Noumenon

Noumenon
Marina J. Lostetter

‘A striking adventure story that could hold a galaxy in its scope’KIRKUS REVIEWSAstrophysicist Reggie Straifer has discovered a mysterious object in deep space: a strange star, blinking in a seemingly impossible pattern. As humanity plans its first adventures beyond the solar system, Reggie and thousands of others join NOUMENON – a convoy of nine ships on a mission to reveal the origins of this anomalous star. Is its strobing a natural phenomenon or something far more alien?NOUMENON’s voyage will take centuries. To preserve their talents, the convoy is populated by clones of its original crew. Born and reborn in a sealed society with a single purpose, every individual and every generation must come to terms with inheritances that go far beyond DNA.Marina J. Lostetter’s stunning debut explores the wonders of deep space and the obsessions, fears and desires of humanity’s first interstellar travellers as they speed toward a single blinking star and a discovery beyond their wildest imaginings.

Copyright (#ulink_c70df5d1-f5a2-53f3-8826-7aff8059dccb)

HarperVoyager an imprint of

HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

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London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

First published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2017

Copyright © Little Lost Stories 2017

Cover layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2017

Little Lost Stories asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008223359

Ebook Edition © July 2017 ISBN: 9780008223373

Version: 2018-05-09

Dedication (#ulink_468eed5f-83e1-5f35-8911-bf8ab29c829c)

For everyone working toward a better tomorrow and a more hopeful today. Thank you.

And for Alex: my love, my laughter,

my light in all dark places.

Contents

Cover (#ubb51b858-7a8c-571f-9011-4083d792ab49)

Title Page (#ucb39008e-179c-5282-bdc9-56a189145920)

Copyright (#u8f23fbd9-dff3-527f-9d49-aecf35a3bba4)

Dedication (#ub5dbb1c3-c967-5257-8896-4c33c0130452)

Part 1: Resistance (#u3b84e37b-500d-5e52-b9a6-dc1980ed604c)

1. Reggie: A King of Infinite Space (#u6a4bed71-8975-5a8b-b042-6c8df1e23cea)

2. Margarita: Inside Taro’s Box (#ueb93e0d0-9f55-5b6c-a55f-6a677e613e90)

3. Jamal: Balance (#uca809ea8-1516-502d-a18d-639e17a6d503)

4. I.C.C.: Look Now How the Mortals Blame (#litres_trial_promo)

Part 2: Resilience (#litres_trial_promo)

5. Reginald: A Tell-Tale Pulse (#litres_trial_promo)

6. I.C.C.: Because it is Breaking (#litres_trial_promo)

7. I.C.C.: Miscloned (#litres_trial_promo)

8. Nika: Behind the Curtain (#litres_trial_promo)

9. Esper: Return Through the Wardrobe (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue: I.C.C.: Old Salts and New Songs (#litres_trial_promo)

Acknowledgments (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Author (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

Resistance (#ulink_06cb96ac-8a44-5c01-95b4-1d05381e134f)

CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_b6f587ec-d660-54d0-aa89-af9d75f22acd)

REGGIE: A KING OF INFINITE SPACE

APRIL 14, T MINUS 37 YEARS TO LAUNCH DAY (LD)

2088 COMMON ERA (CE)

The Planet United Consortium was formed in order to pursue Earth-wide interests in deep space. Each Planet United Mission is designed to further humanity’s joint scientific understanding, its reach beyond the home planet, and to ensure the longevity of planet-wide cooperation …

The hot stage lights made Reggie’s forehead break out in beads of sweat. He could barely hear the professor from Berkeley even though she was only three seats away. She sounded like she was broadcasting from the surface of Mars.

Mars—wouldn’t that be a nice alternative to where he was now? It was quiet on Mars. Deserted. No cameras and no horde of scientists, reporters, and politicians ready to hang on his every word.