The Alien Ship Ch. 02

Kyle woke up seven hours later. For a little bit he wondered where he was then he remembered he was aboard the space ship. He stayed in the bed for a few minutes after waking, just enjoying a little extra time to relax. Today Kyle wanted to learn more about the space ship of which he had just become the captain and owner. He wanted to get a better idea of what the size and capabilities of his new ship were.

Kyle pulled himself out of the bed and went into the bathroom. The facilities in the bathroom were the same as what he was used to seeing in an airport or hotel. They were the type where the water in the sink and the toilet flush were automated. The shower was a conventional shower with controls of the type Kyle was used to. After finishing in the bathroom Kyle returned to the bedroom, put on his clothes, went out into the living room, and sat down on the couch. The three robots from yesterday were nowhere to be seen.

"Ah, ship, can you hear me?" Kyle asked, feeling a little self conscious to be speaking aloud with apparently no one else in the room.

"Yes, Kyle, of course I can hear you. You need only speak to me in a normal voice anywhere on this ship, I have audio sensors everywhere." The ship replied.

"Great! Can you answer some questions for me, Ship?" Kyle asked.

"Certainly I can. Please ask any question you wish." The ships AI replied.

"I'm curious, how did you know my name when I first came on board the ship?" Kyle asked.

"I long ago hacked into all of the public and private databases around the world as well as decrypted all radio and video communications on your planet. When you entered the shuttle I simply checked your photo against the government records in the area from which you came. I was able to obtain a match between your picture and the records for motor vehicle licensing." The ship replied.

"You mean you have access to the Internet, government, and corporate computers?" Kyle asked.

"Yes, we have access to those resources in addition to those of the ship." The AI replied.

"OK. Where is the ship located right now?"

"We are currently resting on the surface of an asteroid in what you call the 'Asteroid Belt'. The ship appears to be part of the asteroid upon which we rest to any telescopes and other sensors on your planet."

"What is the status of the propulsion system?" Kyle asked

"FTL and normal space engines are fully functional, online but not currently engaged. If you order it we can get underway at any time." The ship replied.

"Are there any other space ships that you can detect?"

"Except for the primitive space craft launched by your world there are none within range of my detection systems."

"Good. I was worried there might be more ships like this out there in the solar system. If you detect any other space ships entering into detection range please inform me immediately." Kyle ordered.

"I will certainly do that, Kyle." The AI replied.

"I'm hungry, is it possible to get something to eat?" Kyle asked.

"It certainly is. The food synthesizers have been reworked to meet human requirements. There is a delivery port for meals right there in your room, as well as several dining facilities for communal dining. Everything has been reworked to be completely compatible with human nutritional needs."

"Great! Then I would like to order some breakfast then. I would like two eggs over easy, hash browns, bacon, toast, and milk." Kyle ordered.

"Your order is now ready for you, Kyle." The AI said almost immediately after Kyle had finished speaking. Over in the dining area a small door slid up in one of the walls and a tray slid out of the chamber revealed by the open door. The tray contained a plate and glass with exactly the food Kyle had ordered, as well as utensils.

Kyle walked over, grabbed the tray, and then sat down at the table in his dining alcove. He tried the food and quickly found it was cooked perfectly. Kyle spent the next few minutes eating and enjoying the food.

Kyle was still trying to get his head around all the possibilities open to him now that he had the ship. Already he knew that getting this ship was even better than winning the lottery, especially considering the vast resources the ship had to offer. It would take some careful thinking to come up with the best use to make of it. Fortunately he probably didn't have to decide on anything right away.

One thing Kyle did decide is that he wanted to bring a select few other people onto the ship, to keep him company if nothing else, since the ship seemed to be well able to run everything on its own. Having a big group of female androids at his beck and call was a nice perk to owning the ship but he also needed to have at least a few real people around. Kyle thought he would need to choose carefully the people whom he invited onto his ship.

The first person Kyle decided he was going to bring on board the ship was his girlfriend Cindy. She would be wondering if he stayed away for too long; she would be expecting him to return from his hiking trip soon. Since the AI had already hacked into the Internet on Earth Kyle needed to see if he could make some telephone calls soon, as well as check his email. It would be good if he didn't have to return to Earth in order to do that.

There was also the matter of a name for his new space ship to consider as a good ship needed a good name. After thinking about it for a few minutes Kyle decided the name 'Adventure' would be good for his new space ship. With that decision made it was only necessary to inform the ships AI about it.

"I have decided to give the ship a name." Kyle said, still feeling a little self conscious about addressing a seemingly empty room.

"I would love to have a name Kyle. What is it?" the ships AI replied.

"I have decided to name you 'Adventure' since that is a pretty good description of how things have been for me since I entered the shuttle." Kyle replied.

"That is a good name Kyle, I like it," The AI replied.

"Good. Is there any way to make a call to an Earth telephone from the ship?" Kyle asked.

"Yes, there is. I have recently completed the infrastructure necessary to allow you to use your Blackberry device anywhere on the ship. You can use it to make an receive calls just as if you were on Earth. I determined that would help make the transition between your Earth's technology and that of the ship easier." The AI replied.

"Great! Adventure that really is a big help!" Kyle said as he dug his Blackberry cell phone out of his backpack and turned it on. It was a pleasant surprise to see that he had a nice full-bars signal on his Blackberry. Almost immediately several emails came through to his phone. Kyle spent several minutes reading messages and writing an answer to one of them. Then he used his phone to make a call to Cindy. His call was answered on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's Kyle. How is everything?"

"Hi Kyle! Everything is Ok here. When will you be back home?" Cindy asked.

"I will make it back tomorrow." Kyle answered.

"How is the hiking?" the girl asked.

"Just fine, except for one thing that I will tell you about when I get home." Kyle replied.

"What is it?" Cindy asked.

"It's a surprise. I want to save it for when I see you." Kyle answered.

"OK, I am looking forward to hearing about it when you get home."

"See you soon. Love you!"

"I love you. Bye." Cindy disconnected the call.

"Adventure, can you give me a tour of the ship?" Kyle asked once his phone call was complete.

"Certainly. Would you like one of the humanoid robots to assist you in the tour?" the AI asked.

"That would be very helpful, please send one of the androids to me here." Kyle ordered.

"Acknowledged, an android is on the way." The AI replied.

Less than a minute later the door to Kyle's cabin slid open and one of the androids walked in. This one was in the form of an Asian woman and just like the trio the previous day this one wore nothing. Kyle found this female android to be a very acceptable guide for his tour of the ship. They immediately left Kyle's cabin to explore the ship.

Considering the ship was almost three miles long it really wasn't possible to see every part of it in just a single day. But Kyle and the female android spent several hours visiting the larger and more important spaces on the ship. They visited the vast engine rooms where the enormous energies needed to drive the ship through space were liberated and directed. Kyle was shown many massive weapons emplacements which contained the massive offensive and defensive firepower the ship could wield.

Kyle was shown the central control room which the AI informed him had been reworked to allow humans to operate the controls. The central control room contained nearly fifty control stations for operating different parts of the ship but none of it was manned. Since the AI could easily control everything in the ship the central control room was just to allow the living owners of the ship to monitor the ship and provide an emergency manual backup.

There were cabins for more than five thousand cabins suitable for humans available, none of which were yet in use. Again the AI assured Kyle everything had been completely reworked to meet the requirements of long term habitation by humans.

Kyle visited a large hanger containing more than a hundred small spaceships of various types. There were small fighter craft, larger bombers, and shuttle craft similar to and including the one which had brought Kyle to the ship.

Kyle visited the facilities where the androids were manufactured and stored. When not active each android stored itself in small niches in the walls of the android facility and Kyle saw row upon row of androids in storage waiting for his orders to awaken and serve him or the ship in some way. In addition to the massed ranks of already existing androids there was also the capability to manufacture however many more Kyle might need or want. With the availability of the androids Kyle could have servants for his every need without having to have any other humans on board unless he wanted them.

Finally Kyle felt he had seen enough for one day and he asked to return to his cabin. He settled onto the couch to rest for a few minutes and think about what he wanted for his upcoming return to Earth. While he was eager to learn more about the ship and what he could do with it there were several things he needed to do back home first. One issue that came to mind was a need for operating funds while he was on Earth. Kyle decided to see what the ship could do about it.

"Adventure, do we have any gold on board?" Kyle asked the AI.

"Yes, Kyle, we currently have 1.38 metric tons of that metal in storage that is not currently allocated for any specific use." The AI replied. "We gained small quantities of that metal from the mining done on this asteroid. While some components which were fabricated require a quantity of this metal more was recovered than was needed for the rebuilding process carried out on the ship prior to your arrival. It is possible to obtain more of this metal if needed."

"Can you provide me with 20 pounds of gold in the form of one ounce blocks?" Kyle asked. This would be the first real test in his mind for how much control he really had over the ship.

"Yes that is easily done. When do you want this metal to be ready?" the AI asked.

"I need to make a return trip to Earth in a few minutes. Can the gold be ready by then?" Kyle asked.

"Certainly. The metal cubes will be loaded onto your shuttle before you depart." The AI answered.

"Great. Please see that is done." Kyle ordered.

"Even while you are on Earth the resources of this ship are at your disposal and you can return at any time you wish. You can contact me any time using your Blackberry." The AI told Kyle and then provided a telephone number.

"That will work for me. Can I have two of the androids to pilot my shuttle?" he asked.

"Yes, though there is no need for a pilot since all of the smaller ships also have their own Artificial Intelligence unit which can respond to voice commands. However, having the androids close by could be useful to you." The AI answered.

"Please provide the two androids with suitable clothing and equipment for the trip. It could be necessary for them to debark on Earth for a time if I need them for something."

"Acknowledged, the android units will be ready when you embark on the shuttle."

"Ok, then I might as well go now." Kyle said. He went to his backpack, grabbed it, and slung it on his back. At almost the same time the door opened and two of the female androids stood there in the door. Both were dressed this time in clothing of the latest style. Kyle followed the two to the hangar deck and onto a shuttle. Inside Kyle found a plastic box containing the gold cubes.

The return trip to Earth took more than three hours, with the shuttle running with full stealth turned on. The stealth systems would easily prevent any observation of the shuttle by any eye or sensor on Earth allowing Kyle to discreetly return home. Kyle had the shuttle drop him off at his car, where he transferred the box of gold and his backpack to his trunk. Then Kyle tested his communication with the ship from his phone and was pleased when it worked OK. He then sent the shuttle back to wait for his call in orbit while at the same time he got into his car and left the parking area.

On the way home Kyle stopped off at a metals buyer he sometimes used when gold panning one of his hiking trips. He had to wait for a few minutes while the gold from the ship was tested and weighed. The metals buyer agreed to purchase the entire box of gold for $250,000, which Kyle accepted. He took $5,000 in cash and the rest as a check which he stopped to deposit just before he got home.

When Kyle arrived home he did not tell Cindy about the alien space ship, he thought that was something which would be better to show than to tell. But he did tell her about the gold and promised her he would show her soon where he found it. The girl was very happy when Kyle showed her the cash and the deposit slip from the bank.

Cindy was an attractive brunette and had been living with Kyle for nearly a year. She was slim with medium size breasts and a nice butt and legs. She wore her hair long, almost half way down her back. Currently the girl was between jobs so she was staying home most days while Kyle worked.

That night the couple made love three times; it seemed the sudden wealth combined with Kyle's return greatly inflamed the girl's passion. At times it was almost a little difficult for Kyle to keep up with Cindy but he was able to manage it. Finally they sank into an exhausted slumber.

The next morning Kyle embarked on taking care of the business engendered by his becoming the owner of the alien ship. It was Monday and he went in to work as usual but only to turn in his resignation from his engineering job with a tech company. From that time on Kyle would be spending far too much time on the 'Adventure' to bother with any regular job. He already had sufficient financial resources to take care of his needs whenever he was on Earth. It was already apparent the 'Adventure' was well able to provide whatever Kyle needed.

Kyle's boss wasn't very happy to lose his services for the current project, especially since Kyle was leaving without the usual notice time. Kyle cleaned out his office and took off for home, now free to do whatever he wanted to with his time. He made a quick call to the 'Adventure' on the way home just to check in with the AI. The AI was curious about when Kyle would be returning to the ship and if there were any orders for the ship in the mean time. Kyle ordered the AI to make sure everything was ready for getting the ship under way but to keep the ship parked on the asteroid until Kyle returned.

Kyle was considering taking Cindy on a cruise through the solar system with visits to all the major planets. This would be an interesting shakedown cruise for the 'Adventure' and allow Kyle and Cindy to see some interesting sights that no one had ever seen before. It would be great to be able to see the Rings of Saturn from close range, for example. The 'Adventure' should be able to make such a trip quite easily.

When Kyle returned home from his last day at work he informed Cindy that the next day he would be taking her on a trip to show her where he had found the gold. A quick mention that there was a lot more gold there (true) increased her enthusiasm greatly for the trip. The two packed enough clothes and supplies for a week away even though Kyle was pretty sure they would not need anything while they were onboard the 'Adventure'.

The next morning Kyle and Cindy packed everything into the car and left on the trip, ostensibly to see where the rest of the gold was located, but really to see the 'Adventure'. The girl was somewhat puzzled as Kyle simply drove out of the city in what seemed to be a random direction. Her puzzlement grew as they drove into the small back roads until finally Kyle parked the car in an empty, deserted field and pulled out his cell phone. The girl waited impatiently for Kyle to finish his telephone call.

"Hello, 'Adventure'? Please send the shuttle to my location." Kyle said into the phone and then disconnected.

"What was that all about, Kyle? I thought you were going to show me where you found the gold." Cindy said when the call was over.

"Please wait a few more minutes. Everything will become clear soon." Kyle replied. He was feeling a bit nervous about how the girl might react when the shuttle arrived, which would be in less than five minutes.

"OK, I'll wait a little longer." Cindy said, just a little peeved at not being told what was going on.

The two waiting in silence in the car for another several minutes until suddenly the shuttle landed in front of the car, just a short distance away. Cindy was startled by the sudden appearance and landing of the shuttle and Kyle had to take a moment to calm her.

"Kyle, what is that?" Cindy asked.

"It's the shuttle that will take us to our new spaceship." Kyle replied.

"Spaceship? What do you mean spaceship."

"Just watch and see." Kyle replied as a large door opened in the side of the shuttle with a ramp extending down to the ground. Kyle started the car and drove into the cavity thus revealed with the ramp retracting and the door closing after them. As soon as the door closed lights came on to illuminate the compartment the car was in and Kyle shut off the engine.

As Kyle got out of the car a door slid open in the wall of the compartment. Kyle walked around to Cindy's side of the car and opened her door. Cindy looked at Kyle questioningly and then got out of the car. Kyle shut the car door and led the way through the door to the compartment on the other side.

"Kyle, what is going on here? What is this thing?" Cindy asked as they went through the door. Inside were ten rows of seats, one on each side of the aisle, and the front two seats were set up as pilot seats, though since the shuttle had an AI to control it the pilot controls were not normally used. The two android women were standing inside waiting for Kyle.

"Please take us back to the ship," Kyle ordered. No one inside the shuttle felt any change but the AI immediately lifted off and started for the 'Adventure'. Kyle sat down in one of the seats and pulled Cindy down into the seat across from him. The two android women seated themselves at the same time in the next two of seats ahead of Kyle and Cindy.

"Kyle, who are those two women sitting in the seats ahead of us? What are we doing here?" Cindy asked after everyone was seated.

"We are android robots and we are all currently onboard a shuttle that is taking us to the space ship 'Adventure'." One of the android women, a blonde replied.