Aylin analyzed every electric circuit but she couldn't find the glitch that was keeping her spacecraft from reaching hyper speed. Her fuel pods were running on empty and there were no space ports close enough to provide shelter.
Lucky for her, a small dot showed up on her long range scanner and she adjusted the curse accordingly. When she got closer to the coordinates, Aylin was astounded. It was a derelict cruiser, and there was nothing small about it.
Wow! That thing is huge. Looks like there is no activity inside. I wonder who built it.
she thought,
In any case, I have no choice but to land. Maybe I can recharge fuel and find something to fix the electrical problem of this crappy ship.
Even though the ship seemed abandoned, it was still functional. The doors of the landing port opened when she approached and closed behind her when the spacecraft descended. When her instruments detected breathable air inside of the ship. Aylin couldn't believe it. It must have been built by humans hundreds of years ago, which meant there could be spare parts for her to use. Her luck was changing for the better.
Aylin stepped out and looked around. The cruiser was in perfect shape. She wondered why the crew had abandoned it.
Suddenly, with the corner of her eye, Aylin saw movement. She turned her head to see a robot walking towards her in a hurried pace. It had a menacing appearance and Aylin reached for her gun. She cursed when she realized that she had left it in the cockpit.
"Fuck! That thing is coming this way! Crap! My gun! I left it in my seat!
Aylin could hear the robot saying something but not to her..."Log 371X -- Possible test subject arriving."
The humanoid robot slowed down and stopped one meter away from the nervous woman. He spoke in perfect English and didn't seem to be aggressive. All good news.
"Are you the test subject? You are 1,492 days late," the robot said.
"What are you taking about? Who owns this place?" Aylin responded with another question.
"Master built this place to make invaluable research. He has not return in 1,489 days. I am in charge of the latest experiment. Are you the test subject?" the robot ask again.
"The hell I am. My ship has electrical problems and I need assistance. Can you fix it?" Aylin said, hoping that the robot could help.
"If you are the test subject, I can fix your ship. If you are not, you have to leave right now," the robot responded.
"I can't leave with a broken ship, you idiot. Fuck off! I'll fix it myself," Aylin responded angrily, guessing that this robot was not an artificial intelligence. It was just programmed to do a specific job and was useless to her.
Aylin decided to explore the cruiser. She needed to find something edible first, then find some tools to work on the ship's electrical problem.
***
She searched for many hours without success. Most of the doors were closed and there was no way to override the locks. The voice control of the cruiser was not responding to her commands and the technology used in this place was too sophisticated for her to hack. Aylin remembered that the robot had said that it could fix the ship. She decided to talk to him again.
Aylin found the robot in some kind of laboratory, "You said that you can fix my ship, right?"
"If you are the test subject, I can fix your ship," the robot responded. He was holding a weird device.
"Test subject for what?" Aylin asked.
"For the next experiment," the robot said briefly.
"If I agree to do it. Will I be hurt in any way?" Aylin asked, evaluating the situation.
"The test subject will not be damaged," the robot answered.
"Fine, I'll do it. But you will fix my ship when the experiment is done."
"Affirmative. Take off your suit and I'll put this device on."
Aylin didn't mind getting naked; that taboo had been eradicated decades ago. The only purpose of her suit was to protect her from cold temperatures. But she protested when the robot moved the device closer to her bare back. The contraption seemed complex and a little suspicious.
As the robot placed it along her spine, Aylin felt it attaching to her skin. The procedure hurt, but not enough to worry about it.
"What is this gadget for? I feel tiny punctures on my back."
"It purpose is to increase your endurance," the robot responded.
"That sounds good. Will I be stronger?" Aylin asked.
"Unknown."
The robot led Aylin to an adjacent room, which had an isolation chamber. Aylin got a bad feeling about it, but her curiosity had always been stronger that her common sense. That was the reason she became an explorer.