Beckman presses his lips together, breathing through his nose to control his emotions. He already knew what his pop was going to say, and he already knew what his duty was and where he had to go. The launch date is next summer. He’s got until then to spend his time with his father, hoping these days aren’t their last.
The Sapphire Star is a one hundred thirty meter superyacht gilded in ambient lighting that pulses over its deck railings, forming its own light show in Sydney Harbour. Hundreds of other craft speckle the water. Some are anachronisms, giant nineteenth-century masted ships strewn with rope lights. In contrast, others are the pinnacles of twenty-first-century technology, like the Star. All are synced to the music pulsing from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the entire feeling is like one massive rave. Off to the port, the Opera House’s signature fanning shell design is illuminated in warm amber and cool indigo. People are everywhere, spilling out of every street, building, and deck surface, and the sense of humanity is overwhelming. A firework waterfall cascades off the Sydney Harbour Bridge as its trellis shifts with colorful hues.
James stands on the Star’s upper deck, wearing a white tuxedo and carrying a champagne flute. Behind him, the deck is a lively party of Hayden-Pratters, everyone dressed to the nines, dancing, eating, leaning against deck rails, and taking in the sights. Hayden-Pratt is a global company, and every year the location of their New Year’s party moves around. Sydney seemed like the place to be for 2093’s conclusion. From the bridge, a dozen stars twinkle upwards and burst into a sparkling rose sphere.
“It’s so pretty,” Ava says, coming up alongside James. Like many of the party-goers, she’s decorated her hair with bioluminescent spray, and tendrils shift through patterns of gold and ocean blue.
James smiles. “Will outdid himself this year. Should’ve picked Sydney long ago. Now, this is a party.”
“Everyone’s having a lot of fun,” Ava says. She looks over her shoulder back towards the crowd where Hitoshi and Lin are busting out some moves. “You know, I think Hitoshi and Lin are dating. I’m glad to see it. He’s such a great guy, and I really like Lin.”
James follows her gaze. “She talked to me about a mission seat. She’s still deciding, but I think she’s going to go. It’d be awesome. We could use her help. And yeah, it’s great to see Hitoshi find someone.”
The bridge shoots up another fan of fireworks, the music swelling dramatically. These rise higher and higher until they burst into five distinct shapes, each looking like a connect-the-dot version of a starship: the Peregrine, Xuanzang, Aletheia, Dayspring, and Bernard’s Promise.
Ava smiles. “There we are.”
A cheer comes from the crowd behind them.
James chuckles. “Hey, what do you know?”
The fireworks cycle into the giant numerals 2 0 9 3 as the music changes, dozens of smaller bursts joining in the frenzy from the buildings surrounding the harbor.
“Got any good resolutions for 2094?” Ava says, leaning her back against the railing.
“Got to keep ‘em a secret,” James says.
“You know when we’re out, the century is going to pass before we get to Luhman. We’re going to have to party like it’s 2099.”
The numbers on the waterfall continue to spin down. Thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight.
“Oh, yeah,” James says. “You’re right. We’ve got to build a party into the flight plan. You want to help me plan it?”
She takes a sip of her champagne. “Absolutely.”
The music has reached a crescendo now, the deck lights glowing with the beat of each second like a heartbeat. The countdown ticks from ten to nine.
Ava faces James, holding up her glass in preparation, and James lifts his. They both smile at each other, reading each other’s eyes. Ava’s expression is soft and warm, and her smile is gentle, waiting. Her chest rises and falls with each breath, and her lips part as if she is about to say something. When the timer hits one, an eruption of fireworks bathes the night in brilliant color as cheers and applause ring out around them. The giant numerals 2 0 9 4 explode over the Harbour Bridge.
James tilts his glass and clinks it against Ava’s. As Ava finishes her sip, she smiles, touching James lightly on his right arm, and leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. He closes his eyes and takes a breath. Her lips are soft and wet against his skin, and the scent of her perfume is subtle, her hair tickling his neck as she retracts. When he opens his eyes, in the corner of his vision Will and Isla embrace, kissing, as do Hitoshi and Lin. James looks back at Ava, and she glances up at him, her hand still on his shoulder. He steps in, sliding his right hand along her waist, and she closes her eyes as he tilts his head and presses his lips to hers. As they kiss, the 2 0 9 4 numbers in the sky flicker and fall, the timeless melody of Auld Lang Syne fading the party around them into their own private reality.
12
Dreams
James sits beside Will on his front steps, both men holding a beer and musing about old times as they watch the night wash over Pacific Palisades. In front of them, Will’s red BMW Z4 is parked, catching bits of their reflection in its gloss. It’s the night before the launch, and James should be asleep, but it’s the last thing in the world that he wants to do.
“Grab you another one?” Will says, motioning to James’s beer.
“Nah, I’m good.” James tilts his head towards him. “You know, kind of reminds me of when we were just getting started with Hayden-Pratt and having all those late-night chats on the deck.”
Will nods. “Yeah. I kind of miss those days. Something fun about being at the start when you’ve got nothing but choices. I’d say that I bet you didn’t think it’d all lead to this, but I know you better than that.”
James raises his eyebrows. “It’s always been the dream. Wasn’t sure how I was going to get it, but now that I’ve got the ball, I’m going to tuck it tight and run for the goal.”
Will pauses and swigs his drink. “I can always tell when you’re nervous about something because you dress it up in slam dunks and touchdowns.”
James chuckles. “All right, you’ve got my number there.”
“So, how are you actually feeling about it?”
James takes a deep breath. “I’m feeling like it’s not real, like we’re going to be gone for a few months, and when we come back, it’ll only be a few months later. I know that’s not what’s going to happen, but it’s tough to wrap my brain around it. Sarah was right about me feeling guilty about leaving everyone. I wish there were a way to make this work that didn’t involve so much time.” He pauses. “Will, I’m going to miss you, buddy.”
“I’m going to miss you, too, James. I’m happy for you, though. It’s your dream, and I want you to have it.”
James smiles and takes a sip of his beer.
“There’s something I wanted to tell you,” Will continues. “Normally, I’d have to swear you to secrecy first, but, you know, I think we’re safe with this one.”
James eyes him curiously.
Will smiles. “I’m going to propose to Isla.”
James laughs. “Will Pratt, you dog! Holding out to the last minute to tell me. Congratulations, buddy! When are you going to do it?”
“On her birthday, next month. Got the ring already.”
“Oh, wow. That’s awesome!” He pauses. “Oh, shit…I’m going to miss it.”
“Don’t sweat it. Just send me a best man speech before you’re half-a-light-year out, and it should get back in time for the reception. You know, assuming she says yes.”
“I will do that.” He shakes his head. “I’m happy for you, bud. I knew you’d find someone. Isla is amazing.”
“Can’t believe she fell for a guy like me, but I’ll count my blessings.” He glances at James. “Complicates the age discussion, though. I won’t do it without Isla, and she’s not sure she wants it. I’m still not sure I want it. There’s a bit of a charm to settling down, kind of like you earned it. But, if I don’t do it, I’ll be eighty whe
n you get back.”
“Yeah, but you’ll still be Will. Couple of wrinkles won’t change that. Make the choice for yourself. Besides, you can do both, right? Wait thirty years, age to eighty, then get the treatment and live it all over again. Sky’s the limit.”
Will smirks. “Sky used to be the limit, but you keep moving the bar. We’re going to have to find a new saying.”
“Well, how about keep dreaming big and have your friends in your heart wherever life may take you.”
Will raises his beer bottle, clinking it at James’s. “Keep dreaming big, buddy.”
As Lin settles into her seat aboard Promise’s bridge, she wonders if she’s about to awaken from a dream. It’s the type of dream where you’ve somehow missed the entire semester and showed up late for the final exam. As you set your pencil down to the paper, glancing up as the seconds tick away on the clock, you ponder how you got to this moment. When Lin tries to focus on everything that’s happened this morning, it’s a kaleidoscope of sights and sounds jumbled into surreal memory fragments. Tearful hugs with her parents at the terminal. All of the colorful flight suits of the five starship crews bobbing over the asphalt, smiling faces, waving hands, sunglasses, like some scene from a movie. She’s in the flight suit crowd, her feet propelling her forward without conscious thought as if she were swept away in a fast-moving river. The groups are splitting up, Hitoshi’s hand on hers, guiding her into their Pintail. Earth’s blue sky melting to inky black as gees press her back into a seat. Gleaming starships radiant in white sunlight. The feeling of the rough stitching from her mission patches on her left shoulder. Authentic patches, three of them, with the red, yellow, and orange suns of Luhman 16, Tau Ceti, and Epsilon Eridani. Underneath them are the embroidered letters S O N G. She takes a breath, deciding to stop fighting the dream and instead commit to it, and clicks her harness into place.
Hitoshi’s at the engineering station next to her, getting his harness sorted out. He looks at her and smiles. “You doing okay?”
Her voice flutters. “Oh, yeah, just your standard multi-decade interstellar space armada launch jitters. How are you?”
“I’ll let you in on a secret. Julian always had to drug me for our launches. I was, like, freaking out all the time.”
Her eyes widen. “No way! You? You seem pretty calm now. I, on the other hand, feel like I just downed a six-pack of cola.”
“Uh, do you mean that you have to pee?”
She leans in and whispers loudly. “No, I don’t have to pee! I mean, I’m wigging a little.”
Hitoshi extends his hand and sets it on hers. She can see that he’s trying to exude calmness. He rubs the back of her hand and takes a deep breath, beckoning her to follow his rhythm as if he were her Lamaze coach.
She takes a deep breath, holds it, and exhales. “So…the drugs?”
Hitoshi yells back over his shoulder. “Julian!”
Lin presses her left hand against her forehead.
In a moment, Julian is at her side. “I would not worry. It is quite normal to be apprehensive,” he says. “These will help you relax.” When he affixes a dermal to her wrist, the drug dials down her anxiety a few clicks. Her breath slows, and she sighs.
“These should also help with the Riggs effect,” Julian says.
“I’ve done jumps before. Should be okay there. Thanks, doc.”
Julian sets his hand on her shoulder. “Let me know if you need anything.” He returns to his chair.
Lin pokes at her console. “Ugh. Keep it together, Lin.”
“Hey,” Hitoshi says. “You got this. I’m right here beside you.”
She summons a smile. “Thanks, Tosh.” Around her, the rest of the crew is settled in their seats, and it’s the entire original crew of Bernard’s. No one bowed out of the trip.
The entire front wall of the bridge is a massive parabolic screen showing the view from Promise’s nose. Inset panels stream the lateral camera views, revealing the spotlit nose of the Dayspring. An arc of Earth’s blue sphere glows brightly behind the silhouetted scaffolding of the space dock. Lin opens a checklist window on her console and starts completing her tasks.
Willow has ported comms to the bridge speakers, and the shipyard is full of chatter between the starships and the facilities. She’s reading back a clearance to space traffic control.
Lin has a bit of that drunk feeling again as the sounds swirl into a non-discrete haze of moments and tidbits. She’s not sure if five minutes or thirty has gone by, but all of her tasks are green, and her console is go for launch.
Over comms, the controller says, “Dayspring, you are cleared for departure.”
It had been a bit of an indulgence, planning to launch all of the fleet simultaneously, but there was a shared international ownership of the moment with all nations going together. They would return at different times, but their first, great stride was as one world.
The white tee of the Dayspring glides forward on the port camera, silently slipping out of its framework, accelerating slowly away from Promise.
“Aletheia, cleared for departure,” the voice says.
Far off to the left, on a parallel course, the ring of the Aletheia coasts into view, running lights illuminating its hull with anti-collision strobes blinking around its circumference. Lin watches it drift across the bridge screen with wonder.
“Bernard’s Promise, cleared for departure.”
Lin’s stomach drops, and she pushes herself back into her seat a moment before the engines buzz up to speed. The space dock’s scaffolding slides towards them, then it’s gone, replaced by stars and black sky. Lin takes a deep breath and exhales.
As the controller clears the Xuanzang and the Peregrine, Isaac sends the fleet’s flight plan to the main screen. The diagram shows the five ships flying in formation, climbing until they are a hundred kilometers over the shipyard.
“They used to make us fly to ESL2 before jumping,” Hitoshi says to Lin. “Nice that some things have changed.”
In the aft camera view, the Earth dominates the sky, but the Antares shipyard has diminished to a collection of twinkling lights. Lin watches the altimeter ticking up, reaching closer and closer to the jump point. She can’t help but stare at the serene blue oceans and cottony clouds of her home, falling away behind her. A lump pits itself in her throat.
The controller’s voice causes Lin to jolt. “Dayspring, you are cleared for jump.”
Dayspring’s captain, Noah Bouchard, responds. “Acknowledged. To the brave men and women of our fleet, safe travels, and may the stars guide you to new hopes.”
An electric blue flash radiates from the center of the Dayspring, and all of the stars in its path swirl around the ship as if caught in a vortex. The starship collapses into its flash, leaving the ballistic afterimage of its trajectory as a fleeting specter in Lin’s vision. A second after it has vanished, the stars rotate back into their home positions.
Next, Aletheia is cleared, flaring brightly along a trajectory that takes it in a completely different direction than Dayspring.
“Bernard’s Promise, cleared for jump.”
James keys the mic. “To the crews and everyone back home, keep dreaming big. We’re taking our place amongst the stars so that we are no longer a single light in the void but a united world of worlds. Fly safe, and keep your eyes on the heavens.” He turns off the mic. “Okay, let’s get this show off the ground. Jump positions.”
Lin takes one last glance at the Earth before tucking her head into her knees. She takes a deep breath and holds it, closing her eyes. The tingling of an electric field crawls over her calves like ants as the fine hair on her arms lifts up. She counts…three…two…exhale. Gravity blossoms in a sphere encompassing her, tugging her against her harness in all directions at once, then it’s like a trap door has opened beneath her, and she’s plummeting into an endless pit, shrinking like Alice after drinking the potion. Gravity rebounds, and the pressure pushes from inside of her body against her skin, but she cal
mly continues to exhale, riding the effect to its conclusion. After a second, it stabilizes, leaving her in the serenity of freefall. When she opens her eyes, the universe has congealed into a pulsing blue smudge on the bridge screen. Behind her, the Earth is a red-hot star. It’s done. Promise is traveling at one hundred fifty-eight light seconds per time-dilated second, which means they’re already twenty-six light-minutes from Earth. It’s such a rush of conflicting emotions to absolutely be free of all things happening on Earth while also realizing that you are no longer a participant of that world, only then to realize that other worlds are waiting in your future and that you will be the first to see what they hold. She focuses on her breathing, righting herself, and resumes her workstation duties. When she looks over at Hitoshi, his kind smile is waiting. He gives a nod of understanding, and Lin realizes that she is not alone.
Part II
Luhman 16
13
Starstruck
Warm water laps along the back of James’s head as he floats with his eyes closed. Somewhere in the distance, seagulls call as a wave breaks. The Sun burns down upon his face and shines a mottled pink through his eyelids. He breathes in deep and enjoys the salty tang of the ocean. When he opens his eyes, a perfect cerulean sky dazzles him. To his right, the glaring white hull of his yacht is nearly painful in the sunlight, bobbing in the unreal aquamarine Whitsunday waters. On his boat’s deck, a bikini-clad woman reclines with her arm tucked behind her head, her skin luminous under a sheen of sunscreen. Kate is twenty years old and looks, to James, the part of perfection. She senses him watching her and turns her head, squinting and smiling back. He returns the smile, resisting the urge to swim towards her, focusing on keeping his entire body relaxed and maintaining the float.
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