The Final Frontier

 Man has always eked out an existence under the cosmos, amazed, awed, perplexed and even frightened by the mysteriousness surrounding the black expanse above them. It would only be a matter of time before man set out to conquer the stars and their secrets. For Adam Russel's family, that time has been always.

   The scion of a space faring dynasty; Adam is the son of an astronaut, who, in turn, was the fifth in a line of astronauts. The line ended when Adam, not interested in the stars or leaving Earth, who pursued a career as a school teacher. Rather than explore the stars, establish colonies and further the influence of mankind, Adam was confined to classrooms and lectures, furthering the future for humanity in an entirely different fashion. But Adam was content. He was content.

   At least he believed he was, until the men in suits came to Adam with a proposal.

   Adam was arrested on March 13th, 2175, for the rape and subsequent murder of Adrienne Pinkerton, daughter to Henry Murphy Pinkerton, business magnate. The trial was quick and relatively painless. Adam did not bother with any false appeals or excuses: he pleaded guilty, admitted to committing the crime, was utterly compliant and ventured into every detail, no matter how grim or graphic. In turn, faced with such irrefutable evidence (and some hefty "donations" provided by the Pinkerton family) , Adam was slapped with a life sentence in prison. There he spent the next three and a half years in a solitary confinement cell with no contact to the outside world.

   That changed on August 3rd, 2178, when he was awakened by a guard and informed that he had visitors. These visitors, a small group in number, were representatives of the Horsch-Cosmo Aeronautics and Space Firm (HCASF, in abbreviation) . The firm was running a live testing experiment; they were sending a manned space shuttle to Neptune. They had set up a colony station in Neptune's orbit and required workers to operate and live on the station. In return for Adam's cooperation and participation in the project, he would be released from prison and given a "new start" and partake in a mission that "could change the course of humanity's destiny." All he had to do was sign a slip of paper.

   That very same day, he was released.

   His visitors took him back to HCASF's headquarters and launch pad located at Houston, Texas. Once there, he was subject to a training program to prepare him for the rigors of space travel and living in vacuum. After roughly a month of tests and medical examination, Adam Russel was deemed fit to fly.

 

                                                       *    *   *

 

   The space shuttle was much larger than Adam had imagined it. It was reflective, mirror-polish white and tube-like in structure and shape. The interior was cramped and uncomfortable but Adam had not expected a luxury cruiser. The craft had no windows or viewpanels and it made Adam feel claustrophobic and trapped. The suit e was ordered to wear increased this sense of discomfort and claustrophobia. It was very primitive, nothing like the suits the astronauts wore in the videos: clunky, bulky, heavy and too damn hot.

   He had chosen a "window seat" in the hopes of watching the expedition firsthand. Rather than giving his attention to a window, he watched the other passengers prepare and board the shuttle to pass the time. He smiled inwardly. They were like him - other f**k ups or failures; criminals, drug addicts, ne'er do wells. The HCASF was no NASA, yet they were sure saving pretty pennies by scooping up and using the dregs of society. It made Adam uncomfortable. The space station now seemed more like a penal colony, a deep space Australian penal colony, than a gateway to glory for humanity.

   "Hello,"

   Adam snapped out of thought and looked up. Standing in the aisle was a woman, in her mid-to-late thirties. She wore an identical suit and smiled amiably.

   "Hi," Adam said.

   "Mind if I share this row?"

    "Go for it."

   She seated herself next to him. He mentally scoffed. The discomfort he felt spiked. As she sat and got comfortable, she caught him looking over her. She smiled again.

   "I am Susan Burnes," she introduced herself, offering a hand.

   Adam took her hand and shook it, gently. He was conscious of contact between him and any woman.

   "Adam Russel." he introduced himself back. He then smiled, a forced effort to appear friendly. "I didn't think there would be any attractive ladies along for the ride. The suits give you the low-down and offer, too?"

   Inwardly, he flinched. That was god-awful. He expected her to slap him or storm off, offended. He could never guess women. But rather, she laughed, politely, and shook her head.

   "Oh, no, no. I'm one of the medical staff assigned to the station."

   "Doctor?"

   "Not as you'd expect. Psychologist, therapist. I'm here to make sure everyone is mentally sound and adapting well."

   "Hah!" he laughed. "Mentally sound? This whole thing is nuts. We're all nuts."

   She frowned. "Why do you say that?"

   "Because," Adam began. "Why bother? Yeah, yeah, overpopulation, pollution, global warming and all of that. Half of it's bullshit, regardless. But nothing out in space will make a difference. Sure, for short term but nothing for the long term. A few years, we'll need to push out further. And a few more years after that, we'll manage to f**k space up somehow."

    "You are quite the pessimist, Mr. Russel." Susan said, frowning. "That is not what will necessarily hap--"

    "Attention passengers," crackled a feminine, monotone voice over the shuttle's interior speakers. "Boarding and coordination features are completed. Lift-off procedures are underway and liftoff will commence shortly. Please remain seated and secure safety harnesses. Remember: at Horsch-Cosmo, your safety is our primary concern."

   The interior of the shuttle grew quiet. Conversation died and people no longer paced the aisles. Systematically, each passenger fastened their safety harness. Minutes later, a consistent vibration began to thrum through the ship. The shuttle moved, lurched forwards and upwards slightly, being lifted by the launch pad to a forty-five degree angle.

   "Attention: Liftoff commencing in five........four......three......two..............once."

   The soft vibration instantly intensified to a fierce, jarring explosion as the space shuttle's engines roared to life. The craft shot forward off the launching pad and hurled through the sky, breaking through layers of atmosphere. A great weight hammered Adam's chest and made his eyes feel strange, so he clenched them tightly shut. The pressure made his head hurt and made breathing difficult. After a handful of agonizing minutes, the weight and pressure subsided and the shuttle itself seemed to grow still. Adam slowly opened his eyes and looked to his right.

   "You okay?" he asked Susan.

   "Yeah,"

   "Liftoff successful. Generating interior artificial gravity."

   The cabin hummed softly and it became suddenly comfortable. Adam knew the sound came from the gravity generators and knew where each one was placed, strategically around the entirety of the cabin. They were optimized for utmost comfort without any oppressive sensation or stress on the passengers.

   "Gravity generators?"

   "Yes," said Adam. "They aren't just for comfort, either. For health. Vacuum can make muscles atrophy. Prevents the heart and muscles from turning into slush. It counters the effects of prolonged space travel and exposure to vacuum."

   "You know your stuff."

   Adam shrugged. "Runs in the family."

   "That's why you're here?"

   "No," he shook his head in response. "No. Got myself into a little trouble and went to jail. Three years in a cell and then some suits show up and make me an offer: be a guinea pig for their experiment in exchange for freedom. Seemed a fair trade."

   Susan frowned and furrowed her brows. She studied his face. He, too, appeared to be in his mid-to-late thirties but his face bore lines from stress and worry. His hair was flecked by strands of grey that poked through before their time. His features were severe, angled and hostile in appearance. His eyes, brown like chestnuts, looked very sad.

   "What did you do?" she questioned.

   He paused. "I raped Adrienne Pinkerton. And then I killed her."

   Silence. She blinked.

   "Why did you do that?"

   He shrugged again. The corners of his mouth curled slightly downwards.

   "Why does anyone do anything?"

   She turned away from him and gazed around the cabin. People were beginning to converse again, getting comfortable to the gravity.

   "This will be a long trip," she said, trying to change the subject.

   "No."

   "No?"

   The ship lurched forward again. The pressure and weight returned.

   "Hyper-jump," Adam said through the weight on his chest. "It's like.... supercharging the engines to propel the ship faster and further. Experimental tech. Developed by the Japanese but Horsch-Cosmo is the only private firm that has their paws on any of it. The trip won't be too long now. We're probably real close to Neptune."

   Before Susan could reply, once more, the speakers crackled to life.

   "Attention passengers: we are approaching Horsch station. Opening exterior viewpanel shutters."

   Something clicked and shifted on the side walls of the cabin. Strips of metal began to pull away slowly, leaving transparency and the stunning vista of space in their wake. Adam smiled. There was the sight he so longed! Beyond the tempered plastic that took the place for glass, the black velvet void of space lay, studded by faint pinpricks of light and blotched by gossamer expanses of nebulae. To the right, nearly dominating the entire viewpanel, was the azure orb of Neptune.

   "Beautiful," Adam heard Susan gasp.

   Giant Neptune continued to gradually creep forward, until all that could be seen out of the viewpanel was swirling blue. From his seat, Adam recognized the Great Dark Spot and a smaller speck. Hovering almost dead center of the Great Dark Spot was the labyrinthine mass of Horsch Station: a branching structure of corridors, docking cradles, chambers and antennae.

   "This is Horsch Station," announced the monotone voice. "Welcome home."

Reviews

[Buck West]

Not bad. Where does the story go from there? Need to continue further and come to an ending.