Leaving Hope

Entry:

Date: 2038, January 17

Location: Alpha post, Planet E-1585

Time: 0940 GMT

Fingerprint scan confirmation: Devyn Savoy, Captain, Department of Colonization Research

Retinal Scan confirmation: approved................

Subject: Remind me to lodge a formal complaint when I get back!

I understand that I volunteered for this mission, and that it was deemed highly dangerous, but I wasn't under the impression that the dangers and hazards I was being confronted with included BEING MAROONED ON A GODDAMN DESERT PLANET!!!!! I was promised a supply vessel promptly upon reaching E-1585 with plenty of stasis fluid and fuel to get me back to Earth. It has been almost four months, in case you people haven't been paying attention, and four months does not equal promptly!

Anyway, since we've gotten this out of the way, Hope and I have been taking core samples of the minerals on this planet, analyzing the atmosphere, including ozone and weather patterns, and it does appear that colonization of E-1585 is quite possible, provided steps are taken to make it more livable. This is the opinion of Hope, of course. Being that I am a pilot, and not a scientist, I defer to her opinion, only offering my own that I'm not a fan of being in the desert, let alone a desert planet... Results of the samples and analyses will be sent along with this message.

Food and water levels are at thirty percent, Hope says. If I ration these supplies any further, I'll be down to a meal and a half per day, with one quart of water intake per day. This ought to last me throughout the rest of this month and at least two more months down the line. After that, I might as well just put a bullet in my head and let Hope wait for you. Ha ha, as if you're coming for us at all!!! I'm sure by now that you can see that all is not well here. Even Hope is upset by your actions and lack of assistance.

Nothing else to report at this time, I guess.

"The current temperature is 107 degrees, Fahrenheit."

Devyn grumbled, "How about you keep that info to yourself unless I ask for it."

Hope nodded, "I'm sorry, Captain. You've asked almost every day since we landed, so I assumed I should show some initiative."

Sighing, Devyn climbed out of the pilot's seat and turned to face Hope, who stood there waiting for a response, "No, I'm sorry, Hope. You're right, and I appreciate your help. I just really don't like this heat, and your reports on the temperature only remind me of that. But, however, if you would be so kind as to go solo on our little core-sample field trip today, I would greatly appreciate it. I'm trying to ration my water intake as much as possible, and a trek like that would deplete what water I have left in one afternoon."

"No need to explain," Hope smiled kindly, "And, since I can cover ground more quickly, I can be back in approximately three hours."

"Okay, now you're just bragging," Devyn laughed wearily, "But thank you, Hope. I'll attempt to get the Temperature Regulator working properly while you're gone. Maybe then I won't be sweating my ass off all day."

Hope tilted her head slightly, "I don't believe that is physically possible, Captain."

"It's just a figure of speech. And... how about you just call me Devyn, okay? It's just us on this God-forsaken rock, so there's no need for formalities. Besides, when we get back, I'll probably find the guy who deemed me expendable and knock him out, and just end up getting demoted anyway. "

"Okay, Devyn. I'll get going now."

Devyn watched as Hope gathered a pack, descended the aft ramp, and began walking south-southeast towards Site G to collect more core samples. Hope stood at 5'5", and was close to 150 lbs, but there wasn't an ounce of fat on her. Models previous to hers could weigh up to three hundred pounds, and were only good for about ten years. Hope was made of much lighter materials, and was guaranteed for over fifty years of continuous and reliable service, of which she'd only been active for seven. On the outside, she resembled any female, and was anatomically correct up to a point, which is a claim that previous models lacked, unless, of course they were ordered specially. With Hope, it was standard. Her particular model was made to have fair, slightly-tanned skin, dark brown wavy hair that fell just past her shoulder blades, and eyes that matched her hair. Devyn followed her as she traversed the rocky, sandy terrain with a surety and skill that he wished he could match, and then she was out of sight.

Every pilot that flew a ship far enough to require stasis for more than a month required a sentient AI unit to monitor the pilot's vital signs, make course corrections, and to otherwise remain vigilant for hazards. Arguments had been made that simply sending SAI units instead of humans out into space to complete the missions would be a better idea, negating the possible loss of human life. However, the top brass at the DCR decided that it was a necessity to have a human being at the controls, not machines, this way any other sentient beings that the pilot might come across would meet a representative of human kind, not a machine. Of course, with models like Hope being made, the opinions of the top-brass were likely to change soon. If that happened, experienced pilots like Devyn would be out of a job, or farmed out to other areas.

For the next three hours, Devyn tinkered with the Temperature Regulator unit, attempting to figure out why it had broken down a few days ago. Since then, he had been constantly sweaty, as if being stuck on this rock with no way home wasn't enough. Of course, by the time Hope returned, he had succeeded in nothing but stringing together various chunks of obscenities and tiring himself out.

"I'm back," Hope announced.

Devyn bit back an angry response, instead crawling out of the duct in which the TR was housed, standing up, and stretching his sore back.

"I can massage that for you," she offered.

"Sure, but why don't you clean up first," Devyn suggested, noticing all the sand that clung to her.

Hope looked down at herself, and replied with a smirk, "Oh, I'm such a dirty girl!"

Devyn was surprised into a laugh, "I didn't realize you were capable of humor."

She smiled, "My handlers decided that we would get along better if I was more... human. They thought it might set you more at ease."

"Those wacky guys think of everything."

Hope went to clean up, and Devyn wiped his brow. He'd been sweating almost constantly since he'd landed. Hell, he wasn't even supposed to come out this far, and would be back on Earth if not for the DCR. He had only been supposed to scout two possible planets for colonization before returning, with enough fuel and stasis fluid to sustain him all the way back, with some of each to spare. The first planet, E-1290, turned out to contain enough toxic gases in the atmosphere that Devyn was forced to abort any attempts to land on it for fear of the atmosphere eating into the hull of the ship.

The second planet, E-1363, had looked inhabitable at first, and, upon landing, Hope had discovered that life already existed on the surface. The only problem was one of the microbial organisms, of which there was an abundance. This organism was very parasitical, and would pose a lethal risk to human life, and, to top it off, it was very resilient, almost immune to extreme cold or heat. Only Hope had left the ship on this planet, and she was forced to endure decontamination before she could be in the same area as Devyn. Fortunately, the vacuum of space was of a low enough temperature to kill the organisms. It was after this that the DCR contacted Devyn and told him about E-1585.

The change in the mission was that he would have to scout E-1585, using the fuel and stasis fluid that was supposed to have gotten him back to Earth. Once he reached the planet and confirmed whether or not it was inhabitable, an unmanned supply vessel was supposed to get to him so that he would have enough supplies to make it back. And this was where that little plan had fallen apart, leaving him stuck on E-1585 for the past four months. In fact, he had yet to hear back from those bastards.

"Are you still brooding?" Hope spoke quietly from behind him.

"Huh?" he turned to find her waiting patiently for him, "Oh. No, I'm not brooding."

She arched an eyebrow.

"Okay, yes, I'm brooding. Am I not allowed to brood? Is it against the rules?"

Hope sat in the co-pilot seat on his right, leaning back, "I don't remember anything in the rulebook about brooding, so brood away. However, brooders make for poor company."

Devyn sighed exaggeratedly, "Oh, goodness! We couldn't have that, now, could we?"

"I'm no stranger to sarcasm," replied Hope, "Considering that I had to learn to be able to coexist efficiently with you. From your mood, I gather that you're brooding about that promised supply vessel that never arrived, and now you're worried that the Department has deemed you expendable."

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I'm brooding about. Didn't you have an offer of a back massage on the table?"

For the next thirty minutes, Devyn was subjected to an excruciatingly pleasant massage as Hope deftly kneaded out the knots in the muscles of his back.

"Hope, I don't care if you were manmade, you're a God-send," he groaned out as she uncoiled a particularly troublesome knot in his lower back.

"Aw, Devyn," she joked, "You really know how to make a girl feel special, don't you?"

"Smart-ass," he retorted.

"Well, you do know that I learned that admirable trait from you."

"You could've learned worse, I suppose."

She asked, "Such as the obscenities you utter when you're frustrated?"

"Yeah, that would be a good example. I like you better when you're sweet."

Finally, she stood up, "You should be fine to fight another day."

Devyn sat up and stretched, "Wow, I think you missed your true calling."

"Did I?"

"Sure, you'd make a phenomenal masseuse."

"I'll make sure to put that on my resume," she smiled.

"Now, let's see about your skin," Devyn said.

"My skin?" Hope seemed confused.

"The wind must be really whipping out there, today," he observed by the tears in her 'skin,' "You've got some battle damage. Come on, let's get you fixed up."

They went into the small lab near the back of the ship, and Devyn brought out a bottle of repair solution from a cabinet.

"Okay," he shook the bottle, "Go ahead and undress."

Hope grinned, "I'll bet you say that to all the girls," and began to shed her wind-damaged uniform, draping it over one of the counters. Unclothed, she was a sight to behold.

'They really know how to make a woman!' he thought to himself.

"Are you gonna just stand there, drooling, or what?"

He shook his head, as if to clear it, "Oh, yeah, sorry."

"Well," she sighed, "I can't say I'm not pleased to get that sort of reaction."

Devyn began spreading the solution over the tears in her 'skin,' rubbing it in until the tears began to heal over. In less than five minutes, he couldn't even tell where the tears had been. As he did so, he had to marvel at how amazing she looked. If he had just met her, not knowing she was a SAI unit, he would've sworn she was as human as him.

"You do know that, if you'd like, you can touch me," she said amiably, "I don't mind."

Devyn stood before her, shocked, and a little embarrassed that he'd been so transparent, "Oh, shit, I'm sorry. I was staring again, wasn't I?"

"I don't mind," she repeated, and then added, "I've never been touched in that way, before, but I am curious."

Devyn touched her shoulders, barely grazing it with his fingertips, feeling the smooth, pliant skin, feeling dazed, a little surreal. He moved his hands up her shoulders to her neck, slowly, to her head, feeling her chin, her cheeks, and then her lips, which were generous enough to make actresses envious. The more he touched her, the less he was able to distinguish her as a SAI unit. She simply stood and submitted to his touch, her lips slightly parted in anticipation.

His hands explored their way back down her shoulders to her arms, and then forward to her breasts, which were not too small, and not too large, quite proportionate on her slim frame. Even the way her nipples responded to his touch by hardening slightly seemed just right to him. The people that had made her...

Suddenly snapping to his senses, he backed up, "Whoa, wait a minute."

"What?" Hope asked.

"I can't... this isn't..."

She frowned, "You seem to be stuck on the fact that I'm not really a woman. Well, maybe I'm not, but I do have feelings."

She grabbed her torn uniform and fled the lab.

"Shit," Devyn muttered, shaking his head. He'd definitely screwed that all up.

He felt the urge to go to her and apologize. Instead, he went back up to the cockpit and sat down wearily. Had he really been tempted to get it on with a SAI unit? Perhaps he'd been out here too long! If he ever got back to Earth, perhaps the time had come for a career change, one that didn't bring him into frequent contact with gorgeous, anatomically correct units. Still, wow! He didn't think even the most grounded man wouldn't at least be tempted by the sight of Hope, undressed and submissive.

About ten minutes later, Hope sat in the co-pilot's seat, once again clothed, her uniform repaired. She didn't say anything, just stared out the windshield at the unchanging desert. The sun was going down, but the other one would be coming up in about four hours. The second sun was much further away than the first, but sunlight was sunlight.

"Listen, Hope," Devyn sighed, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings-"

"Consider the matter dropped, Captain."

Devyn winced, noticing her reversion to calling him by his rank. He didn't know what to say to that, so he didn't say anything.

"You should get some sleep," Hope suggested, "You've been awake for over sixteen hours."

"Yeah... okay. Thank you."

"Not a problem, Captain," she replied emotionlessly, continuing to stare out the windshield.

He wanted to try to apologize again, but he still didn't know what to say, so he sighed and went to his quarters.

He stood in front of the small mirror that he had hung up for when he shaved. He rubbed his face, feeling ages older than his twenty-six years. His light brown hair was getting pretty shaggy; it had been at least a month since Hope had cut it for him. His unnaturally light blue eyes had been the focus of many a girl's attention all through school, and even many female pilots in the academy. The circles forming under his eyes were a clear sign of the weariness he felt, almost like bruises, that's how dark they'd become, and they made his eyes stand out that much more prominently. His nose was slightly crooked, thanks to an incident in high school where his nose met with the fist of a very jealous boyfriend. His face was slightly thinner than it had used to be, thanks to the tightening of rations, but it had never been particularly wide even when he was properly nourished. He stood at almost six feet, almost a little lanky, but still wiry strong. His skin was tan, thanks to this planet, but he had once been more fair-skinned prior to this mission, due to the amount of flying hours he'd logged.

His parents had hated his career choice, citing all kinds of hazards of space that frequently made the news, even several that were so unlikely that he hadn't heard of them at the academy. They wanted him to be a pilot, but only a pilot who stayed within the confines of Earth's atmosphere. But he had been insistent. He didn't want to fly a passenger plane or a cargo plane. Even the fighter jets, as advanced as they had become, held little appeal to him. In fact, after viewing the Scimitar up close, the fighter jets resembled bricks with wings. The Scimitar was such a beautiful ship, so sleek that it had been mistaken several times for UFOs during its testing phase. The Scimitar was made using some of the most advanced metal alloys created, and employing a new brand of engine that took the craft to speeds that bordered light-speed, though, for one reason or another, the engineers weren't able to break light-speed. This problem was partially solved with the invention of the stasis pod, which held its occupant in a state of near-suspended animation while the Scimitar hurtled through the completely inhospitable vacuum of space.

Looking upon the Scimitar was the final push for him. After that, and despite his parents' objections, he had signed up for the Academy's space program, and hadn't looked back... until now. Sighing, beginning to wish he'd heeded his parents' advice, he rubbed the stubble that was beginning to grow on his jaw. Finally, veering away from the mirror and plopping down on the bed, his exhaustion took hold and he fell asleep within a few minutes.

He wasn't sure when he had finally drifted off, but he was yanked from sleep by the sound of Hope's voice on the intercom, "Captain, a transmission has arrived from Earth."

Devyn rubbed his eyes, working himself into a sitting position. A transmission? He stood up and hurried to the cockpit, where Hope waited for him. She pressed a key, and a picture popped up on the display screen. It was Major Beltran, his immediate supervisor, the one who had offered the mission in the first place. The man looked noticeably older, with more gray in his black moustache and receding hair.

"Captain Savoy," Beltran began formally, and Devyn cursed mentally.

"It's been awhile, and, unfortunately, I do have some bad news. The supply vessel that was supposed to have reached your coordinates within the week met with disaster, after it was unsuccessful in navigating its way around several thousand chunks of an impacted asteroid. And, as if that weren't enough, now General Stillson is arguing against sending another vessel your way, citing regulations against misappropriation of our limited resources. It's bullshit, Devyn, and most of the guys know it. We're fighting this with everything we've got, but Stillson has a lot of clout with the upper-end. Basically, what it all boils down to is that you're gonna be stuck out there a little longer. If nothing else, at least we might be able to get some more food and water out there to you. Gilman Burgess is gonna be flying out to scout two newly discovered planets day after tomorrow, and he says he can send a drone with the food and water to your location without raising any alarms, so you'll be able to survive a little longer, probably another six months if you ration what you get. I'm sorry, Devyn, I wish I had better news for you, but we aren't giving up on getting you home. You're one of our best pilots, and I'll be damned if I'm not gonna fight that bastard tooth and nail to get you back home! Meanwhile, just hang tight. Good luck out there, Captain."

"God-damn!" Devyn roared, "Those fucking bastards! Fucking misappropriation of resources? I'm a fucking person, and they fucking misappropriated the fuck out of me!"

He got up and paced, seething with rage, spitting out every obscenity in his vocabulary. Unfortunately, as hungry as he was, his energy didn't last very long, and he suddenly felt dizzy, falling to the deck.

"Captain? Please stay still, and I'll get you something to eat. You look very pale."

Hope stood up and hurried into the galley, returning with a pre-packaged plate of food, and a few packets of water.

"No, not so much," Devyn protested, "I've got to cut my rations or it won't last long enough."

"If you don't consume enough proper nutrition, it won't matter how much you stretch your supply, your body will shut down."

Devyn ate half of the food on the plate and drained one of the two pint-sized packets of water before refusing more.

"According to the time and date on that transmission, Captain Burgess should've flown out over two months ago," Hope said, "So if Captain Burgess is sending a drone this way, it should arrive in about a week."