Wrath of the Void Strider by Erik Harlow

over his knees.  “It sounds like I’m missing school on Monday.”
    “Would it be so bad to fly with her for a while?” Taryn softly asked.
    Takeo shook his head slowly.  “It wouldn’t be just for a while.  Unless someone else starts making gravity bridges, it’ll be for the rest of our lives.”  Taryn began to protest, but Takeo continued, “Think about it.  90 minutes after it happened, and Gavin’s already a black file. They’re going to start doing background searches, and they’ll find out we’re all friends.”
    “They’ll use us against him if we ever go back,” she sighed.  “We’ll have to pay cash for everything from now on.”
    Gavin leaned further over his knees, trying to fight back a wave of intense nausea.  “I’m sorry.”  He rocked slightly, back and forth.  “Oh, God, I have to warn my family!”
    Takeo rested his hand upon Gavin’s back.  “My dad will keep them safe.  You have some time.”
    “I should call my mom, just in case,” Taryn whispered, and she stared absently at her feet.
    Gavin vomited, and his head spun.
    “Come on,” Taryn urged, and she slipped her arm around his back, seated it under his arm and helped him to stand.  A holographic caution cone appeared over the mess, and a tiny yellow light began flashing near the briefing room’s doorway.  Takeo grabbed the keys and fell in behind as they stepped out into the corridor.
    “Let’s go find Valerie,” he said as a tiny helper droid raced by.
    Gavin had regained himself by the time they reached the cargo junction bulkhead.  It slid open, and they stepped inside.  “Hold on,’ he said as they approached a portside porthole.  Takeo and Taryn moved to stand on either side of him.
    “You okay?” asked Taryn.
    With a nod, Gavin pointed beyond the glass.  “Look at that.”  They beheld the planet’s broad, blue crescent.  Set against a brilliant cloak of stars, its soft glow bled into a faraway cloud of brilliant dust and gas.
    Taryn whispered, “What is that?  The cloud, I mean.”
    “I don’t know,” said Gavin.
    “That’s the Raven Nebula,” said Takeo.  “It’s too dim to see from the city—too much light pollution, but it’s something I always look forward to seeing when my father takes me up here.”
    “Lucky,” pouted Taryn, and she wistfully sighed.  “I could stare at it forever, if it wasn’t setting so fast.”
    Takeo chuckled.  “Don’t worry, you’ll see it again in an hour, if we’re still here.”  He nudged his friends.  “Let’s find the rec room.  We should figure out what we’re doing.”
    With a nod, Gavin exhaled.  “You’re right.”  Turning to his companions, he managed a smile and led them along the passage.  Gripping the handrails well ahead of time, he gracefully traversed the weightless gap.  Soon, they reached the far end, and the aft module’s hatch opened at their approach.
    Directly ahead of them, a sturdy bulkhead was marked, “OBSERVATION DECK.”  To their left, a wide hatch was labeled, “BARRACKS.”  To their right, two hatches were set close to one another.  The nearer one was marked, “MESS HALL,” while the farther one was marked, “RECREATION AREA.”  Its doorway remained open, allowing the distinct sounds of a heated table tennis match to spill out.
    Puffing his cheeks, Gavin led his companions inside.  Seated at a gaming table across from them, a redheaded woman met Gavin’s eyes and brightened.  She pointed to a square folding table, where Valerie poured over a handful of digital forms.  Her data tablet was in her lap.
    Gavin nodded and approached.  “Hey,” he began.
    She looked up with a hopeful smile.  “Hey, Gavin.”  She took note of Taryn and Takeo as they stood nearby.  “What did you decide?”
    He blew into his hands.  “We’d like to sign up.”  Glancing briefly toward his companions, he added, “We’d like to enlist with the Sanguine Shadow .”
    Valerie snickered.