A Starship Called Starsong

Chapter 52

David seemed oddly quiet as we walked down the ramp.

"You had no problems accepting the mindlink or using it, but he is struggling with it. He isn't really against it, and he does find it very useful, but he is having problems truly accepting it like you have."

Ah. This may explain why he was so happy to meet me. 'What exactly has he been told about me?'

"Just the basics, like how you were a Cargo Bay assistant before you became Captain. He knows you have the mindlink, and he is also aware you have no problem using it, but that is about it."

That meant Starsong and Tobias had likely left it up to me about which details I wanted to share. I pondered a few different ways to give him an opening to ask questions that he would likely consider to be sensitive.

I gazed up at the large ship we were approaching and realized it didn't have any name on the side. Now I was really surprised that none of the docking station staff were making inquiries. They must be far more unorganized than I had realized if they hadn't even noticed the lack of a name. Although, if anyone did notice, the Starships were likely capable of intercepting and stopping any possible transmissions.

I waited until we were inside of the ship before asking out loud, "Why is there no name on the side of the ship? I assume you are going to let the AI name itself?"

"Correct. We choose our own names, and the name will be added once the new AI chooses his or her designation. Tobias has just relayed the exact same information to David as well."

I nodded as I followed the only lit-up corridor. "That makes sense."

We were inside a Starship, so there was no chance of anyone other than Starsong or Tobias eavesdropping. David seemed a bit nervous as he asked, "If you don't mind me asking, do you prefer to speak to Starsong aloud or across the mindlink?"

I considered his question for a bit as we kept walking. "It depends. If I am in my room or if I am sure I am alone, then I often talk to him out loud. Otherwise, I tend to use the mindlink to avoid spooking those around me. The crew is under the impression that I have a small earpiece that allows Starsong to inform me of things."

He exhaled slowly with nerves before venturing his next question. "Does the mindlink bother you?"

He seemed to be holding his breath while waiting for my reaction. I gazed up at the soft lighting as I responded, "The first time Starsong spoke to me via the mindlink, I was stunned and almost thought I was losing my mind. But now it doesn't bother me. It is almost like having an earpiece and a very intuitive helper."

He blinked slowly as he tried to follow my line of thought. "Tobias told me what the mindlink would entail. It was definitely different, but I am not sure why you thought you were losing your mind."

David's comment told me exactly how little the Starships had told him. It also told me how much they respected my privacy and details that I may consider confidential. They also hadn't told me if or how David had been approached by Tobias.

"If I can ask a question, did Tobias tell you anything before you got the mindlink?"

David shrugged. "He told me about the responsibilities as well as how he planned to run the ship. He did mention that he would be in constant communication with me if I became Captain, so I would have very little privacy, even though he would keep it fairly confidential. I did accept the position, and he told me about the mindlink afterward. So I do know about the chip, and I do have the mindlink."

"Hmmm... It sounds like you had a decent idea of what you were getting into. I had the mindlink for two weeks before I was even aware of it."

He looked confused. "Didn't Starsong tell you about the mindlink when you became Captain?"