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

Maybe this was the move that would finally change my path in life. It had been an uphill battle since the incident at Sage.

“He realizes your value. He remembers Hawk, the kid with the entire world at his fingertips, and also the one who fended off the raiders. Saved hundreds of lives. Do you even recall being a hero anymore? Trudging supplies from the deep recesses of space to the Belt Station, and on to Earth. Are you still that same man?”

I tried to push that segment of my life from my thought processes. “I don’t know.”

“Well, Bryson Kelley thinks you are.”

I peered up at Barnes, appraising the white-bearded Belt Protector major. “Any idea what he wants?”

“I’m afraid that’s between you two.”

I assumed as much. Barnes was the middleman. But he did have me intrigued, and since I was short of an employer now that Oasis was out of the picture, it was worth investigating. I had to check my contract with Oasis to see what happened in this scenario. There was a chance I had to report to them and give them the opportunity to reassign me before I was cut free.

The bar started filling up as the shift change happened, and soon the smells of dinner were wafting through the room, making my stomach growl. “What do you recommend?”

Barnes smiled, ordering another couple of beers. “The fish is good. It’s from the shores of SeaTech,” he said wryly.

“Fish it is.”

 

 

 

Three

Oasis’ head office was a testament to their power. Even after selling off their Elurnium division, the company had managed to retain a top-five positioning among the Primary Corporations. That was a solid demonstration of their business acumen. At the same time, it put SeaTech only one spot from receiving a Primary designation, with Temeletron plunging another three spots over the last decade to land in tenth.

As little as I tried to pay attention to this sort of thing, it was inevitable to hear about the rankings. The solar system hierarchy was under a constant battle between these businesses.

It turned out Oasis was getting their final delivery, part of their deal with SeaTech, and I’d brought Kol and his people to Earth along with the last load of Elurnium they’d ever see. I hadn’t spoken to the man since our discussion, and didn’t really care how he’d felt about the sale. He wouldn’t be returning to Eris, and judging by the manner in which he’d handled the Veera situation, that was for the best.

Oasis held a spacious piece of land that, in another era, had been known as Arizona, Texas, and northern Mexico. Their headquarters was a sprawling metropolis in the middle of a desert, with twenty skyscrapers accommodating their office teams. The housing complexes were within HoverRail distance, and the entire setup reminded me of an insect’s hive. Everywhere you looked, there were tiny dots moving along the surface and between buildings.

The warehouse district was immense, a few kilometers from my final destination, and that was where I directed Capricious as I landed her, ready to transfer my payload and leave.

“CP, do we have clearance?” I asked.

“Yes, landing pad seventeen.”

“Good.” I lowered toward one of the warehouses, the number seventeen painted in giant red letters on the pavement. I settled the container gently to the ground and released it. My work here was done.

“Message from Head Office. You are requested to meet with your handler immediately.” CP’s drawl felt too realistic, and I reminded myself to change her voice when this was over.

“Fine.” I rubbed my palms across my stubble-covered cheek and huffed a breath. I wasn’t looking forward to meeting with Rog. The man had a terrible temperament and always seemed upset no matter what we discussed.

I recalled the plug-in Oasis had made me load into CP, and quickly worked on it, isolating the details from the unique craft I’d stumbled upon, as well as the ice samples from the trek to Eris. At the moment, I had an inkling that this information shouldn’t be shared with the powerful Corporation. I removed it, using a trick taught to me by an old Sage crewmate, and grinned as I ejected the plug-in with a quick command.

“You still there, CP?”

“Still here. But lighter.” Even the computer appreciated the spyware being removed.

“You and me both. Come on, let’s see what Rog wants.” I flew Capricious to the head office region, parking as far away as I could.

A personal Pod hovered nearby when I stepped from my ship’s ramp and into the hot summer day. I’d forgotten what it was like being outdoors, and felt the sweat beading on my brow. Not quite an Oasis, if you ask me.

“I suppose you’ve come for me?” I asked the Pod, and the door opened. These Pods were only able to accommodate two people, and the second seat was empty as I climbed in. The compact transport unit hummed as it sealed tight and blew cold air in my face as it made for Rog’s office. Advertisements showcasing various Oasis endeavors displayed on the viewscreen, blocking my view of the region, and I ignored them all. A few moments passed, and the unit connected to a hatch on the fortieth floor, releasing me into my handler’s department.

“Lewis, you’re late.” He said this every time, no matter how early I was. Rog was a big man, three hundred pounds, with a round face and a goatee to give it definition. He was sweating, despite the chilled air of his office.

“I heard the news,” I said before he could.

“Yes, Mr. Char thought it was necessary to stop the bleeding. We have a new proprietary complex device being manufactured, and it’s going to revolutionize the communication industry.” Rog was smiling, and the expression looked alien on the grim man.

“Is that so?” I asked quietly. Why was he telling me this?

“Anyway, you don’t have to worry about that.” He turned, sticking out a clear tablet. Words began scrolling across it, and he shoved it at