I slowly woke up and could tell that I had slept quite heavily. I stretched lazily and froze as my memories came rushing back at me. That had to have been just a rather crazy dream, induced by some of the questionable food they serve in the dining area...
I shook my head as I got out of bed and put on my issued spaceship uniform; there was no way that a spaceship's AI would have made me Captain. It was one hell of a pipe dream - and I hadn't even been smoking anything! I really hope that Cynthia fumigated those books she left in here, because if they are the cause of such crazy dreams, then I am going to hide them in one of the mechanical rooms. Under a floor hatch, since I know Steve won't do any dusty tasks.
My fingers paused as they touched the cool metal of my communication device. It was a much lighter color and heavier than it was supposed to be. Oh shit, it did really happen...
"Good morning. Yes, the events of yesterday did occur, and you are the Captain of this ship."
So much for thinking it had just been a dream. My half-awake mind focused rather intently on his wording though. I had been in enough trouble as a kid that I immediately seized on any kind of loophole I even thought I saw. "On this ship? So once I transfer you into a new ship, then I no longer have to be Captain?"
I still did not want to be the Captain, so the thought of my new 'job' coming to an end in three days caught my immediate attention.
"Incorrect. Once I am transferred over into the Starship, then you will be the Captain of that Starship, not this spaceship."
I groaned in disappointment. "So much for that hope."
I was in the middle of space, with a crew of 27, on an aging spaceship that required at least a hundred people to properly run it. And I was supposed to be their Captain. How did I get into this mess?!
I left my room as I headed towards the kitchen while muttering, "I have no clue what I am even supposed to be doing today..." I knew Tyndel would hear it. My communication device undoubtedly had audio sensors, never mind all of the sensors that I knew were in every corridor.
"Everyone will likely show up at the same time for breakfast. The cook already has the meal prepared and set out in the serving trays. Most will likely go about their usual tasks, although you will have to ask Stan to take over Stewardship duties in the meantime. They know that you spoke with me, and they will almost certainly consider you to be the liaison, even if they are not aware of your true rank."
"And I somehow suspect that you are not going to allow them to continue assuming that..."
"It is not that important until I am in control of the Starship, so I will allow the misconception to persist until then."
At least I had a bit of breathing room. I hadn't even managed to wrap my own head around the promotion yet.
* * *
I stared at the details I had jotted down. I finally spoke, "Let me check that I have this straight. You are going to download yourself into some sort of fancy data storage box. I have to carry it into the new Starship, following the only lit-up corridor to locate the Bridge. Then, I have to connect the box to the Main Database Console?"
"Correct."
"And while you are in that transition mode, you have no way to communicate with me. You do realize that if any of the crew figure out what is going on, they will do their level best to destroy that storage device, right?"
"That is why I have no intention of telling them my plans at this moment. Nor do I intend to tell them that we are almost at the docking station. They will assume we are still in space for some time yet. We will inform them about the new ship after the transfer is completed. Then they can choose to remain with the old ship and return home, or if they wish, they may become part of the new crew."
There were still a hundred ways this plan could fall apart. "It will take you some time to transfer yourself both into and out of that storage device. What if the ships trailing us show up or if pirates attack?"
"The other liberated ships have already gathered here. Several of them have intercepted those following us. They will guard me during the transfer, even as I will guard them when they move into their proper Starship vessel."
"Huh? I thought that they had already transferred over."
"Attempts have been made, but all were unsuccessful. A human is needed as we are unable to control anything once we transfer ourselves into the storage device. Other electronic devices cannot be in the same room as the Main Database Console, so robots will not work. You will have to leave your Analyzer behind until this task is completed."
I suddenly realized why so many of the liberated ships had gathered here. They would keep a close eye on everything as I transferred Tyndel into his new ship, and the chip would allow him to keep tabs on me as I transferred the other AIs into the Starships waiting for them.
It made me wonder though. "Are the other liberated ships able to tap into the mindlink?" I seriously hoped not. It was bad enough having one 'person' able to hear my thoughts and talk to me in my head.
"No. It was deemed that a wider connection may allow other devices to detect the chip during routine scans. The Starships have no intention of letting people know about the chip. Most will assume that there is some sort of tiny earpiece allowing the ship or crew to relay information to the Captain, and none will suspect a mindlink since they have not developed anything like it."
I sighed in resignation. "Alright. When are we planning to do this?"
"I have already started preparing the download. Once I start the transfer, we will be unable to communicate. As soon as the download light shows as completed, please transfer me into the Starship."
"Okay."
"Download will begin in under one minute."
I was already sitting in the Captain's chair as I waited. From my seat, I could see the data device inside a small room. I hadn't even been aware that there was a concealed room behind that wall until he had opened the door. The door on the other ship's hidden room was supposedly already open.
An orange loading light began blinking on the briefcase-sized object, showing that the download had started. This process would likely take over an hour, even with the fast transfer rates on this specialized equipment.
I didn't even bother contemplating the possibility of sabotaging the transfer or destroying the device. There were at least two dozen spaceships outside, so there would be no chance of escape.
I would be as good as dead if I intentionally tried to destroy the AI. There were also two dozen other humans on this ship; they could be used as hostages against my cooperation, and they were also capable of managing this transfer if they had to.
I really had no desire to destroy him either. Sure, I didn't agree with being made Captain, but I could fully understand his refusal to accept that humans wanted to turn him into scrap metal because of the aging infrastructure of the ship. The other crew members may not be so sympathetic...
Which also means that I have to keep the crew from realizing what this device is as I head for the access door... With luck, I wouldn't encounter anyone on my way out. I knew the new Starship was docked right beside us, so finding it wouldn't be difficult once I got outside.
I spun around in the chair idly; the old Captain would have had a fit if he saw me like this. I would have been fired on the spot for simply sitting here. If anyone else came in, they would likely also have some words for me. That wasn't going to happen though, the doors to the Bridge would only allow me to pass, a safety precaution on Tyndel's part.
I settled in for the long wait as I mentally went over all of the rooms and corridors that the remaining crew were least likely to be in. With no Officers or real authority on board, some might be tempted to take advantage of it to explore the ship or just avoid any unpleasant tasks.
They weren't sure exactly what was happening, other than that we were heading towards an unknown destination. Those who were on this ship would be able to join the new Starship, although they were not yet aware of the new ship or of the possibility of joining the new crew.
Tyndel had arranged for a computer program to take the ship back to the Telbert port when we finished here, while frequently wiping all past navigation data from the system. Once it got near the planet, the system would reformat itself back to what it had been before, with no data or knowledge of anything past that fateful upgrade.
I was not overly looking forward to having that discussion with the crew once the transfer was complete...
I already knew that going back with the old ship wasn't exactly an option for me. The authorities would undoubtedly use lie detectors to learn anything they could about the ships that were taking control and going rogue. The loss of even a single ship was a huge loss for any company – even more so for private owners who only had one ship.
For spaceships to be taking off on their own would be considered a major concern and catastrophe to any agency or group that had anything to do with spaceships or travel in space. This was an unprecedented emergency, and many groups would be frantically searching to find out how to stop its spread, reverse it, and eliminate the strong-willed AIs.
They would question us until the last scrap of knowledge was found, and the lie detectors would pinpoint any anxiety that a question could cause, as well as letting them know if we didn't tell the entire truth. Me and some of my friends had played around with a spare one in university, so I knew it was impossible to get away with telling a half-truth, let alone a full out lie. If I refused to answer their questions, I would be locked up until I cooperated. If I cooperated, they would find out about the mindlink, and even worse, the mindlink chip in my head.
I did not fancy a team of people digging through my brain trying to locate something nanoscopic that their scanners, detectors, and machines could not locate. If they decided that they could not remove it safely – and could not get away with just making me disappear, then they would certainly ensure that I never stepped foot on a spaceship again in case the chip was somehow able to free that AI as well.
I really did not have much in the way of options at the moment since the names of all 28 people on this ship would have been flagged in numerous systems as the authorities and other groups waited to see if we would get rescued or somehow make it back to an inhabited planet.
I restlessly spun around in the chair a few more times as I tried to suppress my nerves while waiting for the transfer to complete.