Juliette's Space Race: A Near Future SciFi Thriller Short

by Randal Sloan

  That was when Juliette glanced up to look at the fields and she caught her breath at seeing their beauty. Turning to her dad, she told him. “Ok, Dad, I need you to take over. You’ve been dying to test fly this little baby. I want to paint the fields I’m seeing. They’re so beautiful I’ve just got to get it down. I think this one is going to make it to canvas when I’m done.”

  Many of Juliette’s paintings remained in electronic form. But the best she always painted on canvas. Some things just had to be done the old-fashioned way.

  Her dad gave a big smile, quickly taking over the controls. “Thought you’d never ask. I’ve got this puppy.” He punched the pulse drive and felt the extra kick. That brought a big smile to his face. His daughter and her team had come up with an absolutely awesome race ship. The others wouldn’t know what hit them, and he suspected it would be over after the first couple of minutes.

  The group thoroughly enjoyed the remainder of the outing and a few hours later returned home tired but exhilarated. And before Juliette went to sleep, that last painting did indeed make its way to canvas. She would later sell the electronic version so her many race admirers could enjoy it, but the canvas would be all her own.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Nana

  Juliette had one more task to complete before the race. She and her brother had a rather unusual set of grandparents. They both loved their Grandma and Grandpa Caldwell very much, but Sam was more comfortable with them than Juliette. Everyone knew that their Grandma Randolph had been killed in a terrorist attack. Grandpa Randolph had remarried a few years later, so they called his wife Grandma too and they had a very good relationship with her. They knew that in everything that mattered, she was their grandmother.

  But they also had their godparents. Before Juliette had been born, both her parents had been invited by the then President of the United States, President Scott, to have breakfast with him and the First Lady, Catherine Scott. The breakfasts had begun as negotiations between Space Tech and the US government where, as Zeke put it, her mom told President Scott what she was going to do, and he eventually agreed to do it. But Juliette’s mom had developed a special relationship with the First Lady Catherine, who became her mentor and “adopted” her as the daughter she never had. The relationship wasn’t truly mother-daughter, but it was close.

  First Lady Catherine had been a big part of her adopted daughter’s training in using her psychic visions and they had both seen visions of Juliette. Apparently Juliette’s propensity for trouble had been known before she was born, because Nana, as Juliette called Lady Catherine, had immediately declared herself her godmother. Juliette’s mother had quickly agreed, because as she fondly told her daughter, even though she had immediately fallen in love with Juliette before she was even born, they had known even then Juliette was going to be trouble. Juliette always tried to tell them she wasn’t trouble, it just seemed to find her, but even she admitted there wasn’t much difference.

  All of this meant that Juliette had a special grandmother that she called Nana, and they had a special relationship. Some of her fondest memories as a child were of times spent with her Nana on their earthbound estate. In a sense, that was the only time Juliette was completely herself, when she was with her Nana. When she was young she didn’t understand what it meant that her Nana was famous, and by the time she understood what it meant, she didn’t care. So she had spent many a day on the former Presidential estate, talking with her Nana and Gramps Scott, the man everyone else still called Mr. President. He was still known as one of the best Presidents the country had ever had.

  Juliette had been working so hard in school the last year, she hadn’t had time to visit, but she received a handwritten note from her Nana at her mail drop declaring it was “Nana” time. Juliette was only happy to make that happen, now that her ship was built and ready to fly. She had a break in school, only her exams remaining to take before the end of school and then the space race. She arranged an overnight visit the next day.

  Juliette caught a ride on an earthbound shuttle, but her fingers were itching to take over the controls. She could have shaved several minutes off their flight time, but she wisely kept silent. A security caravan had been waiting for her at the shuttleport and again Juliette had to keep silent. But she knew that was just the way it had to be. Finally, an hour later, she arrived at her destination, the private Scott estate. Again, security was paramount, an escort leading Juliette onto the estate, but finally Juliette was left alone at the entrance to the beautiful gardens that Nana kept on their estate.

  Juliette knew exactly where Nana was waiting, so she rushed through the gardens to reach her. Before she left to return to space, she would take more time to see what had changed since her last visit and stop to literally smell the roses. But right now she was anxious to get to her destination, the little gazebo that looked out over the water fountain that was a centerpiece in the garden.

  As she neared her destination, Juliette managed to gasp out, “Nana!” She might have been just a little bit out of breath because of her haste, but she didn’t slow down.

  Smiling, Nana rose to look at one of the treasures of her life. “Oh, my baby girl. Look how much you’ve grown.”

  Juliette rushed to give her a hug, clinging tightly for a couple of minutes. “I’m sorry, Nana,” she finally told her. “I’ve been negligent in my duties. I’ve really missed you.”

  Nana held her out at arm’s length so that she could look at her. “Yes, but you’ve been really busy. I’ve been able to see you at times in my visions, so I know just how busy you’ve been. But it’s important that we talk, and I have something to give you.” Pointing toward the gazebo, she told her, “Come, let’s talk a while. There’s much we need to catch up on. In a little bit, we’ll get down to business, but for a little while, let’s just enjoy visiting.”

  So Juliette told her about all the things going on. Her team and her ship pretty much consumed her conversation, but then she remembered Storm. Storm was the name she gave her little Space Cat, a name that she somehow knew was going to fit him well. She knew she could tell her Nana about him.

  Nana just nodded when she told her. Obviously she had seen him in her visions. “Yes, I know he’s a very special cat, and he’s also going to be an important part of your team. You already know this in your heart,” Nana told Juliette, a smile on her face that seemed to have a tiny bit of sadness.

  Looking at her Nana, Juliette realized that she was right. She couldn’t see herself and her team going off without him. She was going to have to think on that one. It wasn’t going to be an easy task, getting past all the obstacles to having him on the team, but looking at her Nana, Juliette realized from the way she said that last, she also knew about her team and what they were planning.

  Juliette really wanted to ask her Nana what she saw, but she knew it didn’t work that way. Only if something important was going to happen, something that a choice between two things might make a big difference, would Nana get involved. Even then she wouldn’t give too much detail, but would usually guide her by talking about the overall problem, letting Juliette find her own answers.

  Smiling, Nana looked at her quietly for a moment. “Yes, my little one, I do know what you’re planning and I believe you’ll succeed, although I can’t see it all. But, it’s not going to be easy, which is one of the reasons you’re here today. I’ll do what I can to help you.

  “But first, there are some things I need to explain to you. You see, I knew your first Grandmother Randolph even before I knew your mother. You know a little about your mother’s gift, a gift that is very strong in her. You know about her seeing you in a vision before you were born. What you don’t know is that your mother’s gift came from her mother, and from her mother’s mother going back for generations, and it’s always passed on to the daughter. It’s my great pleasure to be able to work with the third generation, which is the real reason I invited you here today.

  “Your mother left somethin
g with me a few years ago that she wanted me to be the one to give to you, just like I was the one that gave it to her.” She reached down to the little table in front of her, picking up a finely-crafted wooden box and opening it. Inside was a beautiful necklace with a unique setting of stones.

  Nana smiled at her goddaughter. “This necklace has been passed down within your family for generations, from mother to daughter, and it’s now your turn to wear it.”

  Rising from her seat, Nana placed the necklace around Juliette’s neck. When Nana connected the clasp and let the necklace fall around her neck, Juliette gasped. It was as if she could feel all the generations of her family, from her mother, to her grandmother that she never knew, to many others. It was as if a part of each was inside the necklace and Juliette could feel the power that it contained.

  Her Nana smiled. “Your mother had much the same reaction. Especially since in her memories, it had been just a few weeks since she’d lost her mother. You’ll need to wear the necklace as often as you can. It’ll help you grow in your psychic ability, which I know you have begun to see bits and pieces of things. Like when you found Storm. Something told you how important he was going to be to you.”

  Juliette nodded. “I knew something was special about him. I don’t think I understood what it meant until you said it just a moment ago.”

  “That’s just a tiny part of what you will be able to do. I’ll give you some exercises to do when you leave that’ll help you learn to control it. What we do is not something that can be studied and understood by science. You alone will be the one who must master it and it’ll take time. And of course, we have no control over when or what we see, just how we react to it.

  “But all that is for tonight. Right now, I want to know everything about your spaceship. I’ve seen it in my visions, but something about the race still doesn’t feel right. And by everything, I mean everything. Including that special addition you have that not even your parents understand what it means.”

  Juliette smiled. She’d been wanting to talk to someone about it all. She should’ve done this much sooner. She spent the next hour talking about her ship, her team, and their plans. All that would begin with the upcoming race. She also talked about where she wanted to go someday. She wanted to go to the stars.

  #

  When Gramps Scott arrived, they had a light dinner on the balcony. Juliette got to talk about her ship again, something she never tired of doing. With her Gramps, it was more about the race, the speed-enhancing ability of the pulse drive, and about her strategy. A long, long time ago he had flown fighter jets, so he knew a little about speed and strategy. When she told him about her plans after the race, pilot’s school at the Space Academy, he talked a little about his days in the Air Force Academy. Sipping her tea, Juliette listened intently. It was a different world back then, but a lot of the things he’d faced, she expected they wouldn’t be that much different for her.

  Finally, Nana had to break up their little Academy 101 training, explaining that they had work to do. Gramps looked at their precious little treasure. “I promise I’ll be watching on the VR, and I’ll be cheering you on.” Smiling, he told her, “I know the oddsmakers think you don’t have a chance, but if I were a betting man, my money would be on you.” He laughed. “Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be very Presidential, would it?”

  Rising to leave, he stopped at the door. “Knock ‘em dead,” he told her. He gave her a salute, the one he reserved for special occasions, such as when he gave out medals.

  Smiling, Juliette returned his salute. She had been secretly practicing her salutes as part of the plan for the Academy. Neither of them missed the special little smile her Nana gave them both. Of course, neither had a clue about what she had seen, but they dared not ask. But it left the two of them wondering.

  Adjourning to Nana’s study, they went to work. Juliette already knew the basics of deep centering meditation; that was one of the things her mother had taught her. But she learned how to use it to open her mind, to make herself more receptive to seeing the other world, as her Nana called it. She learned how to share a little bit of herself in a connection to her Nana, something she had always been able to do with her family, but never before with anyone else. It was all very exciting and very enlightening, but also very tiring.

  By the time they finished for the evening, Juliette knew she wouldn’t have any problem sleeping. She did take the time to send a quick VR to Katie, showing her the necklace and telling her she would tell her all about it when she returned home.

  #

  Catherine Scott, former First Lady, but more importantly, Juliette’s Nana, made a VR call to Julie. “Our baby girl is growing up,” she told her. “You were right. It was Space Academy that I saw. There’s more, but that you’ll have to learn from her yourself. You know we agreed that I would never break her confidences when she talks to me.”

  Julie nodded. She was very careful not to pry too much into her daughter’s life. Enough of it was already too open in their sometimes too close-knit family. “I know. I’m just worried about whatever it is we can’t see. Something about the race and even worse when we try to view the future beyond. I sincerely hope that doesn’t mean it’s our old enemies back.”

  Catherine nodded. “We both knew they would eventually come back. Based on the past, it usually comes back for the next generation to deal with.” She laughed, a quiet little laugh. “I suspect they have no idea what they’re getting into with this one. Maybe she’ll finally be the one to put them out of business.”

  Catherine looked intently at her adopted daughter. “That means we have to do our part to get her ready. We both knew this day was coming.”

  Julie nodded. She thought about what that meant. It would obviously include training on the monk island where Julie had trained years ago. At least her daughter should be treated much better than Julie had been on the island. For Julie, many had been opposed to her studying there and had been quite belligerent toward her.

  Julie sighed, remembering back to those years ago. The Master monk on the island had been very kind to her and his assistant Brother John had been very helpful as well. Although Julie was now officially the head of the monk order, she had left the Master in charge, and Brother John was now Master John, second on the island only to the Master.

  “I’ll call the Master in the morning to arrange for her to begin her training right after she finishes the race. He also promised me he would get Weapons Master Hammond to come back to give her personal training.” As far as Julie was concerned, Master Hammond was the best in the world at weapons training, having taught Julie the staff and knife throwing while she was there.

  Which brought her to another thing. “That means I also have a stop to make with a friend in Hong Kong early in the morning your time. If I time it right, I can be done there and back in time for breakfast with the two of you.

  Catherine smiled. “Good. I’m about out of your special Kinza coffee blend. Edward has to leave early to give a speech, so it will just be us girls. Tell your Zeke to come the next time.”

  Julie laughed. “Yeah, I’ll just have to be sure I bring some of your pastries home with me. Otherwise, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

  They talked for a few more minutes, but neither of them really wanted to chat. Both of them had their thoughts lost somewhere else.

  #

  Juliette was quite surprised when her mother flew in to have breakfast with her and Nana the next morning. Of course, she knew she was coming long before her mother landed her corvette on the private airstrip next door. She could sense where her mother was at any point just by thinking of her, so she had sensed her flight as it drew near. She also felt strong emotions in her mother — strong enough that even her mother couldn’t hide them. As always, a strong feeling of love was there. But today it was also tempered with pride and quite a bit of anxiety and anticipation.

  Her curiosity piqued, Juliette rushed to meet her mother at the entrance to the e
state, watching as her mother deftly brought the little ship in for a pinpoint landing, using both anti-grav and the main drive. Moments later, her mother was holding her in her arms.

  “Is everything ok, Mom?” Juliette asked her as she pulled back a moment, the emotions getting to her.

  Her mom nodded, giving her a smile. “It’s nothing like that. It’s just we have some important things to talk about. And I have a gift for you, something I believe you’re going to need someday. But, come, let’s go see your Nana. Breakfast and coffee are waiting. Business will have to wait until we’re done — house rules.”

  Juliette nodded, her curiosity even higher now, but she knew Nana’s breakfast rules and no one, not even Juliette, dared break them. So they enjoyed a pleasant, leisurely breakfast where Juliette ate far too much, but finally they had their coffee cups refilled and moved out into the garden to sit.

  Juliette looked from her mother to her Nana, waiting for one of them to tell her what was going on. Finally, her Nana spoke. “Julie, you should begin. As you know, I gave her the necklace last night and started her on her exercises.”

  Julie nodded. “Juliette, it’s time for me to explain some things to you. I’m afraid you’re going to have a very busy summer before you start the Academy. You know a lot about what happened to your father and me before you were born, how we fought the terrorists and pirates of the Organization and then the Chinese rebels. What you don’t know is that all of that was really part of a bigger conflict. We don’t know their names, but it was all part of what we call a temporal war.

  “Two groups, one of whom we would definitely call evil, have been in battle across time and space. The evil group we know was the force behind the Organization and the rebels, but we found friends who helped us. When we were searching for your grandfather, we came across an obelisk out in space that used technology beyond that which we have even today. It enabled our friends to send us messages to assist.”