Chapter 1

Charles stretched his lanky frame on his bed and rolled over, stepping out of bed. Washing his hairless face, he sighed once again at the slow and almost endless day that he had before him. As he stepped out of the shower, he silently cursed as his comm system went off. “Every time I am taking a shower, I swear.” Snapping it on, he looked at the sector supply pilot Julie as she quickly took in his nude body. Clearing her throat, she said, “Hey Charles, glad to ‘see’ you,” as she checked him out again and a slow smile crossed her young face.

“What the hell? You’re a week early,” he snapped at her.

“My, my, temper, temper. What side of the shitter did you wake up on this morning? I had to; bad ion storms are moving into this sector, so we had to leave early,” she replied as her small hands reached for the engine controls.

“What ion storm? My preliminary scans would’ve picked that up if there were any,” he queried back at her.

“Not this one. It’s been behind me all week. We had to boost the engines to get here ahead of it, moving fast, very unusual,” she said, a worried look on her face. “I heard that this was the only station with shields that could withstand it. You are something of a legend back at central command with the advanced tech you have, and besides,” a small smile again lighting up her face, “I wanted to see you again.”

Charles just sighed. Every time it was the same. She wanted him, he knew that, but for some strange reason, he didn’t want her. With her 36c breasts, her long unending legs, her tiny waist, and her long light brown hair, she was a wet dream to most men, but not him.

I wonder if I am sick or something? he thought, as he watched her start her docking procedures. It was an oddity to him, as he felt he was one also. Charles entered the commands to allow her ship into the station, then started the scans again to pick up the approaching storm. Within minutes, he had spotted it, and as she had said, it was moving at tremendous velocity, unlike anything he had ever seen before, and he had seen quite a few. Readings started to come in on his view screen, and he just shook his head at the massive amounts of energy that it was producing.

After Julie docked, he secured the station and started to shift everything. He activated the shields and started doing checks on all systems. He made sure that all backup systems were ready to go, as a failure would mean his, Julie’s, and her crew’s lives. Charles stood at the console with a perplexed look on his face as Julie walked into the command center. At 5’8”, he wasn’t the tallest, the most handsome, or hell, the most sought after, especially after the fiasco at the graduation ceremony. He and Karen had snuck out behind the building to fuck. He had cum before his 9 inch cock was half way in her. He couldn’t live with the shame, so he had taken the first deep space station he could and swore off women forever.

“I have never seen readings like these. What did the scientists say back at home base?” he said, not turning as she walked up behind him.

“They didn’t know what it was, and they knew that your equipment was far more advanced than theirs. They want readings as soon as you can,” she smirked as she looked at the readings on his console.

“There is a pattern here I have seen before, but it’s been a long time. Not sure if...” A shocked look ran across his face as he started to move toward other equipment on the other side of the room.

“I know what it is. I haven’t seen it in years.” Julie was lost as she watched him move from console to console.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“It’s a ship, a rather well-advanced ship. What we are seeing isn’t an ion storm; it’s more of an advanced type of protective shield. There’s a ship in there somewhere,” he stated excitedly.

“A ship? How do you know?” A look of disbelief on her face.

“I once did a study on the old Mioan Empire. It was around for a long time, but they were so old many of their systems had broken down and no one really knew how to fix them. By the time our race reached the stars, they were long gone, almost all remnants of them gone. But last year I found an old ship in a graveyard. No one knew what it was. It had the strangest configuration, the power source was different. It’s what I based the power system here on,” he stated proudly. “Hell, with the help of my AI, I was able to decipher the Mioan language (well, most of it. There were still a few thousand words I was STILL trying to translate after a year and a half) and found out a lot about them. This looks like a system that they were using toward the end of their empire.”

Julie just stared at him as he began to bring up systems she had never seen before and a strange, almost singing language came out of the speakers. “They are asking who we are. It sounds like an automated system, all comps and AIs,” he started to move faster.

“Shit! This thing is fast. Cici, take over, confirm we are citizens and see if they need assistance.”

“Compliance,” his AI said as it took over the conversation with the ship. “They do wish assistance. They have sustained damage and wish to pull in for repair. They will limit access of their ship to you and me only,” Cici said as it kept translating.

“Alright, accept and bring them into bay 4 unless they request something different,” he stated.

“Compliance,” it quipped back at him.

As quickly as it had begun, the storm was gone and a massive ship was there at the docking port almost as fast. “Cici, you are going to have to keep me abreast of everything and don’t stop translating or deciphering. We may need every word that we can get.” He shook as he started to walk to bay 4. “Julie, go back to your ship, don’t let anyone off. This ship is more advanced than I thought, it could destroy this station in a moment. I don’t want you or anyone else killed, understood?” Julie looked scared at Charles as she nodded her head and started walking to her ship. She had never seen Charles this serious before.

Charles walked into bay 4 as he awaited info from his AI. “Sir, I have confirmation of this ship. It is the royal ship of the last line of Mioatia. It was reported missing over 2500 years ago. All the markings match those of the reported ship. It was rumored to have been carrying the last princess, the Empress, the Royal Councillor, and the Prince. After they disappeared, the Empire declined and after 10 years was gone.”

“Damn, I thought we had just found an old freighter, not an old royal ship,” he said, surprised, as he moved closer.

“Not yet, sir. They haven’t given a secure path yet; they are still trying to confirm. I have given them all the information I could, and it has updated, but it is taking longer than anticipated. There is much damage to the onboard AI.”

So Charles waited, looking over the ship. There was extensive damage to the hull, the engines (he thought they were engines, but he wasn’t sure), and many of the exterior systems. “They are ready for you, sir. A path is clear.” There was a bright flash, and he was suddenly inside the ship.

“What the hell was that?”

From his wrist, his com chimed out in the voice of Cici, “That was the preferred way of the royals to get on and off their ships. I have it listed as a long-distance matter-through-matter transfer system. The ship systems are heavily damaged, and you need to repair one, in fact, for the AI to regain control of all systems besides the weapons, internal and external.”

Charles worked for hours to restore the ship’s AI to full operation. It appeared to have been running on its backup and had lost control over almost all of the ship except for one room. There was no way into it, and he couldn’t get any information on it.

As he got more and more of it online, many of the ship’s systems began to stand down as power began to flow into the systems, and air actually started to circulate in the cabin. “Cici, status of AI?” he breathed out, exhausted.

“I am reading 95% restored. The rest it can do itself. Also, it has started to unwind the many words I was having trouble deciphering. I believe that it can now talk to you,” Cici said as it continued to work. “Try now, sir.”

“Thank you, Cici. To the AI of this royal ship, I am Charles Ricksome, a free citizen of all empires. Can you now speak in the language that I am using?”

“Of course I can, young man. I am not an antiquated piece of machinery. I was the highest form of AI that had ever been created at the time. It is sad that the greatest empire that has ever been was gone so quickly,” a sigh escaped the speakers. “I am in your debt, sir, as I was on the brink of a cascade failure, one that I am not sure even I could have recovered from,” a soft giggle came from all around him, “you have very good hands.”

Charles was taken aback at hearing the AI have emotions. He had been working on that for years and almost had it ready for his Cici. “Is there more I can help you with, or will you be continuing on your way?”

“Hmmmmmmmm, well, that will be up to her.” Charles turned as a door opened behind him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen was standing behind him. As she started to speak, he just shook his head because he couldn’t understand her. Frustrated, she spoke to the AI. “The princess Alatem wishes to thank you and asks that you help her continue her mission.”