Nothing happens on the screen, except the laser moves on to Ian. Then Merrick. Then Milla. And then, finally, me.
When it scans me, instead of moving on, it emits one long, high-pitched beep. And then hundreds and hundreds of file names begin rolling across the screen from top to bottom in small blue print—conveniently legible, considering this was made by the Ancients, so maybe the Starlight is translating it for me.
“What is all this?” Rain asks.
Max shakes his head. “I don’t know. It’s scrolling so fast that I can’t read it.”
“What about you, Kali?” Merrick queries. “Why don’t you try touching the screen?”
Everything in me recoils, except…not really. My brain definitely doesn’t want to touch the screen, but every other part of my body yearns for it.
“Go ahead,” Ian says. “We’re all right here.”
Something tells me we’re never going to get anywhere if I don’t touch it, so I finally take a deep breath and reach toward the screen.
The second I touch one of the files, it opens up, information spreading across the wall.
“Moderate success,” I read from the central section, as most of the others contain nothing but numerical data. “Two dead planets, Tybris and Nabroch. Life flourishing on other planets.”
“Moderate success?” Merrick asks, sounding as bewildered as I feel. “Moderate success at what?”
I swipe the file away and choose another one from the list that continues to scroll by.
This one has a lot of numerical data as well, but it has the same central summary. Senestris batch specimens 77% successful to date, though data suggest success rate will drop to 55% by end of millennium. Askkandia is the most fruitful planet, followed by Kridacus and Glacea, though data suggest Glacea may drop off soon. Recommendation: Pre-extinction harvest.
“Harvest?” Rain whispers. “What do they mean by harvest?”
“Nothing good,” I answer grimly. But when I go to swipe on a third file, the display lets out a series of high-pitched beeps. And then numbers begin running across the screen.
The same numbers we saw on the heptosphere a few minutes ago. Except the sequence now reads: 30 – 07 – 03 – 57
We’ve lost six minutes from whatever it’s counting down to.
We wait another couple of minutes, just to see what happens. But no matter where I touch the display, the only thing that changes is the numbers on the countdown sequence as they continue to scroll across the screen.
“I don’t like this,” Max says.
“Yeah, no shit,” Ian replies. “But there’s nothing we can do about it from in here.”
He walks out of the room, and I follow him, because he’s right. Although I can’t help but think there’s nothing we can do about it anywhere else, either.
And that’s before we get back to the bridge and confirm the countdown sequence is still displayed on the heptosphere. Except around the center where it started, there is something new. A sentence that reads:
Humanoid Specimens of the Senestris System. We have found you and are on our way. Our harvest is overdue.
“There’s that word again,” Merrick comments. “Harvest.”
The heptosphere emits more flashing lights, and then the phrase running across the center changes again.
Population harvest to commence in 30 – 06 – 59 – 12
“Population harvest?” Merrick repeats. “What exactly does that mean?”
“I think you know exactly what that means,” Ian answers.
Rain shudders. “Us? Something wants to harvest us?”
“Pre-extinction harvest.” I repeat what we read in the locked room.
“But what’s going on?” Rain asks, pointing at the heptosphere. “We’ve had that thing following us for days, and that room never unlocked before.”
“Kali must have connected them,” Max suggests. “When she did that thing on Delta V47 with the heptosphere and the Starlight.”
“You think that’s what did this?” I ask, horrified. “You think I somehow activated the countdown?”
“Do you have a better suggestion?” He raises a brow at me.
I don’t, but before I can say that, the heptosphere changes yet again. The words disappear in an array of colored lights, leaving only the countdown running across the middle of the sphere and a pulsing light that appears at the poles of the orb.
“What do you think those lights are for?” I whisper, though I’m afraid I already know.
“It looks like a beacon,” Merrick answers, confirming my worst fears.
“So, let me get this straight.” Ian runs a hand down his face. “Not only have we somehow communicated to something out there that we’re ready to be harvested, but we’ve also given them a fucking lodestar to help them on the journey?”
“That’s not terrifying at all,” Milla drawls.
“That’s not even the most terrifying part,” I tell her.
“What is?” She looks more curious than horrified, which makes one of us.
Rain answers for me. “What out there is so advanced that they think of us as nothing more than plants to harvest?”
“Exactly,” I agree, reaching for Ian’s hand as a chill runs through me. “And what are they planning to do with us once the harvest is complete?”
Acknowledgments
Writing this book has been so exciting, and I am thrilled to have the best team in the world to work on it with me.
Nina Croft, thanks for being a great writing partner.
Stacy Abrams, your patience and enthusiasm are infectious. Thank you for all the late-night phone calls and brilliant ideas.
Emily Sylvan Kim, you are the best agent in the world. Thanks for everything you did to make this book a reality.
Hannah Lindsey, for everything. Sincerely. You are the most wonderful tour companion, copy editor, and all-around support system a girl could ever ask for.
Liz Pelletier, thank you for everything. I’ve wanted to write a space book forever, and I will always be grateful to you for making that dream a reality. You’re amazing!
Molly Majumder, for taking so much time and effort to help this book shine. Thank you for everything.
Thank you to everyone at Entangled and Macmillan for all of your help and support with this book. I am so lucky to be a part of such an amazing team. Special thanks to Veronica Gonzalez, Curtis Svehlak, Toni Kerr, Heather Riccio, Meredith Johnson, Bree Archer, Elizabeth Turner Stokes, Nicole Resciniti, and the Entangled Buddy Read for everything you all did to get this book into the hands of readers.
My family, for all your love and support through all the late nights. I adore you all.
And finally, thank you to my incredible fans. I have the most wonderful fans in the business and I am so, so grateful for every single one of you.
—Tracy
Acknowledgments Many thanks to the entire team at Entangled Publishing for their exceptional efforts in bringing Star Bringer to life! I’m so in love with the cover. And a special thanks to Liz Pelletier, for inviting me to be part of this amazing book, for her ideas, advice, constant enthusiasm, and for her belief in my abilities. I’ve loved every moment of working on Star Bringer.
To the wonderful Tracy Wolff, my coauthor, whose collaborative spirit, insights, and creativity have enriched every page of this book.