Michael James Anderson seemed to be lucky, really lucky, after an early retirement from the Navy as a decorated combat pilot, having served two tours in Afghanistan and Iraq due to a severe injury received during his second tour in Iraq, after an extensive recovery period, he found himself honorably discharged from the Navy at the age of 32. After drifting from one casual job to another, he landed a job flying supplies and equipment to a remote Arctic Circle Base away from people and civilization, just the kind of life Mike wanted.

At 6'3 with short blonde hair and green eyes, he was neither athletic nor overweight, with broad shoulders and slim hips. The hours a few hours in between assignments in the gym getting some exercise, but he was no 'gym rat,' having spent enough time serving in the Marines getting a lifetime of conditioning.

Mike had no close friends and, being an orphan, had no family. His friends and family were the Marines. Most of his ex-Marine friends seemed to have moved on after being discharged and settled down to raise families. This was not for Mike, who had always been a bit of a loner at heart.

Looking out the window of his tiny bedroom, Mike noticed the weather breaking, allowing him to travel to the Canadian Survey Base deep in the Antarctic wasteland. He could only make the supply trip during a 3-month window due to the severe storms during the remaining 21 months of the year.

Mike had already loaded the supplies and additional equipment in the cargo helicopter and went through his pre-flight routine, checking fuel, oil, and electrical systems before doing a final weather check and logging the flight course, entered in the digital flight recorder.

Mike was airborne in the cool, crisp Arctic air ten minutes later. Blue skies filled his horizon, and he was outward bound to his destination, 500 km north of his Supply Base and only 25 km from the North Pole, deep inside the Arctic Circle. Mike had always loved flying, it was his passion, and he was grateful that despite his injuries sustained during combat in the Gulf, precluding him from military service, he was still medically fit for civilian flying.

Approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes into his solo supply flight, Mike noticed a change in the weather. A headwind had come up, and he would extend his flight time from 3 to 4 hours. Not overly concerned, Mike contacted the Canadian Survey Base and advised them of the delay due to adverse weather conditions.

"Mike, we are expecting extreme weather conditions over here. What are you doing out in this weather? The Radio Operator asked with growing concern, is it possible for you to safely return to your Supply Base?"

"Well, if I do that, I will probably not be able to return for a few weeks, Mike replied. You never know how these storms are; I may be able to get to you and ride out the storm there," he suggested.

"Acknowledged. I will leave it up to you, Mike, the Radio Operator replied, you are the flight jockey and have to fly that death trap," he said jokingly.

"Roger, proceeding to destination, responded Mike with a laugh, have a cup of hot coffee and a few ice-cold beers waiting, and I should be there in 3 hours, Mike out".

A further 45 minutes into the flight, Mike did begin to feel concerned. The weather had suddenly closed in around him, and the helicopter was being buffered by strong winds and driving sleet, making it challenging to stick to the original flight plan. Spotting what looked like a break in the weather to his left, Mike deviated from the flight plan to avoid the worst of the storm.

Flying at 1 500m, the view outside was bleak, snow and ice, with the occasional outcrop of solid ice rising above the otherwise flat, monotonous landscape. Suddenly a flash of lightning struck the helicopter, sending it into a tailspin. Alarms screamed in the cockpit as all tail rotors had been damaged, and Mike was descending at an alarming rate toward the ice field. Mike saw what looked like an ice cap jutting out of the otherwise barren ice field and decided to use it as a marker.

Smoke, screaming alarms, and flashing lights in the cockpit smoke filled the cockpit, and Mike fought with the joystick in an attempt to control the crash-landing. The helicopter struck the icefield alongside what appeared to Mike to be a massive tower of solid ice rising 100 meters into the air. The last thing he remembered was the icefield rushing towards him and thinking, 'That's weird and looks out-of-place out here' as he lost consciousness.

There was pain, mind-numbing, bone-breaking pain. As soon as it had started, it seemed to stop. Becoming aware of his surroundings, he realized that he was not lying in the wreckage of his helicopter in the freezing now, where he should have been.

When he opened his eyes, everything was blurred, and he had a slight throbbing headache. Staying still for a moment, he felt a little better, his eyes began to focus, and he realized he appeared to be in a high-tech medical hospital, although not like any he'd ever seen. The medical equipment around him was so futuristic in design that it would not have been out of place in a science fiction movie.

A soft, pleasant female voice startled Mike out of his confused reverie.

"Welcome, Michael James Anderson! a soft, pleasant female voice said. Please don't be alarmed. I am here to help," the voice added gently. A startled Mike looked around the medical cubicle but still seemed alone in what he assumed was a Med Bay.

"I am pleased to see you're awake...how are you feeling? Would you like some refreshments?" For a good ten seconds, Mike was too shocked to reply. When he did manage to say something, it came out as "Huh?". The pleasant soft voice asked if he could repeat his response because it could not understand what he said.

After taking three deep, even breaths, he finally responded, "What is going on? Where am I? Who are you? And what the hell is going on?" Mike was beginning to panic.

"Please, try to remain calm. I'm not going to hurt you," the soft female voice reassured Mike, sensing his discomfort and rising panic. About twelve hours ago, your craft landed right on top of me. The impact of your landing buried your vehicle some 2 meters below the ice surface," the voice continued.

"Landing? Mike responded that it was not a landing. He groaned. It was a bloody crash!"

"When you 'landed,' you broke both legs in several places, fractured your skull, and went into shock. Fortunately for you, Mike, you landed outside an airlock, and I could dispatch a few droids to recover you before you froze to death out there.

"Who are you, and how do you know my name?" Mike asked after a moment, feeling confused and becoming a little concerned.

"I am the central control for this ship, what you would refer to as an 'Artificial Intelligence,' currently, other than you, this ship is uninhabited and has been for three thousand of your earth years, came the reply. I waited here alone until you found my shuttlecraft, which was buried in the ice and snow on your planet, Earth, allowing me to bring you here. I am the ship's AI, and when you 'landed,' I came out of hibernation mode and had a maintenance droid take you to the Med Bay. The Auto-Doc has healed the injuries you sustained. The only side effect will be a slight headache," the gentle voice said reassuringly.

Mike was silent for a few minutes, his fuzzy brain trying to absorb the information he'd received, boiled down to three simple thoughts: ship, AI, healed.

"What's going to happen to me now?" asked Mike suspiciously.

"Well, nothing is going to happen to you. I was hoping that you might be able to help me. You see, Mike, you are the first person I've come in contact with for over three thousand years. I would like to know what's going on. I've been a little out of touch, as you can imagine. What is the status of the Emperor and his Empire? Have any more capital class ships like me been discovered or made any contact?" the AI replied in the same reassuring tone.

"Why have you brought me here, and by the way, where is 'here'?" Mike asked with growing concern. I'm sorry, I know nothing about an emperor or any Empire. This planet's population has yet to even travel past our Moon. I don't know what kind of help I can be to you," Mike replied hesitantly, a little confused.

The AI was silent for a few moments. "I know what you can do to help me if you're willing. Would you become my Captain? The AI enquired, hopefully. You are the first person to set foot on this ship in over two thousand years, the AI continued softly, sounding rather lonely.

The question was a total surprise to Mike. Could I take control and responsibility for a ship like this? Who were the previous owners? How could he conceal its existence from others? How would I learn to use all this advanced technology? Mike thought hesitantly, his mind racing.

Seconds later, he had made his decision, "Yes, I could be your Captain, but you're going to have to explain what happened to this ship and its previous crew, and I have no idea how to assist with your advanced technology and systems," Mike replied while feeling as excited as a kid on Christmas morning.

For the next hour, while lying on the Med Bay bed, the AI explained to Mike the history of the Empire and the ship, the events of the sabotage to all the vital systems, and how they were forced to abandon the spacecraft and settle on this planet, forgetting their history so that they could make a life here. Mike was a little disturbed by the news of sabotage but was excited by the story, nonetheless.

"What would I have to do to become your captain?" Mike enquired cautiously. There was a pause from the AI for a few seconds.

"All I need is your verbal agreement, Mike, the AI replied, relieved and excited.

"I, Mike James Andersen, consent to be appointed as 'Captain' of this vessel," Mike quickly confirmed.

"AI access main computer ship command designation, ship command override seven-nine-blue-alpha-delta-omega, Michael James Anderson now designated 'Captain' of this vessel, and access to all function, operations, and systems," the AI confirmed.

"Command verified. Welcome aboard, Michael James Anderson, designation: Captain," the AI confirmed.

As Mike lay back on the medical bed, his mind trying to comprehend what he had agreed to, a hypodermic syringe extended from the medical console alongside Mike, and, to his surprise, he received a small injection to the inside of his right wrist.

"What the hell....? Mike enquired in surprise at the quick injection before the syringe retracted back into the medical console.

"I implanted the 'Captain's' communicator, Captain, Sam replied gently. It is an implant with a microchip comms link and nanobots that will allow you to communicate directly with me over vast distances. My programming only allows for its installation to the 'Captain' of this vessel and may only be administered after you have been formally appointed as 'Captain,' Sam explained. The range of the implant is approximately one light-year, depending on local interference. In addition, the implant provides an accurate tracking and retrieval signal should you find yourself lost in space. All crew should have a primary implant to accelerate search and rescue operations. Our androids are automatically provided with this function," Sam explained to her confused new Captain.

"Thank you, AI, I guess, Mike replied, smiling, but I would like a little warning before you stick me with needles, even if it is for my good! He laughed. That is a good idea, Sam. All humanoid crew are to be provided with implanted on induction, Mike said, smiling thoughtfully.

"AI, what happened to the 'Captain's communicator' implanted in the previous Captain's wrist?" Mike enquired with a puzzled expression on his face.

"When you resign your commission as 'Captain', or no longer want to be associated with this ship and her crew, or attempt to tamper with the implant, my programming sends a signal to the microchip and active nanobots to self-destruct and wipe all data stored on the implant, Sam explained. The implant has the ability to store data that could be utilized to create clone copies of a human, if requested," Sam continued.

'Now there is a radical idea!' Mike thought to himself. "Sam, please collect and store all data for cloning purposes, but no humans will be cloned without my approval. Cloning humans is a controversial topic best kept secret for now," Mike instructed with a grin.

"Orders received and understood, Captain," Sam replied immediately.

Mike decided he could not keep calling the AI "AI," so he would prefer to name her. "How would you feel about having a name?" he asked the AI with a grin.

"Nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the ship's original crew, but I will gladly accept a name," the AI responded.

Though it surprised him a little that naming an AI was unheard of in the Empire, "OK, I guess your name should be Samantha, or 'Sam' for short, if that's OK with you, of course," Mike asked thinking of one of his best friends during his time in the Marine Corps.

"It would honor me to be called Sam. But you have to override some programming to change my designation," the AI replied, sounding rather excited.

"Alrighty then, AI access main computer designation, command override seven-eight-blue-alpha-omega, Captain Mike James Anderson changing computer AI designation to 'Sam,'" Mike commanded.

"Command verified, Captain, and thank you for my new name," Sam said excitedly.

"By the way, Sam, if not a serious situation, informally, please call me 'Mike' instead of 'Captain,'" Mike asked, with Sam acknowledging his request and advising him that that was acceptable but would only use this less formal protocol when they were alone.

"Sam, where would I be able to gain access to the knowledge of the operation and functions of this ship? Mike asked concernedly because the technology was beyond anything I knew. Will we not require a crew to make the ship fully functional? Tell me what needs to be done, Sam, and perhaps list it according to priority," Mike asked, feeling slightly overwhelmed as his head began to pound again.

"Walk to the Technology Training Center, along the corridor, which will have all the technology and training modules required for the crew positions on this vessel stored in the central database. This is the education and learning center for the new crew of this vessel. Select the 'Captain' training module program on the panel and sit in the learning chair provided. Place the VR headset over your head and use your right hand to push the green 'Start Program' button on the chair's armrest. The VR training device will teach you all you need to know," Sam replied.

Mike did as he was told, placed the VR headset on his head, sat in the comfortable chair, selected the 'Captain training module' amongst the hundreds of modules, and pressed the start program button.

"It's time to get up now, Mike. Your learning is complete," Sam said, gently waking her new Captain, who had fallen asleep in the comfortable chair after completing his course.

"What are you talking about? I just sat down and put this thing on, and I don't know if anything happened," Mike replied. He had only closed his eyes for a second after the intensive training program... he thought, confused and disorientated.

Sam explained that he had been asleep for almost two hours and that the learning process was complete, but the information was now locked in his mind, and Sam would now unlock the knowledge he had gained. Mike felt an intense tingling sensation in his mind, and suddenly he knew everything about the ship, its operations, systems, and history, including what happened to the original crew aboard the spacecraft.

WOW! So, the legend and myths about Atlantis are indeed true! He thought to himself with a smile.

During the history and functionality briefing in the training module, Mike had discovered that, although the ship and its systems were currently fully autonomous, they could be operated by the human crew, if required, and was shocked to discover that there were hundreds of 'crew' aboard the ship.

"What is the current ship status, Sam?" Mike enquired, still confused about the reported 'crew' aboard and the ship's history.

"Captain, all systems are fully functional, and consumable supplies have been replenished. I have maintenance droids to repair any damage or deterioration," Sam replied immediately. All the habitable areas of the ship have been recently refurbished and customized to fit the needs of your race. I am sure you will find them to be comfortable."

"Well, this is a lot to take in. I need some rest now. I am feeling rather overwhelmed," Mike replied, his head beginning to pound with all the new information he had received. He felt like he had spent the last 12 hours 'cramming' for an exam he was yet to take!

"Certainly, take as much time as you need, Captain," Sam replied sympathetically. "While you were in transit to me, I designed and constructed a group of assistance droids. Several units have been summoned and will escort you to the quarters I have prepared for you, Captain."

Just as Sam stopped speaking, the entrance door slid open, and what appeared to be three beautiful women entered the room. Their entrance was even more dramatic as all three were stark naked! Mike could not believe his eyes, It had been some time since he had seen a female form, and he couldn't even remember when last he had seen a naked female form in the flesh.

The three females entered the room, a tall blonde, an Asian, and a brunette, each attractive in her way. Despite the assertion that the three were androids, nothing 'mechanical' was about their walk or movements. The three moved and walked precisely like the three-lithe young women they appeared to be.

"These three units will tend to your current needs while you rest." Sam continued, they have been constructed to be externally fully functional females of your human race, but internally they are mechanical constructs controlled by my onboard Artificial Intelligence," Sam advised.

It took Mike a moment to realize that Sam must be referring to the three nude women who had just entered the room. From where he stood, Mike could not tell if the three were androids. Their skin color and texture appeared ordinary, and each seemed to breathe and move regularly. If these three were machines, they were excellent imitations of real women. Mike found himself wondering if the feel of their skin was the same as real women.

"Please come with us, Captain," the Blond said. Her voice had no mechanical quality but sounded like a human female. We'll show you to the Captain's quarters aboard the ship."

"Lead the way," Mike replied, fascinated with the life-like female androids.

The three android women turned and immediately started walking out of the room. Mike was treated to the sight of three sets of bare bottoms flexing and jiggling as the three walked. Every movement the three female androids made was the same as a nude woman would make doing the same activity. Mike followed the three female androids out of the room and into the corridor beyond.

Mike was led to a gravity elevator. The space in the elevator was somewhat restricted with the four of them, and Mike discovered that the androids had a body temperature and skin texture the same as human females. He could even tell the three were wearing some faint perfume.

It seemed impossible for Mike to distinguish between the three female androids from genuine human females. Only Sam's statement that the three were 'mechanical' allowed Mike to believe otherwise. The deck levels whizzed in a blur, again emphasizing the ship's size. Exiting the elevator, Mike continued to follow and enjoy the view of the three as they walked a little ahead of him. Every movement of the bodies of the androids imitated precisely those of athletic human females.

After a short walk along the corridor, the androids stopped, and a door slid open on the right side. The three walked into the room, with Mike following immediately behind them. He found himself inside a large Executive Suite with an executive lounge, several comfortable chairs, an oversized couch, and a conference table. Through a doorway, Mike saw a bedroom with an enormous king-size bed and en-suite bathroom with another door leading into a comfortable private dining area.

The three female androids led Mike around the suite showing him the facilities available, including the large bathroom area. The suite was very similar to a luxurious hotel suite in design. The chairs and couch were positioned to allow a good view of a large video screen. Mike selected the most comfortable looking of the chairs and sank into the chair with a sigh. The past few hours had been a lot to take in, and Mike found himself grateful for the opportunity to relax for a few minutes, reflect, and absorb his current situation.

The three female androids seated themselves on the couch, which was positioned to allow Mike a good view of the three. The androids waited while Mike took a few minutes to absorb his surroundings, his mind racing with queries and sheer excitement.

"Would it be possible to arrange something light to eat and a cup of coffee, Mike asked, I am famished," he said with a guilty smile.

"Certainly, Captain," the Blonde android answered immediately. Would you like to dine privately in your quarters or prefer some company? A menu of readily available meals is provided on your console, alternatively, request any dinner you would like, and it will be prepared for you," the Android replied.

Just a light meal would be OK tonight, thank you," Mike responded hopefully.

"With pleasure, Captain," responded the blonde Android.

"Captain, the androids will accept any orders you give them. However, it would be best to consider your requests carefully as both this crew and ships are extremely powerful, the Asian Android advised.

"I understand. Thank you, Sam. If I give an unwise or illogical order, please advise me if there is a better course of action before executing the order," Mike replied thoughtfully.

"Certainly, Captain, we will attempt to provide you with our best advice. However, we will carry out any orders issued to us," replied the Blonde android.

"I assume you three have the means to communicate with each other and Sam without using human speech?" Mike asked, noticing this earlier between the three female androids.

"You are correct, Captain," the brunette female Android replied. "In addition to human speech, we also have an ultra-high-speed data transfer facility which is somewhat similar to your Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, though it does not require electromagnetic radiation for its operation."

"Then you and the entire ship are interconnected in one giant WLAN network?" Mike asked.

"You are correct, Captain," the Blonde android smiled.

"How many human androids are currently on board the ship?" Mike asked impulsively.

"There are currently 500 human androids in existence aboard this vessel, all of which were manufactured in anticipation of your arrival. There is sufficient space and manufacturing capacity to produce many more if you wish, Captain."

"How many of the androids are female?" Mike asked with a grin.

"All the androids on board are currently configured as females, but that can be changed if you wish, Captain," the Blonde android responded.

"No, the current Android configurations are fine with me. Please don't make any changes right now," Mike said, bursting out laughing. '500 naked life-like female androids at my command, and I am the only male... who would want to share that?' he thought with a chuckle and a smile.

"As you wish, Captain. If you should decide differently later, the ship has the infrastructure to implement any changes extremely quickly," the Brunette android replied.

"This Executive Suite has been configured to be your Private Residence while you are aboard this vessel, Captain. There are also three rooms in different locations around the ship, configured specifically as operations control rooms. However, since all operational functions, command, and control are fully automated can exert command control over every aspect of the ship from anywhere within it. Anything you order or require can be accomplished from this room, for example," stated the Blonde android.

"I am feeling tired now and would like to rest for a while, Mike said with a yawn, as it felt like he hadn't slept in 48 hours. Please provide a wake-up call and coffee in 8 hours, Mike asked with a tired grin.

"That is understandable, Captain. Would you like one or more of us to join you in the sleeping chamber?" the Blonde android asked politely.

"Ah, I think not at this time, Mike responded. This is all rather overwhelming, and I think I would prefer to be alone for a while," Mike replied with a hint of embarrassment.

"Certainly, Captain, please get some rest, and if you should require anything, just voice it out aloud, and Sam will assist you," said the Brunette android with a smile as the three stunning androids stood up and left his cabin, leaving Mike to catch a final glimpse of their naked figures as they headed out into the corridor.