Starbounders by Adam Jay Epstein Read Free Book Online Page B

his sightline. Zachary reached out to touch it, but of course it wasn’t there; it was a projection created by the lensicon.
    â€œEach lens has been programmed with an encyclopedic database of every living and nonliving thing that has been discovered in the universe,” Instructor Taylor said. “To activate it, target an object within the crosshairs and blink twice.”
    Zachary’s eyes scanned the room, and the first object he focused on was a clear mouthpiece resting on a table behind Instructor Taylor. It looked similar to one that would be used for scuba diving, except it wasn’t connected to any tanks. He oriented the tiny crosshairs so they targeted the mouthpiece, and blinked twice. As soon as he did, words appeared to float in midair; a heads-up display of information scrolled beside the mouthpiece.
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TERRESTRIAL OBJECT:
OFF-PLANET BIO REGULATOR
    THIS DEVICE, CREATED FOR OXYGEN-BREATHING LIFE-FORMS, PRODUCES A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT WHEN INSERTED INTO A SPECIES’ O 2 INTAKE HOLE.
    IN ADDITION, IT GENERATES A THIN MAGNETIC REPULSIVE BARRIER AROUND THE USER’S BODY TO PROTECT IT FROM PARTICLE DEBRIS IN THE VACUUM OF SPACE.
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    A table of contents listing various subheadings followed, including HISTORY, STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION, PERFORMANCE, and COMPLICATIONS . Zachary turned his head before reading any further. This time his eyes fell on Professor Olari. He blinked twice.
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LIFE-FORM:
CLIPSIAN
    THIS SPECIES HAILS FROM THE RINGED PLANETS OF TARTAROC.
    FUELED BY PHYSIOLOGICAL INTERNAL COMBUSTION, THEIR ENERGY COMES FROM A SUPERHEATED CORE THAT SUSTAINS THEM FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE HUNDRED YEARS WITH NO NEED FOR FOOD, LIGHT, OR CHEMICAL INTAKE. THUS THEY ARE CAPABLE OF SURVIVING IN THE HARSHEST OF CONDITIONS.
    WHILE MOST HAVE BECOME PHILOSOPHERS AND THINKERS, THE MORE AGGRESSIVE WAR TRIBES, UNDER THE COMMAND OF GENERAL NIBIRU, HAVE RAVAGED HUNDREDS OF DEFENSELESS POPULATED PLANETS.
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    Zachary was about to skip down to a menu subheading titled CONFLICT WITH THE IPDL when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see an imposing man with especially dark eyebrows standing behind him. Ryic and Kaylee were at his side.
    â€œMr. Night, come with me,” the man said. He directed his gaze to Kylee and Ryic. “Director Madsen would like to have a word with the three of you.”
    Zachary’s chest tightened. He stood up and joined his friends, and the man ushered them from the briefing room. The other Lightwings were too preoccupied with their lensicons to even notice.
    Zachary, Kaylee, and Ryic kept silent on the walk to Director Madsen’s office. Zachary knew they’d broken the rules by sneaking onto the starchery range, and he feared that some punishment was now coming. He tried to look relaxed, but his shoulders still felt like they were rising up to his ears.
    The man with the eyebrows led them through a series of sloping corridors before arriving at a metal door. It opened, and a figure emerged, his face partially covered by a mask and his arms cloaked in long sleeves and gloves. It was impossible to tell if he was human or not. He passed the group without acknowledging them, and even the man with the eyebrows stepped out of his way.
    The metal door had looked identical to any other, but Zachary was surprised by the room they found inside. The walls had been covered with wood paneling that made it look like the captain’s quarters of an old-fashioned pirate ship. Sitting behind a large oak desk was an older black man with a curly gray goatee. He wore a fleece vest over a white T-shirt and a baseball cap with the Indigo 8 insignia—an infinity symbol with two ringed planets orbiting around it—on the front. A black Labrador lay on the floor beside him.
    â€œPlease,” Director Madsen said, gesturing to the chairs opposite his desk. “Let’s talk about what happened last night. We’re lucky no one was severely hurt. Even Derek escaped