2. CHAPTER TWO #2
“About five hours. We’ll do one jump, then coast the rest of the way. You’ll be fine.” She nudged my shoulder.
“Major system lag,” I muttered.
The lights dipped. A soft hum shivered through the cabin. The view outside shifted as the shuttle rotated, trading terminal architecture and launchpad scaffolding for an expanse of sky that darkened fast.
My fingers curled tightly around the armrests.
“Just breathe,” Pia’re reminded me as she breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth.
I dragged air into my lungs and slowly released it. The hum climbed slowly as my organs rearranged.
“Here we go,” Pia’re said. She moved her hand over mine and squeezed. “Just breathe.”
Whoosh.
The shuttle bounced and took off. It sort of felt like being turned inside out and back again in less than a heartbeat. Every atom of me recognized, instinctively, that humans were not designed to do that.
Then it was over.
The pressure eased. The hum leveled out into a low, steady purr. Outside the window, the sky was black and full of stars in a way it never was from the ground. Earth hung behind us, small and blue and very bright. I never thought I would experience this. It was so surreal.
“Oh,” I whispered.
Pia’re smiled at me. “The first one always feels like you left your skin behind.”
“I think I did. I think my skin stayed on the launchpad, and I’m now just raw nerve.”
“Welcome to space, raw nerve.” She bumped her shoulder gently against mine. “You’ll get used to it the more you shuttle.”
“We shall see, I guess,” I muttered.
I turned back to look out the window and watched Earth shrink before I drifted off into space. The shuttle left a faint, shimmering wake through the galaxy.
A low ambient chime echoed through the shuttle as the cabin lights dimmed all the way. People settled into their seats with blankets and sleeping masks.
I tried to nap but failed. Every time my eyes drifted shut, my brain threw up a new thought.
You left the planet.
You left the planet alone.
You left the planet alone to see your favorite pop star perform.
The first hour crawled by. Pia’re dozed beside me.
I picked at the foil meal pack they passed out, then stared out the window again as the stars blurred into streaks.
Hour two hit with turbulence that jostled my teeth and gave me a slight anxiety attack.
By hour three, my legs ached from sitting, so I stretched in the aisle until a flight attendant waved me back to my seat.
By hour four, the cabin lights had brightened a bit, and I scrolled through the highlights tab on Orbit Palz, watching clips from past Zhari shows.
Finally, after a bit of doomscrolling, I leaned my shoulder against the window and settled into my seat. Somewhere ahead of us, Vela glowed bigger, getting ready for a totally stellar concert.
Looking around at everyone who had boarded, I noticed a few of them holding signs.
I should have made an I Luv Zhari sign. How cool would it have been if she noticed me?
She probably wouldn’t, since I was just one of thousands attending, but still, whether she noticed me or not, my heart hopped and skittered in my chest at the thought of seeing her live.
“Do you think she ever gets tired of it?” I asked, suddenly sitting up.
Pia’re blinked awake. “Hm?”
“The tour. The shows. The people constantly being starstruck by her. Being, I don’t know… Zhari.”
“Sometimes she looks tired,” Pia’re mumbled, waking up from her nap. “But she never looks like she doesn’t want to be there. Not onstage, at least, or in interviews.” She shrugged. “I don’t know her, obviously. I imagine fame takes its toll after a while.”
I nodded, sinking back into my seat.
The cabin lights flickered, then brightened all the way as a soft chime echoed through the shuttle.
“Passengers,” the recorded voice said, “we will be arriving in Vela orbit shortly. Please ensure your harnesses are fastened. Local time and weather conditions will be displayed upon descent.”
“Already?” I croaked. “We, like, totally just boarded a minute ago.”
“Time moves extremely fast in space,” Pia’re explained. “Especially when you’re excited for something. It makes time go by quickly.”
I checked my band. A new notification blinked in the corner of my vision: WELCOME TO LUMARA CITY, VELA. TOUR PACKAGE CONFIRMATION—LUMARA CITY ARENA, PIT SECTION.
“Pit?”
“What?” Pia’re asked.
“Oh, I guess I bought pit tickets, but I don’t remember the package saying that.” I looked at the words still blinking on my wrist comm.
“Hmm. Well, enjoy it. I love the pit. You’re right there with her. It’s totally high-frequency. Sadly this time I didn’t get pit tickets, I’m pretty high up,” she frowned. “I spent all my credits in Toronto shopping.”
“I suppose.” I shrugged as a smile started forming. “It would be totally stellar to see her up close. Especially since this is my first concert.” I giggled with excitement.
I sat back in my seat and let the harness tighten across my chest as the shuttle began its descent. Outside, the darkness softened slowly to deep indigo, then violet. Vela swelled in the window—a planet shot through with glowing veins of city light, oceans reflecting nebulae like spilled paint.
“How excited are you, Spunky Potato? You finally get to see Zhari live after only watching her streams,” Pia’re asked.
“I’m so pumped!” I exclaimed. “I just want to scream from excitement. This is going to be so much fun.”
The shuttle docked with a cushioned thud. The cabin erupted into the soft chaos of people unbuckling, stretching, and grabbing bags from overhead compartments. I stood on legs that felt like they belonged to someone else.
“Come on.” Pia’re looped her backpack on. “I’ll show you the best Nebs stand near the arena.”
“Oh yes. I could totally eat. I’m starving.”
We were swept along with the crowd through the disembarkation tunnel. The air shifted again as the terminal doors opened fully—warmer and more humid. Voices overlapped in so many different languages. I turned up my translator after having it on mute.
Signs glowed in Velan script and human translations, all slick curves and sharp edges. I thought that was great because I wasn’t the best at reading Velan or any other alien language.
Outside the glass of the terminal, Lumara City burned neon against a baby blue and purple sky. Somewhere beyond the towers, billboards, and hoverlanes, an arena waited, already warming up with a sound check and light tests.
And I couldn’t wait to get there.