Brothers and Sisters
Derelik Region — San Matar constellation
Tanoo System — Planet V — Moon 1
Ammatar Consulate Bureau
14 September YC 127
“I am pleased to see that you came out of the trials victorious, Captain Korff,” Dovirch Anselm greeted me when I entered his office, “but I never had any doubt that the divine justice would prevail. We both know that Lord Taphos’s claim was spurious — he had never had a chance to win this hallowed contest.”
I wish I had your confidence, I thought. Aloud I said, “Thank you, Agent Anselm. I have received my first incentive; I have come to you for the second one.”
The agent steepled his hands and looked in the distance. The distance, obviously, was limited by the wall of his office but he seemed to look through it. Silence ensued.
“Dagan,” he said finally. “I can tell you two things related to Dagan. Firstly, he is a member of the Society of Conscious Thought.”
“SoCT?” I raised my eyebrows.
That didn’t sound significant. The Society was a faction whose stated goal was to find the meaning of existence. They were better known for the excellent educational institutions which produced high-calibre graduates. Neither of those facts had any bearing on my investigation. Then a thought occurred to me.
“How do you know that?” I asked the agent suspiciously. “It’s not like Society membership can be found on a GalNet site.”
“No, it cannot,” agreed Anselm, “but the Empire keeps a close eye on the Society’s activities and, as a Security Agent, I have access to the relevant intelligence.”
“And does that intelligence gives us any clue where to find Dagan?”
“Unfortunately, not.”
“Then how does this fact help me?” I asked, frowning.
“By itself, it doesn’t,” replied the agent. “But there is another thing — the only faction which is interested in the Society more than the Empire is Sisters of Eve. If anyone has information about Dagan’s whereabouts, it’s them.”
I sighed in disappointment, “I’ve already talked to the Sisters. All they knew was that Dagan was somewhere in Minmatar space and sent me to Keita Eslin. Since then, Dagan’s trail went cold.”
“That was then,” said Dovirch. “Given Sisters’ continuous monitoring of SoCT operations, I will not be surprised if they have gathered more intelligence on Dagan by now. They are your best chance to find him.”
Looks like I’ve come full circle, I thought.
As there was nothing else that Agent Anselm could tell me about Dagan, we said our good-byes and I left his office. I doubted that Sisters had got more info on Dagan. Sister Alitura said that I was the only contractor she could engage for The Damsel investigation; if she knew anything about Dagan she would have contacted me. On the other hand, it didn’t cost me anything to ask. I went to The Mandate Seal bar, ordered a pint of Amarrian Imperial Stout and called Sister Alitura. She replied immediately.
“Good day, Captain Korff. I am so glad that you called me,” she started the conversation, looking excited.
That was unexpected. Excitement was not the feeling that Sister Alitura experienced at the sight of a capsuleer.
“Um…” I muttered uncertainly. “Good day, Sister. I am calling to tell you that my pursuit of Dagan in Amarr space has hit a dead end. I thought…”
“Doesn’t matter,” she interrupted me. “You need to come to my office in Arnon as soon as possible.”
“That’s about 20 jumps away from my present location. If you need someone urgently, I suggest you engage a local contractor.”
“I cannot engage a local contractor and you know why. As I said, as soon as possible.”
With that, Sister Alitura ended the connection.
If she couldn’t hire another contractor, I thought, it meant only one thing — it was about The Damsel.
Now that I understood the reason for Alitura’s excitement, I felt my heart beat faster in anticipation. I would indeed fly to Arnon as quickly as possible. There was only one thing that could delay me — it was quite impossible to leave the glass of Amarrian Imperial Stout unfinished.