Across The Universe With A Giant Housecat (The Blue) by Stephanie Void Page B

you?” she asked.
    “Yeah. Who’s asking?”
    “Samantha. Err—Dr. Samantha Selburn.”
    “You’re a doctor?” To say she didn’t look the part was an understatement.
    “Not a physician. Oh no. Indeed not. I’m the other Space Reader.”
    Her? My mouth dropped open in surprise.
    Before I could respond, Paczoranni was at the front of the room, announcing that the debriefing would begin.  
    As everyone who had been still standing sat down, Captain Keene came to the front of the room.
    He opened his mouth and began to speak.
    “Now I know you have all had your speculations about what our mission is. You’ve heard some things, I am sure. I’m going to put your suspicions to rest. Yes, it is a mission into deep space.”
    A ripple of murmuring went around the room.
    Keene continued. “We’ll be in hyperspace for five weeks, after which we will reach a planet which is known as Coriolanus. It’s a world that we haven’t touched yet.
    “Two months ago, observers with long-range scanners discovered some unusual radiation readings coming from the planet. It could be evidence of alien life. Our mission is to go to the planet, take some readings, and survey the area. We will be landing there unless the atmosphere is hostile. We will be bringing along a full complement of scientists, as well as two supernumeraries.” He gestured towards Samantha and me. “They will be aboard as observers.” I smiled uneasily as all the heads in the room swung towards us. Undoubtedly, they were wondering why we were there. The confused looks on their faces told me that they hadn’t been told we were Space Readers.
    “The mission is expected to take around three to four months. We will be refitting for the next few days, so you will all have a few days of shore leave here until we cast off. I suggest you use it well. Dismissed.”

Chapter 10

    The Indomitable was going to be docked at Iron Horn Base for a few days so that it could be checked over and refitted in preparation for her five-week journey into space. Until then, I could stay in my quarters on the base.
    Keene had said we would be away for three or four months. It seemed like an incredible amount of time. I hadn’t realized it would take that long. Did that change my decision to go along with the mission? No. Not in the slightest. It made me a little more nervous, but also a lot more excited.  
    So it would be three months or more before I could see Katelyn again. She would probably be ok with that. She would probably relish this opportunity for independence. Most importantly, I knew she would be somewhere safe.
      I’d be in deep space, on the very fringes of what humanity had explored. Most of humanity’s planets and colonies were only a few hours or days away in hyperspace, maybe a week at most. Rarely more than that. People got nervous on journeys longer than that.
    Once, fifty years ago, a ship had gone too far into hyperspace and vanished. Ever since then, even the most seasoned ship captains were wary of going that far into space.
    Probably not Captain Keene, though. He seemed like the type of fearless captain who would volunteer for a mission like this.
    I was pretty sure I was going to love being aboard the Indomitable .
    #
    I turned over again, feeling the covers twist around my legs.
    I couldn’t sleep.
    The last few days had passed quickly. I had spent most of my time helping Katelyn prepare for her new school, which started in mere days. I’d helped her move into a dormitory in the school wings. She had insisted on purchasing some pink décor to liven her place up.
    Then, last night, we had said goodbye. She had shed a few tears, but I could tell she was excited for her new life.
    So now it was just Leo and I in our quarters. Tomorrow we were leaving for our mission, and I couldn’t relax. Was it excitement or anxiety? Perhaps a blend of both. Either way, it made me too wired to sleep.
    With a sigh, I untangled my legs from the covers and got up from