Milky Way Gala: The Belt Stories, #3

By Roger Alan Bonner

Victimized by technological and human failure, Sarah, on her first voyage as a star ship captain, is stranded in deep space.
She desperately wages a war of survival, marshaling every resource and idea to return her ship and her crew to civilization. But as time passes, her resources - her body and mind, her crew, the air on her ship, the food in its holds, the technologies of space travel  - dwindle and fail. She is losing the war. Cold, black vacuum - always advancing, never retreating - is closing in.
Jimmy, released from prison, is prosperous, a celebrity for his daring rescues. But for all his success, he has pursued a single obsession - finding Sarah, dead or alive.
He has failed.
He crosses an anniversary of her disappearance and begins to lose hope. She has been missing more than a year. Everyone else believes that Sarah and her crew are dead. Jimmy wonders if they might be right.
Hope, tragedy, ingenuity, and courage collide in an explosive ending, concluding the Belt Stories.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Red Frog Books Company
• Release date: Apr 26, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386801016

Roger Alan Bonner

Roger Alan Bonner is a retired economist and ersatz mathematician, now busy creating works of fiction. He works primarily in science fiction because science is exploding these days.   He retired from Washington, D.C., spent time in waterlogged Florida, and then escaped to the Triangle are of North Carolina. It is a beautiful place, which the hurricanes often miss, filled with warm, bright, interesting people. He has two daughters and usually does not know where they are.  He likes baseball, the Outer Banks, chocolate cream pie, dancing, music, and is a huge fan of painter Vincent van Gogh, home run king Barry Bonds, guitarist Al DiMeola, and actress Minnie Driver.  Contact him at rogeralanbonner.com or leave an email at [e-mail].

Book preview

Also by Roger Alan Bonner

SENTINEL

A powerful supercomputer, built to operate a telescope complex on an asteroid, awakens to human companionship, mortality, complexity, resourcefulness, and courage.

The Vote Trader

Hector is a gray market financier in Brooklyn. He loves money. He also loves Sarah, a political operative. When New York allows its citizens to buy and sell votes in political elections, Hector dives into the heavy surf of money and power and runs face-first into issues of humanity and community.

A Thing of Dark Imaginings

A psychological drama - Amir and Serena lose their only child, Lelah, in a mass shooting on her campus. As time passes, Amir surrenders to grief and psychosis. An inner voice invades his mind - the Beast, an angry, vicious being obsessed with violence and revenge against those it blames for Lelah's death. Amir's life will be awash in blood; having lost his daughter, he will struggle not to lose everything.

Milky Way Tango

The first of the Belt stories. On a date, Jimmy and Sarah are victimized by violence. Jimmy kills and is incarcerated next to a nebula over a thousand light years away. Abandoned, Sarah struggles to resurrect her life while Jimmy fights to survive the cold, vacuum, and turbulence of a vast and fiery nebula.

Milky Way Boogie

Sarah cannot be happy without Jimmy. She moves into space, seeking to reunite while Jimmy learns to love the beauty of the nebula and displays a gift for managing potential disasters and saving the terrified lost in the Black. 

Milky Way Gala

Malfunction and treachery conspire to maroon Sarah in deep space. Jimmy leaves the nebula and searches for her, following an obsession that becomes his job, then his career, then his life. Though his rescues bring him fame and fortune, he fails to find Sarah. She fights a desperate battle to survive as cold, vacuum, privation, and radiation invade. An explosive climax concludes the Belt stories.

Thirds

The first of the Nebula tales, a space opera at the juncture of political science, biology, and fantasy. Reaching the Orion Nebula, humans encounter a space-faring, tri-sexual society, Surana. The biology and interdependence among the three Suranan sexes result in pervasive and deeply seated discrimination. Biology drives politics, violence ensues, and Surana threatens to implode.

Thirds Rising

The second Nebula tale. The oligarchs ruling Surana try to use science as a means of oppression. Violence, terrorism, and kidnapping explode on Surana.

Thirds Aflame (forthcoming, 2021)

The third Nebula tale. As the body count rises and destruction spreads across Surana like a fiery disease, the tris discover a weapon far more effective than guns and bombs. Biology drives politics, and Surana strives for a resolution.

MILKY WAY GALA 

Volume Three of the Belt Stories

A NOVEL BY

ROGER ALAN BONNER 

RED FROG BOOKS COMPANY

THIRD EDITION

APRIL 2020

Copyright, Disclaimer, and Keywords

© 2019 RED FROG BOOKS Company. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from the author.

Graphical image produced by Betibup33 Design Studio. Cover images © 2019 Red Frog Books Company. All rights reserved. Published by Red Frog Books Company.

This is a work of fiction, a toy, not a tool, created to entertain the reader. All legal or natural persons, places, events, and institutions mentioned herein are products of the author's imagination or are used as fictional elements of a story. Any resemblance to a real person, place, event, or institution is coincidental and unintended.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence, cosmology, faster than light, imprisonment, lost love, navigation, quantum structure, robots, salvage, science fiction, search & rescue, propulsion, space opera, space travel, stasis.

The Best of Bad Choices

SARAH WALKED INTO THE medical unit. The unit had four beds. Two retracted against the bulkhead; a divider hid a third. Mike Taylor was in the fourth bed, in the open, with Dr. Metz and a medical bot handling sensors and fluid leads.

Sarah approached the bed; Taylor looked up and smiled weakly. Hello, Captain. I seem to have taken a wrong step.

Everyone did, Sarah said. How do you feel?

Oh, I’m okay. The good Doctor has me stuck here. Medical caution. It seems I’m not missed. I hear we’re stranded.

Sarah glanced at the Doctor and nodded. Actually, you are missed. I need your help. The jump engine is down. The Chief is in bed. We’re well off the shipping routes. So we’re a mess, a total mess. I’m glad you’re feeling better, but I must confess to an ulterior motive.

Tomorrow, Dr. Metz said. Meanwhile, Mr. Taylor, I want you to stay off your feet and take it slow.

Taylor smiled. Great. Slow is good. I like slow. More space action vids. I haven’t watched this much video in years.

That’s what happens when you’re living an adventure, Sarah said. But let me borrow the Doctor a sec. You can have her back soon. I’m glad you’re okay. Sarah motioned to the Doctor with her eyes and walked out of the med unit. The Doctor followed.

In the corridor, Sarah turned to face the Doctor. He looks better. Is it true, he’ll be back tomorrow?

I think so, Dr. Metz said. In a case like his, even if there’s no apparent damage, we do a full exam. Every so often something genuinely dangerous shows up, like a blood clot. Or the patient falls down and concusses himself. I’ve done my tests. They suggest he’s healthy as a horse. So tomorrow he’ll be up, like I said.

Good, Sarah said. She stood there looking at the Doctor. Any limitations?

I don’t want him in vacuum, okay? And I prefer him to be in light gravity, if that’s an option.

It is, Sarah said. What’s going on?

Even a good jump shakes up the nervous system, rather like the effect of electro-magnetic pulse on an integrated circuit. Every so often a person experiences blackouts or vertigo after a bad jump. Or after a good one, the Doctor said. Plenty of people have fainted their way out of the fleet.

Okay, Sarah said. I’ll try to keep Taylor close to the floor.

Good. Now, the Chief... the Doctor said.

Yes, Sarah said. The Chief.

It’s not good. He is in a coma, and he could die in his sleep. Rather than risk that, I want to put him in stasis. That way, he’ll be safe until we can get him to a hospital.

I can’t have the Chief back? Sarah said.

No, the Doctor said. A body enters coma to protect itself. It has a lot in common with a coma following a stroke. The brain shuts down and tries to heal itself before it accepts function again. Usually, that’s the best therapy for the patient.

I can’t even talk to him?

Nothing cognitive. Sorry, the Doctor said.

So I can’t get the Chief back, Sarah thought. That’s disappointing. Our odds of dying just jumped.

Thank you, Doctor, Sarah said. Listen, call me when you put the Chief into stasis. I’d like to be present, to see if I can help.

The Doctor stared at Sarah, "Are you sure, Captain? There’s nothing fun about putting someone in stasis. People often puke at their first one. The procedure is disturbing. You drain their blood and replace it with preservative. They turn purple.ˮ The Doctor made a face. ʻʻThat’s bad enough. It’s worse if they’re a friend.ʼʼ

I may need to get used to it, Sarah said.

The Doctor continued to stare at Sarah, then she understood. Okay, Captain, I’ll call you.

Sarah turned. Dr. Metz watched her walk away. When Sarah disappeared around a corner, Dr. Metz reached out and put a hand on the bulkhead to steady herself. She stood there for a minute, then returned to the med unit.

SARAH ENTERED THE GALLEY. Taylor and de Jesus sat at one end of a long table, Emily and Jeremy at the other end. Dr. Metz leaned against a counter.

Sarah looked around briefly. Everyone’s here. Good. Everyone got a drink? You need to be sober for this, though I wouldn’t blame you for hauling out a bottle afterward. Our situation is bad. You all knew that, right? First, we lost the Chief. The second jump accident knocked him out; he has not regained consciousness. The Doctor recommends stasis for him, and that’s what we’ll do.

Has anyone talked to the Chief? de Jesus said.

The Doctor said, No. He’s been comatose since the jump.

I read that people can come out of comas, de Jesus said.

The Doctor shook her head. Don’t count on it in this case.

Sarah looked around - de Jesus was agitated; everyone else was calm, considering the circumstances. Sarah thought, I’ve been living with this information for several days. These people are seeing it fresh. They will need time to understand.

She said, "Second item is, the jump engine is down. We’ll try to repair it, but that was the Chief’s job. So I assume we won’t be able to use the jump engine. Obviously, that’s our worst problem.

Now, we are not helpless. We know our location - off the shipping lanes, four point three light years from 55 Cygni. If we had ping pongs, we could easily contact S&R, and they’d send a ship out here to pick us up. Unfortunately, our consignment of ping pongs is missing.

Mike Taylor spoke up, Captain. There’s got to be a mistake. I saw the ping pongs when we loaded. A big red plastic container, full of them. I checked.

Sarah thought, so much for Mr. Taylor being the thief. "That’s great, Mr. Taylor. If someone can produce that container for me, our problems are over. We’ve tried to find it. So far, zippo. I assume the container won’t be available. We have no ping pongs left. We sent off our last one, programmed for a spot in a shipping lane near 55 Cygni. That was several days ago. There has been no reply.

Now, I hope someone will hear our ping pong. But we can’t count on that, Sarah said. Comments?

She scanned the compartment. Everyone stared at the deck, and de Jesus and Emily looked troubled.

Sarah continued, Okay. Gail and I have studied our supply situation. We face serious constraints. The first is food. At our rate of consumption, we can last almost eleven weeks. Rationing lengthens that. Our cargo is light on food items, so little help there.

Sarah looked around the compartment - not yet, they’re not ready for it yet.

This time everyone talked at once. Sarah listened; no one else did:

How dumb is it not to secure the ping pong consignment?

I’ve never had such bad luck with a jump engine.

Why aren’t we better supplied with food?

Hey, you be grateful for the food. It’s free, and if there’s a bigger chowhound in the fleet, I haven’t seen him.

Why don’t we have a rescue shuttle? We’ve lost ships before. It happens. A shuttle can go four light years easily. How dumb is this?

Sarah sat there. The comments continued for a while, then weakened and finally stopped.

Sarah looked around. Anyone else? Okay, I don’t want to divert our attention. Let’s not waste time wishing. I want to focus on survival. How do we survive this?

Sarah paused and took her time to let that comment sink in. Gail has studied the known cases of ships lost and rescued. There’s one lesson. A crew lost for two months or more can survive only by entering stasis. They emerge from stasis when they’re rescued. That’s our only choice. Skip Away is not designed for long trips in space.

Emily spoke up, So you’re proposing to put us all into stasis? Until we’re rescued?

The Doctor said, Not all, Emily. We have enough stasis chambers, but someone has to remain behind. To go into stasis, a person must assist you. One person will have to stay conscious.

Sarah turned to Emily and said, "I will remain behind and pilot the ship. We have a large bank of ion engines on this vessel, more than the usual. If we’re careful, we can get close enough to 55 Cygni in a couple years. We’d have to run at top speed for the entire time. And we’ll continue broadcasting an SOS. And... we’ll need luck.

To some of you, stasis sounds frightening. But it’s the only way we can survive. In every other course of action, without counting on luck, we all die.

Sarah held her hands out as if begging. Believe me when I say this, if somebody has a better idea, if I’ve missed something, please speak up. It’s simple. If we’re marooned out in space, it’ll take us too long to get back; we’ll starve. That’s the main problem.

de Jesus spoke up, Look, Mam, I don’t know the situation as you do. I’ll say one thing - I ain’t going into any bloody stasis chamber. If I got to die, I’ll do it like a man, with my eyes open, facing the end like a man. I ain’t getting into any chamber. No way.

Sarah glanced at the Doctor, who took the cue and said, Mr. de Jesus, you don’t have to die at all. The stasis chamber lets you live. No one has to die.

Well, if the captain is staying conscious, de Jesus said. I’ll just stay conscious with her. I’ll keep her company, back her up if she is injured. With just two people, the food would last longer.

Gail listened to the exchange. Her voice came over the intercom, Crewman de Jesus, if I may. With two people conscious, they would starve before reaching 55 Cygni; their food would last eighteen months at best. Most likely, neither you nor the Captain would survive.

de Jesus grunted. So now a goddamn computer is making my choices for me. That’s just great.

Several people tried to talk.

Sarah held up her hands and said, "Calm down, everyone, please. We don’t have to decide today. Think it over. Maybe someone will hear our SOS, or we can repair the jump engine, or we can find the missing ping pongs. If any of these happen, it solves our problem.

However, if none of these happen, then our survival is at risk. In that case, stasis allows the crew to survive. If anyone has an idea, I’m all ears. We’ll meet again in a couple of days.

Sarah looked around. Comments? No? Okay, return to your posts.

Several people left the galley. The Doctor stayed behind. She waited until the compartment cleared, then she turned to Sarah. Listen, Captain, you’re young, you have a long life to look forward to. I’ve already lived most of mine. If you wish, I can be tail-end Charlie.

Sarah looked at her and said, Doctor, I’m touched. That is incredibly kind. I will turn it down. I’m the captain - first one on, last one off.

Well, think it over, the Doctor said.

I will do that. Thank you, Doctor, Sarah said. The Doctor left the galley. Sarah stood there alone - the Doctor cannot operate the ship. She is not trained for it. The Doctor is trained to care for the crew. But if they’re in stasis, she is not needed. There, I have considered it. Thanks, but no thanks.

I’ll do my own piloting.

LATER THAT DAY, SARAH entered the main cargo bay. Mike Taylor was there, holding a portable electronic pad, staring up at a bank of large containers.

Sarah walked up to him. Mr. Taylor, how are you? Are you feeling okay?

Ninety percent, Captain, thanks for asking, Taylor said. Fit for duty.

Good. It’s good you’re back, Sarah said. Is Mr. de Jesus available?

Taylor turned and shouted, Santo. Captain wants you.

Sarah heard a muffled, Coming, then the sound of containers moving, a clang of metal, a loud grunt, and after a minute de Jesus emerged from an alleyway within the storage compartments.

He walked up to Sarah. You need something, Captain?

Yes, Sarah said. Thank you for the inventory report. I meant to get back to you about it. I noticed that you listed a red shipping container containing ping pongs. I want to inspect that container.

de Jesus said, Of course. Follow me.

Mr. Taylor, Sarah said. Walk with us, maybe you can help.

de Jesus led her down an alleyway between shelves and stopped. He looked up, several levels into the storage compartments. See, Mam? Up there, de Jesus said.

Sarah followed his hand and saw a red container. That one? she said. Great. Bring that down, please.

de Jesus hesitated. Is that necessary, Mam?

Sarah nodded. Yes. I need them now.

If the jump engine isn’t working, then why... de Jesus said.

Suddenly, Taylor barked, Santo, stop fucking around. Get the damn container. Right now.

Mr. Taylor, thank you, Sarah said mildly. But I don’t need your help, do I, Mr. de Jesus?

Uh... no Mam, de Jesus said.

Good, Sarah said. Please proceed.

de Jesus took a portable control. He called a bot. It approached the shelf unit and rose on telescoping legs. Two powerful waldos extended and picked up the red container from the storage unit. The bot lowered itself to the deck, holding the container.

Open it, please, Sarah said.

With some reluctance, de Jesus knelt down, undid a fastener, and opened the lid of the container.

The container was empty.

Well, shit, de Jesus said. I’m sorry, captain. I should have been more thorough.

Sarah turned and walked away.

Taylor grabbed de Jesus by the front of his shirt and muttered, You son of a bitch.

Sarah stopped, turned, and said, Mr. Taylor, take your hands off of Mr. de Jesus.

Taylor stood there for a moment, his face three inches from Santo’s, then he looked at Sarah.

Sarah spoke again slowly. Mr. Taylor.

His eyes boring into de Jesus, Taylor dropped his hands and stepped back.

de Jesus took a step back from Taylor. Captain, I can explain.

Some other time, Mr. de Jesus, Sarah said. I’m busy. Mr. Taylor, please follow me. I have a job for you. She turned and left the cargo bay.

Taylor gave de Jesus one last venomous look and followed Sarah out of the cargo bay.

TAYLOR CAUGHT UP WITH Sarah on her way to the propulsion compartment.

Captain, I apologize, Taylor said. But I think de Jesus is running some kind of game here.

I agree, Sarah said.

I think he sold those ping pongs. I cannot believe anyone could be so stupid. I have worked for captains who would have spaced him for this, Taylor said.

You’re angry at him. I don’t blame you. I am too, Sarah said. But it’s not important.

Not important? How can it not be important?

What is important, Mr. Taylor, the only important item, is our survival, Sarah said. Everything else - everything - is secondary. She looked Taylor in the eye, I do not want you wasting time worrying about de Jesus. Spacing him will not help the rest of us survive.

Sarah paused. At least, I don’t think it will.

Taylor nodded. Yes, Mam, I understand. And you’re right. It’s just... it is difficult.

I am begging you to focus, Mr. Taylor. I need all the help I can get, Sarah said. Here’s what I’d like you to do. After the first jump accident, the Chief ran a series of diagnostics on the jump engine. We have logs describing what he did. I want you to take those logs, get a repair bot, rerun the tests, and try to get the jump engine running again.

Captain, I’m not an engineer, I can’t...

Sarah almost rolled her eyes. I know all that, Mr. Taylor. I want you to try. You’re all I’ve got. Use Gail to guide you. She’s knowledgeable. If you work together, maybe you can figure out something.

Yes, Mam. Okay. Yes. I will try, Taylor said.

That’s all I ask, Sarah said. I know it’s hard, but don’t give up. I want you to try. We must find a way to survive.

Executive Decision

SEVERAL DAYS LATER, Sarah called another meeting, and again the crew gathered in the galley.

Sarah entered the galley last. Hi, everyone. We all are here, so let’s start. We need to decide. The last time we met, I gave you all a status report. I would try to pilot the ship to 55 Cygni. Everyone else would go into stasis.

Sarah paused, looked around, and continued, Our situation is precarious. First, we lost the Chief. The Doctor and I put him into stasis.

You never mentioned that, de Jesus said. That you had put him in stasis.

I mention it now, Sarah said. We did it to save his life.

Doctor Metz looked at de Jesus. The Captain took my advice on this. de Jesus did not respond. A couple others nodded.

Sarah continued, Now, we need to repair the jump engine. Mr. Taylor is working on that. Mr. Taylor?

Captain, I’ve been working non-stop. I have nothing to report. It’s taking a long time to understand the tests that the Chief ran. I’m not sure the repair bot can run those tests. Jump engines are bloody complicated. Even repair bots aren’t simple.

Gail? Sarah called out. Do you have anything to add?

No, Captain, I am sorry, the A.I. said. We have made no progress.

Well. That’s not encouraging, Sarah said. Let me add, as the last item, we have not found our ping pongs. They continue to be missing.

Sarah looked around at the others. So. Comments?

No one spoke.

All right. Mr. Taylor, I want you to keep working on the jump engine. Give me a progress report in four days. Meanwhile, I want de Jesus, Emily, and Jeremy to put their affairs in order. You three will enter stasis first. Sarah stared into their eyes.

Mr. Taylor will be next. Doctor Metz will be last, Sarah said. We will enter stasis in that order.

de Jesus was standing across the compartment, staring at the floor, his head shaking from side to side, an emphatic ‘no.’

Sarah watched him. You have something to add, Mr. de Jesus?

I never agreed to go into stasis, Mam. I don’t want to. And I’m not going to. It’s that simple, de Jesus said.

I am not asking. I am ordering, Sarah said. But that aside, we’ve discussed this. Can you tell me how the crew survives without going into stasis?

I don’t care about any of that, de Jesus said. It’s just a bunch of words. I’m not doing it, and I don’t think you can force me.

de Jesus’s eyes rose to meet Sarah’s and instead found themselves staring into the muzzle of a neuralizer pistol. Her hand was steady. Her face was blank.

You should put that thing down before someone gets hurt, de Jesus said.

Sarah’s face did not change; she did not blink. She fired the pistol. A blast of blue light hit de Jesus in the chest. Suddenly rigid and immobilized from being shot, he stood there. He gasped, You... shot...

Sarah shot him again, twice. de Jesus collapsed. Taylor caught de Jesus before he hit the deck. He looked up at Sarah, smiled, and dropped de Jesus onto the deck. de Jesus’s head bounced, once.

The other crew members stood there, staring in shock at Sarah. Sarah raised the muzzle of the weapon, pointing it at the overhead. Emily wept silently. Taylor looked down at de Jesus, smirking.

I’m sorry, Sarah said. This is the only way everyone survives. It is not an option. I am not asking. Now, the rest of you have your orders. You are dismissed. Go back to your posts. Sarah pocketed the pistol. Doctor, you stay.

Sarah stood there, staring at her crew. Taylor shrugged, turned, and left the compartment. Emily, her mouth open, stared back at Sarah. Jeremy reached out, put a hand on Emily’s shoulder, turned her away, and led her out of the compartment.

Sarah looked at Dr. Metz. I want to put de Jesus into stasis right now. Maybe then he’ll stay out of trouble.

Yes, Mam. The Doctor pulled out a comp pad and keyed in a request for a med bot and a gurney. The bot arrived minutes later, lifted de Jesus off the floor, and laid him on the gurney. Dr. Metz said, Take him to the med unit. We will follow.

Sarah and the Doctor walked down a corridor. The Doctor said, I wondered how long you would tolerate de Jesus. Mike and I are friends. He thinks de Jesus sold our ping pongs.

I know. Sarah shook her head and for a moment looked sad and puzzled. I think so too. Hard to believe.

So now, we need to survive.

You’ve been talking to Mr. Taylor, Sarah said.

Yes. He thinks if you survive, you’ll be a great captain. I agree, for what it’s worth.

Sarah wore a half smile. Yeah, thanks. Maybe I’ll feel better when this is over, and they have rescued us. I hope so.

Three hours later, de Jesus in a purple sleep, cooling in a stasis chamber. A med bot checked the readouts, moved the chamber next to a bulkhead, and locked the wheels.

That wasn’t as disgusting as I expected. It was just weird, Sarah said.

You did well. You didn’t throw up, and you were helpful.

Thanks. Sarah turned to go. She stopped and faced the Doctor. I hope I didn’t scare you with my gunplay back there.

I expected it.

Sarah said, Well, I didn’t.

Sure you did, the Doctor said. That’s how that neuralizer ended up in your pocket.

The Feeling of Doom