ETERNITY WITHOUT REPRIVE, Part 1
"The eternal silence of these infinite spaces fills me with dread."--Blaise Pascal
Alonzo Solace sauntered into the bar on Space Dock O-1-9-5. Gazing around the dimly lit crowded tavern, he nodded appreciatively. Yep, exactly what a fella needed after graduating from Cold Sleep Pilot Training. A stiff drink, a hearty laugh, and a little company--preferably of the female kind. Before starting his new career as a long haul pilot, he felt like celebrating. He bee lined it to the bar and wedged his way between two patrons to the counter. Catching the bartender's eye he ordered a beer.
"Hey Solace!"
Alonzo looked about in search of his hailer. A hand slapped down on his shoulder and squeezed it. He glanced down at the offending hand and his eyes followed the arm up to its owner's face. Immediately a smile flashed across Alonzo's face and he let out a whoop of recognition.
"Ross! What'cha doing here?! Did ya get lost or somethin'?!"
Kyle Ross was older than Alonzo by 5 years, but they knew each other from flight academy days. Kyle had graduated a year before Alonzo. They hadn't seen each other in over 7 years. Neither one had changed a whit. They were both in their mid-twenties and full of themselves. After the two men finished pounding each other on the back and saying how ugly the other was, they headed over to a table to catch up.
"So 'Lonz what are you doing in this little back eddy of the system?"
"Oh, I was sitting on my thumb in Glennox Station trying to scare up a job. Glennox is a busy dock with more jumper pilots than you can beat with a stick!"
The dark haired man shook his head ruefully then smiled.
"Jumper pilots? You telling me you're an Ice Pilot now?! Great! When'd you finish training?"
Grinning and nodding in time with the thumps that Kyle was giving him on the back, Alonzo tried to answer without letting his voice quaver.
"Just completed it a few days ago. No more commuter hops for me! But it's been kinda hard getting a job. No one wants to entrust their cargo to a newbie. They all want someone with experience, but hell, how do I get experience if no one gives me a job? Doesn't my previous pilot record count for anything?"
Ross nodded sympathetically. This all sounded very familiar to him. Guess every new cryo-pilot had the same beef. But space jumping *was* different from short-run piloting. There was a lot more that could go wrong. A lot more.
"But you know Lady Luck looks out for her boy! There was a guy, Elliot, who suddenly and irrevocably fell in love. He wanted to get married and she didn't like the idea of him spacing around. So he agrees to give it up, only he has one little problem. He'd taken on a contract to deliver a cargo of food staples. That's fifteen months round trip counting the 45 day down time between jumps. Since I kinda introduced them, he offers me the contract. Left right after the ceremony--I got to be best man!"
Chuckling he took another pull on his beer, and caught sight of a pretty brunette smiling at him.
"Besides, this place doesn't seem so bad."
He flashed his best lady killer smile and threw in a wink for good measure. A husky man came back to her carrying two drinks. He gave Alonzo a threatening scowl and steered his companion to another table, far away. Shaking his head in disappointment he turned his attention back to Ross.
"How about you? What brought you out here?"
"Well, guess you could say this is my home port. You are looking at an official Council Space Pilot."
The man puffed out his chest and hooked his thumb around the lapel of his jacket.
Alonzo took in his friend's beaming face and his equally shiny attire. Ross had always been a preener, but his funds often limited his choices. Now it seemed he was able to indulge in fashion to his heart's content. Ross' straight blonde hair was neatly trimmed above his collar. He wore a black leather jacket that appeared to be genuine, not simulated like Alonzo's. It was decorated with carved silver buttons and had leather fringes down its arms and across its back. He wore a black silk shirt and leather pants that matched the jacket. The pants were neatly tucked into a pair of brightly polished black boots with silver toe guards. All Ross needed was a hat to complete the cowboy image.
"Looks like they pay pretty well. So you just haul for them now? What do they have you doing?"
Leaning forward in his chair, Ross got an excited, eager look in his eyes.
"Aw man, Lonz! It's a peach of a deal! O-1-9-5 is the last inhabited Station in this sector. The only other thing out this way are the prison stations. I pick up the frozen felons that get delivered here and ship them to the various stations. --Say! Want me to put in a good word for you and get you on? No more fighting for hauls, guaranteed work, great pay and perks!"
Alonzo sat back in his chair and squirmed. He suddenly felt uncomfortable but he didn't wish to hurt his friend's feelings.
"Thanks Kyle, I appreciate the offer but it sounds too much like being a bus driver. I was looking forward to going to different places. Kinda set myself a goal of visiting every station in the system. If they keep building them, I'll never run out of new places to go!"
Ross bristled at the bus driver allusion. He knew Solace was the better pilot but *he* had the better job. He wasn't going to let Solace make him feel like he'd sold out.
"Come on, Solace! This isn't the Apollonian Era or the Unified Space Era! That's when space was a *frontier*. Now it's just a job! Who do you think you are? An explorer? Huck Finn? Yeager? Friggin' Gagarin? You don't want to be a bus driver, huh? Well quit kidding yourself! You're just a truck driver hauling cargo from dock to dock. If they ever perfect the computerized autopilots you won't even be _that_ anymore! There are no more explorers, that's what they have unmanned probes for."
Ross downed the remainder of his drink and slammed the glass on the table. The waiter rushed over to quickly replace it with another. The two friends sat glowering at each other. Alonzo noticed for the first time in the dim light how red Kyle's eyes were. Apparently he'd been drinking quite a lot lately.
"When are you shipping out? You know you can't have any alcohol in your system before you get iced. It's too risky. You might not wake up."
"Don't lecture me! I might not be _the_ Alonzo Solace, space pilot extrodinaire, but I know what the hell I'm doing! And I might add, I've been doing it a lot longer than you! Shit! Try to give a friend a leg up and he dumps on you!"
"Look Kyle, I wasn't attacking what you do. It's just not for me. The idea of shipping people like cargo is just too much like being the captain of a slave ship from ancient times. It just doesn't set well with me."
"Hey! Those _people_ are convicted criminals! They deserve what they get. We can't have them running around ruling the Stations like they did on Earth. Look what happened there. Decent people were too scared to leave their homes because of them. There was never a successful reform program. The Yales all went nuts. Drug therapy was only partially effective. Hell, I'm sorry they haven't brought back the death penalty for some of these creeps! Get rid of them like you would a mad dog. People are entitled to security. I help ensure their safety. Hell, maybe you *don't* have what it takes to be a jumper."
Alonzo pushed away from the table and stood up. Ross mimicked his actions. Alonzo held his hands up in front of his chest.
"I don't want to fight or argue with you Kyle. I just think you need to cool down and sleep some of the booze off. It was nice seeing you again. Take care of yourself."
With that said he turned around and walked out of the bar. So much for laughs and female company he thought. A lot of what Ross had said rang true. He was just a truck driver. There *was* a frontier still out there though, beckoning to him. Gazing out the nearby window, he allowed himself to get lost in its starry vista. Sometimes he swore he could hear it calling to him. Funny though, he heard its murmurs clearest during his dreams. Maybe he would eventually have enough of a stash to buy his own ship and set out on his own. Who cares that he would have to convince the government to let him leave the system? He'd find a way. Sighing he headed off in search of a room to rent.
A loud buzzing and pounding noise was not the kind of reveille that put one in a good mood. So Alonzo was understandably pissed when he opened the door. He was barefoot and barechested. He had hurriedly yanked on a pair of pale blue shorts before opening the door. Cryosleep training had gotten him use to sleeping in little or nothing. His hair looked like it had been mamboing while he slept.
"Alonzo Solace?"
Alonzo leaned against the door jam and glared at his human alarm clock. He was a smallish man with a receding brownish gray hairline. The suit he wore must pass for what was fashionable these days. It was a silvery puce color and baggy. Kind of reminded him of the old Zoot suits. Well fashion, like history, repeated itself.
"You better be here to tell me I just won the Space Lottery, or you're in trouble, pal."
"No Mr. Solace, I'm here to escort you to be prepped for your space jump."
"Wha...sorry fella, you got the wrong Alonzo Solace. My space jump isn't scheduled until tomorrow."
"I realize that, Mr. Solace. Do you know a Kyle Ross?"
"Yeah," he responded suspiciously, "what about him?"
"He was scheduled to ship out this morning, only he is in the hospital instead."
"Hospital?! What happened?!" Alonzo was fully awake now.
"It appears he had too much to drink last night and tried to persuade a young woman to dump her companion in favor of himself. As you can imagine her companion took this very badly. He broke Mr. Ross' jaw, cracked 4 of his ribs, and shattered his right kneecap."
Alonzo stared at the man in disbelief. He suddenly felt guilty for leaving Ross in the bar alone. He knew he was drunk and looking for a fight. If he'd stayed and fought with Ross the worst that either one would have gotten was a bloody nose and a black eye. They had fought before but neither one had ever tried to seriously hurt the other no matter how angry they were.
"I'm real sorry to hear that, but what does that have to do with me?"
"Mr. Ross is unable to preform his duties as a pilot. We require a pilot. You are the only other pilot available on this station. Besides, Mr. Ross highly recommended you."
Any guilt Alonzo felt flew out the window then. Damn Ross! He was doing this just to force him to fly that prison run! Busted up in the hospital, and all he was thinking of was getting even!
"Well sorry to disappoint you..."
Alonzo paused and made a helpless gesture with his hand.
"Port Liaison Miklos." Replied the little man.
"Liaison Miklos. Like I said, I got a job scheduled for tomorrow. I can't take on another job and break an existing contract. You'll have to find someone else."
"I'm sorry too Mr. Solace. There is no one else. We cannot afford a delay. Since our information tells us that you were with Mr. Ross just before the incident, you bear some of the responsibility for it."
"How do you figure that?" Alonzo felt his blood pressure rising.
"You were seen drinking and then arguing with Mr. Ross. If you hadn't done that or hadn't left him in the bar in that condition, this wouldn't have happened."
"Look, I'm sorry about Ross and I'm sorry you don't have a pilot, but I _can't_ break this contract. I can't afford the lawsuit or the damage to a reputation I don't even have yet! Plus I'd been drinking last night too. Alcohol and cryosleep don't mix!"
"Mr. Solace if you do not come with me now, you will never pilot another ship again. In fact, you may very well find yourself a passenger on one of those prison ships if you refuse to come with me."
This last statement was said softly and pleasantly like the man had just offered Alonzo a free vacation. Alonzo knew this man could do what he threatened. Alonzo wasn't stupid, he noticed life becoming more and more Orwellian. One of the reasons he wanted to become a sleep jumper was so he wouldn't have to deal with it. He'd read 1984 as a kid. Orwell wasn't off target, he'd just gotten his dates a little off. Alonzo didn't feel like becoming another Winston. Cryosleep training had taught him that time was on his side. He could afford to wait and bide his time. One day something would come up and he'd have his chance to get even with the government. Provided he survived this trip.
"Okay, just let me get dressed and get my stuff."
Miklos stared at him with triumphant icy blue eyes.
"You have five minutes."
Alonzo followed Miklos through the cavernous transport ship. They passed row upon row of cryotubes. Each one occupied. Each year hundreds of criminals classified as "beyond rehabilitation" are shipped out to the prison stations never to rejoin civilization. How did they deal with all of them? There would have to be nearly as many prison stations as there are habitat ones by now. Alonzo broke the silent trek to ask Miklos this question.
"'Be not curious in unnecessary matters' Mr. Solace."
Great! Now he had a bureaucrat quoting Scripture to him! The man was closer to the next galaxy than he was to God. His mother had been a very devout woman who believed in the triumph of the human spirit. Thankfully she hadn't lived to see humanity in its current predicament. They completed the journey to the control room in silence.
"Mr. Solace this is Dr. Norton. He will be prepping you in addition to accompanying you on your trip."
Alonzo nodded to the man in greeting but refused to take his proffered hand. He might not have any choice in taking this job but he didn't have to be nice about it. Dr. Norton lowered his hand and brushed some imaginary lint from his pristine white lab coat instead.
"I see this is your first cryosleep voyage. This is a very long trip, 22 months one way. Not exactly the best maiden voyage for a cryo-pilot's first trip. Most start with something a bit shorter. To get their "space legs" so to speak. This isn't very wise."
"Yeah well, talk to your boss about it."
Alonzo wandered off to inspect the ship's computers and controls. Yeah just like he'd thought, it was a modified Mark-L62 Cargo Transport. A real old dinosaur. Ya'd think the government could splurge on updating its ships once in a while. Guess it was cheaper to hire more people than to build new transports. Maybe that was the answer to what they did with the excess prisoners. Half of them never made it to their destination! Well old Lonz just hated to disappoint them but he'd yet to screw up a short flight and he wasn't about to muck up his first long flight, dinosaur ship or not. He sat down and started to program the controls, working in as many back up programs that the available memory would allow.
When he finished programming the ship systems to his specifications, he looked up and noticed it was just him and the the doctor. Miklos had gone. Hmm, no goodbyes or final words of encouragement? Ah well, Alonzo had had colder bon voyages. Seeing he was done, Dr. Norton crossed over to the pilot's chair and began to monitor Alonzo's bio readings with a scanner that was about the size of a notebook. Least they didn't skimp when it came to modern medical technology. After a couple of long sleep jumps he bet they'd have ones that would fit in your hand.
Dr. Norton frowned and made "ahem" noises in the back of his throat. Looking at the doctor Alonzo found himself wishing it was a female doctor taking care of him. A *pretty* female doctor. He didn't like the thought that the last human face he might ever see was this ugly old pug.
"So Doc, what's the prognosis?"
"Your basal metabolic rate isn't as high as it should be, but I can compensate by injecting some ACTH and TSH hormones into your pituitary gland. I'm more concerned with the effect of the seda-hypno drugs I'll have to use so soon on top of the alcohol in your system. I don't want to inject you with too much benzodiazephine and run the risk of putting you into an irreversible coma."
"Yeah, that would be...bad. If I don't wake up to manually dock the ship, we'll just cruise by our destination and take a little joy-ride until we we hit something. So BZDs are out, what are you going to use?"
"I'm considering using a barbital compound. It's half-life is much shorter. Only I can't be certain how it will interact with your system or if the barbital will last long enough."
"Great bedside manner, Doc. Thanks for all the encouragement!"
"Not to worry, I've programed the ship's medical computer to constantly monitor your readings for any unusual fluctuations. It will take the necessary actions if anything occurs."
Not looking anymore encouraged that before, Alonzo set about getting the ship out of dock and under way.
Laying on the cryobed, Alonzo felt more nervous than he imagined he could feel. This should be an exciting moment. His first cryo-jump! Here he was sweating, heart pounding, and breathing like a marathon runner. Come on, Lonz! Get a grip! You know your Lady Luck will see you through this. She hasn't let you down yet!
Dr. Norton was affixing the EEG and bio-sensors to his temples and his chest. He noticed Alonzo's condition. Gave him a smile and patted him on the shoulder in a fatherly gesture.
"Calm down son, in this condition you'll never reach Stage 4 and achieve hibernation state. You don't want to be awake all the way to the prison station, now do you?"
"Hey Doc, that's a thought! Why don't you hop in the cold sack, and I'll just sit up and play some solitaire till we get there!"
He gave a nervous chuckle after saying this.
"I'm sorry, you know we can't maintain gravity, oxygen, and heat levels and still have enough fuel to make our destination. You'll be just fine. Remember, I'm counting on you too."
Without giving Alonzo any further time to talk and increase his anxiety level anymore, Dr. Norton injected the seda-hypno into his carotid artery. Alonzo felt the familiar tingling followed by numbness. Unable to keep his eyelids open any longer, Alonzo gave up and allowed his eyes to roll back. Oblivion wrapped her arms about him. Now he was in God's hands.
Story Notes:
This is a pre-G889 story. It tells the tale of Alonzo Solace and his experience of being trapped in his cryotube when he awoke 5 days early. He mentioned this incident to Julia in the "After the Thaw" episode.
This story is dedicated to Paul Bethke for his inspiration and many helpful suggestions. :)
Plus two people should know where the name Kyle Ross came from! ;)
Amblin owns the characters, I own the story...Comprende?
This story is dedicated to Paul Bethke for his inspiration and many helpful suggestions. :)
Plus two people should know where the name Kyle Ross came from! ;)
Amblin owns the characters, I own the story...Comprende?