Ping

I walked onto the bridge.

On a Lightning Class frontier merchant there are five acceleration couches in the bridge.  Pilot and navigator facing forward.  Comms and sensors aft of them on the port side, facing out.  The captain's "command couch" was starboard facing out next to the hatch.

The command couch was really just a seat for the captain to bark orders from with a few repeater displays but no real controls.  Unless Hamilton was giving the utility grav systems a workout, Capt Harris tended to stand behind pilot and navigator stations and look out the windscreen.

The sensor station deserves a bit more detail.  It's against the aft bridge bulkhead and there's a physical curtain that can be pulled around the station.  Mike the Sensor Operator almost never had that curtain open; and only when the systems were completely shut down.

I get no end of amusement from the secrecy.  Both Captain Harris and Mike the Sensor Operator are under the impression that a "diplomat" cannot be cleared to know the ELINT capabilities of a Lightning.

Where was I?

I walked onto the bridge, Mike behind his curtain saying, "We've got a Gashidda doing customs picket work at 245 by 30 and a couple of merchants near that bearing..."

Capt Harris interrupts at this point, "Mike, we're not alone."  Mike shuts up.  I sometimes think that he believes that when he's behind his curtain and not talking that I no longer perceive his existence.

Sigh.

Just another day on the Terran Merchant Ship English Electric.  Someday I am going to have to get our British captain to explain how he came up with that name.