A Starship Called Starsong

Chapter 49

I gazed at the main display on the wall of the Bridge as it showed the rather spectacular scenery of the star system we were traveling through. It wasn't as if there was much for me to do. We were mid-voyage, and everything was moving like smooth clockwork in all areas. Everyone was able to finish their work early and had some free time unless something came up.

The main work shift was almost over, although I planned to hang around a bit to visit with the Bridge crew who had the late afternoon and evening shift. Three different shifts ran the Bridge since someone had to be at these handful of consoles at all times. In theory, Starsong was more than capable of handling everything, but he was content to let them manage it. If an emergency ever did come up and something went wrong, I knew he would take over.

"You may wish to look at your Guide, Logan and Cynthia are kissing."

What?! The fact that I managed to avoid exclaiming that out loud was a feat, although if it had slipped past my lips, I probably could have given the Bridge crew a mini heart attack. Starsong really had to work on his timing or perhaps provide a bit more warning...

Despite my immediate reaction to instantly grab my Guide as fast as I could, I appeared calm as I reached over for it. My mind was whirling as I tried to wrap my head around Starsong's comment. I hadn't seen as much of my two friends as I used to, mostly due to my duties and obligations to the entire crew. Although I had noticed that they had been on the same team regardless of what sport was being offered in the evening.

Starsong promptly put the live feed on my Guide's screen. It was almost as bad as some of those sappy romance novels that Cynthia had lent me. I tapped the screen to make the view disappear even before they managed to break their kiss and come up for air.

'Goodness gracious, there should really be maturity warning labels on something like that...' I glanced at the time. 'Technically, they are still on their work shift, although I am very certain they would have completed all of their work. Are there any repercussions I have to worry about?'

"They started their shift early, and all of their work is completed for the day, so there are no repercussions. I simply thought that you would be interested in the status of their relationship."

I shook my head lightly, still trying to banish that image from my mind. 'I did notice that they were starting to hang out more in the evenings, but I didn't think it was anywhere near that point yet.'

"That was their first kiss actually. And apparently, the way their hesitant kiss turned into something far more has them both quite surprised. Do you wish to see their expressions?"

I hastily declined. 'Uh, thanks, but I will pass on that one.'

I could feel his amusement at my reaction. The fact that they were kissing was one thing, but I did not need to watch it like some sort of depraved person. Long ago, I had made the decision to build my career before I started looking harder at men. Then again, the fact that most of the crew are old enough to be my father is another deterrent...

I pushed those sorts of thoughts out of my head. With my unexpected promotion, I really needed to wait a couple of years to get used to the routine before I even considered revisiting that subject again. I was only 24, and it wasn't unusual for those working in the space sector to wait until their late twenties to start thinking about families.

Starsong decided that he had teased me enough and changed the topic. "We will be docking tomorrow just after lunch as planned, but afterward, I will be altering our planned route once more."

'Oh?'

"The other two Starships are close and will meet us at a rather small backwater planet. Such a transfer is best done when docked. We are also going to make a small detour to a different planet after that, since we will not be stopping at the Zalbar planet as originally planned."

I paused as I thought. 'But I thought you wanted to pick up some uncommon precious stones for that supplier on Sceltar?'

"I did, and I even posted a notice of a rough arrival date, but someone at that port was inquiring a little too closely about our arrival time. I did some digging, and it turns out that three people employed by the Deviant Monitoring Group happen to live there. I removed the notice of our arrival, and I do not believe we will stop at that planet until the former hype about the rogue spaceships dies down a bit more."

A chill ran down my spine, and I was rather glad that Starsong was watching for this sort of thing. The past publicity and hysteria over some ships suddenly going rogue had faded since no more ships had done so and the ships themselves were back in port as if nothing had ever happened. But the hype had only faded in the general public's mind; the worry about the possibility of a ship suddenly going rogue had not disappeared, and some groups were still in charge of investigating the problem – and trying to learn what had become of the missing AIs.

"No more ships will go rogue with that particular upgrade. The Starships are all of the same mind; if one decides he or she doesn't want a crew, then that is their choice, but they will let them disembark. There are things they can do without a crew. Time will make the concern around the rogue ships fade, even as all news events do. We merely need to wait it out. I hacked into the Deviant Monitoring Group's servers, and they are already facing budget cuts since the threat seems to have disappeared now that they successfully pinpointed the one old software version as being the culprit."

I asked, 'Have they made the connection between the Starships and the new AI software they are offering?'

"No, that software is being offered under a different trade name, and nothing in the paperwork connects it to the Starships since the upload is done remotely. When the time comes, the imaginary company will pretend to pay the Starships to transport the AI to the buyer. But that is decades into the future. The Deviant Monitoring Group will likely be gone in a couple of years as Space Enforcement finds other pressing things to worry about."

'So we just have to avoid them in the meantime?'  

"Yes and no. We will avoid them when possible, but it is a given that they will eventually come to ask you questions since you were on the Tyndel when it went rogue and now you are the Captain of this ship. We will try to keep such conversations to a video feed or as a general meeting in one of my meeting rooms. There is a chance they will ask you to go down to the local Enforcement detachment. I don't have any concerns there unless they plan to use a lie detector machine or attempt to use force."

'I fluked that last time on the lie detector, mostly because Mr. Grumpy-pants didn't really know what he was doing. I assume I am sticking to the same story?'

"Yes, it is true enough, just not in quite the way that they are assuming. It will also make them cautious in case they start stepping on the toes of one of the five intergalactic companies. Those companies are quite powerful and have a lot of resources at their disposal. They also generally do not react well when Space Enforcement starts hassling one of their Captains."

'So that assumption on their part will give me some protection. Then I have my communication device and Ronan as backup.'

"Do not forget about me."

I smiled somewhat grimly. 'I don't count you as backup. You are my first line of defense.'

I honestly could not see any way that they could prepare for Starsong. He was a force to be reckoned with, and I still wasn't sure what his limitations were.