Cosmic Thunder (Sentinels Saga Book 3)

by Linn Schwab

  “Never heard of her,” Derrick said. “And I’ve never heard of anything like this happening before. But my guess is if her orders take precedence, it’s only because Admiral Sands allows it. He must’ve granted her some sort of special authority. I suggest we do as the order says.”

  Captain Hoile glanced at the screen once more and elected to follow Derrick’s advice. He wasn’t happy about leaving before the repairs were finished, but decided he had little choice in the matter. He could only hope they wouldn’t come under fire again while his ship was still in less than optimal condition. “Let’s make ready to get under way. Inform the repair crews we’re leaving shortly.”

  * * * *

  Once the journey to Aries was under way, Robin relaxed in the captain’s chair and reflected on the details of her most recent dream. Was there anything important she could learn from the vision? Was there a hidden message or meaning for her to discover? The presence of ocean water seemed to hold special significance, due to its apparent influence over her. But why had Jason appeared in her dream? And more importantly, why had she taken on the form of a dolphin?

  The presence of Jason seemed easy to explain. He was something new and exciting, exotic and forbidden — if not by regulation, then at least by practicality. It was little wonder her subconscious had latched onto him, and transformed him into a willing participant. But in truth, the age gap was a barrier for her, just as she’d explained to Michelle earlier. Her subconscious could fantasize all it wanted on her behalf, but there would be no courtship, no underwater dance, and no breathtaking physical contact between them. And after sitting beside him for just a few moments, it was clear that he was enamored with Virginia, even if Virginia didn’t recognize it yet. So there was more than one barrier for her to overcome. The odds were most certainly stacked against her.

  As to why she’d assumed the form of a dolphin, the reasoning was not so easily explained. While it was true that she’d often entertained thoughts of what life must be like for her ocean dwelling friends, she also couldn’t overlook the fact that she’d recently divulged a secret to Virginia — a childish conception from her earlier days at the academy. Could it be true? she wondered. Could that be the answer? Do Sentinels turn into dolphins when they die?

  She’d long ago dismissed the possibility as nonsense — the hopeful musings of a little girl, faced with a life devoid of any joy. It’s our reward, she’d once convinced her younger self. Our reward for keeping the planet safe. But a day had come when that hopeful dream no longer fit her perception of reality, and she’d cast it aside in favor of an unpleasant truth that made more sense to her more mature self. Only now was she beginning to have second thoughts, though her practical side still insisted it was folly — a fantasy she’d outgrown for good reason.

  The journey to Aries proved uneventful, and once the Cricket was safely docked, a procession of forklifts rolled into the cargo bay — each of them carrying a sturdy crate, packed with high explosive shells. Loading and securing took less than an hour, and the Cricket was soon under way again, albeit with a slightly more nervous crew. The presence of so much explosive force in the cargo bay was something none of the girls wanted to dwell on. All of them were hoping their return to Volaris would go as smoothly as the journey out. Shortly after departing from Aries, though, an unexpected communications prompt startled the girls, and their eyes immediately shifted to Mindy.

  “This is the Cricket,” Mindy said into her microphone. The others watched and waited in silence as she listened to a message coming through on her headset. “Understood,” she replied after a brief delay. “Cricket, out.” She turned to Robin and said, “We’ve been ordered to stop at Libra and pick up a passenger. They’re sending the coordinates through to Michelle’s console.”

  “Got ‘em,” Michelle announced after checking her screen. “Plotting a course to Libra, Captain.”

  “Did they say who the passenger is?” Robin asked.

  “No,” Mindy said, “they didn’t say much at all. I don’t think the transmission was coming from Volaris, though. I didn’t recognize the person’s voice.”

  “They didn’t identify themselves?”

  Mindy shook her head. Robin suddenly began to feel suspicious. Could this be an enemy trick? she wondered. Is someone trying to lure us into a trap? Her thoughts returned to the enemy ship that had chased them a few days earlier. The destroyer with all of those machine guns, she recalled. The one she’d forgotten about until now. If that ship were to somehow locate the Cricket while her cargo bay was loaded down with heavy ordnance, there was little chance Robin and her crew could outrun it. The lighter ship would easily overtake them, and target them with impunity. And any incoming fire that connected with the hull would be a threat to trigger those high explosive shells.

  Anxiety began to eat away at Robin’s nerves. Her crew was in a very precarious position. By the time her ship arrived safely at Libra, her strength was beginning to slip away from her, and the resulting weakness was causing her to tremble. Only when the Cricket backed up against the dock did she feel the slightest hint of relief. We made it, she thought with a sigh. Apparently the order hadn’t been a trick after all.

  As she made her way through the cargo bay with the others, Robin’s thoughts turned to the passenger her crew had been ordered here to retrieve. Who could it be? Where was she headed? Was it someone who was meant to be stationed on Volaris? It occurred to her now that it might be Janine. Perhaps this was where her investigation had led her. When the airlock doors slid open for her, though, it wasn’t Janine who was waiting there to greet her. It was someone else whose face seemed strikingly familiar — a girl her own age, in a clean white dress, with a duffel bag laying on the floor at her side.

  “Sheri!” Robin cried out in joy, and rushed forward to wrap her friend in an embrace. Through her sobs and her tears, she noticed subtle changes that only the closest of friends might detect. It seemed that Sheri’s hair was straighter and longer than the last time the two of them had been together. It hasn’t been that long, she told herself. How could her hair have grown so fast? And her posture seemed off the mark as well. It wasn’t normal for Sheri to be so rigid — so stiff, so formal, so ... artificial. And her body felt warmer to the touch than normal, like a dress or a towel straight out of the dryer.

  As the others came forward and gathered in around them, Robin pulled back from the embrace just a little, and looked with concern into Sheri’s eyes. “Are you alright, Sheri?” she asked. “You feel really warm to me.”

  “And you feel like you’re shivering,” Sheri said. “Come here, and take some extra warmth from me.” She pulled Robin tight against her again, and placed her right hand on the back of Robin’s neck.

  A feeling of warmth flowed through Robin’s body, radiating outward from the palm of Sheri’s hand. It reminded her of Commander Jeffries’ touch — a melty warm feeling that seemed to envelope her, and push all her troubles aside for a moment.

  Uncertain of the changes she sensed in her friend, Robin placed her palm on the back of Sheri’s neck as though she were simply mimicking the gesture. Then ever so slowly, she moved her hand upward to probe beneath the softness of Sheri’s hair. Her fingers found nothing unusual, though, which triggered a wave of relief inside her. She leaned back to get a better look at Sheri’s face. The oversize bandage had been replaced by a simple adhesive strip on her forehead.

  “You look much better now,” Robin said. “Did they clear you to return to duty?”

  Sheri nodded and reached for her duffel bag. “Should I change into my uniform?” she asked.

  “Later,” Robin said. “Let’s get under way. I’ll feel better when we’re all back on Volaris.”

  The girls reentered through the cargo bay, and took their normal positions on the bridge, with Sheri seated at the systems console, and Katrina back at auxiliaries. The ship’s voice responded to Robin’s key with, “CVS Cricket, Congo–‌class destroyer, Captain Robin Starling com
manding.”

  Upon hearing the ship’s name, Sheri glanced around in surprise.

  Katrina grinned at her, and said, “Chirp!”

  ALTERNATE OBJECTIVES 088

  “The course is laid out for you,” Virginia said. “Just follow that red stripe you see painted on the floor.”

  “You’re coming with me, aren’t you?” Jason asked her.

  “I’m not supposed to let you out of my sight.”

  “I’ll try my best not to outrun you, then. I wouldn’t want both of us to get in trouble.”

  Side by side, they started down the corridor, moving along together at an easy pace.

  “Do you run these laps often?” Jason asked.

  “I do my best to keep in shape.”

  “I can see that. You’re an attractive girl. Makes me wish we were on the same side.”

  “You could surrender,” Virginia suggested.

  He laughed. “I believe I already did. Isn’t that how I ended up here?”

  “No, I mean your people could surrender.”

  “Not gonna happen,” Jason insisted. “They are dead set on winning this war. But if you could talk your people into surrendering, the fighting could stop in a matter of hours.”

  “Why should we surrender?” Virginia countered. “And why are you fighting us anyway?”

  Jason shrugged. “Why are you fighting us?” he asked.

  “To keep you off of our planet,” she replied.

  “And just why is that so important to you?”

  They both stopped running and faced each other. Virginia struggled to organize her thoughts. “When I was younger, I saw pictures of Earth,” she explained. “Horrible pictures. Trash everywhere, animals suffering and dying. Oceans and beaches covered in thick black sludge. That’s why our founders came to this world. Your people already ruined one planet. We’re not going to let you ruin ours.”

  “That’s it?” Jason said. “That’s why you’re fighting us? Virginia, those images are all in the past. Our people were smart enough to learn from their mistakes. Those pictures you saw ... that isn’t us anymore.”

  “Why should I believe you?” she countered. “You’ve shown us nothing but relentless destruction so far.”

  Jason frowned. “I admit, we take a hard line when it comes to war. But the terms of surrender don’t have to be harsh. If your leaders would just agree to talk with ours, I’m sure we could reach an acceptable arrangement.”

  Virginia found herself wanting to believe him, if for no other reason than to stop the fighting. Perhaps I should give him a chance, she decided. “What kind of terms are we talking about?”

  “Well,” he said, “for starters, you’d have to dismantle your fleet. That’s one thing I’m sure my people would insist on. They’d also want to leave a garrison of troops on your planet, to ensure that you never go to war with us again. An occupation force, I believe is what it’s called. Those demands are fairly typical for such a costly conflict.”

  “Anything else?” Virginia asked.

  “Those two would likely be the main concerns. If your people are willing to accept those terms, I don’t see any reason for us to keep fighting each other.”

  Virginia weighed the terms in her head for a moment. Though she felt no particular attachment to the warships, the prospect of allowing Earthlings on Valhalla made the whole reason for the war seem pointless. The sacrifices made by her sisters would be wasted. That didn’t sit well with her at all.

  “Virginia, please,” Jason implored her, “convince your superiors to entrust me with a message. Just like they did with Lieutenant Samuels. I promise I’ll get it to the right people. You can trust me. There won’t be any mistakes this time.”

  She looked into his eyes and decided to trust him, though not without a healthy dose of skepticism. “Okay,” she relented, “I’ll see what I can do.”

  He reached for her arm, and before she knew it, he was placing a kiss on the back of her hand.

  * * * *

  Looking out the windows on the bridge of the Gojira, Peter watched an arriving shuttle position itself to dock with the freighter. Commander Parks seemed saddened by its arrival.

  “What will you do now?” she asked him.

  Peter had asked her to send for a shuttle so that he could return to the fleet. In the haste to evacuate Paradise One, his fighter had been left behind on the station, leaving him stranded on board the Gojira.

  “I’ll have the shuttle fly me to gateway,” he said, “and grab a new fighter off a transport from Earth. From there, I’ll try to make my way back to the Melbourne, if I can find out where it’s currently positioned. And what about you, Commander?” he asked. “Are you still planning to return to Paradise?”

  “Yes,” she confirmed. “Once I’m convinced it’s safe to return, I’ll have the Gojira drop us off there.”

  “Well ... I guess this is goodbye,” he said. “Care to walk with me down to the airlock, Commander?”

  Karen smiled and walked along beside him. “Do you really think you can end this war?” she asked.

  “I’ll definitely give it my best shot,” he said. “The first thing I’m gonna do is go straight to Admiral Sands, and inform him what happened with that enemy destroyer.”

  “You really think he’ll listen to you?”

  Peter nodded. “Yes. I’m convinced he will. Admiral Sands is a good man, Karen. If he sees a chance to end this war, I’m confident he’ll take action on it.”

  “And what then?” she asked. “When the war is over, are you planning to return to Earth?”

  “I hadn’t actually thought about that,” Peter said. “What are your plans, Commander Parks?”

  A coy smile appeared on Karen’s face. “I’ve been thinking about little Annamarie,” she said. “How she doesn’t have anyone to take care of her. And I was thinking that after all this is over, I might look into adopting her. That way she would at least have a mother ... though it sure would be nice if she had a father too. Someone who is caring, and really good with children. Any ideas where I might find such a man?”

  Peter smiled and looked into her eyes. “Actually,” he said, “I believe I might know just the right man for the job.”

  Karen stopped just outside the airlock. “See you after the war, then, Captain Straydel?”

  “That’s a promise,” Peter said. “Take care of yourself, Commander Parks. And take care of our little girl as well.”

  * * * *

  With the Mona Lisa approaching its destination, Captain Hoile looked over Derrick’s shoulder, searching for visual contacts on his monitor.

  “Any sign of this mysterious station yet?” he asked.

  “Nothing yet, sir,” Derrick replied.

  “Why don’t we just switch on the radar?” J Mac argued. “We could get a fix on this thing in just a couple of seconds.”

  “Because, Juan Mackenzie,” Captain Hoile explained, “we were specifically instructed not to do that. For whatever reason, we’re forbidden to use radar or radio in the vicinity of this facility.”

  “Makes sense to me,” Derrick said. “They obviously want this thing to stay hidden. Using radar might draw attention to this area.”

  “Yes,” Captain Hoile agreed, “a secret base is only useful if it remains secret. What do you suppose its function is?”

  “I don’t have a clue,” Derrick said. “But I think we’re about to find out.” He pointed at the top left corner of his screen. “I see an outline of something against the stars here.”

  “Reduce velocity one third,” the captain ordered. “Let’s see if we can find a place to dock with this thing.”

  “Are you gonna tell us why we’re out here?” J Mac asked.

  Captain Hoile looked at the monitor again. “Apparently that station is drifting,” he said. “We were sent here to see if we can stabilize its position.”

  “Piece of cake,” J Mac insisted. “Hell, I could probably do that from here.”

  “No,
you can’t,” the captain reminded him, “because that would entail transmitting a signal.”

  “Optical link?” Derrick suggested.

  Captain Hoile shook his head. “One of the station’s main thrusters has failed, which is why it couldn’t stabilize itself in the first place. Both of you are gonna have to go on board, and operate the two remaining thrusters manually, while the Mona Lisa plays the part of thruster number three.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Derrick complained. “How are we supposed to coordinate that if we can’t even communicate with each other?”

  “Yeah,” J Mac said, “can’t we use the radio just a little?”

  “Out of the question,” the captain insisted. “We’re gonna have to measure the station’s mass, calculate the thrust available to us, and operate the thrusters with coordinated timers.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Derrick repeated.

  Moments later, the Mona Lisa jostled and shuddered as it pressed against the dock of Paradise 01. Derrick and J Mac entered through the airlock and made their way into one of the central corridors.

  “What’s that smell?” Derrick asked, sniffing the air.

  “Smells like a garden to me,” J Mac said.

  For the most part the station was dimly lit, since no personnel had been present for a time. But as they moved from one section to the next, motion sensors triggered a trail of lights that followed them through the interior. At a large opening, they felt a gentle breeze, flowing into a darkened area beyond. Curiosity drove them to step across the threshold, and a flood of light suddenly lit up the chamber, which appeared to be covered by a large glass dome, and filled with long tables that were brimming with plants.

  “A–‌ha!” Derrick said. “It all makes sense now. This must be where our grub comes from. The crew probably had to abandon it because the enemy somehow got wind of its whereabouts.”

  “Well that makes me feel really good,” J Mac said, his voice leaning heavily toward sarcasm. He looked up at the dome overhead with concern. “With our luck, a wave of enemy missiles is going to arrive here any second now.”