I bolted upright in bed. Sweat was racing down my face, and my heart was beating out of control; I took quick breaths to calm it. My thoughts slowed from their galloping pace.

It wasn’t real. I groaned and brought my fist down on the lavender sheets. The first time I’d slept in a real bed in who knew how long, and it’d been ruined by the freaking nightmares!

Soft rays peeked through the curtains. At least I’d slept until morning this time. Barely getting sleep on the first day of a new adventure would have been awful. I slipped out of the guest bed and landed on my feet. Then I stretched my newly awakened body while taking in my surroundings. Like every inch in Manning’s house, his guest room was spotless. It smelled brand new, and it was far too nice for me.

I teetered over to the closet, whipped out my vivepen, and lowered it to a door. I wrote out a message for Manning, one he’d never read, but saying it somewhere made me feel better: THANKS, MANNING!

I clicked my pen, erasing the message. This was the lesser-known use for my vivepen. I’d scribble something that I couldn’t say out loud. It’d never reach any eyes but my own. Was it healthy? Hardly a question. Most ways of life weren’t, but at least they made us comfortable. Ever since I’d modified my vivepen to include the glow-in-the-dark text, it had felt like part of me. That was why it was easy to communicate with it. Otherwise, it was just an awesome pen.

I pulled open the closet, revealing my blue and white space suit standing upright inside. It was like I had my own knight watching over me, not the one that had nearly killed us. I slid open a panel on the suit’s back and hit the green, yellow, and red buttons beneath it. It whirled and stuttered like something Manning had showed us—a “printer,” I think it was called? Then the back popped open. I stepped into its waiting embrace, relishing its soft padding. Back in my own skin.

I trudged into the hallway. We’d wasted Wednesday. Now it was Thursday, and Manning clarified that we had until Saturday to get the plans back. I had to get the ball rolling. Without waking Laura up. Didn’t matter if the Moon was at stake, I wouldn’t hear the end of it if I interrupted her sleep.

“Who sold my space suit for a cruiser?! Nathan?!” an unfamiliar voice demanded to know.

“ME? But Dad, I’m not even old enough to drive!” said someone else, probably Nathan.

A distant crowd burst into laughter. I didn’t know what was creating the presumably fake audio, but it sounded way too realistic. It originated from a door on my right. The audio continued, playing out a muffled exchange between father and son. It was exaggerated beyond belief and constantly interrupted by faint laughter. Someone was watching TV, and it sounded lame. That was the 26th century for you.

I pressed my ear to the door. Nathan promised to return the cruiser to get the suit back. I assumed that, after completing some ridiculous task to get it back, he’d realize that he was stranded since he wouldn’t have the cruiser anymore. Sitcoms were so predictable.

“Come in, Mr. Locke, I know you’re lurking,” Manning said over more audience laughter.

I gasped. How did he know? Was he a bat costume-wearing detective? “Uh, morning,” I said as I pushed the door open.

“Good morning to you as well.” Manning smirked ever so slightly. I swore he could read minds.

He was propped up against his bed’s headboard. The bed frame was brown, but the sheets were a nice shade of gold. Beside the bed was a nightstand with a lamp on it. No doubt for nightly reading. Why didn’t he just read off his phone like a normal person?

He held a blue rectangle. It was the size of a box of chocolates and covered in flashing blue lights. Transparent people stood frozen above it, like statues. Holograms. I was definitely getting sick of those.

I pointed behind me. “How did you know I was out there?”

“It’s difficult to be stealthy in a metallic suit. May I ask why you came looking for me?”

I leaned against the doorway. “I was kind of just stumbling around. But if you’re ready to go, we should bolt after I brush my tee—”

A gleam caught my eye. It came from the open drawer beside Manning. A mountain of medals sat in it. That drawer must have weighed a ton and a half.

“Whoa, are those your old army medals?” I pointed to them, and he hesitantly followed my finger. “They look just like my grandfather’s. Mind if I take a look?”

His eyes were damp like he was about to cry. Hopefully, I wasn’t the cause of that.

“I’m tempted to shoo you away, but I know that your curiosity knows no bounds.” The corners of his mouth curled up, but I’d hardly call it a smile. “Go right ahead.”

If he insisted. The drawer was packed full of the shiny trinkets. Each one had a specific engraving that described what he’d done to earn it. That was cool, but why were there so many? There were even duplicates like he’d earned some twice. It wasn’t just shocking, it didn’t make sense.

“Wow, Manning, I guess you were always an overachiever.” I picked up a handful of medals and let them fall clanking back into the box. “Must be why Laura looks up to you.”

He chuckled like I’d stumbled upon his secrets. “Well, I had to be. I was defending the galaxy after all. And Ms. Genki only admires me because I cared when her own parents did not. She saw tutoring as an escape, which was why she requested so much of it. I’m not even convinced it improved her grades. They were already so high. Isn’t your situation with her similar?”

I scratched my face as I recalled ancient memories. “Pretty much. She used to hang at my house after school instead of her own. She became part of the family faster than any of us expected. I’ll never forget the day we met. She punched me in the face. Good times. But she’s probably told you the story millions of times. I’ll just get going now.”

“Hold on for just a moment, Mr. Locke.” Manning tugged his phone out of his space suit. “Madam President entrusted me with something special late last night. It seems that our most important item has arrived. A swift delivery, wouldn’t you say? We didn’t even pay for shipping. Yes, I’m sure you’re confused. Because you’ll need these to understand.”

Purple light radiated from Manning’s screen; a sure sign that he was pulling something from the cloud. Either that or he’d activated his flashlight app. He snatched a solid object out of the light. It was a blue rectangle that comfortably fit in his hand. He casually passed it into mine like it was a candy bar. It had buttons with lock symbols. The bottom poked out like it was meant to jab into something. I’ve seen a lot of rectangles in my day, but this was the most functional.

“A key?” I looked at Manning, whose smile basically gave me the confirmation I sought. “You’re kidding.”

He was not kidding.

Yes, Frost had known we needed a ship. No, I hadn’t expected her to come through! I stared out the windshield of my brand-new cockpit in my brand-new exploration ship! It smelled like pristine tools from a new hardware store. It had all the standard floors too. Parking bay, cabins, engine room, sick bay, kitchen, and so on. It felt like the earlier simulation, but it was real. I planted myself in the captain’s chair. Refreshingly comfortable. I sighed in happiness as I melted in it.

The ship sat in a parking lot (one made specifically for ships, not a dinky grocery store lot). It gave me a lovely view of New Selene. Rather, it would have been lovely if there had been anything to see. New Selene had nothing but stout buildings and patches of green. I couldn’t wait to leave. I grabbed the wheel-yoke thing.

Memories of my exam came flooding back. Terror jabbed at me as the AI invaded my vision. I shut my eyes, but they were burned into my eyelids. I couldn’t breathe. My head was wrapped in a plastic bag. I heard her voice, so I covered my ears. What was happening? I was tormented at night, I was tormented during the day, when would I be free?

The door behind me slid open, shattering the illusions. I lowered my head, shook it free of the images, and took rapid breaths to speed up my recovery. No one could ever see me like this. Who was even in here? The cockpit door led to a hallway that ended in an elevator so…anyone could have been behind me. Especially since I’d left the ship’s cruiser ramp down. I turned to face my intruder and found a glaring Laura with a smirking Manning.

“Hey Wander, what’s going on?” she asked, but I didn’t dare answer. “No, wait, let me go first! Because I’m still wearing my pajamas under this space suit! You know whose fault that is?”

Laura being rude? Thank goodness. Something I could handle. If I was lucky, she wouldn’t notice that I was on the verge of a meltdown.

“I didn’t tell Manning to wake you, so that’s on him.” I eyed the control panel so they wouldn’t see my face.

“He didn’t wake me up. I woke up on my own, and now I’m in a space ship. Before breakfast. Do I seem like a functioning citizen of the First Division to you?! Why are we doing this so early?”

“You’re the one who wanted to come along! We don’t have time to lay around in bed. Do you think the Oppressed do? I assure you they don’t.” I paused, a single thought disrupting all others. “Did you tell your family that you’re leaving?”

Her glare turned serious. “Of course not. They’d never listen to me. This is my only way out of that prison. Scratch that. At least people notice you’re around in a prison. My ‘parents’ won’t know I’m gone until they need me for some business crap.”

If Laura truly saw this as an “escape,” then she would seem happier. She’d been wanting out of that household for so long, and now the chance was here. She should have been jumping for joy.

“Is this really how you want to leave your lunar life behind? Remember you’re leaving your family behind too.”

She scoffed. “I’m definitely not leaving my family behind, dummy.” My confusion must have shown on my face because she laughed at it. “Don’t worry about it. Focus on this huge ship. This is what you’ve always wanted.”

I stroked the squeaky control panel. “You’re not wrong. I can’t believe I own this beauty. This is a gift, right? Not a rental or anything?”

“Yes, Mr. Locke. Madam President sent the key with a message to let me know that you are the rightful owner of this vehicle. It’s an advance payment for the mission.” Manning took a seat in the back row. “Now let’s hope your armored friend doesn’t interfere with our take off.”

That was a good point. Whoever that knight guy was, he seemed to know too much about us. I had a theory about his identity, but I didn’t have the proof for that yet. Either way, he might have known what I’d do before I did it. I’d have to slip by before he had the chance to crash our party.

“Don’t worry ‘bout that, Manning.” I cracked my knuckles; the satisfying pops pumped me up. “Just strap in.”

“I hate that tone you’re using,” Laura said as she sat right behind me. “Nothing good ever happens when it’s around. What are you planning?”

I brought up the galactic map with trembling fingers. Flying from the Moon to New Earth wasn’t the longest trip ever, but it’d still take hours to a day. I wasn’t even sure if I could handle the ship at 100% speed yet. Thank goodness for warping.

The ship’s hover engine hummed an energetic tune as I lifted us up. I was supposed to be watching the sky to make sure no other ships were near as I left the atmosphere. That’d be a waste of time: This lot, let alone the people in town, barely had ships. Instead, I watched the monitor. It could display any view outside the ship, so I had it set to New Selene. The whole town. I watched it shrink as I finally carried out my escape. Buildings merged, grass patches grew, streets blurred, and together it all just looked…white.

“Does this ship have a name?” Laura suddenly asked.

“Neo Stardust Serpent.” I switched the monitor to a grid with a single blip in the middle. Ours. We were the only blip, confirming that there were no active ships around. “Nothing fancy like a Meteo Sunspot, but—”

“That’s not what I meant. I didn’t even understand a word you said. I mean like a nickname. What should we call it?”

I pushed the speed slider over, accelerating us. The rush flung me against my seat. Soft grunts told me that my companions were experiencing the same thing. The infinite blue sky welcomed us as we zoomed into it.

“I considered possible names for a ship, but I was too busy moping to settle.” The blue faded into black, joined by those little white specks I liked so much. The monitor flashed red, signaling that we’d left the atmosphere. I switched it to a view of the Moon. My former prison. “How about—”

“What about Eachtra?” Manning…coughed, I think. If he was saying an actual word, he should have cleared his throat first. “It’s a word that originates from the Tenth Division. It roughly translates to ‘episode,’ or ‘adventure.’ Considering Mr. Locke’s heritage, I believe it suits his vehicle.”

“I like it!” Laura exclaimed as only a traitor would. “It has meaning. Hear that, Wander? We named your ship for you. You’re welcome.”

“Did you just name my ship after a sneeze? Now you don’t get to prepare for the warp.”

I wasn’t looking, but I was sure Laura’s face fell. “Wait, what about a warp?”

I searched the panel for any sign of the warp option. I didn’t bother learning every button because most of them didn’t matter. When would I ever need to hyperlock the engine? I flipped through the monitor’s menus until I found the option that read INITIATE WARP. I’d already jabbed the course into the map, so all I had to do was hit the button.

Everything went silent and dark at the same time. Every part of me stretched out like I was a rubber band. I had no idea what I was looking at because everything lost all detail. I wasn’t in pain, but I felt…numb.

I turned to look at the others, but once I did, it stopped. Sound rushed into my ears, and light blinded me before I returned to my surroundings.

“Whoa…” I looked down at my hands. They felt like they were vibrating, but they were perfectly still. Everything felt fuzzy like I’d been plunged into teddy bear stuffing. “That was insane!”

“I…hate you.” Laura groaned as she fell out of her chair. I would’ve helped her if I wasn’t laughing. “So much!”

Manning stretched as if he’d just woken up. “Been quite a while since my last warp. This was borderline refreshing.”

“Happy for you, Instructor.” Laura slumped back in her chair and looked me in the eyes. There wasn’t a trace of humor on her face. I might actually have been in trouble there. “You know you’re a leader now, right? Leaders share things, they give orders for the benefit of everyone. They don’t make decisions for themselves.”

“This was just a warp! If we’re facing something big then of course I’ll give everyone proper orders.” I broke eye contact and went back to the control panel. “Who said I even wanted to be a leader?” My grandfather had been the leader of Humanity’s Oath. If I became one too, it’d fuel the comparisons that already consumed my life.

Everyone already expected me to be perfect thanks to him. When they realized I wasn’t, I became a disgrace to his legacy. That parent-teacher conference was great for my elementary-school self. If I actually followed in those giant footsteps, I’d just be handing them ammunition. Besides, he hadn’t been as great as people said. He did lead his team to many victories, but he also led them to their deaths.

A red planet with huge blue spots sat on the monitor. The water and roaming white clouds were great at breaking up the red. According to one of Manning’s lessons, the planet used to be called “Mars” and also used to be completely red. That sounded bananas to me. It was like saying the Moon used to be barren. Oh no! I’d better not be missing that place already.

“We made it to New Earth. Hooray! But I think we’re on the wrong side of it.” I switched the monitor to a map as we descended. “Now I have to fly all the way around. Get back in your seat, Laura.”

She climbed into her chair and, eventually, was slumped in it. “Hurry up. Solid ground is exactly what I need right now.”

Red enveloped us as we plunged downwards. The monitor flashed green; we had officially entered New Earth’s atmosphere. Our classmates would always talk about trips they took to Red City, the most popular vacation spot among teenagers. Even Laura had been there. This would be my first time seeing it. My family had never been that interested in taking vacations. I wish we had been. I wish we’d made a lot more memories together.

This wasn’t focusing.

The monitor said that Red City was an hour away at our current speed. That was good, but it also meant I should be seeing something other than red sand. I knew New Earth had an abundance of deserts, but one so close to such a popular city? It was like I’d never left the Moon and its pearly dust behind.

A red flash illuminated the room as the ship rumbled. I could read the signs all too well: we were under attack. I switched the monitor to the radar, but there were still no active ships.

“Did you guys feel that?” Laura said. “Did something hit us? I could be imagining things, considering that my brain just zoomed across the galaxy.”

“Can you quit glaring those daggers at me? I’m trying to focus.” I glanced between the monitor and the windshield as I pushed the slider along. “You weren’t imagining anything, but don’t worry, I’m handling it.”

“Handling what?!”

The ship shook again, and there was another red flash. My new ship didn’t deserve any of this. What did it ever do besides being beautiful? I switched the monitor back to the planet. Still nothing but red sand! Wait. I leaned toward the monitor as I zoomed in. It was just red, but some of the red was moving. Something red, mobile, and if I could clearly see them from this distance, tall.

Martians.

We shared New Earth with them since they were the original inhabitants. That meant they should have been peaceful. So why and how were they attacking us? A handful sat in a vehicle as red as them. So that’s how they were keeping up. One of them held up a long pole with a sharp end. A spear? He reeled back and hurled it up. A javelin. It soared like a bullet and flew out of my field of vision. The accompanying rumble told me that it had hit. Must have had tracking or magnetic properties if it hit a moving ship.

“That’s it!” I reached for the slider. “I’m cranking this thing all the way up.”

“Are you sure you can handle it at that speed?” Manning asked.

Nope. “Of course I can!”

The speed slider went up to one hundred, and that’s where I pushed it. So what if I lost control? It was better than being pelted. I braced myself for the speed boost…but it never came. The windshield showed the same roving clouds of a few minutes previously. The Martians were still on my monitor. We weren’t going faster. We weren’t even moving!

“This isn’t funny. I’m not smiling.” I moved the slider back and forth as if that would fix the problem. “What’s going on?!”

The monitor went dark then lit up then darkened again. It wasn’t flashing anymore, it was flickering. The javelins were doing something. They were messing with the systems, the engine, they were…draining power!

“Wander? Status report?” Laura called as fear crept into her voice.

“I…” My voice caught in my throat. My stomach lurched as the clouds tiptoed out of frame. The red desert now filled both the windshield and the monitor’s fleeting image. Force pushed me against my chair. “I think…I think we’re going down, guys.”

Even if I could turn my head, I wouldn’t look at them. I’d see my own fear reflected on Laura’s face. It’d strengthen my guilt. I squeezed my armrests as we fell from the sky. I opened my mouth, but only a gasp came out. Such a gentle sound compared to the inhumanly thunderous impact that followed. The pain forced itself into every inch of my body. My vision flickered like the monitor. Light then dark then light…then the dark won.