Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 110492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 442(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 442(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
“And once we get the ship fixed, we can call the Kindred and ask them for help?” Torri asked hopefully.
“Exactly.” He nodded.
“And you think we’ll still be in time?”
“I hope so.” Vic sighed. “We know from your Seeing Dream last night that the Fathership of the Scourge is less than a week from Earth. We should hopefully have at least a few days before they arrive.”
“All right—then let’s go,” Torri said eagerly. She nibbled her lower lip. “You know, Vic…I know it’s not right to feel like this, but I’m just the tiniest bit relieved.”
“Relieved?” He gave her a confused look.
“That we don’t have to be parted right away,” Torri explained. “That I have at least one more day with you.”
His face broke into a warm smile and he took her hand, entwining their fingers.
“I’m glad to have more time with you, too, sweetheart. I have never been so reluctant for a mission to end.”
“Well, it looks like it’s been extended. And I guess we get a bonus adventure along the way.” Torri grinned at him. “Hey, since we’re going to be flying through my solar system, is there any way we could go by Saturn? I’ve always wanted to see its rings.”
“We can certainly do that,” Vic promised. “Just let me plot a course to the wormhole and I’ll be sure to include a pass by your ringed planet on the way.”
As he worked with the complicated instruments, Torri felt a guilty sense of excitement. Yes, the world was in trouble, but there were at least a few days before the Scourge got there. And in the meantime, she got to spend more time with her Kindred and see an alien planet! How exciting was that? She just wished she could tell her grandmother.
Nana would have loved this, she thought, looking through the viewscreen at the blanket of stars in the vast blackness of space. She always said if a spaceship came along and offered to take her on an adventure, she’d jump at the chance.
Well now Torri was getting that chance and she was determined not to waste it. She was going to get to see things no human had ever seen before and she was going to get to see them with Vic.
It was going to be amazing and she was going to try to forget that at the end of it all, she would have to tell the big Kindred goodbye forever.
Thirty-Eight
Saturn’s rings were magnificent and the wormhole looked like a swirling blue vortex in the darkness of space. It was a little bit frightening, flying through it, but Vic held Torri’s hand and promised her it was perfectly safe.
“You wouldn’t want to go through an unstable wormhole,” he said as they entered the swirling vortex. “Because you don’t know where you might come out and if the wormhole closed, you’d be stuck in whatever part of the universe you landed in. Or possibly even in an alternate universe.”
“That sounds terrifying!” Torri exclaimed. “A whole other universe?”
He nodded. “I’ve heard of it happening. But don’t worry—a stable wormhole that’s been mapped and verified is just fine. Think of it like a door from one part of the universe to another. It’s what you humans call a “cut short.”
“Uh, I think you mean a shortcut,” Torri corrected him, smiling. “But as long as you say it’s safe, I trust you.”
“Thank you, it’s good to be considered trustworthy,” Vic said seriously. “Look—we’re reaching the end of the hole already.”
As he spoke, the ship shot out the other end of the swirling blue vortex into a different part of space.
“And there’s our destination. Gemma Alpha Three.” Vic pointed to a small reddish dot on the viewscreen in front of them. “You will probably be glad of your warmer clothing once we get there,” he added, nodding at Torri’s sweater. “Their sun is a red giant which doesn’t put out as much heat as Earth’s star, Sol.”
“But do they have an oxygen atmosphere? I mean, will I be able to breathe there?” Torri asked anxiously.
“Of, of course! Though you will feel slightly lighter when you walk on the surface of the planet—it has about seven-eighths of Earth’s gravity.”
Torri laughed.
“Great—I get to lose weight without even trying. What are the inhabitants like?”
“Well…” Vic hesitated. “You may find the Gemmites somewhat strange to look at. Their anatomy is barely humanoid and they used to have very large predators on their planet, so they evolved some rather startling adaptations in order to protect themselves. Now, of course, the predators have all died out, but the adaptations remain.”
“I guess you’ll have to tell me what they’re saying,” Torri remarked. “Since there’s no way I’ll be able to understand their language.”
“I might possibly be able to help you there.” Vic looked thoughtful. “Most long-range shuttles are equipped with a shot of translation bacteria, just in case the warrior driving a shuttle needs to communicate with a species whose language is especially difficult to master.”