Al Clark-Christopher's Journal: Al Clark, #0

By Jonathan G. Meyer

A Year Alone in Space

Christopher Morris is on a thirty year journey to a new world when his stasis chamber malfunctions and shuts down prematurely. He finds himself trapped and alone in the Habitat Ring of a massive starship without access to the rest of the vessel. What would you do if you had all the time in the world and nothing to do?
This short story introduces you to a main character in the Al Clark Series you can't help but like and can be read before, during, or after reading the series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jonathan G. Meyer
• Release date: Jul 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393163343

Jonathan G. Meyer

Jonathan G. Meyer is a Midwestern author with a passion for Science Fiction. He is a retired electrician fulfilling a lifetime ambition of creating Science Fiction that portrays the determination and drive of the human race. Currently, he is the author of the AL CLARK Series, and a stand-alone entitled- VINCENT.

Book preview

Day Three

I’m not sure what happened to cause my hiber-pod to spit me out like spoiled food, but I can tell you the revival was harder than I ever imagined. My first response when I woke up was to vomit over the side of the open pod. The recovery process left the first few days somewhat foggy. It was necessary to crawl to the habitat suite next door to recover before I could even think about exploring.

When the heaving and nausea passed and I felt good enough to move around, it didn’t take long to discover that airlock hatches blocked each end of the passageway. Opening either hatch requires the use of a key card, which I do not have. So, I’m trapped in this section of the Habitat Ring with three inch, faded blue stripes running down both sides of the corridor—commonly referred to as the blue section. None of the living quarters have signs of human occupation. They appear as if they were built long ago and forgotten.

Small round windows in the hatches blocking the corridor allow me to see into the airlock and through the window of another hatch into the adjoining corridors. This part of the ship appears to be vacant. If we had arrived at our destination the habitat ring would be teeming with people. So...where is everyone?

I boarded the ship at the last minute, which means most of what I know about the Excalibur was what my mother told me, and what I gleaned from passenger lottery brochures before being hustled inside and placed into stasis.

The habitat ring is a giant rotating wheel located toward the front of the starship. Its spin provides an efficient simulated gravity for the colonists as they prepare for planetfall.

Due to spacing issues, redundancy, and reasons no one could fully explain, my pod and one other is located in the Habitat Ring; instead of the Hiber-Pod Bay like the other colonists. The ring is divided into four sections with four spokes leading to a Central Hub. To reach the main parts of the ship it is necessary to pass through the hub. Without a card I can’t even leave this section of the ring.

To this point there has been no sign of anyone ever being here, which could mean many things. Either the ship has been abandoned, or I have been awakened prematurely, or I am the only one alive. All the scenarios scare me.

Because the suites are all similar and empty, I decided to stay in the one near my hiber-pod. A source of water was my first priority. After opening numerous access panels, I figured out how to turn on the water for the apartment. Almost as important was taking a shower, which was sorely needed. Even though the water started out brown and murky, after a while it began to get clearer. I’m guessing the major portions of the system must be recirculated. For now, the water still tastes like metal. My hope is it will improve with