The Starfire Wars: The Complete Series

by Jenetta Penner

  “You think the disappearing-guy was one of these Alku?” she asks.

  Max remains silent, brows knitted together.

  “That’s the only explanation. It’s the reason you could see him with the help of the Starfire.”

  “So, basically, Hammond is planning to mine all the Starfire and send the ore to Earth?” Max finally asks. “Even though she knows doing so could collapse the Alku side of the Intersection?”

  I nod, relieved he’s still engaged. “They could all die,” I choke out, “and she’s not allowing them to cross over to this side.”

  “Then we need to help them,” Max says with a sad smile my way. “I want to heal the Earth too. But it’s wrong to take from the Alku to do it. There must be a better way.”

  Irene lifts a grim smile as well. “I’m in too. What do we need to do next?”

  Chapter 18

  Ishoot off my pillow as rustling sounds drift up from below. I peer over the side of my bunk and see Irene packing up her bag for work.

  “I was about to wake you. I wasn’t sure if you’d set an alarm.”

  I rub my eyes. “Letting Max stay here until 3:00 a.m. was a bad idea.”

  “Especially when you need to be sharp for your first day on the job.” She lifts an eyebrow. “Okay . . . so my friend is meeting me before work to give me the equipment needed to access the data on your dad’s drive. As soon as I find something, I’ll let you know.”

  I throw my legs over the side of the bed and reach for the ladder to climb down. “Sounds good,” I say as my feet hit the floor. “Hopefully, there’s data we can use on it.”

  Irene throws her bag over her shoulder. “So, how do you get in contact with this guy Javen to find out if he told his people about Hammond’s plan?”

  “That’s the thing. I don’t really understand how the Starfire works. I tried calling for him last night, but nothing happened. I’ll just need to wait for him to come to me.” My stomach churns. I need to know who that man was, the one who looked like Javen.

  She sighs. “Well, for now, we need to gather as much information as possible.”

  “Hopefully I can go through my dad’s terraforming simulations today.”

  Irene opens her arms to me and pulls me into a hug. “We can do this. We’re going to figure out where your dad is and stop Hammond from destroying the Alku.”

  I nod, trying to stay strong, but in truth, I wonder how in the world we’re going to pull this off. She releases me and then exits the room.

  I check the time and realize there’s not enough for a shower. So instead, I pull on a pair of black pants and an aqua shirt from my drawer and fashion my hair into a low ponytail. I slip on a pair of comfortable boots for walking.

  My Connect buzzes with a message from Max.

  Don’t be late. I’ll see you there.

  I’m leaving in a few minutes.

  On the way out the door, I grab my bag from beside my bed and a peach from the fruit bowl, which I finish on my walk to the Capitol building. Once there, I pause on the street, gaze up at the building and say under my breath, “You can do this, Cassi.”

  I enter through the glass door at the front and check in at the ID station. Then, with a group of employees, I ride the elevator to the twentieth floor, the same location as Hirata’s office. The door to the elevator opens, and I’m met by Luca, standing about ten feet away.

  He turns to me and smiles. The expression sends a shiver down my spine since I still don’t know if he was involved with the explosion on the ship or not. But I force a smile of my own.

  “I saw you checked in at the ID station below, so I decided to meet you.” Luca walks toward me as I step from the elevator’s cab.

  You mean Hammond told you to meet me here.

  “I’m sorry you weren’t feeling well last night. Did you go home?” He gestures me forward, down a hall to the right.

  I grit my teeth. “Yes. I think with my job starting today, I was too nervous for any social interaction.”

  “I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable in any way.”

  I nod, but his apology doesn’t make me feel any better about him.

  “Here’s your office.” Luca stops and opens a door marked “2015” to reveal a small room boasting a view of the city, complete with a desk and a touchscreen computer. “All the programs your father used are loaded for you to begin,” he says as we step inside.

  “And his older simulations? I’ll need the files to study what worked and what didn’t.”

  “If necessary for the project, those should be loaded as well.” Luca stuffs his hands in his pockets and looks at the floor. “All your instructions for the current project should be on there too.”

  “Will Hammond be stopping by?”

  He shakes his head. “Probably not today. She’s out on location.”

  My eyes flit to him. “Location?”

  “The mining site.”

  My stomach drops at his words, but there’s nothing I can say at this point. “Well, maybe tomorrow.”

  “Yes.” Luca presses his lips together and then lets out a sigh. “If you need me, send a message through the company system. I’ll get it right away.” With that he departs, sparing me a quick glance over his shoulder as he disappears through the door.

  As I round the back of my desk, I look out over Primaro. The city is beautiful and, in my opinion, expertly integrated with the landscape of Arcadia. It’s what Dad wanted. He’d hoped to build a new civilization that would be in harmony with the planet. Earth had destroyed itself, and he didn’t want to repeat history. Unlike Hammond, who is planning to destroy the planet in a whole new way.

  I bring my attention to the room I’m in and sit in the chair behind my desk. With a tap, I activate the screen and launch the terraforming program. It’s the same one I’ve been training on for the last couple of years.

  I open the current project, and a 3-D map of Arcadia’s topography for the area around Primaro opens. On the left side of the map, about one hundred miles from the city boundary line, is an area marked “Mining Location #1.” My eyes flit around, hunting, searching. Is there only one location? Zooming out, I purse my lips together in concentration—only one site that I can see.

  I hide the window and access the older files, including Dad’s simulations. I want to see his failed scenarios and at what point he moved the city farther away from the Starfire fields, like Javen said he had.

  But as I scroll back, there are no sims from before the time he must have visited Arcadia with Mom. I slam my fist on the desk in a burst of frustration. Hammond isn’t a fool. Why would she want me to have that information? If I did, I might start digging and find out too much.

  A rap echoes on my door and I jump. “Um, come in?”

  The door opens, and Max’s face pops through the opening. “I see you made it.”

  “Yeah, I’m having a great time,” I say while rolling my eyes.

  “Well, hopefully, I can improve your mood. Hirata and Cooper are in a meeting and have a few things to discuss with you.”

  “What about Luca? He was just here.”

  Max shakes his head. “Luca is in Hammond’s office downstairs. Come on.”

  I tap off the screen and rise, and Max escorts me to Hirata’s office again.

  “I’m not staying. But I’ll wait outside,” Max says.

  “Okay,” I say as he opens the door. Lia Hirata and Lawrence Cooper wait inside, studying a hologram of the planet. Cooper looks up at me and stands. A tense smile crosses his dark lips and he reaches out a hand, gesturing to a seat beside him.

  It’s been a while since I’ve seen Lawrence Cooper. But he worked with my dad, so we’ve crossed paths before. His short black hair has more light specks of gray mixed in it than I recall from a few months ago.

  “Hello, Cassiopeia,” Cooper says as Max closes the door behind me.

  I politely smile at him and sit when he does. “You have questions?” I figure we might as well ski
p to the important stuff.

  “We have an update on your father,” Hirata says as she taps off the hologram.

  “I didn’t feel right to keep information from you anymore,” Cooper says. “Richard is a good man, and I know what you are going through would cause him great pain.”

  “So . . .” I whip my attention between the two of them. “So, he’s alive?”

  Hirata sighs. “That’s not what I said.”

  “Then what are you saying?” I ask.

  “We are working to find out more,” Cooper says. “But it’s difficult.”

  I narrow my eyes. “You mean you think I’m too young to understand.”

  “Cassi,” Hirata says and leans her elbows on the desk. “Please trust we are doing everything we can.”

  “Richard was my friend,” Cooper says. “I want to do whatever I can to help his family.”

  I stare at them in silence. “This is about the Alku, isn’t it?” If they deny my question then I won’t push.

  Nearly in unison, both Hirata and Cooper lean back into their seats and look at each other. If the situation weren’t so dangerous, the scene would almost be comical. They definitely know.

  “I’m aware of them,” I say.

  “How?” Cooper is the first to speak. “I know it wasn’t Richard. He was sworn to secrecy.”

  “It doesn’t matter how. But Max does too. And we both know about the Starfire and Earth.” Tears sting at the corners of my eyes while the weight of the information bears down on me. “And that my dad’s disappearance involves the Alku. I think the Alku saved him from the explosion—or at least tried to.”

  “You may be right, and we are trying to get more information. We didn’t want to give you false hope,” Cooper says.

  “But you’re not doing anything about the Starfire?”

  Hirata sighs. “You are so young. You have no idea what it’s like to go up against Hammond and the World Senate. If we push too far too fast, they’ll simply find a way to remove us from the Board. Then there will be no one with differing views.”

  “Do you think the Senate was attempting to remove my father from the Board?” My mind shifts to the security feed and how Luca may have planted something in the bay.

  “We don’t have the answer to that question yet,” Hirata says. “There’s still a possibility the explosion was terrorist activity and Richard Foster simply got caught in the middle of it. Not everyone on Earth wanted us to settle Arcadia.”

  A chime resonates from Hirata’s touchscreen.

  “We need to wrap up the meeting.” She looks to me. “I’ll let you know as soon as any information I can share comes in. Promise.”

  Hirata stands, and Cooper follows her lead.

  “Thanks for your time.” I stand and turn for the door.

  “I’m sorry we can’t do more,” Cooper says.

  I lean toward him, lower my voice, and say, “There might come a time when you can. So, I’m going to hold you to your desire to do more.” I don’t wait for a response and exit the room.

  Outside Max waits as he said he would, and I wave my hand for him to follow. Just as we start to walk, Alina rounds the corner, holding a package in her hands. A smile spreads over her lips when she sees us.

  “Hey, you two,” she says, her voice chipper. Way too chipper for my mood right now.

  I paste on a smile. “Are you working here now?”

  The three of us meet near the hall’s opening. “Yes, I got the job I interviewed for.” Alina glances at Max and gives him a grin.

  “Good for you,” Max says, his lips mashing together after he says it.

  “It’s not much, but it’s a start. I was right. I’m basically a deliverer of coffee. But I know I’ll get promoted when they see how dedicated I am. I just need to figure out a way to prove it.”

  In the office foyer, the elevator chimes and the doors slide away. Luca steps out.

  Max touches my arm. “You should return to work, Cassi. I have to go too.”

  Alina turns in the direction we’re looking and then to us. She squints in thought and then in confusion.

  “I’ll see you both later,” Max says and walks back toward Hirata’s office.

  “Bye,” I say and then swing my attention to Luca, whose back is to us. He’s speaking to a person I don’t know. Here’s my chance to go to my office without him seeing me.

  “Good luck with your job,” I say to Alina and walk in the direction of my office. But she sticks to my side, apparently not taking the hint.

  She leans into my ear and whispers, “Why are you trying to get away from Luca Powell?”

  “Um, I’m not,” I lie. “I need to work.”

  Alina continues to follow me to my door. I open it and look to her. “I’ll see you later.”

  She lifts her hand to wave and realizes she still has a package in her hand. “Oh . . . this is for you. It’s a rush delivery. Just came in.”

  “For me?”

  “Yeah . . . apparently I deliver packages and coffee.” She hands the parcel to me.

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem.” Alina turns and finally leaves.

  I enter my office, shut the door, and then glance down at the box. There’s no sender listed on the label, only where the package was sent from.

  Extra Solar.

  It must be Irene's.

  Chapter 19

  Itouch the Starfire around my neck. “Where are you, Javen?” I mutter as I hold the thumb drive and a small, portable data viewer that Irene had sent over. I re-read the note tucked inside.

  This might be the info we need. Check it out.

  A part of me is dying to see the data, but the other part is terrified. It may not be what we need. And if the evidence is there, what if the Board won’t listen?

  I need air, so I throw the data viewer into my bag and exit my office. Outside, Luca is gone and there’s no sign of Alina. Without anyone noticing me, I make it downstairs and swing around to the rear of the building to a bench. I inhale deeply as I check to make sure no one is around before I gather the data viewer from Irene in my bag. I plug in the thumb drive, and the files appear on the screen.

  They’re mostly videos.

  I take another deep breath and tap the first one, marked around the date my parents were supposedly in Europe. My breath catches as I see Mom and Dad. Mom is smiling, and Dad wraps his arm around her waist and just stares at her.

  She laughs and smacks him on the arm. “Make the video, Rich.”

  “I’m too busy looking at you,” he says.

  My eyes sting as tears form and my lips tremble while I touch her cheek on the screen. “Hi, Mom,” I whisper, my voice shaky.

  Mom chuckles and points to the camera. “The video.”

  “Fine.” Dad steps aside to reveal an amazing scene. A vast hillside covered in a light cyan mist.

  “These are the Starfire fields of Arcadia. We’re not entirely sure what they do yet, but we are working on it. It’s the reason we came here.”

  So, my parents did come to Arcadia.

  The mist above the ground sparkles as it pirouettes and bends in the air. I touch the screen. My parents are so close to me.

  The video stops and I choose one farther down the list.

  This time Dad’s in his office. The one in our home on Earth. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, then looks at the camera.

  “Hammond and the World Senate won’t listen anymore. They’re just avoiding any facts about how the Alku exist on Arcadia . . . or Paxon, as the Alku call their side of the Intersection. I guess when you discover people are occupying the same space on a different plane of existence, it’s easy to write it all off as impossible. After one visit, Hammond won’t even cross the Intersection to meet with their Council. On the other hand, Isabel and I have practiced with the Starfire crystals given to us by Vihann, the leader of the Alku. It has allowed us to bridge a mind connection to him while also allowing us to communicate in a way I didn’t u
nderstand at first. It’s as if we are in a dream that spans the universe.”

  Memories of my dreams of Javen, after he rescued me from the bay, bubble to the surface. Was this the kind of experience Dad was talking about?

  “These are incredible people who’ve lived their lives so differently than the people on Earth. They have everything they need through the Starfire and live in complete harmony with their world. There’s so little discord among the people. But our coming to Arcadia might threaten this. So, I’ve started work on a plan that I’m calling ‘Renewal.’ The first step was convincing the Board to move the city away from the field, and with coaxing, they’ve allowed me. And after I explained how the Earth is in such terrible shape, the Alku Council helped form a solution. We can mine the older Starfire crystals; the Alku call them seeds. Their Council already agrees those may be harvested and taken to Earth. These can essentially be planted to start a renewal of the planet. It’ll take time and a lot of hard work, but the Earth will eventually improve. Our people can live in symbiosis.” Dad leans into his seat and rubs his face. “But the World Senate is too impatient. There’s talk that the Earth’s time is short, but I’ll know whether we can begin Renewal once the repopulation ships arrive. But I’m afraid the temptation to make money off the crystals is too strong. At this point, the Alku don’t have a means to protect the fields. I must make the Board listen.” His lips form a tight line, his eyes sadden, and then the video goes black.

  Attached to the video is a map of future cities, with areas blocked off for just the Alku and separate areas for Earth colonization. He outlines ways new buildings can be erected to not harm the Starfire fields on our side of the Intersection.

  So, Javen’s people have already made a compromise that will help Earth. And Dad said his plan would work. Why isn’t the Board doing this? Why aren’t Hirata and Cooper fighting harder for a solution where everyone can win?

  I tap the last video on the list, and my stomach turns when I see the date. It’s around noon on the day of the Gala. The same day Hammond caught Dad in the meeting I overheard.