I stood at the top of the ramp platform while the Terraformers disembarked. I was standing to the side of the door, and most barely glanced at me, probably thinking I was just a second security guard.

The docking station Overseer was waiting at the base of the ramp for the slow flood of people to subside. As the last people left, I walked down the ramp since he was clearly wishing to speak with someone.

He bowed his head slightly. "Captain Wanderer."

This was a surprise since every docking station Overseer I had met so far had required my ID to believe that I was the Captain.

"He knew we were bringing in the refugees and looked up your profile so he would be able to pick you apart from any Officers who may also be seeing this group off."

"Overseer. How are you doing today?"

"I am doing well, thank you. I wished to pass along our thanks for picking this group up. Your timing was excellent; we recently received word from another ship just an hour ago that the planet is surrounded with a thick volcanic cloud. We know there isn't much trade to be had here, so we will pay your docking fees at your next stop as our way of saying thank you for looking out for others."

I was a bit surprised, but replied, "Thank you very much. That is kind of you."

"You are welcome. Unfortunately, I am needed elsewhere, but feel free to dock for as long as you wish. There is no charge."

I nodded my thanks before he left. I went back inside the access door, knowing that the Navigations Officer was waiting for them to pull back the ramp so we were cleared for takeoff.

The Overseer's offer was thoughtful since the docking stations were not responsible for interspace events. It was likely his way of hopefully drawing us back here for trade in the future. A small planet like this would benefit if even one large trading ship made a trip here. Our current cargo wasn't the stuff the suppliers here would be particularly interested in though – and he had likely known it. I headed back to the Bridge.

        "You are needed on level 22."

I got out of my chair and headed to the Bridge door. The Bridge crew didn't even comment; they were so used to me coming and going that it was normal for them. They knew they could contact me if anything came up. We had just left the planet, so none of us expected anything to happen anytime soon.

The Bridge door closed behind me at the same moment that a corridor wall panel slid away to reveal a hidden passage. It wasn't too surprising to discover Starsong had hidden corridors on this ship, but I was surprised to see it now.

"There is a transportation pod inside, and you need to get to level 22 swiftly."

I had heard of transportation pods before, but had never seen one. It was basically a small capsule that could take a single person anywhere along the chute routes with extreme speed. I was uneasy, but Starsong had never been in a rush before, so I didn't slow my steps as I went into the narrow corridor.

The corridor panel slid closed behind me as I walked towards the pod. It was standing up with just enough room inside for one person. 'I assume you want me to get in that?'

"Yes."

I walked up to it and turned around before stepping back so I could lean against the soft padding in the rather snug space. The pod cover closed before it tilted horizontally. It suddenly rocketed off, sending the pod traveling headlong to wherever Starsong was sending it with phenomenal speed. I held onto the handgrips even though I knew it was, in theory, perfectly safe. My nerves and stomach were at odds with that theory...

It wasn't long before it slowed to a stop, and the pod stood back up. The door opened, and I stepped out with slightly shaky legs. I wasn't sure I wanted to know how fast that thing had travelled if it was able to get me down to the back of the ship on the 22nd level in less than fifteen seconds.

"Keep silent and walk down the corridor without attracting attention."

The door to the main corridor slid open silently, and I exited cautiously. I wasn't sure what to expect, especially since we had just left all of the refugees on the planet. My footsteps were silent as I walked swiftly down the corridor. I could hear a voice raised in anger, so I followed the sound, assuming that it was what Starsong was focused on.

I slowly rounded the corner and leaned against the wall with my arms crossed. The two at the far end of the room didn't notice me; one man hung his head while the other one was managing quite a rant without pausing for breath. The angry one was the Cargo Bay Overseer. The silent one on the receiving end was one of the eight on probation.

The Overseer was gesturing to one of the Cargo Bay lift machines used to move crates around. I kept listening, but still failed to see why he was so upset. 'Starsong, from what I am hearing, the trainee only put the wrong oil in the machine. Am I missing something?'

"None of my background checks took into account that Regan might not get along with one he thinks is a pirate. Over his long years of service, pirates almost destroyed the ship he was on in five different incidents, and he lost many friends during those times. It appears he holds a grudge even though Victor was not actually a pirate."

This scene disturbed me, putting the wrong oil in a machine wasn't that bad of a mistake – and judging from the bottle beside the machine, the oil had been very similar to the proper stuff. The Overseer should have noticed the mistake, calmly pointed it out, and requested the person to change the oil properly. Not berate him over a small mistake – and he had been going on for some time for me to be able to get down here and then watch him long enough to determine what was going on.

I had certainly never been treated in such a fashion by anyone on the Tyndel. The unfairness of this was kindling my anger. No Overseer should behave like this.

"I agree, Regan is perilously close to being jettisoned at this point..." The dangerous edge on Starsong's voice told me that Regan's behavior was crossing some lines with the Starship, which was a rather dangerous thing.

I spoke with quiet authority, not raising my voice, but allowing its intensity to pierce Regan's rant. "Regan, you are relieved of your duties as Overseer due to unfair treatment of a crew member."

Both men jumped as they realized that they weren't alone. Shock was on both of their expressions as they swiftly looked over. Regan's face went rather pale as he instantly recognized me.

I unfolded my arms and started walking forward slowly. "Regan, you are to head directly to your quarters and remain there until an Officer comes for you. Starsong, please send the video of this incident to his supervising Officer with a list of infractions. The shift ends in 45 minutes, and I can supervise Victor until then."

Starsong's voice came over the hidden speakers. "The video has been sent and will be updated until Regan leaves the room."

It was Regan's turn to hang his head in shame and worry as he walked out of the room. The look on his face showed that he now realized he had taken things much too far. Regret and guilt were clear on his expression. It was a lesson that he had learned the hard way – but I wasn't about to change my mind.

I remained silent until the door closed behind him, which was undoubtedly Starsong's doing since it normally remained open unless someone purposefully closed it. I turned towards a rather pale-looking Victor, who was understandably nervous. He was on probation, and for a Captain to appear in the middle of such a lecture, it might mean that his chance was over.

Many ships and companies would have been looking for just such an excuse to send people back to the Integration Program office. That program had sent eight people - and I technically only needed one to keep all of the perks offered.

I spoke calmly, "If I understand matters correctly, we have the wrong oil in a lift machine. Pull out your Guide, and we will go through things step by step."

He nodded nervously before bringing out his Guide and scanning the large machine beside him. I watched him as he started to follow the steps it listed out for him. I knew that hovering over someone of a much lower rank tended to make them nervous when they didn't know me, so I wandered along the row of machines as I glanced at the rather-sophisticated Cargo Bay equipment.

Victor had only started a few days ago, so I planned to focus on showing him how to use the Guide to determine the best course of action and how to carry out its recommendations. I was essentially teaching him to rely on the device instead of trying to get him to memorize tiny details like which one of the forty types of oil was needed for each particular machine.

The next few days were probably going to be rough for Victor, regardless of how things turned out. He wasn't at fault, but I wasn't entirely sure how many infractions had been broken on Regan's side since I had only been present at the end of the incident.

"Three rather large infractions, one of which was harassment. He also violated several codes of conduct. General spaceship policy says that he may not have Overseer duties for a year. He will be on probation for six months if he gets such duties again."

'Good enough for me. What are we going to do for a replacement? We have a new trainee and no other assistants as of yet.'

"The Officer has already agreed to spend part of his time down here training him. He will give him a list of tasks and get him to rely on the Guide since it is fully capable of showing him what to do. He will be able to contact the Officer freely. I am currently trying to locate another person qualified as an Overseer since we do need someone with past experience in that area."

I said, 'And what of Regan? It seems rather unfair to put him back in this area with Victor.'

"He will be filling out the placement quiz, and he will be put in a different position that he is more suited to. He may have had a lot of experience in the Cargo Bay, but his personality isn't exactly suited for it. He is over-zealous over small mistakes, such a tendency may be an advantage in other areas – as long as he watches his conduct and behavior more carefully."

This was the first speedbump I had encountered with any of my crew so far. I was certain that Regan's mishap would be known to most, if not all, of the crew within mere days. Things this large rarely remained a secret on a spaceship. Even if Regan didn't say anything, the sudden loss of his rank would catch attention.

Perhaps it would also act as a warning that neither Starsong nor I were about to tolerate such behavior. Regan knew it – and he knew I was aware that he knew it.