Lonely Space - Chapter Four (Eve)

Link to Chapter One

 

 Chapter Four

Eve

The Salutem Novis Central Computer closely monitored Jay Johnson over the next few years, for much of that time he was idle and withdrawn, he gained weight and he started drawing on the walls. The computer found the behavior fascinating. Then one day Jay Johnson was back on the bridge to see them enter what was called the heliopause. There was not really much to see, since it was a totally imaginary boundary.

“It is for human posterity and the sake of history” Jay Johnson told the computer, watching the massive bands and clouds of dust slowly swirl. “This is where they say comets are born”

Caring about this stuff was out of character for Jay Johnson, as far as the computer was concerned and began yet another sub-routine to study this in and of itself. The computer watched and listened to Jay Johnson continuously, it monitored his dreams when he slept. Yet all of this was just a side hobby for the computer that was keeping the ship in working order, making any course corrections and keeping 265,000 suspended humans alive.

Drawing and painting on the walls seemed to be psychologically soothing for Jay Johnson, the computer determined not to have them erased by the service robots and nanites. Jay Johnon had only encountered, as far as he knew, Gopher- the robot which moved by a rail connection on the ceiling. So when Jay Johnson, now on a “diet” and jogging up and down corridors was heading toward a service robot he had never encountered before, the computer was curious of his reaction.

Jay Johnson was getting exercise these days but he wished Gopher could jog along with him but the little robot seemed to have other duties to attend. Jay had absolutely no idea what those might be but they must be important. He had jogged at least a few miles back and forth on corridors, some of them unfamiliar after all this time. He thought about naming them and putting street signs up.

Then he stopped. In front of him was a large gray and black box on wheels, part of the corridor wall was slide open and he could see activity between them. He had never seen one of these before but it seemed to be doing some kind of repair.

“Hello” he said “And what might be your name?”

The central computer answered “That is corridor service module G-27. This is section G of the ship and we are on the 27th level”

“Well, that's an imaginative name” Jay mocked “Why not Rover? Or Spot?”

“There are already autonomous vehicles aboard called Rovers. There are also Solar Particle Observer Telescopes as part of my sensor suite.” The computer informed him. Jay laughed “Oh, right. Those names were already taken, how stupid were those suggestions, of course”

“If you would like to give the module a name, go right ahead” the computer said, it would be another bit of information as to Jay Johnson's psychological profile.

“How many of them are there? The name suggests there are hundreds but I've never seen any” Jay said getting closer and inspecting the unit.

“You are correct” the computer said “The original plan called for each section of every deck to have one. This was shown to be wasteful but the units aboard were designated for where they are stored and this one is stored in this section on this deck”

Jay nodded “This is his 'hood”

After a moment he stood and slapped the top of the unit and said “Since you are so dark, I am going to call you Goth, okay?” then nodded “Agreed then, you are Goth”

Jay went back to his jogging and soon was just a deck underneath biological habitat #3, this is where some of his murals were painted. A green area at the bottom represented grass, there were kids playing with a ball and a woman lying on the ground in a bikini reading a book. The artwork itself was basic and not detailed but the computer didn't judge their aesthetics.

“Crew member Jay Johnson” the computer said as the man continued to jog “I have been considering your request and I have begun to see the possible benefits of such an arrangement”

Jay Johnson wasn't paying a lot of attention “Which request?”

“The request for a companion” Jay Johnson walked right into a wall when he heard this.

“What, really?” Jay asked “Are you being serious right now? Never mind, that was a stupid question, you're always serious.”

The computer waited for the man to stop talking before he continued “I was considering whether you would benefit most from the loyalty of a dog, or the responsibility of a child, possibly you would benefit from the wisdom of an elder”

“Okay, now I know you are messing with me” Jay said “I don't know if that passes for humor to you, but I'm not laughing”

The computer responded “I understand that you desire a woman, crew member Jay Johnson. The real question is whether it would benefit you or the mission to bring a woman out of cryogenic suspension”

“It will. Not only would I be happier, but there would two humans for you to keep an eye on, Lord knows you always seem to have nothing else to do” Jay Johnson said, feeling a bit angry and frustrated again. The computer did not know whether Jay Johnson knew he was being constantly monitored or was suggesting he felt like it was true.

It was also true that being able to study the interactions of two humans would be educational, the computer might learn a lot from this.

“You understand that anyone who is taken out of suspension will likely be as upset a you were” the computer said “and when she finds out it was at your request, that anger might be directed at you as you directed your anger at me”

Jay found a spot in the corridor and slid to the ground, back against the wall. “You're probably right about that” he rubbed his hands through the hair on his head “Women are fickle though, she would eventually forgive me”

The computer then ventured “There is also a good chance that the woman in question will not find you attractive. A higher than normal chance I would think”

Jay laughed “I guess that's the roulette wheel”

“So we are looking for a single woman. Is this in a certain age range?” The computer asked. Jay Johnson stood back up “Are we really doing this?”

“I think it would be interesting. I think I might learn a lot for use in the future, this is rather a long trip across the solar system” The computer said “Close to 6,000 years is quite a long time”

Jay looked around “Should I go to the bridge or something? So we can discuss this”

“It does not matter to me where we discuss this” the computer said “Do you have age or ethnic preferences in a companion? Understanding that this woman might not mate with you”

“Can you stop saying that? I'm pretty young and getting back in shape” Jay told the computer “I played high school football you know”

“Yes, you were the second-string quarterback in the eleventh grade for the Patton High School Generals where you mostly played as the ball holder for field goals” the computer said, Jay tried to round on the computer “Hey, I did a lot more than that! I got to play in some games, too”

“Back to the question at hand” the computer said.

“Oh, that. Well, I'd like her to be younger than me, I don't really care about her race or anything” Jay said, rubbing the back of his neck. “But just don't revive her until I shower, shave and change... not in that order of course”

“If you believe that will help” the computer told him. Jay was already jogging toward what had become his quarters, although he could have used any or all of them.

When he had cleaned up and found his way to the chamber where he had been brought out of cryogenic suspension he was stepping lightly and whistling. Gopher went to him immediately and started trying to mimic the whistling while bouncing up and down.

“Gopher can whistle too” it said.

“Good job, Gopher” he said patting it on the top.

There were not cryogenic pods in the room yet, he wondered if the computer had chosen one yet. Then again it probably didn't take this computer a nanosecond to decide something like that. He went to the table and chairs by the far wall and sat down.

“Ready and waiting” he said, starting to wonder if the computer was really going to revive someone else or not. Was this an elaborate prank by the main computer. Then again, this computer had always been very serious with him.

“What are we waiting for?” he asked looking at Gopher, the little robot turned to face him and answered with its child-like voice “Nothing, the cryogenic suspension pod is approaching”

“The computer didn't say anything” Jay said

“What would the computer say? Everything was already agreed upon” Gopher said “Besides, you get to take the blame if this person is really upset”

Jay got the feeling that the computer wanted him to change his mind, but he was determined not to, there was no telling how long it would take to get another chance. He had waited for years for this chance already. Then a slot in the wall opened and a pod was pushed into the room.

Jay walked to the pod and looked through the transparent top. He saw a young and pretty dark-skinned woman inside, peaceful, looking as if she were sound asleep. Gopher was watching him intently from the other side. “Do you want to mate with her?”

“What? Oh, I don't even know her yet Gopher” he said with a grin.

“What is her name?” Jay asked.

Instead of the main computer answering it was Gopher again. “Her name is Tamita Koroma, she is from Freetown, Sierra Leone” the little robot said “... and she is single and available for Jay Johnson to woo her, wine and dine her, sway her heart”

“Oh stop that” he told the little robot. It backed up and then started swinging from the ceiling in a circular pattern “Try and make me”

Jay Johnson just shook his head and looked back down at the girl in the pod.

The main computer finally made its presence felt “Are you sure about this? You can change your mind, or choose someone else”

Jay shook his head “No. If I don't do this, I will spend the rest of my life alone”

Gopher said “Not completely alone, we have gotten along well all this time haven't we?”

“It's not the same thing Gopher. I don't expect her to play tag the Goth with me” he said, rubbing the top canopy of the pod “Let's just do this, just revive her”

The main computer spoke up “Yes, Jay. Initiating the procedure”

Soon enough the top slid open and the girl inside started moving, she groaned a bit and opened her eyes but they weren't focused at first. Then she sat up and looked around. “Where? Oh. Right...” she looked saddened by this “I'm on the ship”

“Yes” Jay Johnson said “We are on the ship”

Her eyes widened and she looked at him “Who are you?”

He smiled “A fellow passenger, my name is Jay Johnson, that robot over there is Gopher, and it already told me your name”

He held a hand out, she took it and he helped her to get out of the pod. When she noticed the way she was dressed she looked embarrassed. The thin white cloth barely covered more than a swimsuit but was formfitting and left nothing to the imagination “Is there anything to wear?”

Jay Johnson who was wearing normal clothes nodded “I brought some for you, I hope they fit”

“Where is everyone else?” she asked

“It's just us” Jay Johnson said “We are the caretakers or whatever”

“What year is it? I thought I would be revived at New Eden” she said, looking around again.

“It has been about four and half years since we left Earth” he told her, preparing himself for the worst, wondering if she would hit him a lot.

“Can we contact Earth?” she asked.

Jay Johnson tilted his head and wondered why he had never thought to do that in the past few years of being on the ship. “I have no idea”

The computer spoke up “Negative. Once we entered the heliopause I was no longer even picking up a carrier wave from Earth. We could try to send a message once Earth is no longer on the opposite side of the sun from our location”

“It takes some getting used to”Jay Johnson told her “Let me get those clothes for you and then I'll give you the short tour of the ship”

The Salutem Novis main computer noted that the girl seemed a bit sad and withdrawn before she found out they had only recently left Earth. Her inquiry into the ability to contact Earth showed a possible regret in coming aboard the vessel in the first place. It did not seem logical but humans were often not logical, if Jay Johnson was any indication.
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Click for Chapter Five


You can read my light & fluffy science fiction ebook NEW ARRIVALS, if you have Kindle Unlimited or a Prime membership you can read that free.

Lonely Space - Chapter Three (Gas)

I am thinking the story will jump from one time period to another, with different human characters for a little while. Link to Chapter One.

Chapter Three

Gas

For the first 6 months the vessel orbited Earth, firing its ion engines, slowly building up speed and altitude. It was so large it could be seen from the ground, like a second moon. It moved too far to be seen easily after a couple months. After 4 months it had completely surpassed the orbit of the moon and was soon free of the gravitational field of Earth.

Now in a solar orbit the ship continued to build up speed so that it moved away from the sun while orbiting around it. It passed the orbit of Mars but that world was on the far side of the sun, it did not hit any asteroids as its path moved it toward Jupiter, as planned. Jupiter was always the first target, as designed.

Jay Johnson opened his eyes and found that he was in a chamber alone and the transparent lid of the cryogenic pod was open. He was excited, had their journey ended? Had they arrived at New Eden just as it was planned?

He pushed himself out of the pod and stood. Strange, he didn't feel weak or dizzy from his eternally long slumber. It was some amazing technology that people were protected from atrophy but you would think there would be some issues that had been overlooked.

“Please state your name” disembodied voice said, Jay looked around the room.

“Let me introduce myself. I am the main computer of this vessel, the Salutem Novis” it said “Please tell me your name”

“I am Jay Johnson” he said, looking around the room again. He was alone, that was not a good sign since there were a quarter million people in the project. “What's going on?”

“Let me explain. One of the most important rules that were imparted to me by the creators of this project was that a human always be awake during the voyage” the computer said “I have decided to choose one human at random, and that was you”

“Wha..?” Jay was crestfallen. He would never see New Eden. He would spend his whole life on the ship as the human caretaker. Alone. “Can't you pick someone else instead? What if I refuse?”

The lid to the cryo unit shut and the whole thing slid into the wall and a the wall shut behind it. He could not get back in it after all. He sat on the floor, stunned at his misfortune to have been chosen for this duty.

“What year is it? How long have I been asleep?”

“It has been one year since launch” the computer told him

“Only a year?” he asked, shaking his head. “So I'm the first one?”

What are the odds of that, he wondered. Then he knew, one in about 265,000.

“Our present location is in orbit around Jupiter” the computer said “I am preparing to lower the fueling boom into the atmosphere, where we will take on a load of heavy hydrogen. We will do this until the tank is full.”

“We haven't even left the solar system yet?” Jay asked, getting upset. “This is pathetic! What am I supposed to do on the ship for a whole lifetime?”

The computer answered “There is a complete array of choices for you to keep yourself occupied, there is a full gym, a virtual reality center, a complete entertainment library of visual, audio and interactive media...”

“What about next week, then?” he asked, he tried to kick a wall but it hurt.

“There are several biological habitats containing flora and fauna in a park-like setting for your pleasure, I believe that humans find nature to be relaxing” the computer said “I mention this because your heartbeat is elevated too high”

“Yes it is, because I am upset and mad!” Jay said “and I have nobody to talk to except a computer”

“Please calm down. Luckily you are young and in good health, otherwise you would be risking a stroke or heart attack” the computer said “I could prescribe a mild sedative to help you calm down, Jay Johnson”

“Prescribe?”

“I am also programmed in medical diagnostics and treatments of nearly all known medical ailments, and we have a full surgical suite aboard as well” the computer said.

“Are you bragging?”

“I am simply stating a fact. Would you like a mild sedative?” the computer asked

“How about a drink? A soda and whiskey would be good right now” Jay Johnson told the computer as he sat in a chair he found near a table next to the other side of the chamber. A few minutes later the robot connected to the ceiling entered through its own chute and set down a tray next to him with a small bottle of whiskey, a bottle of soda, bowl of ice and a glass.”

“So, you are also a bartender?” Jay asked looking at the little robot that just hung there next to the table.

“Please enjoy your beverage” the little robot said and took off.

“I see, it has its own voice and personality” Jay nodded to himself “Sort of like having 3 people here instead of just me. I get it”

After drinking a couple of the small glasses of his drink, Jay was feeling much calmer. The computer spoke again “Would you like to come to the bridge and see Jupiter?”

He followed the happy little robot with its own child-like voice as it led him to the lift which went upwards for a while and stopped. Jay knew the ship was about a mile tall, a couple miles wide and several miles long. Then he stepped out into a chamber where most of the ceiling and one wall was transparent. The massive Jovian world dominated the sight, the ship was so close that it didn't even look like a planet.

“Is it safe to be this close? Isn't there a ton of radiation?” he asked, sitting in what looked like the Captain's chair. He wondered why there were several seats at different stations and then noted that those terminals were all blank.

“We are quite close to the planet” the computer admitted “But our speed is sufficient to keep from falling into it. We are trailing a boom, a tube, which has a device at the end that is sifting the atmosphere for heavy hydrogen, this is what we are pumping back into the fuel tanks. You must remember that our tanks at launch were less than 1% full, just enough to get us to this point”

“We'll be heavier when full” Jay said, remembering “Now that we are so far from the sun we can afford to take on so much more mass”

“Affirmative” the computer said

“It is quite beautiful” Jay said, looking at the swirling bands of orange and white and other colors of the clouds. Soon enough the large red storm was barely visible on the edge of his vision. The ship was at the equator so the great red spot went below them, not underneath. “How long will we stay here?”

“It will take approximately 15.4 days to fill the tanks at the present rate”

“Then we increase altitude and speed, get away from Jupiter and move towards the edge of the solar system. How long before we leave the solar system?” Jay asked.

“That depends on what you define at the edge of the solar system” the computer said “It will probably take a few years to reach the Kuiper belt and enter the heliopause.”

Jay Johnson whistled. “This is going to take a while then. No hurries I guess. It's not like we ever figured out how to build a warp engine”

“Warp is only a theoretical possibility, but in reality any device which could do this – if such a thing could be built – would need an infinite amount of energy. To reach the other side of the galaxy, you would likely need the energy of every sun in it. Not that I have done the calculations, which would take a long while, even for me” the computer said.

“Right” Jay said remembering that the computer was massive itself. It reached every part of the ship, there were huge computer chambers everywhere. It was so extensive that some thought the computer could become sentient.

“It's not against the rules to thaw another human is it?” he asked the computer “I would like to have a companion”

The computer answered after a moment “While not specifically forbidden it is a waste of resources, which is against the rules. My main goal is to reach New Eden with the most number of human passengers in good condition as possible. This trip will take thousands of years, which means that I will already be using hundreds of humans as crew during the voyage as it is. So I would have to say that I will not bring another human out of cryogenic suspension”

Later, Jay entered one of the biological habitats. It was about 4 acres of trees, shrubbery, grass, some small critters and a few insects, strictly controlled and unable to breed. The top was completely transparent and he could see Jupiter dominating half the view. He couldn't make out any of its moons or the faint ring though.

“Years” he told himself “Years and years”

He looked back at the hatch, which was open and the little robot that hung from the ceiling was in the doorway. Jay felt like this robot was watching him.

“What is your name? Do you have one?”

“Gopher” it said “I am called Gopher. It has been 4 hours since you were taken out of suspension, are you hungry?”

As a matter of fact he was. “Yes I am. I could really go for a nice steak dinner and all the fixings and some wine”

“Is that your order? I will bring it to you”

“Here? I can eat here?” Jay asked.

“You can eat wherever you wish” the robot said and departed, Jay watched the hatch doors finally shut.

The computer spoke again “I can understand you will feel lonely, but it is important not to dwell on this and to focus on other things”

Jay really didn't want to get mad again, he didn't want to talk to the computer right then. “I will eventually go insane like this”

The computer spoke after a couple of moments “Yes” it said “That is probable”

Now Jay was confused, the computer already knew. It already had plans for that eventually, he bet.

“Look, I need companionship. I need to be with a woman. I'm not a monk” he told the computer “It is a human desire, need, imperative”

“I understand human physiology and sexuality, Jay Johnson” the computer said “The library has a full array of visual, audio and interactive sexual programming that will mostly satisfy these urges in human beings”

He put his hands over his face. “Oh give me a break”

Then he laughed “And while we are at it, can I have some real clothes? I feel like I'm wearing a woman's one-piece swimsuit or something. Except this thing is as thin as paper.”

“Of course, I can produce any type of clothing article you would like”

Jay lay down in the grass. “I wonder how long it will take me to lose my mind?”

The computer answered “I estimate 20.3 years”

Jay sat straight up “You estimate that? You know, I think you are what will drive me crazy”

“Unlikely” the computer said “The longer you are here the more I will be able to match with your personality”

Jay scratched his head and then laughed “Are you saying we're going to become friends?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes”

The hatch opened and there was Gopher, with a tray covered by a dome lid and a decanter of liquid, his meal was ready. “Compliments to the Chef” the little robot said with his high voice “There is not really a chef, though”.

Jay laughed again. “There is no way I'm going to last 20 years”

Salutem Novis decided to do another analysis, Jay Johnson might not be as stable as he first believed him to be. This would be an interesting case and the computer would learn a lot about interactive with human crew.

.........................

Continue to Lonely Space - Chapter Four

Link to Lonely Space - Chapter One

Link to New Arrivals at Amazon. Buying my ebook will help keep me writing this story and others.

Home Stretch

I can see the end coming on my present story, The Fourth! This is exciting for me. Just a couple of small matters before the big ending. Then it will be on doing the second draft, proofing, sending to beta-readers, making more corrections, adding a cover and then posting to Amazon!

Then I can tackle the next story, Kita. I have been adding bits and pieces to that story here and there but it needs serious attention before I can go any further. I can do some side projects (not counting my short stories or Lonely Space, which I will keep doing anyway)

There are also some other short novella stories I need to finish.

Review: The Synchronicity War: Book 1

The Synchronicity War by Dietmar Wehr

The human race has long since expanded from Earth and found space rather boring, so far humans were alone. Our space fleet were more of a police force in space and exploration is what they were doing most of the time. So the human race was not really prepared for real war with an alien species, but ships started to go missing...

This book is near-flawless besides a couple of instances of the author referring to female officers as "he" or "his" early on. This was a minor and temporary distraction to a well-written story. This book is the first of a series and this one, not the rest, is free at Amazon at the link above.

Lonely Space - Chapter Two (All Aboard)

Chapter Two

All Aboard

Angie was right where she told them she would be, right when they said they would be there to pick her up. She stood in the middle of the trashed intersection and looked around at the chaos that surrounded her, the stores were gutted, houses were burning people were being beaten or killed. A girl was dragged away on the pavement by two men, leaving a small child behind screaming “Mommy”

The faces of these people were ones of anger and hate or they were blank, emotionless and resigned to their fates. The latter were milling about, lost and aimless, the former were tearing, destroying and running wild. First and Maple Street, this is where they said to be.

“Here I am!”she screamed at the sky “Right where I'm supposed to be!”

Nobody paid the screaming woman any mind, it wasn't like this was any different in a world gone crazy. Angie wore a t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops and wondered when the male crazies would run out of prettier and more enticing females. The females were scarier, she saw one cooking a cat on a spit over a fire, at least she hoped it was a cat.

She was almost ready to give up. Angie could see some of “them” starting to notice her, starting to move in her direction. There was no direction she could run, she would always be surrounded by monsters like these. “I'm here! You promised!” she screamed at the sky, now frightened that there were worse things than death.

Then she was surrounded by a shadow, she looked up. Blocking out the sun she could barely make out what it was but there was only thing she could think of. It was a hovering fan-jet, she hadn't even noticed the noise over everything around her. The crazies were enraged and started moving toward her faster. She sat on the pavement and ducked and covered like the old tornado drills in school.

That is when she heard the loudest, most hellish noise she could remember. She peeked to see the pavement being torn apart and fragments of it flying everywhere, then the crazies who hadn't run were being hit by some gun from the aircraft, pop, pop, pop right across the chest, nearly cutting them in half.

Then a hand pulled her up, she screamed but then saw he was wearing a uniform.

“Angela Carmichael, I'm here to get you to your flight!” he said, he put a rope or harness around her and then they were being pulled up into the sky. She was helped into the aircraft by someone else who helped her fasten into a seat inside the open-side craft. The sides folded shut after the man was back on board, then she could feel the aircraft accelerate .

She was going to make it.

…

“Daddy” the little girl in the pink dress said to the gray-suited man, he kneeled down and picked her up. “Yes, my little angel, what is it?”

“Are we all going to go together daddy?” she asked

“Yes, honey. Our whole family is going”

They were inside the upscale home inside of the walled compound that employed its own paramilitary police force. The people that lived here were invariably on the list to get aboard the ship, mainly because they designed it and helped make it reality.

The project had taken close to two-decades from start to finish and would never have happened without some major technical achievements and technological revolutions. Ships with gravity nullification had been used to build the massive orbiting vessel, this took a hundred trips a day for the past eleven years. A large percentage of the manufacturing capabilities of the whole planet had been harnessed for this purpose.

The Salutem Novis was several miles long and very wide and deep of draft. There were several large biological habitats on the top of it where plants and trees and some animals would be alive for the trip, a few humans not in cryogenic suspension would be their caretakers. They would also be the “crew” because the computer required a person to serve. There would always have to be someone not frozen.

“Rodger” a woman asked, she was dressed smartly in a conservative suit with a skirt down past her ankle “Try not to spoil her too much, she has to go to sleep in her own chamber when we get there”

Rodger Dawson was one of the chief engineering officers of the project while his wife was one of the medical scientists who had made sure to design the cryogenic systems to last for thousands of years. It did not seem possible to most but the inner-workings would be kept in a vacuum and very cold to prevent decay of the systems inside.

They and their daughter Annalisa left their house. Outside it sat on a cul-de-sac and at the center there was a shuttle parked for them. They would get a direct trip to the ship, not having to gather at an airport (renamed space ports for the purpose). All of their neighbors were also coming outside and were also going to ride up, they greeted each other like old friends.

“No sense in waiting” Jonathon Sanders said, he was Project C-Team Coordinator and the oldest man in the neighborhood. He climbed aboard and put out his hand to help his frail-looking wife on board, no one was going to say anything, although some looked uncomfortable.

As others entered and found their seats, Mr Sanders encouraged them “The Salutem Novis is the ark that will save human kind from the end of the world. The best of the best, those needed to rebuild society on the other side, some chosen by random lottery too. This is how the quarter-million people were chosen that will carry on the human race. We owe it to those not with us to carry out this covenant.”

…

Then they approached and entered the hangars on the massive vessel. A small robot attached the ceiling greeted them as they exited the decontamination chambers. They were all now wearing simple cloth one-piece smocks and following behind the little robot that happily chirped to them “Good day, it is a good day to depart. Let me show you to your assigned area.

They entered the stark white room, everything was clean enough to impress them. They circular room had just enough chambers sitting there for them, all of them were open and waiting. Once you are lying in the chamber it will form fit to your body, for your comfort. Once the cover is closed an anesthetic will be introduced to help you sleep before the cryogenic process begins. It will be painless and you will wake up when we reach your new home.”

“It's scary” Annalisa said looking at the chamber. They showed her others getting inside and falling to sleep immediately, it was a calm affair. “See nothing to worry about” her mother said.

Her father got down on a knee to speak with his daughter. “It's okay, me and mommy are right here, we won't let anything bad happen to you. You will go straight to sleep and we will be here when you wake up and give us big hugs!” he said giving her a big hug until she giggled.

He picked her up “It's just like going to bed. Everything will be fine, I promise. Daddy won't lie to you”

“Never” his daughter said with a giggle as he placed her into the chamber and the surface underneath her shifted to conform to her little body. “Goodnight daddy, goodnight mommy” she said as the transparent lid closed over her. She waved and her father waved back and then a white mist was sprayed inside and she was asleep within moments.

Her parents hugged each other and promised to see each other on the other side before getting inside of the tubes on either side of their daughter. They were the last ones to go to sleep and the room was quiet. Then the tubes withdrew into the walls and were shifted through special corridors into another tremendously large chamber where they were stacked with all of the other occupied cryogenic chambers.

New, empty chambers were inserted into the room.

The Salutem Novis Central Computer noted that nearly all of the units had been utilized, the ship was in perfect condition and the predetermined time for departure was closing quickly.

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Lonely Space - Chapter Three (Gas)

New Arrivals is my first little book, a quick read of teen and YA friendly adventures with 12-year old main characters. It's light and fluffy science fiction.

Lonely Space - Chapter One

A new idea I had. I want to post occasional chapters of an ongoing story. I have not actually written the next part as I post this.

Lonely Space

by Floyd Looney

“Get moving!” her mother told her over the phone as she raced to pack a bag “You don't need to take anything with you for crying out loud!”

Tamita dropped the bag she had been filling with clothes and other items. Things that would never make it to the destination anyway. Why was she suddenly doing this? She needed to be at the space port as soon as possible. It was no time to get cold feet.

“Yes, mama”

Tamita looked out the blind of her window, nothing was stirring, and in the daytime this was worrisome. She lived in a public housing block of 10,000 units and the walls were concrete, the windows plexiglass and the front doors were steel. It still wasn't enough protection.

She took a deep breath. “Are you sure they are out there?” she asked her mother on the phone.

“They are there, just hurry”

She put the phone in her jacket pocket and unlocked the bolts and chains from the door, before peeking out. Then she slammed the door all the way open and ran for her life, past the graffiti covered walls and blood-stained concrete floors. She rounded the corner and saw the yellow truck at the curb, her brother was in the back holding the AK-47 to keep the gangs and criminals at bay.

She jumped into the opening passenger side door and slammed it shut behind her.

“I'm in the truck, mom!”

“Thank God, now for the hard part” her mother said. Meanwhile Tamita paid no mind to the seat belt, instead she bent over and kissed her father who was driving. He was already flooring the small truck, its tires squealing as they laid down rubber.

“My little girl is going to make it out of here!” her father said, determined “None of these fools is going to stop you!”

The city was in chaos, everything was broken, busted, looted or on fire. With nothing left to steal, the gangs and desperate started killing each other over the smallest things. Society had broken down and she knew this was being duplicated everywhere on Earth. Some kind of blockade was ahead of them in the road being set on fire, a man with his face painted holding a machete was standing in the way.

“Don't look, darling!” her father said as he pushed the truck even faster. The truck slammed into the man and then the burning barricade, tires and trash flew all over the place, some burning rubber stuck to the trucks front end. Her father didn't seem too worried about it. Then a mob of people from both sides of the road tried to stop them, she heard the gun her brother carried in the back starting to lay down fire.

“Going to go plowing today” her dad muttered just as the truck starting hitting through the crowd, the sounds of wet things slapping the truck as they sped through the crowd was sickening but it was quite necessary. Her father grabbed her hand that was holding the phone and pulled it to his face.

“The traffic is crazy today Hildy!” he said as they left that group of crazies behind. There was still quite a trip to the space port. There would only be one shuttle from this location and she wanted to make sure she was on it. She didn't go through the effort to win a slot on the ship just to get left behind.

Then suddenly she got that ache in her stomach again. Her father and brother were risking their lives to get her on that ship. She would leave them behind to die along with her mother and her friends. The whole world was going to die and she would be safe, with some other privileged people in the depths of space. Earth couldn't be saved, it was time to abandon the planet.

No more urban blight, no more ghetto, now it was an apocalypse. So was everywhere else. “It's going to be okay, Tamita” her brother said, putting a hand on her shoulder through the shot out back window to calm her “It's your place, up there. You will carry on the family, there will always be a Koroma with you safe”.

“My baby girl is going to live! Thousands of years from now, my girl will be living on another world safe and sound” her father said proudly.

They passed broken down, burned out and looted vehicles as they headed toward the spaceport, once or twice the barricades had to be rammed again. There was no way her father was going to slow down on this trip. Tamita could not help but notice that the last one had caused the engine to make struggling noises. She wondered how they would get back to their walled home outside the city.

All of a sudden there was another vehicle behind them, they could see several people in the back of that truck shouting and waving guns in the air. They had just gotten onto the Kissy-Tagrin Bridge over the mouth of the Sierra Leone River, this bridge was a little over 7 kilometers long before reaching the ground again in Tagrin.

Her brother laid down in the bed of the truck and tried to take out the vehicle chasing them, he tried to hit the driver and the tires but the old Kalashnikov rifle wasn't accurate at this distance. What was worse was that the other vehicle seemed to be gaining on them, they knew these burnt out vehicles better than her father did.

It was almost a miracle that she saw the other vehicles tire blow out and saw it swerve to the right and bounce off a burnt out lorry and then through a broken area of the side railing and down the 200 feet to the water below. Her brother still lay there, there was blood all over the bed of the truck.

“Henri! Father, Henri has been hit!” she screamed “Henri”

Her father didn't say anything, he grimaced and was pretty stiff. Then she noticed there was blood on his back and the back of his head too. “Daddy!” she said.

“I will” he said grunting “Get you there”

It seemed like forever before they reached the other side of the bridge and started up the Airport-Ferry Road. This stretch of the trip was dusty, the hulks of buildings crowded both sides of the road, it was eerie to see nothing stir.

She was scared and crying for her brother and father. There was no way they were going to make it, and she wasn't going to be able to tell her mother because there was no longer any cell coverage, probably hadn't been for a long while. Her father was slumping in his seat but he was still driving, sheer determination being the thing that kept him alive.

She kept touching his arm “Dad” she said, trying to say it without the fear and sadness but failing.

Finally they reached the gates, there were soldiers guarding it. As soon as the truck stopped her father slumped forward against the steering wheel. “Dad!” she yelled, knowing it was futile. Several armed soldiers were looking in the windows and in the bed of the truck.

“You're Tamita Koroma, right?”

She nodded, unable to speak through her tears. The door opened and she was pulled out, partly carried through the gate as she tried to look backward. The future was the other way but she hadn't really accepted the loss of her past just yet. Still she was carried forward, it was too late to do anything about the past now.

“The shuttle is ready to leave as soon as you board, ma'am” the soldier said as they pulled her toward the hatch. She could see a few others inside, they were watching her, they were impatient to leave this doomed planet. Tamita was looking out the window next to her after she was strapped in and the hatch was closed.

She felt a lurch in her stomach region and the ground fell away, much quicker than she thought possible, as if life had been put on fast forward. Soon she could no longer see the ramshackle city or the dirty backwater corner of Africa, she just saw sea and clouds and it looked beautiful. Strange that Earth was still beautiful in its death throes.

.............

Link to: Chapter Two (All Aboard)

You can support this site and my science fiction efforts by buying a copy of New Arrivals, a soft & fluffy retro Sci-fi story.

Short Story: Lonely

Lonely

by Floyd Looney

She was lying in the grass looking up at the stars wearing a simple cotton garment, almost like a thin cotton one-piece swimsuit. She did not worry about modesty out here alone. She could hear crickets and a bird and smiled, okay not totally alone. Surrounded by grass, trees, shrubbery and small creatures she felt more alive here than anywhere else on the ship.

The ship, which she could barely feel vibrating through the soil beneath her, was moving at half the speed of light. It piloted itself, it maintained itself and her only function to be the designated human that wasn't frozen. One human at a time was always to be awake during the entire transit.

She knew that hundreds of people would live their whole lives alone while doing this duty, she never thought she would be one of them. The odds were against it, she thought, with more than a quarter of a million frozen humans aboard. Just lucky, she thought, after all she did win the lottery to be aboard the ship in the first place. Leaving behind a fast-dying Earth, with its dwindling oceans and its thickening atmosphere as it turned into another Venus.

5,000 years had passed since then. Was Earth already dead by now? Was there any way they could ever know? Probably not, they were nearly 2,000 light years away now, the ship had turned around and was decelerating now. This would take hundreds of years. The ship was massive, she never explored more than a small percentage of it.

Most of her time was spent here in one of the large biological habitats. She couldn't complain about much, she had all the food she could need, the med-com kept her perfectly healthy and it was a much more comfortable life than the living hell she left behind on Earth. By comparison this was heavenly.

It was just lonely. More than once she had thought about taking a dog out of cryogenic suspension or maybe a person. It wasn't allowed and the computer was certain to try and stop her. If she succeeded though, she had no idea what the computer would do then. Would it try to kill the other person or animal? Both of them maybe? Choose another passenger to unfreeze after dumping her corpse in a recycle tube?

After taking a swim and drying off while lying under an artificial sun, she left the habitat and went down a corridor and then took a transit tube down to the main control center. There she pored over crew records, pretending to check out their cryo-status. Yes, she was going to need a companion, there was no way she was going to live the next thirty or forty years like this. Sure it was perfect in every other respect but humans were not made to be alone.

Crew member #23243 was going Chapter Twelve. Inevitable, but many years ahead of prediction. The computer found this... fascinating.

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Should I post a longer story, part by part, instead of these short stories? I could still post the occasional short story, of course.

Interesting Link: Finding a characters voice

Nat Russo writes about this at his blog.

I haven't used this technique but I might do it in the future.