Brave New Girls: Tales of Girls and Gadgets: Brave New Girls, #1

By Mary Fan

This collection of sci-fi stories features brainy young heroines who use their smarts to save the day. Girls who fix robots and construct superhero suits, hack interstellar corporations and build virtual reality platforms. Who experiment with alien chemicals and tinker with time machines. Who defy expectations and tap into their know-how—in the depths of space, or the bounds of dystopia, or the not-too-distant future—to solve despicable crimes, talk to extraterrestrials, and take down powerful villains. 

All revenues from sales of this anthology will be donated a scholarship fund through the Society of Women Engineers. Let's show the world that girls, too, can be tomorrow's inventors, programmers, scientists, and more.

STORIES BY:

Martin Berman-Gorvine, Paige Daniels, George Ebey, Mary Fan, Kimberly G. Giarratano, Valerie Hunter, Evangeline Jennings, Stephen Kozeniewski, Jason Kucharik, Kate Lansing, Tash McAdam, Kate Moretti, Ursula Osborne, Josh Pritchett, Aimie K. Runyan, Davien Thomas, Lisa Toohey, and Leandra Wallace

With a foreword by Lara Hogan, Senior Engineering Manager at Etsy and author of Designing for Performance

Featuring artwork by Hazel Butler, Ken Dawson, Adrian DeFuria, Evelinn Enoksen, Mary Fan, Christopher Godsoe, Kayla Keeton, Jason Kucharik, Jennifer L. Lopez, Tash McAdam, and Josh Pritchett.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mary Fan
• Release date: Oct 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9781533793706

Book preview

DEDICATIONS

For all the girls who love engines and equations, gadgets and gears, computers and calculations, Bunsen burners and botany. Who delight in seeing how things work and envision new ways to make the world tick.

For all the women in science, technology, engineering, and math who break down barriers and pave the way for a better tomorrow.

And for all the parents, teachers, mentors, and friends who support them on their journeys.

Paige Daniels would like to dedicate her work to Captain Chuck LaSota who told us, one starfish at a time.

Mary Fan would like to dedicate her work to all the techy teachers who encourage girls to pursue their nerdy interests.

Libby and Jerry Barnes would like to dedicate their contribution to this book to all the brilliant women who will shape our future, especially their granddaughters.

Jianqing Fan would like to dedicate his donation to Brave New Girls to his wife, Yonghua Wang, a real-world woman in STEM who holds a PhD in statistics. As an educator and researcher, Jianqing believes strongly in the importance of getting children and teenagers interested in STEM fields, which form the foundation for progress. It is his hope that every young person interested in math and science will explore their passions, regardless of gender.

Han Liu is proud to support the Brave New Girls anthology. He would like to dedicate his contribution to his wife, Xiaolin Yang, who has always been supportive over the years. 

FOREWORD

As a young girl, I realized that bravery was crucial to surviving middle school. During the day, bullies teased me about my nerdy glasses and good grades. At night, I dove into books; the stories I read showed me how other people—some like me, and some very different from me—faced life’s obstacles. I was comforted and challenged by chapters chronicling average humans approaching and overcoming their deepest pains and biggest hurdles.

When I found Meg in A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, my mind was blown. Meg wrestles with a myriad of obstacles in her storyline, from self-doubt and unhappiness with her appearance to rescuing her family members from IT. A Wrinkle in Time gave me a gift: mathematically brilliant Meg is able to use her smarts and her love to save the day. I was able to finally see myself as the heroine of my own story and the next steps of my journey through hers.

Two decades later, I have a technology career that I love. This career has given me a full spectrum of challenges: squashing code bugs, managing a team, stepping onstage to speak to an audience of two thousand people, and writing a book of my own. Working in tech makes me feel as if the possibilities for my future are limitless. I can dive deep into code and solve huge, far-reaching problems. I can resurface and share all that I learned with people around me. I can be regarded as a leader for this work. I want every girl to feel how impactful, powerful, and energizing a career in technology or other sciences can be.

I’m so excited for Brave New Girls to give us new role models, new examples of overcoming obstacles and solving problems, and new energy for stepping into the unknown and being brave. We very much need new characters on the roster of brave and smart technical women. I hope that, as Meg inspired me, these characters will inspire many to explore science, technology, engineering, and medicine, and to bravely navigate their own journey.

Lara Hogan

Senior Engineering Manager, Etsy

Author of Designing for Performance

THE OUTPOST

by Paige Daniels

TheOutpost.png

Kira Dresden, arguably the most successful Independent Transporter in the history of the galaxy, has thwarted the Bakic faction of Keepers once again. Ms. Dresden delivered much-needed medical supplies to the planetoid Seti-Prime-Delta in the Gamma-One Quadrant. The Bakics, the only known producers of the Plague vaccine, have vowed to keep the vaccine from those who swear allegiance to Keeper factions other than their own. When Ms. Dresden was commed by our—

L yvia, according to my internal clock, you have approximately twenty minutes to get to class, and you still haven’t eaten breakfast.

I look up from my netscreen, scowling at the floating bot. Why can’t you teach me, Heidi? It worked for the last fourteen years.

The bot’s eyes narrow and glow orange. Sixteen is far too old to be dependent on your Heidi Bot. You need social interaction with others your age.

I search my tiny cube of a room for a clean shirt. After pulling it over my head, I find a pink boot sticking out of a mass of clothing. I grab it and pull it on. Seriously, there are plenty of people my age who never see the inside of a classroom, and they turn out okay. I have plenty of friends I comm with. I scan the room for the boot’s mate.

Heidi finds and hands me the boot. Unless you want to end up an unsociable weirdo like that Larson kid back on the Alaris outpost, you’re going to have to learn to interact with others your age. I mean real people, not some perv acting like he’s a teenage girl. I think your parents made a great decision moving to this post.

Scowling, I tug on a sweater, then I look in the mirror and give my wild, curly short hair a tousle, making sure the rad pink and platinum streaks show through my natural dark hue. Yeah, right. This is the most backward outpost I’ve ever been on. Geez, I can’t wait until I can go to flight school and get the hell out— A gentle rapping at my door stops me mid-sentence. I already know who’s outside. I’ll be right out.

A masculine voice says patiently, Please hurry, Lyvia. You’ll be late for class.

I know. I’m almost ready. I push the button on the side of my door. It slides open to reveal a disheveled blond man with heavy stubble and tired eyes. I give him a sad smile. Pull an all-nighter down on the rock?

He rubs his eyes and yawns. Yeah, some of the scrubbers and low-grav sifters were giving us fits. If me and the crew didn’t have them up and running by morning, the boss man would’ve tanned my hide. To make things worse, I only have few hours to get some rest before I need to get back down there.

Sorry about that, Pops.

We walk down the narrow hallway to the tiny living room-kitchen area. I’ve lost count of all the asteroid-mining outposts we’ve been stationed on, but the accommodations are always the same: worn, cramped, and devoid of any personality or color. The crappiness of it all has almost become a comfort to me. I flop down at the tiny, scraped-up dining room table. Waiting in the kitchen is my other dad. He places bowls of steaming oatmeal in front of us.

I smile at him. Thanks, Dad. So, you have a busy day on tap?

He sits across from me and nods. Yeah, I might be working late again. I have a million samples to run. I don’t think this outpost is going to stay up as long as the boss man thinks it is. But I might’ve found something pretty interesting this time.

I sigh. I’ve heard this story a million times before. My parents are only called to a mining outpost when it’s nearing its end. They’ve made quite a name for themselves by eking the last bit of life out of an asteroid before the company pulls up stakes and makes for the next shiny rock waiting to be stripped of its resources.

Ian pats my arm. Don’t worry, Lyvia. I think we can get enough time on this rock to get you through your assessment cycles. Mr. Mendes says you’re doing quite well in class, and he doesn’t see why you wouldn’t be ready to start testing next year. He thinks you can qualify for scientist with a bit of work.

I roll my eyes. Ian, I don’t want to be a scientist. I want to be a pilot.

Ian drops his spoon and glares at me. I really wish you’d stop following those Kira Dresden stories. Honestly, I don’t know why the news outlets insist on reporting that glamorized tripe as news. Being a pilot is dangerous, nasty work. Most pilots don’t make it to thirty—

Thirty? That’s old!

Ian starts to retort, but Marc puts his hand up. It’s still early to be planning these things. Lyvia is a smart girl, and she needs to plot her own course. Being a pilot wouldn’t be the end of the world.

I give a triumphant smile. Thank you, Dad.

His eyes narrow, and he points his finger at me. But you need to listen to Ian. We’re just trying to help you avoid the pitfalls we faced as young men—

I pipe in. A long, long, long time ago.

Ian shakes his head. Smart aleck. Seriously—

A beep from the comm-tile on my wrist stops him mid-sentence. I shove another bite of oatmeal into my mouth and scoot out from the table. Welp, last call for class.

As I walk out the door, Ian’s voice echoes through the halls: We’re not done talking about this.

SceneBreak.jpg

Outpost Geti-P is one of the most worn-down, neglected asteroid mining outfits I’ve ever been on. LPL Industries is notorious for putting as little money as possible into the morale of their employees. I saunter down the hallway, brushing my fingers along the dirty walls and humming along to a synth-pop tune playing on my comm-tile. The heavy clomping of boots makes me look over my shoulder, and I can’t help but smile at my friend Gauge.

The tall, skinny boy smiles back, tossing his blond hair out of his eyes. You’re going to be late, Lyvia.

That class is a waste. My Heidi Bot did a hundred times better job of explaining material to me than Mr. Mendes.

If you didn’t come to class, then you wouldn’t get to see my bright and shiny face. And then who’d make fun of the Brat Brigade with me?

You got me there. I do enjoy making fun of those two.

We stop at a non-descript portal. I push a button, and the door starts to open but jams. I push the button several more times, and the door lurches back and forth.

Piece of crap. I reach into my cargo pants pocket, grab a multi-tool, and push a button. A laser emanates from the device, and I proceed to cut the panel off. I pull at a couple of wires and shunt them together; the door opens.

Gauge looks at me. You’re about as subtle as a hand grenade.

What? I got the job done.

In the classroom, a skinny man with stringy gray hair pulled back into a wisp of a ponytail scowls at me over his eyeglasses. Miss Bax-Dupree, must you always destroy items in my classroom?

Sir, the door wouldn’t open. What was I supposed to do?

Practice self-control and be patient.

I scoff as we enter the room. Patience is for quitters.

Gauge and I flop down at the first available consoles and log in. A pair of neatly dressed students scowls at us. The girl, whose ebony hair is pulled into a tight bun, says, Good going, Lyvia. Now we’re going to have to hear the noise from outside.

I sneer. Yes, Amalia, because so many people frequent this end of the station.

The boy adds, Father and Mother won’t be pleased.

I roll my eyes at this last comment, not giving him the pleasure of a retort. Amalia and Jair Jones, more affectionately known as the Brat Brigade, are the children of the two controllers of this outpost. They’re a thorn in everyone’s side, constantly watching each of us for any infraction.

I start out of my seat. I can fix it if you want.

Mr. Mendes clears his throat. No, Lyvia, you’re five lessons behind already. I’ll call maintenance.

Fine. Whatever.

Naisyn leans over to me. Good one, Lyvia. How long do you think it’ll be until the boss man and woman start riding your dads’ butts about your behavior?

I look over at the twins. Both are on their comm-tiles, furiously typing away. I shake my head. I’d say in about ten microseconds, Mr. and Mrs. Jones will be getting a message about me, and in another ten minutes, Ian or Marc will be getting a tersely worded comm about their daughter’s unacceptable behavior.

She giggles a little too loudly.

Mr. Mendes glares at us. Ladies, lessons, please.

Naisyn looks down sheepishly. Sorry, sir.

I look back at my display, and the day progresses like any other. We go through our individual lessons while Mr. Mendes snoops and offers useless commentary. After a few hours, Mr. Mendes lets us take a lunch break, and like every other day, he leaves the room for an extended lunch—a.k.a. a nap.

After he comes back, he calls the class to order, and I start again with the lessons.

Two hundred years ago, when the first wormhole was discovered, the brave men and women who explored it had no idea of the worlds they would encounter. Now, thanks to the four Keeper factions and the Blessed Ones, intergalactic travel has never been safer.

My eyelids grow heavy, and soon, I’m surrounded by silence and darkness. A light tap on my shoulder wakes me, and I jump. Oh, uh, sorry, Mr. Mendes.

He crosses his arms then bends down to look at my console. "Let’s see what you’re studying here. History of Intergalactic Wormhole Navigation. I would think a prospective pilot would find this fascinating."

I groan. I guess I would if the lesson wasn’t so boring.

He scoots a chair up beside me and sits down. The heavy smell of scented oils coming off his skin makes me want to ralph. Boring? Before the discovery of wormholes, humans were confined to one planet in one puny solar system. We were on the verge of wiping ourselves out. But when the wormholes were discovered, we could branch out, and by branching out, we found more common denominators amongst ourselves. We came together and started to thrive.

I roll my eyes. I know, the four Keeper factions manage all the traffic through the wormholes in the galaxy, and the Blessed Ones use their sensitivity to electromagnetic fields to help the Keepers find good wormholes.

Mr. Mendes raises his hands in the air and shouts, The Keepers are part of the problem. They exploit the Blessed Ones until they’re shells of human beings. It’s like this rock we’re mining and all the planets they encounter. They take them for all they’re worth and leave when they’re useless.

I stare at him, not knowing what to say.

People need to know about the injustices. His voice becomes calmer. Unless something big happens, no one will listen.

I guess I never thought of it that way.

Mr. Mendes looks at his comm-tile. I think this is as good as any time to break for the day. We’ll continue tomorrow.

SceneBreak.jpg

As we walk down the hall, I turn to Naisyn. So what are your plans tonight?

She rubs her head. I need to buckle down on schoolwork. I start the assessment cycle in a couple of months. Mom and Dad will kill me if I test low.

Gauge gives her a little chuck on the arm. As long as you put all your effort forth, I’m sure your parents won’t be disappointed. They’re good people, unlike my pa.

If Gauge’s dad isn’t strung out on Torx or down on the rock, then he’s roughing up Gauge. He never got over the death of Gauge’s mom a few years back. Gauge just wants to get the hell out of here, but he can’t leave until next year, when he turns seventeen, the age of majority.

Naisyn puts her hand on Gauge’s shoulder. They are. She stops at a portal and turns to us. Thanks for the pep talk, guys.

I smile. No problem. Hey, if you’re bored, send me a vidLink later.

Okay, I’ll chat with you tonight.

Gauge and I walk on. I’ll never admit it to my dads, but this is the first outpost where I’ve found real friends.

I elbow Gauge in the ribs to break the awkward silence. So, uh, you have any more problems with, well, you know?

He stops and looks down. Yeah, I think it’s getting worse. He glances around the hall to be sure no one is around. But watch this.

He stares at the comm-tile on my wrist. It starts to buzz, and the display flickers. I look back at him. Was that you?

His face is damp with sweat, and he winces. Yeah. It hurts like hell, though.

I smack him on the arm. Well, stop doing it, dummy!

I’m the only one Gauge has trusted with his secret. He said he was first able to sense electromagnetic fields at ten. Then, as he got older, he was able to manipulate those fields, and soon, that progressed into being able to manipulate things sensitive to electromagnetism, like metal or electronics. Since wormholes spit out a broad spectrum of EM fields, and since the Keepers use those wormholes as a primary way of transporting goods, the Blessed are a pretty hot commodity. The first Keeper faction to find a wormhole gets all the rights to it. If Gauge’s dad finds out that Gauge is Blessed, he’ll sell Gauge to the Keeper with the highest bid. The Blessed have, at the most, five years before their synapses burn out or they go completely insane from being overworked.

I put my hand on his shoulder. I’ll do anything you need me to do.

He gives me an awkward smile. Thanks. I might just take you up on that.

We stop when we see Mr. and Mrs. Jones standing in front of my portal. I look to Gauge, who shrugs.

I walk up to the controllers. My dads won’t be back for a while. Both of them frown—not the usual I’m-disappointed-in-your-life-choices frowns but more sad frowns. Something isn’t right. What’s wrong?

Mrs. Jones looks at Gauge. Mr. Jaso, can you please excuse us?

Um, yeah sure. As he walks away, he says to me, VidLink me later.

I nod, then look back at the Joneses. I said I was sorry about the door.

Mr. Jones shakes his head. No, dear. It’s not that. Can we talk to you inside, please?

My stomach twists as I punch in the code to open the door. The Joneses have never been nice to me. I enter the quarters and point to the small kitchen table. You can sit or whatever. They both sit, and I plop down on a seat across from them. They look at each other, as if neither wants to break the silence.

I say, Do you want a drink?

Mrs. Jones holds up her hand. No. Thank you, Lyvia. I… we… have to tell you, there’s been an accident down on the rock, and your parents were involved. The scrubbers encountered a fatal error, and Ian Bax and Marc Dupree were instantly killed. Operations down on the rock have been halted until the inspectors get here.

My head buzzes at her words. I’m barely able to hear what she’s saying. I shake my head. No! There’s some kind of mistake! They said they’d be back tonight. My heart races, and my head throbs. I keep thinking of ways around this, how they can be mistaken. My dads can’t be gone! They’re the only family I have in this great big empty galaxy.

A soft digital voice coos, Can I help you? What is going on?

I look up at Heidi, wiping tears from my eyes. They said that my dads are— I can’t do it. I can’t say it. If I do, then it really happened.

I’m glad to see you have a Heidi Bot. Mr. Jones turns to Heidi and says without a trace of emotion, Miss Bax-Dupree’s parents have been in a fatal accident. Since her parents were her only living relatives, LPL will be taking custody, and she will attend finishing school on the inner planets. He turns to me. Don’t worry. Your parents have planned for your financial future, and LPL has many great training opportunities.

The words are a garbled mess. My tears flow involuntarily, and my body shakes; there’s nothing I can do now.

Do you want to stay with our family until the transport comes for you? Mrs. Jones stands over me with a saccharine smile.

I want to punch that look off her face. I wipe my nose and shake my head. No, thank you. I want to be here.

Surely you don’t want to be in this dreadful place all alone.

I stand, giving them both a firm look. It’s not a dreadful place. It’s my home.

Mr. Jones says, Well, you know where to find us if you need us. Your transport should be here in a few days. You will only be allowed two transport boxes. The rest of the items will be sold and put into your estate.

After that, they leave, going out the door and back to their posh quarters and bratty kids. They’ll probably forget all about me and my problems, but with a few words, they’ve turned my life upside down.

I plop down on our ratty couch and have a good cry.

SceneBreak.jpg

Lyvia, are you okay? I look up at Heidi. You’ve been sleeping for quite some time. I sit up and wipe my eyes. For a brief second, I hold out hope everything that happened was just a nightmare, but then Heidi coos, Everyone is worried about you. And all my hopes are dashed.

They’re really gone.

I hug my knees and croak out, What am I going to do, Heidi?

She hovers close to me and touches her smooth metallic arm to my hand. Sweetie, there’s not much you can do other than go where they send you. I’m sure your dads made provisions for your future.

I don’t care about that! I just want… them back.

I was just trying to make you feel a little better. Her eyes turn green again. Besides, kiddo, you can’t get rid of me. I’ll be with you wherever you go.

I sniff up the snot and give a small smile. Thanks, Heidi.

The doorbell rings, and I grumble, I don’t want to talk to anyone.

More ringing, then a voice comes over the comms. It’s Gauge. I heard what happened.

Go away!

I’m not leaving.

Heidi says, I think a little company will do you some good. Let him in.

I huff. Fine. I shuffle to the door and open it.

Gauge is standing in hall, frowning. I don’t know what to say.

In that instant, all my defenses drop, and I start sobbing. They’re gone. They’re really gone.

He takes my hand and leads me to the couch. We sink into the cushions, and I put my head on his shoulder.

Gauge takes a deep breath. Let’s leave. There’s nothing left for us here. LPL is going to send you to some academy to become a corporate zombie like the Joneses. But if we leave, you can train to be a pilot, and I’ll sniff out wormholes no one else knows about.

I pull away. You’re not joking, are you?

No. It’s only a matter of time before Dad figures out what’s going on with me.

I laugh. Okay, let’s say we do it. Who’s going to teach me to fly? Even if I got into LPL’s pilot school, there’s no way my dads left me enough to buy my independence. And without that, how long do you think it’d before they discover your secret? So, do you have an independent pilot buddy willing to sign off on my certs who can keep their mouth shut?

He flips his hair out of his eyes and squirms. Okay, maybe I don’t have all the bugs worked out.

Heidi floats over and wedges herself between us. Her eyes glow red, and she turns to Gauge. Listen, lover boy, Lyvia has a lot of potential, and she doesn’t need you screwing it up. She’ll go to a great academy and be something important. She’s emotional now and doesn’t need the likes of you taking advantage of that. Pilots don’t live to see thirty, and—

The echoes of my dads’ words in Heidi’s make my stomach turn. I miss them so much. My head feels as though it’s going to explode. Enough! I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’d like to take the rest of tonight to remember my dads.

They reply in unison, Sorry.

Heidi removes herself from between us then faces Gauge. No funny business, mister. I’m equipped with two Class 3B lasers, and I’ll use them on you if you get too familiar with my girl.

He holds his hands up. Fine, fine.

She floats away, and I smile at Gauge. She’s a little protective.

Yeah, I sensed that. You know, I never knew anyone that kept their Heidi Bot past ten—

Stop right there. She’s been the only consistent thing in my life for years. She’s more than an educational bot to me.

He takes my hand and whispers, You know, I’m not kidding about leaving here. We can bring Heidi.

A lump forms in my throat. I know. It’s just that—

You need some time to think about it. He looks up at the console on the wall. Hey, it looks like you have a message. When did you get that?

I don’t know. I’ve been a little preoccupied. I press a couple of buttons on my all-in-one, and a holographic image of Marc appears. I gasp. Then the tears flow again. Gauge squeezes my hand. The hologram begins to speak:

Hello, angel. I want to let you know that Ian and I are going to be working really late. He gives a big smile. I hate leaving you alone like this, but I think you’ll forgive us. We found something really big, honey. We might’ve discovered a life-form no one has ever seen before. Make yourself dinner, get your homework done, and then you can go to the rec area. See ya soon.

I stare at Gauge. It feels as if all the oxygen has been sucked from my lungs. This message on any other day would’ve annoyed me, but now, it holds so much more significance. Oh, my…

He nods. I don’t think it was a simple scrubber accident.

SceneBreak.jpg

Heidi floats into the room carrying two steaming bowls and places them on the table in front of us. What are you two talking about?

I replay the holo-message for her. When it ends, she turns to us. You’re not thinking—?

Heidi, it’s way too convenient, Gauge interrupts. They discover an unknown life form and end up dead. If it got out that LPL didn’t stop production to investigate a possible new life form, then all those activist groups would be stirring crap on LPL’s planets. Lots of riots, lots of production lost, all because of some single-celled organism.

I rub my head, barely able to take all of this in. The Joneses would sell their grandma if it meant more status for them, but I’m not sure if I believe there’s a conspiracy afoot. But one thing I do know is that LPL’s crappy equipment killed my dads, and I owe it to them to find out what really happened. What do we do?

Gauge says, We make LPL pay. We find evidence of what really happened, and we blackmail them. They’ll give you enough money to buy your independence after you get your pilot license.

Heidi narrows her digital eyes. I know you’re going through a lot now, Lyvia, but don’t go making up issues where there are none. What happened to your dads was horrible, but it was just an accident. You don’t need to be chasing this.

I take a breath. Perhaps Heidi is right, but I have to know. It just seems so convenient. Ian said he fixed the scrubbers last night. He said they were running great now, and you know as well as I do, he’s the best at what he does. Why would there be a fatal malfunction when he just fixed them?

If Heidi had a breath to draw, she’d be doing it now. Lyvia—

Give me a day to check out some of details. If I hit a dead end, I’ll stop.

Heidi counters, What if you find something? What then?

Gauge pipes up, Then we’ll go to the Joneses and tell them—

Heidi cuts him off. LPL industries is in league with the Liu-Khatri Keeper Faction? That’s one of the biggest, baddest factions in the galaxy. You two will end up in your own ‘equipment accident’ if you’re not careful.

We’re both silent for a while, then Gauge says, I didn’t think about that.

We’re not stopping, I say. But Heidi’s right. They won’t listen to us. If we find out LPL had anything to do with their deaths, we keep it under our hats. No one will really care anyway. But I have to know.

Gauge nods. I’ll do anything you need me to do. And I’ll bet Naisyn will, too.

I give a little smile. Okay then. Let’s go see Naisyn.

As we turn toward the door, Heidi shouts out, Lyvia! I know I can’t stop you from doing this, but I beg you—be careful.

I turn from the door. I will, Heidi.

Her eyes turn up. You know, if something were to happen to you, my positronic nets might register something close to sadness for two whole nanoseconds.

I smile. Perish the thought.

A few minutes later, we arrive at the portal to Naisyn’s quarters. I push the call button, and almost immediately, the door slides open. My petite redheaded friend attacks me with hugs, then she pulls away and brushes the tears from her eyes. I’m so, so sorry. I loved your dads.

Her quarters are even more cramped than mine are. Her mother, who was standing at a tiny island in their kitchen, rushes over to give me a hug. Lyvia, I’m so sorry. Why don’t you stay here tonight?

Despite getting crap rations and quarters from LPL, Mr. and Mrs. Rose have been nothing but generous to me. I give her a squeeze then pull away. Thank you, Mrs. Rose. Did you see what happened? Where’s Mr. Rose?

She pats my shoulder. Mr. Rose is getting washed up. We didn’t see anything; our shifts hadn’t even started yet. They’ve shut down operations. No one’s allowed down on the rock until the investigators come.

My stomach sinks as I think about my future. Do you mind if we all hang out in Naisyn’s room?

Of course, you go ahead. I’m making dinner now. It’s no big deal for me to make two extra plates.

Thanks!

We cram into Naisyn’s tiny quarters in between the whirling computers and e-junk. As I flop on Naisyn’s bed, Gauge relays everything we learned. When Gauge finishes, Naisyn leans back in her chair and puts her hand on her mouth. Oh, my. What do we do?

I say, Do you think you can hack into LPL’s data logs and see if my dads made a report about their findings and who got the message?

I think so. I’ll have to be careful LPL doesn’t track me, though.

Suddenly, I feel guilty for asking my friend to take on such a risk. Look, Naisyn, don’t worry about it.

No, Lyvia, I’m going to help you. If I can’t cover my tracks, then I’ll just hang it up.

Gauge adds, Seriously, we don’t want you to get in trouble.

She shakes her head. Nope, you can’t stop me now. It won’t even take me an hour to get in and out. So, what are you two going to do?

I smile, once again taken aback by the generosity of the Roses. Well, I think Gauge and I are going to take a little trip down to the rock to check out the scrubbers for ourselves.

Gauge’s eyes widen. Wait. Flying? With you?

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After dinner, we leave the Roses’s quarters, telling Mrs. Rose we were going the common area to hang out for a while.

As Gauge and I run down the halls to the hangar bay, he says, Why did you tell Mrs. Rose you’d come back and stay the night? Now we don’t have as much time to poke around on the rock.

Yeah, I know, but if I kept refusing, she’d get suspicious. She might even think we’re at my place and you’re taking advantage of me in my highly emotional state. Either way, she’d be snooping around to make sure I was okay. Now I have them out of my hair for a few hours.

He feigns a hurt expression. I can’t believe they’d think I would dare to corrupt your virtue.

I know your intentions are nothing but pure.

We stop at two large double doors.

I look at him. You sure you want to do this?

Yeah. You need my help.

I rigged my all-in-one a few months back to hack into the hangar bay so I can scan for occupants and get in without people knowing.

You are a sneaky one.

I raise my eyebrows. Yeah, I know. I look down at my all-in-one again. Okay, it looks like the coast is clear.

I make a few clicks to my wrist, and the door whines then opens slowly. Once the opening is big enough, we slip through. As we go down the hangar, we weave between the various transports.

So how do you plan on getting your little ship out of here? Gauge asks. They monitor all the comings and goings on this outpost.

Man, you have no faith in me. I have a jammer on my rig. They only scan the rock once every four hours, and according to my handy-dandy all-in-one, they scanned about two hours ago, so we have plenty of time.

Well, you have everything planned out, don’t you?

Of course I do.

We finally reach my tiny rig. Much to Ian’s chagrin, Marc gave me an old, rundown Star Sprinter for my thirteenth birthday. Since I got her up and running, I’ve used any excuse I can to get her out and about.

I pull out a couple of environmental suits from the small craft and throw one to him. We both suit up.

So, you ready for this, Gauge?

Riding with you nauseates me, but sure—let’s go.

We hop in the Sprinter and strap in. I push a button, and the canopy closes down over us.

Gauge’s voice comes over the comms. You sure you know what you’re doing?

Geez, I stall it one time, and you never let me forget it. For someone so hell-bent on starting up a transport business with me, you’re awful scared of flying.

Well, I figured you’d have a few years of professional instruction under your belt before we started that venture.

Tired of hearing him talk, I push the launch button. We’re thrust from the hangar into the expanse beyond. I snicker. You were saying?

He takes a deep breath. Never mind. Let’s just get to the rock and get out.

Aye, aye, Captain.

I punch in the coordinates, and within minutes, the rock is in view. I hover over the landing pad for a few seconds, then the Sprinter comes down with a thud.

Nice landing, slick.

Shut up. Landing is the hard part.

I push a couple of buttons, and the canopy opens. We crawl out of the Sprinter, our boots sticking to the magnetized landing pad as we shuffle toward the airlock. Gauge turns a lever on the door, and we go in. Once the door’s closed, a rush of air fills the compartment, then the indicator light turns green. We go through the entry door then remove our helmets. Usually, the processing structure is abuzz with activity around the clock, but now it’s vacant, dimly lit, and quiet.

Gauge puts his hand on my shoulder. You gonna be okay? You don’t have to go. I’ll go in and report anything I find to you.

I need to do this.

All right then. Let’s get going, because we don’t have long before they start scanning again.

We take the magnetic strips off our boots and start down the hall. There’s nothing I can say. Every time I try, the words get caught in my throat. I don’t want to cry. I don’t want to think. I just want to be away from here, but I know I need to force myself on.

After walking for what seems like forever, we come to a large room filled with machinery—all quiet, all motionless. I walk up to the piece of equipment, charred and split down the middle. I circle the scrubber, brushing my fingers along the metal.

I take a deep breath. Okay, time to get going. Look over every square millimeter for tampering and take a picture of anything you think may be suspect.

Okay, according to my comm-tile, we have an hour to get out of here. I’m setting my timer. When it goes off, we have to leave—no matter what.

I roll my eyes.

I’m serious, Lyvia.

Fine, fine. The more you talk, the less time we have to investigate.

We both get on our hands and knees on opposite sides of the scrubber. No dent, scratch, or cut goes unphotographed by me. I know there has to be something here. I start to get lost in the details, but then the sound of a throat clearing makes me stop. What, Gauge? Will you stop interrupting me?

It’s not Gauge. What are you two doing here?

Oh, crap. It’s the Brat Brigade.

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Amalia gives me an icy stare that bores into my soul. No one is supposed to be here until the inspectors arrive.

I stare right back at her. "So what are you doing here?"

We all glare at each other, no one wanting to give anything away.

Gauge breaks the silent stalemate. Listen, I think it’s safe to say we all think there’s something more to this than just an equipment malfunction. It might help if we all spill our guts.

I shake my head. The last thing I’m going to do is tell those two what I know. They’re probably covering up evidence before the inspectors get here.

Jair yells, Our parents don’t even know we’re down here—

Amalia cuts him off with an elbow in the ribs.

He swats her away, then continues. If we don’t have some help, they’re going to accuse our parents, just like everyone else.

I cross my arms. Why would I help you two?

Amalia says, Because I’m sure you’re down here to find the person who’s responsible for killing your parents. I know you, Lyvia, and you want the truth. Someone’s trying to frame our parents.

I relax my arms a bit. Why would someone be trying to frame your parents?

Jair takes a breath. The Keeper Separatists. My parents have heard reports of them sabotaging businesses aligned with any Keeper faction. Their goal is to make the Keepers and anyone who may align with them look as bad as possible. They want the planets to rise up against the Keepers and to have wormholes free for anyone to pass through. My parents are just another one of their victims.

I scoff. Amalia and Jair’s parents are the farthest down on my list of people I would classify as victims, but their theory does hold some merit. So what if they frame your parents? They’ll get a slap on the wrist and go on their merry way.

Amalia shakes her head. Are you kidding me? It’s no secret this place only has a few years left. My parents have been promised a position on a proper planet with immediate enrollment for me and Jair in an apprenticeship program for LPL, as long as there are no issues with their tenure here. They have everything to lose, because one tiny tarnish on their résumé, and that position will go to one of hundreds of other hungry people behind them.

Things just got a lot more complicated.

Gauge looks at me. I think you need to tell them what you know.

Amalia knits her eyebrows. What?

I huff out, Fine. My parents left me a message before they— My throat tightens. I can’t say it, not yet. Gauge puts his hand on my shoulder, and I take a deep breath. They left me a message saying they might’ve found another life-form down here.

Amalia and Jair look at each other in silence.

What is it? Don’t keep anything from me.

Amalia lets out an exasperated sigh. Okay, fine. Mother and Father knew about this. They were actually pretty excited about the possibility.

Gauge says, Why would they be excited about that? They’d have to shut down operations if they found another life-form.

Jair continues. Yes, they would, but they did some checking and found they could sell the rock to a lab for a lot more than it would yield for the next couple of years. That would’ve fast-tracked them for their new position, and we would’ve been put in the apprenticeship program early.

Gauge paces back and forth for a bit then yells, They were just going to sell the rock with no thought of what would happen to all the workers here?

Jair holds out his hand. They only learned of the possibility a couple of days ago. They didn’t want to say anything until they were certain, because they thought they might upset people needlessly. I can’t imagine why they thought that.

Gauge crosses his arms and stares at the twins in silence. I put my hand on his shoulder to calm him. I point my finger at the twins, ready to tear into them, but a beeping on my comm-tile interrupts me. I sigh. Crap!

Jair asks, What was that?

I set an alarm to remind me when we had to get out of here. Naisyn is doing some hunting of her own on the nets. We’ll go back and see if she’s found anything.

Amalia nods. Fine. But if I find out you two are up to something—

I cut her off. Yeah, yeah, let’s get out of here. You can threaten me more later.

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After we got back to the outpost, Naisyn and I went back to her room, using a sleepover as a guise to our conduct our operations. We found that Mr. and Mrs. Jones had received a comm about my parents’ discovery, but we already knew that. The one interesting thing we did find was a small snooper script on all of the Jones’s comms. Before we were able to see who was responsible, Naisyn’s mom made us go to bed. We all vowed we’d pick up with our research in the morning while we were at classes. Mr. Mendes is usually happy to play the if-you-leave-me-alone-I’ll-leave-you-alone game, so long as we’re discreet with what we do.

I stifle a yawn while I stare at the display before me. I pull up the lesson of the day: Trigonometry for Navigation. After I’m sure Mr. Mendes is ensconced in whatever whole-food-animal-hugging site he’s always on, I pull up a chat session with Naisyn, Gauge, and the twins.

>>> So Naisyn, you find anything yet?

Naisyn: Not yet. I’m still back-tracking, but whoever it is, is bouncing it around a ton of satellites in this quadrant. Give me a bit, and I think I can get it.

Jair: I still find it hard to believe my parents’ system was compromised. Their firewalls are the best.

Naisyn: Apparently not the best, because even I was able to hack in.

>>> Okay, let’s focus. We know someone hacked into your parents’ accounts, and that person more than likely knew about my dads’ discovery. Is there anyone here who was gunning for your parents’ position?

Amalia: I don’t think anyone here had the clout, but it could’ve been a relative. I can search the databases