Space Race (Space Race 1) Nathan Hystad (ebooks children's books free .TXT) 📖

looked too young to have commanded a tech department at Luna. The sides of her head were shaved under the mop of curls, and I noticed her left ear was covered in solid black piercings. Her green eyes settled on me before she plucked her drink from the table.

“And I can’t forget my son, Holland Kelley, who will eventually inherit SeaTech and my title. But hopefully, not for a few years yet.” Bryson laughed, and so did his kid.

“What are we celebrating?” I asked, and Bryson walked to the desk, using a screen to showcase a projection across the room.

“Breaking news from the Board. Sending you to Primary City for an update.” The newscaster vanished, and the screen showed Octavia Post, the Lead Chair. She stood at a press conference, with a dozen drones recording from all angles. She was frowning, obviously upset, but that had been her default since she’d been in charge of the Board.

“Due to recent shifts in the ranks, and with the news that number ten, Temeletron, failed to comply with reporting standards, I have to inform the world that Temeletron has slipped to number eleven, removing their status among the Primary.” She cleared her throat and blinked a few times before speaking again. “This shifts SeaTech into their position. Welcome to the Primary, Bryson Kelley and those of SeaTech. We couldn’t think of a more deserving Corporation.”

He turned it off, and all eyes fell on the CEO. “We did it, Dad!” Holland rushed over, hugging his father triumphantly.

I froze, unsure why three strangers were witnessing this precious moment in SeaTech’s history.

“We did, son.”

“Congratulations, Bryson,” I said, lifting my glass. The others followed suit, and we drank the rich nectar. It was sweet, with notes of citrus and pineapple.

“Do you have any idea what this means?” he asked me.

“You’re rich?”

“I was already rich, Arlo. This means we can compete in the Race.” A smile spread across his face, and I felt the enthusiasm radiate from him.

“The Race? What race?” Luther asked.

“Are you kidding? Space Race is all anyone’s talking about at Luna,” Jade explained. “I think it’s a bunch of bull. We have bigger fish to fry than arguing over who has the fastest ships, don’t we?”

Bryson stood still, and I scanned around the room, remembering what he’d called them. His crew was together. “Wait. You planned this,” I said as I stepped toward the CEO. “You knew you were about to hit the top ten, which places SeaTech in the running to compete in the Race. Only the Primary are able…”

“You needed us to be employees before the announcement,” Jade said.

“And Arlo cut it pretty close, didn’t he? Yes, you’re on the nose with your assessment.”

“The Elurnium division you bought from Oasis. That was convenient,” I told him.

“Well, you see, that had two side effects. It gave me enough of a push to climb into eleventh rank, and as a bonus, it freed you up to work for me,” he said.

I knew it had been too good to be true. This man had manipulated things, giving me no choice but to see him as my salvation, when really, he’d created the problem. “How dare you?” I stepped toward him, but Luther grabbed my arm, hauling me away.

“Sorry, buddy, but I work for Mr. Kelley now.” He was between us, and I got a sense of how powerful he was. He stood six inches taller than me, and probably outweighed me by forty pounds.

“Don’t you see? Why were you let go from Lotus? I guarantee it was related to—”

“Stop it. It wasn’t Mr. Kelley. That was my own undertaking,” Luther said, his voice deep.

“What about you, Jade? Did you violate contract at Luna Corp?” I asked.

“Well, not quite, but I did—”

“Enough, Arlo. You’re being compensated well, and everything I promised you earlier is true. Were you happy before? Did you love working for Oasis?” Bryson asked.

The answer was simple. “No.”

“Do you think they treated you fairly? Were you a part of their company, not just a number?”

“No.”

“Then welcome to SeaTech. Here, you’ll be an essential part of my Corporation.” His son grinned as he said this, and I’d never seen someone so elated in my life.

I finally asked the question everyone was thinking. “What’s so important about us? Are we supposed to help train your race team or something?”

“Don’t be silly.”

I relaxed. I hadn’t taken part in something like this since I was a kid, and my time being a Pod sprinter was a thing of the past.

“Then what?” Jade asked.

Bryson motioned Luther to have a seat. “You’re not helping the race team. You are the race team.”

 

 

 

Six

“Us?” We all shared the same expression. Disbelief.

“That’s right. You’re looking at the newest team to enter the Race. We’re heading in as the underdog, but I think we can win this outright,” Bryson said confidently.

It was too much. “You think the three of us can lead SeaTech to victory against the other Primary contenders?” I sat down beside Luther and laughed. “You have to be nuts.”

“Four of you,” he said.

“What?”

“Four. There are four of you on the team.” His glance landed on Holland.

“Your kid? This keeps getting better and better,” I muttered. Jade returned from the bar with the bottle. She refilled her glass and slid the nectar to me.

“For your information, I’m the best Pod sprinter in the Secondary Cup,” Holland mumbled.

“There it is. Secondary. I don’t doubt your skills, buddy, but you haven’t competed against the Primary Corps, have you?” I hated grilling him like this, but this entire scenario was ridiculous.

He shook his head.

“Believe me, they’re next level. Sage Industries and Luna Corp have divisions specifically focused on these kinds of distractions. They give their people races to amuse them, to keep their minds off their own harsh realities. If you ask me, this entire Space Race is nothing more than a cover-up.”

“For what?” Jade asked.

I shrugged. “Beats me, but it can’t be good. I’ve heard—”

“Arlo, if you’re close to finishing your rant,