Where do you think you going? Skipper asked as he climbed the ladder down from the passenger deck. The ship's elevator hadn’t respond to his repeatedly pressing the buttons. However, the symbol showing a figure climbing down a ladder proved a good guide. The figure didn’t have the right number of limbs, but a ladder is a ladder, there’s only so many ways to symbolize that, he supposed.

“Just for a walk,” Iain replied. It was only a few more decks before he’d be supposedly be no longer under surveillance. “Or a climb. Don’t mind me.”

I wouldn’t advise it, it warned.

“Why not?” Iain asked. “You run a safe ship, don’t you?”

Of course I do.

“Then you won’t mind me taking a stroll around it,” he offered. “Do some exploring. A walkabout.”

Of course not.

“Then we’re good,” Iain replied.

I must stress, however, if you are not under my watchful eye, I won’t be able to assist you should you encounter something problematic, the ship’s voice persisted. Such as traumatic injury – severe traumatic injury.

“You’ve made me much more injury resistant, haven’t you?” Iain replied. He wished he could tell the difference, before/after. He certainly didn’t feel like he’d been filled with 'pseudo-polymerized tissue', however that should feel like. “Thank you very much for that.”

Your welcome, Iain, now may I suggest-

The voice cut out mid-sentence. Beside him on the ladder well wall was a sign that read clearly in glowing letters, Deck 21.

“Hello? Hello? Skipper?” he tried.

Nothing.

Sweet.

After climbing for another twenty minutes Iain finally reached Deck 37. With relief, he jumped down to the deck. It didn’t look much different than the other decks, even had about the same accumulation of dust. The lighting was also a bit dimmer, but to be honest, the lights on the passenger deck were set ridiculously bright. It was like it was a movie set up there.

Now, where were the suspended animation chambers Arc and Arl mentioned he’d been taken from? If what they said was true, and his freezer unit was brought up from this level, then other ones must be here. True, they would probably have been filled with rednecks, if all the movies about alien abductions were accurate, but even the company of a redneck could hardly be worse than what the pair offered.

The trouble was, the Transient Void was a big ship, a really big ship. Iain decided after a couple hours of searching though empty corridors and galleries he really should’ve brought a lunch.

Those purple pear shaped fruits would have been perfect. They tasted just like chicken Kiev, meaty on the outside, a peppery sauce in the middle, and they even seemed breaded. And they actually did taste exactly like chicken. Funny that.

Nothing to do, for it, Iain decided. He’d just have to order extra when he got back topside.

Another hour in, Iain could feel a distinct chill in the air, a breeze wafting from the corridor ahead of him. Bingo! He jogged ahead. Yes! He could see footprints in the dust and followed them to wherever they lead.

Sure enough, there was a set of double doors with cool air streaming from between the crack in the frame. This must be the place. Or one of them.

“Open sesame?” he asked. That didn’t work. “Okay how do I get in?”

A line of light glittered along the doorframe to what appeared to be a door handle just about where one would expect a door handle to be.

“Oh, right,” Iain chuckled to himself. A couple weeks and he thought all the doors on this space ship were automatic and swished open on approach. It they weren’t locked, that was. There had been a few of those, but all Skipper or the twins would tell him was that they were authorized for crew only. Only there were no crew, but his arguments had lead nowhere so he'd stopped asking.

Iain took in a breath, reached for the handle, pulled opened the door then entered a vast chilly gallery. Before of him stood row after row of frost covered containers, some human sized, some smaller, some larger, some a lot larger.

Okay then. Where to find some intelligent life in space?