"Captain?" Amanda heard whispered to her softly as conscious thoughts slowly returned to her.
"Captain, it's time to wake up." She heard whispered to her again, her heavy eyes slowly beginning to flicker open. The voice was masculine and soothing with an attractive youthful quality to it. As much as she had always hated the process of waking up, she knew that there was no voice better suited to help her do so.
Amanda groaned softly, her head still heavy and swimming in a semi-conscious state. She began to move her head and limbs ever so slightly, feeling the tight, yet comfortable fabric of her form-fitting jumpsuit as it wrapped snugly around her skin.
"Alan?" Amanda called out to the voice laboriously, still slowly gaining control of her body again as she tried to move and felt the soft padding underneath her that she had been lying on against her back.
"Yes Captain." The voice replied, the sounds of humming machinery and working computers now filling Amanda's ears as well. "Please, do not struggle too much. Allow your body to adjust to being awake again. You were in suspended animation for quite some time. I imagine your head must feel as heavy as a ton of bricks."
"It does." Amanda groaned, one of her hands slowly moving up to grasp her forehead, her fingers tangling in her strait blonde hair that was cut to be her shoulder length. Amanda's movements slowly became more deliberate. Soon her sharp blue eyes were able to open fully and she could observe her location once again. Though she knew full well where she was and why, as she looked at her surroundings she felt as if she was seeing them for the first time.
She was lying in a piece of machinery, a stasis pod made for people going on long journeys through space. Though she knew the mechanics of her actual spacecraft inside and out, knowledge of the workings of stasis pods had never been part of her training. There were mechanisms, buttons and controls all around her that even she could not possibly guess the use for. Thankfully, Alan was there to take care of that for her. There was also a rounded sheet of Plexiglas above Amanda, allowing her to see outside of her chamber and into the ship, though from her current angle all she could make out was the roof of the cramped ship's cockpit that contained the pod she was in.
"Relax. Amanda, listen to me." The soothing male voice continued, coming from unseen speakers inside the chamber itself. "Just allow yourself to slowly awaken; there is no need to force it. Now tell me: How are you feeling? Do you have any nausea? A headache?"
As Alan asked these questions, Amanda half expected to see a young man standing outside of her chamber and speaking to her. She looked, but there was no one there, and then she remembered why not. 'He's still so lifelike.' Amanda thought to herself.
Alan was an advanced artificial intelligence. An entity programmed and installed into spacecraft such as hers for two distinct purposes. Firstly, not having the need to eat or sleep, Alan could perform rudimentary tasks and corrections while the ship was on auto-pilot and Amanda was in suspended animation, something she had to do so the ship could conserve food, water and oxygen. Secondly, Alan was there to keep her company. This was a solo mission Amanda had been sent on, and the value of a friendly companion that she could talk to on the long voyage could not be overstated. His specific model had been programmed to be very personable, much more so than other A.I. floating around on the market. Or, at least, that is what Amanda's superiors had told her.
"No Alan, I'm fine. Or at least, I will be." Amanda said in response, still taking a moment to gather herself before attempting any fully deliberate movement's. Alan's scanners could see Amanda from every angle as he closely monitored her vital signs, just as he had been doing the entire trip. She was a very healthy woman. That much he could definitely tell, and by human standards she was beautiful, especially being only a young woman of 24. Amanda's blonde hair and piercing blue eyes were very eye-catching, and they perfectly complimented her slim, pretty face and soft pink lips. Her standard issue blue and white space suit fit snugly around her alluring body. Slim and fit, with a healthy amount of muscle as well as wide hips, long legs, pale, creamy skin, a firm, round ass and perky C cup breasts.
"I'm very glad to hear that." Alan replied back. "Please, try to sit up whenever you're ready. And good morning, Captain Amanda Vyner."
Alan speaking her full name sparked memories in Amanda's mind. As she lay still in her pod, she thought for a moment about the path behind her. She had finally done it. After years of intense studying at the earth planetary academy and training to prepare her body for space, she had finally been awarded the title of Space Captain. Captain Amanda Vyner. She liked the sound of it when she said it to herself. Even more so when she heard it said by others. Her first mission, this mission, had its dangers, but she wasn't worried in the slightest. She was well prepared for anything and had taken several of her own precautions in addition to regulation ones in case of an emergency, even stocking up on extra weapons, paid for out of her own pocket, for when she reached her destination.
Right now, however, she had to wake herself up. She sat up slowly, yawning loudly as her eyes scanned her tiny chambers.
