Crew Record: SHIPMATE

[RangerYote]

 

Name: Shipboard Helmsman In Power ; Master Autopilot and Transit Executive (SHIPMATE)

Date of launch: 2/7/2520 (47 years ago)

General Occupational Role(s):

Shipboard Autopilot and Station Artificial Intelligence

Biography:

SHIPMATE started his life as a themed autopilot aboard the now defunct Buchaneer Cruiselines Company.  At the time, Buchaneer offered many disadvantaged or impoverished people in the Sol System the chance of living among the jet set and cruising to exotic destinations at a rock bottom price. Unfortunately, as is usually the case with these things, the passengers got what they paid for: Terrible service, appalling furnishings, and a safety record that made plasma mining seem like a very relaxed occupation.

His role aboard the vessels were twofold. To act as the navigator, helmsman and in some cases, backup captain for the voyage and to entertain the hotel guests. To this end, the company saw fit to install a personality module, heavily inspired by the larger than life captains of the golden age of piracy. While this module was popular among children, and the family demographics, most of the passengers and crew found his constant yo ho hoing to be grating.

Following the Saint Malo disaster, in which 834 of her 1005 passengers and crew were lost due to a structural failure on her Roll-On/Roll-Off Cargo Deck, the company faced bankrupcy. SHIPMATE was aquired during a sell off by NanoTrasen as part of their Save-An-AI initiative, and he was deployed to the research space stations as part of an experiment spearheaded by Master Spacefarer Terry Ford and Dr Martin Forbes of the Martian Institute of Technology.

At present, all SHIPMATE class units have been recalled from service aboard frontier outposts and research stations, with a return following some revisions scheduled for the next quarter.
 

Qualifications: Shipmaster Unlimited

 

Previous Installations:

BCL River Trent - Autopilot
BCL Essex - Autopilot
BCL Herald of Free Enterprise - On board entertainment system
BCL Saint Malo - Autopilot

Security Records:

Despite his persona as a pirate captain, rest assured that SHIPMATE has been installed with hardware limits that ensure the unit is aware that he is not a pirate. In the event that these modules should fail, or in the case of a silicon mutiny, contact a qualified individual from the company. A response will be made within 1-3 working days.

Edited January 7, 2023 by RangerYote
fixed headings