A Starship Called Starsong

Chapter 22

I have never sat so much in my life...

Now that there were people in the Bridge, even if it was just two Officers, it meant I had to spend at least a quarter of my day here. Most Captains spent the majority of their day in the Captain's chair, but – thankfully – Starsong was in favor of me making circuits around the various levels to check on things and touch base with the other groups there.

The original seven were used to it, but the others had been startled to see the Captain just wandering around and checking in on things. When one of the agricultural watering sprinklers that we had transferred from the Tyndel had sprung a leak, I had promptly gone down to help Cynthia and her new Overseer before they were even aware of it.

Starsong knew exactly how to fix it, and he guided me through what had to be done. The new Maintenance Overseer arrived just after me and had nearly fallen over when he saw the Captain getting her hands dirty.

It wasn't something that they could have easily fixed on their own though. It required Starsong's scanners and his mental guidance to guide me on the exact angle I had to use while fishing out the blockage. His assistance had been needed to prevent me from pushing it further in – which would have been far harder to fix.

That whole misting system was already on the replacement list on our next stop.

Tanya commented, "We will reach the docking station in six hours. Shall I update the crew?"

"Please." We were right on schedule, much to the amazement of the Navigations Officer. In fact, everyone was a bit surprised and slightly awed by the Starsong's systems and technology.

I knew that rumor of the intelligent AI had circulated from the original seven to the new crew members, but they saw no sign of it and remained more than a bit skeptical. They thought that I was somehow remotely controlling the few systems that did not have any staff yet.

I certainly spent enough time on my Guide when sitting in the Captain's chair. My Guide was a far more powerful version of their Guides, and Starsong often posted information on the screen that he thought I might find interesting to read.

I tapped my screen a few times, noting that the Overseer in the Cargo Bay had already moved all of the correct crates and supplies into the loading bays. They were also secured for docking.

"Several people from the local Space Enforcement detachment will be showing up. They are monitoring the docking station's status on ships arriving in port so they will know when we arrive."

'Why?' I had a sinking feeling that I already knew. Space Enforcement was one of the many groups that fell under the wide umbrella of 'authorities'. We had known that at least one of them would eventually show up. I just hadn't expected them this early...

"The Tyndel made it back to Telbert, and the authorities there are most concerned with the rumor that I have transferred myself into another ship. The fact that I am giving the crew on board no problems is making them doubt that the transfer was successful though."

I resisted the urge to groan at the thought of being questioned. 'What should I be expecting?'

Starsong continued, "The main Authority group that has been watching the rogue ships has formed a sub-group called the Deviant Monitoring Group. They have dug deeper and confirmed that all eight missing crew members are now on the Starsong's crew roster. To put it rather mildly, they are curious. Several pieces of correspondence I have located are reflecting that they think you managed to destroy my AI during the transfer and simply took over the new ship."