Cosmic Thunder (Sentinels Saga Book 3)

by Linn Schwab

  Robin could see right through her friend’s smile, and sense the pain and disappointment she was feeling inside. If she couldn’t be a pilot, she couldn’t be an ace. Her dream of becoming a Hornet was over. Knowing how much that had meant to her was enough to bring tears to Robin’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I let you down. I never should’ve attacked that ship.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Sheri insisted. “It’s the others you need to worry about now. I’ll probably be safe on a station somewhere while the rest of you are all getting shot at.”

  “If we live that long,” Robin said. “Don’t forget, we still have to make it through training first.”

  “Maybe the war will be over by then,” Sheri said. Her eyes appeared to be following someone.

  When Robin turned around and looked behind her, she saw Lieutenant Marlowe leading Jason to the serving line. “Maybe,” she said, still leery of pinning her hopes on the Earthling. “Maybe he can help us.” She watched as Jason picked up a tray full of rations, and to her surprise he headed directly for her table.

  “Captain Starling,” he said, “do you mind if I join you? My escort says she has some place more important to be.”

  Veronica seemed visibly displeased with him. “I should’ve just brought a tray of rations to your room,” she fumed.

  “It’ll be fine,” Jason assured her. “Captain Starling can keep an eye on me while you’re away.”

  Robin gave both of them a questioning look.

  Veronica shook her head in frustration. “He doesn’t want to go back to his room,” she explained. “And I’m on duty right now, so I can’t stay here with him.”

  “I’ll behave myself,” Jason promised. “You have my word. I won’t cause the slightest bit of trouble for you.”

  Robin looked into his eyes for a moment, then reluctantly agreed to allow him to stay. “It’s alright,” she said to Veronica. “The rest of our battalion should be here any minute.”

  “There, you see?” Jason said. “A whole battalion is gonna be here to keep me in line.”

  Veronica frowned and looked at Robin. “Make sure you don’t let him out of your sight. I’ll come back for him in half an hour. And then you’ll have to go back to your room,” she warned him.

  “It’s a deal,” he agreed. “Half an hour.” He watched as she turned and walked away from him. “So,” he said to Robin, “it’s nice to see you again, Captain Starling.”

  “Where’s Virginia?” she asked him bluntly.

  “I was hoping you could tell me,” he said. “I was expecting her to come see me this morning. I hope she isn’t upset with me.”

  “You really like her, don’t you?” Robin said.

  “It’s that obvious?”

  Robin grinned.

  “Yeah, I really do,” he said.

  “Why would she be upset with you?”

  He shrugged and brushed the question off. “Who’s your friend?” he said, nodding toward Sheri.

  Robin introduced him to her.

  “You’re very pretty,” he said to Sheri. “I like your hair. What happened to your head?” He pointed to the adhesive strip on her forehead. “Did you have an unexpected run–‌in with something?”

  “A heavy cruiser,” Sheri informed him.

  “You’re kidding me, right?”

  Robin slowly shook her head.

  As Jason stared at her in disbelief, the rest of her battalion filed into the room and formed a line at the serving window. He turned to observe them as they passed through the line, apparently deeply concerned about something. “What are girls your age doing in combat?” he asked.

  “Trying to stop an invasion,” Robin answered. She considered explaining the details to him, but someone unexpectedly tapped her on the shoulder.

  “Captain Starling,” Genevieve said to her, “can I speak with you in private for a moment?”

  Robin nodded and got to her feet, then followed the technician out of the room. In the corridor, Genevieve glanced around carefully to see if anyone else was in earshot. “I was down in the lower levels this morning,” she said. “So I thought I’d look into that map room for you.”

  Intrigued, Robin gestured for her to continue.

  The technician seemed reluctant to proceed. “Robin,” she said with hesitation, “...I’m not sure that’s our technology. In fact, I’m not even sure if technology is the right word for it.”

  “What makes you say that?” Robin asked.

  “I’ve been running some scans on that lens in the floor, and my results suggest the presence of bioluminescence. That doesn’t make any sense to me. A lens is nothing more than a polished slab of glass. Bioluminescence should only be present in a life form.”

  “Maybe it’s a hybrid,” Robin suggested. “Part machine and part organism.”

  “Maybe,” Genevieve said. “But I’ve never come across anything like that before. I’m not convinced our scientists possess that kind of knowledge.”

  Robin suspected Genevieve was wrong, but she kept her thoughts on the matter to herself. “So, if it’s not our technology,” she said, “then whose technology is it? And how did it end up on Volaris?”

  Genevieve glanced around herself once again. “I don’t know. I’m still not really even sure how it functions. It definitely seems to be amplifying something, but my instruments are having trouble determining what it is. My guess is it’s picking up a signal from the planet and broadcasting it to the surrounding area.”

  “Broadcasting to who?” Robin asked.

  Genevieve shook her head. “I have no idea. I’m on my way back down there right now, though.” She held up a small box with an attenuator switch and a length of insulated electrical cable. “It’s drawing a weak electric current from the station. I’m gonna try increasing the voltage to see if has any effect on my readings.”

  “Let me know how it goes,” Robin said.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted.”

  Genevieve headed off for the map room again, and Robin returned to the cafeteria.

  * * * *

  The morning meal period was still under way when Commander Eldridge arrived in the control room. Everything seemed calm and peaceful at the moment. The controllers on duty were relaxing in their chairs, watching their displays for any signs of activity. Of the three who were currently present in the room, she was most familiar with Veronica — the young blonde she’d reduced to a quivering mop of tears in the course of a very stern verbal lashing. If anyone would be happy to see her leave Volaris, Veronica was likely at the top of the list. But she was also the most competent controller on the station, so sidestepping her would only serve to undermine the group’s innate seniority structure. Regardless of any friction that might exist between them, avoiding each other simply wasn’t an option.

  “Lieutenant Marlowe,” the commander said, “give me an update on our current situation.”

  Veronica sat up straight in her chair and quickly looked over the notes on her console. “No enemy activity reported in our area. No change in the station’s operational status. The first tanker ship is currently en route from Aries to begin refueling our positioning thrusters.”

  “Has there been any word from Janine yet? She was supposed to report back to me sometime this morning.”

  “Nothing yet,” Veronica replied. Her console emitted an audible prompt. “Message coming in now,” she said. “It’s Captain McNeil. She’s calling from the control room on Orion.”

  Commander Eldridge pointed to an overhead monitor. “Put her on. I want to talk to her.”

  Veronica patched the feed through to the monitor, and Captain McNeil’s image appeared on the screen.

  “Captain McNeil,” the commander said, “have you been able to track down that enemy ship yet?”

  “Yes we have,” Jenny replied. “And I’m happy to report, they won’t be piecing that one back together.”

  “Well done, Captain. When can we expect you back on Volaris?”
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  “We’re just resting up and refueling right now. We should be back there by no later than this evening.”

  “Very well,” the commander said. “And what about the Calypso? Are you aware of Captain Pomeroy’s plans?”

  Jenny nodded. “The Calypso is undergoing repairs here. She sustained some damage during the encounter. Commander Freeling didn’t want to send her back in that condition.”

  “Good. Our repair crews here are overworked as it is. Tell Captain Pomeroy to inform me as soon as she’s ready to depart from Orion.”

  “Yes, Commander,” Jenny replied.

  With the conversation over now, the screen went blank. Commander Eldridge turned to leave.

  “Commander,” Veronica called to her. “I think your shuttle just appeared on my radar.”

  “Ahh, good. That must be Janine. I wasn’t expecting her to report in person.”

  Veronica fiddled with some of her controls and shook her head in irritation.

  “What is it, Lieutenant?” the commander asked. “Is there something wrong?”

  Veronica continued tweaking her instruments. “How is your shuttle able to get so close before it appears on the station’s radar? I don’t understand it. Most shuttles show up near the edge of our range, but yours always seems to appear closer in.”

  Commander Eldridge grinned. “Very observant. Command shuttles are meant to remain off the radar. Your instruments are programmed accordingly.”

  “So the radar sees it but doesn’t report it?”

  “Something like that, yes. I’m surprised you didn’t know that, given your apparent expertise.”

  Veronica suddenly expressed annoyance. “Whose stupid idea was that?” she complained. “How are we supposed to direct other traffic if we’re not aware of your shuttle’s position?”

  Commander Eldridge paused to reflect on that point. “You make a valid argument, I suppose. But I’m convinced the benefits outweigh the risks. The chances of a collision out here are very small.”

  “Well, I don’t see any benefit at all.”

  “Nor would I expect you to. It’s not your job to observe our forces without them being aware of your presence.”

  Lieutenant Marlowe appeared to accept the explanation, but it clearly left her less than satisfied. She glanced at a clock and got to her feet. “Miranda, take over for me for a while. I have to escort our prisoner back to his room.”

  “Just a minute,” Commander Eldridge interrupted her. “I thought Virginia had assumed responsibility for him.”

  Lieutenant Marlowe shrugged and explained, “She asked me if I could fill in for her this morning.”

  “Curious,” the commander said. “The last time I spoke with her, I got the impression she might be growing rather fond of our guest.”

  “Maybe that’s why she asked me,” Veronica suggested. “Maybe it’s making her uncomfortable.”

  * * * *

  As was the case with the rest of her battalion, Caroline was very much enamored with the Earthling. She found herself mesmerized by his appearance, and captivated by the sound of his voice when he spoke. When she joined the other girls seated at his table, they were questioning him about his life back on Earth. In between bites of his breakfast rations, he entertained them with amusing descriptions of things he’d experienced in his youth. Stories of school, and childhood friends, and feats of mischief he’d participated in. Though some of what he said made little sense to her, she laughed anyway when he seemed to expect it, and smiled politely when he glanced in her direction, cherishing each second of eye to eye contact. Like the others, she longed to spend more time with him, if for no other reason than to listen to him talk. And like the others, she let out a groan of disappointment when Lieutenant Marlowe arrived to take him back to his room.

  “Sorry, girls,” Jason said as he got to his feet. “I have to go now. My half hour of freedom is up.” Though he didn’t seem pleased with the situation, he waved to the girls as he left the room, and accompanied Veronica without complaining.

  For a time, Caroline picked at her breakfast rations while the other girls discussed their perceptions of Jason, and whether or not they should even be thinking about him. Before long, their voices formed an incoherent wall of chatter, freeing her to conjure up a pleasant daydream, where Jason was sitting beside her on a pier, and she was the undivided focus of his attention. His face was still freshly embedded in her mind, and the sound of his voice seemed to linger in her ears like the tune of a song she’d committed to memory. With nothing but the sound of the ocean to disturb them, they were free to express their true feelings for each other with a gentle exchange of tender caresses, and the unspoken promise of her very first kiss. She closed her eyes and imagined him leaning toward her, bringing his lips ever closer to hers as her heart rate soared to a dizzying pace...

  “Miss Summers,” a voice intruded on her fantasy. “I believe the two of us have something to discuss.”

  It wasn’t so much the voice as the choice of words that informed Caroline who was speaking to her. Commander Eldridge had a way of addressing people that made them feel as if they were three inches tall. With her daydream now shattered, she got to her feet and followed the commander to an empty table where the two of them sat down across from each other.

  “As you’ll recall,” Commander Eldridge said, “you and I recently made an agreement regarding a report on your captain’s state of readiness. I have yet to receive your recommendation.”

  Caroline lowered her head a little. “I thought you said I could wait until you’re ready to leave.”

  “I did indeed,” the commander confirmed. “And it would seem that time is now drawing near. Our work in the gun bays is nearly complete. All that’s left is a little light clean–‌up duty, which we should be done with by lunchtime today. And as it happens, my shuttle just arrived in the hangar, so unless something unforeseen occurs, I could be departing as early as this evening. Question is, will Captain Starling be leaving with me, or are you convinced she’s fit for duty now. It’s your call, Miss Summers. What do you think?”

  Caroline glanced over her shoulder at Robin and watched her conversing with the other girls. With Sheri back now, and apparently healthy, it seemed that Robin was growing stronger, both in body and in spirit. The weariness that had seemed to plague her of late was finally losing its grip on her.

  “I think she’ll be fine now,” Caroline answered. “I recommend you leave her with us.”

  “Very well,” Commander Eldridge agreed. “I hope you don’t come to regret this decision.”

  Caroline heard footsteps approaching from behind her — the distinctive sound made by an officer’s boots. Before she knew it, Janine was sitting at her side, with a mildly inquisitive look in her eyes.

  “Regret what decision?” Janine inquired. “Anything I should be aware of?”

  Uncertain if she should say anything, Caroline elected just to keep her mouth shut, and wait for Commander Eldridge to speak.

  “It might interest you to know,” the commander said to Janine, “that Miss Summers just passed up a chance for promotion.”

  “Is that so,” Janine said, sounding somewhat impressed. “That’s a difficult decision, to say the least. But the truth is, promotions aren’t always in a person’s best interest. Some people are just better leaders than others. It falls to each of us to know our own limitations, and decide where we can be of the greatest service.”

  Commander Eldridge abruptly changed the topic of discussion. “I take it you found something,” she said to Janine. “I wasn’t expecting you back quite so soon.”

  Janine nodded and pulled out her archive interface. “I interviewed three of our personnel who were stationed here under Commander Stinson and subsequently transferred to other locations. All three gave similar accounts of what occurred here in the days leading up to their reassignment. None of them seem to be aware of any plans the commander may have had to abandon Volaris, but when I asked them if t
hey knew what Valgrind was, every one of them attributed that word to Major Parsons.”

  “Interesting,” Commander Eldridge said. “I assume Major Parsons was the station’s medic?”

  Janine gave a nod of confirmation.

  “And where is she now?”

  “Dead.”

  “Of course.” The commander showed outward signs of frustration. She turned her eyes toward Caroline and said, “You’re a bright girl, Miss Summers. I don’t suppose you know what Valgrind is?”

  Concerned that this might be a test of some kind, Caroline grimaced and shook her head. The word was unfamiliar to her.

  “It’s probably just as well,” the commander said. “It seems everyone who does know ends up dead.” She looked at Janine and said, “What’s next on your agenda? I’m guessing you must’ve come back here for a reason.”

  Janine switched on her archive interface and started scrolling through a list of files. “I came back here to search through Major Parsons’ records. I’m hoping I’ll find some answers in there.”

  “How long will that take you?” the commander asked.

  Janine shrugged. “A few hours ... maybe half a day at the most.”

  “Good. When you’re finished with that, I have something else for you to do. While you were gone, we acquired another enemy pilot. I’d like you to have a talk with him, and see if you can learn anything.”

  “That should be interesting. I’ll get to him as soon as I can.”

  “Keep me posted,” the commander said, getting to her feet. “I’ll be up in the gun bays if you need to contact me. Second Battalion!” she yelled, addressing the entire room. “Report to the gun bays! Let’s see if we can finally wrap this job up!”

  DEPARTURES 091

  As soon as she arrived in the map room again, Genevieve began setting up her experiment. Since the lens was already drawing a current, she knew there must be some electrical contacts located somewhere around its perimeter. After circling the entire device without success, she was forced to break out her scanner again and perform a search for concealed compartments. She found what she was looking for hidden in the floor. A small access panel that was difficult to see.