Chapter One

 

 

I’m here. I’m really here.

My pulse races faster, and boundless excitement makes me tremble.

The wormhole swirls brighter and larger in the window. I can’t look away. A vibrant shade of blue, this interstellar portal sparkles against the vast blackness of space surrounding it. God, what a sight.

All my life I’ve dreamed of this moment.

From my swanky quarters on the Stargazer, I have the perfect view.

With shaking hands, I snap a couple of pictures then sit cross-legged on my bed and watch as the ship travels closer and closer to its swirling blue destination.

Today is my eighteenth birthday, and I doubt any future birthdays will top this one. Aunt Mabel, my mother’s quirky younger sister, gave me this trip as a birthday/graduation present. Not only do I get to glimpse the Anders-Perkins Wormhole, but I also get to spend three months on Tallia, a beautiful tropical planet located on the other side of the whirling blue gateway.

My heart leaps when the captain’s voice blares over the intercom.

“Attention passengers. In moments, we will enter the wormhole. Please find a seat and buckle up for your safety. As always, thank you for traveling with Celestial Enterprises.”

I sink into the chair beside my bed, making sure to fasten the three-point harness securely. The brochures claim the ride through is usually smooth, but I’ll follow the captain’s directives anyway. Besides, I can still see out the large window in my quarters without any trouble.

Aunt Mabel had splurged on my accommodations, booking a four-room suite with a guaranteed view of the magnificent passage upon approach. You only graduate from high school and turn eighteen once, Laylah, she’d insisted after I protested she had spent too much money.

A shudder runs through the ship, and the wormhole resumes growing larger in the window. My skin prickles and a jittery sensation grips me. Sharp vibrations course through the hull, increasing my nerves. I tell myself I’m not scared, but, deep down, I’m having second thoughts about my interstellar vacation.

What if the wormhole rips the Stargazer into a million tiny pieces? What if the engines stall and we end up stranded in the bright swirling light forever?

No. Don’t even think it, Laylah. Pushing these worries away, I refocus my thoughts on Tallia. I can’t wait to explore the forests and observe the animal life. I’ll stay on the tropical planet until early September, when I’ll return to Earth for my first semester at Harvard. If I maintain a 4.0 in my exobiology classes throughout my third year of undergrad, I’ll spend my last two semesters on Tallia, studying under leading scientists in the field.

My long-term goal, of course, is to work on Tallia as a researcher. Though it’s not my first career choice, it’s the best way to guarantee I’ll one day call the planet my permanent home. Earth’s fascination with Tallia runs deep, but since children aren’t allowed to accompany their parents to the planet and most scientific postings are contracted for a minimum of five years, there is oftentimes a shortage of skilled scientists willing to volunteer for the latest expeditions on the large, untouched continents of the alien world.

If I could be a waitress in one of the restaurants in Capital Acres or clean hotel rooms in the Tallia Grand, I would apply for such a position in a heartbeat. But the waiting lists are far too long. While it’s difficult to convince enough scientists to leave their families on Earth for years on end, young, unattached adventure seekers in droves line up for the more menial jobs Tallia offers.

The Stargazer enters the wormhole, and I clutch the armrests until my knuckles turn white. I feel lightheaded and tired, a common side effect of interstellar travel, but I force my eyes to remain open. I stare out the window at the fantastic swirl of blue. My stomach rolls as the ship picks up speed. Then, we’re moving so fast, the wormhole becomes a blur of blue and white sparkling lines.

I shut my eyes and my queasiness lessens. The trip through the wormhole takes all of five minutes. I blink at the new view after the captain announces our arrival on the other side.

From space, the blue-green planet of Tallia looks almost like Earth. I smile. I’m finally here.

After unfastening the harness, I move to the plush sofa in front of the window and gaze upon the planet I’ll call home for the next three months. I also snap a hundred more pictures.

Ten times the size of Earth, the previously uninhabited world will gradually be settled by more and more humans, and I’m grateful for the chance to visit before it becomes as overcrowded as my homeworld.

“Thank you, Aunt Mabel,” I whisper. “This is the best present ever.”

The next few minutes are an excited blur as the ship approaches the planet. I hurry to dress in a cute yellow and blue sundress and pack all my belongings, placing three large suitcases near the door. A Stargazer employee should arrive at any moment to collect my things and oversee their transportation to the Tallia Grand after we land. Until then, I have nothing to do but wait and stare at the breathtakingly beautiful planet.

As I stand at the window, a large object enters my peripheral vision. By the time I tear my gaze from the planet to glimpse the object, there is more than one. I gulp hard. I want to fetch my camera out of my purse, but I hesitate to spare a second to look away.

Five massive spaceships approach the Stargazer, until they’re completely blocking out the view of Tallia.

I don’t recognize the ships. They don’t resemble the passenger vessels built by Celestial Enterprises, like the Stargazer. Blue and green lights flash around the perimeter of the sleek gray vessels.

No intelligent humanoid species call Tallia home.

The brochures promise that. But these ships sure as fuck make me doubt the claim. Though alien plant and animal life has been found on Tallia, and fossils of once-living creatures have been discovered on a handful of other distant planets, humans are still very much alone in the universe.

Intelligent alien life hasn’t been discovered yet. However, looking at the ships, I can’t help but entertain the possibility they’re manned by a non-human crew.

An earsplitting alarm sounds, and the overhead lights flash red. The captain announces something over the intercom, but I can’t discern his shouted words. One of the strange ships sends a series of white blasts over the Stargazer.

Panic sets in. Weapons. The five ships blocking our course have weapons. As far as I know, the Stargazer isn’t armed. It’s a passenger ship, like all the other crafts built by Celestial Enterprises.

I stand at the window, trying to wrap my brain around what’s transpiring. In the midst of my burgeoning fear, a vast sense of awe rises. Beyond the panic and shock, I understand this is an historic incident—the kind of event humanity will eternally discuss and ask questions like, “Where were you and what were you doing when you heard the news?”

Will I live to answer that question?

Another series of white blasts zoom over the Stargazer. Are they supposed to be warning shots? Or are they aiming at something else? The wormhole rests directly behind us. But why open fire at the wormhole?

Terror makes my blood run cold. Whether the five gray ships have human or—God forbid—alien crews, I have a very, very bad feeling about this encounter.

The shrill alarm pounds against my skull like a hammer. I wince and cover my ears. My stomach flips when the five ships change their configuration to form a triangle.

Then all chaos erupts.

Countless white beams impact the Stargazer. I fall to my knees as the power of the blasts shake the ship. The hull groans. When I look up, I see nothing but blinding white outside the window. It hurts my eyes and momentarily steals my vision. The ship shudders for another minute, but then the blasting ceases. Smoke fills the air.

Suddenly, a voice comes over the intercom. I can’t tell if it’s the captain speaking, or someone else, but the panicked announcement sends a chill down my spine.

“We’ve been boarded. My God, we’ve been boarded.”

Boarded by whom, my mind whispers.

Coughing, I crawl toward the door. It doesn’t open automatically like it’s supposed to, and even when I frantically press buttons on the panel, it remains shut. By now, the smoke is burning my eyes and I can hardly breathe.

I’m suffocating. I’m going to die. Everyone on the Stargazer is probably going to die.

My life doesn’t flash before my eyes, but I do think of my family and friends back on Earth. Their faces appear in my mind, one by one, as if they’ve come to say goodbye.

Mom. Dad. Aunt Mabel. My best friend Sheila. Cousin Tammy, and so many more.

I inhale one last painful breath before my world goes black.