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

a boxy mess. I hadn’t really noticed how out of date she was until this moment, and seeing the dozen patches of various colors on her exterior hull, and the dated thrusters complete with faded lettering, made me a little self-conscious. “She’s beautiful,” Jade whispered, shocking me. “And no ads on these models. That must be nice.”

“You think this is beautiful?”

“Sure. Everyone goes for those classic lines, rounded sleek versions, but I prefer this type. The shape allows for greater storage, and in space, who cares about aerodynamics? You’ve put a lot of care into her, without the income of the Corporations backing you. I can already see the thruster modifications. The extra ring below the tail end, giving yourself that much additional boost. And the quick retracting landers, for those fast escapes.”

I stared at Jade, unable to hide how awed I was by her. “I think I’m in love.” I smiled, and she waved me away.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I haven’t seen the inside.”

I used my Tab to access the ramp, and it lowered slowly, the pistons squealing at the movement. “I’ll grease those,” I assured her.

She smirked and entered before me. The cargo hold was mostly empty after the drop-off of the container. I was grateful I’d taken the time to clear her from top to bottom as I’d waited for Bello and Grid to fix the multiple system failings in the Wastes. That felt like years ago, even though it had been under two months. Everything had changed since I’d landed there, spaceship broken, bank account nearly empty. I’d been homeless, jobless, and desperate. Now I was about to embark on the biggest Race in history, under the banner of a Primary Corporation. It didn’t seem real to me.

Jade went first through the central corridor, guiding me to my own bridge, and she sat beside my chair, not taking my seat. “Captain, you have to grant me entry.”

“Who is this, Captain Lewis?” CP asked.

“CP, meet Jade Serrano. A friend.”

“Jade Serrano. I am pleased to meet you.”

“What’s with the voice mods? She’s a southern girl?” Jade asked with a laugh.

“Never mind that. She’s been with me a long time.”

“Why haven’t you opted for the hologram version?” Jade asked.

Most pilots had a virtual hologram to associate their CP to. Mine didn’t even have a name, let alone a face.

“Never saw the need. She’s a program. Why anthropomorphize her?” In that first year, I’d tried to make her look like Bello, but that hadn’t helped. So I’d washed the image clean and removed it forever.

I sat down, giving the system my personal code, and Jade scanned through my system. “Looks like you had a log of a projection here…”

“Ignore that,” I said, embarrassed. “What can you tell me about the attempted breach?”

Jade sped over the keypad, her brow furrowing the longer she looked at the string of data. She paused. “This is serious, Arlo.”

“What?”

“Someone’s been trying to hack your network, but it’s encrypted. I only know a few people capable of this level of security, and I’m one of them.” She continued to type.

“Did they find anything?”

“No. Whoever helped you secure this did a great job,” she told me.

“Must have been Aster,” I muttered. The woman would sooner shoot me between the eyes with a Widowmaker, but she wouldn’t do anything to disrupt her trust with Bello and Grid.

“Who’s Aster?”

“Nobody. What can you tell me about the attack?”

“Nothing yet. I’ll save the data and study it further if you wish,” Jade offered.

I didn’t like sharing my network with anyone, but it was Jade. If I trusted her with my life on Pilgrim, that had to extend to other facets. “Please. I appreciate it.” She pulled free a Coin from her pocket and placed it on the screen. The clear token pulsed orange at the information transfer, reminding me of the matching Coin in my own pocket. I’d cleared the ship’s details from the Capricious and thought Jade could help me investigate what I’d encountered out there.

But not today. We had a lot on our plates. When it was done, we powered CP down with a quick goodbye, and I stared at the cockpit, the dash lights off, the wiring all fixed by Bello. It had been my home for much of my life, but now it felt small. Cramped and lonely.

I placed a palm on a bulkhead and let Jade get ahead. “Take care of yourself, CP.”

____________

Holland paced the room, his pent-up excitement threatening to burst through his skin. Luther was the polar opposite. He sat at the table, dark hands intertwined with one another. He was composed and displayed a quiet confidence.

Jade was prepared, the slightest of smirks on her lips. I kept picturing the images from Proxima but urged myself to focus. That didn’t matter. All that did was not getting booted from the Space Race over the first leg.

Bryson finally entered the room, almost an hour after the scheduled time. His eyes were puffy, dark circles stamped under them. It was unsettling.

“Welcome, team. Sorry for my tardiness. I had matters to see to.” Bryson took a seat, and his son occupied the chair beside him. Bryson looked at each of us, as if expecting us to be leading the meeting.

I cleared my throat and stood. “Bryson, we’re prepared for the Race tomorrow. We’ll be heading to Luna for the night, and will place Pilgrim in the Board’s care for their inspection.”

“Are we sure this is a good plan?” Luther asked. “I mean, we’re essentially giving our ship to the enemy, letting them have access without a supervisor.”

“I’ve been told the engineering technician will be allowed to stay for the duration of the tests,” Bryson said. “Plus, this is a formality, and the Board is not the enemy. We have to lose the distrust and focus on what we can control. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Luther chimed.

“I’ll also be coming with you to Luna Corp. We’ll be starting the Race with the other nine contestants tomorrow, mark