Star Man 1: Star Bourne

by I. G. Roberts

  I noticed some people seemed to be quite happy with my answer as they were nodding.

  A female Tangesha near the front asked, “Will you swear to us that you will take no hostile action against the Federation of Sentient Peoples or its citizens?”

  I said as I held my hand over my heart, “That is easy because I wish no harm against the FSP or her citizens. I swear if I take command of this ship, I will do my utmost to help you bring her home safely, I will not deliberately undertake any hostile action against the Federation of Sentient Peoples or her citizens and will relinquish command of this ship and her crew as soon as we are at a place of safety and a suitable FSP citizen is available to take over the role. However, if I do take command of this vessel, I must be given the same loyalty and devotion as you had for Captain Carlon, the same rules will apply with regard to mutiny.”

  I don’t think they really understood the gesture but I meant every word and fully intended to hold true to the oath I had just sworn to them.

  Another female, this time I thought, one of the people we rescued from Zafar said, “I have seen this human fight, he is a true warrior. I have never seen him do anything to harm any of us. We have all felt his commanding presence. I have seen him ask people, not tell them to do something he sees needs doing and those people do it without question or hesitation. When he tells us to do something we know we must do it. If he really wanted to, all he needs to do is to start ordering us to do what he wants and we would do it but still he doesn’t, he asks. Is this not the mark of a true leader?”

  She hesitated for effect before continuing, “Even though he could take control yet he hesitates. He hesitates because he wants to do what is right for us. I think it would be right for him to do this, I think it would be right for him to lead us. If he does agree to do this thing for us, then we must all agree to do something for him. We must all agree to help protect him, to stand up for him when we reach safety, to tell our government how his intentions were always pure and honourable, how he bought us home without flinching when he could have taken us almost anywhere he wanted to save his own skin. We can tell them of his bravery, of how he fought for us, to keep us free. We can tell them of his unbroken promises, of his loyalty to us and by extension, to the Federation, even though he is not a Federation citizen. If he takes us home we will all owe him that, and much more because without him, we will die, or become slaves. In fact, as I understand it, if not for him, we would have already been dead or in slave chains.”

  I decided this female had to be a plant, someone the people standing beside me put in place to say what they believed needed to be said. Not a bad tactic really. Most people would hear what she said and accept that she was not primed to make her speech. Most people would accept her words at face value, not ever bothering to question them.

  I thought to myself, “Why do these people think they don’t have a leader. Here is one right here, speaking to them. For that matter, even Eri had given a damned good speech, surely she could lead them home.”

  Of course I knew I couldn’t change the game now, if the crew saw any variation in the message right now it would only confuse and upset them. Even though I really didn’t want to take command of FNS Destiny, I was beginning to accept the need for me to do so for these people to make it home anytime soon.

  At this point I said to Eri and the others who stood with me, “You should discuss this without any more influence from me. These people need to make their own decision about who should lead them, I don’t want them to feel they have to agree because I am here. I cannot lead them without their full and whole hearted support. I will wait in my quarters. Call me when you want me back here.”

  Eri touched me on the arm and nodded with a smile. I descended the ladder and walked to my quarters to wait. When I arrived there, I lay on my bunk to think but somewhere along the line, I dozed off instead. I never found out what was said, or even if there was any dissent after I left the meeting. In fact, I never made any attempt to try to find out, feeling it was better for me not to know. The other reason I never asked was because I believed this was something the crew needed to work out for themselves.

  After some time, I don’t know how long, but probably a few hours, Eri came to my door and woke me. She told me the crew decided there was no need to repeat the whole performance for those of the crew who were manning their posts on the ship during the first meeting. They or at least those who were not in stasis pods or unconscious due to drugs, had all heard what happened during the first meeting. When these crew members went to the meeting location they made it clear to Eri and the others, no further input was required from me. They simply discussed the decision among themselves before casting their own votes. In the end, Eri told me the crew voted unanimously for me to take command of FNS Destiny.

  They also voted unanimously to support me against any punitive measures the authorities decided to impose when we reached safety. I don’t know why they did this but I was now willing to seriously consider the crew’s request.

  I asked Eri to give me a couple of hours while I thought my way through the situation properly. At least now, most of the objections I had to leading this crew were gone. They all wanted me to do it and they were willing to give me the support I was going to need to carry this off. That same arguments also significantly reduced the importance of some of the other reasons I had for not taking command. I could easily see I was well and truly backed into a corner with no way out.

  Eri told me she would return in two hours before leaving me to think my way through the problem. After she left, I tried to look at the situation from every angle I could. I tried to consider the alternatives and I tried to consider the reasons why I should do it and the reasons why I shouldn’t. I even made these reasons into a list of pros and cons. In the end it all boiled down to a single fact, if the Tangesha on Earth hadn’t rescued me, I would be dead now anyway. At the moment, whichever way I looked at it, I was living on borrowed time. Even if the Federation decided to execute me, my death could hardly be more painful than the one I would have experienced as I burned to death in the car wreck. On top of that, by the time the Federation executed me, I will have had another year or more of life over the alternative.

  I supposed they could put me in prison for a very long time but at least I would still be alive if prison was to be my fate. I hoped their prisons were not the hell holes I’d heard some of those on Earth were. I only needed to decide if I was willing to make the sacrifice. If I did nothing, we would all most likely either die or become slaves. If I agreed to take control of the ship and her crew, then at least the crew, or more accurately, the surviving crew would have a reasonable chance of eventually arriving home safely. I thought that by now, my family probably already thought I was dead, or simply that I’d wanted out. Of course, I still missed my family, being away from them as I was left an emptiness in my heart nothing else could fill. I realised I could do nothing about my own wants and needs just then so why not help? In the end I came to the conclusion I really only had the one choice.

  That choice was to try to guide these people home safely then, once I’d achieved that, assuming I could, then I would throw myself at the mercy of the Federation’s justice system and hope for the best. I idly wondered if it was anything like the justice systems on Earth, particularly the ones in the Western world. I wondered if someone would be assigned to help defend me. I never bothered to ask at the time. I decided I should just let things unfold and accept the hand that fate dealt me. At least, I thought, the Federation citizens I’d met so far were not needlessly nasty or cruel.

  A couple of hours later, Eri came back to see what my decision was to be. I invited her in and we sat side by side on my bed. If Eri had been an attractive human female, there may have been some sexual overtones to this, especially after everything we’d gone through together coupled with the fact that we’d become very good friends. After all, there was only a low probability of me ever finding my way home. In this case h
owever, there was nothing whatsoever sexual about it. I have learned since that Eri is considered by male Tangesha to be very attractive in that way but I have never had any interest in her, not in the sexual sense, she wasn’t even human. Ever since I’d been on-board FNS Destiny, she’d been helping and guiding me through the pitfalls of being in the strange situation I found myself.

  I said to her, “Well Eri, it seems to me that hope springs eternal. I have agonised over this decision for days. You know it is not one I have taken lightly, I don’t want to be in charge, not with my lack of knowledge about a starship and how one should be run. In my experience, a good leader usually has a fairly decent knowledge of both the people and the system he or she is in charge of. I have neither.”

  At this point, Eri started to look exasperated and interrupted me, “Do you agree or not?”

  I answered, “Please bear with me. I do want to do this, for the sake of you, for the sake of the entire crew. On the other hand, I really have no confidence I can pull this off. You need to understand I have come to the conclusion that my life is not of importance here. If this ship’s crew hadn’t rescued me back on Earth, I would be dead now. I suppose it boils down to the fact that if the crew of FNS Destiny wants me in command then I really don’t have much choice.”

  At that point, I paused to gather my thoughts some more.

  A few seconds later I continued, “But I cannot do this on my own. Unless you can quickly whip up a few copies of me to run all over the ship and be constantly giving orders, this crew is going to have to find a way to defeat the cultural and biological constraints they currently face. They need to find some initiative and to know that if they see a problem then they need to do something about it. They are going to have to learn when to just fix a problem and when to ask for advice. We are also going to need to find some people who can coordinate things for me. My tiny brain is not going to be able to keep up with all the minute detail I am sure running a starship involves without this help.”

  At this point I wound down and looked at Eri. She was positively glowing with pleasure and relief. She’d hooked me and reeled me in and she knew it. It had been a long hard fight but she finally managed to land me. FNS Destiny had someone in command again.

  Eri gave me a long considering look before saying, “Now you have finally made your decision, you need to eat, followed by us going to the bridge so you can formally take command. After we have done all that, we will find some people to help you put a command structure in place.”

  I readily agreed with her assessment. We left my quarters to head towards the mess. On the way, I noticed a new energy around the ship. People seemed much happier. They didn’t know my final decision, not yet, but I think they sensed what it was going to be. When we arrived at the mess it was more crowded than I could remember it ever being since the current emergency began. People all around were smiling and animated in their happiness. My heart swelled as I realised they now had some hope for the future. They’d clearly decided I would lead them safely home. I wondered where I would be able to find a seat. I said to Eri, maybe I should go to the bridge first. She firmly told me no, I was going to eat then and there. She told me we would worry about finding a table when we had our food. I bowed to the inevitable before going to line up.

  Eri could be very persuasive indeed when she wanted or needed to be. As I approached the serving line, it seemed to magically empty as I arrived so I had my food very quickly. I looked at the selection and realised the mess crew had put all my favourite foods out for me. My senses particularly my sense of smell were assaulted with the smells and sights of some very appetizing food. After I picked what I wanted to eat, I turned to see if I could find a table only to see that one table had mysteriously become empty. All the others were packed, some looking to me to be a little overcrowded. I looked at Eri and she just smiled at me before we headed over towards the empty table.

  We ate quietly for a time while I worked my way through my food.

  Eventually, Eri said, “After we have finished here, we need to go to the Captains office. Someone there will explain to you what is required for you to assume command of FNS Destiny. After you understand that, you will need to go to the bridge to formally take command in front of witnesses. Your assumption of command needs to be witnessed by all the most senior crew on the ship, at least those who are fit enough to make it. Under other circumstances, it would only be the ships officers required as witnesses but we have no ships officers so we will have to make do with as many of the senior crew as we can find.”

  I nodded in understanding as I listened, wondering yet again what I done to fall into this situation. By then, we’d both finished eating. I was about to stand when one of the mess crew came over and took both Eri’s and my plates and utensils.

  He said to me, “Can I get anything else for you Sir?”

  I replied, “No thank you, I have to get moving. Thanks for the offer anyway.”

  He nodded, smiled and left with our dirty dishes. Once again I thought about how surreal this entire situation was. We rose from our seats and headed towards the door. Once again, as we walked up to the Captains office people smiled and nodded to me as I passed. I was a little uncomfortable with all this attention. Of course, I was happy to see the looks of happiness and hope on the crews faces. On the way, we passed a group of captive pirates who were working under guard. Even they smiled and nodded at me. I was completely flabbergasted by this development. We finally reached the Captains office to find Sarolin waiting for us.

  He said, “Good morning Sir.”

  I said good morning in return. Sarolin presented me with a pad and told me it held the form we needed to follow for my taking command of the ship. There was a brief description of the ceremony itself followed by the words I would need to say. Once this was completed I would be formally considered to be the ships commander. The team who’d effectively conscripted me into command had apparently decided to add to the ceremony. They told me they hoped the additions would go some way to mitigate any piracy charges that may be bought against me in the future.

  I asked, “Am I able to read this, or must I commit it wholly to memory first.”

  Sarolin suggested I use my implant to help remember the oath I needed to take. I have to confess; I hadn’t thought about that option at all. The implant and its use still hadn’t become second nature to me, not yet. I read the tablet with the ceremony on it carefully, using the implant to help me solidify my memory of it. After about twenty minutes of doing this, reading and rereading the ceremony, I indicated to the others I was ready.

  Sarolin asked me to wait while he went off to bring everyone who needed to be present to the bridge for my assumption of command. While he was doing that, I spent a little more time reviewing the form of the ceremony, hoping I wouldn’t mess up in some embarrassing, or worse, insulting way. I really felt the need to get this right, if for no other reason than out of respect for the ship and her crew. When Sarolin finally had everyone present and ready, he came to fetch me. Eri walked onto the bridge with me as I was feeling extremely nervous. I could feel myself shaking but Eri’s hand on my arm calmed me somewhat. When we arrived on the bridge it was quite crowded both with the people who were intended to witness my assumption of command, and the normal bridge crew who were at their stations monitoring the ship and her surrounds. I walked over to the Captain’s chair where I stood waiting for everyone to quiet down. By now I was shaking like a leaf so Eri gently touched my arm once again to steady me, thankfully, it seemed to work. When everyone was ready Sarolin pressed a sequence of buttons on a console next to the Captain’s chair before nodding for me to begin.

  I recited the oath we had decided upon, “I, Colin Gordon, citizen of Australia on the planet Earth, home world of humanity, do hereby formally take command of FNS Destiny. I swear that while in command of this vessel I will loyally and faithfully discharge my duties as though I were both a loyal Federation citizen and an officer in the Federation Nava
l Service. I do this in the full knowledge that this act is considered an act of piracy under Federation law but see no alternative that could reasonably be expected to result in FNS Destiny finding her way home. In doing so I swear that I shall do my utmost to bring FNS Destiny back into the custody and ownership of her legitimate owners, the Federation Navy and to relinquish control of FNS Destiny to lawful authority at the earliest practicable time. I further swear that I shall not commit any hostile act against the Federation of Sentient Peoples, her Navy or any Federation citizen who is going about their normal, legitimate business.”

  After I completed reciting my oath, everyone cheered, I think because they now had someone to lead them home, they felt like they had a chance for the first time in several days. While they were cheering, I also realised they had not tried to make me swear to hand myself over to Federation authority, in fact they had not even suggested it. I thought that seemed to be an interesting omission, but then maybe they didn’t think it necessary, after all, where else could I go after we were safely back in the Federation anyway.

  Once the ceremony was completed I asked the senior crew who were present if we could meet immediately. I needed to quickly gain an understanding of where things stood with the ship. I did already have some idea but till then, I wasn’t the responsible leader in charge so I was sure I’d ignored or neglected some things. The senior ratings who were manning bridge stations called in back up crew to take over before we all trooped down to a meeting compartment large enough to hold us all. On the way, I thought I need to empower these Tangesha, to give them the confidence to make their own decisions. I found myself wondering how I could best achieve that. Of course, I knew it would not be easy, not given the biological and cultural constraints they faced, but still, I thought there had to be a way to do it.