by Linn Schwab
“Alvin,” Dr. Whelan said, “you probably shouldn’t be on the bridge right now.”
“Let him stay,” Gunther insisted. “Since he knows so much about the Cricket, he just might prove to be useful up here.”
“Something’s coming!” Connor announced, pointing to the windows.
Gunther looked in that direction and saw the bright glow of thrusters in the distance. He continued to watch the object’s approach with alarm until he realized it was Virginia’s fighter. “Eric,” he said to the radio operator, “any contact from Lieutenant Scot yet?”
“Not yet,” he answered. “Neither she or Captain Starling have broken radio silence since they left us.”
“Then I guess we’d better not either,” Gunther said. As he watched, Virginia pulled alongside the bridge and signaled to him with hand gestures. “She wants us to change course,” he said. “She must have spotted something out there.” He waved to her and nodded his head. “Jeffrey, when she pulls away I want you to follow her.”
“Yes, sir.”
When he looked forward, the Cricket was racing off to starboard, presumably to intercept something.
“This could be it,” Connor said. “Sure looks like they’re in a hurry to get somewhere.”
Gunther noticed Virginia was veering to the left. “Yes, and wherever it is, we’re heading in the opposite direction.”
Alvin stepped closer to the starboard windows and watched as the Cricket disappeared behind some rocks. “I hope they’ll be alright,” he said. The bridge remained virtually silent for a moment, suggesting the others all shared his concern.
After twenty minutes had passed, Virginia veered back to the right again, reestablishing the Triton’s previous heading.
“We’re back on course,” Jeffrey announced. “If my calculations are correct, we should be clear of these asteroids in less than an hour.”
“Good,” Connor said. “Then we can finally make some speed. All this creeping around in here is really starting to get on my nerves.”
“Yes,” Dr. Whelan agreed, “this is quite terrifying. I don’t envy our young friends one bit if this is what they have to deal with on a regular basis.”
Several minutes more rolled by, then the Cricket quietly reappeared and resumed the task of scouting ahead.
“That’s a relief,” Gunther said upon examining the Cricket’s hull. “Whatever happened back there, the ship doesn’t seem to have suffered any damage. If they did encounter some enemy forces, perhaps they were able to frighten them off.”
“Like I said earlier,” Connor insisted, “they’re running scared ‘cause we are kicking their butts.”
Gunther chuckled. “Yeah, I know. I’d like to believe you’re right about that.”
Thirty minutes later the rocks began to thin. Open space appeared through the forward windows. Once the Cricket reached the edge of the asteroid field, she spun around and headed back in the opposite direction.
“What are they doing?” Henrik wondered out loud.
As Gunther watched, the Cricket pulled alongside his bridge. He could see Captain Starling and her crew in the windows. The girls were somberly waving goodbye. “I guess this is as far as they go,” he said. “Looks like we’re on our own from here.”
The Cricket fell behind as the Triton drifted forward, emerging from the cover of the asteroid field.
“This is just great,” Henrik complained. “They’re leaving us just when we need them the most. We’re completely out in the open now. An enemy ship could spot us from half a galaxy away.”
“Should we build up speed?” Jeffrey asked.
“No,” Gunther said. “Henrik’s right. We’re easy enough to detect already. Let’s not do anything that might call attention to ourselves. Keep us moving forward at a slow and steady pace. As far as anyone who may be watching is concerned, we’re just a rock drifting out of the asteroid field.”
As Robin’s crew watched the Triton moving away, Virginia’s fighter pulled up close to the Cricket.
“Switch to infrared communications,” Robin ordered.
Mindy switched her controls to short range.
“We can go a little farther,” Virginia suggested.
“No,” Robin said. “We need to stop here.”
“But they’re completely exposed out there,” Virginia argued.
“Yes,” Robin told her, “I realize that. There’s something I need you to do for me.”
With his eyes on the Triton’s tactical display, Gunther watched as the asteroid field fell behind. The gap continued growing steadily larger, with no sign yet of any hostile forces.
“Looks like we might make it,” Connor said. “We’re not detecting any radar scanning. That suggests no one’s watching this area.”
“No,” Henrik said, “it just means they aren’t watching this area with radar. That doesn’t rule out other means of observation. They could be using—”
“Enemy ships!” Eric yelled, pointing at one of the viewscreens. “Astern of us and ten degrees to starboard!”
Gunther focused his eyes on a viewscreen. Two heavy cruisers in enemy camouflage were emerging from the asteroid field side by side.
“They found us,” Connor lamented. “I guess I spoke too soon.”
“Where’s the Cricket?” Gunther called out in alarm.
Dr. Whelan pointed to one of the viewscreens that was focused on the edge of the asteroid field. “This is where we last saw them,” he said. “I don’t see any sign of them now.”
Gunther hastily scanned the surrounding area but found no trace of the Sentinel destroyer.
“They’re gone,” Connor told him. “We’re on our own. Perhaps we should try to make a run for it.”
“That won’t help us,” Gunther argued. “They can easily track us, even if we manage to outrun them for a while.”
A sudden flash appeared on the starboard viewscreen, and the Triton shook from the force of an impact.
“They’re firing on us,” Dr. Whelan said.
“We have to try something!” Henrik insisted.
As Gunther attempted to come up with a plan, Erik suddenly pointed at one of the viewscreens. “Look!” he yelled. “Someone’s attacking the cruisers!”
Gunther turned to look at the screen and saw a single fighter firing rockets at the ships. “That’s Lieutenant Scot,” he said. “Why is she even bothering to attack heavy cruisers? Her weapons are completely ineffective against them.”
“She’s trying to draw their fire!” Connor insisted. “Trying to get them to swing their guns to port!”
“Then we should do the same,” Gunther said. “Jeffrey, steer ninety degrees to port!”
“Ninety degrees to port,” Jeffrey answered. The ship immediately began to veer left.
Gunther kept his eyes on the enemy cruisers. Their forward guns appeared to be tracking the Triton, while the rear guns swung toward Virginia’s fighter. “I hope we got this right,” he said. Seconds later another ship emerged from the debris field, behind and to starboard of the enemy vessels.
“There they are!” Connor yelled, pointing toward the Cricket. “Captain Starling set a trap for ‘em and they fell right into it!”
Robin’s ploy had worked beautifully. She now had the first cruiser locked in her sights, and its largest guns were all turned away from her. The targeting display flashed ninety–seven percent; everything else seemed to stand still for an instant.
“FIRE ONE!” she ordered.
“FIRE ONE!” Phoebe echoed.
The launch tube roared. The Cricket shuddered, and her first torpedo headed straight for its target.
Torpedoes streamed out from the Cricket’s nose on a straight line course for the heavy cruisers.
“She used us as bait!” Henrik declared.
“Yes,” Gunther said with a grin of admiration. “That’s exactly what it looks like to me as well.”
Three torpedoes struck one of the cruisers, setting off a series of m
assive detonations. The second ship suffered only a single direct hit, while two torpedoes missed their marks entirely and flew off into oblivion.
“That’s six,” Connor observed, “and four good hits. How many torpedoes does she have remaining?”
“Alvin?” Gunther said, passing the question off to him.
“She had thirty–six to start with. But it takes a while for the firing tubes to reload.”
As they watched, the Cricket flew behind the first ship then turned hard to starboard to pass in between them. Both cruisers let loose with another volley, and once again the Triton sustained a heavy impact. Pieces of debris flew away from the ship, suggesting it had suffered significant damage.
“Where did they hit us?” Gunther yelled.
“Looks like we just lost the rear turret,” Eric answered.
“Evacuate the stern of the ship,” Gunther ordered. “Bring everyone forward as far as you can.”
On the viewscreens, he saw the Cricket pass between the two cruisers, and suddenly both of them were swallowed by a cloud of smoke.
“She’s using her smokescreen to hide us!” Alvin shouted.
“Bless her heart,” Gunther said. “Jeffrey, steer ninety degrees to starboard!” As the ship veered right he kept his eyes on the battle.
The Cricket circled to one side of the smokescreen and positioned itself for another attack run. The instant both cruisers emerged from the cloud, the destroyer swooped in and ravaged them again as they frantically attempted to swing their guns toward her. Again the torpedoes unleashed their devastation, with five of the full spread of six striking true. Both cruisers shook violently from the force of the explosions, and belched torrents of smoke from amidships to stern. Their gun barrels flashed as they fired at the Cricket in a desperate attempt to ward off the assault.
With smoke and debris now obscuring the action, the Sentinel destroyer became difficult to track. It slipped in and out of view amidst the burst of muzzle flashes as the cruisers continued to unleash their firestorm. Then all at once the enemy guns stopped firing, and an ominous calm swept across the battlefield.
Alvin rushed to the viewscreen to get a closer look, but his eyes seemed to search without finding anything. Hearts on the Triton’s bridge fell heavy. Gunther laid a consoling hand on Alvin’s shoulder.
“She gave it her best, Alvin,” he said. “Even in the face of such overwhelming firepower, she fought to the end with tenacious courage.”
As Alvin hung his head in sadness, Gunther focused his attention on the enemy cruisers, concerned that they might still come after the Triton.
“We’re in trouble now,” Connor said, staring at the viewscreen. Both of the ships were turning to pursue.
Gunther opened his mouth to speak, but before he got the chance to issue an order, the cruisers’ guns flared to life again as they struggled to fend off an unseen assailant. Their efforts resulted in failure though, as both of them burst open and exploded seconds later.
“What happened?” Henrik asked.
“I don’t know,” Gunther said. “Maybe Captain Starling was just lying low for a while, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Does anyone see any sign of the Cricket?”
A wealth of eyes scoured every inch of the viewscreen, but hope dwindled when no one spoke up with a reply.
After searching for a few moments without success, Connor made a somber suggestion. “Maybe she was too close to those ships when they blew. Those last two explosions were pretty powerful.”
His words did nothing to brighten the mood.
“I don’t even want to consider that possibility,” Gunther said. “Not after how bravely those girls fought to protect us. I choose to believe they’re alive and unharmed, and the Cricket is on her way home right now.”
“As do I,” Henrik concurred. “I’m sure that’s something we can all agree on.”
One by one, the onlookers abandoned the search as the remnants of the battle receded in the distance. When Gunther finally turned to walk away, Alvin pointed at the viewscreen and yelled, “Look! I see something! I can see something moving!”
“What is it?” Gunther asked, quickly spinning back around.
Connor traced a line on the viewscreen with his finger, following the motion of a distant object. “It looks like a fighter to me,” he said.
Gunther nodded. “That’s Lieutenant Scot. At least we know one of them survived the battle.”
Weaving through the smoke and what was left of the cruisers, Virginia began a frantic search for the Cricket. Her efforts to contact Mindy received no reply, but there was plenty of debris out here to block her short range signals, and she didn’t yet dare break radio silence for fear of attracting unwanted attention. Though it appeared that the Triton had managed to escape, it was still too soon to take reckless chances that might jeopardize everything Robin and her crew had just fought for.
Drawing nearer to the pair of demolished cruisers, she saw the grim results of the Cricket’s firepower. Their blackened hulls were masses of tortured metal, with portions of shattered systems and components held in place by nothing more than cabling and wires. Supplies and equipment were scattered far and wide — bedding, and uniforms, and tables from the messdecks. And there were bodies in various states of dismemberment, too gruesome to look upon for more than a quick glance. There was little doubt Robin’s girls would be traumatized if they could see what Virginia was seeing right now. Maybe that’s why they haven’t responded, she decided, then intensified her efforts to locate the Cricket.
“Mindy, Robin, can you hear me?” she said. Her call was answered by silence again. As her eyes scanned the field of wreckage and debris, she at last caught a glimpse of Sentinel gray, peeking out from behind a section of metal decking.
“Mindy, Robin, can you hear me?” she repeated, flying closer to see if she could get a better view. As she rounded the edge of the twisted decking, she felt a sudden burst of relief. The Cricket appeared to be largely intact, and she could clearly see Robin and her crew through the windows, looking out in stunned silence at the carnage they’d wrought.
“Robin,” she said, blocking their view with her fighter, “answer me.”
Robin gestured to Mindy and softly said, “I hear you.”
“Is everyone alright?”
Robin looked around at the members of her crew. All of them appeared to be somewhat shaken, but Phoebe was clearly more affected than the others. She sat in her chair quivering, staring down at her console, refusing to look out at what lay beyond the windows. She’s the one who pulled the trigger, Robin realized. That must be a terrible feeling.
“Robin, listen to me,” Virginia said. “There’s a large piece of wreckage on top of your ship. It looks like it’s caught on your antenna array. There’s a chance it may rip the entire array off if you try to engage the Cricket’s thrusters. If that happens, it could tear a hole in your ship. We need to be very careful here.”
“I see it,” Robin said. “What should we do?”
“Before we do anything,” Virginia insisted, “we should have a little discussion first. Since there’s a chance you may lose all communications, we need to agree right now on what we’re going to say if someone asks us what happened out here.”
“We can’t tell them about the Triton,” Robin said.
“I agree. Not anyone. Not even Jenny.”
Robin found that difficult to swallow. If there was anyone she might want to share this with, Jenny would be at the top of her list. “Alright,” she agreed. “Not even Jenny. We keep this a secret from everyone.”
“You’re gonna have to erase your flight recorders.”
“Sheri?” Robin asked.
“I can do that,” She confirmed. “How much should I erase?”
“When did your scanners start to malfunction? Was that before or after you made contact with the Triton?”
“Before,” Robin answered.
“Perfect,” Virginia said. “Then that’s
when your flight recorders failed as well. Afterward, we were attacked by the two enemy ships we were tracking, and you were forced to fight them in a defensive battle. You scored a few hits and forced them to withdraw. Is everyone clear on that?”
“Yes,” Robin answered. “But what about your flight recorder?” she asked.
Virginia glanced down at the chip on her console and realized she didn’t have the means to erase it. Fighters simply didn’t have the wealth of controls that were present on craft with more interior space. For an instant it seemed like the story might unravel. Her recordings would most likely be reviewed at some point. But then she remembered the captain of the Lily Pad handing her the chip from her previous fighter. She reached for her pocket. The chip was still there. That gave her what she needed to proceed with the deception.
“Don’t worry,” she told Robin, “I think I have that covered. Now let’s see if we can get that piece of wreckage off your ship.” She maneuvered her fighter to the rear of the Cricket so she could get a closer look at the point of contact. Some electrical cabling attached to the wreckage appeared to be snagged on the antenna array.
“You’re caught in some cables,” Virginia said. “Just hold her steady, Caroline. I’m gonna try shooting them away with my guns.”
Robin looked up at the surveillance scope monitor and saw Virginia’s guns flare to life. The piece of wreckage appeared to come loose and began to drift slowly away from the Cricket.
“Alright,” Virginia said, “looks like that did it. Now let’s see if we can find our way back to Volaris.”
Caroline spun the Cricket around and followed Virginia through the battle’s remains, past a seemingly endless expanse of metal fragments and drifting blobs of hydraulic fluid.
“You fought well, ECHO 5,” Virginia told them. “I’m proud of you. And I know the whole fleet would be proud of you as well.”