The Starfire Wars: The Complete Series

by Jenetta Penner

  Javen stares deep into my eyes and whispers, “More real than anything I've ever known.”

  Everything in my body longs to fall into his arms again. But I force my mind to remain focused so I can be certain I understand what is going on. I think back to when I was chasing Javen on the street and knew the layout of the building I cut through—a building I had never been in before. “So the Starfire transfers some of your knowledge or memories to me?”

  “Yes. Melding our memories. Our life experiences.”

  I nibble the inside of my bottom lip. “So, why was the Starfire in my dad’s jacket?”

  He tips his head as if the question catches him off guard. “It was given to him as a gift.”

  “A gift? By whom?”

  “The Council,” Javen says.

  I have no idea what he’s talking about.

  Javen leans against the building near me and offers a shy smile. As if sensing my thoughts, he says, “My people live on Arcadia, too.”

  “Your people?”

  He nods. “The Alku. We were here first on Paxon.”

  I step away from the wall and face him. “Paxon? Arcadia was uninhabited before our ships came.”

  “I can assure you the Alku were here first. We’ve lived on Paxon for a very long time. This planet is ours.”

  I swivel my head to examine my surroundings. “Where are they? The place from last night?”

  “That part is difficult to explain. But essentially, we inhabit the same space but in a different plane of existence—”

  Is this guy completely crazy?

  I take a single step back and dart my eyes around the street.

  “—The Starfire is the link between our two worlds. When your kind came and began building, it disturbed the crystal deposits and began to damage the Intersection between the two planes.”

  There’s no way any of this can be true. Questions reel in my mind and anxiety burns in my chest. But I manage to ask, “So, how do you speak English?”

  He thinks for a moment. “When your people first interacted with the Starfire, many of Earth’s languages were transferred to my people.” Javen’s face grows sad. “After the discovery, your father came to the planet. I don’t understand all the details. But I do know my people’s Council watched him and trusted his judgment. They met with your father, and he tried to inform your World Senate that Primaro would need to be relocated and the Starfire left alone.”

  “Dad came here? When?”

  Javen pauses. “Several years ago. Soon after the work on Primaro had begun.”

  I think back. The only time Dad went out of town for more than a few days was when he and Mom attended a research conference in Europe. Why would my parents have kept this a secret from me? “Did my mom come, too?”

  He shrugs. “She may have, but I only know about your father. I could ask if you’d like.”

  Tears burn in my eyes. Maybe this is why the planet made Dad feel closer to Mom.

  Concern washes over Javen’s face. “Have I made you upset?”

  I hold my hand up to him and touch his chest. “No, not exactly.”

  In a flash, he takes me into his warm embrace. “Your father’s goal was for my people and yours to live in harmony. But from what I understand, that isn’t what’s happening. Tension is high among my leaders, and I fear something very dangerous is on the horizon.”

  A chill runs down my spine. “Could your people have caused the explosion in the bay?”

  He pulls my chin up to him. “Your father and his ideals were important to the Council. I had orders to be there to help protect him. And I regret not being able to do more for your family.”

  “Why do you care about my family so much?”

  “The Council trusted your father. They listened to his story of Earth’s plight and found it compelling. They wanted to help.” He looks away.

  For some reason, a sudden heaviness grows in my heart. “What else is there?”

  “The Alku believe helping the humans to be a sort of atonement.”

  “Atonement?”

  “We must make up for our past mistakes.” Javen steps back and angles slightly from me.

  “And is this how you feel, too? As if you need atonement?” I touch my hand to his shoulder and allow my fingers to graze over him. His energy seems to transfer through my skin, making my breath tremble.

  “Yes,” he whispers. “Sometimes, I do.”

  Chapter 13

  My mind blazes with a jumble of thoughts about the Starfire, Javen, and his people. Then how my dad knew everything about Arcadia.

  After leaving Javen, I race into the dorm and to my room. I throw open the door, ready to research the Board members I might be able to approach for help.

  “What are you in such a hurry about?” Irene asks.

  I jump since I thought the place would be empty. “Why are you home and not at work?”

  Irene returns to chopping a head of lettuce at the kitchen counter. “My boss sent a bunch of us home early. I have no idea why. But Extra Solar is still working out all the shifts.”

  I glance at the computer on my desk. But what I want to do will need to wait until I have privacy. I’m not sure how much more I want Irene to get wrapped up into this whole thing. I slip off my shoes and place them to the side of the door.

  “Why don’t you take a seat? I’m making a late lunch.”

  “Oh, I ate already.” I think back to the few bites I had of the sandwich Max brought.

  Irene gives me a once-over. “Sit. You’re eating.”

  “You sure are bossy.” I chuckle and walk to the barstool at the kitchenette counter and sit.

  “That’s what happens when you raise three kids younger than you for six years.” She dumps the lettuce into two bowls and moves on to slicing a tomato.

  “Three?”

  She shrugs. “My cousins. Two girls and a boy. My parents left when I was just a little kid, and my aunt ended up taking me in. But only if I cared for all her kids. I was only nine, but otherwise I’d have been out on the streets.”

  “Why couldn’t your aunt take care of them?”

  “She was working. I didn’t ask what kept her out so late and she didn’t tell me,” Irene says as she finishes up the salads and brings our lunch over for us to eat. “She’s a good person, though.”

  “Where’d you live?”

  “Los Angeles.”

  I cringe. I’ve heard about LA. It’s dangerous, and the city’s air quality is awful. There are days you can’t even leave your home without a respirator. And if the smog doesn’t kill you, the people there might.

  “I know what you’re thinking. How’d a girl from the slums of LA end up working for Extra Solar, right?”

  I glance at her as she places a fork next to my bowl.

  “Not really. I was thinking about the bad air.”

  Irene laughs. “The bad air is exactly what got me here.”

  I tip my head, not understanding.

  “I spent so much time indoors that I needed a hobby to not go crazy. So, I turned to computers—games, hacking, and legit stuff too, like school. Pretty soon people online took notice of my skills, and I started picking up odd pro jobs. When the exams came up for a chance to come to Arcadia, I jumped at the opportunity. And only because my identity would be blacked out from the judges until after the scores were in. I guess somebody at the top was valuing skills over breeding—or maybe a few of us were hungrier and willing to leave everything we knew.”

  “Your cousins?” I pick up my fork and stab at the salad. “Did they come with you?”

  “I agreed with my aunt to transfer part of my wages to Earth. It’s the same CosmicCoin here as there. In a couple of years, I might be able to get them out of LA.” She places a bite of salad in her mouth.

  “Do you miss your family?”

  “A lot,” she mumbles with her mouth full of food and then finishes swallowing. “But what I can make is more than I could swing on Earth, even if mos
t of the funds are to pay off my incurred debt for getting here. My aunt agreed that one of us leaving LA was better than none. Even online, most employers won’t pay you as much if they know where you’re from.”

  “Why would it matter if you were the best for the job? How strange.”

  Irene plops down her fork. “Are you that out of touch, Cassi?”

  “Seriously, what do you mean?”

  “How much money you have and where you’re from matters. If you’re from a place like LA, you’re going to have a hard time digging your way out, even if you’re smart. Even if you’re the best at what you do. The rich don’t really want people leaving the slums unless it’s to their advantage. So, when I found out the testing for traveling to Arcadia only needed my name and that’s it, I knew I had the only chance I was going to get. And here I am.”

  I study her face. Something glinting in Irene’s dark eyes reflects a soul who is way beyond her years, and now I understand why. “You’re a strong person.”

  “We all do what we have to do,” she says and munches on another bite of salad, and then motions to my food. “Now, are you going to eat that? Don’t you waste my money.”

  I poke the greens with my fork and stuff a bite into my mouth. The salty, sharp taste of the dressing zings across my taste buds. “It’s good.”

  “Thanks. It’s my grandmother’s salad dressing recipe.”

  “It’s delicious.” I take another bite and then another. “What’s in it?”

  She shakes her head. “Nope . . . family secret. But all this fresh produce available here has me inspired. We didn’t get much where I lived, and when we did, I always figured out how to make it taste as good as it could.”

  “Well, you have a gift,” I say and finish up the rest of my salad. Irene finishes her lunch at the same time, so I take our empty bowls to the sink and drop them in. “Speaking of gifts, I need you to help me again. If you’re willing, that is.”

  “What?” she asks.

  My request is big, and my chest tingles with anxiety for even thinking to ask. But Irene is right. The people in charge want to maintain power, and they do that by keeping the weak in their place. This whole thing could be so much bigger than I thought, and I might not have time to wait for Hirata and Cooper. “I need someone—you—to hack in and search the video feeds from the day of the explosion on the ship.” The words tumble out and I look away, afraid to see her reaction.

  “No problem,” she says.

  “Really?” I swing my attention to her.

  “It’s going to take a little time. But I can do it. If your dad is still alive, I want to help you find him.”

  I squeal and then throw my arms around her neck and hug her. She returns the embrace with less enthusiasm and pats me on the shoulder just as both of our devices vibrate simultaneously.

  I glance down at the screen as a message appears.

  President Hammond will be making an important announcement at 2:00 p.m. Please tune in to the Arcadian Information Feed or gather in the city center to view.

  “You want to head down there?” Irene asks.

  “No, too crowded and we only have a few minutes. Let’s watch the announcement here.” I walk from the kitchen and activate the media screen on the wall. The Board’s symbol displays.

  A light knock echoes from the door.

  My breath hitches when the first person I think of is Javen. But I push those thoughts away since there’s no way he’d come to my dorm.

  “Who is it?” I call.

  “Alina,” the muffled voice returns.

  I look to Irene.

  “Well, she knows we’re here. So you have to let her in now,” she says, and her lips pull into a smile.

  I open the door and Alina is standing in the hall, dressed in a coral T-shirt and jeans.

  “You going to let me in?” She raises both of her eyebrows.

  I gesture Alina in and shut the door.

  “Hey, Irene,” she says as she steps inside.

  “Why aren’t you at work?” I ask Alina.

  She scowls and flops onto a chair in front of the media screen. “Because I don’t have one yet.”

  “What do you mean?” Irene asks. “A job is required to be here.”

  “You think I don’t know that?” Alina snaps. “The one I had secured was eliminated due to restructuring.”

  “What about the one you were interviewing for the other day?” I ask.

  “Nope, didn’t get it,” she says. “If I don’t secure a position soon, I don’t know what’s going to happen. There’s no way I can live in the dorm if I don’t have a job. Eventually, they will detain me.”

  “Even if you’re actively searching?” I ask.

  “I think we have two weeks,” Irene says.

  “There’s a server position open at Spectra,” I say. “I just got a new position at the Capitol building.”

  “Server?” Alina throws her hands into the air. “I didn’t get a top score on my executive assistant exams to come here and serve people food.”

  “What?” Irene asks me, ignoring Alina’s outburst. “You didn’t tell me this.”

  “It happened this morning. Sorry. But I’m not that thrilled about the job.”

  Alina scoffs. “You go from working as a server in a restaurant to a job with the Board, and you’re not that thrilled about it? What’s wrong with you?”

  My chest tightens at her words. Alina still doesn’t know what is going on with me. “It’s just . . . my dad was caught up in the ship explosion, and the Board wants me to take over part of what he was doing.”

  Alina’s eyes widen. “Richard Foster? You’re his daughter?”

  “Cassi is short for Cassiopeia,” Irene says and shoots me a warning glare.

  “Oh, wow,” Alina says. “I didn’t know.”

  “I didn’t tell you.” I pull up a desk chair beside Alina and Irene sits in the other living area seat.

  On the screen, the Board symbol disappears and we quiet. A camera pans over the Board members, who appear to be indoors while an orchestral piece plays, I suppose to inspire us all to greatness.

  I’m not very familiar with all of the members, but Hammond is of course there. And I spot Lawrence Cooper and Lia Hirata, the two I need to contact. Hirata is the youngest member, probably in her early forties, Asian descent, and with long, straight black hair that hangs down her back. She sits with her hands folded in her lap, but her jaw is tense. Hirata throws a look at Cooper, who returns the gaze, raises an eyebrow to her, and then releases a long breath. Cooper has dark skin, ultra-short hair, and is somewhere around my dad’s age.

  To Hammond’s left is Enzo Leon. His wavy, dark hair is graying at the temples, and from the times I’ve heard Dad mention him, Leon is Hammond’s puppet. A smug smile makes its home on his lips. There are two others, both women I know little about, but I intend to soon.

  Hammond stands, and the Board members look to her.

  “Greetings Arcadians,” she says, staring into the camera. Her white, shoulder-length hair frames her sharp features.

  I wonder if she’s speaking to us or the people who lived on this planet first?

  “I called you here today because I have important news that is about to change our lives further,” Hammond continues. “As details play out, we continue to restructure companies and available jobs. I know many of you are worried after the unanticipated changes since we arrived on Arcadia. But it is my goal that each of you will find your place among us on this new journey. The Board has decided to extend the deadline to secure a job, and if one is not found by that time, those who are still unemployed will be offered a temporary position.”

  I glance at Alina as she swings her legs to the floor and sits taller in her seat.

  “When the initial scouts came to Arcadia, we knew the ground was full of vast riches, including mineral deposits and precious metals. But what we continue to discover amazes us more each day. We have discovered an ore the Board believes will
change our very existence.”

  Electricity races through my veins. Hammond can’t be talking about the Starfire. I lean toward the screen and wipe my sweaty palms across my skirt.

  “Additional ships are arriving from Earth over the next week with thousands of new passengers to start up a mining colony. We will also be amping up building production in the city, which will create an opportunity for more jobs as well as bring tens of thousands more people from Earth well ahead of schedule.”

  Hammond pauses, and a crowd of journalists in front of her erupts with questions.

  “What is this new ore?” one shouts.

  “Will this discovery bring new tech jobs to the city?” another calls out.

  Hammond raises her hands to quiet their questions. “I won’t be answering any questions. But my—our—vision of the project is evolving. The Board is prepared to feed new information to the public, as necessary.”

  The crowd of reporters breaks into shouts again.

  “I will not be answering questions,” she insists. “But I will announce that we have a new Board member.” She gestures to the side, and the camera pans back. Luca emerges.

  “Luca Powell may be young, but he has incredible ideas about our rising future,” she says as Luca joins her at her side.

  I knew this was going to happen, but seeing him makes my teeth grit. I shoot to my feet and shout at the screen, “Why is she doing all this?”

  “What’s wrong with you?” Alina says. “It’s all amazing news.”

  I swing around to Alina and then flick my attention to Irene. “I need air.” I grab for my shoes next to the door and slip them on. Then I throw open the door and march out.

  “I don’t get it,” Alina says.

  “She’s just emotional. A lot has happened in the last week,” Irene says before the door slams shut. I want to be angry at her, too. But I know she’s only covering for me.

  I race from the dorm to a mostly empty street, fury burning in my chest. Hammond has to be aware of Javen’s people, and if the Alku own the Starfire, we can’t just take it. The people must know what is going on. I speed to the Capitol building to locate anyone who will listen.