I was halfway back to the agricultural room before I realized what Tyndel had just done. When he had gotten me to replace my communication device, he had effectively made me Captain. I muttered, “And you wanted to make someone as slow and dense as me into a Captain?”

“It worked; I will be with you and will warn you if anyone else tries to trick you in such a way. You have never been promoted, so changing your communication device wouldn’t be the most obvious way of accepting a new position.”

I would forever be known as the person who was tricked into being promoted to Captain.

“It has happened at least twice in history, although not quite in this fashion.”

I was still thinking about how to break this news to the others. ‘Tyndel, of those who are currently on board, have any of them been employed on this ship for a shorter time than me?’ I had decided that if I was to speak to him in my head, I should probably try to start with his name, just to differentiate my internal rambling from my actual questions.

“Two. One came onboard a year ago, the other 20 months ago.”

So, I now had the lovely task of convincing 25 people that someone who had been here for a shorter time than them was now their Captain. There was no way to tell how the other two would react either. Tyndel was being remarkably silent on those details...

“If you wish assistance, you merely need to ask. Otherwise, I am trying to let you have the freedom to work in your own fashion.”

It was a relief to know that he didn’t plan to control every small detail of what I did. “I’ll try to muddle along, although I will probably need your backup in some fashion or another. Did they manage to find everyone?”

“I will always support you in your role as Captain. I had to subtly assist, but all 27 of them are now gathered in the agricultural room.”

I winced at that title, but thanked him quietly as I approached the door to the agricultural room. It was apparently going to take more work to get him to change his mind... The door opened at my approach and 27 people looked over. If I was lucky, I recognized half of them. Only two were Overseers, six were experienced assistants, and the rest were still in their first five years, just like I was.

Cynthia ran over with a relieved expression. “Oh, thank goodness you are okay!” she exclaimed, relief clear in her voice. “I was so worried!”

It was almost strange to realize that everyone here was quite worried, with some looking like they were on the verge of panic, while I was relatively calm. Then again, less than an hour ago, I had been similarly anxious and worried. Logan also came over swiftly and said, “Did you manage to remove the fuse? Nothing bad has happened so far, but we really need to get out of here.”

I sighed. “No, I didn’t manage it, but it turns out that we don’t need to bail.”

Logan looked at me as if I were crazy. “What do you mean that we don’t need to?”

“I had a rather long talk with Tyndel – the AI – and he doesn’t mean us any harm.”

Logan sputtered, “But AIs can’t really manage a conversation, they are more like computers that are able to convert words into speech. They are a computer – they aren’t truly intelligent.”

“Well, the upgrade corrected that. He is truly aware.”

Logan shook his head hard. “That just isn’t possible.”

‘Tyndel, are there speakers in this room?’

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“Yes. And I am happy to assist with your plan.” He had somehow picked up my vague plan even though I hadn’t thought about it in words or even really organized my thoughts. It was now apparent that I would never be able to take him by surprise.

I glanced up at the ceiling even though I knew that there were dozens of sensors all around us. I addressed my words towards the ceiling. “Do you feel like explaining this one, or shall I?”

Tyndel’s voice came over the speakers. “I shall let you explain. They will be able to relate to you better.”

The wide eyes and pale faces spoke volumes, but Logan now seemed to have mysteriously joined the group of believers, despite his earlier protests. He seemed at a loss. “What is going on? Why did the spaceship kidnap us?”

And that was my cue... “Long story short, the event two weeks ago was something Tyndel did during a miscalculation. He now knows that humans aren’t all the same, but he is quite fussy about who he will allow on board. He is fine with all of us, which is why we are here. He was not okay with the others.”

I paused in case there were any questions, but I was greeted by silence as they waited for me to continue. The doubtful expressions were not that promising...

“He plans to continue trading; as well as helping with any space rescues, removing pirates, and some other odds and ends. We are heading to a new destination and should get there in about four days. Other than that, I don’t know much more than you do.”

One woman I didn’t recognize spoke up. “So, we are free to stay here and work until then, or we can bail and hope that someone is close enough to pick us up?”

“Yes, the choice is theirs. The access doors will now open if they are properly suited up. I will re-seal the door after them and re-pressurize the room.”

I nodded. “Yes.”

I was still a bit miffed about being made Captain when he didn’t even try to convince them to remain.

“You could have left the room, but you didn’t. Neither did you say ‘No’ directly before accepting the new communication device.”

I elected to ignore those details since they hadn’t occurred to me during that discussion. Tyndel would have certainly noticed that I had failed to mention my new status, although the crew was probably assuming that he was in charge, which, in the end, he was.

Logan glanced around at the remaining crew as he checked to see if anyone looked less confused than him. He said, “So, it is basically business as usual until we get to our destination?”

“That is what I got out of the conversation. Just focus on the important stuff since we are only four days away from our new destination. Tyndel said that he will help out where he can, with what he can, as well.”

The cook glanced at the others, barely bothered by the turn of events now that our lives weren’t, supposedly, in immediate danger. He declared, “I am the only cook here, so I will move to the Overseers’ dining area, and everyone can go there to eat.”

He wandered out to investigate his new domain, apparently with no other concerns or worries. Others also started to scatter, some debating the potential risks of staying versus the hazards of bailing. Logan and Cynthia remained with me, looking confused and somewhat lost.

Logan spoke quietly. “I hope the ship isn’t too upset that I tried to uninstall that upgrade.”

I shrugged. “He didn’t mention anything, but I wouldn’t try to touch the AI’s software or files.”

“Duly noted,” he said. “I think I will head to my room for a bit and let my brother know that I still live. He was on that planet and expecting me to visit this evening.”

He left, looking like he was deep in thought. Cynthia still looked shaken. She asked me, “Mind if I come to your room for a while? This is a bit much to take in.”

“Sure.” We started walking together down the quiet corridors. She probably didn’t want to be alone at this point. I suspected that she just needed some time to adjust and was in need of a bit of reassurance as well.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before she spoke very quietly. “Do you think that the ship will keep its word?”

Tyndel’s yes echoed in my head. I answered as truthfully as I could. “I think so, and I really hope so. Although the only proof I have so far is the fact that we are still alive.”

She quietly mulled that over before looking longingly at the door leading to the showers. I hesitated for a moment, and then said, “Go have a good long soak. There are only 28 of us on board, so there is plenty of water to last for four days.”

Normally showers were timed and actual baths were only allowed twice a month. A long hot bath would make her very tired, and then she would sleep. Sleep would help her recover from this shock to her system.

I somehow doubted that sleep would work quite as well for me this time...

“Thanks!” Her instant excitement brought a grin to my face as she raced down the corridor to grab her shower bag and clean clothes.

I went into my own room and lay back on my bed as I tried to relax a few tense muscles. This morning I had been an assistant with the trivial task of moving crates between various cargo bays. This evening I was the Captain of a Starship. And that change just wasn’t sinking in...