Beyond the Stars (15 page)

“Great. I just got an A on my research paper.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful, honey. I’m so proud of you.”

For a minute, I forgot why I was calling. I wanted to tread carefully and give him a chance to spill his news. “Now all you need to do is find a job.”

“Yeah—it’s funny you mention that, Mom,” he said with hesitation. “I just found out that I landed my dream job.”

“Really,
doing what?
” I bit my lip.

“What makes you say it like that?
Doing what?
”

“Where are you planning on working, Jackson? It’s a simple question.”

“
Mom
, have
y
ou been checking up on me?”

“Maybe.”

“You already know,
don’t you?
” he yelled at me. “How come you know everything?” he hissed.

“Of course I know, Jackson. I’m your mother; it’s my job. Besides, I work here, after all.”

“Yeah, but that place is like a fortress on high alert. You’re all bound to maintain strict confidentiality. You and Dad never talked about work at home.”

“There are ways,” I admitted impulsively.

“It’s a great job. I will be working with some of the best engineers in the world on the Space resort. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” he pleaded.

“Why? Why do you have to go into Space? There are so many jobs right here on Earth. Can’t you please consider one of those?”

“No, Mom! It’s my dream to work on the station. I want to go. I’m not afraid. Dad wouldn’t stop me. He’d want me to live my life—to go after what I want. He’d be right up there with me if he was still here. I’m sure of it.”

“You sound just like him!” I shouted angrily.

“I am
just
like him!” he shouted back.

“Please, Jackson, don’t get yourself killed.”

“I’m not planning on it, Mom. It’s perfectly safe.”

“Okay, fine,” I muttered. He was over eighteen.

Legally, I knew I had no say. “When do you leave?”

I conceded.

“In two months, right after graduation.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Because, then you’d just have more time to worry about it. I didn’t want to stress you out.”

“I see.”

“Mom, I’ll see you at graduation. I love you.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then. I love you, too.” I reluctantly hung up the phone and tried to finish up my work day. It was hard to concentrate. I’d already lost both of my parents and Jack. I would never survive if anything ever happened to
him
.

CHAPTER 12

NEVER SAY NEVER

I was fretting all night after talking to Jackson on the phone. Why was he so bullheaded? Why did he have to be so stubborn, just like his father? He was a carbon-copy of Jack—fearless, bold … as if he were invincible. He couldn’t get hurt. I couldn’t bear it. I would have to be taken directly to the nearest psych ward.
That’s it, he’s not going. No! No way!
I was going to do everything in my power to stop him!

I went to work the next day with only one purpose—to see Jim Walker. I went straight to his department and walked into his office, slamming the door behind me. I was instantly hit with the smell of stale cigarette smoke. Although it was a smoke-free building, Jimmy secretly disabled the smoke detectors in his office the day he moved in. Physically, he was a walking time bomb. Despite being extremely intelligent, Jim did not take good care of his health. He was morbidly obese and smoked like a chimney. He was also a pack rat. His office was filled to the brim with stacks of books, magazines, and papers. Regardless, he always seemed to know exactly where to find something.

“Jimmy,” I shouted, “how could you do this to me?”

I scowled while I stared him down. He straightened his back in response and sat up defensively behind his desk.

“Sami, calm down. Let’s talk about this reasonably,” he said. A look of panic crossed his face. Clearly, he knew what I was going to say.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this? You had to approve it. No one goes up in that
thing
unless you say so,” I protested. He had the power to keep Jackson grounded.

“I just thought that it was better if Leah and Jackson told you they had applied themselves.”

“What? Leah, too! You’re planning to send both of my kids!
No way
!” I shouted.

“It’s perfectly safe now. Really! What happened to Jack … that was a freak accident. We don’t even bring the tanks up the same way. It’s never been safer. We’ve been running the lift almost every other week now.”

“Ahh …” I moaned. “I don’t care. My kids don’t have to go. Tell them that the space is limited,” I urged.

“I can’t. It’s what they want, Sami. Don’t hold them back. They are two of the most talented recruits we have. I mean, with you’re brains and Jack’s determination, they’re made for this,” he said with conviction.

“Damn it! You just
don’t
get it.” I shook my head. Didn’t he realize they were the only family I had left?

“No, Sami, can’t you see? You’re letting fear block your better judgment.”

I moved a small pile of junk and dropped myself into a chair in front of his paper-covered desk, sinking into its worn leather upholstery. His voice seemed to fade in the distance. I sat, not speaking, and stared blankly at the wall while he continued trying to convince me. Why was I so worried? Jack’s accident was the only major accident in the lift since its inception. Riding in a car was statistically more dangerous. Maybe I was being paranoid.

“Let them grow up. This is their life, not yours. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime. They will get to be a part of the biggest creation in our history. I know Space exploration is risky business, but we don’t give up because of previous failures or because of unknown dangers. We get smarter! If we quit now, we surrender all of our possibilities. You of all people should know that. Please don’t try to hold them back. You would feel terribly guilty if you did, I promise you.” He coaxed me on and on.

“Okay, please—
no
more. I’ve heard enough.” I held up my hand to make him stop. “If they’re going …” I sighed, taking in a deep breath. I shut my eyes to gather strength because I was about to say the most unthinkable thing. “Then,
so am I
.” I mouthed the dreaded words in a whispery breath. Even though I would rather go base jumping in the Grand Canyon, there was no way I was going to let my kids go up there without me. Being separated from them would be unbearable.

“
Really
… wow, that’s fantastic.
Thank you,
Sami. You’re making the right choice,” he said as though he didn’t believe his ears. He leaned forward in his chair. “I was counting on your kids more than you know. And
you—
you’ll be even more help.” His expression brightened instantly, shifting from apprehension to relief.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I might as well tell you now. You’ll know soon enough anyway. I think they might be our best bet when it comes to understanding the Katarians.”

“The Katarians?” I asked. “Who are they?” Geography was not my strong point, but I’d
never
heard of them.

“Sami, do you believe in aliens?” he asked matter-of-factly.

“I don’t know. I mean sure, why not? In a universe so vast, it would be completely egocentric to think otherwise.”

“
Well
, we have been working with aliens,” he said hesitantly while he looked at me strangely. Maybe he was trying to decipher my reaction.

“You’re kidding,
right?
” I let out a small laugh. I was shocked. “Are you toying with me?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Wow.” I choked back. Where had I been? Why wasn’t this front page news?

“They are friendly and technologically advanced beyond our years. You’re sworn to secrecy, of course,” he warned, looking up under his eyes in a threatening manner. I didn’t respond. My body froze in disbelief as my jaw dropped while considering the implications of alien contact. “The Katarians have been docking their ship at our Space station. They have offered to share their technology with us. I don’t know how they did it, but they managed to learn our language. Despite it, we are still struggling to understand their translations.” He elaborated on their established working arrangement.

“Unbelievable! When were you planning on breaking this news?” I asked anxiously. It would be selfish not to share this information with the world.

“Oh, don’t worry. We will get to it. We are waiting until we open up the Space resort to tourists. Actually, it was their only request.”

“What was?”

“The Katarians asked us to keep our relationship a secret for now. They said they didn’t want to be bothered with our media while we’re working on the station. They asked if we would wait until our work together was complete.”

“I can see their point. I could only imagine the stories that would follow.”

“Sami, there’s something else I want to tell you. It’s about Jack. You’ve earned it,” Jim said, changing the subject—signaling the alien topic was closed for discussion. He was offering me information in exchange for the future service of my family.

“What about Jack?” I asked curiously. He had caught my attention.

“Remember the test flights he did for us?”

“Don’t you
mean
the test flights that he did for the Air Force?”

“Yeah, but we financed them with our subcontract.”

“Yes, how could I forget,” I said sarcastically.

“Well—the aircrafts he flew weren’t always manufactured on Earth. Sometimes, they were something we found.”

“Wait! You mean to tell me he was flying alien Spaceships?” I leaned my hands on his desk to keep myself from falling on the floor. I pictured the unexplained wounds my late husband frequently endured. No wonder he would come home at times looking like a crashtest dummy.

“Yep, and Jack was phenomenal. He was one of the only ones who could figure out how they functioned.
Hell
, he was the only one who could even manage to get the suckers off the ground. Man, I miss him,” he said with admiration.

“He never said a word.” I shook my head at the daunting task of trying to operate sophisticated alien technology. Reverse technology would be a huge undertaking, to say the least. Was it even possible to understand aircraft so complex it was capable of interstellar travel? I thought I knew everything about him.

“It was time for you to know the truth,” he offered wholeheartedly.

“Hey, now maybe the Katarians will show you how to fly them,” I concluded.

“They
might
,” he muttered.

“Why? They don’t want you using their planes?”

“No, that’s not it.” He chuckled under his breath. “I’m certain they would help us if they knew how. But the crafts aren’t theirs.”

“You mean there are
others
?” I covered my mouth when I gasped. I felt so ignorant. “How could all of this been going on around me without my knowing?”

“Need to know, Sami. Need to know,” Jimmy reminded me in a serious tone.

Obviously, he was done sharing, so I quickly got up to leave. The cigarette smell was making me sick, anyway. I could hear Jimmy yell after me to keep quiet from his desk. I just nodded and kept walking.

I left the office and called Leah on her cell phone. She knew the reason for my call even before I said hello. She was, however, exuberant when I informed her that I was going with her. Jackson was leaving two weeks before her, and she seemed thrilled to hear that I would be traveling with her. Or maybe, it was the other way around. I didn’t want to go without her.

The next order of business was to attend the mandatory Space training. We had to be signed off on Space elevator lift transport and basic Space station safety precautions. We were also required to sign a handful of release forms. The header should have read, “Travel at your own risk.” The forms absolved the SIG, the Space elevator, and the Space resort from virtually any legal responsibility. However, they
could
take us to court. We all had to sign a confidentiality form. It outlined the degree to which we would be prosecuted if we released any information about the existence of the Katarians. Basically, it gave them the right to repossess our assets and threatened imprisonment if we leaked a word. I saw Leah’s eyes widen when they briefed us on the aliens and our harmonious relationship.