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course, Anelace’s former commander departed a month ago and
judging by my first impression of Durmont, I’d bet my arrival is a complete
surprise to these people.
    He
had never stepped foot on Anelace before but he knew her design by
heart.  Heskan had memorized his ship’s simple blueprint during his transit
from Anthe to Narvi along with the names and faces of his crew.  Even though there
were fifty crewmembers on the ship, Heskan had challenged himself to know each crewmember
from his first officer down to the lowest ranking spaceman.
    Turning
to his right, intending to head to the bridge, Heskan heard the heavy footsteps
of someone jogging down the corridor from the opposite direction .  I guess I
can meet him halfway , Heskan thought as he started walking that direction. 
Soon, Heskan spotted the rapidly approaching figure of his first officer.  Similar
in height to Heskan at just less than two meters, he came skidding to a halt short
of Heskan.  He came to attention and saluted.  “Lieutenant Mike Riedel.  Welcome
aboard, Captain.”
    Heskan
quickly returned the salute and extended his hand to the lieutenant.  As they
shook hands, Heskan answered, “Thank you, Mike.  It’s good to be aboard.  Sorry
to spring my arrival on you like this.”
    “No
problem, sir.  I was up in a sensor compartment when the announcement came
through and hauled ass down here.  Are we heading to the bridge or would you
like to stop by your quarters first?”
    Heskan
started moving toward the bridge.  “Let’s get the official stuff over with and
then I can settle in.”
    The
walk to the bridge was a short one.  In fact, on a ship so small, getting to
any place was a matter of only a few minutes.  They walked along the lower deck
of Anelace, moving through the tiny medical bay and Damage Control
Station Four as they passed by two youthful spacemen and a petty officer second
class.  Anticipating Heskan’s thoughts Riedel offered, “We’re young, sir, but
it’s a good crew.  Most of us have been on board over a year.  I was in charge
of the SENS section for six months before becoming first officer for the last
year.” 
    Heskan
nodded, “I like a young crew.  It means we can work harder.”
    Taking
the elevator from Auxiliary Control, they ascended to Anelace’s upper
deck, coming to rest near the highest point of Anelace’s hull, the
bridge.  After walking just a few meters, they passed through the bridge doors
to a small and unimpressive room with seven shockseats.  As the “brain” of the
ship, the room was compact and crowded.  A huge screen dominated the front wall
and currently displayed the ship’s status.  Near the center of the room and a
mere two meters from the wall screen were the navigation and sensor stations. 
Just behind the two stations, in the center of the room, the captain’s chair
rested.  The chair had elaborate computer consoles on both arms including a
docking station for his datapad but the front was unobstructed, providing an
easy view of the entire bridge.  Running along the right side of the bridge
were the weapons station and first officer’s station.  Along the left side sat
the engineering and operations stations.  Each station had its section’s
abbreviation stenciled on the back of its chair; NAV (navigation), ENG
(Engineering), SENS (Sensors), OPS (Operations), WEPS (Weapons) and 1ST (First
Officer).  While there were many other responsibilities to be attended to on board,
the people who sat in these seats were the nucleus of activity when it came to
discharging Anelace’s duties.
    “Captain
on the bridge,” a grey-haired enlisted man announced.
    Senior
Chief Petty Officer Andrew Brown, boatswain and the senior ranking enlisted man
on Anelace.  I hope we work well together , Heskan prayed.
    The
senior chief held onto a pole exactly two meters long; attached to the end was
a dark blue flag with a long, curved dagger, the point of the dagger touching a
star.