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

grandfather had told me something important when I was young, and I’d never forget it.

I was five or six, and he’d sat me on his lap near the beach in Sage Industries, and pointed to the stars. “Arlo, there are thousands of worlds to be explored, but we are shackled to Earth by small-minded people. Free yourself to be something other than your mold. I couldn’t do it, and from what I can tell, your parents won’t either.” He set a hand on my chest. “Those stars are for you, Arlo. Do you hear me?”

“I hear you, old man,” I whispered to myself.

“You weren’t talking to me, I hope,” Luther said, and I chuckled.

“I wouldn’t dare. R11, time of arrival?” I saw the clock on my dash, but the robot hadn’t spoken in hours.

“We will be at our destination in twenty-three minutes, eleven—”

“Round up,” I told him. “Unless the seconds matter.”

“How would I determine that?” R11 prodded.

“Never mind. Thank you.” I rolled my eyes. No matter how much programming went into these things, they always had limitations.

The Racer’s thrusters burned blue behind us, carrying us at a far faster speed than I was used to with Capricious. Even though this vessel was slick, and as high-end as I’d ever stepped foot in, I did miss the comfortable familiarity of my girl.

Which brought another question. “As you all know, a ship needs a name.”

“So it does,” Jade replied. “What was your hauler called?”

“Capricious.”

“That’s an odd name, isn’t it?” Holland asked.

“Nah. I’ve known pilots who named their ships after their favorite drink, or a girl back home. Then there are the ones who think they’re funny by calling the vessel far less reputable things, like extremities of the human body. Capricious was the only name I could gift her. She’s volatile, prone to fits, and her mood seems to change on a dime. One minute she’s flying like a solar wind, the next she’s blowing a gasket, leaving me stranded.”

It was Luther’s turn to jibe me. “Maybe you should have called her Clunker.”

I tensed, knowing he was only kidding around. “We have ourselves a comedian.”

“I believe Capricious is a fine title for a hauler, Captain Lewis,” R11 chimed in.

“Thank you, R11.” I pursed my lips, peering at the smiling team behind me.

“But perhaps Bucket of Bolts would have been more fitting,” the robot finished.

We all sat in silence for a few seconds, trying to process what the red and black painted robot had said, and Holland was the first to break out in laughter. The mood had lifted for the better, Luther chuckling loudly.

“R11, you crack me up,” he shouted. “I knew there was a reason the CEO sent you along.”

“There are many reasons. Would you like me to list them?” R11 suggested.

“I guess the funny business is over. Maybe some other time, R11.” The unit blinked onto my radar as we approached our coordinates, and I saw the energy readout. “Is this accurate?”

Jade leaned beside me for a better look. “Sure is. The Rings take a lot of energy to power, and it’s done with a series of short-wave pulses, redirecting energy from the Hub, which is what you’re seeing. This bad boy could give a lesser Corporation power for an entire year. Maybe somewhere like Parker Industries.”

“The generator must be dangerous,” I said.

“You’re correct. They pack one heck of a punch, but the containment fields hold everything in nice and tight. It’s hard to crack a Hub, but if you did…kaboom. It’s almost strong enough to create a small wormhole. In theory.” Jade stayed put as we approached.

“I thought testing wormholes was illegal,” Holland added.

“It is. I was just suggesting the theory is…anyway, don’t fire at it, and we should be okay,” Jade recommended.

“Fire at it? Isn’t this a Racer? Are weapons allowed?”

“Sure, but it has rudimentary plasma pulses,” Luther advised.

“What for? Asteroids?” I pictured the alien vessel I’d encountered, and the ice particles surrounding it.

“Asteroids, maybe space junk. You know how it goes. You can never be too careful.” I took Luther’s word on it.

We neared the Hub, which was little more than a huge rectangular box, with dozens of thrusters over the outer hull. Lights blinked along the edges, and I cringed as I considered the sheer energy withheld inside it. “How do we—”

Jade was one step ahead. She returned to her seat, and a minute later, the Hub flashed blue lights. It was twice the size of our ship, and I settled closer to it, knowing Jade had to sync us to the power source.

“This’ll take a few minutes, but when it’s complete, we can start the trial run,” Jade informed me.

“Back to the name,” I said. “We can’t keep calling her Racer. She needs a proper title. Something for the winner’s circle.”

Holland was the first to toss an idea out. “Winner. No, let’s say Victor.”

“I knew a Victor once. Big ugly guy with bad breath. I don’t think that’ll work,” Luther said. “I’ve always been partial to names that convey strength. Like Hercules.”

“Hercules? He did make it through the trials.” I laughed. “What about speed? Firebolt.” The second it was out, I regretted saying it.

“That’s worse than Hercules. She’s a beautiful craft, with grace and poise. I’d suggest a moniker along those lines,” Jade offered.

R11 surprised us all by walking over. He appeared thoughtful as he stared out the viewer. “CEO Kelley wants to expand, to seek out the next solar system for humanity. I suggest Pilgrim.”

I let the word settle over the cockpit. “Pilgrim. I like it.”

“R11 swoops in for the win,” Jade said, and R11 walked away, returning to his position.

The Hub stopped flashing its blue lights, and Jade told us Pilgrim was linked to the device. It was time to kick off our trial run of the Race. “Activate trial run. Fire up the Rings.”

The device hummed, sending shockwaves through space, and we shook slightly as a result. But a moment passed, and the first Ring appeared on the radar. The trial wouldn’t