Asteroid Crisis: Star Challengers Book 3 by Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, June Scobee Rodgers Read Free Book Online

had severely damaged his leg. The young driver who’d been texting while driving had altered her brother’s life, crossed off a great many items from the list of things he could do. He might eventually have additional surgeries that could strengthen his ability to walk, but he would never run or ride his bike as easily as he had on that fateful day. In orbit, though, Dyl regained his freedom of movement, just like anyone else. During his recovery and physical therapy, he had done exercises in a pool, where he was buoyant—but nothing was like swimming around in zero-G.
    “Next stop, the future.” Tony flashed a smile at JJ. “And this time, I’m not going to be taken by surprise.”
    “I can’t wait to see what they’ve changed at the space station,” King said. “There isn’t much time, but I have faith that the human race can pull together and solve the problem.”
    “As in, putting aside their differences and looking at the big picture?” Song-Ye let out a snort. “You should hear my father talk about some of the other diplomats, everybody arguing about silly little things.”
    “Let’s hope an invasion fleet of squidbutts is enough to make them put aside old quarrels,” JJ said, her mouth a terse line. She grasped one of the wall handles. “Everybody hold on.”
    Commander Zota stood at the door of the transport room that led into the classroom mockup of a moonbase or space station control center. “Learn and experience what you can, but most importantly find out how the combined space programs plan to defend against the oncoming asteroids. Then activate your pingers, as I’ve shown you—I’ll retrieve all of you cadets. Afterward, I can send you forward to the next part of your mission.”
    ‘“Mission sounds so formal,” Dyl said. “I prefer to think of it as an adventure.”
    “We’re not doing this for fun, Junior,” Song-Ye chided.
    Dyl snickered. “You mean you didn’t have fun when Red Spot sticky-globbed you to a wall in the ISSC?”
    “Next time I’ll remember to duck,” she shot back.
    “If you cadets are quite ready…?” Commander Zota said, then waited until they all acknowledged. He closed the door, sealing them inside.
    JJ knew that Zota would be returning to the time-machine controls and setting the date and the coordinates to the space station complex in the future. The alien device would project some sort of field to transport them more than a century ahead. Having experienced it twice already, JJ knew she and her friends wouldn’t feel the time-travel jump, but when her stomach lurched and she suddenly felt herself falling in all directions, she knew they had made it back up to the orbiting facility. She found herself spinning and disoriented; her feet lifted in the air.
    Dyl let out a long sigh and immediately nudged himself, drifting across the cramped chamber until he bumped into the opposite metal wall. They were crowded inside one of the node rooms, a connecting chamber between modules on the ISSC.
    “First piece of good news—the space station is still here,” Song-Ye said.
    “It’s a bit cramped,” Tony said. As he moved, he jostled against JJ, and they all bumped and bounced into one another like too many fish in a fishbowl.
    “We don’t know who’s aboard.” King pressed his face to the window port on the hatch. “There could be a new Kylarn welcoming party out there.”
    But the hatch controls blinked, and the metal airlock door opened. They found themselves facing the skeptical physicist, Dr. Kloor, who looked decidedly uneasy. Next to him floated Stationmaster Noor Ansari. The familiar chief smiled at them, relieved.
    Without greeting the Star Challengers who filled the node room, Kloor turned to Ansari. “Just as I thought, Stationmaster—trouble was bound to show up sooner or later.”
    ***

Seven
    The International Space Station Complex had changed dramatically in the eighteen months since their last visit. Earth was throwing significant