Starclimber

“That’s brilliant!” she said.

  “Bit hard on old Bronfman.”

  “Matt, I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “Are you?” I said coldly. “That was a touching send-off with your fiancé.”

  I heard Miss Karr’s loud voice around the corner. Kate grabbed my hand and pulled me through a doorway into a dark room, and I felt her lips on mine and her arms around my neck, pulling me tight. I was so surprised and excited that I kissed her back, though I was furious with her and wanted to bite her as much as kiss her. Panting, I pushed her away and fumbled on the wall for a switch. The lights came on. We were in a women’s lavatory, but I didn’t care about that just now. I glared at Kate and had never felt so angry in my life.

  “After all your talk about never getting married,” I said, “you go and get engaged! How could you?”

  “Listen to me,” she whispered. “This engagement does not mean a thing.”

  I gave a bitter laugh. “Of course not. You’ve only promised yourself to be another man’s wife.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “I scarcely know him. I have no intention of marrying him.”

  “Then why’d you get engaged?”

  She waggled her ring finger. “It’s obvious. I told you already. This is my ticket to outer space.” She looked me straight in the eyes. “I had no choice.”

  I snorted. “You have as much choice as anyone. More.”

  “Not after the jail incident.”

  “Whose fault was that?”

  “I know.” She nodded ruefully. “But after my father saw us together in the cell, and the photo in the newspaper…my parents don’t trust me anymore. They think I’m going to ruin my chances of marrying well. They said I couldn’t come unless I agreed to marry George Sanderson.”

  “It’s James,” I snapped.

  “James. George. Whichever.”

  “So you have no intention of marrying him?” I demanded.

  “None. Matt, you know there’s no one I care for more than you.”

  “Well, I’m not sure I care for you anymore,” I said. I didn’t mean it, but I was humiliated and angry, and I wanted to hurt her.

  I walked away without looking back.

  We set sail, and not long after departure we were all summoned to the dining room, where a celebratory breakfast was laid out for us. We sat down at the long table like a big and rather odd extended family: Miss Karr and Haiku, the doleful Dr. Sergei Turgenev, Sir Hugh Snuffler, looking particularly puffy and self-important, Kate and I, Tobias and Chuck Shepherd, and Captain Walken. And sitting at the head of the table, Mr. Lunardi, lifting a flute of champagne.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, to outer space!”

  “Outer space!” we all cried, glasses raised high.

  “And let me just say once again,” Mr. Lunardi continued, “how delighted I am to have each and every one of you on the expedition.”

  I glanced at Shepherd, who didn’t look particularly delighted with his fellow astralnauts. Sir Hugh, who was seated as far away as possible from Miss Karr and her monkey, cleared his throat.

  “I must say, though, Mr. Lunardi, I had second thoughts when I found out I wasn’t to be the only”—he paused, looking across the table at Kate—“zoologist coming.”

  “As did I, Sir Hugh,” said Kate, with the kind of smile the Grim Reaper might wear.

  Miss Karr, I noticed, was busily scribbling in her notebook. I could just imagine the kind of dispatches she’d be writing.

  “The only reason I’m here at all,” said Sir Hugh, “is to put a stop to the kind of sloppy amateur observation that gives the sciences a bad name.”

  “Or,” Kate retorted, “is it the refusal to consider new ideas that gives the sciences a bad name?”

  Mr. Lunardi beamed. “This is precisely what I was after! Sir John, you see, had some reservations about inviting both of you. But not I. You, Miss de Vries, have made fascinating discoveries, but they’re controversial, and you’re still young, and a woman, and that will make many people distrustful. But you, Sir Hugh, have a reputation that’s esteemed worldwide. No one doubts your word. But you do belong, shall we say, to an old school of thinking that might be just a touch closed-minded. Now,” Mr. Lunardi continued, waving away Sir Hugh’s indignant objection, “now, with both of you aboard, we’ll have the most rigorous scientific debate at all times. And any discoveries you jointly make will be all the more credible to the world. Do you see the beauty of it?”

  Kate and Sir High looked at Mr. Lunardi in silence.

  “No,” said Sir Hugh, “I’m afraid I don’t.”

  There was a flash, and Miss Karr gave a delighted cackle as she lowered her camera. “Your expression was priceless, Sir Hugh. Wonderful.”

  “Miss Karr, I hope you won’t be snapping pictures of us all the time,” Sir Hugh said irritably.

  “That’s why I’m here,” the journalist replied.

  “Mr. Lunardi,” Chuck Shepherd said from down the table, “you’ve kept us in suspense a good long time. Can you tell us where we’re going now?”

  “I can, Mr. Shepherd, and I’m sorry we’ve kept you all in the dark for so long. But I think you can understand our need for secrecy, especially after recent events. We’re sailing for an equatorial island in the Pacific, three days’ journey. That is where we’ve built our launch site and our ship.”

  “Bit far away from everything,” said Miss Karr, her eyes bright with curiosity.

  “Indeed, but absolutely necessary, as you’ll see when we get there.”

  “What about the ship?” Shepherd asked. “If I’m going to fly it, I’d like to know how it works.”

  I glanced over at Tobias and he rolled his eyes. Shepherd made it sound like he’d be doing everything single-handed. Still, I shared his impatience. During training, they’d told us nothing about the ship itself, or how it would take us to outer space.

  “Ah, the ship,” said Lunardi. “I could tell you, but so much better to let you see for yourselves. The ship is really quite…unexpected. Indulge me just a bit longer, all of you; I want to see the looks on your faces.”

  “Is there anything else you can tell us?” said Shepherd with a wry smile.

  “I can tell you about your new uniforms,” said the airship magnate. “You’ll see them after breakfast. They’re very sharp. Insignia of an arrow against the moon. No need to wear your military uniform anymore, Mr. Shepherd. This is a civilian expedition, after all.”

  I watched Shepherd carefully, to see how he’d take this mild rebuke. He wouldn’t be very happy to part with his captain’s uniform. I’d known him long enough to notice the temperature drop in his blue eyes. But he just nodded placidly and said, “Yes, sir.”

  We set to our breakfast. It was quite something to see everyone congratulate Kate on her engagement, and watch how she beamed and held out her hand so they could admire her ring. I tried not to look, for I worried I might start snarling.

  “It’s a fine ring, Miss de Vries,” said Miss Karr. “But didn’t you say you’d never marry?”

  “Did I?” said Kate. “Dear me, that must have been some silly girlish thing I said a long time ago.”

  “Just last week, actually.”

  “Is that all?” said Kate. “Well, I obviously didn’t know the power of true love.”

  I chewed hard on my sausage, imagining it was James Sanderson’s finger.

  “Well, congratulations again, my dear,” said Miss Karr dryly. “I hope you’ll be very happy. You’ll certainly be very rich.”

  Kate merely smiled. I felt Miss Karr’s gaze settle on me like a lead weight, but I wouldn’t meet it. Instead I stared out the window at the wispy cirrus clouds.

  “I was wondering, Mr. Lunardi,” said Tobias, “when you first got interested in outer space.”

  The airship magnate smiled—but I thought I caught a trace of sadness in his eyes. It was the first time I’d seen a lapse in his boundless energy and good cheer.

  “Well,
it’s the way of the future, isn’t it? It’s what we humans must do if we’re to keep exploring.” He didn’t seem entirely convinced by his own reply, and after a moment he went on. “My boy, Bruce, took a great interest in the planets and stars. I didn’t appreciate it at the time; I was only intent on seeing him make his mark in business. But here, take a look at this.”

  From his breast pocket he took a piece of paper and passed it around the table. It looked as if it had been folded and opened many times. When the paper reached me, I saw it was a scientific drawing of the solar system. The planets were all drawn to relative size, with the constellations making a border. In the bottom corner, Bruce had printed his name very neatly in small letters.

  “It’s a fine drawing,” I said.

  “I think so too,” agreed Mr. Lunardi. “He did that when he was only ten. He made hundreds of sketches, without my ever knowing. Maybe he knew I’d just say there was no point staring into outer space. But it turns out his vision was clearer than mine.”

  I hadn’t known Bruce very well, or for very long, but I did remember how he’d told me he didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. It made me glad to think he really had known.

  “To Bruce,” I said, lifting my glass. “I wish he could have been traveling with us.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Cruse, that’s very kind of you,” said his father.

  “Has anyone seen Haiku?” asked Miss Karr, looking around the dining room.

  At that moment there was a tremendous din from the kitchen. Pots bonged, cutlery clattered, and there was a barrage of cursing in various languages. Then came an ominous silence.

  The door of the kitchen flew open. Striding out carrying an enormous soup pot was Mr. Vlad Herzog. I knew the Transylvanian chef well from my three years aboard the Aurora. And when I’d last seen him, he’d been the chef of Paris’s most famous restaurant, the Jewels Verne, atop the Eiffel Tower. Right now, he wore a murderous scowl on his face. The soup pot was banging and lurching in his arms. He stopped at the head of our table and lifted the lid slightly. Two small brown hands gripped the rim, and a tiny furry head popped up.

  “Whose monkey might this be?” he roared.

  “Haiku!” exclaimed Miss Karr.

  Chef Vlad clanged the lid back down.

  “Release him at once!” said Miss Karr, standing.

  “Ha!” said Chef Vlad. “Release him, you say? Release him so he can lay waste once more to my kitchen? So he can squat on my omelette?”

  I caught sight of Sir Hugh looking down at his omelette with dismay.

  “Release him at once, you disagreeable man!” said Miss Karr, rolling up her sleeves, as if she meant to box with the chef.

  “Perhaps Haiku could wear his leash, just for the rest of the meal,” Mr. Lunardi suggested peaceably. “Just so he doesn’t come to any harm in the kitchen.”

  “Haiku never misbehaves!” Miss Karr insisted. Nonetheless she produced the monkey’s leash.

  “Madam,” Chef Vlad said, still holding the lid tight, “if your monkey so much as peeks his adorable little head into my kitchen again, I will cook him. Do you understand this? Little Achoo, or whatever silly thing you’ve named him, will be all crispy. I will serve him with maybe an orange sauce and leeks!”

  Chef Vlad then paused as if considering this properly for the first time. “I’ve never attempted such a thing, and it would be challenging, and yet—”

  “Release him!” Miss Karr said sternly.

  Chef Vlad pulled back the lid with a flourish, and Haiku leapt out into his mistress’s waiting arms. Looking resentfully back at Chef Vlad, he piteously chittered his tale of woe to Miss Karr.

  The chef winked at me. “Monkey à l’orange; it would not be so bad, eh, Mr. Cruse. I see real possibilities.”

  “Chef Vlad, why aren’t you in Paris?” I asked.

  Chef Vlad’s cheeks filled with air and he gave an exaggerated sigh. “Paris is charming, for a time, Mr. Cruse. It is like one of their delightful little pastries. It sits there, looking plump and smug and delicious, but let it sit too long and it curdles, becomes soggy and repellent. There is no energy in Paris, no dynamism. An artist like myself must move on. Also, I set fire to the French president.”

  “You don’t say,” I said.

  “Yes. I could not stay a moment longer.”

  “What exactly happened, Chef Vlad?” Kate inquired.

  “The president’s mustache was excessively long, and I was preparing crème brûlée and he came between me and my blow-torch.”

  “It was an accident, though,” I said hopefully.

  “No, no,” said Chef Vlad. “We were having a difference of opinion about the thickness of the sugar crust. He had some very vexing views on the matter.” His eyes strayed to a window, as if recalling the scene, and he smiled. “It was regrettable, but these things occur from time to time. There was a question of a prison sentence, so I left town rather quickly. I had the good fortune to meet Mr. Lunardi while fleeing—and he said he would like to offer me another position.”

  “Chef Vlad is coming with you to outer space!” Mr. Lunardi told us with a smile.

  “Hooray!” Kate said. “I was wondering what we’d eat.”

  “Miss de Vries, how lovely to see you again,” said Chef Vlad with a little bow. “Yes, I am to be your chef. The first chef in outer space. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I must find someone else to put in my pot.”

  We were all quite pampered aboard the Bluenose. Mr. Lunardi refused to give us duties of any sort. He promised there’d be a great deal of work awaiting us on the island and urged us to rest now, and enjoy Chef Vlad’s fabulous meals.

  On the second day, we left the Hawaiis in our wake and continued southwest toward the equator. It was strange to think that I’d first met Kate on an almost identical journey, some two years ago. But it made me sad, and bitter too, for I felt so far away from her right now. She spent a lot of time in the port lounge with her camera, scanning the skies with her field glasses, probably hoping to sight an aerozoan or a cloud cat. I avoided her. She needed to make things right, not I. But I got the feeling she was avoiding me too. I was miserable.

  On the morning of the third day I woke early. I knew we’d be arriving that afternoon, and all night I’d dreamed about our ship, and what awaited us in outer space. I dressed eagerly and headed down to the dining room for breakfast. I was the first to arrive. Covered serving dishes had already been set out along the sideboard. I took a plate and was helping myself to some scrambled egg when I felt warm fingers stroke the back of my neck. The simple touch sent a deep electric current of pleasure through me. I took a slow breath, not wanting the moment to end just yet.

  “Please don’t be angry with me,” Kate whispered in my ear.

  I turned. She was looking very apologetic and tentative—and it was so unlike her that I almost smiled. But I didn’t want her to think I’d forgiven her.

  “I never thought I could be so angry,” I said.

  We were alone in the dining room, but we wouldn’t be for long. I continued moving along and filling my plate, in case anyone came in suddenly. Kate did the same.

  “I’ll break off the engagement when I get back,” she said quietly.

  Just hearing the word engagement made my heart ache. Right now James Sanderson was engaged to my Kate. I might never be engaged to her, and the thought of this other fellow claiming the privilege made my blood steam.

  “Will your parents let you?” I asked.

  “They can’t force me to marry him. Anyway, people break engagements all the time. With a bit of luck I can probably rig it so it looks like his fault.”

  I glanced over at her. “You really are a very devious person.”

  “If necessary, yes. I’ve heard James is a notorious flirt, so there’s a good chance he’ll do something naughty while I’m away. Then I can act all heartbroken and say he’s wounded me terribly, and I can refuse to marry him.”

  “Why don’t you just fr
ame him with murder?”

  She frowned, considering this. “Too much work. Now, you and I have a tricky job ahead of us. For this to work, everyone on the expedition has to believe I want to be engaged, and that you and I are just acquaintances. We’ve got to watch Miss Karr in particular. She suspects something. If she hints at anything in one of her newspaper dispatches, we’re sunk. There’ll be a scandal and my parents will lock me up forever.”

  “Might not be a bad idea,” I muttered.

  Kate ignored me. “So you can’t flirt with me or pay me any undue attention. Ignore me as much as possible.”

  “Easy,” I said, annoyed by her bossiness. “I’ll be too busy flying the ship.”

  “And you have to stop glaring at me,” Kate added.

  “I don’t glare at you!”

  “You do. I catch you looking at me sometimes and it’s positively homicidal. You’ll give the game away if you keep doing it.”

  “This isn’t a game to me,” I said.

  “I know,” she said, “and I’m sorry, Matt. I really am. There was just no other way.”

  I said nothing. I’d known for years how determined Kate was, but I’d never thought she’d be quite this ruthless. She’d made promises she had no intention of keeping. She’d lied. She’d hurt me. How did I know she wouldn’t hurt me again—and worse—to get something she really wanted?

  The cry of “Land ho!” brought me to the windows of the starboard lounge. I stuck my head out into the balmy breeze. The island had no dramatic mountains or volcanoes, like some of those we’d passed earlier. Waves broke against its outer reef in a jagged white line and rolled serenely onto the sandy beach.

  As we drew closer, I saw numerous buildings clustered together near the coast. The largest was some four stories tall and had a flat metal roof. Above the island I glimpsed something that made me squint. A golden vertical seam flickered in the sky. Some kind of atmospheric trick, maybe, a refraction of the sun’s rays in the tropical moisture.

  “Do you see that?” Tobias said, sticking his head out the window next to mine.

  I nodded. The golden line seemed to be coming from the tall, flat-roofed building, and stretched higher and higher until I could see it no longer.