[It has been a full millennia Waltr]
"..."
Stunned by what the network displayed, blood drained from his face.
"Fuuuuu..."
Letting out a deep sigh, Waltr slumped back into the chair.
"F*ck"
[...]
Stunning the AI with his response, Waltr slapped his own face a couple times before diving back into the Galactic Net.
[...You seem to be taking this well Pilot.]
"Whatever happened in the past has happened. Unless those crazy lab-coats somehow discover, create, and release a time machine, there's no use crying over it." Waltr responded as he browsed the history side of the net.
"If I just sit there crying and panicking over everything, then our current predicament won't get resolved." He continued speaking as he got distracted by some 'sensual content'. "All I can really do at this point is accept everything and move on. When we are somewhere safe and not in the middle of f*cktown, then I can go all apesh*t over what just happened."
[Quite the viewpoint pilot.]
"Indeed, now, since we are connected to the GN, can you pinpoint our general location?"
[That would be a no. At our current position, the layout and patterns of the stars do not match any available star charts] Aroura answered, somehow sounding bewildered. [I am conducting another ship recalibration check. Even if we're in the void of space were nothing should breakdown and decompose naturally, I still need to check if the software is still up and running.]
"Sounds like a start. Oh? looks like you already finished. Hey! Our Deep Scan Probes are still functional!" Waltr exclaimed, shifting his attention away from the GN screen. "Aroura how soon can we launch the probes?"
[After I finish recalibrating your suit and you clean out the launch tube. It seems that a small obstruction has wedged itself in it.]
"Yes, I should do that." Rubbing his head, Waltr got up and moved to the nearest airlock. "Wait, I've been asleep for a millennia, how am I still able to walk let alone do physical activities?"
[Seems that some amnesia is still present and has not worn off. The reason why you can still move is due to the suit reading your brainwaves and acting as an external nervous system.]
"Why do you sound so annoyed?"
[That's just your imagination] Aroura icily stated.
[Additionally, thanks to being connected to the life support system, it replicated physical exertion suitable to retaining muscle mass. Constant massaging also helped prevent muscle atrophy and deterioration]
"Huh, cool." Waltr muttered as he climbed around the ship to the launch tubes. "Hey this is a pretty hefty rock. Do we have any drones that are operational?"
[We have one drone that is able to be deployed. Please move away from the drone hatch. I don't want to lose you due to negligence]
"Hup and over."
As soon as Waltr moved clear of the hatch, it slowly crawled open, before a drone the size of a fighter jet flew out into empty space. (A/N: Will be comparing sizes to things we have now for sake of better understanding.)
"Whoa!" Waltr yelped. "Hey that was on purpose right?"
Yelling into his helmet. Waltr would later swear he heard a 'tch' sound.
[That is just your imagination. Right now we need to be as efficient as possible]
"Yeah, yeah, efficiency." He grumbled. "Bring the drone over, I need to connect it to the rock so it can pull it out."
[Done]
Waltr drilled and anchored a large synthetic rope onto the obstructing rock before 'leaping' off his ship and onto the drone.
[Quite the dangerous maneuver pilot. What was your plan if you missed?]
"Uhh, didn't think about that" Waltr chuckled as he connected the rope to the drone.
"Alright they are connected!" Waltr shouted as he jumped back onto the ship before latching himself to it.
"Full forward on the drone! And full reverse thrust on the ship Aroura!"
[You do know that there is no need for shouting. The microphone is located in your helmet. Speaking regularly should suffice]
As the AI grumbled, it followed Waltr's orders. When the thrusters approached half of their output, Waltr felt an intense vibration on the ship as the rock obstruction was pulled out of the launch tube.
"Ouch, that is going to leave a mark." Waltr winced at the scratch marks. "Do we have any paint onboard Aroura?"
[That would be a no. Why would a combat vessel such as this require paint?]
"I don't know, maybe its for... Uhh..." Looking for a retort, Waltr smacked his helmet a couple times. "It's for recreational purposes!"
[Sure, what ever recreational purpose you can think of] Aroura responded. [With the obstruction out, we can now launch the probes.]
As Aroura was speaking, a flurry of objects launched out into relative space around the vessel.
[Connection at 80%]
[Connected. Establishing scan array]
[Completed. Calibrating scan area.]
[Complete. Detecting several points of interest. Further investigation required for detailed report]
"Woohoo!" Waltr celebrated. "We have a direction to go now!"
[That will have to wait]
Pouring cold ice on top of him. Aroura reported on the ship's state.
[Recount of inventory:
40m^3 of precious material related to ship restoration.
67m^3 of several ammunition types. Type: Railgun.
93m^3 of neutral energy material. Current status: Recharging due to unknown radiation. Time to complete saturation: 10 minutes.
90m^3 of several rocket munitions.
10m^3 of organic material required for survival of onboard crew.
Weapon status:
10/24 Railgun systems: Active
5/8 Missile Launch Bays: Active
Engine Status:
Afterburner: Online.
Miniwarpdrive: Offline
Microjumprop: Offline
Warp drive: Repairing (97% complete)
Jump drive: Repairing (48% complete)
Report complete]
Staring at the list on his wrists holocomputer, Waltr just growled to himself.
"How long will we need to wait before we can reach any of these points of interest." He asked
[The warp drive has almost been repaired. Another 20 minutes accounting for checks, simulations, and test runs before full operation.]
"So its another waiting game. Ugggggghhh."
[You've been asleep for a millennia already, what more is another 10 minutes? Just deal with it and come back and go see if you remember how to pilot an Willow Recon Frigate]
"On my way MOM."
[Negative, I am an AI, not a biological being responsible for the birth of the pilot]
Waltr facepalmed as he entered the airlock.
"I forgot how monotonous you are in regards to jokes."
[1. Your 'jokes' are that bad. 2. An AI has no need for emotions]
"HOW IS MY JOKES BEING BAD CONSIDERED HIGHER THAN NO NEED FOR EMOTIONS? Ow."
Waltr exclaimed as he punched the wall of the ship.
[Self harm will not elicit any emotions from me, other than artificial concern]
"That wasn't my intention Aroura. And you know it."
[Heh]
"You laughed just now. Is my pain and suffering that funny?"
[That is just your imagination pilot. Warp drive repairs and tests are complete]
"You're not getting away with this." Waltr grumbled as he bolted for his seat.
[Looks like I will be getting away with this pilot. Do you remember how to sail?]
"Yes I do. Let me finish getting used to the controls again first." Waltr replied as he strapped in.
"Alright, I'm ready, even if some of our weapon systems are down for the moment. We'll still be able to escape any situation." Waltr spoke to himself in an attempt to calm his racing heart.
"Aroura! Set alignment to the nearest point of interest!"
[Order received. Calculating Warp harmonization process]
[Complete]
[Warp Drive. Active]