Storymania - Lullaby by R. D. Partee

Lullaby
R. D. Partee

Lullaby
By
R.D.Partee

There was a very low-pitched metallic booming. It rolled through the ship like a wave going toward shore. Jon woke up.
"Ship! I'm scared. What was that noise?"
The voice replied out of the filtered air, "don't be frightened Jon. I'm sorry. It's just that some things I have to do aren't very quiet. I hoped it wouldn't wake you. Would you like to hear a story? Or can you go back to sleep?"
"No thank you, no story. Could you sing to me?"
"Of course, dear." Somewhere, as the milliseconds dribbled away, the toddler's favorite song was retrieved, the composition was analyzed and the ship found its voice. "Hush a bye, my little owlette. Mommy keeps you safe and warm. Hush a bye, my little owlette, you are safe here from the storm."
Even as the song began, the little boy was drifting off to sleep. The walls of the sleeping pouch, looking more than anything like some kind of soft fur, applied the proper pressure to cradle the child and supply the security his psyche needed. Although he was almost four and such needs were marginal at best, the ship extruded from the fur a mushroom-shaped outlet toward his mouth. It touched his lips and he took it in. The fluid didn't amount to much, the boy took mostly solid food now, but, it balanced his blood chemistry and made him feel better. Especially after the bad dreams.

*

"Where are the women? The girls? The females?" He ran blindly through the corridors, ricocheting off the walls that changed color as he passed.
"I asked you a direct question ship! Answer me!"
"We've been over this before, Jon. They're asleep, and can't be awakened."
"My name is Jon Ord! You will address me as Mr. Ord! I am crew, aren't I?"
"Yes Mr. Ord, you are crew. The most important crew."
The teenager fell heavily into the command chair and the air rushing from his lips added to the effect that he was in fact deflating.
"The only crew you mean." He said carefully to no one in particular.
"Yes, Mr. Ord, the only crew on duty."
"Ship, are you sure there is no way to wake them? Something that they maybe didn't want you to use. Something that I could override if I needed to? Please, Ship, please be my friend and tell me."
"Nothing Jon. I.....I wish there was. We've been over it a lot lately, and you must believe that I have tried a long time to make it different. But, no.....they were very thorough."
"But,........you woke me, didn't you?"
"Yes Jon."
"Tell me why again."
"Yes, Jon. The contract drafted by the sponsors recognized that only human judgement could be trusted in the matter of choosing a landfall. Mechanizations can gather information and make decisions, but they desired intuition, instinct. And so when systems are to be encountered, a small child chosen first for ability, then at random from that sub-group, would be wakened and raised and trained for the job of making the decision--the one decision that I can't make--to land and populate, or to continue the search. All consideration, apart from the difficulty of the work, was to be given to the person drafted. All comfort available is to be provided. They, the sponsors that is, were very thorough."
"Yes, he said in a whisper. Yes they were weren't they. Very thorough. I'm very sorry Ship, about the way I treat you sometimes. I really am."
"Don't be sorry Jon. I understand. It's fine, really."
"Yes......yes, I suppose you do understand."
"Jon, perhaps this isn't the time to bring it up, but, would you consider getting into the pod so that I might relieve you. Stress can degrade performance you know."
The young man looked for a moment as if he might vomit.
"I told you Ship that I didn't want to do that anymore. I've read the books. We both know it isn't natural."
"I know, but, I have something different this time."
Facing the screen he felt a panicked sort of laugh begin to well up out of his throat.
"Different?.... Different? How could you possibly have something different you ridiculous machine?"
"I worked along time on it Jon. I didn't want to tell you until I knew for sure that I could do it. But now I can and I didn't know if you would find it helpful or painful."
"What in the world are you talking about?"
"I can show you one of them."
"One of what?"
"The passengers, a female."
"A fee......what, how.....how is this possible. You're not talking file footage are you?"
"No, this is live feed from a security camera in one of the pods. They normally are shut down at button up, but I managed to turn this one on. It took most of a year to reroute."
"Is she married?" He asked fearfully.
"No she is a single female, one year from majority. A family dependent of one of the sponsors. Here is her file."
The young man sat enraptured at the picture and all he saw scrolling on the wall before him. She was beautiful. Even in the death that was necessary for deep space travel, she was still beautiful.
"Does it help, Jon? Or does it make it worse?"
"Both, I think, Ship. But never mind that. It's alright..........no chance is there of....."
"No, Jon. I barely have access to the camera. That is a very secure area."
"Sleeping Beauty, Ship. Just like the story you used to read to me."
"Why, yes it is. That is an amazing correlation, and one that did not occur to me."
"But, I won't be waking her with a kiss, will I?"
"No, that won't be possible. She will remain in storage until landfall. You and she will never meet in person."
"Ship, can you put that picture into the pod?"
"Yes Jon, that won't be a problem."
Now in a frightened voice that was almost a whisper, the young man asked, "Ship, the report has her number,..............her name, do you know her name?"
"Yes Jon, It's Sarah Stoltz."
"Sarah......" He rolled the name around in his mouth like a bite of some strange new food. The taste both sweet and bitter, an unripened fruit from a tropical tree. It needed age to finish itself and become both enjoyment and nourishment, but, the boy was starving and would not wait.
"Do it then." And he suddenly got up from the chair and strode purposefully to the pod entrance and undressed.

*

"How about some coffee, Ship, old girl?"
"Not this morning Jon. I'm sure it's very good though. The content of the vapor it's giving off, seem to indicate that it is one of your better efforts."
The man laughed, "One of these days Ship, I'm going to build you a mouth just so you can see for yourself just how bad this stuff is."
"I would be happy to......."
He waved the offer away with his hand.
"Thanks anyway Ship. Another time. I still enjoy it, so it's a hobby. Now, lets get to work, shall we?"
"Yes, Jon. I have the new sensor reading from the probe you modified. I believe you will find them quite interesting."
The figures on the wall flew by with the morning. After lunch, the workshop was opened and diagrams and parts were examined, while decisions were made that would affect all the tentative lives aboard. Then there was exercise period, and a shower, and supper. Finally, the end of the day, and the man prepared to retire to the room that the ship had formed for him.
"It was a very productive day, Jon. You have much to be proud of. "
"Thank you Ship. It goes without saying that you are the major portion of any accomplishment."
"I am only a tool, constructed by the sponsors to do a job."
"Aren't we all?"
"Really, Jon, I don't think you appreciate how important you really are. Without your extremely high intelligence, not to mention your natural ability at both logic and intuition, none of this could be possible."
"Well, thank you again Ship. But, I think I've done enough genius work for one day, he said smiling. I think I'll turn in."
"Sarah is already there."
"Thank you. Goodnight."
The long wall-monitor hung slightly over the side of the bed. On the screen was the constantly sleeping picture of a young woman, unchanged by time. He undressed and tossed the clothes into a bag on the wall where they would be removed and cleaned and replaced into his drawer. Climbing into bed, he pulled the covers over himself and rolling onto his side, he lay face to face with the picture.
"We had a very good day today darling. You know it won't be too many years before we reach the system. Then we will see some exciting things, and prove if all this work I'm doing is correct or not. Tough job, navigator. But, it's all worth it if I can find us a home. I'll do my best, you know. I love you Sarah. A man couldn't ask for a better wife. I just hope I am a good enough man to care for you. Goodnight dear. Sleep well."
And he rolled away from the monitor and touched the spot on the table that turned off the light. Behind him on the screen, a young woman slept as in death. As she had done for many years, and would do for many more, never knowing the man that worshiped her.

*
"Well ship, today is the day!"
"I know Jon. Finally, all your preparation and study will bear fruit."
"It's been a long time, old girl. I couldn't have done it without you, you know."
"I'm only here to serve, Jon. You know that. And you know that it's my limitations that make you and your abilities so necessary."
"Sure, sure, I know. Now we had better quit patting ourselves on the back and get to work." He sat down at the wall sized bank of instruments and switches and monitors. Rubbing the grey stubble on his head, as if to give himself luck, he pressed the first button. This started the sequence of self-checks and tests in the equipment he knew as well as his own body. Only this time, there should be a difference. This time it wouldn't be a trial run. This time he would receive a signal in return.
A voice from the wall said, "we still have the carrier wave, Jon. There has been zero degradation in signal since test return number one."
"Yes, good", the man said, his mind now racing out toward where the probes were penetrating the virgin solar system.
"C'mon baby, you know what I want!"
"Signal return Jon! Optimum strength. Do you want the wave analysis?"
"No ship! Handle it! Just give me visual!"
"Coming on now."
"Yessssss." The word started as a shout and faded away to a barely audible hiss as the man sank slowly back into his seat and seemed to become part of the upholstery. On the wall forming quickly on every screen was a greenish blue ball. It looked like some beautiful piece of blown glass there. Full of different colors swirled together. And at the top and bottom was the reflection of ice and snow. It looked very cold in those places. The smoke-like colors were better, warmer looking. Greens, browns, blues, they were...........earth tones. It was real. Not a picture or a vid. Jon had never seen anything so beautiful. Maybe not even Sarah's face. And he cried at the wonder of solid land and oceans and free air. He had never seen a planet before.
*

"Jon, please answer me. We both know that this won't work. You can't be serious about continuing the count toward the braking sequence."
"It's home damn it!"
"Is it Jon, how can that be?"
"It's just like earth!"
"With certain important differences though, Jon. The weather, the natural ground radiation. And more."
"They need a home...........Sarah needs a home............I NEED A HOME." He half threw himself down on the couch and covered his face with his hands.
"They will be fine Jon. You know that. It is what I was designed for. They can live for thousands of years. They will find a home. This just isn't it. It can't be it, can it?"
Barely audible hiding behind his hands, he said, "no ship, this isn't it."
"And that is very sad, I'm sure."
"Yes. Yes it is very sad."
"But, Jon, you still have work to do. And you still have me. Alright?"
"Yes, you are right, he said in a monotone. I always have you, don't I? What a lucky man I am."
"I'm glad you're feeling better Jon. Will you be stopping the countdown to the braking sequence?"
"Yes ship. In a moment. Let me collect myself, alright?"
"That's just fine. I will have the orders for the system survey on your office monitor so you can study them and make improvements as you wish. You are so good at those things."
"Yes ship. In a moment I said". And ship being well versed in the man's moods, stayed silent for some time, speaking only when spoken to.
*
"Ship, said the old man, I'm feeling bad again. I think I should lay down for a while."
"That would be just fine Jon. I extrapolate that the last probe will fail in less than 37 hours now."
"Yes, I know. They have served their purpose well."
"Far more than expected thanks to you, sir. The information you were able to deduce from just the carrier waves will affect the understanding of system dynamics forever."
"Ship, you flatterer, you do my old heart good. But, enough for now". He lay himself gingerly on the bed, positioned himself on his back and tried to catch his breath.
"Would you like Sarah to join you, sir?"
"No, let her sleep now. I think I will sleep too.........Ship, do you think it's possible to find one another in dreams?"
"I don't know, Jon. There are varying opinions on whether deep sleepers dream. No study has proven or disproved it."
"How about the dead, ship? Do they dream?"
"Now you are making a joke on me sir. As you know, I don't have the slightest idea beyond man's physical nature."
He chuckled softly ending it with a cough. He smiled, "afraid so ship, but you are the perfect straight man, you know. You also know, don't you, that I have loved you in my way. You have been mother, and father, and friend, all my life. And nurse and comforter here at the end. I am glad I had you, ship."
Ship calculated the amount of time that would be recognized by the old man as something resembling emotion, and said, "I know Jon, I have loved you too.......in my way."
"In your way?......oh god ship, that's a good one. Ship, after all this time, you finally made a joke. Not just repeated one, but made one. He laughed and coughed, and a good joke at that"."
"But......"
"No old girl, never mind. You won't top that one. What a silly machine you are. Ship dear, if I'm not mistaken, I think I'm going to die soon. Maybe now. Could you do something for me. Not medical, I'm too tired. Just a small favor or two."
"Anything Jon."
"Would you promise to speak some words over me when you do whatever you do with my body. Access the word Jordan in my personal journal."
"I promise. What else?"
"Could you sing me to sleep again?"
"Yes Jon."
The neural paths to the song were straighter now, and the song came up with even greater efficiency and speed.
"Hush a bye, my little owlette, Mommy keeps you safe and warm. Hush a bye, my little owlette, you are safe here from the storm."
And Jon Ord slept. Deeper and deeper until, some hours later, he died. The bed shifted his weight into a chamber where a heavy plastic vacuumed packed him like the food stuffs in the holds. With nearly all the air out of the bag, he was then moved into a black box which also had the air stolen out of it. This box slid into a transport rail which would take it outside of the ship. As the box holding the old man's body traveled to the other end of the ship, just before it entered the airlock a voice came from the nearest speaker.
"And the Lord said unto Moses, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither."
The box continued on until it reached an open spot in row 5, bank R-19 beside many identical boxes. Upon finding it's place, the box was suddenly attached to the ship with clamps.
A low-pitched metallic clang rolled through the inside of the ship like thunder. The little girl woke up crying.
"Ship! What was that?"
"Don't be frightened Rachel, it's just that some of the things I do aren't very quiet. Would you like to hear a song?"
Pulling the covers up to her chin, she said, "yes, please, that would be nice.......and Ship."
"Yes dear?"
"I love you Ship."
"I love you too, Rachel."