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

R11. I was alone in the transport, which suited me just fine. Jinx clearly expected to be compensated for the cost, and I ensured I did so with SeaTech’s expense account.

Saturn was huge in the window, filling it entirely. Titan was farther out. We arrived a half hour later, and I enjoyed the silent hum of the ship and time to contemplate my situation.

Orion’s city was a vast cube, a kilometer or so on each side, and I stared at it as the transport slowed in its vicinity. The place wasn’t pretty: black and gray, with a few drones soldiering along the exterior walls. I saw the lights of their mining operation ten klicks out.

The city had ten main decks, each about a hundred meters in height, allowing for enough residential blocks within to house their entire population in the seemingly small space. The design was practical, something the top five Corporations rarely did. Orion, being just on the outside, did the most cost-effective process, without having to use the expensive domed technology. I appreciated the concept but couldn’t imagine being crammed into a box on Titan for a substantial period. Just visiting for a few minutes left me wanting to leave in a hurry, but today’s trip was necessary to reboot R11. I figured the close quarters made everyone there a little on the edge, Jinx included.

The transport landed, a connecting tube shaking the vessel as it attached to the exit. I waited until the green light indicated we were sealed and pressurized, and opened the hatch. The tube was dark metal, with no view of the outside, which was probably for the best. Titan had an atmosphere, but without a dome, I’d be dead within seconds.

A slender robot greeted me at the city’s entrance, its arms and legs shiny, the torso well-worn and faded. Another surprise. Repurposed robot parts.

I told it I was here to see Jinx, and it allowed me entry. The space opened up and revealed a fake Earth sky inside. I appreciated that Titan’s city tried to make outsiders feel welcome when they arrived, but other decks felt dim and cold compared to this. The ceiling was blue, with white clouds rolling past a digital sun. I spotted a few locals hanging out here, staring at the sky.

The room was wide open, with rolling carts pushing past me. I almost got hit by an old woman driving too fast, and spun out of the way. She swore at me and continued on.

A few signs glowed at the edge of the city square, and I walked over, trying to remember my way around. Jinx was on the sixth deck, tucked in the corner, and I used the sign to find the most direct path. The screen was grimy, a thin layer of gray sludge covering it. This place really was a wasteland.

“Miss Earth? Try the augmented Orion enhancement glasses. Travel from the Great Pyramids to the Mediterranean beaches with the push of a button. Link your PersaTab to learn more.” The ad showed a woman in a bikini strolling over white sands as the sun set. The image flickered and started to play again. The advertisement had been around since the first time I’d visited, and I doubted anyone here could even afford the glasses.

I slid my dark visor into my pocket and headed for the elevators. They were giant steel boxes, six spread out across the decks, and I opted for the one closest to me. I wasn’t alone, and quickly realized I didn’t fit in.

The people were all in grimy white clothing, the kind that had been washed hundreds of times, and the stains had become part of the fabric itself. I was by far the tallest, and the only one standing up straight.

“Who are you?” a man asked. His breath smelled terrible; his balding hair was combed over in a desperate attempt to hide that fact.

“You with Corporate? Someone finally sending us home?” a woman asked. She stared with big brown eyes from the corner of the elevator as it rose from the first deck with a clunking sound.

“Uhm, no. I’m not with Orion.”

“Another firm, then? Are we being bought?” the first man asked, smiling to reveal missing teeth.

“No, I’m afraid not.” Finally, it stopped on deck six, and I excused myself, ignoring more questions from the guy. I had to make this fast. I couldn’t spend any more time in this place than I needed to. I was too out of place. Had it been this revolting when I’d last seen it? I didn’t think so.

Each deck was wide open in the middle section, and this was no different. The ceiling was gray, with long lights illuminating the space. Only half of them appeared to be functioning, and a few sparked as I glanced right to find blocks of workstations. Every room was known as a shell, and they were stacked twelve high, with a metal ladder system to gain access to each minideck.

To my left, it was much the same, but the stairs were on the inside of the residential block. I headed there, double-checking Jinx’s location. Six fifty-nine. I entered the main doors and went to the first one marked with a stairs symbol. It smelled rancid, like perspiration and burning meat. A robot sat behind a desk, but it didn’t respond. From the blank eyes, I could tell it wasn’t charged.

Six fifty-nine meant his room was on the fifth minideck, and I jogged up the steps, shielding my face as someone walked past me, heading in the opposite direction. I pushed through the entrance, stopping to gather my bearings. I’d expected more noise here, but it was silent. Garbage sat in the halls, almost making me hightail it back to the station and my team.

His door number turned up after a few minutes of searching, and he answered after a few raps.

Jinx’s hair was a wild mess of black curls, his beard shaggy and unkempt. But it was his