ayala Kelsonian is a native of Ecclestone's World. Her family was among the wealthy ruling class up until about twenty years ago, when a number of their business ventures suffered significant setbacks."
The AI continued, "I was unable to determine if those losses were due to bad luck or outside interference, but the result is her family lost well over half their net worth. And on this world that ant a loss of power and control."
"I should point out," she added, "They are still fantastically wealthy, her family remains among the top five percent on this planet. But they used to be part of the top one percent, and are likely eager to reclaim their forr glory."
Sarah asked, "So she's gone into science but left her ethics at the door, as a way to recoup her family's lost fortune? Presumably with Imperium money?"
Rebecca shook her head, "Three million ecks is a lot of money, but it's nothing to people at that level. Add another zero just to get their attention. Add two zeros if you want to be part of the ruling class."
By that ti Cam and I were finished tidying up. We both sat back down at the table with the others as I asked in surprise, "Three hundred million?!"
Jenny suggested, "Perhaps Dr. Kelsonian isn't interested in the money after all? Perhaps she's just focused on the science?"
"Or maybe it's a bit of both," the boss said as a thoughtful frown settled on her expression. "The money's important, maybe the Imperium is bankrolling her research? But don't forget what she's cooking up. If she can perfect that nanotech then she could put it to work for her family. Inject her product into the richest people on Ecclestone's World and it doesn't matter who has the money anymore, she'll be the one calling all the shots."
I sighed and shook my head, "Yet another reason we need to stop her and put an end to her work. As soon as we can."
Rebecca looked like she was about to agree with , when Jenny suddenly spoke up instead.
"I just received a response from Captain Nieves," our android crewmate stated. "She and Lady Magniveen are on their way over here, they'd both like to et with you once more before the Deter leaves port."
The captain nodded, "Thanks Jenny. I'll head down below and et them at the main airlock."
It was only a couple minutes before she was back with our guests. I got everyone another round of drinks, but just coffee soda and water rather than anything alcoholic.
"So what brings you here this evening?" Rebecca asked.
Tanya spoke up first, "I wanted to thank you and your crew again for all your help. The Persephone's back in full working order, and with a bit of luck we'll be shipping out no more than a day after you. I got a line on a cargo, we should be making final arrangents tomorrow. It's bound for Regulon-4 which I know you said was a tricky approach but is otherwise relatively safe?"
"Relatively," Rebecca nodded. "I seem to recall you said sothing about enjoying stunt flying? Just keep your nerve on the approach and follow the assigned vector. Regulon is a lot like docking with a space station, the port is built into the side of a sheer vertical cliff face. It's an airless world, but you'll be dealing with full gravity."
"Sounds like fun," the other captain responded with a grin. Then her expression beca serious again as she pulled so money out of her jacket pocket.
She set a bar and a few coins down in front of the boss, it looked like about seventy-five hundred ecks worth. That was followed by a few coins each in front of both Sarah and Cam, two thousand ecks apiece. As she did so she said, "Paynt for those parts you got us, and a token of our thanks to your two engineers."
Cam's eyes lit up at the coins in front of them, and I could easily imagine it was a fortune compared to what they were used to back at Ganvis Station. It actually reminded of how I reacted when Rebecca handed my first bar and I found out how much it was worth.
"I just have one last question then I'll turn things over to Gwen," Tanya added. "You ntioned earlier today about the importance of finding a good shipyard. Can you recomnd one? I'm guessing you must be doing sothing right, to keep a ship this old running so well."
Rebecca smiled, "Having a couple top-notch chanics goes a long way. But for regular overhauls and scheduled maintenance, you'll want to go to Rolandan-2. Look for the Freeborn shipyard, it's run by a woman nad Helen Ortega. Tell her Piper sent you, she'll look after you."
"They're one of the best shipyards in the sector," the boss added, "They charge a little more than the bargain outfits, but they're worth every eck. Honest and fair, the Deter's been a custor there for almost four decades."
Both Tanya and Gwen looked surprised at that last comnt, and I could imagine they were suddenly wondering just how old Rebecca really was and if she'd been with the Deter for that long. Neither asked though, they both let it go.
"Thank you Rebecca," Tanya finally replied. "For everything. I'm sure we'll be in touch, now that our comm gear is working again. And we've got a spare unit on board as well, I sent Pots and Blix out to pick one up this afternoon. Along with so other backup equipnt."
With the tall brunette captain's business complete, the attractive blonde diplomat took over.
She seed a little awkward as she addressed the boss, "Captain Nieves and I are still on the fence about what to do with the information you provided us a few days ago. I believe the video of your father's last wishes will be enough to secure your claim to the crown, but I'm not sure how to handle the other complications. Such as your age, or the secrets you shared with Tanya and I."
The boss asked, "So that's on hold for now, until you co to a decision?"
"That's correct," Gwen nodded. "I may transmit that video to my family along with a brief explanation that we've run into so sort of snag out here? I won't divulge any of your secrets of course, but I may ask them for guidance or advice. And in the anti, as Captain Nieves has already explained, the Persephone will begin taking on cargo and earning a living for her crew."
I spoke up at that point, "It's none of my business but can I ask how you and the crew are handling that? Gwen, are you going to be ok?"
The attractive blonde gave an uncertain smile, "I'm going to do my best Amanda. Tanya has offered a position among the Persephone's crew, and I expect I'll be learning a great deal over the next few weeks."
"This is not a life I expected or one I would have chosen for myself," she added with a sigh. "I maintain hope of being able to return ho soday, but in the anti I'll do my best to make the most of our current circumstances."
Tanya added, "Pots is happy we're finally talking about cargo and work. He knows as well as I do that sitting around in port has not been good for morale. As for Blix and Cherry, they're both grumpy about having to work again, but I think they'll settle down once we actually have so money coming in."
Rebecca agreed, "I know you said your whole crew had so problems back ho, but you're all soldiers right? Better to be griping when you're busy, than griping because you're bored. Get so jobs, give them so missions, and make them so money. Sarah tells the Persephone has potential, she just needs the right captain."
"That's not quite what I said," the cute blonde engineer spoke up. In a serious voice she told Tanya and Gwen, "The Persephone's a good ship, but I got the feeling she hasn't had a lot of love? I think you and Pots will be good for her though. Treat her right, look after her, and she'll look after you."
Her voice got a little quieter as she added, "So ships are just machines, but other ships have heart, they've got character. The Deter is that kind of ship, and I think the Persephone could be too. She just needs a good captain and so love."
Captain Nieves nodded once, "I won't claim to know the Persephone all that well yet, but I'm sure she's as eager to get back into space as I am."
"And on that note," she said as she looked to our captain, "I think that covers everything Gwen and I wanted to talk about? So why don't we head back to our ship, we'll leave you all to yours. Thanks for the coffee, and thanks again for all your help."
Gwen added, "We'll definitely be in touch. I'll let you know if anything changes regarding our plan or contact with my family. Please be careful your highness."
Rebecca smiled, "I'm always careful. You two take care as well."
The boss and I walked Gwen and Tanya down to the main airlock to see them out, and as the pair of them left my girlfriend told them, "Good luck with your cargo, and safe travels."
"Safe travels," the other captain responded, before she and Gwen set off back to their own ship.
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