A Starship Called Starsong

Chapter 34

The man waiting on the docking ramp blinked a few times in surprise when he saw me come out of the access door. I walked closer, and he held out his hand. "Captain Wanderer, welcome." It sounded kind of tentative, as if he wasn't entirely sure I was the Captain.

I shook his hand. "Thank you. I believe these are my new crew members?" Eight people were lined up behind the Integration Program Manager, looking somewhat nervous, but mostly hopeful.

He nodded. "Yes."

I addressed them directly, "Welcome to the Starsong. I am Captain Wanderer, although my crew is welcome to call me Rachel. As you know, you will have a six-month probation to prove you are capable and able to learn anything that is required for your position. I will call you up one by one, and your Overseer will take you for a tour of the Starsong."

I glanced over my shoulder at the eight Overseers behind me. One came forward with a small box containing Guides and communication devices. I picked one set out before saying, "Cooking Assistant, Fred Dervy."

One man came forward, and I passed him the two objects as his new Overseer came forward - who just happened to be the original cook. Once the communication device was on his shirt, the Overseer led him into the ship. One by one, all entered the ship, leaving just me and the Integration Program Manager standing on the ramp.

He spoke, "Thank you very much for accepting all of them, Captain Wanderer. You impressed them when you sent them that file instead of blasting them into never-never land. They all specifically requested to join your ship and are determined to work hard, so I don't see any problems arising."

I said, "They will be given a fair chance. I will send you the monthly updates as you requested."

"Thank you. Travel safe, and good fortune to you."

"And to you as well," I replied before turning and walking up the ramp. We were only docking long enough to pick up the group. The Navigations Officer would be taking the ship back into outer space as soon as the docking ramp was pulled back. I knew we would be airborne before I even got to the closest elevator.

I headed back to the Bridge, unsurprised to see that the planet was already a fading dot in the inky blackness of space. I sat in my chair as I idly gazed at the main displays on the wall. The map showed that our next few scheduled stops were at fairly small ports.

I picked up my Guide; Starsong already knew my thoughts and had the list of trades open. Procurement could do most of the trades, but each stop had one or two items that required me to personally negotiate those trades. Some traders of rarer items refused to deal with anyone other than the Captain.

I remained sitting in the chair while I browsed through various programs on my Guide, but it reflected the exact same thing that it had been showing me lately. The crew worked very well together and everything was getting done, even though we didn't have a full crew yet.

After several hours, I couldn't remain sitting any longer and got to my feet. "I am going to go on a walk-about."

The Officers on the Bridge acknowledged my leaving in their own fashion, some merely nodding, while others replied.

"Alright, see you in a while."

"We'll call you if something comes up."

They were familiar with this routine and were more informal now than in the past. I had been persistent about the lack of formality when it was just us, and it had paid off. Starsong was also pleased with the outcome. Instead of having them stand on ceremony constantly, we were more like congenial co-workers with a common goal.