No Contact

Adventures in time and space told in future tense. Dementia! Eck! Eck! Eck! Can you predict what will come in 100 years? Or in 10? Or in the next minute?

Can you see beyond the known dimensions of time and space? Into the unknown dimension, Eck! It was in the year of 1982 that space men first discovered the great galactic barrier. In the past ten years, rocket travel to the moon and the mirror planets had become commonplace.

And then men fixed their sights on a more distant star, the remote planet known as Volker. Five exploratory ships went out, and none came back. Each in turn disappearing mysteriously at the same vanishing point.

An invisible wall, somewhere in the vast outreaches, that became known as the wrecker of spaceships, the Galactic Reef. And yet, the explorers refused to admit defeat. It was on June the 2nd, 1987, that the rocket star cloud made ready for takeoff, the sixth to attempt to crack the barrier and win through to Volta.

And to now control. Navigation, car here. Mrs. Captain Thorson. Ready, Luton? We're ready, Captain. It's off at 1200 hours. All right, stand by for acceleration.

Bridge to engine room. Fire up your rocket chambers. Take off at exactly 1200 hours. I'll read you off. 30 seconds. 29. 28. 27. 26. Hold it. Revoke all orders. Who turned in that alarm? We've been coming to Stowaway, sir.

Stowaway, where? I think it's sick bay. Dr. Spitzen found him. Have him brought up the bridge. Engine room, kill your rocket, stand by. Trouble. What's the matter with you? What's the matter with you? There's snow way aboard.

Snow way? Yes, I thought your men were supposed to police this base. What's the matter with you? I captain, take it easy. You know what this delay can do to us, don't you? One minute later, take off, and throw us a million miles off course.