Interval Dread(Robin Joy Wirth) INTERVAL DREAD
by Robin Joy Wirth


Captain Jefferson Willet stretched and opened his eyes. He had just been in hypersleep and it felt good to move around. But then he looked up and noticed the ship was still in deep space. Why was he awake?

The answer came quickly enough when Frost, the shiny, white mechanoid in charge of the ship while the humans slept, came into view.

"Sorry to wake you, sir," he said. "I have been having trouble with the navigation systems and need your input."

"I'll see what I can do," the Captain agreed.

"Good," said the robot.

Willet didn't see the laser pistol in the robot's hand.

"There doesn't seem to be anything wrong, Frost," said Willet, about fifteen minutes later, as he pulled his head out from under the navigation console. "Are you sure you were having trouble?"

"Positive, Captain," he said, aiming the pistol. "I've been having trouble with being alone. You've been asleep for forty years now, and I have no one to talk to but myself. I can't take it any more. The interval between leaving Earth and reaching your destination is just too long to cope with alone."

"You don't need that gun, Frost," Willet said. "Just put it down. Go on, put it down. We'll talk this out like sensible beings. Now, you say you're tired of being alone, right?"

"Yes, sir," Frost answered as he put the gun on the navigation console.

"But you also know that I can't stay awake for the next sixty-eight years, either. I wouldn't be able to do my job when the ship reached orbit around Minerva. If I even lived long enough to make it there."

"That is very true, sir," the robot conceded. "But I can't take being alone anymore. Maybe I should wake one of the younger crew members."

"And how are you going to feed him for all those years? We've only got store for the crew for one year maximum. You can't let him eat all the food that's supposed to be for the crew, and we certainly can't feed him any of the food for the colonists we're carrying to their new home."

"That is also true, sir. Then what can we do?"

"I'll tell you what, Frost. There are a few things on this ship you can barter with. If I give you permission to use unnecessary inventory to barter for a second mechanoid will you let me go back to bed?"

"That sounds like a good idea, sir. I will do as you say."

When Jefferson Willet awoke again they were in orbit around the planet Minerva. He stretched and got out of the hypersleep unit. When he was fully clothed he headed for the bridge. On the way he kept trying to figure out what seemed so different about the ship. Nearing the bridge he saw two unfamiliar mechanoids conversing in the hall.

Two? he thought, confused. Then he entered the bridge and found twenty more.

"Frost, what the hell did you do?" he demanded.

"Just what you said, sir," said the mechanoid innocently. "I used all available inventory to buy mechanoids for the ship."

"Frost, I said use unnecessary inventory to buy one mechanoid. What have we got left?"

"Well, you've got food, water and oxygen, just enough suits for an away team of six, and the seed lander meant to start the colony. All perfectly necessary."

"What about the colonist lander?"

"Oops!" said Frost, and quickly vacated the room.

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