A Starship Called Starsong

Chapter 59

I sat in my chair on the Bridge as I watched the displays. Sceltar was a very busy planet with several docking stations, and the comings and goings of spaceships were carefully monitored and controlled by the planet-based Space Traffic Control.

The Communications Officer finally spoke, "We are cleared to dock."

The fact that the Starsong was quite maneuverable in the atmosphere did not give us any extra leeway when waiting for permission to dock. We had to follow policy and procedure just like any other large space vessel coming here.

"Then let's get docked," I replied. "The Cargo Bay crew is chomping at the bit, and they are eager to get to work."

Tanya normally worked the same shift I did, and, as Navigations Officer, she was quick to send us down into the atmosphere while keeping her speed within the posted regulations. We had arrived early, but the port didn't mind letting us dock sooner since the previous ship had already left. We just had to wait our turn to dock.

'In a port this big, I assume I will just blend in?'

"Very likely. This is our first stop here, and there are a lot of people and ships constantly coming and going. Your uniform is quite modest compared to most Captains, so many will not even realize that you aren't just a regular crew member."

That would be an excellent detail for most of my stay. I was really looking forward to my ship-leave tomorrow evening since I would completely blend into the crowds in the city below. It might be an annoyance when dealing with the suppliers, but I could probably turn their skepticism to my advantage. I was actually kind of looking forward to seeing their baffled expressions once they realized that I had only picked out the discounted items.

It didn't take us long to dock, and I walked down the ramp to meet the rather impatient and bored-looking assistant who was waiting for me to check in. Most spaceships sent an Officer for this task, but Starsong felt that I should be the one doing this. It got me out of the Captain's chair, so I was in favor of it, regardless of how some of the docking station staff reacted when they realized I was the Captain.

The man had plainly greeted too many ships today and wished to be elsewhere, "Please confirm that the Starsong will be docked for three days."

Huh, not even a good morning. Well, if he wants to get straight to the point, then I can certainly match his haste. "That is correct."

"Please confirm that Captain Wanderer is still the Captain in charge."

"That is correct."

"Thank you. Welcome to docking station number three on Sceltar." The monotone response sounded like a phrase that he simply said without thinking about it. And I somehow doubted that he ever put any emotion into it either.

The man abruptly turned and began walking away, likely heading towards another spaceship that was docking on the far side of the docking station. It would take him a good twenty minutes to walk there even with his fast walk.

"That was not very professional. And he was certainly not following the procedures he was supposed to."

Starsong sounded kind of miffed about the over-efficient assistant, but it didn't bother me as much.

'Perhaps, but there were no questions like 'who are you' or 'please provide your identification'. Now, if our crew starts trying stunts like that, then we may have to revisit training.'

Starsong didn't bother responding, and I continued to walk through the crowds on my way to the trading hall. I saw Ronan slip out of the loading bay door as machines already started to unload crates. He had plenty of cover to follow me in this place. No one would notice an extra person when hundreds were streaming in all directions across the massive platform.

I had two hours until my first scheduled meeting, but I was curious to see who might approach me in the trading hall. Some suppliers were opportunistic and sometimes offered very good deals if they hadn't made many sales.

I winced internally as I saw the madhouse inside. Various suppliers and traders were making deals amongst themselves, while Captains and numerous people in civilian clothing also bartered with other people. One rowdy corner looked like they were celebrating some sort of rather important trade.

I went to the food counter and ordered a tea. 'Any idea where I should start in this mayhem? If that party in the corner passes out a few more drinks and someone puts on some music, it may even surpass some of the drinking parties I had in university.'

"Pick an empty table, preferably along the wall with the murals. Someone will probably approach you shortly."

Considering there were only three empty tables on that side of the bustling room, my choices were pretty limited. I picked the one right against the wall as I subtly watched the activity around me. Eight other Captains were currently present, and I ruefully noted that all of them were at least twice my age – and unlike me, they plainly stood out in the crowd as Captains. I failed to see how people would take me seriously in a place like this...

The bright spot was that I had Starsong's ever-dependable assistance on my side, as well as that I was sure to leave at least a few suppliers bewildered. I was looking forward to the second one. I idly sipped my tea as I waited for someone to take the bait.

It wasn't more than a few minutes before a man and woman approached. The woman inquired, "Mind if we join you?"

I gestured to the empty seats. "If you wish to talk trade, please be my guests."

They accepted my invitation and sat down. The woman inquired, "What kind of trades are you looking for?"

"I am open to hearing what you may have to offer."

"Are you after individual items, small lots, or crates?"

"Preferably crates, but if you have small and valuable items at a good rate, then I may also consider those."

They now knew I wasn't just a curious individual and suspected that I was very likely with the Procurement group. I highly doubted that they had realized I was a Captain. The man started leafing through a folder as he pulled out several pages. He set them on the table and pushed them closer to me. "Here are some things that were just unloaded from ships and haven't hit the main market yet. Perhaps something here will catch your interest."

There seemed to be a bit of everything listed. I pulled out my pen as I listened to Starsong's insight. I circled three lines and jotted down a crate total before passing the pages back. The man took a closer look and blinked as he realized that I had picked out the three best deals on his list.

I hid a smirk as he took a closer look at me, trying to decide just who I was. The woman was oblivious as she pulled out her own pages and passed them over. Starsong was somewhat irritated since she apparently thought I had fallen off of the turnip wagon yesterday. And she had broken the law about the minimum number of items that had to be priced below market value.

I mildly raised an eyebrow at her. "All of these prices are above market value. Unless you have more to offer than this, then I am not interested in pursuing this any further."

I had kept my tone level since being calm would fluster her more – and perhaps get her to pull out more favorable papers after getting caught... She stammered an apology before producing a list of different items with, according to Starsong, much better prices.

Starsong quickly pointed out the best deals that would benefit us at our upcoming stops, and I circled the handful of lines as well as noting the quantity of crates. The woman was still a bit red in embarrassment while the man seemed more confused about how I had so quickly determined this planet's going-rate for a wide variety of goods. Both concluded the deal with the customary idle talk before leaving the table.

I waited for the next poor sucker to assume that my youth meant they would find an easy profit.