Chapter Five

Devon and Flim had logged their partnership right after the meeting that morning. Jacinda resigned herself to simply accepting whoever was assigned to her. After that the three friends set out to explore the ship. They started with the botanical decks, where the ship’s fresh air was produced. The decks were full of heavily forested tracks, fed by artificial light and a constant mist from the cavernous roof.

“I wonder if Forrestal is anything like this,” Devon asked. Flim shrugged.

“I think it is hotter than this,” Jacinda answered confidently. “Be sure that you have some tropical clothes when we get to the surface, or you will regret it.”

“Oh I packed plenty. We will need it,” Devon agreed.

Flim shrugged again.” I’ll be okay just wearing this.”

Jacinda and Devon were confused by his lack of concern. “Are you sure,” Devon asked.

“Trust me,” Flim answered, wearing a strange grin. Devon and Jacinda laughed at Flim, content to let him have his little secret.

The three friends played in the forest for a while longer, slaying imaginary dragons and discovering make-believe lost civilizations. After a while they began to get hungry. Flim was the first to mention it.

“It’s almost 1 o’clock. What should we do about lunch?”

“I can whistle something up,” Devon suggested. “I don’t feel like going all the way back to the dining deck.”

Jacinda clapped in excitement. “We could have a real picnic.” She had never had a chance to have one before, growing up in the mining colony. Even the botanical deck seemed huge to her.

“That sounds good. I’ll take care of it.” Devon tapped a code into his WristVid. “Lunchtime, Sammy,” he said into it. “Traditional twentieth century American picnic for three. Track this signal for delivery.” The WristVid beeped in assent. “It shouldn’t be too long now. How about a dip in that pond over there while we wait?”

“Zonk! What a great idea!” Flim exclaimed.

Jacinda shook her head. “Not me,” she hesitated. “I don’t have anything to change into. But you go ahead. I’ll just wait here.”

Devon felt bad that he had not thought of that. His own outfit could easily convert into a swim suit. Obviously, Jacinda could not afford anything that fancy.

“Oh, never mind. It was a dumb idea.” Devon waved the thought away. “Anyway, lunch will be here before we know it.”

“No, you go swimming,” Jacinda said. “I’ll be fine. I don’t like swimming anyway.” She hoped that the boys did not figure out that not having a swim suit was not the real reason she did not want to go. She did not know how to swim and it embarrassed her. She just had never had a chance to learn.

Devon hesitated, reluctant to leave Jacinda out of the fun. He peered over at Flim, who had somehow already changed into a snug swim suit. He looked back at Jacinda, who nodded and waved, letting him know that she did not mind.

“Last one in is a Jovian Puffball,” Flim shouted as he raced toward the pond. Casting one last glance at Jacinda, Devon followed with a whoop.

The boys ran full speed toward the pond. Devon, being a very strong runner, made up the distance between he and Flim. They reached the edge of the pond at the same time and leapt forward toward the water. They both landed with surprised grunts as they discovered that the pond was only a foot deep. Deep enough to keep them from hurting themselves, but not deep enough to hide their embarrassment.

Jacinda laughed out loud, her voice carrying all the way to the boys. “I give it a ten out of ten,” she called to Devon and Flim. All three began to laugh. Devon flopped on his back and pretended to do the backstroke. He merely succeeded in splashing water all over Flim. This only caused them all to laugh even harder.

Devon and Flim played in the shallow pool, chasing each other around and pushing each other over when they were caught. They were startled when they were suddenly splashed from behind. Jacinda had taken off her jumpsuit and wore only a short-sleeved unitard. She was splashing them furiously, emitting a high-pitched giggle.

“Take that, boys,” she shouted as she splashed them. Flim took cover but Devon strode imperiously toward the girl, causing her to scream in delight. “No, stop!”

“It’s a bit late for that,” Devon barked in mock anger. “You mess with us and you get wet too. Get ready for the big bath, Missy.”

Jacinda tried to dodge away from Devon but he leapt at her, catching her by the ankle. With a laugh she splashed down into the water, sending all three friends into another fit of laughter.

A shrill chirp interrupted their play. When they looked up, Sammy, Devon’s automatic luggage, was standing next to the pond. Devon jumped to his feet.

“Okay, Sammy, we’ll eat over there by that tree,” Devon instructed, pointing out a large, majestic Oak.

Jacinda stared, “That is Sammy? I thought you were calling your steward or something, not a walking suitcase.”

“I’ve had Sammy as long as I can remember. My parents had him specially made for me. The techs put in voice recognition and added some limited service routines to his programming.” Devon scratched his head self consciously, suddenly uncomfortable. “He is more like a robot than luggage. Sometimes he is the only one I have to talk to…so I probably talk to him too much.” Devon rubbed his hands together, embarrassed by his attachment to Sammy.

“It’s okay,” Jacinda answered, seeing how much it bothered Devon to admit his loneliness. “I just wish I had something so cool.”

The three friends watched Sammy trundle over to the tree and begin setting up the picnic. A compartment opened in his side and a red blanket popped out at the end of a slender mechanical arm. The arm unrolled the blanket and smoothed it out under the tree. Sammy then trundled a few feet from the blanket and set himself down. Once settled, Sammy opened, converting into a short table. The table was set with an assortment of delicious food. The smell of fried chicken filled the air. The table also held slices of sweet looking watermelon. Next to the melon were a plate of sandwiches and a bowl of macaroni salad.

The food seemed strange to Jacinda. On the small asteroid that her mining colony occupied, fresh food was nearly impossible to obtain. It was quite expensive and usually reserved for special occasions. Needless to say, Jacinda and her family usually settled for prepackaged foods brought to the colony on the various ships that delivered supplies and then picked up the ore processed by the colony. She had expected fancy food at the reception last night but was surprised that it was so readily available. She guessed that people as wealthy as Devon simply took this kind of luxury for granted. She did not fault Devon. It was simply what he was used to having.

Devon and Flim piled food on to plastic plates that had popped out Sammy and then fell upon their lunch like hungry dogs. Jacinda hesitated for a moment longer then filled a plate as well. At that moment she made a promise to herself to simply enjoy the trip rather than worry about what it would be like to return to the mining colony were luxuries would be almost impossible to come by.

The food was delicious. They all sat eating, silent except for the occasional murmur of delight at the food. Flim seemed to like the chicken the most. He ate four pieces before Jacinda gave him one of those looks that girls give boys when they are acting badly. Flim took the hint and raided the sandwich plate next.

They finished the meal by each taking a slice of watermelon over to the pond and spitting the seeds as far into the water as they could. Jacinda found that she had a knack for it. She beat the boys handily and giggled as they tried to beat her longest spit.

“What’s wrong, boys? Are going to let a girl beat you?” Jacinda was enjoying the good natured ribbing. Flim and Devon redoubled their efforts. Unfortunately, the harder they tried, the more futile it became. Finally, they ran out of ammunition when they finished the last of the watermelon.

“Wow, that was fun,” Flim said, wiping juice from his chin.

“Thanks for lunch, Devon,” Jacinda said.

Devon nodded, “It was my pleasure.” He was happy to see that for the first time Jacinda did not seem self conscious about accepting his hospitality. He could not imagine how he would feel if their positions were reversed. Devon had always had everything he wanted, except for time with his parents. Jacinda, on the other hand, had little more than her family. He could not help feel that in many ways, she was much luckier than he was.

The meal acted like a sedative on the children. They lay back on the blanket near Sammy, who was no longer a table. There was no sign of the dishes or food anywhere. During the spitting contest, Sammy had cleared away everything and hidden it away somewhere, probably nestled somewhere inside.

The blanket felt so soft under their backs. All three friends fell into a gentle slumber, shaded from the artificial sunlight by the huge Oak. Sammy dutifully stood watch over the three as they napped. It was silly to think that Sammy could be protective of Devon. After all, he was only a piece of luggage, but anyone watching would have sworn that he was guarding the boy.

Chapter Four

Devon and the others gathered at 8 am, ship’s time. A hushed excitement could be felt running through the crowd of children. This would be the first chance they got to meet the guide who would lead them when they reached the planet’s surface. The vid-blog about the trip had contained a short bio of their guide for this trip, Deke Jacobs.

Deke had become a hero ten years ago when he single-handedly rescued a group of marooned VIPs on one of the moons of Zenos Prime. The public vids only showed faint images of him as he was hustled into custody for debriefing after he returned the Ambassador’s party to a backwoods outpost far from the civilized side of the moon. The glimpses the vids had captured were shadowy, but seemed to show a wiry, dark man with amber eyes. His face was sharp, just like his eyes. The look he had given the camera was fierce, causing many of the children, in the group gathered to meet him, no end of worry. Devon strained to see over the milling children, watching the door near the back of the room for any sign that Deke was coming.

Suddenly, a thump sounded at the door. The children immediately hushed. Slowly, almost frighteningly slow, the knob turned. Devon held his breath, waiting for the door to open. Slowly, ever so slowly, the door began to open. The room on the other side of the door was dark, so dark that no one could see if Deke was in the room watching them.

“What are you folks staring at,” a gravely voice said behind the students. They all nearly jumped as one, whirling around to see who was speaking. They laid eyes on a small, friendly looking man who was not much taller than most of the children.

“Well, he said, is there a show starting, or something?” He asked.

“Oh, get lost, mister, we are waiting for someone, someone important,” Terry Jameson replied with a sneer. Terry’s cronies laughed, pointing at the man.

“My guess would be,” the man said with a grin, “that I’d be the one you’re waiting for….but that’s just a guess.”

At those words all of the children turned to gawk at the stranger, wondering aloud if this could be the famous Deke Jacobs.

Terry sputtered in surprise as he wondered if he had made a mistake. “What, who? You can’t be Jacobs. My aunt looks tougher than you.”

The man laughed again, “tough is on the inside. It doesn’t always show, and anyway I bet your aunt is plenty tough to put up with you.”

All of the children, with the notable exception of Terry and his cronies, laughed heartily. Devon could not help but grin, but still feeling bad that Terry had been embarrassed. As mean as Terry seemed, Devon never enjoyed seeing people embarrassed. Devon looked over at Jacinda, who smiled guiltily when she saw that Devon did not approve.

Deke motioned for everyone to be quiet, “That’s enough, I’m sure the lad did not mean any offense.” The laughing dies, for the most part, but Terry still fumed. He eyed the Gustav brothers, but they simply shrugged as a group, unsure of what to do.

“Now, it’s time to get down to business. Each of your datapads has been updated with the latest information on Forrestal. It is primitive, but harmless for the most part.” Each of the students pulled out their datapads and began to follow along as Deke spoke.

“It’s a bit hotter than sol standard during the day, but it can get cold at night. Each of you will be issued a standard survival pack with a modular shelter and sleep roll. I will issue the insta-meals when we reach the landing zone.” Deke began to pace back and forth in front of the students, glancing at each to make sure they were paying attention.

“Now, this trip is serious business. While Forrestal has been completely surveyed, there are some ruins that have not been completely explored. We are not sure of their origin, but they are extensive…and fascinating. Our job during this trip is to study the ruins for 21 days and report what we find. In addition to our work at the ruins I will be teaching you some basic frontier skills.” Deke pressed a button on his WristVid. A pop-up appeared on the screen of each student’s datapads. The pop-up showed a map of the camp the group would be using.

“Our compound has already been dropped by an advance team. It is fully stocked and ready for us. We will be dropped about a day’s hike from the camp and we will use the hike to get acquainted. Before we make the drop to Forrestal each of you must choose a safety partner. If you can’t work that out yourselves by 3 pm, I’ll assign them. Everyone understand?”

A murmur of assent passed through the crowd of children. “Well then, then I will leave you alone until 4 pm. We will be having our first meal together in the forward mess at 6 pm. That is the cafeteria, for all you planet-huggers. Be there and I will finalize the assignments.”

Without another word, Deke motioned for the children to move out of his way. He strode through the crowd and exited through the door that had opened before he had appeared.

Chapter Three

Plates and glasses clinked as the ship’s staff completed the preparations for the reception. Devon had invited Flim to come, just so he knew he would have someone to talk to. Most of the other children were intimidated by Devon or by his family’s wealth actually. Even the families of the wealthy children who were scheduled to attend the reception did not have as much money as Blake Industries. In fact, Devon’s family probably had more money than everyone else on board, combined.

Devon dug in his pocket for the plasfilm sheet containing the guest list. One name had been highlighted, Jacinda Vasquez. According to the e-message Devon had received, Jacinda was very bright, but very poor. His parents’ foundation had paid for her passage on this trip. If she did well, there were plans to help her parents pay for tuition at a top off-world school, but her parents did not know that yet.

Devon pressed the girl’s name on the plasfilm sheet and a beam of soft light projected an image of her face above the sheet. Devon studied it for a moment. She was actually quite cute, he thought. The thing that impressed him the most, however, was the determined look in her eyes. She had the look of someone who you could always count on.

“Hi, Devon,” a high voice, seemingly coming from nowhere, startled him out of his thoughts.

Devon immediately recognized the voice. It belonged to Flim, the alien boy he met the previous day. He scanned the area, trying to discover where his new friend might be hiding. About to give up in frustration, Devon noticed something strange about one of the tablecloths nearby. As a waiter passed by, it did not ripple like the others. Squinting, Devon looked closer. Suddenly the part of the tablecloth hanging down began to ripple. He looked closer and started to make out the outline of a small person. The effect was totally disrupted as Flim could not hold his giggles in any longer. As he broke out into a fit of loud laughter, Flim became visible kneeling next to the table.

“Ha, ha,” he laughed, “I had you going.” Flim held his sides, trying to hold in the laughter.

“How on Earth did you do that,” Devon asked, totally shocked.

“I told you that sneaking was my specialty,” Flim answered. “Everyone from y’Lang can do it. It has something to do with us having two suns, but I’m not really sure how it works.”

“That was amazing,” Devon still seemed in shock, “that is one of the coolest things I have ever seen.”

Flim looked embarrassed, “it’s really nothing. I have to really concentrate to make it work.”

“Still, that was amazing,” Devon responded. “I’m sure we can find a way to put it to good use this trip.”

Both boys laughed with more than a little mischievousness.

The room began to fill up with children, most looking bored and snobby. Devon cringed. He knew this kind of crowd. He often had to endure events like this reception. His parents considered it part of his family duty to represent them as an educated young gentleman. Devon gave a silent moment of thanks that he had Flim here to break up the monotony.

He pulled the plasfilm sheet out of his pocket again to check the picture and then search the crowd. He did not see Jacinda yet, but she still had nearly a quarter hour before the reception officially started. As he peered at the image he was disturbed by Flim poking him in the ribs. Devon looked up to see that a surprised looking girl was watching him from the doorway. He immediately recognized Jacinda from her holo. He approached her, putting the plasfilm back in his pocket.

“Ms. Vasquez,” he greeted her, his hand extended. She took it meekly and shook it.

“That was me in the holo, wasn’t it,” She asked.

“Yes,” Devon stuttered, “I’m supposed to welcome you to the reception. My parents...I mean, the Blake Foundation sent me to make sure you had everything you needed and to make you feel at home.”

Jacinda chuckled. “It may be impossible to make me feel at home, unless you book me a smaller room. My cabin is as large as the apartment my family shares back home.”

Jacinda’s friendly manner helped put Devon at ease, “Well, I’ll see what I can do. Until then just enjoy our hospitality. I understand this is your first trip away from home.”

“Yes it is,” she agreed, “and it is terribly exciting. I can’t imagine how it would feel to be able to travel like this all the time.”

It was Devon’s turn to chuckle, “believe me, it gets boring. All these ships start to seem the same after a couple of trips.” Devon’s thought was interrupted by another poke in the ribs from Flim. The alien boy was smirking at Devon when he turned toward him.

Flim hopped forward and extended his hand toward Jacinda, “Flimitpoytrotilmas Sa’Atar, at your service….Flim for short.” Jacinda grabbed a hold of Flim’s hand with gusto.

“Wow, a real y’Langian. I’ve never met an alien before, but I’ve read all about them.” Flim exchanged glances with Devon as Jacinda continued to shake his hand. “Can you really blend in with your surroundings? I read about your chromatophores. How does it feel to change color? Does it hurt? How quiet can you do it?”

Jacinda would have continued but Devon rescued Flim with a flourish. “Excuse me, miss, but I’m sure that Flim will be happy to tell you all about it, but we need to find our seats now. Dinner is about to begin.” Jacinda blushed when she realized how silly the boys must think she was. Her chagrin quickly faded at the boys’ ready smiles. She did not feel that they were making fun of her; they just found her enthusiasm cute.

Devon led his two new friends to an elegantly set table. Each place setting was set with the ship’s finest china. The ethereal face of a beautiful woman surrounded with a flowing pattern of Celtic knotwork adorned each plate. She represented the namesake of the ship, a beautiful Celtic queen of ancient England.

Devon remembered the manners that had been hammered into him at boarding school and pulled out the chair for Jacinda. She blushed at the unexpected courtesy, but took the seat. Flim flopped into the chair next to Jacinda and began fiddling with the silverware. As soon as Devon seated himself several adults joined them at the table. Devon rolled his eyes at their eagerness. He had seen it before. As the richest person onboard, there were always people nearby trying and be his friend, but he did not need that kind of friend. Despite their attempts to make small talk, Devon pointedly ignored them. Instead, he turned his attention to Flim and Jacinda.

“So, are you two looking forward to the drop to Forrestal as much as I am?” Flim and Jacinda nodded.

“I read that there are rumors of strange creatures there,” Jacinda said.

“They wouldn’t send us if they thought that there was some boogieman down there,” Flim answered.

“I heard that too,” Devon added, “but I don’t believe it. They check out these places before they let these expeditions go down to the surface.”

Jacinda’s face lit up, “just imagine discovering a new creature, especially a smart one.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a nasty laugh. Jacinda immediately recognized the laugh. It belonged to Terry.

“So, rags, I see you made some friends. I guess a freak and a thief were the best you could do.” This comment caused Flim and Devon to turn toward Terry giving him angry looks.

“I’m no thief,” Flim shot back. Terry looked confused for a moment and then frowned. “I called you a freak, he is the thief,” Terry said, pointing at Devon.

Devon was taken aback, “What do you mean a thief? I’m not a thief.” He stared at Terry in confusion.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about, Blake. Everybody knows about your family,” Terry sneered as he berated Devon. “Just stay out of my way, thief!”

Terry turned and stalked away from the table. He was filled with anger. That had not gone as he had planned. He could not believe that the little ragamuffin had made friends with Devon Bake of all people. He silently vowed to get even with Devon for what the Blakes had done to his family.

Devon, Jacinda and Flim stared at each other in confusion. Jacinda broke the silence, “that boy has issues.”

The rest of the reception went very well. Several tasty dishes were served, each made with ingredients from Forrestal, the planet they were due to land on in a few days. Devon especially liked the chilled Taga fruit. According to the waiter it could only be prepared safely by chilling it. If it was not chilled to the right temperature it could make you very sick. The best dish, however, was the last. As dessert was about to be served, the lights dimmed. The gathered guests hushed as they waited for the surprise dessert to be revealed. Silently waiters pushed floatcarts to each table. An ethereal melody began to play over the loudspeakers. The lights then began to shift from white, to blue to green, giving the room a fairy mound atmosphere. The lights dimmed to near darkness and then with a flourish each of the waiters lifted the covers from the floatcarts. Each floatcart was topped by a mound of what looked like rich loam. The mounds were crowned by gently glowing mushrooms. The mushrooms were every color of the rainbow, filling the room with a soft rainbow glow.

Jacinda became very excited when she saw what was for dessert, “I have heard of these. They are called fairy mushrooms. The only place they grow is one of the moons of Jupiter.” The waiters served each person a mushroom then replaced the covers on the floatcarts. The more adventurous eaters, Jacinda among them, began eating the mushrooms immediately. Soon, almost everyone had sampled them.

Jacinda savored the rich sweet taste. The only thing she could compare the taste to was a cinnamon muffin, but the texture was totally different. It melted in her mouth, leaving behind a nutty, almond taste.

Seeing Jacinda’s look of pleasure, Flim and Devon dug into their own mushrooms. They both smiled as the taste hit their tongues.

“Wow, I never knew mushrooms could taste so good,” Jacinda said. “I’d love for my father to taste one of these. He loves mushrooms.” She turned to the waiter, “Sir, where do you get these, are they expensive?”

The waiter looked down his nose at her, “they are very expensive, miss. Your dessert cost more than your ticket,” he answered.

Jacinda froze. She could not believe that someone would pay that much for something to eat. It seemed so wasteful to her. Now she felt guilty for enjoying it so much.

Devon noticed her discomfort and realized how much the waiter’s comment had stung her. “Don’t worry, Jacinda. The foundation paid for everything. They also made a donation to a worthy cause for the same amount that the dinner cost. We always do that. It helps us live with ourselves.”

Jacinda felt a little better, but just barely. “I guess that is ok, but it makes me feel guilty to be eating something that cost more than my dad makes in a year.”

“If it makes you feel better, I can arrange another donation. How about a fund that will help other kids from your colony to make trips like this?”

Jacinda nearly burst into tears, “thank you, Devon.” That was all she could get out. She could not imagine having so much money that she could change peoples’ lives on a whim. She thanked the stars that Devon seemed to be the kind of person who did not take it lightly and tried to do good things with it.

“Hey, cheer up,” Flim broke the tension. “We get to start getting ready for the expedition tomorrow morning. That is when the fun really starts.”

Chapter Two

Jacinda Vasquez hesitated when she saw the young man whiz by on the pedway with another strange looking boy. She recognized the young man immediately as Devon Blake. She had known that he would be on this voyage, but it still came as a shock to her. With her parents’ meager income, they never could have afforded to send her on this trip, not without the money that had been given to them by the Blake Foundation. She could not figure out why the foundation had decided to help fund her trip. She was not an especially good student, or an outstanding athlete. The e-message had mentioned something about an above-average score on something called the Ackerman Test, whatever that was. She did not even remember taking any test like that, but if it had gotten her this chance for an adventure, she was fine with it.

Jacinda had mixed feelings about the boy. He looked nice enough, but how could anyone as rich as him be nice. When you had that kind of money, it just was not necessary. You could simply buy what you wanted without having to be nice about it. She also felt a bit of embarrassment about needing the money to go on this trip. Around her friends, who were mostly in the same situation as her, she did not mind being poor. But being around these people, she felt like she had a sign on her back that said “charity case.”

She shook off those depressing thoughts and smiled widely. Nothing like a big smile to make friends.

Just then, a group of four boys brushed by her in the passageway.

“Watch your step, pipsqueak,” one snapped as he bumped into her.

Jacinda spun around to face the boy, ready to toss a comeback at him, but stopped in her tracks. The boys had also turned around and they all looked like they were just waiting for her to say something so they would have a reason to make more trouble. She stifled a reply and looked down at the ground.

“What’s wrong, Rags, nothing to say. You workers should be more careful around the guests.”

“I am a guest too,” Jacinda snapped before her caution could stop her.

“A Guest? You can’t be serious. You are dressed like a beggar,” the boy growled. “There is no way you could afford to be on this ship, unless you are a stowaway.” The boy crossed his arms in satisfaction when tears began to well up in Jacinda’s eyes. “What did I say, boys? She must be a stowaway.”

“Yeah, Terry, a dirty stowaway,” one of the other boys agreed.

Terry Jameson and the Gustav brothers were old hands at picking on other children. They had worked out their routine and knew just what to do to upset their victims, with as little effort as possible. Terry took special pride in his ability to pick out the most vulnerable person in any group. As the situation unfolded, they took a moment to watch the fruit of their labors.

By this time Jacinda was wiping her face furiously, trying to stop the tears. Seeing her distress, the boys began to laugh even harder.

By this time, the altercation has attracted the attention of a small group of children. The growing crowd seemed to feed Terry’s satisfaction at her humiliation. Suddenly the hurt that Jacinda felt turned into anger. She had had enough of this abuse. She reached into a pouch fastened to her belt and felt around for something to throw at the boys. Her hand settled on a small can of fizzup.

The can looked small, but actually contained about a liter of sweet, fizzy soda. When it was poured out of the can it was supposed to change into its liquid form, but Jacinda did not plan on pouring it out. With a furious flick of the wrist, she shook up the can and pointed it at the group of boys. They had only a moment to look surprised before Jacinda pressed the release on the can and all of the soda spewed out on the boys, covering them with sticky, sweet smelling liquid.

All of the other children gathered around the disturbance began laughing, pointing at Terry and the three others. Jacinda flashed a satisfied smile at the boys. “Oops, how dreadfully clumsy of me.”

Terry nearly choked with rage. This was not supposed to be how it worked. The girl was supposed to run away in tears, not douse them with fizzup. Two of the Gustav brothers, Link and Junior, were not so much mad as shocked. Their younger brother, Merrell, on the other hand, was neither shocked nor angry. In fact, he found it rather funny. The idea of this slim girl shaming her tormentors with a can of fizzup made him laugh out loud. Merrell immediately liked her. Seeing that the others did not seem to find it funny, he swallowed his grin, stifling another laugh. Link and Junior turned on Merrell, giving him a double look of annoyance.

Finally recovering from the surprise, Terry glared at Jacinda, rage twisting his mouth.

“You’ll regret that. I’ll have the captain put you in the brig until you learn how to treat your betters.” Terry spun on his heals and strode down the hallway away from the laughing children. Link and Junior looked at each other and then hurried after Terry. Merrell looked confused for a moment. With an embarrassed shrug to Jacinda, he turned and followed his brothers.

With the retreat of the bullies, several children in the crowd began to clap and cheer. Soon the whole group joined in the applause. One girl clapped Jacinda on the shoulder.

“Good show. Terry and his goons go to the same PrimeSchool as I do, and nobody ever stands up to them. By the way, I’m Maddie.” The girl offered her hand to Jacinda. “What is your name, or do you want to be called ‘Rags’,” she asked with a smile.

“Jacinda, my name is Jacinda,” she replied, unsure what to say next. Normally she did not lose her temper like that. But this time it seemed to have worked out well for her.

Maddie clapped Jacinda on the shoulder again “Well, I had better get my luggage to my room. Maybe we will see each other tomorrow at the briefing. Bye.”

Jacinda waved goodbye and turned to go back to her room. She picked up her threadbare luggage on her way to her compartment. She knew she needed to hurry. She had a reception to attend as part of her trip. All of the children from important families had been invited to the reception. She had been included because her trip had been sponsored by the Blake Foundation. She just hoped that Terry had not been invited as well.

Chapter One

“Devon Blake, seat call for Devon Blake,” the speaker on Devon’s WristVid said cheerfully. He looked around, startled that it was already time to depart the shuttle and board the starship.

Devon pressed the button on his WristVid, letting the steward know that he was on his way. Devon’s luggage trundled after him automatically as he walked toward the large, round hatch that led from the shuttle to the space station. Despite the dozens of small, robotic legs frantically stepping underneath the bottom of the trunk, he had to wait for a moment before it caught up.

“Hurry up, Sammy,” he uttered. “If you weren’t lucky I’d have replaced you long ago. What’s the use of automatic luggage if it slows you down?” The people passing by glanced at Devon, wondering why he was talking to his luggage. Devon swallowed a smile as he saw their reaction. Not many people could afford automatic luggage that responded to voice commands. Most people just had the kind that followed you around.

Devon stared out the large, PlexiSteel window as he approached the hatch. A silvery tube stretched out into space, attached to the starship he was about to board. The Boadicea was a class V interplanetary cruiser equipped with the latest ion pulse engines. Devon could see the blue glow surrounding the rear of the ship off in the distance.

The hatch whispered open as he approached. A tall, pretty flight attendant was waiting for him with a smile. “Right this way, Mister Blake.” She gestured for him to enter the boarding tube to the starship. “We are so pleased to have you aboard. All of the arrangements have been made for your trip to Forrestal.”

“Are there many other kids onboard this trip?” Devon politely asked.

The attendant paused for a moment, “well….yes, I suppose.” She smiled at Devon, waiting for him to make his way down the walkway in the tube. Devon shrugged and entered, trying to imagine that this was the start of something great. Unfortunately he could not help but remember how boring all of those other trips had been that he had taken on ships just like this.

The attendant recovered from her momentary confusion, falling back into her rehearsed welcome speech. “You will have access to all of your exclusive gold-level amenities during your voyage. PulsarLines prides itself on providing our top clients with the highest level of luxury and privacy.”

“Are there any other kids traveling in the gold-level?” Devon asked hopefully.

The attendant looked puzzled, “You are the only gold-level passenger this trip, sir.”

Devon sighed, obviously dejected. He hated traveling alone and being the only gold-level passenger would just make it lonelier. Devon was used to being alone, but that did not mean he liked it. Before leaving, he had hoped that this time would be different. Sometimes he thought he must be the loneliest boy in the galaxy. He very rarely saw his parents, because of their busy schedules. They always made sure he had everything he wanted or needed, as long as it was not their attention. They were very busy running the family business, Blake Industries.

Blake Industries made the best hovercars anywhere. Devon’s great-grandfather had started the company with a little money and a lot of determination. His first hovercar was a true breakthrough. Until Hugh Blake had invented the HippoGriff many people on the frontier had not been able to travel long distances without using gyrocopters or ultralights. Devon was proud of the company and knew that millions of people had easier lives because of it. His parents had important work to do, but that did not make being alone any easier.

Devon was lost in his thoughts as he followed the attendant toward the starship. Before he knew it, he was at the entrance of the Boadicea. The attendant smiled sweetly at Devon and ushered him through the hatch. A steward with an equally pleasant smile was waiting for Devon.

“Hello, Mr. Blake. We have your suite nearly ready for you; we just need to know how you want the holographic simulation today. What environment are you in the mood for?”

“A Yukloth mud-pit sounds nice,” Devon quipped.

“A mud-pit, sir?” The steward sounded unsure.

“Yup, with extra squid-worms, if you please.”

The steward hesitated for a moment, obviously wondering what to do next. The equipment used to simulate any environment in the expensive suites was easily capable of producing such a place, but why would anyone want it to?

Devon let her suffer for a moment and then added, “Wait, I changed my mind. Set it for Camelot instead. That should be fun.”

Relief washed over the steward’s face at the change to a much more conventional choice. She made a few entries on her WristVid and then looked up at Devon, completely recovered from her momentary panic.

“ Mr. Blake, if you would follow me I can show you to your rooms.” She stepped on to a quickly moving pedway, making sure that Devon followed. It took only a few minutes for the efficient people-mover to get them to the most exclusive gold-deck and drop them at his room. The attendant wordlessly passed the key over the lock and waited for the door to swish open. With a few muttered pleasantries, the steward handed Devon his key and excused herself. She glanced back with a relieved look as she was whisked away by the pedway, obviously glad to be done with greeting Devon.

Devon’s face turned a bit red, embarrassed that he had teased the woman. He supposed making sure someone with his means was satisfied was normally not very easy, but had not made her job any easier by being difficult on purpose. He sighed and walked through the door into his suite. The holographic equipment built into the suite had transformed the normally plain walls into the inside of an opulent castle. Torches guttered in sconces along the back wall and the sound of a harp could be heard coming from the next room. Swords, shields, and axes hung on the walls, lending the place a rustic, medieval feeling. One wall was taken up by the mounted head of a ferocious looking dragon. Devon smiled when he saw that. He often day dreamed about rescuing fair maids and slaying dragons.

With another sigh, Devon flopped down into one of the overstuffed chairs in the living area. He looked over as his luggage struggled over a particularly thick rug, its motor whirring loudly.

“Well, Sammy, I guess this is going to be just you and me.” Devon addressed the trunk, not expecting a response.

“Not necessarily,” someone said in a strange voice. Devon nearly flew from his chair at the sound. He whirled around, facing the door to the sleeping area and beheld one of the strangest sights he had ever laid eyes on. A boy stood in the doorway, but not quite a boy. He had a larger than normal head, which was covered in thick, white hair. There was also something strange about his eyes, but Devon could not quite put his finger on what it was. The strangest thing, however, was the boy’s skin. It was bright orange, almost so bright it nearly glowed.

Devon realized that he had been holding his breath. He let it out slowly and took another moment to study this intruder. He was wearing tight, grey overalls and some sort of black slippers that fit closely on his feet, almost like socks. The boy was not making any threatening moves, but that did not change the fact that he should not be here.

“Who the heck are you?” Devon asked cautiously.

“Flimitpoytrotilmas….Flim for short.” He answered.

“So, what are you doing in my room?”

Flim looked embarrassed for a moment, “Sneakin’,” he answered, “it’s kind of my specialty.”

Devon thought for a moment. He could have this boy tossed off the ship in a matter of minutes for being in his room. But that would leave him alone again.

“Sneaking, huh? Well, that sounds like fun. My name is Devon, and it’s gonna be a long trip. I could always use somebody to hang-out with. Did you find anything fun when you were doing it?”

A huge grin split Flim’s face, “Lots of fun stuff.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get to the fun.”

Flim laughed and Devon joined in as they ran down the corridor, ready to explore every cranny of the huge ship.