So, the button was pressed down…

Almost instantly the sound of something metallic clicked inside the pedestal, whatever it was, and the yellow substance contained within the cylindrical tube started to shine. Then, without any warning or whatever, the substance started flowing out into the pipes which spread out through the ship. The process was complete in less than a second. The pipes now contained a slightly shining yellow color and seemed to flow through the ship almost like the blood through a living being… and then all the lights lit up. Not just the lights in the room Celine currently was in, but the lights in the corridor as well. If she looked around, she’d realize that she had just activated the ship’s electrical supply and brought the ship out of sleep-mode. The lights obviously made it much easier to see, a comfortable white light shining through the rooms from panels in the roof, but obviously any inhabitants would notice the lights coming alight…

… And a number of seconds later the sound of something metallic would sound from down the corridor, in the direction of where she had come from. Since the sound only came from that direction, it wasn’t obvious from just what part of the ship the sounds had come from as the sound could simply have bounced from even deeper in the ship, but somewhere in that direction. And whatever it was, it sounded large. And it continued to sound, almost as if something was taking step after step to examine just why all the lights had gone on. Given how large the corridor was, it was probably a given that it was large in order to allow something large to move through it, and currently, somewhere on the ship… something was moving.

What would Celine do now?

Almost at once the pedestal had made some metallic noises as the yellow substance began to shine. For a moment, Celine had thought it had came to life. It was then that the agent saw the substance begin to drain out to pipes connected to the pedestal and flow somewhere else in the ship. The pipes began to shine as well though not as brightly as the pedestal did. For a moment it did not appear that anything was going to happen, then suddenly the entire room began to light up as the blonde bombshell was bathed in a comfortable white light. But it was not just the room that Celine was standing in, but every room in the ship seemed to light up. The agent may have found the power button for the ship, however she had probably alerted anyone still on the ship that there was once person still moving around freely. And if the blonde was not careful enough, she probably would sure to attract the attention of whoever owned the ship.

In just a few seconds, Celine could hear what sounded like something metallic coming from the corridor she had taken to get to this very room. It did not take long for the agent that to realize it was not the ship activating. Whatever it was it sounded like it was getting closer and it sounded like it was larger than her. The blonde knew if the corridor were this large, then it was very possible that whatever it was could fill the corridor. The agent slowly moved out of the room and headed the opposite direction. She could check out the cockpit and hopefully not be inside as whatever it was entered the power room.

With the corridors lit up, there was no more darkness to cover up visual senses. She was making her way towards the front of the ship in order to avoid whatever was approaching. Even as she entered the room, the steps in the distance would continue to sound, and would do so throughout whatever Celine would do in there. However, in there Celine would happen to come across a rather peculiar little situation.

In a diagonally leaning, rather large cockpit. There were a total of five chairs, their size positively huge as if to support a screw several times human size. The amount of buttons were relatively few on each panel, but without instructions it would be impossible to tell what exactly was supposed to be done to pilot the thing. The site was dominated mostly by grey colors, the chairs seemingly made for comfort rather than good looks. The window out, a flat area in front of all the chairs, showed the canyon outside with no apparent decrease of visibility. There was an additional door to the left of the opening, seemingly leading to a side-room. As well, there was some kind of apparatus in between the chairs which was actually a projector to show the immediate surroundings of the ship by hologram during flight, but all Celine would see at the moment in that was a box with a blue opening on top. However, all the surroundings was rather uninteresting compared to a completely different content of the place.

There was a chair that was pretty obviously the captain’s chair. It had all the fanciest controls and was primed directly in the middle of everything in a somewhat elevated fashion. It was also rather large, as to support a huge alien. However, in the chair sat a single young girl seemingly in her late teens with her eyes closed. Her skin appeared clear white as if she never had been touched by the sun and her somewhat long hair was coal black. She was wearing an equally single-colored black dress ending just over her knees. She was sitting in the way too large chair, legs forming a V over the surface to keep balance while her torso and head was leaned back against the support. She wasn’t moving, seemingly sleeping, her expression devoid of anything to read. There she just sat, apparently unaware of what had occurred around her. What cause of action would Celine decide from here?

Things seemed to be much clearer now that the corridors were light up. Unfortunately, that meant it would be harder for the blonde to sneak around the ship as she could be spotted more easily. Still Celine was able to make her way to the cockpit fairly easily and without stumbling across anyone, though she could hear the large thing moving closer.

The cockpit was far larger than she expected, and seemed to slope downward at an angle. The blonde could count that there five chairs and they seemed to be far larger than anything that a human would sit in. That alone made it clear on why the corridors were so large. The agent could see there that the grey cockpit had an excellent view of the canyon. There was a door that lead to some side room, though that was not of interest at the moment to the deep cover agent. Celine wondered if there was any controls that would release the pirates. If she could release them, her standing among the pirates would improve. It looked the center chair would be the most obvious place to look, it was far fancier than any of the other controls. It was clearly the captain's chair.

The agent made her way to the captain's chair, like the rest of chairs this chair was sized for some sort of massive alien and easily dwarfed the blonde as she approached. However, it appeared to be be occupied by a young girl. The raven haired woman appeared to be unconscious as she lay in the chair. It was clear to Celine that the young girl had not seen any sun. She was wearing a simple black dress that went down to her knees, but seemed to be completely obvious to whatever was happening on the ship. The agent had to wonder if she was even alive. So Celine moved forward and moved to check her lifesigns. Maybe by pressing her fingers against the young woman's neck she would be able to find a pulse. If so then Celine would have to figure how to get the young woman out of here.

Intruder approach. Automatic emergency discontinuation of stasis-mode activated. Stasis-mode deactivated. Recommended time of continued stasis before Andramica can perform at 100%: 3 hours 11 minutes 9 seconds 547 milliseconds … (Andramica continues listing irrelevantly small time-units). Current physical output decreased by 60%. Continued action can be taken for 10 hours 8 minutes 46 seconds… (once again) before stasis will be forced. Excessive use of energy inadvisable.

Andramica is an android which runs on an indefinite power-source, however, it requires the android to stay in stasis for several hours a day in order to function, almost in the same way a human needs sleep. Celine had got into the ship during such a period of stasis, and as such Andramica aborted the stasis, even if so meant she had to run on decreased specs, in order to deal with the potential threat. So even as Celine would press her fingers against Andramica’s neck and feel the fake pulse of the artificial blood-system built into her body by her creators obviously included into her body, Andramica would slowly open her eyes a bit to look upon the intruding agent with half-open eyes.

Analyzing intruder. Measurements and traits identified. Comparing towards database. Database holds 13 matches. Conflicting data. Searching explanation… Explanation processed. Assuming several sources has provided fake information. Screening information. Intruder identified as human Celine Dahl, currently employed under the Seavey pirates. Conflicting data suggests ulterior motive. Past data includes multiple ADD-connections. Analyzing apparent muscle-strength, weaponry and clothing. Complete analysis estimates a rank 3 combat capability. Muscle-structure and stance suggests ADD-training. Formalizing conclusion. Formulating scenario. Currently excessive amount of uncertain variables makes it difficult to certify scenario. Adjustment program active. Scenario complete, sending information to Hibernator. Stage 1, commence.

… Before the eyes of the over-analytical computer within Andramica’s mind which had hacked into multiple very informative computers for data which could potentially be useful, Celine could almost as well be standing naked. However, the agent would for now be unaware of the conclusions drawn within the android’s mind. If Celine paid careful attention, she’d notice a small red glow within Andramica’s eyes within the milliseconds it took for the black-haired girl’s brain to do more researching and planning than a normal person could do in months, but if she missed that Celine may have noticed Andramica’s open eyes looking at her roughly at the same time as hearing the monotone words from the still unmoving young body…

“Who are you?”

Celine reached out and touched the woman's neck to see if she could find a pulse. At first the undercover agent could not find anything, though it not unexpected. Some times it would take a couple of tries to find a pulse. Just then Celine felt something on the raven haired woman's neck, Celine paused to make sure she had felt it correctly. It was a pulse, the girl was alive! Slowly the eyes fluttered open as the girl in the chair looked up at the buxom blonde agent that was checking on her.

Celine looked at the mysterious woman that sat in the chair as she seemed to be trying to figure out what was going on. For a moment the agent thought she saw some sort of red glow in the other woman's eyes, but it happened so fast the blonde could not be sure. Still the voice that came out the young woman body sounded monotone. The woman did not appear to move at all either, not even twitch. Something was wrong, something was really wrong though the agent was not really sure.

I am Celine Dahl....who are you?

Andramica was silent for a moment, as if surprised by the very much more colorful woman’s answer or existence, then she slowly lifted her left arm and looked down at it, as if surprised she could. The young girl lifted her other arm and inspected it, her look as if this was alien to her. After a moment, she spoke.

Loading personality-file, “Shy School-Girl”.

“I am… I am Andramica, speaking representative of the Kragiynian Robot Invasion Scout Force Ship Numbe… No, wait, that’s not it at all.” The android spoke as she was staring down at her hands. She suddenly looked up at Celine again, her expression barely having changed.

“M-my name is Mica Sanders. I-I was a student at Shokushu… Th-they did… horrible things to me… Then I was brought to these… robots… who put their machines in me and controlled me to speak for them…” The girl gazed down on herself again, as if to confirm where she was. She lifted her own legs only slightly. “… I can… move? B-but… they’re always controlling me…” Even with stammering and other things, her tone still sounded monotone. She started crawling forward, getting off the chair and standing slightly unsteadily in front of the chair, as if it was the first time she had to do so in a while. The android then turned and looked with a slightly open mouth as she looked at Celine.

“… Did you free me? Did you come to save me?”

Celine look over the young woman or what appeared to be a woman in the chair, as the young woman seemed to be confused for a moment. It was then that the mysterious girl lifted an arm and stared at it in disbelief, she then raised the other arm as she moved it as well.

The girl immediately explained that she was some name of an alien robot invasion force but then interrupted herself. The woman looked back at the deep cover agent as she explained, that was actually Mica Sanders, a girl who was from Shokushu. The poor student had been put in one of their robotic bodies, the fake pirate could not imagine being placed in a robot body like that and being forced to serve as their speaker. The poor student struggled to her feet making it appear that she had been able to do for a while.

Well I am here. I will make sure you can escape. Celine was not sure how she got the woman free, but now she needed to get the student to safety, it would only be then that the ADD could figure how to help Mica however they could. Of course they still needed to contend with whatever that noise was.

“Oh.” Mica said as she turned and looked in the direction out of the cockpit where the noise came from. “You… manually took the ship out of stasis mode without adhering to the start-up procedures…?” The android looked back and forth between the lit light which was illuminating the room towards the way out towards where a giant robot was walking.

“Th-this is not good. Please tell me you have a plan. They are going to sense that my signal is missing, and that will bring them right here to where I was supposed to be in stasis along with the ship. And then they will-” And then suddenly the loud sign of something driving a lot of energy shutting off, and all the lights went out. Over there in the corridor, the Hibernator was pulling back one of its grappling arms which it had extended from the opening of the power-room and pressed the same button again to shut it off. Mica looked confused for a moment. “… Then they will simply put the ship back into stasis mode. OK.” The sound of the giant Hibernator having turned around and was walking away sounded from the corridor, like some lazy worker who didn’t feel like examining further…

“… Um…” Mica silently called to Celine’s attention. “D-did you come to save those other people? I… um… I possess the knowledge of the code. I was given the digital information while they had control of me, but… it only works if the ship is active and not in stasis mode. The crew of this vessel should get suspicious if it is suddenly activated a second time by no obvious reason…” The black-haired girl reported the additional options available to the agent. What would be her next plan of action?

Mica seemed to be concerned as she looked back from down the hallway and back at the other room nearby. The robot seemed to be getting closer. Celine was thinking for a moment that she needed to take the girl and go hide in the next room.

The former student was going through a description about how the ship would react. She kept using the word they, which seemed to imply that there was more than one robot in the ship. Just then the ship power went off as lights throughout the ship turned off. Mica spoke up after a moment, explain that they were putting the ship back in statis mode. Celine let out a sigh of relief, for the moment the two women were safe on the bridge. At least until whoever these "they" were became curious. I really didn't have much of plan, but we should leave before they come back and catch us.

It was then that Mica mentioned the code. You have a code. The agent had to think for a moment. What situations does the ship become active. Maybe we can simulate that so the crew does not get suspicious. The blonde woman looked around for a moment to make sure there was noone else nearby. Then we would be able to free the other people as well.

The girl stared at Celine in something akin to disbelief when she said she didn’t have much of a plan. “Th-the one chance I’m given to get out, and it’s…?” She discontinued the potentially insulting sentence looking out the corridor acting like she didn’t say anything at all. It was only a bit later that Celine asked about what situations in which the ship will reactivate.

“U-um. The ship will automatically come out of stasis when the time to activate will come, which is in about three hours. But… other than that…” Mica brought up a hand and stared at it for a while and seemed to count something off her fingers. “It reactivates if she ship registers danger. If a ship appears outside it will automatically activate, if a weapon is fired on the inside of the ship it will automatically activate, if the engine or a robot or some system suffers damage in any way the ship will automatically activate for repairs… and, uh…” Mica paused and her eyes shifted their focus as she reached the last finger, her pinky. Bringing down her hand again, she looked towards Celine again with something submissive in her eyes.

“I-it will come online instantly if I command it to. They’ve given me that power, believing me to be under their absolute command. B-but, if I do so, they’ll immediately ask me why by communication-signals, and realize I’m free. B-but that’s fine, right? I mean, I was fated to remain her for eternity anyway. I’ll give you the code, and then I’ll reactivate the ship from here. You’ll free the prisoners while I serve as a distraction as they’ll all come thundering here to examine me. Then you’ll flee while they take the time to reprogram me and make me reassume my position as under control…” She shivered slightly, as if the notion was very terrifying to her. “D-don’t worry about me. I-I will feel better about it since I know that I did it to help people… OK? Something to comfort me during my endless fate under the control of machines…” The look she gave Celine was one of ‘I don’t like this, but please accept what I’m saying anyway’. Of course, none of it was real, it was just good programming in Andramica.

Mica seemed to be quite disappointed in the agent's response, the last thing Celine had expected was to find a girl from Shokushu being trapped about onboard the ship. Even worse the poor girl had been made part of the ship's system.

The raven haired woman stared at her hand as she explained to fake pirate that she was the one that that controlled the ship and she could serve as a distraction while Celine freed the pirates. The agent could believe the bravery of the former student as she suggested that the agent go and rescue others while the raven haired girl would remained trapped on the ship for eternity. But that would not be the Directorate way. The blonde beauty simply shook her head as she listened to what Mica was trying to suggest, I am sorry, that simply not going to be possible. I can't leave you behind.

My job is to rescue girls like you. We need to think of another way out of this situation. Celine looked around the bridge. There must be some other way that we can free you so I can take back to safety of Antares. It would blow the agent's cover for sure, but she had to make sure that Mica was safe.

“…” Mica stared at the agent for a long little while, her expression thoroughly unreadable in response to her complete refusal of leaving the fellow girl alone.

Intruder intention to protect fellow female student confirmed. Choice of personality-file and scenario appraised as successful. Stage 1, complete. Stage 2, commence.

“W-well… If it is only me, then you could probably escape with me right now…” Mica looked away from Celine with a slightly troubled look. Calculating scenarios in case of this action. “… But if you want to save the captives as well, you’ll probably need to damage something. If you damage something, an investigation will launch by robots examining the cause of damage and repair. During the time they do that, the ship will be online and my code will work. But…” Mica looked unsure of herself. “… If we’re found, it would be the end. Also, the robot stasis-area is the room just beyond where the captives are kept, meaning the investigation robots will move past the room to reach any damaged site and we’d have to wait for them to pass.” Mica looked back at Celine. “A-also, depending on the kind of damage, as if it appears to be the work of an intruder, they may conduct a larger examination of the whole ship…” And then for the next line, which Andramica constructed knowing fully well what was going on in there.

“I-if I open the door, however, it will be possible that the door remains unlocked even without power. Also, the robots don’t keep track of how many captives they have, so we could potentially hide among them. Just open the door, slip in and mix in with the other captives and then wait for the ship to power down again… and then slip out undetected. M-maybe…” Mica hesitantly suggested.

Of course, Andramica, in all her robotic perfection and efficiency, would never have such a sloppy security system as the one she just described. This was a scenario she constructed for her intruder to play in. So, how would Celine play?

Mica face suddenly went blank as she simply stared at the blonde agent. Celine was not sure what was going on, but it seemed that the girl was lost in thought. Celine quickly looked around to see if there was any of the machines nearby, she was afraid she would have to carry Mica to safety if necessary.

However, Mica seemed to come back the world as she began to look away from Celine, her eyes seemed to dart once back to the agent before looking away again. She explained how the robots would respond if someone was to damage the ship. The idea made sense, the robots would want to protect the ship at all possible. So they would respond to any damage that was caused, if Celine and Mica was not in that room by time the robots were there then they would be safe. It would give the two women time to move after robots had moved passed them.

Furthermore, Mica mention she could open unlock the doors before all this happened enabling the prisoners to escape. I am not sure hiding among the prisoners would be such a good idea. Many of them were not acting normally and they might try to harm you or me if we were to hide with them. Perhaps there is another way.

I think if the doors were left unlock the others would be able to escape on their own. Is there anywhere else we can hide and make our way out once I wrecked a piece of equipment?

“Well, um…” Mica momentarily looked in thought. Then… she looked back at Celine. “All the walls are hollow. This is to allow smaller robots to go anywhere in the ship freely. The hatches to enter them are practically everywhere, but you’d need equipment from the storage to open them and even if we got in there we'd risk being discovered by said smaller robots. Their technology is way advanced, but, um… Perhaps we could… split up?” The black-haired girl still looked like she was thinking. “Let me explain. The ship looks like…” and then she proceeded to describe the inner topology at minor length, represented by this image.



“S-so, if we split up… You could do some damage in the engineering, while I’m hiding in the corridor in front of the entrance. The examination robots come out of Robot Maintenance, go past the prisoners and down towards engineering. When they pass the corridor, I run up and unlock the door to the prisoners and tell them that the door is open, but that they should wait until the ship powers down again before leaving. You flee up the stairs on the right side of the ship when the robots will be coming down on the left side while I also flee for the entrance. We’ll meet up there in the middle and temporarily escape while the robots are busy in engineering.” Mica looked somewhat unsure of herself as she suggested a rather obvious plan considering how the ship looked. “S-something like that?” It should be noted, no matter how she stammered or talked vulnerably, her voice remained sounding somewhat stale and monotone. Since she was only copying personality-files, after all.