by Zac Harrison
Chapter 9
With his chin in his hands, John stared at words scrolling across a large screen in the ship’s library. “Zepp,” he groaned, “can’t you just download all this stuff straight into my brain? I won’t mind. Honestly.”
“I could do that,” said Zepp, causing John to sit up in his chair, hope flashing in his eyes. “If you had an elegantly designed electronic brain,” the computer continued, “and not a messy chunk of jelly.”
John rolled his eyes and slumped back, muttering, “Thanks. Now I feel so much better.”
Sighing, he stared around the library. It was a beautiful room, lined with paintings and ancient books in glass cabinets, probably far too precious ever to be taken out and read. Soft lighting picked out empty desks. As usual, John was the only person in the room. Students could access all the information they needed from anywhere on the ship and most preferred to work in their own dormitories. John had only started working in the library at Zepp’s suggestion. It was quiet and peaceful, with no distractions such as Kaal asking him for a game of Zero-G war.
By now, John was starting to hate the place. When he wasn’t in classes or eating, he had been spending every waking hour here for the past seven days. Even while the rest of the school was enjoying the weekend, he had been hunched in front of a screen from breakfast until lights-out.
“You’ve learnt a lot in a week,” Zepp said more seriously. “In some subjects, you’ve caught up with the rest of the class.”
John nodded. Maths had been easy. Numbers were the same throughout the universe and he had always been top of his class at maths. His talent had been the reason Wortham Court School had offered him a free place. Zepp had introduced him to some new mathematical ideas, but they hadn’t taken long to understand.
But the other subjects were a problem. Before he could even start the mountain of homework various teachers had handed out, he had had to start from scratch in almost every subject, beginning with work the other students had covered years before. Even with Zepp patiently explaining, it had been a struggle. John was sure all the information he was trying to fit inside his head would soon make it explode.
“Let’s just go over these chapters on the early development of hyperspace technology again, then we’ll make a start on the history of the First Galactic Council,” said Zepp.
As pages he had already read three times reappeared on screen, John muttered under his breath and leant in closer, hand poised over his ThinScreen to take notes.
An hour later the screen went blank. “Lunchtime,” Zepp announced. “Let’s pick up from here after you’ve had something to eat.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind helping me? I’m sure you’ve got more important things to do.”
Zepp said, “My processors are more than capable of multitasking. Who did you think was flying the ship while I was tutoring you? I am very happy to assist you in any way I can.”
“Actually, there is something else...” said John.
By now, John was finding his way around the vast ship more easily. Instead of taking a TravelTube to the canteen, he returned to his own room. It was empty.
“Good, Kaal’s at lunch,” he said, taking his old clothes out of the locker and getting changed. Sitting cross-legged on his bed, he checked over his shoulder. Only a blank wall. There was nothing that could give away the fact that he was on a spaceship and not at a school in Derbyshire. “Ready, Zepp?” he whispered.
“Patching in to the internet. It’s ridiculously slow,” Zepp replied. “Ah, here we are – Skype.”
The entertainment screen by John’s bed switched on, showing the Skype homepage. Zepp had already put in a call. Far across the universe, a mouse clicked “Answer”.
“John! Is that you?”
His mum’s face appeared on the screen. John blinked and tried a smile. “Hi, Mum. It’s great to see you.”
“It’s good to see you, too,” she replied.
His dad appeared next to her. They were both in their dressing gowns, but John had no way of knowing whether it was morning or night-time on Earth. “Hello, son. How’s Wortham Court?”
“OK,” said John. Wishing he could tell his parents the truth about his new school, he added, “But I’m way behind. Spending most of my time catching up in the library.”
His parents glanced at each other, frowning. “But you did well at your last school, you shouldn’t be that far behind,” said his dad.
John shrugged. “There are a lot of new subjects.”
“Are you settling in yet —” his mother asked.
“Have you made any friends?” his father cut in.
John had been planning to tell his parents that everything was fine, but seeing them reminded him again of how much he missed home. His smile faded. “Friends?” he said, realizing that he’d hardly spoken to Kaal, or anyone else apart from Zepp, for the last week. “Yes, I think so. But everyone here is... umm... different. I’m not sure I fit in.”
“Different how?” asked his dad.
For a second John wondered what would happen if he told his parents he was sharing a room with a two-metre-tall alien who looked exactly like a demon. Wishing he hadn’t said anything, he mumbled, “Oh, you know, just people I haven’t met before.”
“You look unhappy, John,” said his mum with another frown. “You can always come home if you don’t like the school.”
John shook his head. It would be impossible to cross the light years that separated him from his parents. “It’s OK,” he answered. “I’ve just been working hard. I’m sure I’ll start enjoying it more once I’m used to it. Anyway, I just wanted to say ‘hi’. I’d better get back to the library.”
“You’re studying on a Sunday morning?” His mum sounded horrified. “Can’t you at least take a couple of hours off?”
“I just want to catch up with this stuff about the First Galacti— I mean, old parliaments.”
“Good grief, that sounds boring.”
John found himself smiling. “Believe me, it is,” he said.
After a short goodbye, John changed back into his school clothes. His mother had ended the call quickly, but not quickly enough to stop him seeing a tear rolling down her face. He hated to worry his parents and silently promised himself that he would be more cheerful next time he spoke to them, no matter what it took. After all, being at Hyperspace High was an opportunity that no other human had ever experienced.
“You should get back to the library,” Zepp’s voice said eventually.
“I know, I know. We’ve still got to get through the First Galactic Council,” John replied, sighing.
Even though much about Hyperspace High was different to schools on Earth, one thing was the same – doing homework on the weekend was a drag. And if he was only going to be at Hyperspace High for a few more weeks, it felt like a shame to spend his time working in the library instead of having fun with his classmates. It wasn’t as if his marks in Galactic Geography or Cosmic Languages would mean anything back on Earth.
But it wasn’t in John’s nature not to try his best, so he picked up his ThinScreen and headed to the library.
Chapter 10
“There you are,” said Kaal, flapping his wings as the library door slid open. “Zepp said you’d be here. We’ve been waiting for ever.”
“Five minutes, at least,” Emmie Tarz added. She was sitting on a desk, swinging her legs and looking around the library with interest. “You know,” she said, “I didn’t realize Hyperspace High even had a library.”
“That’s no big surprise,” snorted Kaal.
Emmie turned to him with a glint in her eye. “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, you’re not a library kind of girl are you, Tarz?” grinned Kaal.
“And when was the last time you were up here, Mister Brainbox?” Emmie shot back.
&nb
sp; “Hi,” interrupted John, looking from the big Derrilian to Emmie. “Did you want something or did you just come up here to argue?”
“We wanted something,” answered Kaal. “You tell him, Emmie.”
Pushing a strand of hair behind her slightly pointed ears and giving John another dazzling smile, Emmie said, “I didn’t get to say thanks properly for helping me in Galactic Geography.”
“There’s no need to—”
“Shut up, I haven’t finished yet,” said Emmie, switching her smile to a stern look in an instant. “Also, you’ve been on your own up here all week, studying.” She made a face. “Yuck. So we’ve organized a treat for you.”
“That’s really kind of you, but I’ve got to finish—”
“No, you haven’t,” Zepp cut in. “There’s no history lesson tomorrow. It can wait.”
“You see,” said Kaal, “No excuses. You’ve been stuck up here being boring all week. We’d started to forget what you look like. So now it’s time for some fun. Emmie’s spoken to Sergeant Jegger and—”
“And he’s letting me take out a Star Racer for two hours,” finished Emmie proudly. “First years aren’t supposed to, but he said I’m an exceptional pilot.”
“What’s a Star Racer?” asked John, as he looked from Emmie’s bright, excited eyes to Kaal’s grin.
* * *
“This is a Star Racer,” announced Emmie, as they stepped out of a TravelTube and onto the hangar deck.
John felt his jaw sag open. In the middle of the deck a spaceship was waiting. A spaceship that looked as though it had been built for speed. Long and sleek and shining beneath the lights of the hangar, it was much larger than the t-darts that John was now getting used to. Behind the cockpit the ship looked like it was one big engine.
Noticing John’s stare, Emmie said, “It’s a small version of Hyperspace High’s engine. “Very, very fast,” she added.
“Come on, then,” said Kaal impatiently, ducking under one of the ship’s stubby wings. “I’ll drive.”
“You will NOT!” Emmie yelled, running for the boarding steps.
The engine was already thrumming by the time John sank into the seat next to Emmie’s and pulled a harness over his shoulders. The cockpit lid closed and locked above his head. “OK,” he heard her whisper, “Let’s see what you’ve got.” Flicking a switch on the control panel in front of her, she said loudly, “Pre-flight checks complete, sergeant. Ready to fly.”
Jegger’s voice rang through the cockpit. “You’re clear, Tarz. Two hours. Not a second longer.”
“Yes-sir.”
Ahead, huge bay doors slid back. Emmie nudged the stick between her knees and the Star Racer’s engines throbbed. With the flick of another switch, the ship began moving forward.
“Ready?” Emmie asked.
“Ready,” answered John.
“Get a move on, Tarz,” grinned Kaal.
“You asked for it.” Emmie pushed the control stick forward again. Behind John, the engine noise increased to a roar. The ship leaped forward, sweeping out into space. “Yeehah!” Emmie said, twisting the stick. The Star Racer rolled, spinning its passengers like a washing machine.
“That will do, Tarz,” said Jegger. “Sensible flying. I want her back in one piece.”
“No problem, sir. See you in two hours,” replied Emmie pushing the stick again. With jets burning, the ship plunged forward. Turning her head, Emmie asked, “Ever been through a nebula?” She smiled as John shook his head. “You’re going to like this, then. Engaging hyperdrive in three, two, one...”
Stars streamed by as the Star Racer flashed through space, engines now pulsing quietly. Ahead, John saw a vast cloud of pink and yellow. It was shaped like a dragon in flight and glowed with a billion lights.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” whispered Kaal. “Nebulae are where stars are born. Planets, too.”
“I-It’s amazing,” John stuttered, as they plunged into the glowing cloud. Space lit up like shining candyfloss. I am, he reminded himself, the first human being ever to see this. It was a awe-inspiring moment; a moment that would have been more awe-inspiring still if Kaal hadn’t been yelling, “Come on, Emmie! Faster! You pilot like a little old Wussian,” next to him.
Zepp’s voice cut in. “Ms Tarz, if you take your ship eighteen degrees mark eight point two-two-five, you will find a new solar system forming. Be careful, there is a lot of asteroid activity in the area.”
Like Kaal, Emmie had started speaking more politely to the ship’s computer since John had told her its name. “Will do. Thanks, Zepp,” she said, changing course.
A few moments later, Emmie swerved the ship around a lump of rock and ice the size of a skyscraper that was spinning through space. In the distance, a star burned bigger and brighter than the thousands of others John could see. It didn’t hold his attention for long. “What’s that?” he asked excitedly, pointing out of the viewing window at a great ball of swirling gas.
“You’ve seen me in Galactic Geography, right?” said Emmie with a shrug. “Ask Kaal.”
“I think it’s a baby gas planet,”said Kaal slowly. “By the time it’s fully formed, it will be four or five hundred times the size of your Earth. Look, it’s got bands of different colours already. Belt-zone circulation, Tarz,” he finished with a grin.
“Ugh, don’t remind me of Graal,” groaned Emmie. “Let’s go further in.” She pulled the ship around another huge asteroid.
“Another planet,” said Kaal, pointing. Through the window, the star was now so big that John thought it must be a sun. His gaze followed Kaal’s pointing finger. Hanging in space to one side of the ship, lit up by the sun’s light, was a vast ball of molten rock, glowing red.
“Wow,” he whispered. Emmie swerved the ship to skim past for a better view. As John watched, a massive asteroid hurtled into the new planet, throwing up a huge spout of lava that collapsed slowly back. “That is totally the coolest thing I have ever seen. Ever,” he said.
“Incredible, isn’t it?” whispered Kaal. “One day, that planet will probably have land and oceans. It might evolve life.”
“Well, this has been fun, but I feel the need for speed,” giggled Emmie, flipping the Star Racer and dodging past more asteroids towards clear space. “John, Jegger said that your piloting has really improved. Do you want to take the controls?”
“Let me think about that... errr... YES. Too right I do. But what about you? Don’t you want to pilot?”
“I’ll do it next time,” shrugged Emmie. “This is your treat.”
They swapped seats. “The controls are similar to the t-dart’s,” Emmie explained, leaning over him. And the sensors say there’s only clear space ahead, so you don’t have to worry about hitting anything.”
Glancing round at Emmie and Kaal, John chuckled and asked, “Did someone ask for speed?” Without waiting for an answer, he reached out, punched the panel up to one hundred, and threw the control stick forward. The engine roared.
“Wooooooah!” John yelled as the craft blasted forward. “This is awesome!”
“I told you I’d give you a treat,” Emmie shouted back. “Think it can go any faster?”
“Only one way to find out,” said John, reaching for the “Accelerate boost” panel. “Ooooooh wooooow...”
Burning through space in this racer among stars that no other human would ever see, John’s earlier worries slipped away. Whatever else happened on Hyperspace High, he decided, it was all worth it for this single moment. It didn’t matter if he came bottom in every class, or if every teacher hated him; he would happily go through all that and worse to feel the controls of a faster-than-light spaceship in his hands as he soared through space.
For a moment, John thought about joining the Starfighter Corps, like Sergeant Jegger. Then he would be able to do this every day. With a jolt, he remembered that within a few
weeks he would be leaving Hyperspace High and returning to Earth. The closest he would come to this feeling again would be flying spacecraft in computer games.
“Two hours is up in ten minutes,” said Emmie at last, interrupting his thoughts. “Better head back.”
“Thanks, Emmie. Thanks, Kaal,” John panted as he brought the speed down and unfastened his harness. “That was the most fun I’ve ever had. The best present anyone has ever given me.”
“Oh, shut up,” said Kaal, looking away shyly. “It was nothing.”
“Jegger’s right,” said Emmie. “You’re a natural pilot. Bit more practice and you could be pretty good.”
As Emmie took her seat and steered the racer back to Hyperspace High, John looked from her to Kaal. Yeah, he thought, I’ve made some friends. Some really excellent friends.
Chapter 11
John raced along the corridor. The first lesson of the day was Galactic Geography and he wanted to go over his notes one more time before Doctor Graal arrived. As he ran, he repeated to himself some of the facts he had learnt with Zepp over the last week. “The longest river in the galaxy is Great Fluvia on planet Arnis. The tallest mountain is Mount Gijian on Hult-Gorath, named after the planet’s twelfth king—”
“Galactic Geography. Fascinating subject,” said a voice alongside him.
John skidded to a halt as a flashing ball of light burst into the shape of the headmaster. “Good morning, sir,” he panted.
“And a good morning to you, John Riley,” replied the headmaster brightly. “Here’s a nugget of information for you: Last month the Churl discovered a small, uninhabited planet in the Delta Region. Very dull, of no real interest to anyone. They named its five continents: Klist, Andarus, Jax North, Jax South, and Korus.”
“Klist, Andarus, Jax North, Jax South, and Korus,” John repeated, confused. “Right. Thank you, sir.”
“Excellent. But I don’t wish to make you late, let us walk together,” Lorem continued, striding off down the corridor, smiling and nodding to passing students.
