I stood to the side, watching, as an inspector checked the quality of the fifth random crate that held some peculiar yellow fruit. The round objects were sitting in special transport layers to keep them from getting bruised. He took the side off the crate and inspected each layer as best he could without unpacking it. The crate was just a bit taller than him, so he was able to see most of the fruit easily enough.
He jotted down some notes before turning to the small crowd. "Every crate checked has the same results. No bruising or rot is present. No pests or insects. Quality is officially noted as Grade A quality. Fifty crates are available and will be sold in lots of ten. Bidding will begin online in ten minutes for these lots. Regular rules on agricultural goods will apply."
The bidding war on the fresh produce had been Starsong's idea. Some fruits and vegetables would only grow in certain star systems, and I had not been aware that such foods were considered a delicacy outside of those systems. A dozen or so of the more interested bidders had come to watch the inspector, but more would be waiting to see the grading report online.
If it worked out well, then we would make the bidding a habit for uncommon fresh produce. The hard goods were usually just bartered or negotiated without the buyer seeing them. The inspector left, and the Cargo Bay Overseer put the side and lid back on the crate so he could move it back into the air conditioned room until it was sold.
I escorted the remaining group to the large loading platform ramp, and they swiftly scattered to wherever it was that they usually went while doing online bidding. I pretended to not notice the men further down the docking station platform.
"It looks like the Enforcement group doesn't want to make a scene. They are still loitering by the far gate."
'I have my doubts about just how long they are going to remain there. Especially since everyone is leaving the loading platform at this point.'
"Indeed, and considering they have started heading in your direction, you would be correct."
'Lovely...' My attempts at playing Captain had not affected my internal sarcasm.
It didn't take the four men long to cross the space on the now-empty loading platform. My faintly-welcoming expression was at complete odds with my personal feelings. I greeted them, "Hello gentlemen, is there something I can assist you with?"
The one man stopped a courteous distance in front of me. "Are you Captain Wanderer?"
"Yes, I am."
He hid most of his doubt, but I could still see some of it present. "You were recently a crew member on the Tyndel, correct?"
"Correct."
"We would like you to come down to the station and answer some questions."
I frowned slightly at him. "Sir, I have meetings and trade negotiations already arranged. To reschedule them will be detrimental to my profits. There is no one present at the moment, and you are free to ask your questions here."
A second man pulled out a piece of paper. "It isn't up for negotiation. We have a warrant to take you in by force, if required."
I frowned at the man as I tapped my communication device. "Captain to Tanya, please contact Mark and let him know that we will have to reschedule our meeting as the local Enforcement group is demanding to speak with me about a ship I previously served on."
It would be a minor slap in the face to the Enforcement Officers. They made themselves no friends by interrupting schedules and meetings to inquire about the distant past. Such matters were better dealt with by using video calls during travel, not during the busy time while the ship was docked.
She responded, "Yes, Captain."
That was one perk of being on the Bridge crew; you didn't have to wait for the communication device to beep after speaking the person's name. It automatically connected you. A small proof that I was truly part of the Bridge crew.
Two of the men in front of me were not impressed, but remained silent. The first man narrowed his eyes in irritation as he said, "Please, come this way."
I walked with them to their vehicle, which was a tiny space shuttle that might have been able to hold a dozen people at most. I glanced out the window as we flew past buildings. "Which station are we going to?"
One man briefly answered, "Central Station."
"How long is this likely to take?"
"That depends on your level of cooperation."
I leveled a slightly stern look at the man. "I pointed out well-known facts while still offering to answer your questions. If you are going to deem that as refusal-to-cooperate, then someone else had better be doing the questioning while you review some terminology definitions."
He stared pointedly at the seat across from him and did not respond to my faintly rebuking words. The rest of the short ride held only silence.
I got out of the vehicle as two of the men escorted me to a side door and led me down several hallways to an interrogation room. They let me in and closed the door behind me, leaving me with two men who were clearly waiting for me. The uniform showed that one was an Interrogation Officer. The second man was on a small computer which was attached to a lie detector apparatus.
The Officer came forward and held out his hand. "Hello Captain Wanderer. I am Myles. It is a pleasure to meet you."
I shook his hand and blandly commented, "I hope that this is as important as the Enforcement Officers thought it was. It has interrupted a rather important trade negotiation with zero notice."
"My apologies. We do believe that the matter is important enough for an in-person discussion. The authorities from the Intergalactic Space Commission have requested that we ask you a few questions regarding some recent events."
Starsong provided some tips and details regarding that group. Tilting my head slightly, I said, "The Intergalactic Space Commission is normally concerned about Trade Regulations and potential fighting. I fail to see how this applies to me since I have not broken any rules nor been involved in any fights."
"They are also highly concerned about the recent development with the rogue AIs, and you were on one such ship. They also concern themselves with keeping track of which Captain is in charge of each large space vessel. They have questions about both of those areas."
I sat down in the hard plastic chair. "I fail to see why they didn't just contact me by video call. They have sent no notice or communication regarding the desire to speak with me. As you surely know, time in port is a busy time and docking fees are not cheap."
"We will refund part of your docking fees for this inconvenience."
I raised one eyebrow slightly. "That is generous of you, but the deal I am being forced to miss would have generated profit that is quite important to a trading ship during its first few stops."
"Then let us get down to business so that you do not have to miss any more meetings." Myles gestured to the man with the lie detector. "Just to verify your answers beyond any doubt, we have permission from the Intergalactic Space Commission to use a lie detector."
This was a position that I really didn't want to be in. These devices were very sensitive and could more than easily land me in hot water with some of what I knew. This machine was not connected to any other device and also lacked remote connection capabilities, which meant that Starsong couldn't hack into it and help me. If I started to refuse to answer questions, or was found to be lying, then this meeting could go downhill fast.
"I can help guide you through it."
'I am going to need all of the help I can get...'
I shrugged. "Fine." Refusing would have immediately raised suspicion levels and would have probably sent me to the holding cells while they brought in someone qualified to run a lie detector on an unwilling person.
I held out my hands, and the thin man easily slid on the network of leather straps, wires, and sensor pads. He held up two more pads before gently putting one on each of my temples. All of these delicate sensors would show a lie, half-lie, or even a lot of stress or other strong emotions.
The man typed on his keyboard before arranging his screen so we could all see it. Several displays showed lines and bars that faintly shifted as they reacted to what the sensors picked up.
A knock at the door made us all look over as another man barged into the room without waiting for someone to answer the door. He looked at us with a frown as he demanded, "Have you started questioning her yet?"
Myles stood up in surprise; he obviously recognized the man and clearly had not expected to see him show up. "Not yet, Sir."
"I am taking over the interrogation role." The new man was definitely not the world's happiest person. I wondered who had put the tacks on his chair this morning. I really hoped that this was not his normal demeanor.
Myles opened and then closed his mouth before bowing slightly. "Yes, Sir." He left the room, leaving me with Mr. Grumpy and a computer tech who didn't look in his direction.
"This is the Supervisor of the Intergalactic Relations department in this detachment; he normally facilitates communication between various enforcement groups. People in his position almost never conduct interrogations. Someone must have finally realized that the interrogation of a Captain cannot be done by a regular employee. The interrogation supervisor isn't in today, so they must have decided that an Intergalactic Relations supervisor was sufficient."
The new man slid into the empty chair on the far side of the small table as he faced me. He glanced at a few hand written notes in his hands before speaking, "So, Miss Wanderer, I have a few questions here for you."
Starsong hadn't been kidding when he said that he had almost no interrogation skills. His gruff and to-the-point manner was more suitable for a discussion between other supervisors in Enforcement departments. It was nothing like the last man's smooth and easy-going style.
I kept a bland expression on my face while replying, "It is Captain Wanderer."
"The claim to that rank is being questioned by the Intergalactic Space Commission."
I was getting severely tired of people refusing to believe I was a Captain when I had finally accepted that dreaded title. I kept my expression bland, although the machines showed that his words were getting some sort of reaction out of me. Stupid machine...
I merely nodded calmly. "I can assure you that I am the legitimate Captain of the Starsong."
I was so not looking forward to this. Getting questioned by a grouchy supervisor in a Space Enforcement Station was nowhere on my list of things that I hoped to try one day.
"And I can assure you that anyone who tries to take your rank by force will be jettisoned out of the ship so fast that they will think that they have hit warp speed."
Starsong's words were a bit of a reassurance, but we weren't exactly within his corridors or rooms right now.