1. Shared by http://DJJ.HOME.SAPO.PT/
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2. You unlock this door
with the key of imagination.
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3. Beyond it is another dimension-
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4. a dimension of sound,
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5. a dimension of sight,
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6. a dimension of mind.
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7. You're moving into a land
of both shadow and substance,
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8. of things and ideas.
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9. You've just crossed over
into the twilight zone.
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10. It may be said
with a degree of assurance
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11. that not everything that
meets the eye is as it appears.
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12. The scene you're watching.
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13. This is not a hospital,
not a morgue, not a mausoleum,
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14. not an undertakers' parlor
of the future.
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15. What it is is the belly
of a spaceship.
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16. It is en route to another
planetary system
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17. an incredible distance
from the earth.
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18. This is the crux of our story,
a flight into space.
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19. It is also the story
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20. of the things that might
happen to human beings
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21. who take a step beyond,
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22. unable to anticipate everything
that might await them out there.
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23. I remember things.
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24. It's more than just void,
darkness, unconsciousness.
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25. The mind does work.
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26. There are images, patterns,
things to recollect.
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27. It's not just the long,
deep sleep
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28. that comes
when the fear has left.
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29. The cold is felt,
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30. the slipping away of feeling
is noted and then succumbed to.
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31. The mind functions.
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32. Time is distorted, jumbled,
telescoped, accordioned,
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33. but there is
a sense of time even so,
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34. and I remember things.
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35. I remember the way it began.
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36. I remember the way it was
in the beginning.
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37. Come in, commander stansfield.
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38. Dr. Bixler.
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39. Please be
comfortable.
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40. The figure of
speech, commander.
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41. Be comfortable
in the sense
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42. that there's no need
to stand on ceremony.
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43. But there are
no seats, either.
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44. I've heard much of you, doctor.
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45. I of you, and that's
the reason you're here.
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46. You've been an astronaut
for 11 years.
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47. Is that a question, sir?
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48. It's an
observation.
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49. Should you not have realized it,
you've been the object
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50. of considerable observation
for the past several months.
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51. I've been aware of some, doctor.
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52. When the space agency
put me on my project,
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53. they told me
to keep in mind
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54. the scientific
problems
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55. but also to be aware
of the human factor.
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56. You, commander
stansfield,
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57. are the human factor.
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58. Go on, doctor.
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59. You recognize this,
don't you?
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60. This is our
solar system.
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61. This is the sun
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62. and here is
the earth,
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63. jupiter, venus,
pluto, mars.
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64. And what do we know
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65. about our neighbors, commander?
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66. Mars is a vast, scrubby desert
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67. with an unbreatheable
atmosphere.
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68. Pluto is poisonous
and extremely cold.
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69. The moon is barren,
jupiter, volcanic.
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70. In short, commander,
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71. our neighbors offer us only
they're accessible.
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72. They're
within reach.
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73. Beyond that, they
offer us nothing-
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74. scientific, social,
economic- anything.
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75. They're the mount
everest of space.
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76. Once, they offered us
challenges.
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77. Where is the next
mount everest, doctor?
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78. That's perhaps
the most pertinent question
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79. you've ever asked.
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80. This is
a planetary system
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81. to date seen only
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82. through the lens
of a telescope.
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83. We know nothing
of it
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84. except for there
are six bodies
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85. one of which we
can only assume
is the sun.
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86. It's flaming
and gaseous
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87. and it must provide
heat and light
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88. for these five
bodies here.
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89. It's a small system
like our own.
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90. The planets run
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91. roughly in the same
orbital pattern
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92. as we do around
our own sun.
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93. Does it have a name?
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94. You may call it
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95. stansfield's
mount everest.
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96. That's where I'm going.
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97. When?
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98. In about
six months.
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99. The ship's being
built now.
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100. It's off
the drawing board.
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101. The keel is being laid
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102. but it'll take
only one man,
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103. and that man should
be right there
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104. watching every
rivet, every bolt,
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105. every item
of equipment
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106. going in there.
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107. You are that man, commander.
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108. You will be
sole occupant
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109. and you will be
its pilot.
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110. Doctor, I...
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111. I like this assignment
very much.
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112. That's precisely
why you were chosen.
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113. Of course,
there will be
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114. the usual dangers,
the usual unknowns.
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115. In the past, you've had
meteor showers to contend with.
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116. You've had
the usual calculated risk
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117. of mechanical difficulties,
landing difficulties,
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118. ejection troubles
and the rest of it.
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119. Well, you'll still
have those-
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120. compounded.
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121. We have another factor here.
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122. Another problem.
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123. The distance.
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124. Distance.
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125. This system is perhaps
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126. 141 light years
away from us.
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127. That's a rough estimate
but a good one.
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128. The ship is...
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129. the ship will have
interstellar drive
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130. and an antigravity
device.
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131. It'll be the fastest
man-made object
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132. ever conceived,
ever brought to life.
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133. It'll go
70 times faster
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134. than the speed
of light.
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135. But in terms
of the space
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136. you must conquer,
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137. it'll be like an ant
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138. crawling across
the sahara.
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139. In short, commander,
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140. your trip to these
planetary bodies
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141. and back to earth
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142. will take
approximately
40 years.
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143. Commander douglas stansfield,
astronaut,
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144. a man about to embark on one
of history's longest journeys-
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145. 40 years out into endless space
and hopefully back again.
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146. This is the beginning,
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147. the first step toward man's
longest leap into the unknown.
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148. Science has solved
the mechanical details,
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149. and now it's up to
one human being
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150. to breathe life into blueprints
and computers,
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151. to prove once and for all that
man can live half a lifetime
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152. in the total void
of outer space,
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153. 40 years alone in the unknown.
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154. This is earth.
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155. Ahead lies a planetary system.
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156. The vast region in between
is the twilight zone.
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157. That was the beginning,
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158. that brief, unemotional,
very matter-of-fact colloquy
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159. between the scientist
and the practitioner-
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160. a small cast of two characters.
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161. And that was the way
it should have been.
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162. But I remember...
I very clearly remember
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163. the entrance
of character number three.
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164. Will communications team b-8,
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165. communications team b-8
report to central control.
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166. Communications team b-8,
central control.
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167. Oh, a friend in need.
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168. Oh, that's my job.
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169. Picking up papers?
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170. I'm the new
morale officer.
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171. I follow people around
who look stricken.
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172. Oh, and do I look
stricken?
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173. Well, you looked
momentarily nonplussed.
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174. I don't believe we've met.
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175. Are you permanently
stationed here?
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176. I'm with the space agency.
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177. And you're...?
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178. Stansfield.
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179. Commander, u.s.n.
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180. Oh...
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181. you're the one.
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182. Should I thank you
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183. or report you
for insubordination?
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184. I've always wanted to meet you.
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185. I've always wanted
to meet you, too.
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186. No, that's true.
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187. I have e.s.p.
And I, uh...
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188. a long time ago
I woke up one morning
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189. and some inner voice told me
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190. that I would meet a girl
with a stricken look
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191. who would drop papers
in corridors.
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192. And did your e.s.p.
Tell you the name?
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193. Mm-hmm, sandra horn.
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194. Oh...
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195. subtle astronaut.
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196. It's been an honor
meeting you.
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197. I, um...
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198. I don't suppose
the space agency
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199. could do without
your services
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200. for a couple of
hours this evening,
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201. just long enough
for dinner.
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202. Well... despite the fact
that I am invaluable
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203. and that the whole
space program
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204. rests on me alone,
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205. I think a two- or
three-hour period
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206. could be carved out.
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207. I'm in the book, commander.
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208. Please phone.
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209. No, I won't call-
I'll pick you up.
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210. I'll be there at 8:00.
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211. Arrivederci, lady
from the space agency.
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212. At 8:00, astronaut.
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213. Arrivederci.
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214. You are 31 years old,
commander.
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215. When you return from this trip,
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216. the earth will have aged
almost half a century.
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217. That's something
to contemplate.
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218. I'll be over
70 years old.
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219. I will have lived
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220. the better part
of my life
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221. out in space
and alone.
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222. You will have lived
the better part of it,
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223. but you will not have aged.
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224. We intend to try something new,
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225. also a risk,
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226. also decidedly
calculated.
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227. Freezing?
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228. An extension of that
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229. but much more
complicated.
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230. It'll be a suspended
animation
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231. in its purest form.
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232. We've developed
a substance
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233. from the lymphoid tissue
of hibernating animals
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234. plus several
vitamin absorbents
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235. and a collection
of drugs.
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236. The earth will have
aged, commander,
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237. but you will not.
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238. You'll be only
a few weeks older
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239. when you return.
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240. Sort of like dying
and coming to life again.
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241. After a fashion.
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242. But coming
to life again
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243. in the sense that
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244. there'll be very
few people here
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245. that you will know
or who will know you.
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246. Life will have
changed, commander.
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247. You'll have to
begin living it
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248. all over again
as a stranger,
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249. as a... well,
as an anachronism,
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250. if you will.
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251. All right, doctor.
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252. When do I begin?
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253. You have begun.
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254. As of this moment
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255. you are very much
committed, commander.
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256. I'm on the payroll,
doctor,
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257. and I just checked in.
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258. Something?
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259. A month from now
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260. you'll be off
to space.
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261. And by the time you
come back down again...
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262. you want to talk
about that now?
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263. Only for the following
absurd reason.
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264. I've known you for exactly
three and a half hours-
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265. that's what
it's been
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266. three and
a half hours-
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267. a long dinner...
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268. and a short dance.
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269. And already...
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270. already...
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271. already what, sandy?
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272. Already...
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273. I feel a sense of... loss.
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274. My life had been space.
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275. It had been missions,
projects and expeditions.
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276. There had been no time
for intrusions
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277. that took the form
of a woman's face,
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278. a voice, a short month of a man
and a woman drawing together,
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279. becoming a part of one another,
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280. reaching tentatively
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281. into that strange
and mysterious pond of love
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282. and then watching the ripples
that came from it.
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283. But now I think
of these things,
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284. now they come to mind,
now in the darkness,
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285. in the cold, the solitude,
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286. the... stillness,
the loneliness.
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287. Now there comes
a feeling of warmth.
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288. Sandy... where are you now,
sandy, across the void?
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289. My dear sandy,
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290. through the millions of miles
of cold, empty space,
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291. through the vastness of
a naked desert of sky and stars,
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292. I love you.
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293. I love you, sandy.
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294. Minus 2-30.
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295. Small, unofficial gesture
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296. from one of
the lesser bureaucrats
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297. of our good,
respectable government.
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298. Unofficial... and very much
apart from protocol.
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299. But I couldn't
let you leave, doug,
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300. not without
saying good-bye.
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301. Not without tell you I...
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302. I loved you very much.
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303. And I shall
sorely miss you.
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304. And that my life-
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305. whatever there is
left of it-
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306. shall be a strangely
meaningless, dull and...
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307. empty thing
without you to share it.
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308. It's a very odd
thing, sandy,
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309. when I get back,
when I...
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310. touch this earth again,
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311. I know the first
thought I'll have,
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312. I know... the first thing
that I'll want to see,
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313. I know... the first...
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314. thing that I'll
want to touch.
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315. I'll be the...
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316. little old lady
in the lace shawl.
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317. The one waving
the "welcome home" sign.
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318. So look for me.
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319. Will you, doug?
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320. two, one, zero.
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321. One, two, three, four and five.
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322. I move now,
I streak across the sky,
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323. I leave an earth behind
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324. that changes
beyond my closed eyes.
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325. From a warm place
of leaves and trees
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326. to a cold orb
hanging in a dark sky
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327. and growing smaller
and smaller and smaller.
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328. And time passes.
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329. It inexorably passes.
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330. And I can do nothing about it.
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331. General walters?
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332. Space contact, sir.
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333. A craft spiraling in.
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334. All right,
let's hear the report.
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335. It's expedition called
stansfield's mount everest.
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336. Commanded by douglas stansfield.
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337. The date of departure?
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338. This one's
one of the old jobs, sir.
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339. Departure, december 31, 1987.
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340. "Old" is putting it mildly.
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341. All right, check it out
in your report.
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342. Let me know.
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343. This one's one of the pioneers.
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344. Been in space 40 years.
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345. First voice communication
we've had.
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346. It's been tracked on radar
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347. but his communications
must have malfunctioned
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348. a few hours
after he left the atmosphere.
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349. Now, here's a funny one.
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350. How's that, sir?
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351. Well, there's an insertion
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352. from a man named bixler.
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353. He was one of the project people
years and years ago as I recall.
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354. He must have been in charge
of the stansfield mission.
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355. It says we're to contact
a girl name sandra horn.
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356. Who?
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357. A miss sandra horn,
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358. a friend of
commander stansfield.
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359. Where would we find her, sir?
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360. An old lady's home?
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361. No, you'll find her
in a hibernation room.
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362. You'll find her a young woman
of 26 years of age.
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363. I hope you find her alive.
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364. General walters.
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365. Miss horn.
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366. You're looking
very well indeed.
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367. You look fine.
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368. Sounds idiotic,
doesn't it
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369. but what do you say to somebody
who's been asleep for 40 years?
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370. I was told commander
stansfield...
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371. yes, his ship landed
six hours ago.
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372. I asked to see you.
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373. What about him?
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374. In good health.
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375. Naturally... very tired.
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376. I want to see him.
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377. I must see him.
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378. You shall see him
in just a moment.
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379. I... I had to
speak to you first.
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380. I'll try to make this
as brief as possible.
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381. Commander stansfield suffered
a communications failure.
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382. It probably occurred
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383. within the first 12 hours
after his departure.
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384. There was only
sporadic contact made
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385. during the entire flight
both there and back.
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386. He reached the other
solar system.
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387. Yes, he reached it.
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388. He landed, he took off,
he returned.
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389. He found no life.
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390. But we found that 20 years ago.
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391. That's one of the ironies
of progress, miss horn.
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392. Could have saved the trip.
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393. Could have saved him...
his anguish
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394. his anguish being
the following:
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395. Unknown to us here on earth,
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396. to my predecessors
and to theirs,
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397. because of the lack
of communication,
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398. commander stansfield arbitrarily
removed himself from hibernation
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399. six months after leaving earth.
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400. He did this
because...
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401. I know why.
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402. Oh, god help me.
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403. I know why.
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404. Over 40 years, miss horn.
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405. 40 years in the cockpit
of a ship.
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406. 40 years.
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407. His loneliness must have been...
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408. something brand-new
in the human experience.
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409. I wish to heaven
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410. he could have returned
to you just as he left,
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411. but... as it is, he...
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412. doug...
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413. you remember me... don't you?
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414. Remember you?
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415. I've spent...
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416. I've spent 40 years
remembering you, sandy.
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417. Painting a picture
inside my head.
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418. Listening
to your voice.
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419. Thinking about your touch.
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420. I've spent...
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421. 40 years surviving
for you, sandy.
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422. Oh, doug...
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423. it can still be that way.
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424. The way you are...
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425. the way I am.
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426. It doesn't make
any difference.
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427. Oh, it makes
a difference, sandy.
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428. It's 40 years' difference.
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429. That's too much difference.
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430. You're...
still beautiful.
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431. Very beautiful.
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432. No, you go away now, sandy.
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433. Please go, hmm?
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434. Stansfield...
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435. you are really
quite an incredible man.
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436. It may be the one distinction
in my entire life
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437. that I knew you...
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438. that I knew
a man
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439. who put such
a premium on love.
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440. Truly...
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441. truly quite a distinction,
stansfield.
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442. Mmm.
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443. Commander douglas stansfield,
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444. one of the forgotten pioneers
of the space age,
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445. he's been pushed aside
by the flow of progress
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446. and the passage of years
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447. and the ferocious travesty
of fate.
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448. Tonight's tale
of the ionosphere and irony
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449. delivered from
the twilight zone.
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450. And now, mr. Serling.
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451. Next time out on
the twilight zone
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452. an unusual little item
from the pen of jerry mcneely
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453. based on a story by henry slesar
and called, intriguingly enough,
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454. "the self-improvement
of salvadore ross."
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455. This one poses the question,
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456. "if you don't like what you are,
how do you go about changing?"
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457. Don gordon portrays a man
who really goes the route
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458. when it comes
to some basic changing
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459. and the results
are most unexpected.
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