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CHAPTER 1

Year 2521

Planet Aerth

Lohi City

Ash Atlas was possessed by a furious longing. He had just finished watching the Retrograde Race, and had feasted on the scene of Stella’s victory like a starved animal. Now, with the broadcast ended and the holovision shut off, darkness engulfed the theater. Ash stood silent, trying to recapture the feeling from moments before when Stella had crossed the portal. It was elusive, like trying to remember a quickly-vanishing dream.

image [https://i.imgur.com/yJxEDLk.jpg]

“That was wild!” Next to Ash was his seven-year-old brother Eya, who had been watching the race with him. Ash hastily covered Eya’s mouth with his hand.

"Shh! You wanna get us caught?!" Ash whispered. He and his brother stood in a viewing balcony within the theater, well out of sight from the people who sat below. Ash and Eya were not supposed to be there. The theater resided within the Mahina La Planetarium, which was run by their father. And their father had expressly forbidden them from watching the race.

Eya was bursting with elation, his unruly black hair made unrulier by his excitement, almost standing on end. He pried away his big brother's hand, whispering, "She did it! Stella won!" For a moment, the fleeting euphoria Ash had felt earlier returned – it took him all he could to keep from cheering too.

Stella won! Ash had been following the budding starcatcher’s exploits for years now; it felt cathartic to see her finally win the Retrograde Race. Almost as if he’d won himself. One day, that’ll be me, he thought.

"Did you see the last shot she took?!" Eya whispered. He stretched out his arms like Stella had, shaping his fingers into guns. "That was so cool!" he said, firing two pretend-shots. This made him lose balance, and he slipped from the balcony ledge on which he’d been sitting.

"AAHH!" He screamed just as Ash's hand reached out to catch him. Fortunately, he didn't fall. Unfortunately, the theater had now gone silent, and every single head was pointed upward at them.

Shit, Ash thought.

__________

Dr. Ano Atlas was a serious man with a sturdy frame and a thick mustache. Veins bulged from his crossed arms, bursting like a river delta from beneath his rolled-up sleeves. He stood imposingly over his sons, Ash and Eya. In truth, Ash was 14 years old and had already reached his father’s height; but in this moment, Ano’s presence was so hostile that Ash felt as small as his brother.

In the theater sat four researchers who worked under Ano at the planetarium lab. They remained in their seats, some with their legs kicked up, others still munching on their snacks, watching Ano discipline his sons as if it was just a continuation of the show.

"I sent you home hours ago," Ano said.

Ash shuffled his feet, looking away. "Yeah, but...you know mom won't let us watch the race at home…”

“And you know who she’ll blame when she finds out you watched it here.”

Ash had no excuse, and he knew an apology would be useless. If only I didn’t bring Eya, he thought. This certainly wasn’t the first time he’d snuck into the theater to watch the Retrograde Race – he’d done it for the last four years – but it was the first time Eya had tagged along. He’d known it would be a bad idea, but Eya had pleaded, and Ash never had an easy time resisting his brother.

One of the onlookers, Grayson, spoke up. "Cut him some slack, Ano. What self-respecting scientist wouldn’t want to watch the Retrograde Race?" Grayson shot a wink at Ash. Being the youngest researcher at the lab, Grayson had always been the one who got along best with Ash.

Ano glared at Grayson. "He's not anywhere near being a scientist yet,” he said. "He hasn’t even started high school. And we all know the race itself has no scientific value – at the end of the day it’s just bloodsport." The Retrograde Race was the culmination of an arduous space ranger training program. It was the final trial for ranger candidates – the stage where some found their lives’ efforts finally rewarded, and others found their lives extinguished.

"You call it bloodsport, but you were watching right along with us." Laila, another researcher, chimed in, tossing some popcorn into her mouth. "Besides, Ash's old enough! You don't think he can handle a little violence? I'm sure he's seen worse in movies, haven't you, Ash?"

Before Ash could answer, Grayson shouted in mock outrage: "Free Ash and Eya!" A few other lab members echoed him, and it turned into a chant. "Free Ash and Eya! Free Ash and Eya!" Though they were clearly just being cheeky, Ash was grateful that they lightened the tension somewhat.

Ano grew visibly more irritated. "Knock it off, or you're all fired!" he said. There were some eyerolls – he threatened to fire them at least twice a week – but they settled down.

Ano turned his stern gaze back to Ash. "Real people probably just died in the race we watched. That's not some cute movie violence. And besides,” he glanced briefly at Eya, "Eya is definitely too young to see this."

Ano continued, "I warned you before, Ash - break the lab rules again, and you'd be banned." Technically, sneaking in to watch the race had nothing to do with lab rules. But Ash knew better than to say that aloud.

Now realizing how much trouble they were in, Eya tried to defend himself and his brother. “But dad, we had to watch it. It’s part of Ash’s starcatcher training!”

Ever so slightly, the atmosphere shifted. Laila paused momentarily while chewing her popcorn. Sara and Juan, the two other researchers who’d been half-listening to the conversation with amusement, became a little more alert.

Ano looked confused. “What do you mean by that?”

Eya’s words tumbled out. “Ash's gonna be a starcatcher, just like Stella! He’s gonna go to space, and pilot his own ship, and make more discoveries than any starcatcher in history! Right, Ash?” He glanced at Ash but didn’t wait for a response. “And, and he said I can follow him when I’m old enough! So we gotta watch the Retrograde Race, for our training!”

While Eya spoke, Ash felt the embarrassment creeping up his spine, mounting in intensity. By most people’s standards, he was way too old to be talking about being a ‘starcatcher.’

Ash mustered the courage to survey the room. His father looked stunned, and Laila seemed perplexed. Sara and Juan seemed like they were holding back laughter, which aggravated Ash. But what really vexed him was the look of pity on Grayson’s face.

Grayson addressed Ash like a doctor would address a terminal patient. “Ash...you do know that –”

“Oh, he knows, Grayson.” Ano interjected. “I think he just likes putting foolish ideas into his brother's head.”

“That's not –” Ash began to reply.

“It doesn’t matter,” Ano said, and crouched down to face Eya. “Eya, how old are you now?”

“I’m seven, you know that!” His tone was chastising, but he puffed out his chest in pride. “Mom even said I can start riding hoverscooters now!”

Ano smiled. “That’s right. You’re growing up fast, huh? I think you’re old enough now to start using big-boy words.”

Eya perked up. “Like what?”

“Well, to start with, ‘starcatchers’ aren’t a real thing. It’s an old word we used before we truly started exploring space. That’s why nowadays you only hear it in folktales.”

“But then…what about Stella?” Eya asked.

“People like Stella are called rangers. If you want to be taken seriously, that’s the word you use. You do want to be taken seriously, right?”

“Yeah!”

“And I know it looks like fun and games, but what rangers do is very demanding. They travel into deep, uncharted space in search of resources and discoveries that could help their home planet. It’s a lot of responsibility, Eya. Not to mention the danger.”

“I already know how dangerous it is!” Eya said. “There’s crazy space weather and wild planets, and you have to fight insane monsters and against other sta—rangers too. But I’m not scared!”

“It’s not just – ” It seemed like Ano was going to correct Eya, but decided it wasn’t worth it. Rubbing his temple, he asked, “Have they already taught you at school about the First Contact?”

“Yeah! ‘In 2400 the Visitors came, accepting mankind to the Free Stellar Frame!”

“That’s right,” Ano said. “Rangers discovered our planet, and we joined council with the other alien civilizations. But you need to understand something important, Eya: Humans aren’t allowed to have rangers until we’ve been part of the council for 500 years.”

Eya began counting on his fingers.

“That means we have 379 years to go,” Ano said.

Eya’s face crumpled in outrage. “I’ll be dead by then!”

All the adults in the room laughed. “True enough!”

Ano looked tired, but he spoke sympathetically. “That’s the point, Eya. You and Ash won’t ever be rangers.”

Eya fell silent. Ash had known this for a long time, but never had the heart to disillusion Eya from his dream. Or, he just realized, perhaps Ash had wanted to maintain the fantasy a little longer for himself. Eya’s innocent optimism had been Ash’s lifeline, allowing him to stave off the brutal, logical truth: there was no fathomable way he could become a ranger. Now his lifeline was being cut, and reality threatened to flood back in again.

Eya looked at Ash. Surprisingly, his face was placid. “Ash, is that true?”

Ash didn’t look at Eya directly. “Well…”

Well, why should it be true? There was a first time for everything. Nobody knew there was an entire mega-civilization of aliens until they just appeared one day. No one actually tries, Ash thought bitterly. They give up immediately, without even the tiniest effort. But I’m better than them. I don’t have 379 years to wait. I’m alive today, and I’ll be a starcatcher today. Maybe it’s true that they can’t do it, but… “It’s not true for me,” Ash replied to Eya.

Eya’s eyes lit up. But Ano cocked his head, looking slightly concerned. “What are you talking about?”

Ash tried his best to sound confident. “I’ll figure out a way. Once I get into the Space Cadet Academy, they might make an exception for me.”

“Space Cadet? I thought we talked about this. I forbade you from even applying. There’s no future for you there,” Ano said. “You’re going to a normal high school.”

“It’s not like I want to be a soldier. I have no plans to fight in any war. I want to be a sta – a ranger. And the academy has a ranger track, so why not?”

Ano crossed his arms. “Because that track is a dead end, and you know it. The ‘rangers’ who graduate from there do end up joining the military. I’m not letting you waste your future like that.”

“Yeah, I know,” Ash said, annoyed at his father’s condescension. “You’d rather I waste my future like you, looking at space through a telescope while knowing I could experience it in person.”

“Ash…” Laila warned.

Ano pursed his lips. “Is that right? How? Tell me how you’ll experience it in person.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Like I said, if I get into the Academy and I perform well, maybe I can figure out a way.”

Ano snorted. “What? You think you’ll just walk up to the council and say, ‘Hey, I know you have this law you’ve never once broken for millennia upon millennia, but I’m The Great Ash Atlas, so how about you make an exception?’”

“No,” Ash replied, “But I can try to –”

Ano continued his act, taking a sarcastic tone. “Make way, everyone! Ash Atlas coming through. It’s his universe and we just live in it!” Ano burst into laughter. Sara and Juan chuckled nervously.

Ash could no longer hold back his anger. “That’s exactly right. I'll go to space, captain my own ship, and see with my own eyes what you only can through a screen. And while I’m out there actually doing something, you’ll be sitting here in a failed laboratory that you can barely keep open.” He sneered. “Pathetic as it gets.”

“Ash!” Laila hissed.

“Am I wrong, Laila?” Ash replied. “You give tours around this rundown planetarium just to help fund the lab. How is that alright with you? You’re a chemist!”

Grayson tried to interject. “Listen, Ash –”

“You too, Grayson! How do you like running that stupid arcade? I’m sure it’s fun splitting your days between...hm, let me see…studying the universe, and looking after dumbass kids playing Rocket Rush.”

Laila and Grayson were stunned in silence.

For a moment, Ano looked impassive. Then he chuckled in resigned amusement. He turned around, walking away as he spoke. “Alright, Ash. Have fun being a ‘starcatcher’. But leave your brother out of that nonsense.” Ano paused. “He actually has potential as a person.”

Before Ash could respond, he was preempted by his little brother. “I’m sorry!” Eya cried. “Don’t be mad. I won’t try to be a starcatcher or anything, just please don’t be mad!”

Ash took in a deep, exasperated breath. “Whatever, I’m leaving,” he said, and took to the stairs.

“I’ll go too!” Eya said, following in step behind him. No one in the room spoke as they climbed up.

When they reached top of the stairs, the door suddenly burst open – BANG! A voice came from the threshold. “What the hell’s going on? We’ve been waiting for ages. Open the arcade!”

image [https://i.imgur.com/Rt1OgYq.jpg]

Standing at the entrance was Deon Deor, a thin boy with a slick haircut and a permanently-cocky look on his face. One of his ever-present sidekicks, Clyde, lagged behind. Deon’s father, Neo Deor, was one of the richest men in the country; naturally, this meant Deon was treated as quasi-royalty anywhere he went. Lohi City was his playground, and its people were the playground equipment.

Deon was the very last person Ash wanted to see now. They were the same age, and had been at each other’s throats since they first started school. Deon had recently taken a liking to Ano’s arcade, and was now making more visits to the planetarium. Ash spent most of his free time at the planetarium, so they’d been running into each other more frequently.

Ano forced a smile. “Hey, Deon! Good to see you. But the arcade’s closed today, didn’t you see the sign?”

Deon narrowed his eyes, honing in on Ash and Eya. “If you’re closed, what are they doing here?”

“They’re on their way out,” Ano replied. “We were just watching the Retrograde Race.”

“…That thing where the aliens race each other?”

“…More or less…” Ano said.

“Hah. What’s that got to do with you, Ash?” Deon scoffed. “Who’re you racing with your busted-ass bike?” His buddy behind him guffawed like a croaking frog.

“That’s funny, cause I would crush you with my ‘busted-ass bike.’ Maybe one day I’ll show you if you stop ducking me,” Ash said.

“Stop, Ash,” Ano said. “Deon, like I mentioned, we’re closed now. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Deon looked at Ano for a moment, then turned to his friend. “Alright Clyde, guess we gotta go.” They started walking away.

Nonchalantly, Deon continued, “You know, my dad’s been thinking about which organizations he should donate to this year. He was considering the planetarium, since I come here a lot…but I’m starting to wonder if this place is really worth it…”

Everyone in the theater tightened. The planetarium had been underfunded for many years. If it were true that Neo Deor was considering donating, that would not be an opportunity to pass up. His past donations had kept organizations running for years at a time.

Of course, there was a good chance Deon was lying, and everyone knew it. But considering how much the planetarium was struggling, even the slightest chance had to be seized.

“Wait!” Ano said.

He turned to Grayson. “Grayson, I hate to ask you this, but…”

“Of course, Ano, don’t worry about it!” Grayson smiled. “Even if you said no, I’d still do it.” He winked.

Before Ano could show his gratitude, Grayson gestured to Deon and his friends. “Come on over guys, I’m staying late anyway.” He climbed the stairs and started leading them out.

If other people weren’t around, Ash would have slugged Deon right then and there. Instead, he laughed loudly and said, “Yeah, go play your little game. It is the only place you amount to anything.”

Deon paused. He seemed to consider Ash’s comment for a moment, then turned around. “You know, I really would race you if you had a decent hoverbike.” He smiled. “You should be glad your dad’s opening the arcade for me. How else would he afford to buy you one?”

Without a single word, Ash launched at Deon, clearing half the distance between them in a leap. But Grayson interfered, managing to reach Ash just in time to restrain him.

“YIAHHH!” Deon screamed. In the moment Ash had attacked, Deon reflexively stepped back. But rather than meeting level ground, his foot descended onto thin air – he had lost balance over the stairs. He tried to grab hold of the railing, but his hand slipped. Luckily, before he hit the ground, Ano managed to catch him. Ano slowly helped him back to his feet, settling him atop the stairs.

Meanwhile, Ash was doubled over. Deon’s startled scream had sent Ash into a fit of laughter. “Hahahaha!”

“I’ll kill you!” Deon said, starting toward Ash. This time, Ano himself stepped in and restrained him.

“Stop it!” Ano growled.

“He fucking pushed me down the stairs!” Deon protested.

“I didn’t do shit. Lucky for you,” Ash replied.

Ano was at the edge of his patience. “ASH. Shut up. I don’t want to hear a single more word from your mouth.”

Ano then calmed his voice, though his eyes were livid. “Deon, Ash didn’t push you. Grayson held him back. You stumbled yourself, but I stopped you from falling – remember that, from five seconds ago?” A bit of sarcasm escaped from beneath Ano’s composed demeanor.

Deon scoffed, ignoring the question. “Yeah, lie for your son.” He looked at Clyde who stood at the door. “You saw him push me, right?” Deon asked. There was a short hesitation, but Clyde nodded in confirmation.

This was the last straw for Ano. “I’ve had enough of this. There’s nothing more to say here. We’re closed, we’re going home, and you’re going home. If you’re hurt, we can escort you to the hospital. Either way, I want you all out of my planetarium right now.”

Deon narrowed his eyes, looking indignant. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Deon…” Ano said in a warning tone.

Deon walked to an empty seat and sat down. He extended his legs in a relaxed pose and crossed his arms. “Make me get out.”

Ash could hardly believe he was witnessing such a petty display. Mirroring Deon, Ano crossed his arms, his expression stoic. “I’ll make this very simple. Get up now, or I’ll call the police.”

Deon cocked his head, looking like he was genuinely considering it. “Huh. You know what? That might not be a bad idea,” he said.

Ano looked confused, and Ash had a bad feeling.

Deon lifted his holowatch and said, “Call Chief Cortez”.

Ash now realized that Deon was friends with the police chief – or more likely, his father was.

Eventually Chief Cortez picked up, his uniformed torso appearing as a hologram projected from Deon’s wristwatch. “Deon, my boy! How are ya!”

Deon grimaced in pain, feigning distress. “Chief, I need your help…I’m at the planetarium. Someone pushed me down the stairs, and I can barely even move right now.”

Chief Cortez’s distress, on the other hand, was not feigned. “What the hell are you talking about?! At the planetarium? Who did that?!”

“I…I couldn’t tell…it was dark, and no one’s admitting to it. Now they all want me to leave and ignore what happened.”

“That’s not true, he’s lying!” Eya said, but Deon’s watch didn’t capture the sound. Incensed as Ash was, a part of him was morbidly impressed with Deon’s acting.

“Hang in there, I’ll be at the planetarium in a few minutes!” Chief Cortez said, before hanging up the call. Deon turned to face the rest of the room, smirking.

“What did you mean when you said you don’t know who pushed you?” Ash asked. Of course, no one had pushed Deon, but his explanation to the chief made Ash uneasy.

Deon’s smirk widened into a grin. “Well Ash, it’s up to you. Either you pushed me, or your dad pushed me.”

Ash narrowed his eyes. “What?”

Deon replied, “If you pushed me, we can just tell Chief Cortez what happened, and he’ll take you down to the station. Don’t worry, I’m sure you won’t go to jail.” He sneered. “Although, it will go on your record…probably not great for your Space Cadet application…”

“You –” Ash had a string of insults lined up, but he was cut off by Deon.

“OR,” Deon continued, “Maybe your dad pushed me down the stairs. If that happened, well…even if he doesn’t go to jail…I wonder if he’d really be able to stay in charge of the planetarium? Bad publicity, you know?”

Ash couldn’t even hear his own thoughts. “OR, I can beat the living—”

“ASH!” Ano interjected.

“This guy really is a piece of shit,” Laila said with venom.

“Calm down,” Ano said. “His word isn’t law. Regardless of his father’s relationship with the chief…we still have due process…” His voice fizzled out as he finished speaking - he clearly was not convinced.

“So, what’ll it be?” Deon asked. “The chief will get here any minute now.”

Ano turned to Ash. “Ash, take your brother and go home.”

It took a moment to register, but Ash realized that his father intended to cover for him. “No dad, this is my fault, I’ll –”

“Please, for once, don’t argue.” Ano said.

Ash didn’t respond. He knew any further discussion would be fruitless, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave – not under these circumstances.

“Ash, let’s go.” Eya said, tugging on Ash’s arm. “It’s gonna be fine!”

Still holding Ash’s arm, Eya made for the exit. Ash wondered if Eya really understood the severity of the situation. But he saw no alternative. Reluctantly, bitterly, Ash allowed his brother to escort him out of the theater.

“See you later, Ash!” Deon said, with a big smile and wave.

Eya’s probably right, Ash thought. It’ll be fine – it’s just Deon’s word against everyone else’s. There’s no way Dad will get in trouble.

But he felt as unconvinced as his father had sounded earlier. It was a bad sign that Deon was willing to tell such a huge lie. Who knows how much farther he’ll go to sabotage us? Though they had tangled many times before, Ash had never seen Deon act this vindictively.

They left the theater and crossed the main hall of the planetarium. At that moment, a policeman walked through the main entrance. He was tall, rigid, and had discerning eyes. He immediately walked over to Ash and Eya.

“I’m Police Chief Cortez,” he said. “Have either of you seen a boy named Deon Deor? Looks to be about your age,” he added, looking at Ash.

“Uh – I think he might be in the theater.” Ash said, avoiding Cortez’s eyes.

“Thank you.” Cortez made for the theater.

Ash didn’t know whether to feel guilty or relieved. “Come on, Eya,” he said, opening the door to the exit.

Suddenly, from behind them, they heard the police chief say, “Actually, you know what?”

Ash and Eya both stopped and turned around. Gazing suspiciously, Cortez beckoned them over. “I want you two to come with me,” he said.

__________

Ash and Eya were back in the theater. Laila, Grayson and the other scientists seethed, but maintained a thin veil of cordiality. Deon was laid back in his seat, acting like he was in pain, holding the side of his abdomen.

Upon entering, Cortez made a beeline for Deon. He lifted Deon’s shirt to check for injuries but didn’t appear to find anything major. “We’ll just finish up here and I’ll get you checked out at the hospital,” Cortez said. Then he walked over to Ano. “So, can you explain to me what happened here?”

“It’s not as dramatic as you might think, Chief,” Ano said. “Deon slipped and almost fell down the stairs, but I caught him. I guess he’s embarrassed by it, and now he’s saying we pushed him.”

Cortez tilted his head, skeptical. “You’re supposed to be closed. What are those two doing here?” He asked, pointing to Ash and Eya.

“They’re my kids. What does that have to do with anything?” Ano said.

Cortez ignored the question, turning away from Ano. “You’re not holding anything back, are you?” He asked, striding toward Ash and Eya.

“Why do you say that?” Ano replied.

“First, these two just happened to be leaving the planetarium a few minutes after Deon called me.” Cortez now stood in front of Ash, his height adding to his commanding presence. Ash kept his eyes to the ground. He wasn’t afraid of the chief, but he didn’t want his face to betray the truth.

“Second, they knew exactly where Deon was when I asked them.” Cortez crouched a little to match Ash’s height.

“And third…” With his finger, Cortez reached out to Ash’s chin, tilting his head up. “Your son hasn’t looked me in the face even once since I got here.”

Ash didn’t care if he was “caught” by the chief. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw Deon smirking, and that aggravated him – Ash couldn’t bear the idea of Deon thinking he got one over on him.

“Well…” Ano said, “I did leave out part of the story, but I don’t think it’s relevant. Deon was getting me a little riled up, so I yelled at him. He was startled by that, and that’s why he slipped.”

“What?” Deon said, looking appalled. “I didn’t fall because I got startled.”

“Pfft. Hahahaha!” Ash couldn’t suppress his laughter. Although Ano had fudged the story a little, the lie was even funnier than the truth. The thought of Deon being so frightened by yelling that he fell down the stairs was irresistibly hilarious.

“I wonder what’s funny about him falling?” Cortez redirected his gaze to Ash.

“Trust me, if you’d seen his terrified face, you’d be laughing too,” Ash chuckled. He knew his answer was glib, but it came out before he had time to think. He also knew Ano would be staring daggers at him, so he avoided looking at his father.

Fuming, Deon stood from his seat. “Chief, now that I look back on it…I think it was Ash who pushed me…in fact, I’m sure it was him.”

Cortez hadn’t taken his eyes off Ash. He raised an eyebrow. “Somehow, that’s not hard to believe.”

“No,” Ano said quickly. “Ash has absolutely nothing to do with it.”

“Yes, he does.” Deon repeated.

“You’re such an embarrassing person,” Ash said, his face contorted in disgust.

“Hahaha! What’s embarrassing is your dad trying so hard to defend you,” Deon snickered. “The only thing more embarrassing was how desperate he was for that donation. Imagine being that pathetic.”

At this point there was no power in the universe, much less his own rational mind, that could have stopped Ash from doing what he did next.

Moving past the chief, Ash began descending the stairs. “Chief, I’ll come clean…Deon’s right. It was me who did it,” he said.

“Ash, what are you talking about?” Ano demanded.

“It was me who punched him,” Ash replied, trudging toward Deon.

“Punched?” Deon said.

“You mean pushed,” Cortez said.

“No.” Ash stopped in front of Deon. They were now face to face.

image [https://i.imgur.com/PP8jOiB.jpg]

“I mean, I punched him.”

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