Bernard's Dream: A Hayden's World Novel (Hayden's World Origins Book 8) Read online

  Bernard’s Dream

  A Hayden’s World Novel

  S.D. Falchetti

  Praise for the Hayden’s World Series:

  Hayden’s World: Volume 1

  "Erebus is classic science fiction...Well-written, with a cast of solid believable characters, Mr Falchetti has produced a worthy novella that will not disappoint sci-fi fans. " - Reader's Favorite, on Erebus

  "This short piece is a great story to satisfy those who are on the search for a solid sci-fi adventure."- Long and Short Reviews, on Erebus

  "Reading Titan's Shadow took me back forty years to an era that thrived on pirates zooming through the system...A worthwhile read." - Reader's Favorite, on Titan's Shadow

  Hayden’s World: Volume 2

  "The author has everything here: a recovery, an odd crew, a hostile - apparently - alien ship, disaster, and an ending which...but never mind. Readers will have to find out for themselves. Janus 2 is a well-written story with enough technical and procedural jargon to satisfy any techie." - Reader's Favorite, on Janus 2

  "The discoveries of the characters during their trek across space are wondrous, and the tension remains high, as danger potential always exists. When peril does strike, it's brilliant...This is a great story written by a talented writer." - Long and Short Reviews, on Janus 2

  "Bernard's Promise is hard science fiction done right ...What makes this story great though is the combination of hard science and great storytelling. The narrative moves along at a comfortable speed, never lingering too long in one place, keeping it all interesting and exciting. Bernard's Promise also has an imaginative plot that takes its readers into new territory that isn't the least bit predictable. On top of that, the cast of characters is first rate. James and his small crew are all relatable characters who have unique personalities. I found myself connecting with them early on in the story and rooting for them to succeed as they ventured into the unknown. I highly recommend Bernard's Promise." - 5 Stars, Reader's Favorite, on Bernard's Promise

  Contents

  I. Earth

  1. Stargazing

  2. Apogee

  3. Piggyback

  4. Recohere

  5. Shakedown

  6. Shortcuts

  7. Distractions

  8. Safecracking

  9. Admiral’s House

  10. Tipping Point

  11. Ghosts

  12. Dreams

  II. Luhman 16

  13. Starstruck

  14. Rendezvous

  15. Mythologies

  16. Ianthe

  17. Badges

  18. Dark Side

  19. Firsts

  20. Sunflower

  21. Arrival

  22. Mendings

  23. Emissary

  24. Star Talk

  25. Cages

  26. Descent

  27. Ascent

  28. A Parting Gift

  29. Shore Leave

  Author’s Message

  The Science of the Story

  The Hayden’s World Series

  About the Author

  Part I

  Earth

  1

  Stargazing

  James Hayden adjusts his cuff links, silhouetted against a Pacific sky awash in simmering golds and aquamarine gradients. In front of him, William Pratt’s house is a puzzle of plate glass levels and wooden-railed decks. A shadow approaches the entry door’s frosted glass. In a moment, the door opens, and Will emerges. Like James, he’s donned in a black tuxedo and bow tie.

  Will holds his arms out with open palms, posing. “Well, how do I look?”

  James grins. “Ready for the red carpet.”

  A tilt of his head. “Where are we going again?”

  “Stargazing.”

  Will pauses a beat. “…in tuxedos.”

  “Well, the stars wore their best black-and-white. Why shouldn’t we?”

  Will smiles a moment, his gaze swinging past James to the driveway, and he whistles. “Will you look at that?”

  James glances over his shoulder at the car parked behind him. It’s sleek, classic, and a convertible, with narrow, angled headlights and a kidney-bean black grill set against red metallic paint. The blue-and-white BMW logo graces the hood. James extends an inviting arm in the car’s direction.

  Will strolls down the steps and sets his hand on the roadster’s hood. Sunset clouds swirl along its glossy contours. “Now, where did you find this?”

  “A friend of mine knows a collector. He’d fully restored it and has been pampering it in a showroom.”

  Will leans into the roadster. Genuine leather bucket seats, brushed aluminum, and an actual gear shifter. “Twenty twenty-eight BMW Z4. Gasoline engine. Oh, the late twenties had some great cars.” He chuckles and points a thumb at it. “Is this even legal?”

  James waves a hand. “Don’t sweat it. I took care of the permits.” He jogs down the steps.

  Will moves towards the passenger’s side.

  “Will…”

  Will stops and looks back.

  James fishes the key fob out of his pocket. “You’re going to have a tough time steering from the passenger’s seat.” He tosses the keys, and Will instinctively catches them. As Will eyes the fob, an ear-to-ear grin pulls across his face. “She’s all yours,” James says. “Happy birthday, buddy.”

  Will’s laugh is almost giddy, his eyes widening. “Oh, man, James, I can’t believe you got this for me. You know I’ve got a soft spot for classic BMWs.”

  James walks over to him and clasps him lightly on his shoulder. “Enjoy.” He continues to the passenger door, and settles into the seat.

  Will slides into the driver’s seat and searches the console. When he presses the start button, all the lights come on, but nothing else happens.

  “Gotta put your foot on the brake first,” James says.

  Will tries again, and the engine rumbles with a guttural growl. “Oh, yeah.” LED headlights cast luminous pools. He sets his hands on the steering wheel. “This is wild. You going to tell me where we’re going?”

  “Yeah,” James says. “But one turn at a time. Don’t want to ruin the surprise. Ready?”

  Will revs the engine. “Absolutely.”

  James points. “Hang a right at the end of the driveway.”

  The Z4 rolls down the driveway and past the entry gate, merging right into traffic. They’ve got the convertible’s top down, and the cool evening air rustles their hair. James has Will follow Sunset Boulevard for a while until they join I-405. Here, the interstate is a sea of autonomous vehicles swishing by at breakneck speeds. Will mashes the accelerator, and the car revs through its gears, slipping into the mosaic of streaked tail lights. As Will drives, James swipes through the Z4’s infotainment screen and selects some music from the 2050s.

  “Funny how no matter what age you are, it’s always the music you listened to growing up that feels like home,” James says.

  “You know,” Will starts, raising his voice above the wind noise, “I’m still wrapping my brain around the fact that we’re almost the same age, but you’re now nine years younger than me.”

  “Yeah, it’s pretty weird for me, too.”

  “I’m not sure if I’m supposed to throw you a fifty-first or forty-second birthday party this year.”

  James smiles. “I vote for forty-two.” He leans his elbow on the doorsill. To his right, the horizon takes on the faded blue of approaching twilight. “Next turn is at Route 101.”

  The blue BMW shoots along the interstate, wreathed by mountains and glowing homes, emerging
into the kaleidoscopic lights of Ventura Boulevard before snaking onto Route 101. Mountains rise with the luminescent letters of the Hollywood sign. When they break free of the mountains, Los Angeles is a bright geometry of intersecting gold lines, cool blue hi-rises, and blinking red towers. On Los Feliz Boulevard, an illuminated palace is tucked high into the northern mountains. The Z4 climbs into those mountains, winding past golf courses, higher and higher until they turn onto Observatory Road. When they reach the apex of the parking circle, a valet is waiting. Behind him, an illuminated concrete obelisk beckons with sculptures of astronomers.

  Will puts the car into park and tilts his head curiously at James.

  “Told you,” James says. “Stargazing.”

  The valet opens the car door for Will, and he steps out. When Will hands him the key fob, the valet eyes the car with wonder. Will pats him on the shoulder. “You’ll do fine. Step on the brake before hitting the start button.”

  James joins Will. “Game on.” The two walk side-by-side past the Astronomer’s Monument, the stone busts of Copernicus and Galileo watching them silently. Amber uprights carve pillars into the facade of the three-domed palatial building with dark letters reading G R I F F I T H O B S E R V A T O R Y over the entrance. James opens the door and stands back, letting Will in first while he winks at him. “You’re the star tonight, my friend.”

  The Central Rotunda has a giant gold weighted ball pendulating from the ceiling over an illuminated pit. A crowd attired in formal wear surrounds that pit, breaking into applause and cheers at Will’s arrival. At the crowd’s front, the familiar faces of the Hayden-Pratt family look amazing, all decked up for the event. Beckman in a tux is a site to see. Hitoshi, Ava, Willow, Julian, Sarah, and Isaac are beside him with Ananke’s blue screen swirling from Hitoshi’s slate. Isla is front-and-center, lustrous with her tucked-up blond hair and sky-blue gown. She steps forward, wraps her arms around Will, and kisses him on the cheek. “Happy birthday, my love.”

  James joins the applause as Isla kisses Will. Of all the changes James encountered upon his return from the Centauri worlds, discovering that Will had settled down and found his true love was perhaps the biggest. He was genuinely happy for him.

  Will sets his arm around Isla’s waist and waves at everyone. “Thank you, this is amazing.”

  “Show’s just getting started,” James says. With that, he leads Will through the South Galley and into the Samuel Oschin Planetarium. The usual theatre seats have been replaced by round tables encircling the room, leaving a clear floor space around the central dais of the projector. Overhead, the virtual sky is a darkening twilight speckled with stars. As the crowd disperses to their table seats, James walks Will to the dais.

  “First and foremost,” James starts, his hand on Will’s shoulder, “thank you to everyone for joining us tonight to celebrate a half-century of Will.”

  Will groans.

  “I’ve had the privilege of spending two decades with Will, and he’s the best friend a man could ask for. I still remember the scrappy young fellow I bumped into at Edwards.”

  The planetarium screen fades into a photo of James and Will wearing sunglasses and flight suits in front of a T-78 on a hot summer day. They both look so young. They’re in their 20s, but it could be a high school photo. The audience murmurs and chuckles.

  “But Beckman wins the prize for knowing Will the longest,” James adds.

  The photo advances to a picture of Will in a light flight jacket adorned with multiple patches sitting beside a thirty-year-old Beckman dressed in camouflage, two glasses of beer before them at an Azerbaijani cafe. Will hasn’t changed much since his twenties, but Beckman is striking with buzzed sandy brown hair and piercing blue eyes.

  “Oh, look at those two handsome chaps,” Will says.

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” Beckman responds from the audience.

  “It turns out,” James begins, “that Will’s been an awesome friend to a lot of people in his fifty years, and they all have something to say.”

  The catering staff serves drinks and food as music joins the tiling photos and videos spilling across the ceiling. A waiter brings James and Will each a glass of champagne.

  “So tonight, we’re going to have some fun, tell a few stories, and celebrate this young man’s day.” He raises his glass and clinks it against Will’s. “Happy birthday, buddy.”

  After dinner, the planetarium’s sky turns into a starry collection of constellations and colorful nebulae, with the music segueing into a mix of songs from the past five decades. Many of the younger guests fill the open space between the dais and tables, dancing enthusiastically. James is just setting down his glass at the bar when Ava approaches. Her chestnut hair is down and styled with waves, and she wears a lacy graphite gown that allows the bare skin of her arms and shoulders to peak through. She’s holding an empty wine glass and deposits it at the bar, turning to square off with James.

  “Nice presentation,” she says.

  “Thanks,” James replies. “Beautiful gown. You look radiant.”

  Ava smiles and raises her eyebrows, pushing back a stray hair strand with her fingers. “This is a wild location for Will’s party. I wouldn’t have guessed it.”

  James nods. “Here’s the thing about Will. He’s got this outward serious businessman side that everyone sees, but the real Will is an explorer who loves the stars, just like me. It’s what we connected over when we met at Edwards. The Observatory turned out to be the perfect place for his birthday.”

  “Nicely done.” She glances out to the floor, and James follows her gaze. Hitoshi is pulling off some fancy dance moves with a black-haired woman of the same age as him. “Who’s that dancing with Hitoshi?” she says.

  “Lin. Joined the engineering department while we were abroad. She’s sharp and quirky. Kind of like a female Hitoshi. A lot of fun.”

  The song ends, and the next track has a classic ballroom beat. Ava’s eyes twinkle. “I don’t suppose you know how to rumba?”

  “Well,” James begins, “my father had me take dance lessons in high school. Bit rusty, but I’m sure it’ll come back to me.”

  Ava offers her right hand, and James takes it. It’s warm and soft, and she smiles, leading him out onto the floor. When they find their spot, she raises her cupped hand with his. James takes his cue and steps in, sliding his right hand along the small of her back. She takes a slow, deep breath and exhales, resting her left hand on his shoulder. James finds the beat, Ava mirroring him as they sway through the box step. Overhead, stars spin gracefully along the planetarium’s sky. Ava relaxes, her frame loosening with her fingertips soft against James’s neck. The two of them have been in some tight spots alone together in their adventures, from escape pods to the surface of a Silver Star mothership, but this feels different. Here, Ava’s neither a crew member nor a Hayden-Pratt employee, and his hand on her waist with the gentle pressure of her hand on his shoulder feels intimate. When she glances at him, there’s something unspoken in her gaze, and here, with the music and the wine and the swirling sky, it’s easy to get lost in the warmth of her touch, the crowd fading to a muffled din. James tightens his eyebrows, processing it before his natural charm kicks in and he straightens, effortlessly leading her through the dance. Her eyes scan his face and read his body language, her frame formalizing in response, and her fingertips flatten back onto his shoulder into the standard dance position of partner and leader. James gives her a warm smile that brightens her expression. Behind his poker face, however, he’s not able to process the indulgence of being caught in the moment with Ava, and he pushes it aside for another day.

  2

  Apogee

  Calm piano notes patter like rainfall in the din of Apogee 060. Waitstaff dressed in trendy black tend to customers, and the restaurant’s ambiance gives it a five-star feel. Willow sits alone at her table, swiping through her phone’s notifications. When a young waiter approaches with a wine bottle, catching her attention, she nods, watching
him refill her glass. To her left, natural bamboo accents frame the window pillars. Outside, stars rotate by, a mixture of inky black space salted with bright pinpoints. As the Earth enters the view, its sunlit radiance is a scintillating wash of cerulean oceans and cottony clouds, the glare casting shifting powder-blue light shafts through the restaurant. A nimbus of Earthshine highlights Willow’s blond hair and casts sharp reflections in her sauvignon blanc as she takes a drink. She sets her glass down and lightly holds the stem, glancing back out the window. The warship docked at port charlie is a giant metal crescent bristling with weapons and armor. Running lights illuminate a patch on the starboard nose that reads U.N. Perseus. Willow had been avoiding this meeting, but their jobs put them both on Serenity Station at the same time. It was now or never.

  She spots him by his walk and body language even before she can see his face. As he approaches her table, he enters one of the Earthshine shafts, and her heart flutters. Six months ago, when she last saw him, he was thirty-two years old with chestnut-brown hair and a youthful face, but now he’s forty-one with gray flecks at his temples and more-defined cheekbones. He was confident before, but now he walks with the ease of someone used to command. He’s wearing his gray and navy U.N. captain’s uniform. When she glances down at his left hand, a titanium wedding band gleams in the Earthshine. He stops, takes a deep breath, looking her over in wonder, and she fidgets, self-conscious, the moment long and awkward.