Childhoods Lost (Sentinels Saga Book 2)

by Linn Schwab

  “No, wait!” he screamed into the intercom. In an instant, he realized what was going to happen. A wall of smoke swept backward from the enemy ship, engulfing all of the pursuing fighters, and most likely sealing most of the pilots’ fates. He heard their curses and screams on the intercom as they struggled to reduce their forward velocity. One by one, their panicked cries ended in silence as they collided with asteroids concealed by the smoke.

  The growing cloud continued to expand until it swallowed the entire formation of fighters. All of them had been caught with some degree of forward momentum, which they now found themselves desperately attempting to rein in. “Everyone, slow down,” Jay ordered. “Just try to stay put until the smoke dissipates.” He tried his best to match his fighter’s speed to that of the drifting rocks around him, but with his vision effectively obscured by the smoke, he could only guess if he’d been successful.

  “This is intense,” Jason said, convinced he might crash into a rock at any moment. “It’s like playing a game of pinball in the dark. Except that we’re the pinballs here.”

  “Hang on,” Jay told him, “I think the smoke is starting to clear.”

  “Yeah, wait a second,” Jason said, “I think I see something moving, Captain.” As he strained his eyes to peer through the fog, a scattering of obscure pockets of movement revealed themselves to be enemy fighters. Fighters with yellow stripes on their tails! He felt the bottom fall out of his stomach. It was like his worst nightmare had just come true.

  “Oh, crap!” he cried out in panic. “We have to get out of here, now!”

  “What is it?” Jay asked.

  Before Jason had a chance to answer, a storm of tracer fire engulfed his fighter, peppering its fuselage with bullet holes and forcing him to withdraw to cover. He ducked behind a nearby asteroid and watched as the enemy planes swarmed past him in hot pursuit of his fleeing comrades. His first instinct was to chase after them and try to take some of them out from behind, but a flashing light on his instrument panel informed him his hydraulics system was leaking. Pursing the enemy was out of the question. Just getting back to the fleet would be challenge enough. He watched the battle flow away from him and listened to the chatter on the intercom. The other fighters were withdrawing toward the carriers, leaving him cut off and isolated. Defensive fire was almost nonexistent as his fellow pilots fled from the onslaught. This isn’t going to end well for us, he determined. They caught us when we were disorganized and couldn’t mount an effective counter attack.

  He turned his fighter toward friendly space and looked around for a safe path back to the fleet. “Well, here goes nothing,” he muttered. It seemed doubtful that his fighter would hold together much longer.

  * * * *

  The shuttle slowed on approach to Orion and maneuvered in an arc toward one of the airlocks. From what Robin could see, the station was nearly identical to Volaris. It was her understanding that both of these stations were tasked with serving very similar functions. Much as Volaris stood guard at one end of Pangea, Orion was tucked in behind the other end to block incursions from that direction.

  After passing through the airlock, the shuttle came to rest near the center of the hangar. A boarding ramp rolled up against its side, and the cabin’s exterior door slid open. Robin’s girls remained in their seats as the other squads got up to disembark.

  “Remember, Christy,” Robin said, pulling her friend aside for a moment, “as the captain of ECHO 6, Judy is in charge when I’m not around.”

  Christy frowned and pointed to the academic star on her collar, suggesting Robin should overrule the convention and place her in command of the battalion instead. “I’m smarter than she is, Robin,” she protested.

  “I know. But she’s more cautious than you.”

  “Worrier,” Christy teased.

  “Yeah. That’s me,” Robin said.

  Christy grinned and stepped out through the door. “I’ll see you back on Volaris,” she said, then clambered down the boarding ramp stairs.

  Robin closed the door and returned to her seat. “I’m making some changes,” she said to her squad. “Katrina, I’m moving you to Sheri’s position, and I’m putting Chrissy at auxiliaries in your place.”

  Katrina nodded to indicate she agreed.

  “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” Chrissy said.

  “Hopefully, you won’t need to,” Robin explained. “That’s why I’m assigning you to that position.”

  The boarding ramp backed away from the door, and the shuttle started moving again.

  * * * *

  From a hastily selected hiding place between two asteroids, Pogo watched the enemy fighters comb through the debris field searching for stragglers. They cruised back and forth through the area around him like sharks circling in ever closer to their prey. Occasionally, a few of them would gather in one place, as if coming together to coordinate their search. More and more, as he continued to observe their actions, he came to suspect that they already knew where he was hiding, and were simply discussing the most effective method to root him out without placing themselves at risk in the process. Hoping to listen in on their conversations, he reached for the controls on his radio and tried to lock in on their communication signals. But each time he found something strong enough to dial in, it was either emanating from his own forces, or the signal came across as an unintelligible jumble. He could clearly discern the sounds of several female voices, but found it impossible to make out what they were saying. It was as if they weren’t actually speaking in a language, but rather in a range of musical tones with an abundance of static thrown in for good measure.

  Realizing their voices were somehow being modified, he decided to see if he could analyze the signal with the instrumentation installed in his fighter. “Let’s see if I’ve lost my touch,” he said, attempting to tweak the settings on his equipment. “Whoa!” he exclaimed when he saw the results. “That is one helluva cipher!” The standard equipment in his fighter was inadequate, he realized. Listening in on their signal would require something a little more specialized.

  * * * *

  Nancy scrutinized the area around her for any signs of surviving enemy fighters. In a clearing located near the center of the search, she met up for a moment with Jenny and Suzanne.

  “Do you think they’re all gone now?” she asked.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Jenny said, after taking a quick glance down at her fuel gauge. “We’re running out of time. Everyone, start spreading the word. We’re heading back to the Zephyr so we can refuel.”

  “What about the destroyers?” Suzanne asked. “We can’t just leave them defenseless.”

  “We’ll set up a patrol rotation after we refuel. They’ll have to look out for themselves until then. We’re too low on reserves to stay out here any longer.”

  * * * *

  Jason was careful to remain out of sight as he flew through the aftermath of the battle. Along the way, he encountered the remains of several fighters — all of which appeared to have belonged to Earth pilots. “Looks like we got our butts kicked again,” he said, looking around at the trail of carnage. When he saw a group of enemy fighters approaching, he tucked his plane into the shadow of an asteroid and watched from a distance as they passed him by. “And the victors make a leisurely withdrawal,” he mused, waiting until the last of them flew beyond his vision. He then crept out of his hiding place and resumed his cautious retreat toward friendly space.

  When he finally neared the edge of the asteroid field, he noticed a defensive ring of fighters standing guard around the three carriers. Good, he thought, feeling a sense of relief. At least a few of us made it back in one piece.

  “Jason, is that you?” he heard Jay ask.

  “Yeah, it’s me,” he confirmed.

  “We thought we lost you back there.”

  “And that’s exactly what I thought, too.”

  “What’s your status? Can you pull defensive duty?”

  “I could los
e my hydraulics at any minute.”

  “Get your butt back inside the Melbourne, then. We’ve lost more than enough pilots today already.”

  “Understood. Any idea what our total losses were?”

  “More than thirty are still unaccounted for. That’s all we know for certain right now. Make sure they get to work on your hydraulics right away. From what I hear, we might be launching another assault fairly soon.”

  “Another assault already? Are you kidding me!”

  * * * *

  The Mona Lisa plowed into a cluster of wreckage, sending chunks of metal careening off in all directions. Some of the debris scraped along the sides of her hull and tumbled away behind her into the path of her pursuer. Captain Hoile watched the enemy destroyer swerve to avoid colliding with the chunks of debris. His decision to flee through the wreckage field appeared to be working out well for him. With all the hull fragments drifting around, the destroyer was having a difficult time getting a clean shot off at his ship. Also, his rear gun turret was proving to be an effective deterrent. Even when there appeared to be enough room for an attack run, the ship couldn’t keep the Mona Lisa in its sights without leaving itself vulnerable to a salvo from his guns. As long as he remained within the wreckage field, it appeared he might be able to retain a slight advantage. But he was very much cognizant of the fact that the wreckage field didn’t stretch on forever. With that in mind, his thoughts were increasingly focused on what he should do when he reached the far end.

  “How much longer have we got?” he asked.

  His navigator checked their current location on his screen. “If we stay on this heading, we’ll run out of cover in fifteen minutes. If we break hard to starboard, we can be out in the open in less than two minutes.”

  Captain Hoile turned to J Mac and Derrick. “Once we’re out in the open,” he said, “what are the chances of us outrunning that ship?”

  Derrick shook his head. “I wouldn’t count on it, Captain. Those things are lightning quick.”

  “We need to shake them,” J Mac said. “We need to get to the edge before they do so we can get up to speed before they catch up to us. Otherwise, we’re as good as dead.”

  “I agree,” Derrick said. “Our only chance is to get a head start on them.”

  “Alright, then,” the captain acknowledged. “We need to create a little misdirection.” He turned toward the windows to locate the destroyer and saw the flash of a torpedo launch in the distance. “Torpedo on the way!” he yelled. “Everybody, hang on!”

  * * * *

  Ariel held her breath as she watched the torpedo close in on its target. Her eyes grew wider as it neared the hull. She flinched when the warhead detonated. A flash of bright light quickly receded and a growing cloud of smoke soon appeared. The cruiser began to veer to its left. Virginia attempted to mirror its movements, determined not to lose track of its location. But rather than heading off on a tangent, the ship continued to swing around, bringing its forward guns to bear on the Wallaby. The sudden apparent change in tactics caught Virginia by surprise. “Hang on!” she said to Ariel, trying her best to avoid the guns. She pulled the nose leftward and pushed the throttle forward, hoping she could throw off their aim long enough to retreat. When shells started tearing through the wreckage around her, she knew it was time for her change course again. She performed a variety of evasive maneuvers before finally deciding it was safe to look back. But when she tried to locate the enemy cruiser, she discovered it was heading in the opposite direction.

  “They’re getting away!” Ariel complained as the enemy ship slipped into open space.

  Virginia nodded and sighed in frustration. “They tricked us. And I fell for it. I thought they were coming after us.”

  “Do you think we can still catch up with them?”

  The cruiser’s engines flared to maximum output.

  Virginia leaned back in her chair. “Nope.”

  CHANCES 069

  Though Orion was roughly the same size as Volaris, Centaurus appeared to be considerably larger. Robin noticed the station’s increased dimensions when the shuttle swung around to approach the hangar. While Volaris possessed only a single spur level, Centaurus had been equipped with two. This meant at least twenty–‌four destroyers could be serviced, assuming the necessary personnel were present. But at the moment, most of the station’s docks were sitting empty, which Robin interpreted as a troubling sign. It would have been so much more reassuring, she thought, to see a whole fleet of extra destroyers standing by, ready to intercept enemy forces. As it was, though, staring at all those empty docks left her with an uneasy feeling inside. It made the station look weak and defenseless, as if all of its might had been deployed in desperation.

  As soon as the shuttle’s cabin door opened, Robin led her squad down the boarding ramp steps. The station’s commander stood at the bottom of the ramp, waiting to greet the unannounced shuttle’s occupants. When she realized the girls were all alone, she appeared to be somewhat bewildered by their presence.

  “What are you girls doing here,” she asked. “This is a commander’s shuttle. I was expecting to find a commander on board.” As she looked from each of the girls to the next, her eyes happened to focus on Robin’s breast pocket. Her jaw fell open the instant she saw the blue card key. She scrutinized Robin’s face in astonishment. “Are you a commander?” she asked with considerable uncertainty.

  “I’m Captain Starling,” Robin explained. “Commander Eldridge sent my squad here to bring a destroyer back to Volaris.”

  The commander’s eyes opened up even wider, and a broad smile gradually swept across her face. “You are Captain Starling, aren’t you?” she said. “I recognize your voice.”

  Robin stared at her in confusion.

  “From the recordings,” the commander insisted. “The recordings from your christening flight. I have to say, it’s a real pleasure to meet you. Welcome to Centaurus, Captain Starling. I’m Commander Michelson.”

  Robin reached up and shook hands with her. “You’ve heard the recordings too?” she asked.

  “I most certainly have. I wish there was time to introduce you around. I’m sure everyone here would love to have a chance to meet you. And the rest of your crew as well, of course. But I suspect since Commander Eldridge sent you here, it means she’s in desperate need of a destroyer. Come with me. I’ll see about getting you set up with a ship. I believe there’s one waiting on spur number four.”

  She led the girls onto an elevator and pressed the button for spur level two. While the elevator descended toward the spur, she called up an image on the intercom panel. “Let’s see what’s moored at dock fifteen,” she said. The screen showed an exterior view of a single destroyer docked at spur four. “Ah, there it is. It looks like you’re going to be flying the Cricket.”

  “Chirp!” one of the girls vocalized.

  Robin cast a look of disapproval at Katrina.

  Commander Michelson responded with a chuckle. “Let’s hope she’s a little more fearsome than her name suggests.”

  When the elevator stopped moving, the commander gestured for ECHO 5 to step out. “Spur number four is to your right,” she told them. “I’m heading back up to the control room now. Feel free to take off whenever you’re ready.”

  “Thank you, Commander,” Robin said. She then followed the rest of her squad toward the spur. They boarded the Cricket and climbed up to the bridge, then rushed to sit down at their assigned positions. Robin pulled the key out of her pocket and slipped it into the ignition slot. The bridge immediately powered up, and the ship’s voice greeted her with, “Welcome, Commander Jeffries.”

  Chrissy glanced around at the other girls and noticed a momentary look of sorrow in their eyes. Robin appeared to snap out of it first. “Begin pre–‌launch sequence,” she said. “Secure all hatches.” She ran through the normal pre–‌flight drill, and as soon as the Cricket’s engines were on line, she ordered Katrina to release the moorings.

  *
* * *

  Commander Michelson entered the control room just as the destroyer pulled away from the spur.

  “Commander,” one of her controllers informed her, “someone’s taking off in the Cricket.”

  “I know,” she said. “Make a note of this, Lieutenant. The Cricket is being transferred to Volaris for now. Don’t forget to update the ship’s status in the station’s control log.”

  “Yes, Commander. Who should I say is transferring her?”

  The commander smiled as she watched the Cricket depart. “The ship is being transferred by Captain Robin Starling.”

  Upon hearing the name, the controllers all looked out through the windows to catch a glimpse of the ship before it sped away. Commander Michelson raised her fist to her heart, and said, “Good luck to you and your crew, Captain Starling. I hope the Cricket serves you well.”

  * * * *

  Commander Eldridge stood behind Veronica, watching a countdown on one of her monitors. “You’re sure we need to shut them off?” she asked. “We’re not even close to our assigned coordinates.”

  Veronica nodded and pointed at a graph. “We need to shut them off as soon as the station stops drifting. We don’t have enough propellant to get us back to our assigned location.”

  The commander shook her head in frustration. “Very well, then. Shut them down when our position is stable.” She walked over to Lindsey and looked at the bank of security screens. “Any sign of Janine yet?” she asked.

  “No,” Lindsey said. “But there are quite a few cameras that are still offline. She must be in an area we can’t see into yet.”

  “Alright. Keep looking, Lieutenant.” Her eyes caught a glimpse of the infirmary monitor. It looked as if Major Richards was unconscious and the enemy pilot was sitting by her side. “I think it’s time for me to check up on Major Richards,” she said. “And perhaps have a few words with our visitor. Keep me posted on any updates. I’ll be in the infirmary if you need me.”