Space Race (Space Race 1) by Nathan Hystad (book recommendations for young adults .TXT) 📕

in the lead, not at the edge of the pack.” I turned my attention to our CEO. “Bryson, where are you going to be during the Race?” I realized he’d never told us.

“I’ll watch at home, but I should be in contact. I’ve also ensured that Pilgrim has the live Race feeds integrated into the network so you can keep tabs on the progress. This is unprecedented. The Board is using their own feeds, and claim to be impartial, but each of the other Corporations will be featuring their individual coverage as well.”

“Except SeaTech.” He’d never told us why, but I hoped my comment would stir a response.

“That’s right. Except us.”

“Why is that?” Luther asked, saving me the trouble.

“As I’ve said, there’s a lot at stake here. My father never believed in sharing newsfeeds outside our own islands. And it’s something I agreed with him on.”

“Will you be there at the end?” Holland stared at his father with desperation.

“Of course, son. I’m sorry you had to see that tonight, but it’s clear the Board and Primaries aren’t pleased to have Hawk Lewis in the Race, or the newest Primary. I haven’t earned their respect yet, but with your help, we’ll make history. You all have my faith. Work as a team and do not give up, no matter the situation. I will be rooting for you, as will the entirety of SeaTech.”

Bryson left us there, contemplating his speech. It was late, with the Race beginning in ten hours.

“I’ve always hated politics,” Luther said. “Bunch of stuck-up suits deciding things they don’t understand. They proved it again tonight, and still ended up winning.”

“But we’re still in the Race,” Holland said.

“At what cost? Your dad just handed over a gold mine,” Jade told him.

“That won’t matter. Not when we win.” Holland had managed to retain his optimism.

“I’m with you. Let’s focus on the task at hand. Space Race.” I yawned, and it was contagious.

“Is anyone else ready for bed?” Luther asked.

“I am.” Jade was the first up, and we all departed, heading to our own bedrooms.

There was a lot at stake for us, not to mention for SeaTech, but at least we were about to finally begin. Two months had sped by, and tomorrow was the start of the Race.

 

 

 

Fourteen

“Would you turn that off, Holland?” I called from the central cockpit seat. He’d been watching endless feeds of the Race coverage leading up to the opening, and it was making me see double. The constant speculation of who would win the final prize was grating on my nerves. It was always Sage Industries versus Luna Corp at the forefront of the discussions, with Lotus occasionally being thrown into the ring for drama. No one thought any of the bottom five could possibly win, and the entry of SeaTech was almost laughable to the commentators.

“They were talking about us,” Holland said.

“Fine. Then it’s going off. Or at least mute it,” I ordered.

We were ten thousand kilometers from the Moon, each of the ten Racers lined up at a starting point. I wondered if Varn Wallish or Luna’s Lina Nebu was as nervous as I was. I’d learned about Lotus’ Chen Wei over the endless coverage, and I doubted that man even had an emotion in his body. He was the definition of concentration and practice, from what the feeds showed me.

Jade seemed the calmest, leaning over R11’s seat, discussing some plug-in mod she wanted to test. I hoped whatever it was didn’t affect our takeoff.

“Here it is!” Holland said, and I connected the middle dash screen to his shared feed.

It was from the Board’s channel, and I saw the name SeaTech appear in the top right corner of the broadcast. “And lastly, Baru, we have the tenth-place SeaTech team, who inexplicably used the number eleven on their Racer. Some consider this to be a slight in the eyes of the Primary Corporations. Others say it’s Bryson Kelley’s lucky number, but no one can be sure. He’s refused to comment about his odds or the ship’s number, but that’s not uncommon for the unconventional reclusive CEO. What’s your take on their chances, Yon?”

Yon sat beside his co-host and stared at the camera drone blankly for a second. “Chances? To do what? Be the first eliminated? Then I’d say their chances are actually great. They’re green, Baru. No experience. They’ve been together for two months, and he’s using discarded workers from the top Corporations as his crew. What was he thinking? Arlo ‘Hawk’ Lewis? The man has a checkered history.”

“You do know that Hawk Lewis was one of the premiere Pod sprinters of his era, don’t you?” Baru asked.

“Of course I know that.” Footage played behind them, and I recognized the race. It was from my last event. They showed me speeding through the final checkpoint in first place, my Pod painted light gray, the number forty-nine on the doors. “But that was years ago. He’s been hauling for Oasis, doing menial jobs since the incident…”

“You seem to be forgetting how many people he saved from that rogue attack five years ago. If it wasn’t for Lewis, hundreds would have been killed,” Baru said.

Ice flowed through my veins as I watched them discussing the most pivotal moment of my life.

“Frank Under of Sage Industries wanted to compensate him. And what did the most powerful CEO receive? A punch in the face! This Hawk Lewis is out of control. Bryson better watch his back,” Yon claimed.

I flipped it off, and Holland finally muted his feed. “Sorry, Arlo.”

“Don’t sweat it. Those guys have no idea what they’re talking about,” I said, but they had most of it right.

I glanced out my 180-degree viewer and saw HyperMines beside me. No one was to my left, since I was in the last-placed team. We had the disadvantage by a few kilometers, with Sage Industries at the lead, but I didn’t care. In the grand scheme of things, the distance meant nothing.

“Captain, we’re getting something,” Luther