Shadows of Mars (Broken Stars Book 1) by I.O. Adler (best inspirational books .TXT) 📕

drink. She coughed a few times as she slurped down several mouthfuls. Once finished, Carmen placed her back on the couch, where she sagged.

She Who Waits flashed the diamond pattern. Bands of yellow appeared, and then deep brown.

“Okay, we did our part,” Barrett said. “The ship is no longer in our control. Do we talk to the Cordice or do you?”

The red light before She Who Waits twinkled. “I will continue to perform my requested function as mediator. I am attempting to contact them.” The alien remained silent for some time. The sands displayed momentary sparkles within the stirring dust. “The Cordice caretaker isn’t answering.”

“Is there someone else you can call?”

“The caretaker is the only Cordice not preserved in their simulation and should answer transmissions directed to their home ship. I am attempting to connect to the communication nodes to speak with their council leaders within their mainframe but am currently unable. It is time for you to bring the ship to them.”

Carmen felt like she had missed something. “Wait, we relinquished control. Don’t they just recall it?”

“The ship requires a remote pilot to initiate a programmed course. Designate Sylvia Vincent blocked any such attempts when she took the vessel. You and your sister also hold the encryption key based on your bioform signature. This must be relinquished to them. But without their remote presence this isn’t possible.”

“Then you take us there.”

“I cannot. This is a dispute between your people and the Cordice. I negotiated and relayed their needs to you. I can assist with implementing your decision and advise in understanding the interface of the ship.”

“I’m not plugging into this thing again,” Jenna said.

Carmen put a hand on her sister. “No one is asking you to.”

Barrett moved to where his couch used to be. “I’ll do it. How does this work?” He sat as if expecting the couch to reappear and tumbled onto the floor.

She Who Waits flashed a swirl of yellow. “Designate Jennacarmen daughter of Sylvia Vincent is the only person here authorized by the ship’s reconfigured encryption.”

“That’s what Mom called us,” Carmen said. “So the ship will only listen to us. We either wait for them to answer or go deliver it.”

“Stated accurately. They are not responding but I will continue my attempts. My recommendation is to return the ship and establish direct communication, bypassing whatever technical issues the Cordice are experiencing. They resume command of this vessel. You become reunited with your mother.”

Barrett had gotten back up. “Give the ship to me. Let me have the controls. How do they do that?”

“It will require designates Sylvia Vincent’s daughters to familiarize themselves with the encryption software.”

“You can help them do that.”

“It is not my function.”

Jenna gripped Carmen’s arm. “How long will this take? I’ve lost track of time. I need to get back to Zach and Landon. It’s been hours since we left.”

Carmen suspected it was more than just a few hours. Their journey had been a blur. But the lack of food and real sleep weighed on her. It felt as if she had been running on empty for at least a couple of days.

“Jenna’s right. We can’t waste more time figuring this out when it should be straightforward for Jenna and me to bring this thing to the Cordice. And isn’t Peter’s mom picking the boys up from school? They’ll be fine. She’ll worry, probably call the cops, but it’ll be okay.”

Jenna appeared anything but consoled. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Barrett’s jaw was clenched tight. “Fine. Let’s do this. Carmen, you need to plug in. But our crash chairs have vanished.”

Carmen moved to the spot where her couch used to be. Even as she got close the couch appeared, rising from the floor to meet her. She sat and ran her hands along the smooth contours. Her mom and Jenna had both figured out how to make the ship work. But judging from their experience, it didn’t come without a price. And whatever had happened to Peter still remained a mystery.

Barrett kneeled next to her. “All you need to do is connect. Then take a minute and figure out how to hand over authority of the ship to me. Let me take it from there. You and your sister have done enough. I’ll get us to the Cordice. We’ll retrieve your mom and make it home. Understood?”

She was already lying back and getting comfortable. He kept talking. But she closed her eyes. And even as she began to wonder what she needed to do to connect to the ship, she felt herself slip away.

Chapter Eighteen

Carmen had never been much of a video game player.

Before the Big Wipe, her then-boyfriend had gotten her to play on his VR set, where the displayed graphics on his favorite shoot-’em-up dominated her field of vision and the surround sound was loud enough to hurt even her ears.

An array of light expanded before her. There was an instant tactile element as she considered each section of the growing display before her. She could touch them. She could move them. Each was part of the controls that could help navigate their spaceship towards Mom and Mars or send them off into the void. The lights hung as ornaments on a Christmas tree, drawing closer when she focused her attention on one, and receding when she looked at another.

If Jenna can figure this out…

She felt an immediate burn of guilt at the thought. Her younger sister was always the better student, even though she had given up her budding career as a hospital admin when she got married and had her kids. But Jenna was, as their father put it, more heart than smart.

Telling Jenna that to her face hadn’t been the best move on their dad’s part.

Orienting herself was easy enough. With a thought she “saw” their original