Daughters of Demeter

"Merchant Vessel Demeter," the unfamiliar voice stated over the comm, "You are cleared for bay number nine. Please follow your assigned vector, and have a safe landing."

Jenny added quietly from where she was sitting in the engineering seat, "We've just received the vector. I've already forwarded it to your display captain."

"Thanks Jenny," my girlfriend responded. "Amanda, let them know we're on our way."

I keyed the mic and replied, "Vector received, we're beginning our descent now. Thank you and good day."

The ship was already angling downwards and the night side of Rolandan-2 loomed before us, but the boss's eyes were on her displays rather than the view out the windows. It felt almost ironic in a way, but after being so eager to get the ship up into space we were only actually out there less than half a day before making arrangements to get back down onto another planet again.

Our time in the Fuminja Cluster was short and a little bit hectic, but happily uneventful. My jump plot delivered us just outside the system and above the orbital plane of the asteroids, then Rebecca brought us in and docked with Fuminja Beta. Sarah Cammie and Jenna took care of the refuelling arrangements while the rest of us waited in the cockpit, and I began working on another level one jump plot for the second half of our trip.

The moment our tanks were full we departed from the Fuminja spaceport, and less than ninety minutes after coming out of our first jump we transitioned back into Jump-1 for the five hour trek to Rolandan-2.

Rather than another serious meeting or conversation we all tried to take it easy. Or more accurately, both my girlfriends did their best to help me to take my mind off my worries about Nyssa. Unfortunately it wasn't that easy, and while I appreciated their efforts I remained too concerned to really let myself relax.

Eventually I got up and made everyone a light meal, then we were all at our stations again just before our arrival at the Rolandan system. That was followed by a solid forty-five minutes of being routed around by the local traffic controllers, which was one part of space travel none of us missed.

The ship began to shudder and groan as we finally entered the world's upper atmosphere, then a few minutes later when we were partway through our descent we were treated to a view of the local sunrise. I took a few moments to watch that, before my eyes returned to my own displays and readouts.

"The Persephone's there waiting for us," I reported. "She's on one of the landing pads just outside the shipyard."

"Thanks Amanda," Rebecca replied.

It only took a few more minutes before we levelled off for our final approach, which brought us to about a hundred meters above the shipyard. Then my tall redheaded girlfriend angled the ship slightly so we slipped sideways until we were directly over the assigned bay. Landing gear were extended without any issues, and the Demeter made a soft textbook landing in the exact centre of bay nine.

"Nicely done," I commented as we all started going through the shutdown routines.

And none of us were surprised when Jenny informed us a minute or so later, "Miss Lancaster has arrived outside the ship. I imagine she's rather eager to see you again, captain."

Rebecca rolled her eyes, then as we finished our landing checklist she stated "Jenny I'd like you to start scouring the planet's data network for any and all information you can find on Leon Jamison and the MV Eris-Nine. Stick to legal searches first, but you have my permission to break laws if that's what it takes. Just try not to get caught, ok?"

"Of course captain," our AI responded. Then she added, "Don't worry Amanda. We're going to find Nyssa, and everything will be ok."

"Thanks Jenny," I replied with a weak smile.

The boss was already up and out of her seat at that point. As she exited the cockpit she said, "I'll go let Tamsin in before she starts trying to override the ramp controls or something."

"I'll meet you in the mess afterwards," I replied as I got up from my seat as well.

Our holographic crewmate and I followed the captain aft, until she ducked into the starboard airlock to take the ladderway down to the hold. Meanwhile Jenny and I continued on to the ship's mess, where we met with Sarah Cammie and Jenna as they were coming forward from engineering.

"Rebecca went to open up the ship and let Tamsin in," I told the others.

"Ah," Sarah grinned. That became a smirk as she added, "I wonder if Tamsin knows about the princess stuff? Do you suppose the news from the Fuminja Cluster made its way around the whole sector?"

Jenny nodded, "It did. And she does. And she's teasing our captain about it now."

"On the other hand Miss Lancaster doesn't know anything about our situation yet," the AI added as she looked to her sister. "Something tells me she's going to have a great many questions as soon as she sees the two of us together, sis."

Jenna offered, "I'll try and handle that, so she doesn't distract you from your assignment."

The holographic sibling responded, "Thank you. From the sound of it, Miss Lancaster is already somewhat aware of that situation. Not that I'm trying to eavesdrop on the conversation that she and our captain are having in the main hold."

At that point I interjected, "Jenny I don't mean to sound impatient but how long do you think it will take you to find all the information on that bounty hunter and his ship?"

"I've nearly completed reviewing the legally-accessable resources Amanda," she answered calmly. "Then I'll begin the illegal phase of my assignment, which I expect to take no more than than thirty minutes at most. While it may be possible to move quicker, I'd rather prioritize discretion over speed so as to avoid detection."

"Thanks Jenny," I replied with another wan smile. "Sorry for pushing."

The AI shook her head, "Not at all Amanda, we're all eager to rescue your sister as quickly as possible."

As much as I hated the waiting, a half hour wasn't so bad. And Jenny was right about discretion, I wouldn't be able to find Nyssa at all if we were dealing with a bunch legal challenges here.

To try and keep myself busy in the meantime I started preparing some coffee so it'd be ready by the time Rebecca and Tamsin finally came up to the main deck to join us. The two of them took their time though, they ended up spending another five or ten minutes talking down in the main hold. It wasn't until Helen Ortega arrived that they all came up together on the lift.

The ravenette mechanic hadn't changed all that much since we last saw her. She was still dressed in tight coveralls that showed off some of her curves, and she greeted Sarah and Cammie and I with hugs. Then she stopped and stared at the twin sisters, but fortunately she held back on any questions. For now at least. Meanwhile Helen was also greeting the rest of us. She was pretty much the same as last time as well, dressed in her business attire and carrying a datapad with her.

"First things first," Rebecca said as she got straight to business, "Helen I'm hoping you can have someone give the Demeter a quick check? You know the situation, she took damage to the starboard engine then we had a rough landing and spent three quarters of a year on the ground. I know Sarah and Cammie did a great job patching her up, but I'd still like an assessment of the ship's over-all condition."

Tamsin spoke up before the older woman could respond, "Put me on it. I don't care if it ruffles a few feathers Helen. No-one else in the shipyard has as much experience with the Demeter as I do."

Helen looked like she was going to argue, but instead she offered a compromise. "I'll assign you and Nick Mellis to work on it together."

"You may have the experience Tamsin but it's out of date," she added, before the young mechanic could complain. "It's been a decade since the last time you performed maintenance on the Demeter. Mellis led the team during the ship's last overhaul."

Then the captain spoke up again, "I'm not asking you for a full overhaul, just take a look at the ship and her maintenance logs? It's possible we'll be shipping back out again within a day or so, depending on how things go. You know about Amanda's sister, if the situation calls for it we might be leaving in a hurry. Which reminds me, we'll need the fuel tanks topped up ASAP."

"Of course Captain Piper," Helen nodded as she started tapping some information into her datapad. "I'll have that taken care of immediately, and I'll notify Nick Mellis that he's needed here to begin the inspection."

Then she addressed her former boss, "I've assigned you as well Tamsin, so I suggest you head back out to meet Nick when he arrives."

The petite ravenette had a gulp of her coffee then got to her feet. She paused to give Rebecca another hug, then gave me one as well.

"I'm sure your sister will be ok Amanda," she said. "And I'm confident the Demeter will be ready to fly whenever you need her."

Helen took over again as soon as Tamsin was quiet, "On that note, at Miss Magniveen's request I've checked with the spaceport authorities regarding that incident. Unfortunately they have very little information to share on the subject."

"I hate to admit it," she sighed, "But while my homeworld is usually very good about enforcing laws and pursuing criminals, we do tend to drop the ball when both the perpetrator and the victim are offworlders. That is especially the case when when both parties have left the planet."

I sighed, "So what does that mean for Nyssa?"

"It means the investigation all but ceased as soon as officials identified both the kidnapper and victim, and confirmed that the ship in question had already departed," Helen replied. "Having said that, if the Eris-Nine or Leon Jamison ever do return to Rolandan-2 the ship will be temporarily impounded and searched while Mr. Jamison and any crew will be interrogated."

Rebecca slipped her arm around my shoulders and gave me a side-hug as she responded, "That's about the best we can ask. Honestly though, we're better off taking care of this ourselves."

Helen nodded, "I agree. As long as you don't break any local laws, that is."

"Of course," my tall strong redheaded girlfriend replied. She kept a straight face as she added, "I'd never dream of breaking any laws, local or otherwise."

Then she thanked Ms. Ortega, "I appreciate you taking care of us right away Helen. I'm sure you've got other things that need your attention, as do we. I'll meet up with you again later to handle payment for the fuel and the inspection, and discuss any potential concerns that Tamsin and Nick uncover."

Our guest recognized the dismissal, she nodded as she got to her feet. "Of course Captain Piper. The inspection shouldn't take more than four hours, and I'm sure Tamsin will let you know the findings before either she or Nick get their report to me."

Jenna offered to see the shipyard boss out, and Cammie volunteered to accompany them.

Then as soon as our android and catgirl shipmates were back Sarah asked, "So what's our next move?"

The boss looked towards our AI, "Anything to report yet?"

"Yes Captain," Jenny nodded. "I haven't quite completed my research yet, but I can share some information with you now while I finish perusing a few more systems in the background."

She continued, "Leon Jamison is a native of Ecclestone's World, so there is limited information about his past available here on this planet. I have determined that he's forty-four years old, and currently lists Marshal's World as his place of residence. His first recorded visit to Rolandan-2 was nineteen years ago, and apart from some warnings and two small fines he has kept a relatively clean record with the local authorities."

She went on, "I've also identified Mr. Jamison's accomplice. Her name is Alina Fontaine, and she is registered as the only crew serving on the MV Eris-Nine. Miss Fontaine is a citizen of Rolandan-2, she was born on this world thirty-one years ago. Security camera footage of the two of them together lead me to believe that their relationship is more than just captain and crew."

"It appears that Miss Fontaine has been working with Mr. Jamison for at least six years," she added. "Prior to that, she had a rather spotty record here on Rolandan-2. She graduated from a technical school with average grades, but has had a number of encounters and minor confrontations with law enforcement."

Rebecca nodded slowly as she summed it up, "So Alina found Rolandan-2 a little too stuffy and law-abiding, but she's got some technical skills. She probably ended up working as a ship's mechanic, then her and Jamison crossed paths, and now she's his crew and possibly his girlfriend."

"That's a fair assessment," our AI agreed.

"As for the ship itself," she added after a short pause, "The Eris-Nine was constructed at the Vaksdal Shipyard here on Rolandan-2. Her keel was laid down forty-eight years ago, and she was launched ten months later. She was built following the standard design for a Pika class scout courier. That's a local design, meant to be fast and lightweight, and ships of that class have been in production on and off for the past century. Scouting functions are served by a top of the line sensor suite, while courier facilities include a small cargo hold and three modest passenger staterooms. A fourth cabin housed the two-man crew."

"Public records indicate Leon Jamison was registered as owner of the Eris-Nine eight years ago. At that time he brought her back to the Vaksdal yard for some custom modifications." Jenny told us.

She elaborated, "According to the shipyard's files the four cabins were remodelled and combined into two larger more luxurious staterooms, plus one 'secure storage compartment with supplementary facilities'. I believe that may be a euphemism for a brig or cell, considering Mr. Jamison's line of work."

"The hold was also modified," she continued, "The bulk cargo area was reduced by fifty percent and a cryo support system was installed, capable of maintaining up to four self-contained cryo tubes. Finally, a weapons locker was also installed in the ship's hold."

She added a moment later, "I've been able to secure a deck plan of the Eris-Nine, incase you'd like to have a look at it."

"Thank you Jenny," Rebecca responded. "Does the Eris have any armaments? Or defences?"

The AI answered, "Yes, but not even on par with the Demeter's fighter craft. There is a single pulse laser mounted on a mid-upper turret. And the only countermeasure is a quad-mount high-density ablative cloud projector system, located towards the stern."

Sarah commented, "That makes sense. Scout ships aren't meant for combat, her main defence is going to be her speed. The laser and poppers are probably more of a distraction, to buy her enough time to get into jump."

"Indeed," Jenny agreed. "The MV Eris-Nine is rated up to jump level two, and can carry enough fuel to cross almost two full sectors."

Rebecca sighed, "So basically she could be hiding anywhere in the Gorath sector, and she's fast enough that she can get anywhere else in the sector in only a few hours. And with decent sensors, she'll spot any ships trying to sneak up on her."

"So what can we do?" I asked quietly as my ears and tail all drooped.

My tall strong girlfriend gave me a gentle squeeze and replied, "We wait for Tamsin's report. Then I think it might be time to reach out to Mr. Jamison, and find out where and when he wants to make the exchange."