A Starship Called Starsong

Chapter 14

I was tired, but sleep was evading me. I lay on the bed and gazed at the somewhat dirty ceiling as I contemplated my change of status. Even if I had been tricked into it, I still planned to take it seriously since I knew it wasn't going to last long. It would only be a matter of time until Tyndel changed his mind about me being Captain. I wasn't entirely sure what Captains did, but I knew I was in for a serious lifestyle change.

Let's see... Tyndel is taking care of getting us to our next destination. So, between now and then, I had to ensure that critical tasks were taken care of. I wasn't sure if the remaining crew members even had minimal training in all of the necessary areas. I knew we had no one in a handful of the areas that related to the life support systems.

"I am controlling most of the systems as well as doing most of what the crew would normally do. We will have to ask Stan to move from janitorial into stewardship and laundry for the next few days. He has training there, and the robotic cleaners will manage well enough until then. Later on, he can choose which position he wants on the Starship if he wishes to join the new ship."

"Can you add it to my list as a work ticket? That system is the best reminder tool out here. It is really too bad that the others don't have the training to run an Analyzer."

"There will be a simplified device on the Starship for each crew member, and it will have something very similar to work tickets. Which will be convenient in situations like this or for additional guidance or information."

That would be helpful. Once we were on the new Starship, the first thing we really needed to do was transfer over essentials such as water, food, and seedlings. Tyndel was supposedly looking after hiring a crew, which was good since 28 people were not enough to man a ship even if it was half this size.

"There are robots that will move the necessary supplies over when we dock. They are basic computers that can take directions, but Cynthia will have to keep an eye on them when they move the plants. I do not plan on taking more than the essentials we will need to get to our first stop."

"Don't want them looking for missing cargo crates that may potentially hold more illegal stuff?"

"Exactly. Hiring is going slower than anticipated since the better candidates are quite scattered. The ones I have hired are traveling to certain planets along our trade route. I will be able to maintain almost all of the systems in the new ship myself, as it will also have robotic machines that I can control, but it is better to get the crew established and trained."

I asked, "Can I leave you in charge of that, then?"

"Yes."

That was a relief. I didn't know the first thing about hiring people, just that it was really hard to get a call for an interview. I knew he would be doing remote interviews, since those were typical for spacecraft.

"Your brother is calling."

I glanced at the computer that hung on the wall in confusion; the screen was black and showed no indication of a call. The device suddenly started chiming with an incoming call. 'Show off.' I sat up, but really didn't feel like getting to my feet yet again. 'Tyndel, can you activate the call?'

The screen suddenly had video and audio, without the usual slow fade-in. "Come on, come on, answer-" Shane's worried muttering stopped as relief showed clearly on his face. "Rachel! You're okay!"

He was such a worrywart. I attempted a smile. "Still alive. What's new on your end?"

He stared at me as if I had lost my mind. "Mom is having a panic attack because we just got word that the reversal of the upgrade on the Tyndel failed and that it took off for the stars with some crew still aboard. Authorities on Telbert said that you were not on their planet. What is going on?!"