Timestream Prologue
“Station ho!” Gerard called from the cockpit of the speeder.
Harry made no move to rise or answer. He just sat on his bunk, leaning back against the metal wall, pad still in hand, staring at its dormant screen.
“I said, ‘station ho!’” the call came again, and this time Harry forced himself to rise, breathe, and make his way to the cockpit, shoving his pad in his pocket as he went.
He didn’t need the aid of his cousin’s pointing finger to see it when he moved through the doorway. The station loomed ahead, spherical, gray sheen reflecting the starlight from every direction. It orbited a small, frigid blue planet nearby, and a glance between the planet and this system’s star showed Harry that it was much too far away to be habitable.
He opened his mouth to ask how Gerard had found the station, but Gerard got his question in first. “What did he say?”
His dad. Harry sank into the copilot’s seat, still staring out the domed fore window.
“He’s coming, isn’t he?”
Harry turned to his cousin with raised eyebrows. “How did you…?”
“I know your dad, Har. He’s not going to let you have all the glory.”
“But he gave up on her a long time ago.”
Gerard gave him a sideways glance.
“He did, didn’t he?”
“Hardly seems like a helpful way to put it though.”
Harry gripped the arms of the seat, digging his fingertips too tightly into the leather. “He never even looked for her.”
Gerard pulled back on the steering column, slowing the speeder’s approach to a crawl, looked at Harry, and began to tick items off on his fingers. “Okay, one. Your mom gets on a transport to a conference. Two, transport explodes so close to Earth that there’s clear footage of it. Obliterated. Three, no record of any arrivals or departures on the journey.”
“The transport was obliterated. The records would be destroyed.”
Gerard crossed his arms and just stared.
“I know,” Harry sighed. “They’d be backed up to ISA central systems, especially that close to Earth. But records can be tampered with.”
His cousin turned forward to focus on piloting again. “Agreed. You don’t have to convince me. I’m here. I’m just saying, you can’t exactly blame your dad for not having any hope.”
Harry knew that was true. Hadn’t he himself given up hope for years? “So if he has no hope, why is he coming?”
“He’s not coming for her.”
Gerard always had a knack for getting to the heart of things. Harry sighed, felt himself deflate and let go of the particles of resentment he’d been clutching.
“What do you…” he began, but a voice over the speeder’s intercom interrupted.
“Unknown speeder, this is the Tablinum station, please identify and state your purpose.”
Gerard pressed a button to his left and enunciated, “Tablinium, this is Gerard Crash piloting the Alacrity III. We’re seeking a missing person and would like to board and ask for any information you may have.” He released the button and they waited.
It felt like a long wait.
The voice finally returned. “Copy that, Alacrity III. Permission to board has been granted. Please proceed to the opposite side of the station, and a peripheral access will be prepared.”
“Will do. Thank you, Tablinum.” Gerard gripped the column and proceeded to circle the station.
Harry watched as it loomed through the fore window. “Tablinum. Is that Latin?”
Gerard nodded, eyes fixed forward. “A room at the top of a house, I think. Used for storing records.”
As they rounded the sphere, the system’s sun peeked around its perimeter, blinding Harry. He squinted and held his hand over his face, glancing back and forth from the station to the frigid planet below.
Just what kind of records might this mysterious station hold?