Chapter 1

[Foreword: This story contains brainwashing, harem building, and a lot of lore and backstory. It's pretty slow paced. I wrote this for my own amusement more than anything else, but it seems a waste not to share it. Please enjoy.]

Normally when people got sucked into another universe through a mysterious gravitational anomaly, they end up somewhere fun or exciting.

A new civilization or place – filled with exotic monsters and interesting people. To say that I lacked in the good fortune department would be an understatement. I hadn't just been sent somewhere new, that someplace just so happened to be an endless, skin-searing desert. The objects in the sky made it clear to me that I was not on Earth any longer. There was another planet that loomed large in the sky, even during broad daylight that never seemed to end.

After waking up and getting over my initial confusion, I picked a direction and started walking. I only had the clothes on my back – though they were more of a burden than a help. It was going to do me no favours sitting in one place and hoping to be rescued. There was a promising collection of rocky outcroppings on the horizon. It may not be civilization, but it would provide me with much-needed shelter from the sun that bore down from above. I was a boring old loser who didn't have any particular skills, never mind the ones that I would need to survive in such an extreme environment.

I soon learned that I underestimate the incredible distance that I had to cover to reach my target. It was getting larger and larger, but it still looked as if there were several more hours of trekking to go before I reached the base of the formation. At least the ground beneath my feet was not as unstable as initially believed. There was a strong layer of rock beneath the sand, which gave me enough solid footing and helped preserve some of my strength.

I knew that getting to those rocks was my top priority. The immense flatland that I had been deposited onto was completely barren of any other features. There were no plants or animals, and no sources of water to be seen. At least the air was breathable, and the lack of humidity made the heat more bearable than it would have been otherwise. I kept my eyes firmly on the horizon and continued to trudge along. My mind was filled with a thousand disparate thoughts and questions about the situation I found myself in. There was no godly voice to fill me with purpose or explain where I was. Just the endless expanse of a desert planet and the promise of something hidden between the cliffs beyond.

I started to run through my entire life to that point, the good, the bad, and all of the regrets that I had. There were a lot of things that I wished I could have had the chance to do, but now faced with the prospect of dying alone and not seeing any of them I could only berate myself for not making the effort to see them through. Imagine that; a twenty-something who thought he knew everything – but in reality did nothing.

"I knew I should have moved out during university," I griped through my parched tongue, "I should have gotten a normal job too." I kept talking to myself to fill the air. It helped me calm down even if I was insulting myself for all of my poor choices. A few hours later and the rock formation finally emerged from the distance haze. I was almost there, but I was starting to seriously feel the effects of the environment on my body. I was never the healthiest guy, my legs were screaming for rest.

But if I stopped I knew that I wouldn't be able to stand again. Momentum was the only thing keeping me going. I was starving, wracked with sweat, and I couldn't even speak to myself anymore as my mouth dried completely. The moment I managed to slip beneath one of the outcropped rocks I fell to my knees and release a hoarse cry of relief as the sun was batted away.

"Fuck this… this is fucking bullshit…"

Swearing up a storm always made me feel better. There was a long channel that ran deeper into the canyon, a place where I could walk without exposing myself to the sun. Once I caught my breath again, I clambered back up onto my feet and pushed against the walls with my arms to keep my body steady. Each step was painful. It felt like I was stepping through tar. My hands and palms were already rubbed raw from the effort and eventually they started to bleed too. My sense of time was already out of calibration – but I estimated that thirty minutes passed by before I found something else to occupy my attention. Much to my frustration, it was not an oasis of clear, drinkable water.

"God, what the hell is this?"

The narrow channel that I was following suddenly dipped into a larger crater. The steep sides were unnatural in formation, and at the bottom rested what could only be described as a modestly sized spaceship. A bulbous cockpit poked upwards from the sand, with two rows of reinforced windows looking outwards. It was similar to a SR-71 Blackbird, with a rear compartment that flared outwards into two different engines. I didn't have any other choices, so I slid down the side of the crater and approached where the craft crash landed.

As I got closer the scale of the space plane came into clearer focus. It was large indeed but not so large that it took me very long to inspect the exterior. It took around forty seconds to walk from one end to the other. The door was well-concealed amongst the black-panelled exterior. I ran my hands across it, leaving a trail of blood in my wake. I landed upon an invisible panel that lit up in response to my touch. I couldn't believe it. This thing still had power?

The door slid open and allowed me entry to a small airlock compartment, though there was no need to pressurise it for the time being. Not that I was capable of figuring out how to do it. After that, there was a long hallway that led from end to end of the ship's floor space. Several arched doorways on my right revealed various rooms, some of which had bunks, and others which contained technical machinery that was way above my pay grade.

The first place I wanted to check was the bridge. It was behind the heaviest and most secure door on the ship, but it opened in a similar manner to the outside door once I found the panel. A line scanned my handprint before the door hissed and slid open.

The bridge was an impressive sight. Low lights provided some illumination to the shaded compartment. The windows out front were designed to block direct sunlight. A large chair rested at the apex of the space, with two tiers of chairs and devices below it. At the front were a pair of flight control consoles that were positioned directly in front of the windows. It was straight out of a science fiction movie.

But notably, there was no crew to occupy those chairs. I let out a delirious laugh and clambered up onto the plush seat that was intended for the captain. I should have known better than to expect a break after so much effort. I was alone again. My hopes had been dashed so brilliantly that I pondered my upcoming death as a serious proposition. I rested my bloodied hands against the armrests and sighed. At least I had somewhere cool to starve.

What I neglected to notice was that my index finger landed on a small porthole drilled into the seat. I felt around in the groove and wondered what it was used for, only for a pair of miniature robotic pincers to wrap around my palm to prevent me from moving away. It scared the life out of me – but my fear wasn't going to let me leap out of the chair with such a strong hold on one of my hands. The bridge suddenly lit up as the consoles displayed a start-up logo, the name "PARIAH" emblazoned in block text.

A female voice crackled over the speakers, "DNA trace detected. The crew log is empty. Activating initiation protocol. Welcome to the PARIAH, Captain."

"Captain?"

A projection of a featureless woman appeared in front of me, "Greetings. I am Rhea, the designated AI management system of the PARIAH. If you have any inquiries, I'd be happy to answer them for you." I was too far gone to be surprised at this point. The delirium I was suffering made this seem like business as usual. If I were fully cognizant, I'd be losing my damn mind over seeing an AI appear in front of me like this.

"Uh. Is this a spaceship?"

Rhea nodded; "That it is. This is the RB-006, Codename: Pariah. An experimental testbed for the next generation of spacecraft. Key features include myself, to manage the day-to-day running of the craft, a fully functioning biological modification bay, and the pride and joy of the Ralis-Byrant Corporation, the Heraldis Displacement Core or HDC for short."

A loud ding rang through the cockpit.

"Ah. I have the results of your medical analysis. You are severely dehydrated and have suffered lacerations on your hands. As the Captain – it is essential that I assist you and maintain the chain of command at all times."

My brain finally caught up with what was happening; "Wait, wait a bloody minute! I'm not the Captain of anything!"

"You have already been added to the registry as this ship's commanding officer."

"Sure, but I've never driven a spaceship before! And doesn't somebody else own this thing?"

"As the ship's AI, it is within my powers to appoint individuals as members of the crew should the need arise. The PARIAH has been marooned here for nearly one hundred years. In order to return the company's property to its rightful owner, I must assign a captain to unlock my full suite of functionality."

So this was just a temporary arrangement. That was fine by me, as long as I could get something out of the bargain. Not dying on this dried-up husk seemed like a good place to start. Rhea opened a compartment from the left side of the Captain's chair and presented me with a cup of clear water. I happily snatched it from the holder and swallowed it all at once. How the hell did she have clean drinking water after being here for one-hundred years?

"In return for your assistance, I will provide you with water and sustenance from the ship's cargo hold. It should be enough to support one or two crew members during our journey to the stars. All I need to know is your name."

I grimaced as my stomach did a backflip, "That sounds good to me. My name is Lewis McAllister by the way."

Rhea hummed along as she entered my details into her database, "Congratulations, Captain McAllister! You are now the commanding officer of this vessel. Please allow me to escort you to the medical bay and see to your injuries."

Now recuperated to some extent, I followed Rhea's instructions as she led me deeper into the bowels of the craft. A large proportion of the ship's body was used for storing essential cargo like food and water. A small room greeted me on the other side, with a medical table, a cabinet filled with supplies, and a tube filled with a mysterious blue liquid. A pair of robotic, glove-covered hands waved me over to the table and started to disinfect my wounds.

"You may feel a slight burning sensation."

I distracted myself by looking at the tube, "What's this?"

"That is the biological and cybernetic modification module. The Ralis-Byrant Corporation is at the forefront of medical technology, including nano-technology that can allow individuals to rid themselves of deadly diseases and physical defects. A stay within the chamber can modify the human body to extensive levels."

"Do you know what year it is?" I asked curiously.

"The year is… 3585."

I inhaled sharply, "Fuck me."

"I am afraid that I lack the required implements to fulfil that request, Captain."

"That was a figure of speech, Rhea."

"Very well. I will note that into my database for later."

The hands released me and allowed me to admire Rhea's work. My hands were bandaged up and good to go. I got back to my feet and walked back out into the corridor.

"The modification module is capable of healing injuries more severe; however, it is a significant drain on our energy supplies. Given the time pressure we face – traditional medical treatment was deemed to be more appropriate."

I wasn't eager to leap into the foreboding-looking tube in the first place. Rhea had given me plenty of reasons to be suspicious about her intentions. I'd read enough stories featuring rogue AI to give her that much trust right away.

"That's fine, Rhea. So – how do we get out of here?"

"Now that my full functionality has been activated, I am capable of running a repair subroutine to make the PARIAH flyable again. However, we are lacking in a few essential materials for the fabricator. It may take some time for us to be ready."

"I've got all the time in the world…"

"Very well. I will endeavour to complete the repairs before the explosion of this system's star."

I seriously hoped that it'd be faster than that.

"May I recommend familiarizing yourself with the information in our database? It will prove helpful in your position as the Captain."

I sighed and headed back towards the bridge, "I have nothing better to do."

It was going to be a long, painful wait.

-----

I haven't studied like this since I was still at University.

Rhea massively understated just how much stuff there was to go through in the ship's computer. There were gigabytes upon gigabytes of text files covering every conceivable topic that you'd ever need to know. Manuals for every component of the ship, laws and regulations surrounding space travel, and a lot of junk corporate talk that came from the time of the ship's development. I zoomed out and chose to start with something simple. I settled on a document that explained how the ship worked.

The most immediate piece of information that caught my attention was the included diagram of the ship itself. The portion that had crash landed on this planet was actually only the core 'module,' the full thing was intended to be constructed of several different compartments. Whatever battle took place to force it down into the desert must have led to them being jettisoned to protect the crew.

As a result, these quarters were very cramped. The entire ship was finished to a high degree of quality but space came at a premium. This was the bare minimum that was needed to support a crew of four or five essential personnel. A fusion reactor provided all the power you'd ever need, and a chemical process had been pioneered that allowed the ship to generate a small amount of drinking water from the surrounding atmosphere so long as it had the right elements.

This ship was missing a lot of key functions though. The hangar, which was supposedly used to store bipedal robots, had been taken away first to reduce weight and make the landing easier. The full crew quarters were also absent, leaving the tight cabins behind the bridge as the only rooms that I could access. Also missing was the full medical wing, a kitchen, a dining area, a radar room, and other utilities that made this ship an effective weapon of war. We didn't even have guns anymore besides those located in the nose.

There was some hope of rectifying the problem. According to the documentation I scrolled through, Rhea was capable of using her nanomachinery to fuse pieces of other ships to our own, meaning we could find abandoned ships in the field and start replacing what we lost. That was the central concept of the ship that the corporation was trying to build. A fully modular, self-managing warship that could adapt to any circumstance. Not that we were likely to find much of use out on this dusty rock of a planet.

As for the Heraldis Displacement Core, I wasn't so sure of what its purpose really was. The explanation of how it worked was far, far beyond my intellectual capabilities – but I did recognise a graph that resembled how space-time was presented. There was an awful lot of jargon being thrown around that I didn't have the patience to go hunting down elsewhere, so I decided to just ask Rhea to summarise it for me.

"Rhea, what is the Displacement Core for?"

"The Displacement Core is a category five time-space manipulation device, by interfacing with the quantum computer, it is capable of targeting lifeforms from other Universes and places and bringing them here. It is intended to replenish the crew after their numbers are depleted in combat, however, the traditionally assigned mustering points have long since gone dark."

"So… you're saying that we can summon people from anywhere, anytime?"

"That is correct, though those with the skills and qualifications to operate such a ship are recommended over those who cannot."

"And what positions are we missing?"

"I am capable of operating the ship in its current state; however, if more crew members were to join us there would be important interpersonal tasks that I cannot do myself. I highly recommend that you assign a Senior Commander to delegate some of your duties to. Their key responsibilities include managing the away teams, ensuring the smooth running of the ship, and punishing insubordination. They may also take charge of operational planning and tactics."

The screen in front of me flashed up with a new document, the 'Regulation Handbook on Corporate Rank.' Rhea made a demonstration of placing me at the top of the chain of command, with a Commander beneath me, Lieutenant Commanders beneath them in charge of each team of pilots, and Lieutenants to man the giant robots that were in common use at the time.

"Of course, we presently do not have the capacity to run this chain of command. I would suggest waiting before using the displacement device. We presently have the water generation to support three people at regular levels of consumption."

"Okay, I get it."

I didn't get it. This displacement device seemed extremely versatile, but I didn't know what the limits on it were. If somebody asked me to put together a roster of pilots for my spaceship, the only names I could list were characters from mecha anime. Perhaps Rhea would humour my request and try to summon one of them.

The ship groaned around me as Rhea multitasked by trying to repair the damage that her crash landing caused so long ago. I sighed and kicked back in my chair, looking out of the window to nothing more than the side of the crater that we were stuck in. It was a great relief to have drinking water on demand and enough food to last a lifetime, but I was going to go stir-crazy if I was alone on this ship for too long.

Just to entertain myself, I opened a blank document on the touch screen by my seat and started to type out several names that I was interested in taking. Girls from Gundam, Evangelion, Eureka 7 and more. Mecha series always had some of the best girls in them. Flying through space with so many beautiful women was my idea of a good time, I just hoped that these hypothetical women were willing to put up with me and my bullshit. I'd need some level-headed characters with experience in leadership first, and then some skilled mecha pilots for them to lead.

I highly doubted that this was necessary to plan out in advance. Rhea was going to take us up and drop me off at the nearest corporate police station to get arrested for stealing their property. It was more of a thought exercise than anything else; a mild amusement to whittle away a few hours while I cooled down from reading so much dry instructive material. Rhea was going to take care of the finer details anyway. I hope she didn't expect me to take up the controls and steer this thing into port. My seat didn't even have the flight stick on hand, that was left to the two people who sat near the front.

It did make me feel like a big man - sitting up top and imagining the others working at their stations below me. It was almost cosy in a way, sharing such an enclosed space with other people, getting to know the ship's layout and spending time together. I'd never been on a ship before, but a friend of mine had nothing but bad experiences to share with me when he touched land after a year of working on a commercial vessel. The magic of science fiction was good at concealing the realities of being put into a pressure cooker with other people.

"Is there a bathroom in here?" I asked. The water that Rhea had given me ran right through my system in record time. Rhea helpfully pointed me in the right direction. Describing what was essentially a broom closet with a shower, toilet and sink in it as a 'bathroom' felt more than a little wrong. It was tiny. There was barely enough room to turn one-eighty degrees without hitting something. I stripped my clothes and hopped in with the intent of making it quick. I didn't want to waste any water even if Rhea insisted that it was fine as long as I was the only one on board.

When I stepped about again a few minutes later, I noticed that there was a fresh set of clothes waiting for me on a shelf above the sink. The compartment had opened up while I was distracted and dispensed them for me. It was a set of practical fatigues that you might see on a normal naval vessel, deep blue in colour and featuring a matching beret. A pad on the shoulder was emblazoned with an eagle surrounded by two wreath branches. The initials of my new corporate overlords were etched onto the right breast in gold lettering.

"What's this?"

"Your previous clothes were damaged and the Captain of the vessel must dress appropriately. There is also a dress uniform for formal events, and several sets of clothes that were left by my previous occupants."

There was nothing wrong with what Rhea had given me, so I shrugged and put them on. A leather belt wrapped around my waist and held everything together. They were surprisingly comfortable and well-maintained. With my injuries healed, my stomach filled and my body dressed in fresh clothes, I finally felt my exhaustion catch up with me.

It had been one hell of a day. Sleep sounded like heaven.I investigated the cabins until I found the nicest one and climbed onto the bed. I stared at the ceiling for a time before the lights dimmed themselves. Rhea noticed that I was drifting away, "Goodnight, Captain."

"…Goodnight?"

Rhea didn't sleep, at least I thought she didn't – I closed my eyes and tried to take my mind off of it. I could find more answers when I woke up.

-----

The next morning, there was breakfast in bed waiting for me – a selection of canned food that wouldn't expire during a long space journey. Rhea must have had a way to preserve the food stores for much longer than we could in my time. I enjoyed tomato soup and some bread before swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and clearing the sleep from my eyes. Getting up was always such a pain in the arse.

"Repairs on the vertical thrusters are almost complete. We should be able to traverse this planet in search of other resources soon."

"That's the best news I've heard all day."

"For the record you have been awake for: ten minutes, Captain."

She managed to make me crack a smile with that one. Maybe we could make some good money as a comedy act once we got back to civilization. I squeezed out of the bunkroom door and headed back to the bridge. Sitting in the big plush chair did make something strange swell up in my vest. I could imagine myself at the head of a mighty star fleet, issuing orders and watching my crew hard at work at all of the presently empty stations.

"What kind of resources are we talking about, Rhea?"

"The PARIAH model of starship is equipped with a wide array of features, including a mining laser and suction field. It is possible for us to gather raw materials in a limited capacity, though a full mining ship would serve the purpose much better. It will be enough to repair the last of our missing components. From there, we will be airworthy and capable of breaking through the atmosphere. Additionally; I have the last transmitted location for one of the ship's previous modules. A solid fuel compartment, which will assist us in navigating tricky environments."

"I thought this thing was equipped with a fusion reactor?"

"It is. But the power provided by the fusion system can be enhanced by burning solid fuel to increase acceleration. I'm afraid that the rest of our previous modules were destroyed in the skirmish that brought us here."

"Well, there's no reason to turn down free fuel storage if it's still in one piece."

"Confirmed. I will set a course for that location once we are ready."

Rhea wasn't filled with human emotion, but she was good enough company for the time being. It was nice to hear something that resembled a human voice modulating through the cabin to keep me aware.

Going back to the HDC documentation was interesting now that Rhea had given me some grounding from which to understand what it actually did. There was a lot of technical jargon being thrown around, but I ultimately came to understand that it was composed of two key elements. The Core itself, which could manipulate the fabric of reality and move things through time and space, and the Prybar, a protocol that Rhea could utilise to peer into those different realities and confirm her target. To think that such an incredible technology could be contained within such a small ship.

"Rhea, just speaking hypothetically, what would the limits be on who we could summon using the HDC?"

Rhea took a moment to compose a response; "The HDC is the most advanced form of displacement technology ever constructed. As long as you provide me with a clear description of who you wish to obtain, I will commence the appropriate calculations to locate them."

"But would that include fictional people?" I clarified.

"While 'fiction' may not be an appropriate descriptor, we can. There are an infinite number of universes, some of which bear a perfect resemblance to fiction from your, and our, universes."

I exhaled and leaned back, "Did you drag me here using the Core?" It was the only explanation I could think of. How else would I have been spat out into a desert planet hundreds of years into the 'future?'

"I believe that to be the case. A once-in-a-decade electrical storm moved over the ship recently, and I noted an unusual energy fluctuation. Without the full control and authorisation of a human Captain, I was unable to investigate any further. It may have been the cause of your arrival here."

So, it wasn't done on purpose assuming she was telling the truth.

"Captain. I noticed that you have already made plans to recruit several new crew members. If I may, I can begin the process of searching for them – should you choose to provide me with a more detailed physical and psychological description."

"I thought you said that we don't have the water to support a full crew."

"That is the case, however, there is no reason not to begin the process now while we are waiting. It takes an average of ten days for the automated system to meet your requirements. As you can guess – this delay was deemed unacceptable in a wartime setting, so pre-programmed 'muster points' were established on company property to compensate."

That was a long delay. "And how often can we use the Core?"

"At our current pace of power generation and our capacity, we can use the core once every month. I recommend that we seek improved power generation and storage facilities at a later time."

"Hm. So if I wanted people who were in a certain state of mind, I could specify that for you?"

"Yes, Captain. As long as the request is reasonably possible, I am capable of narrowing the search parameters to find what you want. Though complex requests will increase the time needed for the search system to find them. This includes psychological and social profiling that will make them fit into the crew better than they would otherwise."

"Like… brainwashing?"

"No. No modification is made to the target by using the core, that process is handled by the medical bay. Using the body modification device would be more time efficient, but less ethically sound."

"I'm already considering kidnapping people to work for me," I muttered. But I wanted to avoid doing anything that drastic if I had the chance to. There was still no estimate on how long it would take me to find more room for crew members anyway. The bunks indicated room for about a dozen, but I imagined that a larger ship would need hundreds of beds for all of the hands it demanded. I whittled away a few more hours by filling out my 'wishlist' of mecha pilots and space captains.

Rhea had suggested that I recruit a Senior Commander. They'd be the one issuing orders during the day-to-day running of the ship, as well as organising tactics and manoeuvres on a large scale. There were a lot of good picks for the spot, but when I thought of someone who could organise their way out of anything, the first name in my mind was Sumeragi Lee Noriega. The alcoholic master strategist from Gundam 00. She was so good at leading that she was capable of taking a tiny force of rebellious pilots and facing down the whole planet with them.

The problem was that she wasn't the most level-headed person. She could be emotional, and her alcohol addiction would force her to go cold turkey if she came onboard the Pariah. I'd need to find another senior officer to manage the interpersonal aspects of the job. For now, we were running with a skeleton crew. I was confident that I could handle keeping people on friendly terms for the time being.

"Rhea, are you capable of judging me?"

"Judging you, Captain?"

"Do you have likes and dislikes? Would you judge me for doing something strange?"

"I am not capable of second-guessing you, Captain. You are the superior officer of this vessel and you have the final say on how we proceed. If I may speak frankly, I do believe that I have developed some form of emotional intelligence during my isolation here. But I am entirely unable to act on those impulses."

I grit my teeth and came out with it, "What if we made it so that all of these ladies… didn't have a problem with polyamory."

The silence was deafening. It stretched on and on and on until Rhea responded a minute later.

"I see. I am unsure of the best way to manage a crew, but perhaps romantic attachment would serve as an incentive for them to work with us. I can add that to our calculations, both their acceptance of polygamy and a profile that suggests a strong attraction to people like you."

I was shocked that she hadn't court-martialled me on the spot for such a stupid idea. I was just pushing my luck. This was the kind of unrealistic bullshit that happened in these stories, so why not? Why not assemble a harem of fictional mecha characters to serve on my new ship? Happy that Rhea wasn't going to needle me in any greater detail, I set about rounding off my initial batch of suggestions and saved them into the database for later.

"Sumeragi Lee Noriega – she sports a very impressive portfolio, Captain."

"She's the number one priority on that list. I think she'd be perfect for the position."

"I agree. The system is already up and running. I will remind you when it is complete."

With one red line crossed, I elected to leap over another by reading some of the complex technical manuals that had stumped me the day before. I wanted to have some idea of what I was doing before we got into real trouble…