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

to Alpha Centauri."
    "Nothing's at Alpha Centauri, Frankie. We knew that ten years ago," replied George.
    "Well, some other place then where the ladies are nice to me."
    Harry flushed.
    "If you were chosen, where would you like to go?"
    Harry looked out the window. "I don't know. Maybe someplace that hasn't been discovered yet. Someplace that has something space exploration hasn't found yet."
    "Like aliens, right? Somebody to talk to so you can use your language skills."
    "Well, it is what I've trained for."
    "Yeah, well never mind that in the forty years since the discovery of the wormhole there hasn't been any indication anything is out there besides quasars, brown dwarfs, and millions of planets that are either too hot or too cold..."
    "Or too big or too small..."
    "To hold any life-form at all, much less something that communicates."
    Harry shrugged. "They keep accepting linguistic experts."
    "And they end up as computer specialists when they can't utilize their primary skills."
    "If I was picked to go, that'd be all right by me."
    The bus pulled to a stop in front of the Corporation testing center. The three young men stepped from the airbus onto the sidewalk.
    The building was new, and big, covering an entire city block. Over the entrance, chiseled granite proclaimed the Braithwaite name, identifying the edifice as one of the numerous Braithwaite Foundation properties. The Foundation was a corporate conglomeration, a mixed bag of industries that was controlled by a board of directors and a handful of stockholders. It was said that those who held the reins to Braithwaite also held the world at ransom. Of course, the other corporations of the era would argue the point in their favor, as well as several dozen other upstarts. In any case, Braithwaite was not only the oldest; it was also the largest and most powerful.
    Harry paused on the steps leading into the building and gazed skyward. The rain had stopped and the sun was breaking through. That was a good sign. Frankie slapped him on the back.
    "Good luck, Harry."
    "Good luck to you too." Harry walked inside the building. Desks, manned by representatives from the corporate testing group, were set up in the foyer and labeled by their separate testing areas. Linguistics and anthropology were straight ahead. A line of applicants nervously awaited their turn to register. George was so nervous he left without saying anything. Harry found his section and took his place in line.
    When he got to the head of the queue, Harry handed his admissions ticket to the registrar. While he waited for her to validate his entry, he noticed a beautiful young woman in line for the biology and botany tests. She was dressed smartly, obviously from the upper crust. Odd that a person like that would be among the candidates. She saw Harry looking at her and boldly stared back. Harry realized he was staring and turned away, blushing a full red.
    Thankfully, at that moment, a corporate rep instructed Harry and the other entrants to follow. They were led to the testing room and instructed to take seats. Each desk held a small computer monitor. Pencils and paper were also available. A thick, blue test booklet was at the center of each desk. A well-dressed, middle-aged man stepped to the dais in the front of the room and tapped for quiet. The roomful of entrants fell silent.
    "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen." He paused and smiled for effect. "On behalf of the Braithwaite Foundation, allow me to welcome you to the Corporation Entrance Examinations for the Survey Group. Each of you is to be congratulated for having made it this far. In so doing, you have included yourselves in an elite group, something less than ten percent of your original number."
    He peered at a paper he held in his hand and continued. "By the way, this room is for language and computer specialists, so if anybody is here by mistake, please leave now." He looked over the room. Nobody left.
    "There are reps in the hallway outside who