4 SLEEP OF YEARS
2253 A.D. DAY FIVE AT Tau Ceti
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TODAY WAS THE DAY THAT my beautiful Lady Sheila was going to sleep. Sam, Shelba, and Cheri were also going to sleep today, but allow me to be selfish for a moment. It is Sheila I will miss, not the others.
We were all standing at Hibernation Pod Bay One, the bay closest to the ship’s bridge, and the normal hibernation location for Alpha Crew. In a year, I would be joining the rest of the crew, except Tom, in hibernation for a 20-year cycle. I would still be getting up nearly a decade before any of the others, and Tom would be going in when I awaken. Last in, first out, that is me, and if I am a companion to the empty places more than to people, that is the price I pay for the experience.
They were stripping off their clothes and
