To The Stars (The Harry Irons Trilogy) Read Free

disks from the shuttle recording system and re-attached the cover.
    On the console to Fagen's right were the shuttle bay controls. Indicators glowed green showing adequate air pressure, sealed doors, and safe access. Almost of its own accord, Fagen's right hand crept to the airlock controls. With his forefinger he absently tapped the access switch.
    *
    Completing her task, Collenz stood and stashed the disks in her coverall pocket. She pushed against the shuttle's hull to launch herself toward the hatch. Ten meters away, she heard the heavy click of durasteel bars sliding from the facing into the door, locking the hatch in place.
    Collenz floated in front of the door and stared at the tiny camera set above the hatch. She crossed her arms.
    "Open the hatch, Fagen. This isn't going to get either of us anywhere."
    She paused, waiting. The commander made no reply.
    "Fagen," she said sternly, "did you hear me? Open the damn door!"
    There was no reply. Collenz looked back at the access doors. More to herself than him, she muttered, "Fagen, you bastard!"
    She set her feet on the hatch and pushed herself through the weightless air to one of the lockers that lined the bulkheads. Inside was a suit, if she hurried, she might just make it before Fagen...
    There was the sudden sound of a hatch opening. Collenz drew in a breath and glanced at the hanger bay doors. They remained closed. Slowly, she turned her head until she looked at the locked access hatch. It was open and Fagen stood in the passage.
    "We had a power glitch; hatches locked all over the place. I came straight here."
    Collenz put the suit back into the locker.
    "Why're you dragging that out?"
    Collenz shrugged. "I didn't know what was going on." She pushed off and floated to the hatchway. Fagen moved aside and let her pass. She saw where he'd opened the hatch access panel and pulled out wires to bypass the circuitry. Pausing, she looked at the wiring. Inspecting the wires, she leaned closer and reached inside.
    "Don't," Fagen cautioned, "there's s hot circuit in there."
    "I know what I'm doing; besides, I'm better at this than you."
    In the next instant, she jerked upright and gritted her teeth. Her eyes opened wide as the voltage flowed through her. She saw Fagen and tried to speak, but her tongue would not obey. Her contracted lungs squeezed out the last bit of air and then refused to draw another.
    Her last memory was of Fagen taking a step backward just as her hair caught on fire.

 
     
    Chapter 2
     
     
    Rain tapped against the window pane much as it had all night. It roused Harry and he opened his eyes. "Il pleut," he said. "Das ist schade."
    From the stairs, his mother's voice floated down to him, "Harrison? Time to get up. Breakfast's almost ready."
    Harry swung his feet to the basement floor, stretched his twenty-five year-old frame, and pulled on his clothes. Tripping over a stack of text books, he stumbled into the bathroom, washed his face, and shaved. It was going to be a long day, a day he'd looked forward to for a long time. It was test day for all qualified applicants in the Corporation space exploration programs.
    Overhead, the sound of running feet alerted him to the fact that his younger brothers and sisters were awake. They ran back and forth overhead as he selected his only white shirt and put it on. Harry had two ties: a red, power tie his mother had purchased for him, and his father's lucky tie, an Irish plaid monstrosity. Harry selected the latter and draped it around his neck. Harry didn't really believe in luck, but it couldn't hurt to cover all bases. Slipping into his shoes, he took one last look in the mirror.
    He was prepared. The thousands of hours in study, all the small sacrifices he'd made, all directed towards the opportunity to take the Corporation tests. If he performed well enough, he'd be chosen to be one of a select few who would travel into deep space.
    Taking a breath, he climbed the stairs to the kitchen. Pleasant, cooking smells