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

went silent, and I felt a shift in the energy. What Bryson was offering was too appealing to ignore.

“Who gets it?” Octavia asked.

“The Board can decide how to divvy the distribution.” Bryson frowned, clearly upset it had come to this, but he was sacrificing a lot to provide us a chance at winning Proxima. I hoped I could back his losses by giving us a real shot.

“Sage demands SeaTech is allowed to enter the Race,” their CEO said smugly. It was obvious the top Primary Corp would benefit the most from such an arrangement.

Octavia looked ready to plead her case, but when the CEO of Sage made an order, even the Lead Chair had to obey. “Yes, Mr. Under.” She faced Bryson and bowed her head slightly. “You are granted entrance, under the condition you wipe your robot’s banks to the bare required minimum. We don’t want any unfair advantages, do we?”

Bryson smirked, accepting her terms, and the party started. Music played, and drinks were served as everyone returned to their allotted tables. I stood behind my chair, watching my team, and Bryson faded into his seat, looking like a man that had lost it all.

I watched the Sage CEO whisper to an aide, and the woman hesitantly walked over to me, holding out a PersaTab. She looked terrified.

“Out with it,” I told her.

“I’m sorry, but Mr. Under has requested I inform you that your parents are no longer employed by Sage Industries, effective immediately.” She showed me a copy of the orders and slunk away, back to the shadows behind Sage’s pristine table at the head of the room.

Bryson caught the exchange. “Tell your mother to be ready outside her building. The Pod will bring her to her new home in an hour. We’ll speed up their retirement package, rather than waiting for the completion of your six-month tenure.”

At that moment, Bryson Kelley won me over.

____________

“R11, do you understand what we’re about to do?” Jade asked the robot.

“You’re performing a neural wipe, rendering me useless. It’s the equivalent of a lobotomy, isn’t it?” R11 was in a chipper mood, despite the fact that we were about to clear his memory banks.

“Good. This will only take a minute,” our engineer said. R11 had a wire harness attached to his lower back, and his eyes went bright orange as Jade flipped a switch in his holding station.

One of the Luna Corp technicians oversaw it, and the man ran a series of tests after R11 regained functionality.

“What is your name?” the man asked.

“R11.”

“What is your function?”

“To assist Captain Lewis in the Race.”

“What is your system capacity?”

R11 rattled off a series of digits that meant nothing to me, but the tech nodded and addressed Jade. “He’s set.” He was about to leave, but he stopped. “Miss Serrano, I think it was a tragedy that they dismissed you. You were a pleasure to work under, and I’m glad you’re back on your feet.” He leaned closer. “I’ll be rooting for you. I love an underdog story.”

She thanked him, and the guy was off.

Jade and I stared at R11. “Just when I was starting to get used to R11’s wit.”

“I know, it’s so much better than dealing with a sterile voice box,” Jade admitted.

“I’ll have you know, I am still sterile,” R11 said. “But don’t spread the news.”

“R11, is that you? I thought your personality was cleared.”

He tilted his head. “No. But I did manage to conceal my system until they’d completed their overhaul. Speaking of, would you mind pulling the harness from my spine?”

Jade laughed and freed the bot from the sensor check. We were dressed in our formalwear, having left the dinner early. The others had stayed for the evening, with Bryson assuring us he was confident we could handle the situation.

“You want to return?” I asked her.

“Not on your life. Let’s celebrate here. Have a drink and a pack of frozen things Bryson crammed the freezer full with.” Jade walked away, me unable to stop watching her in that dress.

“Okay, but we have to take it easy. The race is tomorrow,” I reminded her. I peered at R11, who was lingering, staring at the cargo hold. “You coming?”

“Me, Captain Lewis?”

“Sure. You’re one of us. Come and hang out for a while.” It was strange treating the piece of machinery like a person, but his personality was undeniable. I suspected a lot of work had gone into his manufacturing at SeaTech.

“I’d like that.”

Jade was already pouring the drinks, opting for a tropical beer instead of the orange nectar that Bryson preferred. In a half hour, our plates were mostly empty, and we were on our second drink. R11 sat beside me at the table, joining in the conversation only when prompted.

Bryson entered with Holland and Luther behind him. “These bastards will do everything in their power to lie, cheat, and blast you from this Race. Do not be naïve, Arlo. None of you.” He glanced at his son, who nodded.

“How was the dinner?” Jade asked them, shoving a seat free from under the table as Luther came over.

“A mess. The other captains had a meeting. The top five, at least.”

I added that piece of information to my memory banks. Maybe that was an opportunity. Those ranked six to nine were excluded from the club.

Bryson peered at R11. “And I assume you’ve solved our issue?”

“Sure did. We’ve passed, and R11 is his usual self.” The robot stood after my comment.

“Sir, I request to return to my station,” he proclaimed.

“Go ahead, R11. And thanks for today.”

He paused at the exit, stopping momentarily to reply, “You’re welcome, Captain.”

Mars was two days away, and we talked like we’d already made it past the first major checkpoint, ensuring our stay in the Race.

Bryson looked at his son through squinted eyes. “Do you not think you can handle it?”

“I can—”

“You’re going to crush those arrogant Primaries,” I promised him.

“As long as we’re not in the bottom two, we’re fine,” Jade said, sipping her drink.

“I’d prefer to be