by Linn Schwab
“Virginia, are you still there?” Robin teased her.
ESCORTS 102
When the initial shock wore off, Virginia responded to the captain’s greeting. “Forgive me, Captain Lowell,” she said. “I’m afraid I’m just a little mystified at the moment.”
“Virginia,” Robin explained to her, “the Triton’s been lost for a hundred and eleven years. These people are the original crew’s descendants. They didn’t come from Valhalla.”
The last sentence stuck in Virginia’s mind, as she knew Captain Starling had intended it to. They didn’t come from Valhalla. She means they’ve never been exposed to the virus!
“Robin,” she said, “if this is true…”
“I know,” Robin said. “What should we do?”
Virginia checked her scanner again. The enemy cruisers were still out of range, which suggested there was no immediate threat. But they could be intercepting transmissions — and that was a matter of great concern. “Robin,” she said, “you need to dock with the Triton and speak with Captain Lowell in person so the enemy doesn’t find out where we are. There’s a dock at the rear of the ship’s superstructure, which leads to an auxiliary loading bay. Check battleship schematics for pressure seal locations. There should be a loading bay control room isolated by airtight windows.”
“Roger that,” Robin said. “Permission to dock with the Triton, Captain Lowell?”
“Permission granted, Captain Starling. I look forward to meeting you in person.”
“Make sure the loading bay remains sealed while we’re docked,” Robin told him. “We’ll have to speak to each other over the intercom.”
“Very well,” Captain Lowell agreed. “I’ll meet you there in a couple of minutes.”
Through the windows, Gunther watched the Cricket swing around and maneuver toward the rear of the Triton’s superstructure. He then turned to some of his companions on the bridge and issued orders for them to comply with in his absence. “Jeffrey, I’m leaving you in charge of the bridge for now. Eric, take over on the radio. Connor, I want you to come with me. Henrik, you too. And Dr. Whelan.” He gestured to the others to follow him and headed directly for the loading bay control room.
“I’m curious to know,” Dr. Whelan said as he walked along beside Gunther and the others, “why she insists on keeping the loading bay sealed. Does that not seem like an odd request?”
“How would we know,” Connor pointed out. “We haven’t exactly done this before.”
“I’m sure it’s just a precaution,” Gunther said.
“Yes,” the doctor reluctantly agreed. “But a precaution against what?”
“You sound suspicious, Doc,” Gunther said.
“Suspicious. Cautious. Call it what you like. I’d just like to know what her reasoning is. A simple explanation is all I ask.”
“Well,” Henrik observed, “she did say there were enemy ships in the area. If we come under attack, her crew may need to disembark quickly. Waiting for hatches to seal might delay them.”
“That’s a good point,” Gunther said. “You see, Doc? There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation. Let’s try not to greet Captain Starling with doubts and suspicions invading our thoughts. It might prove helpful to show a little faith in her.”
When the group arrived at the loading bay control room, they found it was already packed full of people eagerly awaiting the Cricket’s arrival. As the four of them weaved their way through the crowd, Gunther found his wife standing close to the windows, with their four year old daughter sitting on the console in front of her.
“What are you two doing here?” he asked.
“Same as everyone else,” Arri told him. “A chance to get our first look at people from Valhalla. You’re not going to order us to leave, are you?”
Murmurs of excitement filled the room as the airlock lights turned from red to blue.
“I guess it’s too late for that now,” Gunther said. “Looks like our guests have already arrived.”
Connor and Henrik stood off to his left, while Dr. Whelan hovered just behind him. All eyes were now fixed on the airlock door. When it opened, a hush fell over the room. Standing in the opening were seven young girls, all dressed in similar green uniforms. They came forward as a group, with one leading the others, and stopped a few steps from the control room windows.
“Hello,” the leader said. “I’m Captain Starling. Is one of you Captain Lowell?”
As Gunther struggled to overcome a sudden tightness in his throat, Dr. Whelan leaned forward and whispered in his ear. “I believe it was Captain Lowell who said, ‘It might prove helpful to show a little faith in her.’”
Gunther swallowed and forced himself to speak. “I’m Captain Lowell,” he said to Robin. “It’s nice to meet you, Captain Starling.”
“Nice to meet you,” Robin replied. “This is my crew. Katrina, Phoebe, Mindy, Michelle, Caroline, and Sheri.”
“You’ll forgive me if I don’t introduce my whole crew,” Gunther said. “I’m afraid it just wouldn’t be practical. But this is my wife, Arri, our daughter, Eva, and my advisors, Connor, Henrik, and Dr. Whelan. Umm,” he stuttered, “if you don’t mind my asking, exactly how old are you girls?”
“Thirteen,” Robin answered.
“I see,” Gunther said, expressing some concern. “Well … welcome aboard the Triton, Captain Starling. I apologize if our appearance isn’t quite up to standard. I’m afraid we don’t have access to Sentinel uniforms.”
As Robin peered through the wall of glass, a thousand and one thoughts were racing through her mind. The group consisted of both males and females, spanning a variety of different ages, all dressed in clothes made of natural fabric. She saw men and women just standing there together as if it was perfectly normal to do so. And there were boys her own age, or slightly older, whose looks caused her heart rate to quicken a little. A brief glance at Michelle confirmed that her friend’s eyes were inextricably wrapped around one of the taller boys — a handsome young lad of fourteen or fifteen, holding hands with a girl the same age as Robin’s crew. Not surprisingly, after noticing their hands clasped together in an apparent sign of mutual affection, Michelle turned her gaze away from the boy, and wandered back toward the Cricket to sulk, leaving him for the other girls to ogle.
Though all of the girls felt some degree of infatuation, it was another feeling altogether that seemed to dominate Robin’s attention while and instilling her with a sense of deprivation. A few women in the crowd were holding young children in a manner she found thoroughly captivating — a manner suggesting a degree of attachment which had never materialized in her own life. A part of her longed to be held as they were — to experience the same comfort and affection they enjoyed. Having spent her early years in ECHO nursery, she’d never had the opportunity to bond with someone so intimately. Though the nurses had always been warm and caring, there just weren’t enough of them to go around. There were far too many young girls for them to care for, and not nearly enough time to spend with them before they left for the academy. So by design, much of the nurturing was left to the girls themselves, trickling down from the eldest in the nursery packs, with only minimal input from the nurses. But that was a different kind of love entirely. It was no substitute for the devotion of a mother.
“So,” Captain Lowell said to Robin, “you mentioned something about enemy ships?”
“Yes,” she answered, emerging awkwardly from her thoughts. “There’s a pair of heavy cruisers in this area. We were chasing them when we picked up your signal.”
“Chasing them?”
“Yes,” Robin said. “We were trying to push them away from Valhalla.”
Captain Lowell appeared very much unsure what to make of this. His eyes wandered across the faces of Robin’s crew as if searching for a glimmer of reassurance.
“Pardon me for interrupting,” Henrik said butting in, “but perhaps you can explain something to me, Captain Starling. I know what a heavy cruiser is. There ar
e images and schematics in the Triton’s archives describing their armor and armaments. So I’m familiar with their capabilities, and I know they’re a force to be reckoned with. But I’ve never seen anything like the ship you’re flying — which by visual comparison alone doesn’t inspire a whole lot of confidence. Exactly what type of vessel is that, and what threat does it pose to a heavy cruiser?”
“It’s a fast attack Congo–class destroyer,” Robin told him. “Only in use for the last thirty years or so. It’s armed with Mark G–17 torpedoes. Powerful enough to blow holes in battleships.”
Henrik exchanged a nervous glance with Captain Lowell, but refrained from asking any further questions. He appeared to be closely studying Robin, as if attempting to gauge the depths of her experience and competence.
“Captain Lowell,” Robin said, changing the subject, “can you tell me how the Triton ended up here, after being lost for so many years?”
“It’s always been our dream to return to Valhalla,” he explained. “For as long as any of us can remember, all of our efforts have been geared toward achieving that goal. We’ve spent years trying to repair the Triton’s damage so we could one day make the journey back home.
“You see,” he went on to elaborate, “when the Triton’s engines were damaged in battle, she drifted deep into enemy space, further and further away from Valhalla. Her crew did everything they could to repair her, but the engines were too far gone to restore. The small amount of thrust she could still generate was far too little to bring her home while the planet was surrounded by enemy ships.
“For several months they continued to drift, rationing supplies as best they could, and scavenging the remains of wrecked ships they encountered. Until at last they found themselves near the planet Fólkvangr, and managed to coax the Triton within range. To their good fortune, they discovered the Livingstone there, clinging to a slowly decaying orbit with its systems still functioning at bare minimums. With a little work, they managed to stabilize the ship and bring the hydroponics back on line. There were seeds enough to grow a variety of foods, and flax and cotton to weave into fabrics.” He gave a brief tug at the front of his shirt to illustrate the origin of their clothing.
“After that,” he continued, “they used shuttles to scavenge any wrecks that drifted within range. It took us many years to collect all the necessary parts to get the Triton’s engines back up to speed. Our original goal was to get all four of them working before we attempted to run the blockade. But when we realized that comet was heading this way, we decided it might provide enough of a distraction to help us sneak in without being detected. So we moved our plans up to take advantage of that, and took a chance that three engines would be enough to get us through.”
“Wait a minute,” Robin insisted, confused. “What comet?”
“The one your people blew all to pieces,” he explained.
Robin exchanged a quick glance with Caroline. So that’s where all that fog and ice came from!
“So, that’s our story,” Captain Lowell declared. “You’re the first people from Valhalla we’ve had any contact with. And I can’t tell you how excited we all are to be here, after looking forward to this day for so many years. It’s such a fantastic feeling to know that after living our whole lives on the decks of a spaceship, we’re finally coming home to Valhalla — to the world our ancestors told us so much about. Isn’t that right, Eva?” he said to his daughter.
“I’m gonna see horsies!” she exclaimed cheerfully.
While the crowd behind the glass laughed at Eva’s remark, Robin was overcome by a sudden wave of sadness. To see the excitement on the little girl’s face and know that she was going to be disappointed — that all of them were going to be disappointed… It was just too much for her to take at the moment. Her eyes were on the verge of expelling tears. She needed some time to regain her composure.
“Captain Lowell,” she said, “will you excuse us for a moment please. There’s something I need to discuss with my crew.” She led the others back to the airlock opening, where they could speak to each other without being overheard. Only then did she notice the other girls’ expressions. The same sadness was showing on all of their faces.
“Robin,” Caroline said.
“I know,” she replied.
“You have to tell them.”
“I know!” she insisted. Her eyes could no longer contain her tears. Any further discussion would have to wait a few minutes.
When Captain Starling led her crew away to speak with them in private, Gunther instructed everyone to leave the control room, other than the three advisors he’d asked to accompany him.
“So, what do you think?” he asked when the others were gone. “Looks like Captain Starling and her crew are every bit as young as they sounded over the radio.”
“Not good,” Henrik said. “This is not good at all. If the fleet is desperate enough to send thirteen year old girls into combat, the war must be going very badly for us.”
“I agree,” Dr. Whelan said. “The Sentinel forces must be just barely hanging on. I really hate to say this, gentlemen, but I fear we may have arrived just in time to witness our defeat.”
Gunther was inclined to agree with both of them. The age of Captain Starling’s crew had come as quite a shock to him, and dealt a serious blow to his hopes of receiving a proficient armed escort. So far the consensus seemed to be bleak. Only Connor had yet to chime in with his opinion, and despite his knack for envisioning silver linings, it was doubtful even he could find a positive angle on this. Nevertheless, Gunther turned to Connor with a hopeful look now, almost pleading with him to conjure up a bit of optimism.
Connor seemed to sense that the pressure was on, and as usual he managed to shake off the negativity. “Now wait a minute,” he said, doing his best to sound upbeat, “I think you guys are looking at this from entirely the wrong perspective.” He pointed a finger toward the Triton’s outer hull, and said, “There’s a pair of enemy cruisers out there, running scared from a ship crewed by thirteen year old girls! You’re certainly free to interpret that any way you like, but it sounds to me like we are kicking their butts!”
Gunther couldn’t help but chuckle at that, but his inner reservations were still unabated. “I’d like to share your positive appraisal, Connor. Unfortunately, it seems fairly apparent to me that these girls are hiding something from us. Did you see the look on Captain Starling’s face when Eva expressed her excitement to see horsies? There’s clearly something they aren’t telling us. And I have a feeling we’re not going to like what it is.”
Connor nodded. “That’s why you asked the others to leave?”
“Exactly,” Gunther confirmed. “I think it’s best if we get the bad news from Captain Starling, then decide how we’re going to inform everyone.”
“What do you think it could be?” Henrik mused. “You suppose Earth could have nuked the planet or something?”
“I don’t know,” Dr. Whelan replied, “but I think we may be about to find out.” He gestured toward the loading bay. Captain Starling and her crew were returning to the windows.
“Captain Starling,” Gunther greeted Robin, “I take it you’re ready to resume our conversation?”
“Yes,” she replied, but she seemed to be struggling to think of what to say.
“I couldn’t help but notice,” Gunther prompted her, “how you reacted when my daughter mentioned seeing horses. It’s fairly obvious there was something you didn’t want to tell us right then. Are there no horses on Valhalla for her to see?”
“We don’t know,” Robin said. “We’ve never seen one.”
“Is that what’s troubling you? Look, I can understand if you didn’t want her to be disappointed, but—”
“Captain Lowell,” Robin interrupted him. She steadied herself and gathered her resolve, then forced herself to tell him, “You can’t go to Valhalla.”
The words hit Gunther like a stake through his heart. This was exactly what he did n
ot want to hear. “So that’s it, then,” he said. “May I ask why? I mean, if that’s your decision, we’re obviously in no position to defy you. I’d just like some clarification is all. Is there some reason you don’t want us there?”
“No, it isn’t that,” Robin assured him. “Your women and girls could go there if they want to. But men and boys can’t live on Valhalla.”
Gunther and his advisors exchanged puzzled looks. “But why?” he asked. “I don’t understand. That just doesn’t make any sense.”
Robin took a deep breath and did her best to explain the situation. “About eighty years ago,” she said, “an earthling missile entered Valhalla’s atmosphere. It carried some kind of weaponized virus that killed living creatures with male chromosomes. Most of the animal populations managed to recover, but we’re not exactly sure why. We think pregnant mothers somehow developed an immunity that they were able to pass on to unborn male offspring. But there were some species that died out completely. For instance, there aren’t any apes or monkeys left. And the virus killed off all human males. Even the ones who weren’t born yet.”
“Well,” Gunther said, “that certainly casts a new light on things.” He looked to Dr. Whelan for an opinion.
“I take it,” the doctor said to Robin, “that this virus is airborne and highly contagious?”
“Yes,” she said.
He tapped on the window glass with his fingers, in reference to her instructions to keep the room sealed off.
She nodded. “You’ll have to purge the air in this chamber after we leave. The virus comes with us wherever we go.”
“Have there not been any efforts to develop a vaccine?”
“Yes,” Robin said. “I know there were efforts to find a cure, but I think they were abandoned a long time ago.”
“Do you know why the efforts were abandoned? Was it because the researchers determined a cure wasn’t possible?”
“I’m not exactly sure,” Robin said. “I think they may have given up because they didn’t have any subjects to run tests on. And trying to inoculate embryos proved to be impractical.”