Navigating the Stars Read online

  “Yes, now.”

  I turn off the game system. Before following Radcliff, I hand Niall his book—now closed.

  When I catch up to Radcliff, I ask, “Has Jarren—”

  “Not here,” he says.

  We arrive at the bridge without saying another word. I’m drawn to the window, but Radcliff grabs my elbow, guiding me to his terminal. He points to the chair. I sit.

  “There’s a message from your friend, but we can’t open it.”

  Pulling up the file, I smile. In order to open the message, I have to answer a question correctly. What did Belle inherit?

  I reply, a terracotta vase.

  The message appears on the screen.

  2522:022: Hello, Lyra! It was a nice surprise to get your message. The short answer to your problem is yes, those files are recoverable. The long answer, no, I can’t tell you how to do it. It would be too complicated to explain to you from this distance. Plus you know how it’s more of a… feel than following actual instructions. I can uncover them for you. However, I need permission to access the Q-net. My worming activities have landed me in detention a few dozens of times throughout the E-years (see what happens when you’re not around with a handy passcode) . Even though I’m not in detention at the current moment, I’ve been banned from anything deeper than basic communications. I heard about Xinji and really want to help.

  “Passcode?” Radcliff asks.

  “He’s joking.”

  “Uh huh. I’ve looked into your friend’s records. He’s been in and out of detention for illegal worming most of his life. Are you sure he’s the only one able to get those files?”

  “Do you know anyone else?” I’m being serious, but Radcliff shoots me a warning glare. “He has friends on Xinji, he’s concerned about them, too.”

  “All right, I’ll grant your friend access, but he’s to direct those files to me and no one else.”

  I swallow a protest as I send Jarren a reply.

  Radcliff dismisses me with a curt, “If you hurry, you can attend the last fifteen minutes of soch-time.”

  That is so not happening. I spend the time pressed against the window. Never seeing my family again might just be worth this view.

  “See that little speck right there?” Captain Harrison asks.

  I don’t jump quite as high this time. How can a big man like that move without making a sound?

  “There are millions of specks,” I say.

  “Billions just in the Milky Way,” he corrects. “But…” He shines a laser pointer at a dot of white light in the upper right-hand side. “That’s Yulin’s sun. We’ll be there in sixty-four days.”

  Wow. “What’s next after Yulin for you?”

  “We travel to Planet Theta to drop off supplies and then to Maoming to refuel.”

  “Why do you do it?” The question pops from my mouth before I can stop it.

  “To explore the Galaxy. To see the future. To run away from the past. To have a grand adventure. Take your pick.”

  “But we haven’t found anything exciting. Just those Warriors that were made on Earth.”

  “Allegedly. Someone transported them to all those planets. I believe we’re going to run into them eventually.”

  If they aren’t extinct. I’m smart enough to keep that thought to myself.

  “Have you thought over my offer, Miss Daniels?” Captain Harrison asks.

  “Yes. I’d like to learn more about navigation.”

  “Good. Chief Hoshi,” he barks.

  A woman bolts from a terminal and stands at attention. “Sir!”

  “This is Lyra Daniels, our newest victim…er…potential recruit. See that she has a proper introduction to the fine art of flying through space without getting lost.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He claps me on the shoulder. “Enjoy the view.”

  The captain leaves me with Chief Hoshi. She studies me and I assess her as well. Short auburn hair, green eyes and a few centimeters shorter than I am, she appears to be around thirty A-years old.

  Without warning, Hoshi fires off a series of questions about the Q-net. I answer each one with what I hope is the correct response.

  “You’ll do. Report to my office at oh-nine-hundred hours every day.”

  “Where is—”

  “Figure it out on your own, Recruit. And don’t be alerting security either.” Hoshi returns to her station.

  Did she just give me permission to worm into security? I believe she just did. Fun. What isn’t fun is encountering Niall when I’m spiraling down the stairs from the bridge. I move right to let him pass me, but he blocks my way.

  “What?” I demand. I meet his gaze and my hostility drains away. There’s a softness in his expression I haven’t seen before.

  “Thanks,” he says. “My dad…doesn’t understand about my sketches.”

  I’d say. “You owe me one.”

  “I do.”

  That was too easy. I squint at him. Is he trying to lull me into a false sense of security?

  Niall half smiles. “King Toad?”

  I half shrug. “You inspired me.”

  He presses a hand to his heart. “Ouch.”

  “You’ll live.”

  He moves out of my way. “See you around, Queen Mouse.”

  Six

  2522:022

  My parents exchange a concerned look when I inform them of my internship. We’re in the main room of our quarters and getting ready to head to the galley for dinner.

  “As long as your grades remain high,” Mom says.

  “And it doesn’t interfere with soch-time,” Dad adds.

  You’d think I’m borderline feral the way everyone keeps harping on about soch-time. Believe it or not, I am able to hold a conversation with another human being. Sheesh.

  After dinner—a disgusting grayish-brown lump that was supposed to be meatloaf, there is nothing worse than ship food—I go to my out-of-the-way terminal. My heart is beating fast with anticipation. Or it might be fear or anxiety—probably all three as I didn’t want to fail my first assignment from Chief Hoshi.

  As soon as I worm in to the Q-net, I tweak the camera so it shows an empty room and erase the prior thirty seconds of yours truly entering. Then I set up an alarm on the hallway in case anyone comes to investigate. I don’t want any surprises this time. It doesn’t take me long to find Chief Hoshi’s office. Of course it’s in a restricted area. I find the cameras along my route and set them to turn off when I’m going to be walking toward the Chief’s office and return to a live feed once I’ve passed by and am out of sight. As long as my timing is right, I should be like a ghost to security. Fun.

  Finishing up, I cover my tracks and leave, returning to my room. Even though the ship’s lights mimic a twenty-four hour light schedule and it’s dark, I can’t sleep. Nervous excitement courses through my veins like data streams in the Q-net. Giving up on sleep at oh-five-hundred, I dress and wander through the quiet semi-dark corridors. It’s only when I’m halfway up the steps to the bridge do I realize where I’m going. I freeze in place. Did I set off any alarms by being in the restricted area? An image of Radcliff bolting out of bed, strapping on his weapons and running to protect the captain flashes in my mind. It’s a laughable scenario since that wouldn’t be very effective. I could reach the captain before he—

  “Are you going to stand there all night?” a female voice asks.

  I look up the steps and a security officer is peering down at me. Oh. I forgot about them. “I…um…”

  “While this is an unconventional time for a visit, you’ve been given permission to be here, Miss Daniels. Unless you’re in need of assistance?” Her brown hair is short and is tightly curled and her skin is a lovely chestnut color. I guess she’s in her early twenties.

  “No, Officer…”

  “Keir.”

  “I just…” I shrug sheepishly. “Want to see the universe.”

  She smiles. “Not a surprise. That’s why I re
quest bridge guard duty.”

  “Captain Harrison says you get used to the view.”

  “Not me. Not yet anyway and I hope I never do.”

  I agree. “Something that awesome should never be taken for granted.”

  “Well said.” Keir returns to her post.

  I finish the climb and enter. The room is at half-light…no. It isn’t. Artificial light spills from the screens. The rest is from the universe. I thought it was bright before, but this is incredible. Pulled to the window by an invisible force, I walk by the crew, who ignore me as if I’m already part of the scenery. Finding a spot next to the window that is out of the way, I squirm into a comfortable position. And I marvel until I fall asleep right there on the floor.

  Even though Radcliff’s voice is pitched low, it’s loud enough to rouse me from my dreams. “…sure about this? With the extra knowledge she might end up like her friend, spending the bulk of her life in a brig.”

  Fully awake now, I feign sleep. Is he talking about me?

  “Not with the right guidance. I doubt her friend had the same opportunity,” Captain Harrison says. “Besides, her school records indicate she excels at problem solving.”

  They do?

  “Are you sure it didn’t say she’s good at causing problems?”

  Hey!

  “You’re grumpy this morning, Tace.” The captain sounds amused.

  “Spent all of last night trying to track down a worm.”

  Oh no, I’d hoped to avoid drawing his attention.

  “Oh?”

  “She’s getting better.”

  And I’d hoped he wouldn’t notice that either. Strike two.

  “That’s good,” the captain says. “She’s going to need those skills to keep up with the Chief.”

  Radcliff groans. “May I remind you of this conversation when you order me to throw her into the brig?”

  The captain chuckles. “I don’t know why you’re asking for permission. You know you’ll remind me even if I say no.”

  “Someone has to keep your ego in check, sir.”

  “Don’t you have work to do?”

  “Yes, sir.” And this time Radcliff chuckles.

  The man actually knows how to laugh? Wonders never cease.

  “If you hurry, Miss Daniels, you’ll have time for breakfast before reporting to the Chief,” the captain says.

  Caught faking sleep and eavesdropping on their conversation, I open my eyes and meet his gaze. Humor and not censure stares back at me. I surge to my feet in relief.

  “Thank you, sir,” I say.

  “That’s what I’m here for. Most people think I’m in charge of an Interstellar Class space ship, but I’m really here to provide wake up calls for my passengers.”

  Ohhh. A nice touch of sarcasm. I flash him a grin. As I head for the stairs, one of his crew calls, “Can I put in a wake up request for oh-four-hundred, sir?”

  “You’re not a passenger, Hector,” Captain Harrison counters.

  “He’s not?” another asks. “You mean he’s supposed to be doing work?”

  “Ha. Ha. Not funny,” Hector says.

  Their banter fades as I hustle down the steps. Do all the space ship crews have this camaraderie or just this one? Does it depend on the captain’s personality?

  I have enough time to eat, check in with my parents and sprint for the Chief’s office. Entering the restricted area at precisely oh eight forty-five, I slow my pace to match the schedule I’d programmed for the cameras. I arrive at Chief Hoshi’s office at oh eight fifty-nine. One minute early.

  Her office is small and cluttered. There’s a projection of a star map on one wall. She stands when I enter.

  “This way, Daniels.” She leads me to another room down the hall. There are a number of terminals inside, but no screens. A few people are already working. The place stinks of body odor and sweat. Ugh.

  Hoshi sits in an empty terminal and pats the one next to her. “Have a seat, Daniels. Please access the Q-net.”

  I do as instructed and— Oh. My. Stars. There’s no restrictions here. All the levels of the Q-net are available. It’s like the entire universe is at my disposal.

  “See me next to you?” she asks.

  “Yes.” My voice cracks.

  “Okay. Show me what you can do.”

  Already overwhelmed, I freeze with panic.

  “Relax. Start with communications. I assume you can access your messages?”

  Oh. Taking in a breath, I access my personal account, then broaden to the ship’s data files, security cameras, the captain’s log—that ought to be interesting.

  “Keep going,” Hoshi orders.

  I reach DES’s main database and the wealth of information that is accessible makes my heart race like I just fell into a vat of sugar. It’s like finally having the map to King Toad’s dungeon when before I’d just been stumbling my way around in the dark.

  “Not bad. Can you go deeper than DES?”

  “Deeper? There is no—”

  “Think of the Q-net like a giant ocean. Everyone can access the surface. Messages, basic plug and chug programs, some data clusters. Just underneath that shallow surface layer sits DES’s data banks with all the information stored from all the planets, but they’re still not that deep, and beyond that are the star roads. It’s where the Q-net keeps track of where all the space ships are in space-time, where they’re going, what areas of the Galaxy they’re crinkling, and when they arrive. That’s what you need to access in order to navigate and navigators must follow the star road mapped out for their ship by the Q-net.”

  That’s cool, but… A question hovers on the tip of my tongue. I hesitate, then decide to risk upsetting the Chief. “If the Q-net is mapping out the course, why do the ships need navigators?”

  “Would you trust your life to the Q-net?” Hoshi asks.

  “Yes. People make mistakes all the time.”

  Her laugh is light and musical. “True. But what happens when someone like your friend worms into the navigation commands and changes a few parameters?”

  “Uh, bad things happen?”

  “An understatement. The consequences will be monumental. The ripple effect will destroy hundreds of ships if we’re lucky.”

  “And if you’re not?” I whisper.

  “Everything.”

  And I complain about the pressure to get to soch-time on time. This is… Terrifying.

  Hoshi is quiet for a while, then she says, “In order to prevent ‘bad things from happening,’ each ship has navigators to cross-check the information and ensure the ship is following the star road and to report any deviations so the Q-net can make adjustments to all the ships.”

  “Deviations?”

  “Like when the engines don’t keep the correct speed due to a maintenance problem or a strong solar wind knocks us slightly off course. Don’t look so scared, Daniels. We do have some wiggle room and there are four of us so we’re monitoring the parameters constantly.”

  It’s hard not to be scared, especially when I consider all the holes in the Q-net. “What if someone tries to worm into your navigation?”

  “That’s why we have security. Not only to keep the people on board safe, but to prevent that from happening.”

  Uh oh. “But I’ve—”

  “Been worming. We know. Officer Radcliff’s been tracking your activities.”

  Not a comforting thought. “Am I going to get into trouble for rigging the security cameras this morning?”

  “No. That’s on me. I was curious to see if you could do it.”

  Lovely.

  “Relax, Daniels. You’ve been mostly playing around on the surface and couldn’t have gotten into any dangerous areas through the game system. If there was any chance of that, Officer Radcliff would have thrown your ass in the brig by now.”

  We still have sixty-three days until we reach Yulin. “Officer Radcliff’s son thinks I’ll end up in there eventually.”

  “I hope not. I’ve eighty
credits on the line.”

  I stare at her. “You’ve bet on me not going to the brig?”

  “Of course, we bet on everything. It helps pass the time.”

  “Navigating the stars not enough excitement?”

  “That’s just it. It’s so exhilarating that anything else seems…dull in comparison.” She leans closer. “And I’m pretty good at betting, so if you stay out of the brig, I’ll give you ten percent of my cut.”

  “No promises,” I say.

  She laughs. “I like you, Daniels, you’ll fit right in here. Now, let me show you the next level.”

  And with a few instructions, Chief Hoshi guides me past DES’s data banks and into the star roads. Well, not quite. I stand on the edge, peering into the bottomless depths.

  After an eternity, she says, “Like I said, the Q-net does all the calculations and maps the roads that we follow. But the ship won’t travel anywhere without a human navigator linked into the Q-net. It’s like we’re the key to starting the engine. I think the Q-net designers didn’t want the net to have that much control.”

  An interesting fact. “How much control do you have? Can you ignore the star roads?”

  “Yes.”

  My terror returns at the implications. “So wormers aren’t your only problem?”

  “No. However, navigators are frequently assessed for mental health problems. Plus the captain can override a navigator and, if it’s not too late, send out a distress which will alert all the other ships.”

  “Has that ever happened?”

  “Once very long ago. No need to worry, we’re a quirky bunch, but we’re dedicated and we’ve pledged to transport people across the Milky Way without harm. Not only is it our job, but it is our privilege.” She brings me closer to the star roads and points out what a few of the icons mean. “Okay, that’s enough for today.”

  Returning to reality, I blink at the solid walls around me. Was the room this tiny before? With my head spinning, I stand on wobbly legs.

  Hoshi cups my elbow to steady me. “You’ll get used to it eventually.”

  “Does that mean I’ll stop feeling like I’m a speck of nothing in comparison to the Q-net?”

  “I’d have thought your first glimpse at the universe would have done that?”