I thumbed the mic and called, "Freeborn Shipyard this is MV Demeter, requesting clearance and a vector."
After a couple seconds the voice of an unfamiliar young woman replied, "Acknowledged Demeter. Um, according to the schedule you're assigned to bay four today. We'll transmit the vector and clearance in a few moments."
"Thank you!" I tucked the mic away then glanced to my right and commented, "I just realized every time we've been here before it was Tamsin who answered. It's going to be strange getting used to hearing someone else on the comm when we come back here."
Rebecca shrugged, "I'm pretty sure that's only because of the disease, it kept her from doing the work she really wanted to do. Answering the comm was a way to stay in touch with the customers without putting too much strain on herself. And I have a feeling she didn't personally visit every ship that landed. I'll bet that was reserved for the long-term customers or friends."
I nodded, then after a few moments I commented "I hope things go ok with Helen. I take it she's known Tamsin for some time?"
The boss nodded, "Probably about fifteen years? Maybe more. I only met her a few times, but we talked over the comm now and then. Tamsin made sure none of the regular staff got too close to me, so there wouldn't be any difficult questions. You saw how Helen reacted when she came aboard to hire us for this job, that's the kind of reaction we want to avoid. And when Gabe was still around, he handled most of the interactions with anyone who knew us for any length of time."
"We've just received the vector and clearance," Jenny spoke up.
She was sitting in the engineering seat behind me again, while Sarah was in her favourite spot at the back of the ship. For that matter I was pretty sure our passenger was back there too, keeping our engineer company. Or keeping her distracted, depending on how you looked at it.
Not that there was anything happening between them, and not that I'd mind if there was. Mainly it came down to Tamsin going from an older body that was weakened by disease to a young fit healthy body with genetic enhancements to add even more energy. Or as Rebecca put it, our passenger was a little bit hyper.
In fact out of the past two days about the only time she hadn't been either spending time with Sarah or running around the ship inspecting all the work her staff did on the maintenance and repairs was last night after dinner, when me and Rebecca sat her down for an awkward but serious conversation.
Since Tamsin would be leaving us shortly, we wanted to give her all the information she'd need regarding her new body and her new life. Some of it she already knew, like how her body was genetically modified to have various advantages. Some of it was serious or sombre, like the fact that her new body once belonged to a member of Jenny's former crew.
Our AI crewmate wouldn't reveal who it was or anything like that, but it was still kind of freaky knowing you were walking around in the body of someone who died a couple centuries earlier. At least I thought it was.
And finally, as ship's medic it was up to me to ensure she knew some basic women's health practices. Then as the one with the most experience, Rebecca told Tamsin about the effects of renewed youth plus new hormones plus genetically enhanced energy and stamina. The small ravenette blushed and grimaced at both of those parts of the conversation, but she asked some pertinent questions so I was confident she'd been paying attention and taken all of it to heart.
We also continued to make sure she was adapting ok. She admitted using the washroom and the shower had both been strange experiences, but she said she was getting used to it. That reminded me of the sort of thing Sarah said regarding her first few days, which left me thinking Jenny's help was enough to get Tamsin to the point where Sarah had been on her own. Our passenger assured us she was fine and she'd continue to adapt, which was the main thing.
"Why don't you take us down again Amanda?" the captain suggested, bringing my thoughts back to the present. She was sitting back in her seat and she looked very comfortable and relaxed as she added, "It's good practice, I'd like to see you get proficient at take-offs and landings."
"Alright boss," I grimaced, but I did what she asked.
Last time she talked me through the whole process, and I had her looking over my shoulder ready to help out if necessary. This time she looked like she was about to close her eyes and get some rest. At least she stayed in the cockpit. If she'd got up and left then I might have been a little too anxious. This way my stress remained at a manageable level.
There was no musical accompaniment this time either, which was probably for the best. I still couldn't believe she did that the last time we landed.
Despite my moderate anxiety levels the descent and landing went just fine. I was even starting to get used to the groans and rattles and shakes the ship went through every time we entered atmosphere. We finally touched down with a gentle bump, then I went through the landing checklist. Sarah did the same, and after a few more minutes we were done.
"Ms. Ortega has arrived outside the ship," Jenny reported.
Rebecca got to her feet and as she headed aft out of the cockpit she said, "I'll go down and let her in, why don't you two round up our passenger? I'll bring Helen up to the mess for the reunion and introductions."
"Will do," I replied as I got up.
Jenny followed us out, and the three of us all headed aft. The boss only went as far as the starboard ladderway, she took that down to the lower deck while me and Jenny continued on.
Sure enough Tamsin and Sarah were both still in the engine room, they were standing next to the power plant. The maintenance covers had been opened up and the two of them were deep in conversation about some obscure technical detail.
"Sorry to interrupt," I announced. "Helen's going to be here any minute, the boss suggested we should meet her in the mess."
Tamsin's cheeks started to turn pink and she looked nervous, while Sarah just smiled.
"Ok cutie," my girlfriend responded. "Sorry Tam, we'll have to continue our conversation another time."
Jenny added, "The captain and Ms. Ortega are on their way aft, to use the engineering lift."
That was enough to get our guest moving, she hurried forward out of engineering and a few moments later the four of us were in the mess. I got some drinks for everyone, Tamsin had soda but Sarah and I got coffee. And we got coffee for Rebecca and Helen too.
That was ready by the time they stepped into the mess. The two of them paused there while the captain did the introductions.
"There she is," Rebecca said as she gestured. "That's Tamsin Lancaster."
Tamsin grimaced as she raised a hand in an awkward wave, "Hi Helen."
The shipyard's new CEO stared wide-eyed and slack-jawed for several seconds. It wasn't hard to guess what she was thinking, considering how different her boss looked now.
After a few quiet seconds I spoke up, "We have coffee ready if you'd like to have a seat?"
Helen slowly moved to take a seat at the end of the table again while Rebecca sat at the opposite end. It felt like the awkward silence was about to resume, but Tamsin spoke up again.
"I know it's hard to believe but it's really me," she told her former assistant. "I'm completely cured, there's no trace of Aradelko's anymore. And all the damage it did has been reversed. I'm actually in better shape now than I ever was before."
"That's good to hear," the older woman replied quietly. She was still staring, and after another second or two she finally exclaimed "You're so small! And you look so young? Sorry... I'm having a hard time accepting that you're really Mel."
Tamsin blushed at the mention of her height and age, but rather than respond she busied herself by drinking some of her soda.
It was Rebecca who spoke up instead. In a calm voice she explained, "The youth couldn't be helped Helen. It's integral to the way Jenny works. She couldn't cure Tamsin without also making her look younger again."
Helen nodded slowly, "And why's he...she... so small?"
"This is what I asked for," Tamsin mumbled, while her cheeks got even brighter. "Jenny made the new me as close as she could to what I wanted."
"Oh... I see." Helen obviously wasn't sure how to respond to that.
Tamsin finished her drink then took a deep breath as she looked to the older woman. After another moment or two to get into the right mindset she announced, "Helen my name is Tamsin Lancaster. I'm the daughter of Mel Lancaster. I'm an eighteen year old girl, my pronouns are she/her. Captain Piper and her crew brought me here so I could meet my father, but I believe you have some news for me about that."
"Right. Of course," Helen nodded slowly. Then it was her turn to take a moment to regain her professional composure before she was ready to continue. "Tamsin, Captain Piper, I'm very sorry but I have awful news. Mr. Lancaster passed away in his sleep early yesterday morning. I know he was looking forward to seeing you Tamsin, but his condition deteriorated much faster than anyone expected."
She continued, "You...your father left me some instructions, ways I could help you. And he made a number of arrangements for you Miss Tamsin. If you're ready, I can take you to the apartment he set up for you."
"Thanks Helen," Tamsin replied. She didn't seem in a hurry to leave just yet though, instead she looked to Rebecca and asked "Will you be sticking around a while? Or are you in a hurry to get on your way?"
The boss grimaced, "We're between jobs right now. Unfortunately that means we need to go drum up some business. And I'm sure you don't need the Demeter taking up one of your work bays, when you could get a paying customer in here."
"I'll make arrangements to have your ship refuelled right away," Helen responded. "And as soon as I've got M... Miss Lancaster taken care of, I'll be back here to deliver your payment."
"I guess that means it's time for me to depart," our passenger sighed.
She still didn't seem too eager to leave, but I couldn't tell if that's because she wanted to stay and continue spending time with us and the Demeter, or if it was because she was anxious about going out and having to act like a stranger around her staff and her shipyard.
"Sorry M...Tamsin," Helen apologized. "You know we have a lot of work to do. To start with we need to get you registered as a resident, then we can begin the inheritance process."
Tamsin grimaced, "I know. I've been enjoying the time off though? We should have made it a five-day trip instead of just three. Or ten days, it could have been like a vacation."
She frowned as she looked to Rebecca and added, "Though I realize you and your crew just finished your vacation, while the Demeter was in here for repairs."
The captain gave her a sympathetic smile and offered, "If you want to hire us to take you on a five or ten day cruise we'll take the work. The Demeter isn't exactly luxury accommodations, but if we restock the galley I can promise you more of Amanda's top-quality cooking."
"Tempting," Tamsin grinned. Her smile quickly faded though and she sighed, "Helen's right though. I have a lot to do here, so I guess we should get started. I'll get my things then we'll get out of your way."
She got up from the table and disappeared into her cabin, but returned a minute or so later with the bag she brought on board. Helen offered to carry it for her, but Tamsin declined. She was strong and fit and healthy again, and she was still enjoying that too much.
The boss got up to see the two of them off, and Tamsin surprised her with a hug. And she surprised all of us as she teased, "For almost thirty years I've been saying you're like a sister to me. I never in my life imagined that someday I'd be like a sister to you too, but here we are."
Rebecca grimaced as she hugged the shorter teen, "I never expected it either. I'm glad you're ok though. And if you need anything, just send us an FTL."
"Will do," she responded. "And don't be strangers. I know you've got work and responsibilities, but you don't have to wait for your regular maintenance or when you've got salvage to sell. Come by and visit now and then, if you've got the time."
The boss just nodded, then the two of them separated. Tamsin gave both Sarah and I hugs as well, and thanked us for our help. She even hugged Jenny and thanked her too, before she was finally ready to go. Rebecca accompanied her and Helen down to the lower deck and saw them off, before she returned to the three of us.
"So what's our next move?" Sarah asked. "Are we going back to Ecclestone's World, to deal with Lebeau?"
Rebecca shook her head, "We'll deal with him when the time comes. As soon as we're cleared to go here we'll hop over to the main spaceport and see if we can find some cargo."
"We're still pretty well-off after the profit from the two rounds of salvage," she added, "So we're not desperate, but I'd rather not get complacent. We'll find a cargo, go where it takes us, then look for more cargo."
Jenny frowned, "That doesn't sound like a very stable way to earn a living."
Rebecca shrugged, "Such is the exciting life of working on a tramp freighter."
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I thumbed the mic and called, "Freeborn Shipyard this is MV Demeter, requesting clearance and a vector."
After a couple seconds the voice of an unfamiliar young woman replied, "Acknowledged Demeter. Um, according to the schedule you're assigned to bay four today. We'll transmit the vector and clearance in a few moments."
"Thank you!" I tucked the mic away then glanced to my right and commented, "I just realized every time we've been here before it was Tamsin who answered. It's going to be strange getting used to hearing someone else on the comm when we come back here."
Rebecca shrugged, "I'm pretty sure that's only because of the disease, it kept her from doing the work she really wanted to do. Answering the comm was a way to stay in touch with the customers without putting too much strain on herself. And I have a feeling she didn't personally visit every ship that landed. I'll bet that was reserved for the long-term customers or friends."
I nodded, then after a few moments I commented "I hope things go ok with Helen. I take it she's known Tamsin for some time?"
The boss nodded, "Probably about fifteen years? Maybe more. I only met her a few times, but we talked over the comm now and then. Tamsin made sure none of the regular staff got too close to me, so there wouldn't be any difficult questions. You saw how Helen reacted when she came aboard to hire us for this job, that's the kind of reaction we want to avoid. And when Gabe was still around, he handled most of the interactions with anyone who knew us for any length of time."
"We've just received the vector and clearance," Jenny spoke up.
She was sitting in the engineering seat behind me again, while Sarah was in her favourite spot at the back of the ship. For that matter I was pretty sure our passenger was back there too, keeping our engineer company. Or keeping her distracted, depending on how you looked at it.
Not that there was anything happening between them, and not that I'd mind if there was. Mainly it came down to Tamsin going from an older body that was weakened by disease to a young fit healthy body with genetic enhancements to add even more energy. Or as Rebecca put it, our passenger was a little bit hyper.
In fact out of the past two days about the only time she hadn't been either spending time with Sarah or running around the ship inspecting all the work her staff did on the maintenance and repairs was last night after dinner, when me and Rebecca sat her down for an awkward but serious conversation.
Since Tamsin would be leaving us shortly, we wanted to give her all the information she'd need regarding her new body and her new life. Some of it she already knew, like how her body was genetically modified to have various advantages. Some of it was serious or sombre, like the fact that her new body once belonged to a member of Jenny's former crew.
Our AI crewmate wouldn't reveal who it was or anything like that, but it was still kind of freaky knowing you were walking around in the body of someone who died a couple centuries earlier. At least I thought it was.
And finally, as ship's medic it was up to me to ensure she knew some basic women's health practices. Then as the one with the most experience, Rebecca told Tamsin about the effects of renewed youth plus new hormones plus genetically enhanced energy and stamina. The small ravenette blushed and grimaced at both of those parts of the conversation, but she asked some pertinent questions so I was confident she'd been paying attention and taken all of it to heart.
We also continued to make sure she was adapting ok. She admitted using the washroom and the shower had both been strange experiences, but she said she was getting used to it. That reminded me of the sort of thing Sarah said regarding her first few days, which left me thinking Jenny's help was enough to get Tamsin to the point where Sarah had been on her own. Our passenger assured us she was fine and she'd continue to adapt, which was the main thing.
"Why don't you take us down again Amanda?" the captain suggested, bringing my thoughts back to the present. She was sitting back in her seat and she looked very comfortable and relaxed as she added, "It's good practice, I'd like to see you get proficient at take-offs and landings."
"Alright boss," I grimaced, but I did what she asked.
Last time she talked me through the whole process, and I had her looking over my shoulder ready to help out if necessary. This time she looked like she was about to close her eyes and get some rest. At least she stayed in the cockpit. If she'd got up and left then I might have been a little too anxious. This way my stress remained at a manageable level.
There was no musical accompaniment this time either, which was probably for the best. I still couldn't believe she did that the last time we landed.
Despite my moderate anxiety levels the descent and landing went just fine. I was even starting to get used to the groans and rattles and shakes the ship went through every time we entered atmosphere. We finally touched down with a gentle bump, then I went through the landing checklist. Sarah did the same, and after a few more minutes we were done.
"Ms. Ortega has arrived outside the ship," Jenny reported.
Rebecca got to her feet and as she headed aft out of the cockpit she said, "I'll go down and let her in, why don't you two round up our passenger? I'll bring Helen up to the mess for the reunion and introductions."
"Will do," I replied as I got up.
Jenny followed us out, and the three of us all headed aft. The boss only went as far as the starboard ladderway, she took that down to the lower deck while me and Jenny continued on.
Sure enough Tamsin and Sarah were both still in the engine room, they were standing next to the power plant. The maintenance covers had been opened up and the two of them were deep in conversation about some obscure technical detail.
"Sorry to interrupt," I announced. "Helen's going to be here any minute, the boss suggested we should meet her in the mess."
Tamsin's cheeks started to turn pink and she looked nervous, while Sarah just smiled.
"Ok cutie," my girlfriend responded. "Sorry Tam, we'll have to continue our conversation another time."
Jenny added, "The captain and Ms. Ortega are on their way aft, to use the engineering lift."
That was enough to get our guest moving, she hurried forward out of engineering and a few moments later the four of us were in the mess. I got some drinks for everyone, Tamsin had soda but Sarah and I got coffee. And we got coffee for Rebecca and Helen too.
That was ready by the time they stepped into the mess. The two of them paused there while the captain did the introductions.
"There she is," Rebecca said as she gestured. "That's Tamsin Lancaster."
Tamsin grimaced as she raised a hand in an awkward wave, "Hi Helen."
The shipyard's new CEO stared wide-eyed and slack-jawed for several seconds. It wasn't hard to guess what she was thinking, considering how different her boss looked now.
After a few quiet seconds I spoke up, "We have coffee ready if you'd like to have a seat?"
Helen slowly moved to take a seat at the end of the table again while Rebecca sat at the opposite end. It felt like the awkward silence was about to resume, but Tamsin spoke up again.
"I know it's hard to believe but it's really me," she told her former assistant. "I'm completely cured, there's no trace of Aradelko's anymore. And all the damage it did has been reversed. I'm actually in better shape now than I ever was before."
"That's good to hear," the older woman replied quietly. She was still staring, and after another second or two she finally exclaimed "You're so small! And you look so young? Sorry... I'm having a hard time accepting that you're really Mel."
Tamsin blushed at the mention of her height and age, but rather than respond she busied herself by drinking some of her soda.
It was Rebecca who spoke up instead. In a calm voice she explained, "The youth couldn't be helped Helen. It's integral to the way Jenny works. She couldn't cure Tamsin without also making her look younger again."
Helen nodded slowly, "And why's he...she... so small?"
"This is what I asked for," Tamsin mumbled, while her cheeks got even brighter. "Jenny made the new me as close as she could to what I wanted."
"Oh... I see." Helen obviously wasn't sure how to respond to that.
Tamsin finished her drink then took a deep breath as she looked to the older woman. After another moment or two to get into the right mindset she announced, "Helen my name is Tamsin Lancaster. I'm the daughter of Mel Lancaster. I'm an eighteen year old girl, my pronouns are she/her. Captain Piper and her crew brought me here so I could meet my father, but I believe you have some news for me about that."
"Right. Of course," Helen nodded slowly. Then it was her turn to take a moment to regain her professional composure before she was ready to continue. "Tamsin, Captain Piper, I'm very sorry but I have awful news. Mr. Lancaster passed away in his sleep early yesterday morning. I know he was looking forward to seeing you Tamsin, but his condition deteriorated much faster than anyone expected."
She continued, "You...your father left me some instructions, ways I could help you. And he made a number of arrangements for you Miss Tamsin. If you're ready, I can take you to the apartment he set up for you."
"Thanks Helen," Tamsin replied. She didn't seem in a hurry to leave just yet though, instead she looked to Rebecca and asked "Will you be sticking around a while? Or are you in a hurry to get on your way?"
The boss grimaced, "We're between jobs right now. Unfortunately that means we need to go drum up some business. And I'm sure you don't need the Demeter taking up one of your work bays, when you could get a paying customer in here."
"I'll make arrangements to have your ship refuelled right away," Helen responded. "And as soon as I've got M... Miss Lancaster taken care of, I'll be back here to deliver your payment."
"I guess that means it's time for me to depart," our passenger sighed.
She still didn't seem too eager to leave, but I couldn't tell if that's because she wanted to stay and continue spending time with us and the Demeter, or if it was because she was anxious about going out and having to act like a stranger around her staff and her shipyard.
"Sorry M...Tamsin," Helen apologized. "You know we have a lot of work to do. To start with we need to get you registered as a resident, then we can begin the inheritance process."
Tamsin grimaced, "I know. I've been enjoying the time off though? We should have made it a five-day trip instead of just three. Or ten days, it could have been like a vacation."
She frowned as she looked to Rebecca and added, "Though I realize you and your crew just finished your vacation, while the Demeter was in here for repairs."
The captain gave her a sympathetic smile and offered, "If you want to hire us to take you on a five or ten day cruise we'll take the work. The Demeter isn't exactly luxury accommodations, but if we restock the galley I can promise you more of Amanda's top-quality cooking."
"Tempting," Tamsin grinned. Her smile quickly faded though and she sighed, "Helen's right though. I have a lot to do here, so I guess we should get started. I'll get my things then we'll get out of your way."
She got up from the table and disappeared into her cabin, but returned a minute or so later with the bag she brought on board. Helen offered to carry it for her, but Tamsin declined. She was strong and fit and healthy again, and she was still enjoying that too much.
The boss got up to see the two of them off, and Tamsin surprised her with a hug. And she surprised all of us as she teased, "For almost thirty years I've been saying you're like a sister to me. I never in my life imagined that someday I'd be like a sister to you too, but here we are."
Rebecca grimaced as she hugged the shorter teen, "I never expected it either. I'm glad you're ok though. And if you need anything, just send us an FTL."
"Will do," she responded. "And don't be strangers. I know you've got work and responsibilities, but you don't have to wait for your regular maintenance or when you've got salvage to sell. Come by and visit now and then, if you've got the time."
The boss just nodded, then the two of them separated. Tamsin gave both Sarah and I hugs as well, and thanked us for our help. She even hugged Jenny and thanked her too, before she was finally ready to go. Rebecca accompanied her and Helen down to the lower deck and saw them off, before she returned to the three of us.
"So what's our next move?" Sarah asked. "Are we going back to Ecclestone's World, to deal with Lebeau?"
Rebecca shook her head, "We'll deal with him when the time comes. As soon as we're cleared to go here we'll hop over to the main spaceport and see if we can find some cargo."
"We're still pretty well-off after the profit from the two rounds of salvage," she added, "So we're not desperate, but I'd rather not get complacent. We'll find a cargo, go where it takes us, then look for more cargo."
Jenny frowned, "That doesn't sound like a very stable way to earn a living."
Rebecca shrugged, "Such is the exciting life of working on a tramp freighter."
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