by Linn Schwab
“My assistant, Janine, has been analyzing data from the Wallaby’s systems. We’re hoping it will provide us with information that might explain how you were able to accomplish this feat where so many others have failed before. But while I have all of you here, I want to ask you if there’s anything you can tell us that might help us if we try to send another ship through. Suggestions?”
Caroline looked around at the other girls to see if they had anything to say. “We just went slow and tried to fly straight,” she said. “I can’t think of anything else, really.”
“The radio doesn’t work in there,” Mindy added. “You can’t call for help if you get lost.”
“And you can’t take star location readings, either,” Michelle said. “It’s like getting lost at night in the forest.”
“Anything else?” the commander asked. None of them seemed to have anything to add. “Janine,” she said, “have you finished analyzing the data.”
“Yes, commander.”
“Do you have any thoughts as to why they were able to reach the other side?”
“There is one thing I noticed that might be significant. In accordance with Commander Jeffries’ instructions, the Wallaby was dispatched for this mission with zero torpedoes in her magazine. As a result of this omission, her overall mass was significantly reduced, particularly toward the bow of the ship. When I recalculate her fuel consumption, based on figures for a fully armed destroyer, what I find is that she never would have made it through with the additional mass of thirty–six torpedoes. With all the maneuvering required to navigate the debris field, she would have burned through her fuel reserves much sooner.”
Commander Eldridge pondered Janine’s observation. “That creates a dilemma for us, then,” she said. “Even if we do find a way to sneak another ship through, it may have to attempt the journey unarmed.”
* * * *
Despite the weakness in Robin’s muscles, her entire body managed to tense up when Commander Eldridge returned to the cafeteria. Her arms and legs began trembling as the commander approached her from across the room.
“Captain Starling,” the commander said, “rise and stand at attention please.”
Robin quickly did as she asked. She felt the effects of adrenaline in her blood amplifying her nervous quivering. Although she was battling both depression and apathy, the possibility of losing her squad remained deeply upsetting to her. They were such an integral part of her existence, it felt as if her very life was on the line.
Commander Eldridge cleared her throat before speaking. “Captain Starling,” she said, “after carefully reviewing the facts in this matter, I have decided to clear you for return to duty. I hereby reinstate you as captain of ECHO 5, to be effective...” she paused to examine the uneaten food on Robin’s tray, “...as soon as you’re strong enough to resume your responsibilities.” She held Robin’s card key out in front of her. “I expect you to use your authority wisely,” she said, slipping the key into Robin’s pocket. “You left quite the trail of destruction behind you during your first outing in a Sentinel destroyer. Fortunately, it was enemy vessels who suffered the majority of that destruction.”
The tension in Robin’s muscles seemed to release her and melt away. She could feel herself breathing more deeply now, but there was still some sadness weighing her down.
“What’s wrong?” Commander Eldridge asked her. “You don’t exactly seem overjoyed about this.”
“Can I ask you something?” Robin said. The commander granted her permission to speak. Robin looked at her in anguish. “Would you ever fire missiles at your own personnel?”
The commander seemed at a loss for words. She struggled for a moment to come up with a reply. “You ask a difficult question, Captain Starling. But I do think you deserve an answer. It would not be a decision that I would make lightly. But if I felt it was necessary, then yes, I would. And I would carry regret around inside me for as long as I lived afterward. Decisions like that are any officer’s worst nightmare. No one wants to find themselves in that kind of situation. If you’re upset over what Commander Jeffries did, try imagining yourself in her position. And in fairness to her, I think I should point out to you that her decisions actually saved your lives, not just once, but twice during the course of your mission.”
Robin seemed perplexed by the commander’s interpretation of events. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“Well, first of all,” the commander explained, “we were able to determine that you never would have made it through that debris field if the Wallaby had been carrying a full load of torpedoes. You would’ve run out of fuel somewhere inside there, and that would have been the end of you. Secondly, since you were essentially unarmed, you were no match at all for that heavy cruiser. If she hadn’t fired those missiles at it, that ship would’ve tracked you down and destroyed you. And I think it’s also worth noting that she held off on firing those missiles until after you initiated your attack run. So if you’ve convinced yourself she just didn’t care about you, I would argue that her actions seem to indicate otherwise. Now please sit down at this table and eat something, Captain Starling. Before you end up lying in a box next to her.”
* * * *
When his shuttle arrived at the Alabama, Commander Ingman led Jay out through the airlock. “Ever been on a battleship before?” he asked.
Jay looked around and shook his head. “Not that I can remember. Doesn’t look all that much different than a carrier.”
The commander grinned and let out a chuckle. “Aside from those great big guns outside, there’s one major difference you’ll learn very quickly. Carriers are blessed with plenty of elevators. On battleships, you do a lot of climbing.”
A lieutenant greeted them in the corridor and led them to a planning room just below the bridge. As soon as Jay stepped in through the door, he realized Admiral Sands was standing right in front of him. He quickly tried to stand at attention, but the admiral waved the formality off as though it was of no concern to him.
When Commander Ingman entered the room, the admiral greeted him with a friendly handshake. “Glad to see you made it out alive,” he said. “I was a little concerned there for a while. It’s bad enough that we lost all those battleships.”
“It was close,” the commander replied. “If I’d have waited any longer, the Melbourne would’ve been lost as well.”
“Let’s just be thankful that didn’t happen. Who is this?” he said, glancing at Jay.
“This is my senior pilot, now. Captain Jay Beauregard. I’m sure you remember Captain Straydel. Jay was part of his squadron.”
“And Captain Straydel?” the admiral asked.
“Missing. Most likely dead.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. He was dispatched to chase down that destroyer, wasn’t he?”
“Yes,” the commander acknowledged. “Unfortunately, we lost contact with him.”
“And somehow that destroyer managed to escape.” The admiral seemed to be contemplating something. Jay suddenly felt that he didn’t like where this was going.
“Captain Beauregard,” Admiral Sands asked, “would you say you knew Captain Straydel fairly well?”
“Please tell me you’re not thinking he turned traitor,” Jay said. “After all he’s done for us, I think he deserves a little more respect than that.”
The admiral appeared to accept his argument. “You do have to realize it looks a little suspicious,” he explained. “And I have to consider the possibility of information falling into enemy hands.”
“Ridiculous is what it looks to me,” Jay said. He glanced back and forth between Commander Ingman and the admiral. “There’s a very good chance that all three of us owe our lives to Captain Straydel. Besides, how would he even pull off such a thing. No one’s ever even spoken with them. Which makes the suggestion of conspiring with them seem downright implausible.”
The admiral looked to Commander Ingman for consensus. “He’s right,” the commander said. “
I can’t believe Peter would even consider switching sides. Especially without knowing what the enemy’s intentions are. He’s every bit as loyal to Earth as we are. It’s a tragedy that he isn’t with us anymore.”
“Very well,” the admiral conceded. “Consider the issue dismissed for now.” He gestured for the commander and Jay to follow him and directed their attention to a nearby chart. “The reason I called you here is to discuss our recent engagement in this area. The results were clearly disastrous for us, given the extent of the losses we suffered. However, there may yet prove to be a silver lining to this. Take a close look at the features in this chart. There are several areas of interest here. One is, of course, this large asteroid field that we’ve been using to conceal our activities in this sector. The other is an extensive wreckage field which is just on the outskirts of enemy space. In between those two areas is a bit of a gap which we unfortunately didn’t get a very good look at.
“Now,” he continued, “all of our ships that took part in the battle describe resistance as being very effective. But what we’re seeing in the combat footage is that the number of enemy forces was minimal. In fact, all of the analysis seems to suggest that only fighters and destroyers were present in the area. No gunships of any kind were encountered, and not one report makes mention of seeing any carriers. Which raises a very intriguing question. If there were no enemy carriers in the area, then where did all of these fighters come from?”
Commander Ingman leaned closer to the chart. “You think they’re hiding something back there?” he said, pointing to the area behind the debris field.
“That’s what I intend to find out. With any luck, we’ll discover an important installation we can knock out of action to weaken their defenses.”
“What if all we find is a couple of carriers? Are you really convinced it’s worth the risk?”
“I realize that’s a possibility, Joel. But I’d still like to have a closer look. Since we were using those rocks as a shield, it makes sense that they probably are as well.”
“Okay,” the commander said. “I agree, we should try to find out what’s back there. Do you have a plan drawn up already?”
Admiral Sands walked to a nearby window and gazed out at the fleet while considering his options. As he surveyed the warships under his command, his eyes happened to focus on the Mona Lisa. She was hovering at the very edge of the fleet as if trying to remain inconspicuous. This piqued his curiosity, prompting him to wonder what the captain might be thinking. But the question quickly receded from his thoughts as a plan began to take shape in his mind. Since the Mona Lisa carried only minimal armament, he determined she wouldn’t be of much use in a battle. He reached for a nearby intercom and had a message sent to the Mona Lisa’s captain.
* * * *
An alert chime sounded on the Mona Lisa’s bridge, indicating a message was coming through. Captain Hoile felt a tightness in the pit of his stomach. He was clinging to the hope that no one would discover he’d neglected to engage that enemy destroyer. It was only after the shipyard had come under attack that he’d realized the costliness of his decision. Not only had all of those ships been destroyed, but a chance to end the war had been lost along with them. If the truth came out that he’d allowed that ship to pass, he could find himself in a world of trouble.
The rest of his crew was on edge as well. If the captain was found out, and it was determined that they’d covered for him, their own necks could be on the line as well.
Captain Hoile took a deep breath and braced himself for the contents of the message.
“Captain,” his operator said with reluctance, “you’ve been ordered to report to the Alabama. They’re sending a shuttle to pick you up.”
The captain glanced at each of his officers, observing the nervous tension on their faces. The next few minutes seemed to blur together as he tried to imagine what his punishment might be. After arriving at the rendezvous point, he’d attempted to position his ship in such a way that it wouldn’t draw unwanted attention to itself. His hope was to remain off the radar long enough that the incident with the enemy ship would fade away. But he knew there was one person outside his own crew who might suspect that he’d encountered the ship. He struggled to remember the fighter pilot’s name, but for some reason it seemed determined to elude him. Captain something, he kept telling himself. And he was one of the elites. Someone who no doubt has a lot of influence. The question continued to plague his thoughts as the shuttle carried him to the Alabama.
When he finally arrived at the briefing room, he tried to put his concern about the pilot aside and prepare himself for his meeting with the admiral. But when he opened the door and looked inside, his worst fear seemed to be confirmed. An elite pilot stood near the tactical display, along with Commander Ingman and Admiral Sands. Captain Hoile looked in at them with apprehension as he waited to hear what his punishment would be.
“Come in, Captain Hoile,” the admiral said. “I have a special mission for you.”
* * * *
Major Richards entered the cafeteria and sat down at Robin’s table for a moment. She was relieved to see Robin attempting to eat, but it was clear that she was still weak and upset. The remainder of her squad had joined her there and were quietly celebrating her reinstatement. The major offered her congratulations to Robin, then stood up and headed for the corridor. Just outside the exit, she found Commander Eldridge discreetly observing Robin’s actions from a distance.
“How is she doing?” the commander asked her.
“Better,” she said. “But she’s still a mess. She’s obviously very concerned about Sheri.”
“We need to get her ready to resume the training before her health declines any further.”
“And how do we do that?” Major Richards inquired.
“Simple,” the commander explained. “We give her something to distract her. Something to take her mind off of Sheri. Something else for her to worry about.” She directed the major’s attention to a young girl entering the cafeteria. “Speaking of which, here she is now.”
Major Richards looked at the girl’s face and decided she didn’t recognize her. She was wearing an ECHO academy uniform and carrying a duffel bag at her side. “Who is that?” she asked.
The commander nodded in satisfaction. “Something else for Robin to worry about.”
Major Richards felt deeply conflicted. The girl seemed much too young to start training. She barely looked old enough to leave the nursery.
Robin still hadn’t seen the new arrival, but Mindy spotted her right away. She watched the young girl’s every movement as she walked across the room and stood at Robin’s side.
“Robin?” the girl asked in a timid voice.
Robin looked at her in confusion, surprised to see someone so young on Volaris. “Umm, hello,” she replied, seemingly bewildered by the girl’s presence. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m Sheri’s replacement,” the girl explained. “I’m here to join your squad.”
Robin stared at her in disbelief. This can’t be right, she told herself. She eyed the girl up and down from head to toe as she tried to determine how old she might be.
The girl remained focused on Robin’s eyes, never once blinking or glancing away. “You don’t remember me, do you.” she said.
Robin carefully searched through her memories. The girl looked vaguely familiar to her. She was certain she had seen her at the academy, but as far as she knew, they’d never spoken to each other. She recalled seeing the girl on several occasions, quietly observing her from a distance. But why would she expect Robin to know her? Had the two of them crossed paths at some point?
The girl lowered her head in sadness, as if recalling a painful memory. “I cried for days when you left the nursery,” she said, her voice muted in disappointment.
Robin’s eyes suddenly shot wide open. The Nursery! Who could she be? Was she one of the girls in my nursery pack? She studied the girl’s face more intensely now, and i
mmediately realized who she had to be.
“Kissy?”
The girl’s expression brightened a little. She smiled and whispered, “You do remember!”
Robin felt a swell of emotion inside her — a turbulent mixture of joy and concern. “Oh my god, Chrissy, what are doing here? You shouldn’t be here yet, you’re only ten years old!”
“I wanted to see you,” Chrissy explained. “I wanted a chance to be with you again.”
“But why didn’t you just come talk to me at the academy? It would have been so much safer for you.”
“I wasn’t sure if you wanted me around. You never told me you were leaving the nursery, so I didn’t think you cared about me anymore. And then you left the academy early...” She wiped away a tear with the back of her hand. “I thought you were going to be there longer.”
Robin wasn’t quite sure how to feel. She felt touched but at the same time deeply saddened that Chrissy had surrendered so much of her future on Valhalla just to be reunited with her. She tried to imagine what it must have been like for her to watch her from a distance at the academy — how upset she must have been in the nursery when she realized Robin wasn’t there anymore. I never got the chance to say goodbye, she realized. Not to Chrissy, or any of the others either. They just told me I was leaving and showed me to the door. It must have been very difficult for her.
“How did you end up here?” Robin asked. “Did someone order you to come?”
“They asked for a volunteer,” she explained. “They showed us the video of your attack on that space ship. Then they asked if anyone was willing to join your squad.”
“They showed that to you? Who else saw it?”