Chapter One
“This is the Spirit of Freedom. If you receive this message, please help us. Our fusion core has a rupture and could go critical at any time. We need help.”
I looked at the scanner screen and saw nothing. There were no ships in range. In fact, there wasn’t any movement anywhere. My papa’s distress message was constantly repeating in my ears.
It had been four days since we sent out the first distress call—four days of nothing. No sign of any ships, not even pirates, who usually showed up at the first sign of weakness to take advantage of the situation.
“Magnolia, have you packed your things?” My father’s voice came from the back of the ship’s control room.
Not really a control room or bridge. It was just big enough for two seats and all the controls needed to fly the ship. I had currently curled myself up in one of those seats watching the scanner.
“Yes, Papa, they’re in my room ready to go.”
“Have you packed everything you want? Once we leave, there will be no coming back. Have you packed all the data sticks from the kitchen?”
My eyes flared wide. I’d forgotten about those. I’d still been using them up until this morning so I hadn’t packed them yet. I jumped out of the seat and slipped through the narrow passage between the two chairs. My father’s lean form was standing in the doorway of the control room.
“I’ll go pack those now,” I told him as I rushed forward.
Warm hands landed on my shoulders as I stopped in front of him.
“Someone will hear, Magnolia. Someone will come. You’ll see. The Universe knows we’re here and in need. It will send just the right ship for us.”
I looked up into his grey eyes and nodded, because what could I say? I had serious doubts that the Universe cared about one small ship full of people, but I wasn’t about to voice my doubts to my papa. I’d only end up getting a talking-to about the rights and wrongs of the Universe, and how he and my mamma had always done right. So, the theory went that the Universe would always do right by them.
I didn’t know whom he was trying to convince with his words—himself or me—but I could see the strain on his face, the worry that clouded his usually clear grey eyes. I slipped past him and headed down the open walkway to the stairs that led to what we called the family deck. It was where all the bedrooms and living quarters of the ship were located, and it was where my favourite place on the ship was.
The kitchen had been my domain since I’d turned thirteen and my mamma had bought me my first cooking data stick, filled with old Earth recipes. I’d spent hours poring over that thing, reading every recipe and looking at all the pictures. I knew every recipe off by heart and had cooked most of them at least once. Sometimes I’d had to improvise where ingredients were concerned. Some of the things you just couldn’t get in space. Some things I had no idea what they were.
Rushing down the metal stairs, my shoes loud on their open grated surface, I headed for the kitchen. I’d be devastated if I left my data sticks behind. Bags of belongings sat in the communal lounge area between the two couches, all packed and ready to be transferred to the ship that hopefully would turn up to help us.
I still had to move my bags to the lounge with everyone else’s, but first I needed to collect my sticks, which I did quickly once I reached the tiny kitchen of our ship. Then I headed for my room across the lounge. The door swished open to let me into the cramped space. Barely big enough for a bed and some storage, it had been my space, my refuge for as long as I could remember. After tucking the sticks into one of the bags, I hefted it up on my shoulder and turned to walk out.
The sudden blare of the emergency alarm shocked me so badly I almost dropped my bag. My heart thundered wildly. This was it. This was the moment we had all been dreading—the moment when the fusion core went
“This is the Spirit of Freedom. If you receive this message, please help us. Our fusion core has a rupture and could go critical at any time. We need help.”
I looked at the scanner screen and saw nothing. There were no ships in range. In fact, there wasn’t any movement anywhere. My papa’s distress message was constantly repeating in my ears.
It had been four days since we sent out the first distress call—four days of nothing. No sign of any ships, not even pirates, who usually showed up at the first sign of weakness to take advantage of the situation.
“Magnolia, have you packed your things?” My father’s voice came from the back of the ship’s control room.
Not really a control room or bridge. It was just big enough for two seats and all the controls needed to fly the ship. I had currently curled myself up in one of those seats watching the scanner.
“Yes, Papa, they’re in my room ready to go.”
“Have you packed everything you want? Once we leave, there will be no coming back. Have you packed all the data sticks from the kitchen?”
My eyes flared wide. I’d forgotten about those. I’d still been using them up until this morning so I hadn’t packed them yet. I jumped out of the seat and slipped through the narrow passage between the two chairs. My father’s lean form was standing in the doorway of the control room.
“I’ll go pack those now,” I told him as I rushed forward.
Warm hands landed on my shoulders as I stopped in front of him.
“Someone will hear, Magnolia. Someone will come. You’ll see. The Universe knows we’re here and in need. It will send just the right ship for us.”
I looked up into his grey eyes and nodded, because what could I say? I had serious doubts that the Universe cared about one small ship full of people, but I wasn’t about to voice my doubts to my papa. I’d only end up getting a talking-to about the rights and wrongs of the Universe, and how he and my mamma had always done right. So, the theory went that the Universe would always do right by them.
I didn’t know whom he was trying to convince with his words—himself or me—but I could see the strain on his face, the worry that clouded his usually clear grey eyes. I slipped past him and headed down the open walkway to the stairs that led to what we called the family deck. It was where all the bedrooms and living quarters of the ship were located, and it was where my favourite place on the ship was.
The kitchen had been my domain since I’d turned thirteen and my mamma had bought me my first cooking data stick, filled with old Earth recipes. I’d spent hours poring over that thing, reading every recipe and looking at all the pictures. I knew every recipe off by heart and had cooked most of them at least once. Sometimes I’d had to improvise where ingredients were concerned. Some of the things you just couldn’t get in space. Some things I had no idea what they were.
Rushing down the metal stairs, my shoes loud on their open grated surface, I headed for the kitchen. I’d be devastated if I left my data sticks behind. Bags of belongings sat in the communal lounge area between the two couches, all packed and ready to be transferred to the ship that hopefully would turn up to help us.
I still had to move my bags to the lounge with everyone else’s, but first I needed to collect my sticks, which I did quickly once I reached the tiny kitchen of our ship. Then I headed for my room across the lounge. The door swished open to let me into the cramped space. Barely big enough for a bed and some storage, it had been my space, my refuge for as long as I could remember. After tucking the sticks into one of the bags, I hefted it up on my shoulder and turned to walk out.
The sudden blare of the emergency alarm shocked me so badly I almost dropped my bag. My heart thundered wildly. This was it. This was the moment we had all been dreading—the moment when the fusion core went
Similar Books
