Across The Universe With A Giant Housecat (The Blue)

by Void, Stephanie

  I felt the air move across my skin and a smile spread across my face.

  I was healed!

  Tossing the covers the rest of the way back, I leaped to my feet.

  “I can move!” I shrieked.

  “Yay!” Katelyn agreed.

  Raising my hands above my head, I felt my back stretch out. There was no tug from the vest, because it was no longer there.

  Katelyn bounded over to me. Grabbing her hands, I twirled her around, luxuriating in the easy way my body now moved. I moved back and forth, testing out every muscle and tendon.

  It all felt so good! It was like waking up after a restful sleep.

  Katelyn took me by the hands and spun me so we both spun opposite each other, our hands joined in the middle.

  It felt like heaven!

  “All right, time to settle down, Alan,” said another voice. A nurse had appeared in the doorway. “Take it a bit easy on your first day.”

  I stopped my spin with Katelyn, but I still needed to spread my wings. “I want to run. Can I run? Just a little? I want to see how light it feels.”

  The nurse nodded. I bolted for the door.

  The hallway beyond was wide enough…

  “Not right there. Go to the physical therapy wing. There’s a track there you can run on.”

  Nodding, I raced off in search of it, Katelyn following.

  I was able to contain myself long enough to reach the track, but once there, I took off running. What had felt bulky and awkward before—but doable—was now easy and as light as air. Of course, I got winded pretty easily. That was the price I paid for a life of adventure in the cramped quarters of a spaceship. But I was willing to pay it.

  If only I could have Useia by my side for that spacefaring life…

  Suddenly I remembered my dream and went cold all over. I stopped running, my zest for it gone.

  What if Useia had really left me? It had seemed like love to me, but perhaps it hadn’t been for her. She had broken free of the assassins, had them turn on her, been tortured by them, escaped them, and met her parents for the first time in years. It was a lot for anyone to go through. Perhaps after having time to think it all over, she had changed her mind about me.

  Or maybe it was something else. Maybe, as I had pondered before, one of Trilloque’s old disciples had caught up with her the way Randew Larsen had caught up with me. She could be a corpse on a dead world or floating in space somewhere, her body a piece of frozen debris. I’d never find out; she’d be lost forever. Should I stop hoping? How long should I wait for her? Useia had never given me a time frame for her return.

  Perhaps I could contact her parents, the Mongarusa family. There had to be a way to find them. Perhaps I could find something out through the Stellar Intrepid’s database—there had to be something there. Maybe there was information on where they had gone.

  Chapter 9

  “Alan, I don’t know what to tell you.” Useia’s mother, Mrs. Mongarusa, peered at me through the monitor. “She left four months ago.” Three boys played in the background behind her in what looked like luxurious living quarters. The sun shone in through windows behind the boys and it looked like there was a small waterfall outside.

  “So you have no idea where Useia could be?” I sat in front of the monitor in mine and Katelyn’s quarters, in the middle of a video call with Useia’s mother. After mind-numbing hours scanning through records, I had discovered that the Mongarusa family had never returned to Avalon Colony, instead settling on a tropical moon closer to the central worlds. I had wasted no time calling them.

  She shook her head. “After you rescued us on Mitio, none of us ever went back to Avalon Colony. We started a new life here on this beautiful moon. It’s so much nicer. Things actually grow here. Easily, even. It’s a tropical paradise. Anyway, Useia helped us set up the farm, then left just after the first harvest. I thought she was coming to find you, Alan. At least, that’s what she told me.”

  “She told you that?” My stomach twisted. Useia still wanted me!

  She nodded. “That’s what she told us. She hasn’t come to find you?” Mrs. Mongarusa turned to yell something at two of the boys behind her, who had begun to quarrel loudly about something.

  “No. I haven’t heard from her at all.”

  She turned back to face me at the monitor. “Well, maybe you can check transport logs. Perhaps her name is on one of them. You have access to that kind of thing, right? Perhaps it is just taking her a bit longer to find you. You aren’t exactly an easy person to locate, with that ship of yours, flitting from place to place as you do.”

  “Yes, but she could have—”

  One of the quarreling boys punched the other, who started wailing. Mrs. Mongarusa grimaced. “Sorry, Alan, but I’ve got to go. They always get restless around this time of year. The harvest is over and they don’t have much to do. Why don’t you check the transport logs for Useia? I’m sure you will be able to find her. My daughter is a very resilient girl. And Alan, we will always be grateful to you for what you’ve done. Our home is always open to you. Good bye, and good luck.” She switched off her monitor.

  I clicked off the monitor and frowned. Useia’s family didn’t know where she was. Transport logs? I pounded my thigh in frustration.

  A door slammed behind me. Turning, I saw Katelyn had returned.

  “What were you up to?” I asked.

  “Just more exploring. This place is massive!”

  “Yep. I know. The school is even bigger.”

  “I know! I went there. Just to tour it. Ms. Bridgewater said I could move into the dorms in a few days.”

  “Katelyn, I’m trying to find Useia.”

  “And? Any luck?”

  “No. Her mother says she left home four months ago. She suggested looking over the transport logs. Any chance you could help me with that?”

  One corner of her mouth slid upward in a half smile. “Of course. We both know I was born to use technology.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know.” She never missed an opportunity to brag about her superiority when it came to using technology.

  “Good. That’s settled, then. Now move off, I need to use that monitor.”

  I backed away and she promptly settled herself down in front of the monitor. Her fingers flew over the screen as she accessed the records.

  “She could have gone to Avalon Colony, her old homeworld,” I suggested.

  “I’ll check there. Now quit looking over my shoulder and let me work my magic.”

  I was more than happy to do as she asked. Technology didn’t fascinate me as it did her; I was more interested in exploring and living, not sitting in front of a screen.

  I left our quarters, headed nowhere in particular, but happy for a chance to walk around again. Movement felt so much better now that I was free of the medical vest.

  Since I had little else to do, I spent the next several hours wandering the base. I considered stopping by the military school section of it to see if I could find some of my old school friends, but realized that the school would be all but deserted until next week: it was summer break, or an approximation of it. There were no seasons in space.

  Instead, I simply walked about, taking things in and more importantly, enjoying my newly released spine. I’d forgotten how much of a range of motion I used to have.

  At one point I stopped and bought a sack of oranges, my favorite fruit. Sitting down at a table at the food court, I devoured several and saved the rest for later.

  By the time I returned to my quarters, I felt relaxed and refreshed. My worries had vanished, pushed into the background by the pleasures of the present.

  Katelyn wasn’t in our quarters, but there was a call request from Standing Admiral Northe blinking on the monitor.

  I contacted him via the monitor.

  “Alan! I’ve been trying to contact you for hours!” Standing Admiral Northe was sitting in his office, a glass of amber beverage in his hand. “I had Cartus running all over the place to
look for you. We really need to get you a wrist communicator.”

  “Sorry, sir.”

  “I wanted to tell you that your ship will be arriving early. We just received word she will be here within the hour. Debriefing will take place one hour after that, in the conference room on the green floor of the executive wing. Be there.”

  “Oh. Oh! Yes, sir! Where will they be docking?”

  “Docking Bay Ninety-Four.”

  I took a quick shower, then after toweling off and dressing, I took off in search of the bay. I wanted to see my new ship.

  Upon reaching the spaceport wing, I found, happily, that it was equipped with a massive picture window that looked out into space, towards the docking area.

  Ships milled about, entering and leaving, their hulls bright gray against the black of space. Which one was the Indomitable?

  I could see the docking bays. The numbers were painted huge on each one… Twenty-Three, Twenty-Four, Twenty-Five… no, wrong level. I looked down a few levels until I found the nineties.

  Bay Ninety-Four. It was unoccupied.

  I went over to a chair and settled down to wait for the ship to arrive.

  I didn’t have to wait long—I spotted the ship the moment it came into view.

  The sheer size of the ship was impressive. It had to be ten times the size, at least, of my little Dragontooth.

  I watched the ship move like a swan, sliding perfectly into the parking slot. The pilot was a master; his piloting was nothing like the jerky way Katelyn drove.

  This ship would be my home for the next ten weeks. Maybe longer. Northe hadn’t exactly been forthcoming about how long the mission was supposed to take once we got to our destination.

  What exactly was our mission, anyway?

  When I arrived at the conference room for debriefing, everyone else was already there. A sea of Stellar Intrepid uniforms greeted me.

  Cartus was also there. Probably Standing Admiral Northe had sent him to keep an eye on me. He introduced me to the officers of the Indomitable.

  “I’m Captain Reginald Keene,” said the man who I knew to be the captain before he even opened his mouth. His facial expression did not change as he spoke. He resembled one of the old nautical captains I had often read about, with a face that was all angles. A shock of white-gray hair was gathered into a low ponytail at his neck. His mouth was a firm line of decisiveness, and his eyes burned brightly beneath bushy gray brows.

  He looked like the kind of captain I had always imagined myself serving under—the sort of captain who inspired legends and mystery to swirl around him like ghosts. I would bet ten to one that Captain Keene had killed an enemy with his bare hands or had bit a drinking glass in half on purpose. He seemed like that kind of captain.

  Next to Captain Keene was his first officer, Louis Paczoranni. Paczoranni was everything Keene wasn’t: young, easygoing, and open. He had a bright smile that stood out intensely from his dark complexion.

  “I’ve been put in charge of you, Wolf,” Paczoranni said. “I’ll be showing you around the ship as soon as we get under way and making sure you get in enough time observing. We’ve set up a training room for you and Selburn, the other Space Reader.”

  Selburn. So that was her name.

  After the captain and the first officer, I was introduced to a swath of other officers and crew. I could not remember most of their names afterwards, but I promised myself that I would look up the crew manifest and try to memorize as many names as I could as soon as I was settled into the Indomitable.

  I was then shown to a seat, as the debriefing was to begin. I realized I was sitting next to a woman I hadn’t noticed before. The only one not in uniform, she sat with arms crossed, chewing on her lower lip. She looked obviously uncomfortable and out of her element.

  She was somewhere in her early or mid thirties, wearing a long black skirt and blue-gray tank top that revealed several tattoos of scientific diagrams—were those molecules? Atoms? Star charts?—on her shoulders and upper chest.

  Her hair was cut into a spiky short-and-long style and had been dyed several shades of blue. She wore dark eye makeup and blue lipstick that matched her hair.

  Katelyn would have loved her look.

  The woman’s blue eyes connected with mine.

  “You’re Alan Michael Wolf, aren’t you?” she asked.

  “Yeah. Who’s asking?”

  “Samantha. Err—Dr. Samantha Selburn.”

  “You’re a doctor?” To say she didn’t look the part was an understatement.

  “Not a physician. Oh no. Indeed not. I’m the other Space Reader.”

  Her? My mouth dropped open in surprise.

  Before I could respond, Paczoranni was at the front of the room, announcing that the debriefing would begin.

  As everyone who had been still standing sat down, Captain Keene came to the front of the room.

  He opened his mouth and began to speak.

  “Now I know you have all had your speculations about what our mission is. You’ve heard some things, I am sure. I’m going to put your suspicions to rest. Yes, it is a mission into deep space.”

  A ripple of murmuring went around the room.

  Keene continued. “We’ll be in hyperspace for five weeks, after which we will reach a planet which is known as Coriolanus. It’s a world that we haven’t touched yet.

  “Two months ago, observers with long-range scanners discovered some unusual radiation readings coming from the planet. It could be evidence of alien life. Our mission is to go to the planet, take some readings, and survey the area. We will be landing there unless the atmosphere is hostile. We will be bringing along a full complement of scientists, as well as two supernumeraries.” He gestured towards Samantha and me. “They will be aboard as observers.” I smiled uneasily as all the heads in the room swung towards us. Undoubtedly, they were wondering why we were there. The confused looks on their faces told me that they hadn’t been told we were Space Readers.

  “The mission is expected to take around three to four months. We will be refitting for the next few days, so you will all have a few days of shore leave here until we cast off. I suggest you use it well. Dismissed.”

  Chapter 10

  The Indomitable was going to be docked at Iron Horn Base for a few days so that it could be checked over and refitted in preparation for her five-week journey into space. Until then, I could stay in my quarters on the base.

  Keene had said we would be away for three or four months. It seemed like an incredible amount of time. I hadn’t realized it would take that long. Did that change my decision to go along with the mission? No. Not in the slightest. It made me a little more nervous, but also a lot more excited.

  So it would be three months or more before I could see Katelyn again. She would probably be ok with that. She would probably relish this opportunity for independence. Most importantly, I knew she would be somewhere safe.

  I’d be in deep space, on the very fringes of what humanity had explored. Most of humanity’s planets and colonies were only a few hours or days away in hyperspace, maybe a week at most. Rarely more than that. People got nervous on journeys longer than that.

  Once, fifty years ago, a ship had gone too far into hyperspace and vanished. Ever since then, even the most seasoned ship captains were wary of going that far into space.

  Probably not Captain Keene, though. He seemed like the type of fearless captain who would volunteer for a mission like this.

  I was pretty sure I was going to love being aboard the Indomitable.

  I turned over again, feeling the covers twist around my legs.

  I couldn’t sleep.

  The last few days had passed quickly. I had spent most of my time helping Katelyn prepare for her new school, which started in mere days. I’d helped her move into a dormitory in the school wings. She had insisted on purchasing some pink décor to liven her place up.

  Then, last night, we had said goodbye. She had shed a few tears, but I could tell she was e
xcited for her new life.

  So now it was just Leo and I in our quarters. Tomorrow we were leaving for our mission, and I couldn’t relax. Was it excitement or anxiety? Perhaps a blend of both. Either way, it made me too wired to sleep.

  With a sigh, I untangled my legs from the covers and got up from my bed.

  Perhaps a walk would help.

  Leo’s golden eyes gleamed inquiringly at me in the dark.

  “Going for a walk,” I murmured to him, heading for the door. He was at my side in a moment.

  The corridor outside my quarters was dimmed to simulate night. There was no real night and day here on Iron Horn Base. But they did a good job of pretending.

  The corridor was deserted, since most of the base was asleep. Good.

  My feet bare, I padded down the hall. I always liked it that way—I felt like I could feel the life of the ship or station if I walked its halls in my bare feet. Iron Horn Base felt calm, asleep.

  Like I should have been. I had an early start the next day and didn’t want to spend the first day of the mission yawning. If this walk didn’t help, I would be heading straight for the sedatives when I got back to my quarters.

  The halls were nearly silent; the only sound was the faint hum of the base itself. Leaving the wing where my quarters were, I headed for the market area, where the shops and restaurants were.

  When I had been a student here, the market area at night had been one of my favorite places to study. I could sit at a table at the food court, my study materials spread all around me in the silence. And if I got hungry, my favorite self-serve café was right there.

  When I reached the market area, I saw that very little had changed since then. The restaurants were still there, as were the vendor carts, the other shops, and my favorite café.

  A single person sat at a table inside, a cup of untouched tea in front of her. It was Dr. Samantha Selburn, the other Space Reader, wearing a black nightgown with a black satin robe over it.

  She saw me and cocked her head. “I find I am unable to relax tonight. I take it you couldn’t sleep either?”

  “No,” I admitted.