I was growing up on a world called Xerbuc.  Xerbuc is the second planet of a type M star, nothing special.  It’s an okay type of place, frozen at the poles and more or less habitable in between.

I lived in a country called Gundervell.  Gundervellians aren't actually too creative.  However, they're rock-ribbed staunch.  Xerbuc may eventually crumble, but the Gundervellians will trudge on forever, somehow.

The Gundervellians is why I'm where I am.  You can just call me The Emperor Joh, although that's not exactly how I started out.

Quite some time ago, a joint project of several countries, from Xerbuc, built a space vehicle, launched it and made it into space!  They flew to the larger of Xerbuc’s two moons.  On airless Varanna they found an abandoned, but well preserved space ship.  The space ship was built by what came to be called the Empire.  The space ship that they found is a long distance voyager, clearly intended for interplanetary trade.  There are star maps aboard and simple directions for the operation of the space ship.

The maps and directions in the space ship are written in the alien language of the Empire.  However, there are dictionaries aboard the ship and also enough source material, that Xerbuc linguists are eventually able to read and understand the simple, yet powerful, language of the alien Empire.

According to certain historical documents, aboard the alien ship, the ancient Empire stretched for some 900 plus light years.  There are stopping places laid out, along several clearly marked routes through the Empire.  An Empire ship, filled with trade goods, could ply the longest of the trade routes!  The trade journey would take some time, actually quite a bit of time, but our just discovered alien Empire ship could return with treasure trove from dozens of worlds, just as it did back in the time of the Empire!  Our science, medicine and the arts would make incredible leaps with the treasures of dozens of highly advanced worlds in the hands of the people of Xerbuc.  The universe would be ours!

A lot of time and study was put into the examination of the alien Empire ship.  The systems in the ship were analyzed and tested.  Despite the extreme age of the ship, every-thing still worked.  Not only did the systems still work, there were backup systems for at least the main systems and failure of a system would allow the crew of the ship to continue with the mission, while a problem was solved and the ailing system repaired.

The Empire ship could be fueled from Xebuc sources, loaded and staffed with ease by Xerbuc.  There did remain two problems (actually there were three problems, but nobody else saw the third problem.)

The first problem that the people in charge realized was the selection of the staff to man the trading ship.

The second problem was the nagging question of what happened to the Empire?

Oh yes, the third problem.  Well, as stated, I was the only person on Xerbuc who knew of the third problem, so that can wait a bit.

The first problem, staffing the trading ship, is neatly solved by the actions of an unethical, but highly skilled (ahem) hacker who breaks into the classified data being transmitted back from Varanna to Xerbuc.  The 14 year-old hacker learns the alien language and even builds a simulator for the Empire ship.  (Thank The Ultimate for high-school science fair funding!)

The young man (Joh by name) begins to publish learned papers on the operation of the Empire ship, star navigation, principles of a Longliner (so the Empire ships were called) and such things.  Joh is also able to use the translation computers, that allowed the ancient Empire to communicate with worlds where they used a different language from the Empire.  At first, Joh has to operate as a hacker,  However, over the course of time, Joh becomes recognized as the leading expert on the alien Empire ship.  As the leading expert, Joh is allowed access to the secrets of the Longliner.

When Joh volunteers for the job of Longliner pilot, why he's an obvious choice, everything considered.  There had been some thought about two pilots.  However, the extra supplies required to keep two pilots alive for some 20 years really dictate the use of a single Longliner pilot, despite the risk of just one man aboard the space ship.  The factors then dictate the use of a very healthy, very young Longliner pilot.