Adrift

A soft beep drew Captain Summer's attention in his small bunk in the space station. Then a soft crackle of background static caused by the intercome being activated filled the air.

"Captain Scott Summers,"said the voice. "This is the Millitary Police. Please open the door to your quarters."

Captain Summers had expected them, their arrival didn't surprise him. There had been a training accident, a group of new privates under him were under going training in space combat manuvers outside, it was their first real exposure to space after the simulators. One suit malfunctioned, allowing the vacuum to seep into the suit, drawing all the air out, killing the solider. There had been an investigation and he had given his statement but he, and the other people in his unit, knew the outcome. It had been his responsbility to check the suits before a trainee wore it, especially these trainees were new, but the suits had never failed before, so he didn't check. Now someone was dead and it was his fault.

There was a soft hiss as his door was opened. Three men in millitary police fatigues stood outside and entered once the door was fully opened. He could see some people outside, lining the corridor. An arrest by the millitary police always drew a spectacle, their laws were harsh, and Summers didn't think he would get away so easily, his excellent record in the service and his rapport with his fellow officers notwithstanding.

"Captain Summers,"said one of the MPs, reading from an portable vidscreen he carried in his palm. "We are here to arrest you on charge of causing the death of Private Willam White through failure to adhere to training directives."

Summers knew the drill and wasn't surprised when the two MPs, the two who hadn't spoken, stepped forward and stripped of his uniform and then his undergarments so that he stood fully naked. All the soldiers knew this drill, they were briefed on it whenn they were recruits, they even watched a holo vid on the arrest of a soldier but none of them ever hoped to be gothrough it, and Summsers never dreamt that a single indescretion would have caused him to be arrested. But the fault was his, and one of the things a soldier learnt was that one had to take responsibility for one's actions, and he was taking responsiblity for his now.

Naked, Summers had an impressive figure, despite being a trainer in space combat and other weightless conditions, he kept himself fit and his body was well muscled. He spent quite a bit of time in the tanning room in the station where UV light was radiated off the walls at a safe level to achieve a healthy tan, despite the lack of sunlight in deep space. Like all the other soldiers, he was smooth, his body hair had been permanently removed by chemical baths and electrolysis, some of the officers had moustaches and perhaps goatees and beards but most of the soliders opted to have it removed, retaining only the hair on their scalp and their eyebrows. New recruits enlisting on the first day were stripped and had all their body hair removed. From then on, they were only permitted to wear a metallic brief of sorts, which was connected to the recruits penis and rectum, recycling liquid and solid wastes so that a recruits nutritional needs were minimal despite the harsh training. The device was only removed only when they were promoted to private, most newly promoted privates celebrated with a night of wild jerk off session as they had not been able to enjoy stimulation on their genitals during their time as a recruit. This was also an incentive for recuits to complete their training rapidly.

One of the MPs brought out a shiny, metallic object. Summers knew what that was too, it was some sort of genital shield in which the wear's penis and testicles would be inserted, the penis into one chamber, the testicles into another. The wearer's hands were inserted into two other, seperate chambers, effectively rendering the wearer helpless. If the wearer attempted to escape or resist, pain could be induced on the wearer's genitals to incapcitate the wearer or neutralize the resistance. Summers wore one when he was under going POW training as a sergent but even then, the instructors never turned on the device to its maximum power and Summers had passed out from the pain.

The MP brought the object to his testicles and Summers could feel his testicles being sucked into. The inside of the object was surprisingly comfortable and his testicles fitted in their chamber snugly. The next was his penis and the MP guided it into the opening of another chamber within the shiny device, and as before, Summers could feel a suction force which drew his flaccid member into the chamber. The suction continued until his member was near fully erect but trapped within the device and Summers could feel mild discomfort which was alleviated by moving slowly, if he attempted to run, it would hurt. The device had now been drawn to closely to his body and it was impossible to remove unless the sunction in both chambers were disabled.

Both MPs then guided Summsers hands into the remaining holes, fingers first and he heard a soft hiss as his hands were sealed in. From afar, Summers looked as if he was trying to cover his own exposed genitals, only that there was a slivery object at where his hands and genitals ought to be. Whoever who designed the Penile Shield probably had this in mind.

"This way Summers,"said the MP who had previously addressed him with his rank and name. Summers noted the change in mode of express and tone. He expected this too for when he was stripped of his uniform by the MPs, they had symbolically stripped him of his rank as well. He was now less than even a recruit, as demonstrated by the Penile Shield he now wore, even recruits wore more than that. Nudity was permitted, of course, in certain areas such as the baths, tanning room and so forth but an officer was always in his uniform, unless in training. The MPs could pretty much treat him any way they wanted. Stories circulated among the recruits that some of the MPs had fun with the prisoners before they were brought away for sentencing but Summers, in the times he was told to escort prisoners when he was still a junior officer, never saw any of it happen, but it was still a rumour which kept the recruits in check.

The doors of the room, his quarters no longer, opened. His quarters, his belongings, everything that he owned had been taken from him that moment they stripped him of his uniform. He owned nothing now and was less than nothing.

He stepped out of the room, bare footed, the floor was cold, being made of metal. Other officers lined the doors, his former colleges, most of them watched impassively, none of them were allowed to speak to him, or show concern. To them, he was nothing more than a prisoner, they were not even allowed to aknowledge their friendship with him.

He was marched to the courtroom. It was a small room, with no furniture, the judges, who were anonymous were elsewhere, their judgement would be transmitted to the courtroom. The room was pitch dark, save for a glowling disc of light. Summers was lead to the disc which brightened when he stood on it. Summers had been in the court room before, and knew what it would be like, but he had never expected to be the one, standing naked in the disc.

On the disc, he felt naked, exposed and alone. The entire room was pitch dark and he stood on a lit spot, he had no idea how many people, or cameras, could be watching him in his nudity and hour of shame. He waited for the Judges to begin their judgement. It did not take long and a voice spoke.

"Scott Summers, you are charged with causing the death of private Willam White due to a failure to adhere to training directives,"boomed a voice. "How do you plea?"

This was all for formatlity's sake, Summer's knew, there was only one way out of it, no matter how he pleaded, it was like a play, the script was already set and written, and everyone was just reading. It was his turn. Summers took a deep breath to calm himself and keep out any tell tale tremors in his voice, soldiers were trained not to show fear.

"I plead guilty sirs,"said Summers.

"Then you are sentenced to thirty years of banishment in space immediate effect,"said the voice.

A chill spread through Summers, not from the cold of the room but due to fear. He had heard prisoners being sentenced many times before, but never to banishment in space. They had only come up with it in the last five years, or orbits, ago, and he had stopped escorting prisoners by then after being promoted to captain. A mild electric shock brought the dazed Summers out of his own thoughts. It was a prod from one of the MPs.

"Move prisoner,"said the MP harshly. Summers obeyed, nobody had spoken to him so harshly in years and he had forgotten what it was like. As he was about to retaliate verbally, he remembered his new status and remained silent.

The MPs lead Summers away to the lab where they would prepare him. Summers had heard a lot about banishment into space, it was supposed to be the alternative to the death sentence which didn't exist in the milltary but it was almost as bad as the prisoner could be put away almost indefinitely yet he would still be alive. The prisoner was strapped to a chuck of stone, usually an asteriod passing too close to the station and was snared by the stations tractor beam, and then transmuted to stone. Summers began to feel, for the first time in many years, real fear. Nobody had ever come back from the banishment as this was a fairly new idea, and nobody ever told what it was like to be turned into a hunk of unliving stone. Imprisonment in the space station was impractical as space was precious and nobody wanted to waste space on prisoners, hence, before banishment to space, convicts and offenders were only whipped and perhaps demoted, if the offence was serious enough. Now, things were different.

They arrived in the laboratory where there were a few lab technicians. In the far end of the room, near an air lock, was a large, almost spherical rock wich four opened cuffs. Summers felt another chill when he caught sight of it. That was the thing that they were going to strap him to, and then set him adrift in space.

Meanwhile, the MPs deactivated the device he was wearing and removed it, they pulled it off his erected penis roughly, not caring if they hurt him, a prisoner was less than human and if a prisoner was wounded, nobody would take the prisoner's word for it, regardless of his past record and standing in the millitary. They then retreated to the door where they observed the proceedings.

"This way,"said one of the lab techs. His voice sounded familiar.

"Jones!"Summers exclaimed. Jones was one of the recruits that he had trained but was injured in a training accident and he opted to become a lab technician instead of leaving the army but Summers never kept in touch.

"Yes sir,"said Jones softly, lest the guards heard. "This way!"he said loudly and brought Summers to where the rest of the lab techs were. "I had hoped that I would never see you here sir,"said Jones softly as they moved to where the other labs techs had got ready. Summers had a lot of questions on his mind, he had so many things he wanted to confirm and ask but he only had time for one question.

"Is...is the transmutation technology stable?"Summers asked.

"It is,"said Jones. "But we've tested it only on lab animals so far..." but he could say no more as they were already within hearing range of the other technicians.

The other technicians immediately began to spray a liquid of some sort all over Summers, it stung in the more sensitive spots such as his face and hands, fortunately he closed his eyes before the liquid was sprayed on and spread himself of more pain.

Some lab techs started to place various metallic discs on his forehead and on his chest, to assess his fitness level for the operation, he suspected.

"The prisoner is fit for transmutation,"a computer voice droned.

Summers managed a grim smile despite the situation, he was one of the fittest soldiers on board the station and his body one of the finest on the station, not that it was going to matter now.

The technicians removed the discs from his body. One of them too out a short rod of some sort and started applying some jel to it. It was moderately think and somewhat shiny, it began with a narrow tip and then flared out, creating a cone shape attached to a small handle. Summers didn't know what it was but he soon found out where it went. He felt something at his anus and, aburtly, he felt something large but lubricated slide into his rectum.

"Uhhh...."Summers groaned, trying to remain standing at ease just like a solider was taught to even though he wasn't one any more. He could feel the technician push the device in more until the entire thing was embedded deeply within him. He felt like he was being raped, and violated.

"Back up tracking device full functional,"reported the computer.

Tracking device? Summers thought. He wondered why they needed a tracking device for and guessed that they wanted to know the exact location of the prisoners and what better place to put it other than the rectum where there was an empty space waiting to be filled? Wait a minute, Summers thought, if the back up tracking device is put there, then what about the primary one?

As he was lost in his own thoughts, he felt a gloved hand manipulate his genitals which had become flaccid again. He looked down and saw someone draw his low hanging balls through a thin, metallic ring of some sort and then his flaccid penis followed. The ring fitted snugly around his penis and testicles now.

"Primary tracking device functional,"reported the computer. "Beginning stimulis."

Before Summers could ask what was going on, even though he knew he wouldn't be answered, he felt an electrical tingle of some sort at his genitals and he saw his penis erect although he was not aroused. He guessed that it must be a mild electrical charge being applied to his genitals. Soon, his cock was fully erect but the electrical stimulis caused it to erect even futhur until the ring fitted snugly on tightly on his genitals. Summers had never seen his cock so hard before and was felt vulnerable and exposed at his manhood being forced to erect in front of so many people. The technician who installed the ring on his genitals twisted the ring and tugged at it but the ring remained where it was, indicating that it would not fall off easily and less so since Summer's hard penis lay on his abdomen once it was released. The technician's tests caused Summers some discomfort, but as before, nobody cared.

"This way,"said Jones again and lead him away the large rock in the far corner.

"What..what are these things?"said Summers to Jones once they were away from the others. His erection so hard that it didn't even bounch or wave as he walked.

"The ring around your genitals is the primary tracking device,"said Jones softly. "The disciplinary officers want to keep track of prisoners, just in case they escape somehow or go missing."

Summers wanted to say that it was impossible to escape since the prisoner would was a lump of stone.

"Has anyone gone missing yet?"Summers asked in a low voice.

"Not yet,"said Jones. "The other one in your rectum is the second tracker, just in case the first one is damaged though it has never happened yet. Your penis was made to erect so that the ring will not have a chance to fall out. Later, you will experience another charge in your rectum, forcing you to contract your anus, sealing the other one inside you."

They had reached the asteroid now, its radius was slightly larger than the height of a man. Four shiny cuffs had been installed on the asteriod's dark suface. It was slightly above the floor level but when they were right before it, the floor was raised up slightly.

"Come sir,"said Jones, still speaking softly. "Turn around and lean back."

Summers did so, leaning against the cold stone that he would be bonded to for the next thirty years. The surface was rough, but there were no sharp edges to hurt him. He shivered a little despite his self control, wondering if he would ever get used to how cold and rough the surface of the stone was.

"Your right leg goes here,"said Jones, moving Summer's right leg into a cuff and Summers felt the cuff snap shut. Jones arranged his left leg as well, placing it into a cuff. Summers now had to lean back on the stone more than ever now as his legs were spread apart and no longer in contact with the ground and he would fall if he was not careful.

Jones quickly took his hands and slipped them into the cuffs above his head, locking them in place. Summers was now cuffed down onto the asteriod spread eagled, naked with a raging hard on, he never felt more helpless, vulnerable or afraid, all his life he knew what to expect, or was trained to know what to expect, but now, he didn't. He felt a jolt at his rectum and he felt the his anal muscles spasm, causing his anus to contract, as Jones had warned him.

"Uhhh..."

"Relax sir,"said Jones. Summers knew that Jones was doing as much as he could to allay his fear without resorting to any physical show of concern, prisoners were not supposed to deserve pity, but human compassion was one thing that millitary training didn't eradicate from the soldier, not completely anyway. "The transformation may hurt afterwards,"Jones whispered as he pretended to examine the cuffs to make sure they were secured. "Be prepared." He pressed Summer's head firmly against the rock and 'accidentally' touched a spot on Summer's neck, depressing a pressure point there, causing Summers body to feel instantly relaxed and less tense, Summers knew that Jones was taking a risk doing that.

"Thanks...uhhh..."said Summers.

"See you later sir,"said Jones.

"Uhhh...yeah,"said Summers. "Thirty years later..."

"Jones, are you done with the prisoner yet?"said a voice from Jones pocket.

Jones pulled out a commuicator.

"Yes sir, just making sure the prisoner is secured,"said Jones.

"Get back here, we're going to start the transformation now,"said the voice,"unless you want to join him as a chunk of rock."

"No sir,"said Jones. He turned of the communicator. "See you sir,"he whispered once last time and hurried away, leaving Summers alone.

He heard the loud hum of machinery, portion of the floor before the rock to which he was strapped to began to open. A machine emarged, it seemed to consist of a stand, connecting it to the ground, and a long shaped object like a very old fashioned laser beam generator.

A louder humming was heard and the machine before him lit up, its len glowing with a strange, eerie light. Summer's heart was beating rapidly now, as he looked helplessly, despite his training, he wanted to cry out and beg them not to do this but at this point, the device before him roared to life and bathed him in a brillant white light.

Summers felt a mild tingling over his skin at first, then it began to sting and finally, it felt like thousands of tiny needles were stabbing into him and he screamed. He struggled with his bonds, trying to break free. The stabbing sensation began to lessen and Summers tried to relax, perhaps the worse was over, and found that he couldn't, he remained in that position, his mouth opened in a silent scream and his eyes frozen in place, he couldn't even blink his eyes.

The energy seemed to permeate his body throughly now, changing it. Summers could feel the organs of his body changing, hardening, transforming. He couldn't breath any more, not even if he tried. The transformation picked up speed, they were transforming him from inside out, he realized, and the transformation was spreading out from the insides of his body outwards.

The transformation must have spread to his head and near the surface of his body as Summers could no longer taste saliva in his mouth, he could still taste, though, but his mouth was dry, very dry, as if there was no water in his mouth at all.

Abrutly, the light disappeared. Summers instictively tried to blink to adjust to the lighting condition but found that he couldn't and didn't have to blink either, his eyes adapted immediately.

The technicians approached him with a few devices. As before, they stuck metal discs on his forehead and over his heart. Summers could feel every touch and their warm, human skin felt so different when they touched his cold, stony

"No heart beat detected, brain waves normal,"reported the computer.

So it was completed, I'm now a chunk of rock, thought Summes, and I'm still alive ... and I can still think, and I'm aware... this is unbelieveable. He became aware of different sensations, human skin now felt a lot warmer as he was colder, and the stone behind him no longer felt cold and hard, it was surprisingly comfortable to his own stony surface and the ridges no longer rough, it felt smooth to him now.

Someone reached behind him and fondled his smooth buttocks of stone.

"His ass has been sealed shut, the secondary device is sealed inside him,"said another technician.

Another one tried to twist the ring on his genitals. He couldn't even budge it, it was locked in place. He 'accidentally' carassed the stony rod that was Summer's cock and Summer felt a surge of pleasure.

"The primary tracking device is in place,"said the lab tech.

"Prisoner Scott Summers has been successfully transformed sir,"one of the lab techs reported through a communication device.

"Very good, proceed with launch,"said the voice.

Summers felt himself move, evidentally a forcefield was being used to move him and the rock as he couldn't see any machinery. He was aware of being turned around and rotated until he faced the air lock. In the shiny reflection of the airlock door, he saw himself, for the first time after his transformation.

Strapped onto a rock was a statue, held onto the rock by four shiny bands. Despite the poor quality of the reflection, Summers recognized the statue as himself, he saw himself straining at the bonds, his face froze in a scream of pain and agony though he no longer felt either. He was the same dark colour as the rock was, his eyes featureless orbs, though he could still see, and the rest of his body was captured in startingly lifelike detail, including his rock hard erection which restrained the tracking device they fastened around his genitals. Locking closer, he saw his limbs frozen in mid thrash, still straining against the cuffs which held him to the rock, frozen in this form and shape for the next thirty years, a frozen picture of agony and horror though inside, he felt only apprehensive and fear of the unknown. Summers wondered if all the prisoners they set adrift looked like he did, their forms straining fultiley against their, their faces frozen in pain and horror.

The airlock opened and Summers was pushed through. He had the clash of the doors as they slammed shut.

"Prisoner Scott Summers,"came a voice. "You are sentenced to thirty years of isolation and banishment in space, you will be sent an orbital that will take thirty years to complete, after which, you will return to this space station to be transmuted back into human form, then, you will be granted the rank of private."

Private, Summers thought, guess I should be glad that they're taking me back at all... He heard the roar of machinery once again which abrutly became muted and disappeared. The doors before him were opening and a vacuum was sweeping into the chamber, which explained why the sound had been muted off. Beyond, Summers could see the vast emptyness of space, but he had always seen it through the visor of his space suit, now, there was nothing between him and the cold emptyness of space. To his surprise, he felt no pressure, or sensation, on his skin when the vacuum swept into the chamber.

He saw a glimmer of light beside the exit, standard millitary protocol dictated that that once the signal was given, he had two minutes before the launch took place, this was done so that any human in the chamber would have time to get to safety, especially if it was a missle launch which no human would survive.

Two minutes seemed to take a long time to pass. Summers felt vibration beneath him and knew that the launch would commence soon. He did not feel nervous, to his surprise, nervousness involved heart beat and pulse rate and adrenelin, all of which he didn't have any more, as inanimate and unliving stone, but he still had consciousness and could still feel mild emotions.

His surroundings twisted aburtly and Summers felt great acceleration at the same time as a powerful force pushed him and the rock out of the chamber. Although he felt motion, he felt no sensation of vertigo as he spun around in a circle. He saw the space station from the outside without a space suit for the first time, it spun into his line of vision and then out again, due to the rate of his rotation and soon, he lost sight of it. This was it, he was in space now, deep space.

Sumemrs didn't know how much time passed, there was no way to tell, with his knowledge of astronomy, Summers vaugely knew where he was and where he was headed, he had never been so far from the station before without a craft and everything looked different now, since there was nothing between him and deep space. It felt so strange, although he was moving, he felt nothing rushing against his skin nor did he feel cold, in fact, he felt nothing at all.

Without a way to keep track of how much time had passed, Summers had no idea how long he had been set adrift in space, without a way to influence his rate of movement or moniter where he was, Summers could only hope that the milltary kept its word and that his exile in space would end in thirty years time. All he could do now, was wait, as he drifted endlessly through the emptyness of space...