FASTER THAN LIFE

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Over the intervening period, scientists from Harvard University had developed a plan to seed human life on a distant planet, thus saving our race from destruction when our sun finally goes nova in a couple of million years. Captain Daniel Darby of the U.S. Navy was chosen to pilot a one-man craft to a yellow star located 23.25 light years from Earth. From Darby's perspective, the mission was expected to take roughly nine months, including three weeks to arrive at the star, seven months to survey the planetary system and find a suitable planet and three weeks to pilot the craft home. From Earth's perspective, the mission would take quite a bit longer. Darby was expected home in approximately five hundred thirty-five years, give or take a decade.

Darby's wife Ann and his two children, Dan Jr. and Dave, were to be cryogenically frozen and placed in a safe, underground government vault to await his return.

"Don't worry about us, Dan," Ann said. "You know the process is safe. Think of the hundreds of cancer and Aids victims who've been frozen. And these days, I've read that a lot of people are having themselves frozen just to 'see the future.' The kids and I are thinking of it as an adventure." So Dan trusted his family to the gods of modern technology and flew to Nasa headquarters in Cape Canaveral, Florida to assume command of his craft.

Dan was blasted into space in the year 2162. When he arrived at his destination a few days later, he began the lengthy survey of the thirteen planets in the star's system.

"So now I'm talking to myself. Never did it before, but I'm sure doing it now!" said Dan as he completed the inspection of the fifth planet in the solar system. He'd been alone for five months, and was doing everything he could to keep himself sane. "This planet can't support life," he said, "But Planet Two is promising. A little warm, but promising. Can't wait to tell Ann about this." He glanced at his wife's picture, pasted two inches above his crowded control panel, near the oxygen control levers. "I wonder what she's doing right now? Well, of course, she isn't doing anything. She and the kids are frozen as cold as popsicles. Human popsicles. Right now, I could say to her 'Baby, you're as cold as ice. In fact, you're downright frosty. Frosty the snow-wife!'" He chuckled quietly to himself. "God, I'm bored. Dan, you should have brought a few more novels to read. This solitude stuff is getting a bit old."

Dan finished his planetary survey two weeks ahead of schedule. Planet Eight exceeded all expectations; It was just about perfect! That planet's overall climate was just two degrees colder than Earth. Its atmosphere contained the proper mix of oxygen, nitrogen and other gasses, and it had abundant, thriving plant and animal life. And his view of the verdant world from his starboard portal was nothing short of breathtaking.

"Dan, it's time to go on home, thaw out the wife and kids and take a long vacation. Maybe to Hawaii. Or maybe Europe. I've never seen Europe."

Daniel Darby took a final look at his promising new planet, then engaged his engines and sped towards home. When he arrived, he was pleased to see that the Earth appeared unchanged. Five hundred twenty-three years had passed, but from space things looked the same as they did on the day he left.

The leaders of the North Atlantic Alliance had been expecting Dan Darby. He arrived about five years earlier than anticipated, but fortunately, the colony ship was ready for launching.

"Your reports on Planet Eight are extremely thorough. Our chances of creating a stable colony on that world are excellent," said the senior astrophysicist. "We're glad we waited for your return, Captain Darby. The information you've provided will help to ensure the survival of our colonists."

"I was just doing my duty, sir," said Captain Darby. "You may have heard, there was talk of launching the ship before your arrival. We were going to have the colonists complete their own planetary survey when they arrived at the system. You see, many in the government thought you'd never return. Your launch was so long ago, it was hard for us to believe it was anything more than an old legend. If was hard to believe we'd ever really see you in the flesh."

"Well, you had to know I was going to return for my family. After all, a man can't leave his family cryogenically frozen indefinitely, can he?"

"Uh . . . Captain Darby . . . " Suddenly, the astrophysicist looked as if he'd swallowed a toad, or something equally unpleasant.

"Yes?"

"You'd better sit down. We have something to discuss."

Dan Darby's wife left him three letters.

"Dear Dan," she wrote in the first letter. "It is now the year 2290. The children and I have been thawed due to the war. They're calling it 'World War IV' and it's really horrible. Bombs are dropping on our city night and day. There have been nuclear attacks on Washington, D.C. and New York. Government officials were afraid our underground shelter would be contaminated, so they revived us and moved us to a secure facility in Ashton, Ohio. . . " She went on to tell him that the children were safe and that they hoped to be re-frozen as soon as the war was over.

Her second letter was dated from 2297. The war had been over for a year, but the cryogenic centers still had not re-opened for business. Dan's children were adolescents now, happily enjoying their lives in the 23rd century. Dan Jr. and Dave would probably not want to re-join her in the deep freeze, but she was determined to personally greet Dan upon his return to Earth.

Her third letter came from the year 2338. Ann had fallen in love with a researcher at one of the cryogenic centers. She had decided to live out the rest of her life with this person. They'd now been married almost thirty years. She was sorry to disappoint Dan in this fashion, but she wanted him to know that she and the children had led full, happy lives.

"Are you certain that you want to pilot the colony ship, Captain Darby?" asked the government official. "From what I understand, you have no other volunteers, sir," the captain replied. "We have plenty of volunteers to pilot the ship, Captain. But no one wants to make the return voyage home. We need someone to make a report to our descendants. After all, the ultimate survival of the human race is at stake, here. Those of us that remain at home have a right to know what happens to our colonists, our future." The official thrust his finger into the air to emphasize his point. "Well sir, unlike your other volunteers, I have no life in this century. So I'd be more than happy to make the return trip. We'll consider it my personal sacrifice for the good of humanity." Dan was going to be a hero.

The colony ship was packed with farming equipment and other survival implements. As a result, there was no room for the thirteen hundred forty-three colonists to make the trip in a conscious state. They were all put in a biological stasis and packed, like so many sardines, one on top of another at the back of the ship's cargo hold.

Dan was provided with two conscious companions for his return journey to Planet Eight. The first was a well-muscled young man named Stewart Grayson.

"You've been through a lot, Dan," said a government official. "We want you to have someone to talk to while you wait for the initial ground survey teams to break ground at a suitable location. And Stewart is knowledgeable in stasis-technology. He'll be the one responsible for reviving all of the colonists." Dan also realized that Stewart would be the one responsible for breaking his neck if he went crazy and tried to sabotage the mission.

Dan's other companion was an android named Peg. Except for her plastic-looking skin, Peg was a reasonable facsimile of an attractive young woman. She was also, according to the government officials, capable of holding very simple conversations, piloting the ship if necessary and even providing Dan with what was politely termed as 'physical relief.'

The launch of the colony ship took place at thirteen hundred hours on June 9, 2686. Initially, Dan was looking forward to the prospect of spending some time in direct personal contact with another human being. It had been months since he'd really talked with someone and he was feeling very lonely. But Stewart wasn't particularly interested in chit-chat and he rebuffed all of Dan's attempts at conversation.

"You heard what happened to my wife, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"I still can't believe it. I really thought she'd still be alive when I got back to Earth. And my kids, they're gone too, you know."

"Sorry," said Stewart as he flipped through electronic pages on his computer view screen.

"I have a reason to be upset, don't you think?"

"Dan, I don't mean to be impolite," said Stewart. "But we arrive at Planet Eight in about nineteen days. I need to study these reports you wrote on the planet's weather patterns. The ground survey teams are going to expect recommendations from me."

"I understand," said Dan.

"Besides, I've never been married. So, I can't really comment intelligently on your wife's behavior."

A day later, Dan tried to talk to Stewart about insignificant matters, safe historical topics. Items of interest that could be discussed in mere minutes without breaking the man's concentration to any great extent.

"So, do they still play baseball in your century?"

Stewart reluctantly looked up from his reading. "No. Baseball hasn't been played in over two hundred years."

"Why don't you tell me about the North Atlantic Alliance? When was it formed? What happened to the United States? I never got a chance to read your history books."

"Dan, I'm really not a history buff. And as I told you before, I'm very busy. Why don't you talk to Peg? That's why she's here."

Dan had barely looked at the android since boarding the colony ship. But having little else to do, he decided to converse with the artificial creature. It has either that, or throw himself out of the air lock in a fit of anger, loneliness and boredom.

"What are you, exactly?" he asked the blonde-haired mannikin-thing.

"I am an android."

"And what is an android?"

"An android is an artificially created being, combining biological mechanisms with electronic technology."

"I see. And how does that make you feel? Being an android."

"I feel through electronic sensors, implanted in my skin. I am able to determine variances in temperature, differences in texture and other factors. Would you like me to explain in greater detail?"

"No."

"You do have another request?"

"Amuse me," Dan stated simply.

"Would you like to play chess or a card game?"

"No."

"Would you like me to recite poetry or fiction?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"State the desired author."

"You choose."

"I will randomly select an author from the last century," she informed him. And the android proceeded to tell Dan a mystery story, full of sex, violence and stereotyped characters. Dan liked that story and he also liked the next one she told. Peg was almost like company. And, he reflected, she was more interesting than Stewart. Certainly more accommodating.

Over the following weeks, Dan played chess with the android, had her recite national and international history, listened to more stories and poems and generally utilized all of Peg's other capabilities.

It took the colony ship twenty-four days to reach Planet Eight. Upon arrival, Stewart revived two colonists, and accompanied them down to the planet in the smaller of two shuttles.

"So, Stewart has left me alone with you," he told the android.

"Yes," said Peg.

"I suppose you are instructed to stop me, if I try to destroy the ship, kill the colonists, or anything like that."

"Yes."

"What would you do?"

"I am instructed to incapacitate you if possible, kill you if necessary." The android spoke as if she were discussing the amount of fuel left in their reserve tanks, or the maximum velocity of the colony ship.

"You would kill me?"

"Yes. I have the strength of three men."

"I see."

Stewart communicated with Peg on a regular basis, relaying instructions for maintenance of the stored colonists. After another month, he returned in the shuttle and revived another three individuals.

"So, how's the planet, Stewart?" Dan asked.

"It's nice," the man replied as he prepared the small shuttle for a second departure. "We think we've found an adequate area to set up camp."

"I'm happy for you," Dan replied.

After another three months, Stewart once again showed his face on the colony ship.

"Peg," he said, "You are instructed to help me prepare the main shuttle for departure."

"So, you're leaving me?" Dan inquired as Stewart revived colonist after colonist and Peg loaded them onto the huge second shuttle.

"Yes. But we'd like you to wait here for two more months before returning to Earth. We want to supply the government with reasonable information concerning the survival of the colonists."

"No problem," said Dan.

The revival and departure of the colonists took three days. On the fourth day, Dan was once again accompanied only by the android.

"I wish you were more of a conversationalist," he said, feeling lonely again.

"Would you like me to recite poetry or fiction?" the android asked.

"No thank you, Peg," Dan said. "Not at this time."

For the next two months, Stewart called the colony ship every day to read reports into Peg's memory. He didn't ask to speak to Dan until the final day.

"Dan, you can return to Earth, now," Stewart said over the communications link. "I hope I can trust you to turn Peg over to the proper authorities so they can analyze my reports."

"No problem," Dan replied.

Dan's ship arrived back at Earth in the year 3203. Officials of the World Government began planning his return to Planet Eight, called 'New Terra' in Stewart's reports, almost immediately.

"You're the logical choice to pilot the craft, again," asserted one official. "After all, you have no friends or family in this century. So you won't mind making another round trip to New Terra to deliver more colonists and keep our descendants apprised of their progress."

Dan had to admit that he was the right man, the only man for the job. "What the hell," he said. "What else do I have to do? My destiny calls me, I suppose. I'm coming to a full realization of who I am in this life. I'm Dan Darby, cab driver to the stars."

"What's a cab driver?" they asked.

"Never mind."

Great advances had been made in android technology since Dan's last visit to Earth. So, after they'd extracted all of Stewart's data from Peg's memory, she was sent to the android factory for a refit.

"She's a beautiful antique," said the android maker. "A real classic."

"Why don't you just give me a new one, instead of refitting this model?" Dan inquired.

"Why waste the money?" the android maker replied. "Her chassis and basic components are fully upgradable. And she already knows you--your likes and dislikes, your idiosyncracies. It takes a new android months to become familiar with the personality of their owner. But with Peg, after receiving her intelligence update, she'll relate to you like an old friend."

"An old friend? She'll be my oldest friend," said Dan.

"Quite so," said the android maker. "Somewhat ironic, isn't it?"

The colony ship was refitted to accommodate twenty-three hundred unconscious colonists, along with supplies and numerous modern devices.

"Your android will be programmed with all information necessary to pilot your ship, locate New Terra and revive the colonists," said the government man. "And her first task upon reaching the planet will be to revive the pilot for the landing shuttles. You won't need to do anything at all during this journey. We only need you to go along in case she malfunctions. And that's highly unlikely."

"It's nice to be needed," said Dan. "But suppose I malfunction?"

"In the event that some aspect of your primitive culture makes you want to change or abort the mission, Peg has orders to destroy you," the man replied in a calm, even voice.

"She had the same orders on my last trip."

"Yes. But now she'll be far more capable of carrying them out."

"That's comforting," said Dan.

Peg was returned to him a few days before his departure back to New Terra. The android had a similar appearance, yet she looked far more real, more human. Her skin no longer had that artificial appearance. And her eyes sparkled with intelligence.

"Hi Peg," said Dan.

"It's good to see you again, Captain Darby," she replied. "I missed you."

It was a pleasure to watch Peg work. Upon reaching New Terra, she efficiently located their original colony and revived the shuttle pilot. She then briefed the pilot on all information the government officials had given her. The pilot, in turn, revived three other colonists and took the shuttle down to the planet.

Dan had enjoyed Peg's company immensely during their three-week voyage. She continued to read him poetry and fiction, but now there was more inflection in her voice. She also seemed more interesting in keeping Dan comfortable, bringing him blankets and pillows, snacks and headache pills before Dan even asked for them. And all of a sudden, she was a compassionate creature, willing to listen to Dan's ramblings about Ann and make the appropriate responses to those ramblings. If Dan hadn't known better, he would have thought he was conversing with a real person. Best of all, she actually seemed to like him.

"Danny, I can't imagine life without you," she said one day.

"Ann said that to me, a long time ago," he replied, wistfully.

"Just this once, let's forget about Ann," she said. And they retired to his bunk for an evening of pleasure.

In about a month, half of the colonists had shuttled to the surface. Things were going smoothly, but Dan was rapidly losing his mind. The reason was simple: Peg was the only friend he had in the universe and she wasn't human. And her first duty wasn't even to him, it was to the mission. Dan decided that his life had turned stupid--ridiculous. What purpose did he serve? He was a Captain in the United States Navy, but that navy hadn't existed in hundreds of years. He was a good husband and father, but his wife and children were dead. He'd served humanity with distinction by transporting colonists and supplies to New Terra, but now it had become evident that the mission could effectively continue, with or without him. It wasn't worth continuing on for the sake of an android, unless she could pass some kind of ultimate test--a test of her friendship.

So, one afternoon, while Peg was stabilizing their orbit around the planet, Dan decided to shove a few unconscious colonists out of the air lock. He dragged about three to the portal and called to the android.

"Hey Peg. Look what I'm doing!" he said. In a flash, her incredibly strong hands were clasped around his wrists.

"I can't let you do that, Dan," she warned.

"Suppose I told you that I'm determined to sabotage this mission?" He wanted her to see that he was deadly serious.

"I won't let you."

"But I'm determined. I will sabotage this mission, sooner or later. What are you going to do about it? Kill me?"

Artificial tears filled the androids' eyes. "Please Dan. Don't make me kill you," she pleaded.

"I have no choice. I have to know if you could really kill me. I need to know how much you care," he stated.

"I'm sorry, Dan," she said, snapping her arms around his neck and squeezing the oxygen out of his brain. Dan had his answer. The craziness in his mind snapped back into sanity, just before things went black.

But Dan awoke to find himself on the colony ship, headed for Earth.

"You didn't kill me?" he asked with surprise.

"No. I put you into stasis."

"Hey. That was cheating," he said.

"Sorry," she replied. Suddenly he felt like smiling. And he didn't feel lonely.

When Dan and Peg reached Earth some two weeks later, they were greeted by a small welcoming committee.

"I have much information on New Terra," Peg said.

"It'll wait," they replied. "First, let us make you both comfortable. You've had long, hard journeys and you deserve a rest."

"Sounds good, Danny," Peg whispered in his ear.

"The folks in this century are certainly considerate," he replied.

Dan and Peg were housed in accommodations which could only be called sumptuous. The furnishings were what Dan would have expected to find at executive guest quarters in his own time. And the food they served him was nothing less than sensational. Peg was given another intelligence upgrade, making her comparable in I.Q. to the finest minds in history. They were led to private swimming facilities, taken to the theater, provided with modern exercise and fitness equipment, treated to warehouses filled with clothing. But no one was interested in hearing about New Terra. And after several weeks, both Dan and Peg wanted to know why.

"When I first left for New Terra, fifteen hundred years ago, my people viewed the colony as the salvation of the human race. It was humanity's way of expanding into space, of escaping the eventual destruction of this planet. But now, you people don't even seem interested in hearing about the colony."

"We are interested," said one official, "but you're right, we don't care as much about New Terra as your ancestors did."

"And why not?" Dan and Peg asked almost simultaneously.

"Because," said the official. "We have other colonies to worry about--new colonies of our own people."

Dan and Peg exchanged curious glances. "What are you talking about? The New Terran colonists are your people, your ancestors."

The official took Dan's hand in his own. "No, Captain Darby, that's not true," he said. "The thing is - uh - well, the human race died out on Earth in a great war almost 400 years ago. I'm sorry to tell you this, but your species is gone from this planet for good."

"I don't understand," said Dan.

"It's quite simple," said the official. "We're all androids."