Star Splitter

DUTTON BOOKSAn imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, New YorkFirst published in the United States of America by Dutton Children’s Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2023Text copyright © 2023 by Matthew KirbyPenguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.Dutton is a registered trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.The Penguin colophon is a registered trademark of Penguin Books Limited.Visit us online at PenguinRandomHouse.com.Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.ISBN 9780735231665 (hardcover)ISBN 9780593619643 (international edition)ISBN 9780735229617 (ebook)Cover design by Grace HanPhoto credits:Landscape by Paul Campbell / iStock via Getty ImagesHair by Dmitry Ageev / Tetra images via Getty ImagesPart of clothing by JadeThaiCatwalk / iStock via Getty ImagesEdited by Julie Strauss-GabelDesign by Anna Booth, adapted for ebook by Michelle QuinteroThis book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.pid_prh_6.0_143283231_c0_r0 CONTENTSCoverTitle PageCopyrightDedicationEpigraph1—OS Liverpool, Earth’s Orbit2—Hades3—DS Theseus4—Hades5—DS Theseus6—Hades7—DS Theseus8—Hades9—DS Theseus10—Hades11—DS Theseus12—Hades13—DS Theseus14—Hades15—DS Theseus16—Hades17—DS Theseus18—Hades19—DS Theseus20—Hades21—DS Theseus22—Hades23—DS Theseus24—Hades25—Hades26—Hades27—Hades28—Hades29—Hades30—Hades31—DS Theseus32—OS Liverpool, Earth’s OrbitAcknowledgmentsAbout the Author_143283231_ For those who ask what might have been That telescope was christened the Star-Splitter,Because it didn’t do a thing but splitA star in two or three the way you splitA globule of quicksilver in your handWith one stroke of your finger in the middle.It’s a star-splitter if there ever was one,And ought to do some good if splitting stars’Sa thing to be compared with splitting wood.We’ve looked and looked, but after all where are we?Do we know any better where we are,And how it stands between the night tonightAnd a man with a smoky lantern chimney?How different from the way it ever stood?—FROM “THE STAR-SPLITTER,”ROBERT FROST 1—OS Liverpool, Earth’s orbitBEFOREI don’t care how many prep classes you take, or how many counseling sessions you go through, or how many waivers you sign, none of it actually prepares you to be burned apart by a laser, atom by atom. But Jessica Mathers was one of the most prepared travelers I ever had the privilege to meet. Not eager, but prepared.I’ve seen pretty much the full spectrum of human reaction to teleportation and talked countless travelers through their emotional and psychological barriers. I have a pretty spectacular record, too, with a voluntary abort rate of 8.2 percent; my department average usually hovers near fifteen. Some people just can’t be talked into the machine come departure time.I’ve been a traveler liaison with ISTA for eleven years, and each year, the job gets harder and busier. As more and more destination ships reach their targets, interstellar teleportation goes up. Last year I sent 322 passengers a combined distance of nearly 6,500 light-years. I admit I don’t remember them all. But some travelers stay with you. You find yourself thinking about them years later, wondering where they are and what they’re doing out there among all those pinpricks of light. For me, Jessica Mathers was one of those passengers.She was an unaccompanied minor, back when I was assigned to the OS Liverpool. I was late meeting her in the reception area at the shuttle dock because it had taken thirty extra minutes to coax a twitchy atmospheric engineer into the teleporter. I hate being late, because it often makes my job harder. If I’m not there to put the traveler at ease right away, their mind goes to work. Stress and anxiety go up. I have to spend time bringing them back down to baseline, or I can almost guarantee they’ll abort their trip.But Jessica Mathers wasn’t anxious. She just looked mad.At first I wondered if she might be mad at me. Anger is a common stress response.“I apologize for being late,” I said, extending my hand. “And I apologize for the cold fingers. Blood doesn’t circulate as well up here, with only partial Earth gravity.”She stayed seated as we shook, but her scowl softened. “It’s fine.”“How was the trip up from the surface?”“Just what the brochure promised.” She stood to face me and smiled, appearing and sounding completely at ease. “Are you my liaison?”“I am,” I replied, somewhat taken aback by her sudden calm. The anger I’d seen on her face had vanished, like she’d put it away somewhere for safekeeping, and I realized it hadn’t been directed at me. It was just something she carried around. I puzzled over who or what could make her mad enough that it seemed to distract her from any fears she had. “My name is Jim Kelly.”“And you’re here to keep me from freaking out?” she said.“If I can. I’ll be at your side for the next two hours. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jessica.”She nodded.I gestured toward my office. “This way. And watch your step. The simulated gravity takes some getting used to.”When we got there, she took a seat in one of the chairs facing my desk. Instead of sitting down opposite her, with the desk of authority between us, I sat down next to her.“So is this the point of no return?” Jessica asked.“Not yet.” I pulled out my tablet. “You’ll know that point when it arrives.”“Then I already passed it. Back when my parents signed me up for this.” Her tone hardened, and in that moment the reason for her earlier anger became clearer.“I take it this trip wasn’t your idea?” I asked.“No. It was not.” She cocked her head, and her auburn hair fell to one side. “Do you meet a lot of seventeen-year-olds who