I was completely floored by the statement. “How is this possible?” I asked in astonishment.

Theo responded, “The Iron Hegemony does not have the personnel to spare a crew, but they did have this colonization ship.” He said it so matter-of-factly, like the answer was obvious.

His answer wasn’t enough for me, “I still don’t understand how you can just run the whole ship?”

Theo replied, “I was built in the pre-system days and was paired with this ship. Our primary mission was colonization. This ship was built with the capability to seed compatible worlds with as few personnel as possible. This ship and I have been together ever since."

Elyria was the one to respond next. “Pre-system? That must make you thousands of years old! How are you still working?”

Theo responded, “I am well over a thousand years old, but I am unsure of my exact age. To maintain operational readiness and peak condition, I power down when in dry dock. Which is where we were before.”

“How long were you in dry dock?” I asked.

After a pause, Theo replied, “I am unaware of the precise amount of time. We have arrived at the flight deck; please deposit the device.”

I looked around and saw the lights leading us to a central console with a sensor pad. I placed my phone on the sensor pad as instructed, and Theo’s voice came back almost immediately, with a tone of curiosity and satisfaction.

"Fascinating device, Caveman. It is both primitive and advanced in different ways. I will integrate its data for further analysis."

I interrupted him, “Wait, what do you mean integrate?” My voice was nearly a shout.

"It is clearly out of power, but the information is still there. I may be able to access it. Seems to run on some form of electricity," Theo responded with a tone that almost sounded like surprise. There was a kind of chuckle in his voice, which was odd to hear from an AI system.

“What else would it run on?” I asked, surprised.

“What a question, you really are a Caveman. There are things we use for power now, mana, essence, other things… But almost never electricity. Luckily this ship uses it as one of its many backup powers.”

This information blew my mind for a hot second but before I could concentrate on it too much I jumped back to the important part. "Can you can access the data?" I asked, a little incredulous.

"At least some of it," he said. "Much of it appears to need access to something called the Internet. Let’s see, interesting. I found what appears to be music."

"My playlist!" I exclaimed excitedly. "Oh man, you’re gonna love all that." I gave Elyria an excited look.

"Is it music?" Elyria asked, her tone filled with obvious excitement.

"Yes," I explained. "All my favorite stuff from home. I’ve probably got thousands of songs on there for road trips."

Theo interrupted, "I see something that’s labeled audiobooks."

"Oh yeah," I replied. "I’ve got a couple audiobooks on there. I got 'The Art of War' for free and kept trying to listen to it, but couldn’t make it through."

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"The next largest files appear to be movies," Theo noted.

"Holy cow," I nearly exploded. "I forgot I had movies on there. Oh man, can we watch them?"

"I do not have the ability to play them currently," Theo said.

"Figures," I said, the excitement draining from me.

Elyria was quick to squeeze my hand. "I’m so sorry," she said.

"I also found photos," Theo said.

I stared at the space where his voice came from, not quite registering what he said. "Photos? My parents, my friends, my girlfriend, all there."

"Pull them up, show them to me right now!" This time I was desperate.

After a few seconds, Theo responded, and I could tell he didn’t have good news by his tone. "As I stated earlier, I am not able to re-create those photos."

I felt everything draining away. I staggered, and then collapsed to my knees. I wanted to crawl into a ball. What I wouldn’t give to see her again. The excitement I felt at the thought of seeing my girlfriend—my fiancée, really—was overwhelming, and to have it taken away so quickly was devastating.

I began sobbing quietly. I didn't care that Elyria was right there or that Theo was probably observing everything. The weight of losing the one last tangible connection to my old life was too much.

I didn't know what Theo was doing during this time, but I felt Elyria's hand on my back, her touch soft and comforting. At first, I recoiled, but only for a second. A little support felt nice. She didn't say anything at first, just let her presence calm me.

As she softly comforted me, she asked Theo, "Is there nothing you can do with the contents on the phone?"

Theo eagerly responded, "Of course there is. I have already transferred the files to the VERTEX AI, and she has promised that she can integrate them."

My face shot up, and I was standing in an instant. "What does that mean!?" I asked desperately.

Theo's voice, still carrying that slightly nasal quality, replied with a touch of excitement. "VERTEX, or the Virtual Environment for Real-Time Exploration and eXperience, is an advanced simulation system.

"Okay, again what does that mean?" I asked, slightly calmer but still clinging to a small hope.

Theo's voice carried a hint of excitement. "The VERTEX system is fully functional already, but she believes she can seamlessly blend in your content with what she already has."

"Fuck me, Theo, what does that mean? Explain it like I'm five."

"Are you five?" Theo asked with what sounded like genuine surprise. "That would make more sense, I’m adding 15% to your intellectual expectations."

"No, I'm not five," I lashed out at him. "Give me a break."

Theo responded dryly, "Lowering expectations 15%." I scoffed at that. Then he began explaining in earnest. "I will start at the beginning. The VERTEX system is a dynamic simulation that allows users to explore and interact with a virtual world in real-time. In your case, the simulation encompasses an entire world, Braenor. You will enter near a random town, which will act as your quest hub. Normally, you would aim to take over the town and begin engaging in a campaign to explore, expand, exploit, or exterminate. However, since you are mentally five, I have suggested to VERTEX that you should have a tutorial experience first to explain the basics to you. She agreed."

Elyria chuckled softly beside me, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. "A tutorial sounds like a good idea, Everett. It'll help us get our bearings."

I nodded, still trying to wrap my head around the whole concept. "So, I'll be able to see my photos and hear my music inside this virtual world?"

"I do not know how VERTEX plans on including the material. I just know that it will be implemented in some way. Perhaps she will make an NPC out of your girlfriend."

I immediately recoiled at the thought of that. The idea made me feel a little sick. "No, ask her to please not do that."

Theo must not have expected that. His tone seemed offended when he responded. "I will make the suggestion, but how VERTEX includes your data is really up to her."

Something about the idea of my girlfriend as an NPC in a virtual world was very sobering for me. I was ready to get more information, and something was gnawing at me. "Why does this ship have this VERTEX system anyway?"

"I suppose that is a good question," Theo said. "Your specific journey requires a significant amount of time flying in between gateway jumps. It is much safer, mentally, for you to be in the VERTEX system in hyperspace between jumps."

Elyria’s eyes widened with understanding. "So, we’ll be in this virtual world for most of the journey?"

"Precisely," Theo confirmed. "The VERTEX system will keep you engaged, entertained, and mentally stimulated during long periods of travel. It is designed to reduce the psychological stress associated with extended space travel."