To The Stars (The Harry Irons Trilogy) Read Free Page A

greeted him. As he entered, his mother turned from her old-fashioned microstove to face him. "You look nice today."
    "Thanks."
    She looked closer. "That's your father's old tie, isn't it?"
    Harry glanced down at the worn tie. "Yeah. I thought maybe it would bring me luck."
    Mrs. Irons gazed at her son for a long moment. "Just do your best and everything else will fall into place. In any case, I'm proud of you."
    There were so many qualified applicants; he hoped his best was good enough. Besides, he had the added burden of not having a sponsor, somebody in one of the corporations to help him along. He opened his mouth to tell her these things but was interrupted by his siblings as they trooped into the kitchen.
    "Breakfast, breakfast!" They chanted.
    "All right, pipe down," Mrs. Irons commanded. "Give your older brother some peace and quiet this morning. He's got a big day ahead."
    Harry's baby sister climbed into his lap. "Is Harry-Harry goin' to live with the Injuns again?"
    Harry smiled. "No, honey. I'm going to take a test today. A very important test. If I do well enough, I'll get to ride a spaceship."
    "Yeah, Becky," fourteen-year-old brother Jackie added, "and if he passes, we'll be rich! Right, Harry?"
    "Well, maybe not rich, but we could afford a few things."
    "I told you kids to leave your brother alone. He's got enough on his mind already."
    "That's all right, Ma. I need to be going anyway." Harry rose from the kitchen table.
    "Why, you haven't had breakfast yet."
    He reached for a slice of toast and took a half moon-shaped bite. "This is all I need."
    "What about lunch?"
    "I'll pick up something in the cafeteria."
    "Well, all right. Harry?"
    Harry stopped at the door. "Yeah, Ma?"
    Mrs. Irons wiped her hands on a towel. "I know how much this means to you, son. I just don't want you to be disappointed if, you know, things don't turn out the way you want."
    "Don't worry. I can always get work as an interpreter." The bad part about that was the boring, plodding work. A twenty year ticket to mediocrity. On the other hand, if selected for training with one of the survey teams, he would visit other worlds and become rich in the process. They would have all the money they'd ever dreamed of and his family could move out of the miserable tenant housing in the heart of the crowded city.
    It was still a long shot. The selection process was strenuous; only the best were offered positions, and there was so much competition.
    He stood in the open door. "Well, I guess this is it."
    His mother took him by the hand and kissed him on the cheek. "Good luck, son."
    "Thanks, Ma."
    They all wished him luck as he stepped from the apartment onto the street. The rain still fell. Harry pulled his slicker closer and adjusted his smog-mask as he walked to the bus stop. Even at the early hour, the streets were alive with people on their way to work. Since private transportation was outlawed, public conveyances were the only way to get around other than walking. The non-polluting electric trains rumbled on their tracks while crowded air-buses constantly dropped down, unloaded passengers, loaded up and took off again. It was loud, smoky, and crowded. Harry boarded a Q-line bus and took a seat near the back.
    Through the window, he watched the crowds. Today, he was just another poor student, but tomorrow he might be something else. He might be one of the privileged few to actually go to other star systems, to explore the galaxy, and to chart new worlds. It could make him rich, maybe famous. The tests he was about to take would determine his future. It wouldn't be the end of the world if he wasn't selected, but it sure wouldn't be the start of anything either.
    At the next stop, Frankie and George climbed aboard the bus and joined Harry in the back.
    "Lost in thought, eh, Harry?" Frankie flopped into the seat in front while George sat next to Harry. "Nothing to worry about. Why, I'll bet we're all selected and then they'll put us on the fast track