Star Runners (19 page)

"From here, we monitor all activity on the planet," Nubern said as they paused just past the doorway.

High above the holographic Earth was the dark, starless sky. Austin blinked. Wait a minute. He squinted into the night sky, wondering at the absence of stars. His eyes focused on three, no, four blue shapes moving across the sky. They grew in size and the colors shifted from blue to a soft red and back again.

"Those look like jelly fish," Austin whispered.

The others leaned back to stare into the sky.

Nubern followed their gaze. "Ah, yes, they are. This is Earth Command, also known as Atlantis Command." He slapped Austin on the shoulder. "Come on! We still have a schedule to keep."

Nubern led them through the controlled chaos of the room. Dozens of languages buzzed around him. Most of the staff spoke into headsets, but some conversed in person.

Austin’s face warmed as Skylar squeezed his hand. He squeezed back, trying to show a sense of control and strength he didn't really feel. As they walked under the giant hologram of the Earth, Skylar pulled Austin close.

"Does that mean we're underwater?"

Austin shrugged. "I guess so."

"What does that mean?"

"I have no idea."

"I'm scared."

"It'll be alright." Austin smiled, but wondered if she might be right.

"Sir?" Austin called. "Why did those guys call you captain?"

"That's my rank."

Austin frowned. "So we’re in the military?"

"Keep walking. We'll answer your questions soon enough."

Austin took another look at the strange creatures floating high above them, shook his head, and continued following Nubern who had stepped down a stairway leading to an elevator. Nubern pressed the button and entered when the doors opened, gesturing for them to follow.

As the doors shut on the activity in the room beyond, Austin swallowed and took a deep breath.

"I know you all must have questions and I am sorry to keep you in the dark," Nubern said. "Most of your questions will be answered at your next stop."

The elevator droned.

"Sir, you've got to tell us why there are jellyfish floating above a giant hologram of Earth."

"They aren't floating. They're swimming."

The three students exchanged glances.

"What?" Bear asked.

Nubern turned. "They. Are. Swimming." He studied them. "What's wrong with all of you? The depth must be getting to you. You are the best and brightest. Figure it out."

He turned around as the elevator doors slid open.

If the previous room with the hologram was pristine, this room was the exact opposite. With a ceiling several stories high and rafters linking steel catwalks in a dozen directions mixed with the chaos below, this area looked like the world's messiest garage. Men yelled at one another over machinery so loud it hurt Austin's ears. He recoiled from the barrage of sound as they stepped out of the elevator. Sparks from wielding torches fell down like fireflies on a summer evening. As they walked through the mess, puddles of oil and other fluids stuck to the soles of their boots. Nubern, unable to speak loud enough to overcome the racket, pointed at tools and collections of liquids they should avoid as he led them from the open floor to a narrower path like an alley in a big city.

As he tried to avoid crashing into a pile of circuit boards and monitors, Austin noticed the mechanical taste of the air. A shower of sparks fell around them in the dimly lit path. They all looked up. Austin paused, causing Bear and Skylar to run into his back. Because it was the size of a building, Austin hadn't noticed before, but there were ships flanking their path. He kept walking without looking away. The ships were the largest he had ever seen. He glanced back at Skylar, who seemed to be studying this new revelation.

When they passed the front of the first ship, another was tucked in next to it like they were strolling along a city block between a construction site full of towering skyscrapers. There must be hundreds of men working down here. They passed eleven ships before the area opened to provide more space. Nubern kept marching through the scene as if nothing could touch him. The farther they walked, the more the noise died down.

"Austin! Did you see that?"

"Yeah, what a mess."

"No." She pulled on the shoulder of his uniform and pointed him backward. "Did you see
that?"

Austin stared at the collage of steel, sparks and activity carrying on behind them. He shrugged, but continued looking when Skylar nodded toward the ships. For the first time, he saw the ships from a distance. Tall as a building and as long as a city block, the end of the closest ship came together in a point like an oversized marker. They looked familiar, a little like …

He shot a glance at Skylar. She nodded. He turned back.

"A Legion freighter."

Skylar smacked him on the back. "All of them are."

Bear caught up to them, his eyes wide like a child seeing presents on Christmas morning. "Did you guys see that?"

"Legion freighters," Austin said softly. He had defended the Legion freighters during a thousand escort missions before on
Star Runners
, but that was a video game. "But ... how?"

"Dunno, man." He leaned in close and looked over his shoulder. "Do you think we're on drugs?"

"You might be," Austin said as he craned his neck to look past Bear's large frame and gain a better view of the freighters. "I know I'm not and I still don't believe it."

Austin squinted. The crews were definitely working on Legion freighters.

"Something has to explain all this," he breathed. He felt his pulse quicken. "It's got to be some kind of dream, right?"

Skylar smiled. "I don't know."

"Quit gawking. Let's go!" Nubern yelled.

Skylar and Bear moved on, but Austin lingered. Pockmarks and burns scarred the two visible freighters at the end of a long line of the spacecraft. No wonder they were being repaired, but that still didn't answer the main question of why they were here.

"Stone! Move it!"

Austin shook and ripped his attention away from the surreal scene. He hurried to catch up with the group.

"Sorry, sir!"

"Don't let it happen again."

"I won't, sir. It's just, ah, you have Legion freighters."

Nubern glared at him. "The Legion owns and operates many freighters, son. What of it?"

"But that's part of the game!"

"What game?"

"
Star Runners
."

Nubern started walking away. "That was never a game."

They hurried to keep up with Nubern's quickened pace. He led them through an area much cleaner than before. Again freighters spotted the room with more space between them. Crews inspected the craft, making notes on their tablets.

"Sir, what do you mean it was never a game?" Austin asked, trying to keep pace with Nubern without tripping over equipment.

"I mean it was a sim, a simulation, practice runs. Get it? Now, here we go." He paused in front of a freighter with the side landing ramp lowered. Two crew members clad in dark blue uniforms identical to the Tizona colors stood on opposite sides of the ramp. "They held this ship for us. Get aboard."

Austin shook his head. "Wait."

"Move it, recruit!"

They moved forward together. The two crew members nodded and greeted them. The ramp rattled as they walked. The top of the freighter towered several hundred feet above. Austin glanced up before focusing on the ramp. He took a slow, deep breath. He had never even been on a plane before. Now, for some unknown reason, he was boarding a Legion star freighter.

"This is insane," he muttered under his breath as he brought up the rear of their group.

"We're on drugs," Bear whispered back. "That's it. That's the only explanation."

"Quiet!" Skylar snapped. "You'll get us all in trouble."

Nubern stepped inside and held his arm over the door. When they moved inside the small room with shiny walls, he removed his arm and the door slid shut. The room vibrated and seemed to be traveling much faster than an elevator.

"When we reach the top, find the four open seats on your right as quickly as possible," Nubern said. "They're waiting for us before liftoff."

Austin heart raced.
Liftoff? This can't be real.

The elevator slowed and came to a stop. They reached for the walls for balance. The door opened. Seats full of passengers filled the cabin. The front passengers stared at them with contempt, some shaking their heads. One man in the second row checked his watch while another sighed. One isle split the middle of the cabin with four seats on either side. Austin couldn't see where the seats ended in the dim lighting. Nubern moved to the four seats and allowed the students to sit first.

"Come on, sit, sit." Nubern hurried them along.

Skylar took the window seat, and Austin collapsed into the seat next to her. Bear sat next to Austin and Nubern took the isle seat, releasing a loud breath as he did so.

"This is like a gigantic plane," Bear said. "You believe this is happening?"

Shaking his head, Austin yanked the shoulder harness over his torso and it crossed across his lap.

"We apologize for the delay citizens and personnel," a voice crackled through the speakers at the top of the cabin. "This flight will depart shortly for Tarton's Junction. Our total flight time will be eight hours. Sit back and enjoy the flight."

“Tarton’s Junction?” Skylar asked. “From the game?”

Austin shrugged and leaned back in his seat, his stomach rolling like a washing machine. He glanced over Skylar's shoulder and saw nothing out the window but the gray wall. He gripped the armrests tight enough to turn his knuckles white.

The lights dimmed as the sound of engines increased. The wall outside the window started to move.

"Is Atlantis at the bottom of the ocean?" Bear asked.

"It is actually," Nubern said, flipping through digital pages on his tablet. "Approximately 1,200 miles off the coast of California."

Skylar leaned over Austin, a strand of her blond hair breaking loose from the bun and touching his arm. "If that's true, how is this thing going to fly us out of here?"

"Simple energy shielding."

"What about radar?"

"Shrouded. The freighter will be invisible to the planet's sensors."

"If we're on a Legion freighter," she said, "those things get shot out of the sky all the time by Tyral Pirates. I've read the expansion's graphic novel. Dax Rodon and the pirates are always destroying these freighters."

Nubern smiled. "This star system has the safest space lanes in all of Legion space. Relax."

Skylar frowned at Austin. "You alright? You’re green."

"Sure." He swallowed hard and tasted acid in the back of his throat.

"Think you can tell us what's going on now, sir?" he asked, looking at Nubern without turning his head.

"Certainly." He leaned forward. "You have been recruited into the navy of the Galactic Legion of Planets via a recruitment school. Tizona is one of fifty-four schools located on your planet for the purposes of recruitment."

"Wait a minute," Austin said, holding up his head. "You said, 'your planet.' Are you not from Earth?"

He flashed a grin. "No. I'm from Tania. I was trained in speaking your language and in all of the customs of your continent. Before that, I was a Star Runner like you are training to become."

"Good Lord." Austin closed his eyes. "This is crazy."

The ship rocked. Austin tightened his grip on the arm rests. The speakers above crackled to life. "We are now cleared for departure. Please be sure all safety restraints are securely fastened. Enjoy the flight."

Red lights flashed outside the window. Skylar pressed against the glass and blocked most of the view. Plumes of water shot down from above like a waterfall.

"What's that?" Austin asked.

"Ocean water," Nubern answered as he popped a fresh piece of chewing gum into his mouth. "This ship's in the airlock. We'll soon be heading to the surface if it's clear, and then we'll leave atmo and head into orbit on our way to your moon."

Skylar turned away from the window. "What's on the moon?"

"Rocks."

"Then why are we going there?"

"Not stopping there. On the far side of the moon, we open a curve and leave this system."

"A curve?" Austin blurted out. "You mean like the game?"

"Exactly. The massive energy field created by a curve in space could possibly be detected by Earth. This is much safer."

Water filled up outside the window. The walls beyond came to life and started moving out of view. The freighter rocked and tilted back at an incline. Engines rumbled to life and the lights dimmed until only the soft red glow of emergency lights filled the cabin.

"Won't this, like, kill us?" Bear asked.